USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Fairfield > The history of Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut, from the settlement of the town in 1639 to 1818, Vol. II > Part 16
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63
1739. At the meeting of the General Assembly at Hartford, on May Ioth, Judge John Burr and Mr. Ebenezer Silliman were elected Assist- ants, and Captain Andrew Burr and Mr. Ebenezer Silliman representa- tives for Fairfield. Judge John Burr was also appointed Judge of the County and District Probate Court. Captain Samuel Couch, John Read and Samuel Burr were made Justices of the Peace for Fairfield County.
It was reported to the Assembly that the long controversy between the inhabitants of Danbury, Samuel Couch, Daniel Chapman, Thomas Nash, Samuel Gold and Hezekiah Gold, in regard to the south bounds
* Fairfield Town Votes.
125
GROWTH AND PROSPERITY OF FAIRFIELD
1739]
of Danbury and the land adjoining, which had been granted and patented! to Captain Couch and his associates, had been amicably settled. The Assembly accepted and confirmed the boundaries fixed upon.
The summer of 1739 heralded the one hundredth anniversary of the settlement of the town of Fairfieldl. Contrasting the first, small, rude meeting-house, which was of ample size to hold the entire population of the early settlement, with the churches which had sprung out of the Prune Ancient Society at Stratfield, Green's Farms, Greenfield, Reading, New town and New Fairfield our forefathers must have been led to exelatin " The Lord hath increased & multiplied his people exceedingly! They crownest the year with thy goodness: & thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness; & the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also aire covered over with corn; they shout for joy, also they sing. 1. the eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttering over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the Lord alone did lead him, & there was no strange God with him. Let the wilderness & the cities thereof lift up their voice. Let the in habitants of the rocks sing, let them shout from the top of the mon- tains."
The pioneer sons and daughters of toil and privation had laid the foundations of a good work, and had been gathered Home to receive the reward of their labors; and now their grandchildren and their chil- dren's children are found blessed in all the prosperity of one of the most thriving and influential towns in the colony of Connecticut.
The first care of those who received this goodly inheritance appears to have been to honor the Lord by making the houses erected to llis glory as comfortable and beautiful as their means permitted.
" At a church meeting of Christ's Church Fairfield held May 31, 1739 \r 1.01 000 Lewis & Mr. Samuel Rowland were chosen deacons. It was also voted that Mr Latemp Lewis & Mr. Samuel Rowland be a committee of the Church to take an amo unt ci Church stock, which was in the hands of Deacon Dimon. Notes of Res. Noah Hobart, Pastor"
In December following Mr. Edward Lewis of Stratford and John Betts of Norwalk were appointed a committee to see and give their opinion whether the meeting-house at Fairfield was worth repairing. They undoubtedly thought it was, and the major part of the society evi-
* Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. VIII, p 245.
1
126
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD
[1739
dently agreed with them, for they " voted to put in new sills, two tiles between the posts, excepting where the doors are & that square where the pulpit is dark. The meeting-house to be covered with white wood sidings; the seats to be put closer together; & pews to be built in con- venient places, & to be sold to pay for these repairs."
Who should be allowed to occupy the new square, high-backed pews became a serious question among the Fairfielders, and resulted in a committee being called in from Norwalk and Stratford, "to de- termine who had the most right to them and what price should be paid for them. Their decision did not satisfy, however, some having been left without pews; consequently, they proceeded to build pews " something like them" on their own responsibility; the Society or- dered them "to be removed & such persons to be hereafter prose- cuted." It was " voted that no person should hire a pew who was not the head of a family; that no one should hire more than one, and that no one should bid for one unless he belonged to Mr. Hobart's meeting."*
At the meeting of the Assembly in New Haven, October IIth, Ser- geant John Read was commissioned captain, Mr. Stephen Burr lieu- tenant and Mr. Samuel Sandford ensign " for the train-band of the parish of Reading, in the town of Fairfield."+
A threatened war between England and Spain led the Assembly to place the colony on an organized war basis. Governor Joseph Talcott was " for the time being " made Captain-General, and Deputy Governor Jonathan Laws Lieutenant-General of the military forces of the colony. All the military companies were to be gathered into regiments. Thir- teen regiments were formed in the colony. The companies of Fairfield, Stratford, Danbury and Newtown were to be distinguished by the name of " The Fourth Regiment." Each regiment was to have a Colonel, Lieu- tenant-Colonel and a Major, to be commanded by the Governor. Regiments found without cavalry were to form a troop of horse not to exceed sixty-four men, under the direction of the chief officer, who was also to assist them in the choice of their officers and refer their selec- tions to the General Assembly for approval and commission. John Burr was appointed and commissioned Colonel by the Assembly; Edmund Lewis, Lieutenant-Colonel, and Andrew Burr Major of the Fourth Regi- ment. #
* Fairfield Parish Record. + Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. VIII, p. 260. # Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. VIII, p. 279.
127
GROWTH AND PROSPERITY OF FAIRFIELD
1730]
The colonial laws of interstate estates had not met with the approval of England. A committee was appointed to assist the Governor in pie paring an address to be set before the king Major John Burr wa it quested to take out the necessary topics in the Probate Count of Full field to be sent to the king .*
For the defence of New London and the seacoast towns, ten good cannon were ordered for the battery there, also eight carrisges and tight swivel guns, suitable to furnish a sloop of seventy tons. The sum of eleven hundred pounds was granted out of the colony treasury for per fecting this order. Fairfield should have been defended in like in. nner. being too remote from New London to receive much benefit from either her fortifications or her small armed vessel.
The expected war between England and Spain reached a climax be- fore the year closed, as England declared war against Spain October 23. 1739.
Officers were appointed in each town to call forth and examine the arms and ammunition of those by law obliged to bear arms, and make a report to the major of each regiment.
The taxable estates of Fairfield were valued at £37.793 78. 91.
* Col. Rec. Conn,, Vol. VIII, p 253.
B
CHAPTER XI
1740-1750
WAR BETWEEN ENGLAND, FRANCE AND SPAIN
Religious awakening .- Rev. George Whitefield .- New Lights .- Revivals .- Assistants and depu- ties of 1740 .- Proclamation of war .- Soldiers raised .- Bills of credit issued .- Taxes laid .- Stratfield exempt from Fairfield school and ministers' taxes .- New Fairfield meeting-house .- Incorporated a town .- Hemp, canvas, and linen .- Bills of credit .- Volunteers for war .- Deserters punished .- Military officers .- Colonial laws sent to England .- 1741 .- Expedition against West Indies .- Colony and military officers .- Embargo on grain, etc .- Military pre- parations .- Sale of western lands for schools .- Prayers for King and Royal family .- Fresh troops sent to Cuba .- Sloop Defence .- Invasion of Georgia .- Rev. Daniel Chapman's death. -1742 .- Colony and military officers .- Probate seal .- College license. -- License for ministers. -Old Lights and New Lights .- Church of England convention at Fairfield .- Green's Farms meeting-house, seatings, and bell .- Reading meeting-house .- Greenfield Hill meeting-house. -1743 .- Colonial and military officers .- Ecclesiastical law for dissenters .- Fourth Regiment officers .- Preparations for war .- Fairfield taxes .- 1744 .- Political and military officers .- Superior Court at Fairfield .- War between England and France .- Military officers and troops raised to assist New York .- Powder money tax .- Friendly Indian badges. - Punishment for officers and soldiers .- Fairfield doomed .- 1745 .- French expedition against Louisburg .- Assembly of February .- Expedition against Cape Breton and neighborhood .- Volunteers raised .- Sloop Defence and transports prepared .- Major Andrew Burr .- Colonel of forces .- April 3d a fast day .- Bills of credit issued .- Political and military officers .- Reinforcements .- Bills of credit issued .- Commanding officers .- Commodore Warren's course .- Expedition sailed .- Orders from England .- Louisburg and Cape Breton taken .- Great rejoicing in col- onies .- Valuable prizes .- Fisheries preserved .- Col. Andrew Burr's regiment maintained at Louisburg .- Connecticut requests share in prize money, etc .- 1746 .- England resolved to conquer Canada, and France to retake her possessions .- Officers of the civil and military appointments .- Care of disabled soldiers .- Fresh officers and soldiers raised to attack Canada. - Day of fasting and prayer ordered .- Bills of credit .- Troops to protect frontier towns. - Expedition against Crown Point .- French fleet .- Alarm on New England coast .- Disasters and failure of French fleet .- New England dissatisfied and alienated from England. - Enter- prise and bravery of Fairfield men and women .- Political and military officers .- Protection of currency, trade, and lumber .- Bounty to Indian allies .- Oath of allegiance and supremacy .- Estates of Fairfield .- Agreement to defend English colonies .- French attack on English pos- sessions and failure .- Indian depredations .- Ecclesiastical affairs .- 1748 .- Political and mili- tary officers .- Rev. Henry Caner goes to Boston .- Rev. Joseph Lamson .- Death of Rev. Samuel Cook. - Rev. Lyman IIall .- New church .- Cross-highway .- St. John's Church, Strat- field .- Reading meeting-house .- Rev. Mr. Beach .- Death of Rev. Mr. Hunn .- New Fair- field's tax for church .- Tax for Yale College .- Ecclesiastical laws .- 1749 .-- Political and military officers .- Treaty of peace between England, France, and Spain .- Louisburg ceded back to France .- Depreciation of currency .- England called upon for assistance and reim-
1740]
WAR BETWEEN ENGLAND, FRANCE AND SPAIN
bursement .- Taxes raised to pay England > war experce . Hews tebe 100. Sagamore Chicken deeded his land at Kending.
1740. STIRRING events prevailed both in church and state at this time. In the established church of the colony, where a cold indifference had been manifested in many parishes, to the great sorrow of their lead ing ministers and officers, a general religious awakening now took place This awakening was begun in 1735. at Northampton, Massachusetts, in the parish of the distinguished Rev. Jonathan Edwards, was rekindled at this time and spread over almost all parts of Connecticut. " It extended to old & young, to gray-haired sinners, who had long accustomed them selves to sin, & grown old in their iniquities; & even to little children. Negroes & Indians were touched with the spirit of inquiry for the welfare of their souls. The young people forsook their thoughtless pleasures, & sought the hallowed duties of the Sabbath. The neglected places of worship were sought out by all classes, not only on the Lord's day, but on lecture days. Sometimes the itinerant preachers were followed by a multitude of people from town to town. Many extraordinary instances are related of the conversions which took place at Enfield, under the preaching of the Rev. Jonathan Edwards."#
It was about this time that the Rev. George Whitefield visited some of the New England towns. He had been ordained in the Church of England, and in 1738 had preached with great power in some of the southern American colonies, and afterwards in England and Scotland He landed, on this his second visit to America, at Philadelphia in the early part of November, 1739. People from all quarters flocked to hear him. After spending a few days in Philadelphia, he accepted an invita- tion from several gentlemen in New York to visit that city, where he preached eight times with great effect. On his return to Philadelphia he preached in the principal cities and towns of New Jersey. From Philadelphia he proceeded to Georgia by land, preaching on the way as he traveled from place to place. The following description of Mr. Whitefield is given by Dr. Trumbull :
" He is of a sprightly, cheerful temper : acts & moves with great agility & hie The endowments of his mind are very uncommon, his wit is quick & piercing, his imagination lively & florid; & both, as far as I can discern, under the direction of an exact & solid judgment. He has a most ready memory, & I think speaks entirely without notes llc has a clear & musical voice, & a wonderful command of it. He uses much gesture, but
* Trumbull's Hist. Conn., Vol. II, p. 143.
9
130
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD
[1740
with great propriety. Every accent of his voice, every motion of his body speaks, & both are natural & unaffected. If his delivery is the product of art, it is certainly the perfection of it: for it is entirely concealed. He has great mastery of words, but studies much plain- ness of speech.
His doctrine is right sterling; I mean perfectly agreeable to the articles of the Church of England. to which he often appeals for the truth of it. He loudly proclaims all men by nature to be under sin, & obnoxious to the wrath & curse of God. He main- tains the absolute necessity of supernatural grace to bring men out of this state. He asserts the righteousness of Christ to be the alone cause of justification of a sinner; that this is received by faith ; & that this faith is the gift of God; & that where faith is wrought, it brings the sinner, under the deepest sense of his guilt & unworthiness, to the footstool of sovereign grace, to accept of mercy as the free gift of God, only for Christ's sake. He asserts the absolute necessity of the new birth: This new production is solely the work of God's blessed spirit : That wherever it is wrought it is a permanent & abiding principle. & that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it."
His preaching at Boston delighted the Rev. Messrs. Coleman. Cooper, Sewell & Prince. The assemblies, which at first were small. soon became so large that there was no church or building of sufficient size to contain them; & he often preached on the common. He extended his visits to the neighboring towns & villages. It was supposed that his hearers at his last sermon, when he took leave of the town, were not less than twenty thousand.
Upon leaving Boston he went to Northampton, preaching his way in all the principal towns in Massachusetts. He was received with great joy by the Rev. Jonathan Edwards; & his preaching had a remarkable effect upon the people of Northampton.
" Many cried out & sunk down under awakenings: others were overcome with joy, & fainted under the views which they had of the exceeding glory & excellency of their Saviour. & of divine truths & beauties."
From Northampton Mr. Whitefield preached in several of the Con- necticut towns. On the 23d of October he reached New Haven. As the General Assembly was in session, he remained in that city over Sun- day, and preached daily to large and deeply interested gatherings.
Leaving New Haven. he preached at Milford. Stratford, Fairfield, Norwalk. Stamford and other places. arriving in New York on the 13th of October.
A large number of the ministers in the Congregational and Presby- terian churches approved of Mr. Whitefield's style of preaching. but there were some greatly opposed to him. Among those who favored the religious revival in the counties of Fairfield and Litchfield were the Rev. Mr. Mills of Ripton. Graham of Woodbury. Farrand of Canaan and Bellamy of Bethlehem. The missionaries of the Church of England were in every way opposed to revivals of any kind.
The Rev. Mr. Caner wrote from Fairfield to the Secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel :
1740]
131
WAR BETWEEN ENGLAND, FRANCE AND SPAIN
" Enthusiasm has made no progress in Fairfield, & the effect of it at Stanford Norwalk, Ridgefield &c, where it has a large spread, has been the reconciling folie sider & considerate people to the Commumon of our Chirch In order to prevent an mich a possible the spreading of enthusiasm, both now & hereafter andony u . I love aizdel myself closely to catechizing both young & old, who do not appear to Fare recently digested the grounds of our most holy faith ; the catechumen be is divided luty thuce classes, are examined & instructed according to ther several improvement every [ day after sermon in the afternoon."
The spirit of revival was carried on, however, after Mr. Whitefield leit New England by several of the Congregational and Presbyterian ministers. Dr. Trumbull states. " This glorious work of God which has effected such a wonderful reformation of manners through the country. was marred & greatly injured by many imprudencies & irregularities; & was most violently opposed by ministers, by magistrates, by cruel & per secuting laws, by reproach & misrepresentation, & all other ways & means, which its adversaries could invent."
Many exhorters sprang up among the people of the colony affer Mr. Whitefield's visit, particularly at New London and Windham, who were governed by impulse and imaginary insight into the spiritual con- dition of men's souls, even going so far as to pretend to know who were converted and who were not. A description of the manner in which these ranters or nete lights, as they were called, proceeded is given by the Rev. Mr. Punderson, a clergyman of the Church of England settled at New Groton. His letter is dated December 12, 1741, and addressed to the Secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Of these men he thus wrote:
" There have been a great number of vagrant preacher, the most remarkable of whom is Mr. Davenport of Long Island. who came to New London in July. proclaiming your ministers unconverted ; & by his boisterous behaviour & vehement crying. 'Come to Jesus, many were struck, as the phrase is, & made the most terrible & afferting notbe. that was heard a mile from the place He came to this society, acted i the same manner five days ; was followed by innumerable [ people]: some could not enduire the house, say 2. that it sounded more like the infernal regions than the place of worshippie the Girl di Heaven; after the amazing horror & distress that seized them, they receival comfort (as they term it). Five or six of these young men in the society are confimually giving alanit. converting, as they call it. their fellow men; two i these art a- their minister so they affirm. Their meetings are almost every night, in this & the neighboring parishes, & the most astonishing effects attend them : screeching famyings, convulsions, vistuns, apparent death for 20 or 30 hours, actual possession will evil spirits, as they own themselves The spirit in all is remarkably bitter against the Church of England Two who were struck & proceeded in this way of exhorting & praying. until actually possessed. came to me, & asked the same questions : Are you born again ' Have you the witness of the spirit ? &c ;
I32
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD
| 1740
& as they all do, used the same texts of Scripture, taught by the same doctrines; called on Beelzebub, the prince of devils; & in their possession, burnt about £1,200. They have since been to me, & asked my forgiveness; & bless God that He has restored them to the spirit of a sound mind."
April 20, 1743, the Rev. Mr. Beach of Reading reported to the Honor- able Society in England :
" My people are not at all shaken, but rather confirmed in their principles by the spirit of enthusiasm that rages among the Independents about us, & many of the dis- senters observing how steadfast our people are in their faith & practice, have conceived a better opinion of our Church then they formerly had. . There is scarcely a town in which there is not a considerable number professing themselves of the Church of England, & very desirous of having it settled among them, but God only knows when & how they can be provided for. Were there in this country but one of the Episcopal order, to whom young men might apply for ordination, without the expense & danger of a voyage to England, many of our towns might be supplied, which now must remain destitute, num- bers of serious people of our Church lamenting their unhappiness, that they can rarefy enjoy that worship which they hunger & thirst after, there being so small a number of clergymen in this country."
Dr. Trumbull states that Mr. John Davenport of Long Island, having become zealous beyond measure, came to Connecticut, & preached in many places; " He gave an un- restrained liberty to noise & outcry, both of distress & joy in time of divine service. He promoted both with all his might, raising his voice to the highest pitch, together with the most violent agitation of body. With his unnatural & violent agitation of the body, he united a strange singing tone which mightily tended to raise the feelings of the weak & undiscerning people, & consequently to highten the confusion among the passionate of his hearers. This odd, disagreeable tuning of the voice, in exercises of devotion, became a characteristic of the separate preachers. The whole sect was distinguished by this sancti- monious one. It was Mr. Davenport's manner, when a number had cried out, & there had been a great agitation of body, to pronounce them tokens of divine favor ;. & what was still worse, he would declare those pious persons who were subjects of those out- cries & agitations, to be converted; or that they had come to Christ; which were gross & dangerous errors. Bodily agitations & outcries were no evidences of grace. He was further the great encourager, if not the first setter up of public exhorters, not restricting them according to the gospel rule of brotherly exhortation; but encouraging any who were reputed to be lively, zealous christians, to exhort publicly in full assemblies, with ministerial assurance & authority, though altogether raw & unskilled in the word of righteousness. What is still a more mischievous influence than all the rest, was his undertaking to examine his brethren in the ministry, as to their spiritual state, & publicly to decide concerning them, whether they were converted or unconverted. Such as refused to be examined by him, were certainly denounced as either unconverted, or in a very doubtful condition. Thus disorder, jealousy & confusion, were sown in the churches. He represented it as a dreadful thing to hear unconverted ministers; that their preaching was worse than poison; & he warned the people against it.
" At Boston this strange man withdrew from the Holy Communion, because he had scruples as to the conversion of the officiating minister. He was brought before the General Court of Mass., & dismissed, as not being of a sound mind. He was soon after expelled from Connecticut. Many errors sprang up in consequence of the evil seed he had sown;
1740]
133
WAR BETWEEN ENGLAND, FRANCE AND SPAIN
& a most unhappy division & in several instances separation took place in some of the churches. A spirit of contempt for revivals was londy mamieted on the part dd rany, among whom the very name of revival became offen ise It was termel 'a distemper which affected the mind & filled it with unnecessary concern & roommen ' Is when it was called the work of the Devil ; by others quakers in, enthaoatm, artnjom with & die- traction. They were also called new lights, following an sans fatou, which would lead them to destruction."
Many of the principal ministers, the magistrates & leadme gentledci in the Con- necticut Colony were bitterly opposed to this new style of preaching, & bent every energy to suppress it, confining by law the ministers to their individual churche , & keep ng. a. far as possible, the over-zealous preachers out of the Colony." *
" The winter of 1740 is said to have been a hard winter at Fairfield. The ground was covered with snow to the top of the fences for forty days. It did not snow the least on the sunny side of the house & shop fell about the middle of December which buried a pair of oxen at the Old Fort, owned by Samuel Gold. They were found by their breathing holes. The harbor continued frozen from that time to the middle of March. Capt. Bostwick & Capt. Dimon were loaded for the West Indies. sailed just as winter set in. Bostwick was ready, but delaying one might was frozen in, & had to cart hay to his stock for 3 months. When going out of the Sound he found Dimon returning."t
At the meeting of the General Assembly at Hartford, May 8th. Judge John Burr and Judge Ebenezer Silliman were present from Fairfield as Assistants, and Major Andrew Burr and Captain John Read, Jr., as deputies. Major Andrew Burr was made Clerk of the House.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.