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 19
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In this undertaking the French lost two of its admirals, the Duke D'Anville and D'Estourelle, by violent death. Long and wearisome voyages and disease and death so thinned their troops as to unfit them for service; and although the Governor of Canada had planned with their
* Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. IX, pp. 264. 265.
+ Three hundred men from Rhode Island were shipwrecked rear Marthis Voering De New Hampshire troops returned. The Massachusetts troops reached Minin and were there prised by the French and their Indian allies. About one hundred and sixty men were kod ans taken prisoners. Their captain was killed, which so dispirited the others that t'es suffer well and returned home .- Trumbull's Hist. Conn. Vol. 2. p. 201
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assistance to take Annapolis and Nova Scotia, the mortality among the soldiers and sailors had been so great as to lead the remaining numbers and their officers to return to France. On the 13th of October they sailed for France, meeting only with storms and disaster on their home- ward course. "Thus after burying two admirals and nearly half their men at Chebucto they returned without effecting the least enterprise against the colonists. Such a succession of disasters as pursued the French, till they returned, is rarely to be found in the history of human events."
Disappointed in every expectation from England, and the failure of an expedition against Crown Point, which had been sent out by the colonies, followed with an epidemic sickness at Albany, as well as alarm of the reported arrival of the French fleet, frustrated the design .*
A general murmur of neglect on the part of England arose among the colonists. Connecticut alone had expended eight thousand pounds in bills of credit in furthering this undertaking, which took them many years to redeem. A feeling of alienation to the mother country followed, and a stronger desire for self-reliance and independence influenced the minds of many.
Fairfield in all these undertakings gave freely of her strength, both in men and money. Colonel John Burr, no longer able to enter the field, carried on vigorous assistance in the town by raising and equipping troops. The meeting-house green was the scene of frequent musters for collecting volunteers. Judge Ebenezer Silliman was engaged in his constant labors in attending the General Assembly, and in his commis- sary duties at home. Samuel Sturges was busy in collecting the taxes to defray the expenses of the equipment and the bounty money. Colonel Andrew Burr went with the expedition for the reduction of Louisburg and returned in safety. Black Rock harbor saw the departure of many vessels, laden with troops, horses and provisions, to join the fleet at New London. The mothers and daughters of Fairfield worked with patriotic fervor in preparing bread and warm clothing for their soldiers, and with tears of grief saw them depart, and welcomed those who returned with smiles of joy. Thus, in the school of hard labor and discipline, they were taught to be brave and strong for all the undertakings of life.
The Assembly met, May 14th, at Hartford. Judge Ebenezer Silli- man and Colonel Andrew Burr were present as Assistants, and Captain
* Trumbull's Hist. Conn., Vol. II, p. 284-288. Hollister's Hist. Conn., Vol. I, p. 410-414.
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Samuel Burr and Thaddeus Burr. Esq., as deputies from Fairfield Then ezer Silliman was chosen to be one of the Judges of the Superior Court of the colony, and also of the Probate Court of Fairfield. Colonel An drew Burr was chosen Judge of the Fairfield County Court
Mr. Daniel Bradley was commissioned captam, Mr. John Bradley lieutenant, and Mr. David Banks ensign of the fifth tram band of the town of Fairfield .*
Mr. John Sherwood was commissioned captain, Mr. Hezekiah Odell lieutenant, and Mr. Samuel Odell ensign of the train-band of the parisi of Stratfield. +
For a more stable currency it was enacted :
" That for the future the bills of public crechit of the colony, or ilver ur guld emmiva- lent to them only, should be received for the payment of jury fees, majon, dot & escar & other payments to be made for the use of the colony, except in payment wr charge of bonds or mortgages heretofore given by the Governor & Company of the offof ant October ; when all such contracts made from that date should become que & vold "
This act was passed to prevent the circulation of bills of credit from other colonies," which had seriously depreciated the value of the colony bills."
For the encouragement of trade in the colony, taxes were exacted from January, 1748, on all goods, wares and merchandise from the other colonies in New England, or from New York, New Jersey and Pennsyl- vania, at the rate of five and seven and a half per cent. In case of non- payment of this duty all goods were to be seized and forfeited, unless the owner could give good evidence of his readiness to comply with the re- quirements of the act. Several things, however, of value to the colony were made exempt from this duty.
If any private person in the colony should, at his own risk, import goods from Great Britain or Ireland, to be disposed of in the colony. he was allowed a premium of five pounds out of the public treasury in bills of credit, according to the value of the invoice presented from the place of exportation.
Owing to excessive exportation of timber out of the colony to neigh- boring colonies, to the great damage of ship building and trade with the West Indies, a heavy tax was laid on all kinds of lumber, and severe penalties and confiscation were laid upon all infringements of this law ;
* Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. 9, p. 273- + Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. > p 273 # Col. Rec. Conn , IX, 2-2-250.
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Acts were also passed regulating the fees of the Assistants, deputies and public officers of the colony, as well as of the wages of officers, sea- men and soldiers of the army.
Six hundred pounds was ordered to be paid the Indians of the Six Nations, who should assist in carrying on the present war, " & to further draw upon the colony treasury £2,000 for their future services as allies of the colony."
The Assembly met again October 8th, when several members " who had not taken the oaths provided by acts of Parliament instead of the oaths of allegiance & supremacy, now took the said oath, & likewise the oath of abjurgation, & made declaration against popery."*
The estates of Fairfield were rated at £45.973 9S.
Colonel Andrew Burr was appointed to take charge of and keep in order the arms, accoutrements and ammunition of the officers and sol- diers raised for the expedition against Canada, in the companies of Cap- tain Josiah Starr and Captain Joseph Worster. +
Governor Laws laid before the Assembly an agreement made the previous September with the colonies of Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut by their commissioners for the defence of the British colo- nies against foreign foes. This agreement was approved, and to be rati- fied by the Assembly only as soon as they should learn the views of and agreement of the other two colonies.
The French having completed their preparations for a fresh attack upon the British possessions in North America and the East Indies, De la Jonquiere, Governor of Quebec, was placed in command of the North American fleet, while M. de St. George commanded that of the East Indies. England sent out Admirals Anson and Warren to pursue them. They overtook the French squadron May 3d and entered into a spirited engagement with them, and although the French fought bravely, they were overpowered and obliged to surrender.
This was a most fortunate victory for the colonists. The French for a short time gave no further trouble in Nova Scotia. But their Indian allies gave much trouble to the colonists of the northern frontier towns and islands, specially at St. George and Saratoga, as they made frequent depredations on the settlements of the Connecticut River, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
While all these warlike undertakings had been planned and were yet to * Col. Rec. Conn, IX, 282-292. + Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. 9, p. 343.
.
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be carried out, the ecclesiastical prosperity of the colony had also been of the gravest consideration. Owing to troubles existing between the Old Lights and the New Lights, and the unhappy excitement caused by ung- rant preaching, the General Assembly were led to pass such severe lais as to offend many who regarded them as lacking in Christian charity towards those who differed from the teaching of the established chich.
Throughout the excitement which prevailed in many of the public in Connecticut. Fairfield continued unmoved. The minister and officer- of Christ Church rather strengthened themselves in the bonds of union. The old church no longer met the demands of its large congregation. and active measures were set on foot for erecting a new and beautiful edifice.
The prosperity of the churches throughout the town at this time was remarkable, for while peace reigned within her borders, many of ber noblest sons had been called away to share the laurels of the expedition against the Spanish West Indies. Porto Bello, Carthagena, Cuba, the Floridas and Cape Breton. The Rev. Henry Caner reported to the Honorable Society in England that Fairfield suffered much from the ci- fects of these wars. In all the active measures both of church and state Fairfield was one of the largest contributors of men and means to carry them out.
The prosperity of the Church of England, not only in Fairfield, but throughout the county, had been owing to the unwearied faithfulness of the Rev. Mr. Caner, and deep was the sorrow of many that the needed rest from years of continual labor now made it necessary that he should find another field where he might lead a less active life. He received a call to the rectorship of King's Chapel. Boston, which he accepted.
The Rev. Henry Caner, who had visited England about 1736, Was. upon his return,assisted in his pastoral duties by his brother, Richard Caner, who was ordained in 1740. Richard Caner was a graduate of Yale College, and afterwards became a school teacher at Fairbekl. Be sides the duties of a teacher, he frequently walked to Norwalk on Satur days, and officiated on the Lord's day as a lay reader, using a form of prayer extracted from the Church Liturgy and some good. practicil sermon or other plain printed discourse of the Divines of the Church of England. The parish of Norwalk under his ministry had created a small church between 1737 and 1742. He officiated in his duties until 17-44. when he was removed from Norwalk to Staten Island, as a reward for
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his faithful services in the care of the churches of Northfield, now Weston and Wilton, Ridgefield and Norwalk, within the extensive cure of his brother, the Rev. Henry Caner, "the Society's worthy missionary at Fairfield, Connecticut."
The Rev. Joseph Lamson, a native of Stratford, was chosen as the successor of the Rev. Mr. Caner. In a letter to the Honorable Society, Mr. Lamson asked for the same salary that was allowed Mr. Caner, " the expense of living being much greater than in previous years."
Upon the eve of leaving for Boston the Rev. Henry Caner wrote, in a letter to England :
FEB. 12, 1747.
"I have long labored under infirmities of body which make it difficult for me to perform the services required in such an extensive cure as that of Fairfield. The fre- quent colds I have taken & disorders consequent thereon have made travelling to me pretty much impracticable. I hope the Honorable Society will indulge the people of Fair- field in their desire to have Mr. Lamson settled among them. The people are generous according to their circumstances-I expect to be called upon from Boston Lady day next,* as I am to continue my labors at Fairfield until May or June. The members of Trinity Church have purchased a large & convenient house, with suitable accommodations, for a parsonage-house worth about £150 sterling; & by the will of a charitable person, Miss Jerushia Sturges, lately deceased, they received an addition of £50 of this currency."t
The Rev. Nathaniel Hunn of Reading opened the General Court this year with the usual annual election sermon. Ebenezer Silliman, Esq., and Mr. Thaddeus Burr were appointed to return the thanks of the As- sembly for his sermon, desiring a copy thereof, that it might be printed.
On the 2d of December, 1747, the First Congregational Church at Stratfield met with a sad loss in the death of their minister, the Rev. Samuel Cooke. In July, 1715, he received a call to the pastorate of the First Congregational Church at Stratfield, which he accepted, and in
* March 25th, the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary.
+ The Rev. Mr. Henry Caner continued to be the rector of King's Chapel, Boston, until 1776. And although not then a missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, " he con- tinued to act as its confidential friend and correspondent, especially in regard to the recommenda- tion of candidates for holy orders. In 1776 he received the honorary degree of D.D. from the University of Oxford. In March, 1776, he went from Boston to Halifax, and soon afterwards sailed for England, where he was received by the Honorable Society with the respect which he so well deserved. The Society offered him the choice of any of the missions then vacant ; and he was appointed to Bristol in Rhode Island. And thus, through the changes and chances of life, he reassumed in his old age a similar employment to that which he undertook in his youth."-Hawkins' Hist. Notices, p. 247. He died in England, at an advanced age, in 1792 .- President Stiles' Diary, 1793. Hist. Protestant Episcopal Church in America, Bishops Hawkes and Perry, p. 23. Rev. Nathaniel Cornwall's Hist. Discourse at Southport, Conn., 1851.
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which office he continued for thirty two years. The house in which he resided at Stratfield stood opposite that of his predecessor, the Key Charles Chauncey, on the corner of what has since been called Cool Lane, and but a short distance from his church.
Mr. Cooke is represented " to have been a man of great dignity of character, highly respected by his people, although it has been said that they stood somewhat in fear of him. He was particularly scrupulott in matters of dress and personal appearance. He wore a ministerial drets. which consisted of a heavy curled wig, black coat and small clothe , shoes with silver buckles, and over all a black gown.">
1748. The General Assembly met at Hartford, May 12th, Judge Ibon ezer Silliman and Colonel Andrew Barr were present as Assistants, fund Mr. Thaddeus and Captain John Burr as deputies from Fairfield.
Colonel Andrew Burr was appointed Judge of the Fairfield County Court, and Judge Ebenezer Silliman Judge of the District Probate Court.
Mr. Abraham Morehouse was commissioned captain, Mr. Samuel Wakeman lieutenant, and Mr. David Allen ensign of the first train band of Fairfield.
At the October session of the Assembly held at New Haven, Mr. Samuel Sturges was commissioned captain. Mr. James Smedley Feutenant. and Mr. Nathaniel Burr, Jr., ensign of the second train-band of Fairfield.
The Rev. Lyman Hall succeeded the Rev. Mr. Cooke at Stratfich1. Mr. Hall was born in Wallingford on the 24th of April, 1724. He gradu- ated at Yale College in 1747. and studied theology with an uncle in Cheshire, Conn. He was ordained at Stratfield on the 27th of Septem ber, 1749. On account of some trouble arising between Mr. Hall and his congregation, he left the church at Stratfield on the 18th of July, 1751, took up the study of medicine and became a physician.
Dr. Hall removed to South Carolina in 1752, and before the year chose was ile duced to settle at Sunbury, in the district of Medway, Georgia. Upon the bir iki s ont of the Revolution he was living at St. John's, which, being a frontier settlement. renilor! his proximity to the Creek Indians and the royal province of Flor da alike dapecruns to his person and property.
The parish of St. John's enlisted with great earnestness and peridism in the reign tionary spirit against the tyranny of Great Britain. This was not the case however, well the majority of the people in Georgia; and in consequence a wide separation i pulled sentiments took place between the Georgians and the inhabitants of St Jom's In 177; Dr. Hall represented the parish of St. John's at Savannah, at which time the friem! liberty held a general meeting; and again, in 1775, when it was agreed to put on the
* Appendix No. 5.
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King for a redress of grievances, and for relief from the arbitrary acts of the British ministry.
On the 15th of July, 1775, the convention of Georgia acceded to the general confederacy and appointed five delegates to Congress, three of whom attended an adjourned meeting of that body September 13th, one of whom was Dr. Hall. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence July 4th, 1776; and was annually reelected to Congress until 1780. When Georgia fell temporarily into the power of the British, his property was confiscated, and he removed with his family to the north. In 1782 he returned to Georgia, and the following year was elected Governor of the State. He remained in this office until he retired from the cares of public life. He died at his residence in Burk's County when only about sixty years of age.
" Dr. Hall in his person was tall & well proportioned. In his manners he was easy, & in his deportment dignified & courteous. He was by nature characterized by a warm & enthusiastic disposition, which, however, was under the guidance of a sound discretion. His mind was active & discriminating. Ardent in his own feelings, he possessed the power of exciting others to action; & though in Congress he acted not so conspicuous a part as many others, yet his example & his exertions, especially in connection with those of the inhabitants of the circumscribed parish of St. John's, powerfully contributed to the final accession of the whole colony of Georgia to the confederacy; thus presenting, in array against the mother country, the whole number of her American colonies." *
Still another important step was taken this year towards erecting a new meeting-house for the Prime Ancient Society at Fairfield, as the following vote will show :
"Upon the memorial of the first society in Fairfield, praying this Assembly to fix & establish a place in said society to build a new meeting-house upon as per their memorial on file: Resolved by this Assembly that the place where the old meeting-house now stands in said society be & is hereby fixed & establislied to be the place to build a new ineeting-house upon in said society for divine worship."
This vote plainly shows that Christ Church, where our forefathers worshiped, is precisely the spot upon which that church still stands.
A school-house was at this time set on foot for the children of Cross Highway, which lies between Green's Farms and Greenfield Hill.
The churchmen of Stratfield had increased in such numbers that they also erected a church, giving it the name of St. John's Church. This edifice stood on the corner of Church Lane and North Avenue, on the King's Highway, a short distance from the new Congregational church, which stood on the corner of Park and North Avenues.
Mr. Lamson, whose cure extended from Stratford to Rye, and in- cluded the parishes of Ridgefield and Norwalk and the other Church of England parishes, also officiated at St. John's. In a letter to the Secre- tary of the Honorable Society in England, he thus wrote:
* Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, by Charles A. Goodrich.
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"I have formerly mentioned a church building at Stratfeld, a village wishes the bounds of Fairfield, in which they are very urgent to have me uit te chery thiel bonitas, because we have a large congregation when I preach there The people who is on the town & westward are very much against it, because Mr Caner used to keep steadily to the church in town; but then there was neither church for congregation at Strallet"
Mr. Lamson was unable, however, to officiate more than one Sunday every month for some years.
Colonel John Burr became one of the most zealous and generous supporters of St. John's.
The good people of Reading also felt the necessity of building a few meeting-house. Lieutenant Joseph Sandford was appointed to present a memorial to the General Assembly. " praying for a committee to aster- tain & fix a place for the new meeting-house." The Assembly of May. 1748, appointed Captain Thomas Tousey of Newtown, Mr. Thomas Benedict and Captain Josiah Starr of Danbury as a committee " to repair to said society & notify & hear the parties, view their circumstances & affix the place whereon said meeting-house should be built." To act with these gentlemen, the society appointed as a parish committee John Real. Stephen Burr, Josiah Sandford and Ephraim Jackson."
The Rev. Mr. Beach reported to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel that he had baptized about sixty or seventy children at Real ing in one year, and that he had " about four hundred hearers, sober. righteous & godly." He also mentioned " having baptized negro slaves, some of whom were communicants, who appeared to be sincere chris tians." " Our Church," he wrote, " like the house of David wise stronger & stronger."
The Rev. Mr. Hunn, who had served the Congregationalists of Read ing as a faithful and honored pastor, did not live to see the new church erected. He was taken ill and died while traveling in the fall of 1749 His remains were buried in Boston. He added to his church niners two members during his pastorate, performed thirty-five marriages and one hundred and ninety-two baptisms. +
* Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. 9. p. 351.
+ Ruth Hunn, the widow of the Rev. Nathaniel Hunn, diedl in 1760, 1 1 - Wire-ivar in brother, Col. John Read of Read Manor, in the Reading confeters, sen parsonage. Ruth Hunn was the daughter of the Hon John Rea Pwin's not a. 1 2 . wards Reading in 1714, and who removed to Boston in (-22 She was im ore; Con fim Read, son of the above John Read of Boston, who succeeddel his future so tie Pide of the Rent Manor at Reading.
The name of Nathaniel Hunn occurs in Savage's Gienelogical De trenes, Ist in tr ... connection between Nathaniel Ilunn of Boston and Nathaniel Hugh of Resing.
II
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The north society of New Fairfield petitioned the General Assembly through their agent, Ebenezer Hubbell, Esq., praying that a tax might be levied on all the lands laid out in this society for the support and settlement of an orthodox minister among them. The Assembly granted a tax of eight pence per acre in old tenure bills of credit upon the lands laid out in the north society of New Fairfield, " exclusive of the addi- tion made to each division to proportion the quality, & that for the term of four years, to be paid in the month of November annually & improved for the settlement & support of an orthodox minister in said society, ac- cording to the establishment of this Colony." Mr. William Barnes of New Fairfield was appointed to collect this tax and to deliver it annually to the committee of the society.
The Assembly also granted the sum of four thousand pounds in bills of credit, old tenor, for finishing the new building for Yale College.
An act was passed at the sitting of the October session of the General Assembly which was as follows:
" Resolved by this Assembly, That an act passed in the seventh year of Queen Anne, entitled, An Act in approbation of the agreement of the reverend elders & messengers of all the churches in this government, made & concluded at Saybrook 1708, also an act passed in the thirteenth year of the reign of King George the first, entitled, An Act for providing how taxes levyd on professors of the church of England for the support of the gospel shall be disposed of, & for exempting said professors from paying any taxes for building the meeting-houses for the present established churches of the government; also an act passed in the second year of King George the second, entitled, An act in addition to & for the alteration of an act made in the seventh year of the reign of Queen Anne, entitled an act for the case of such as soberly dissent from the way & worship & ministry established by the laws of this government, & also an act passed in the third year of the reign of King George the second, entitled, An Act concerning the people called Baptists, be all, with their several titles & dates, printed with the new revised laws of the Colony." *
Owing to the injustice of previous acts passed by the Assembly, the Wardens of the Church of England in Fairfield, and all the other Eng- lish churches in the colony, met at New London and prepared a memo- rial, praying for relief from the burdensome taxes for the support of the established churches of the colony; that they might have full parish privi- leges granted them, and power within themselves to lay their own taxes within their several parishes for the support of their clergymen, and the maintenance of catechists or candidates for Holy Orders according to the practice allowed and approved of by the Society for the Propagation
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