USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Ridgefield > The history of Ridgefield, Conn. : from its first settlement to the present time > Part 11
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Legacies have been left the society at different times, amounting in the aggregate to over seven thou- sand dollars, the income from which is appropriated to the support of the Gospel and other current ex- penses of the church.
In former years the business of " hatting" and shoe- making was extensively carried on in Ridgebury, which gave employment to a large number of people, male and female. At the present time there is no manu-
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factory of any kind in the place, and the Protestant population is somewhat diminished.
Located near the church is a beautiful cemetery, containing an acre or more of ground. A part of it was used for burial purposes years before the Revolu- tionary war, and contains the bones of some of its heroes.
Within a few years it has been twice enlarged, and inclosed by a neat and substantial iron fence. It is now one of the pleasantest rural cemeteries of its size in the State.
An old burial-ground belonging to the Episcopal society was located on the south and east of their church edifice, on the hill three quarters of a mile south of the present cemetery, a century and a half ago. In 1860 several of the old tombstones were standing. At the present date (1878) none of them remain.
PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN RIDGEBURY.
An Episcopal congregation existed in the society in the northern part of the town called Ridgebury, in the early part of the last century, and services were held contemporary with those in Ridgefield. It ap- pears from the printed reports of the "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel," that prior to 1731, and for some time afterward, Ridgefield, Ridgebury, and the Oblong (Salem) were considered in some sense within the bounds of the parish or mission of
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
Fairfield. The church appears to have been built about the middle of the last century, and was located in an elevated position of the place, on the open space or green about half a mile south of the present Congregational church. The exact date of its erec- tion cannot now be ascertained.
In a letter of the church-wardens and vestry-men of Salem, to the Venerable Society in London, dated August 31st, 1767, they thus state : " That we for- merly united with the brethren of the Church at Ridge- field and Ridgebury, on the borders of the Connecti- cut Colony, and engaged the Rev. Mr. Clark to read Divine service and sermons to us on Sundays. Since Mr. Clark left us, by the advice of the Rev. Mr. Dib- ble (of Stamford), and the Rev. Mr. Leaming (of Norwalk), we have employed the worthy Mr. Epene- tus Townsend, who hath for some time alternately read to us and the people of Ridgefield and Ridgebury, whose exemplary life, sober conversation, and devout performance of religious offices, highly recommended him to our esteem ; and as the poor people of Ridge- field and Ridgebury, by the concurrence of the Church Wardens and Vestry in this memorial, hope to be in- dulged in being included under his care, having for- merly a conjunction with some of the neighboring places in the Province of New York, experienced the goodness and compassion of the 'Venerable Society' in appointing the Rev. Mr. Lamson to officiate among them, being many in number, having built a Church in each of those places, Ridgefield but eight, and Ridgebury but four miles from Salem, but at such a distance from Norwalk that they expect but very lit- tle service from the Rev. Mr. Leaming ; whereupon
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RIDGEBURY CHURCHES.
we have unitedly sent our respective bonds to the Rev. Dr. Auchmuty of New York, in trust, obliging ourselves to pay in each place, equal to £10 sterling per annum, in the whole amounting to £30 per annum for the time being; and we no longer expect the Society's favor than we shall continue to deserve it."
The Rev. Mr. Townsend accordingly went to Eng- land to receive Holy Orders, and returned in April, 1768. In a letter dated the 29th of September, 1768, he informed the Society " that he arrived at his Mis- sion on the 26th of May, 1768, and was kindly re- ceived. The church-wardens, also of Salem, in the name of the people belonging to the Mission, have returned thanks to the Society for Mr. Townsend's ap- pointment. At Salem and Ridgefield there are one hundred and fifty church people, at Ridgefield eighty."
In a letter to the society, dated September 29th, 1769, he says : " I have constantly performed Divine service equally in my three Churches of Salem, Ridge- field, and Ridgebury ; in each of which places people are zealous in their attendance on public worship ; and I have the pleasure to observe that through the divine blessing on my labors each of those congrega- tions is somewhat increased."
In the same letter he says : "I beg liberty to re- quest a favor from the Society, which may perhaps be of considerable service to me ; the professors of the Church in Conn. are taxed for the support of the Minister of the Church in the same proportion as the Congregationalists for the support of their min- ister. This tax is levied and collected by the Congre- gationalists, together with their own, and by them paid to such ministers of the Church as are appointed
i
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over them by the Society. Now Ridgefield and Ridgebury being in Conn. the Committee appointed for raising and paying the minister's rate at Ridge- bury have been in some doubt whether I am entitled to the rates of the Church people there, because it is certain they were formerly under Mr. Leaming's care, and had no written appointment, or anything from under the Society's hand to convince them that the Society had now included them within this Mission. Should the Ven. Society mention Ridgefield and Ridgebury in an abstract, as parts of my Mission to- gether with Salem ; or should they in a letter to the Church Wardens and Vestry of Ridgefield and Ridge- bury, or in some other method give assurance that Ridgefield and Ridgebury belong to my Mission, it must be of advantage to me, as it would remove all doubt whether I was by the laws of that Colony en- titled to the Church people's rates in those places."
The society's abstracts for 1772 say, "that Mr. Townsend, missionary at Salem, states his congrega- tions to be increasing. Hath baptized sixty-two in- fants and two adults." In 1775 they say "that Mr. Townsend is constant in the performance of his duty in his own parishes, and preaches frequently in the parts adjacent. From Ladyday to Michaelmas he bap- tized twenty-one infants and one adult, and admitted two new communicants." The abstracts for 1776 add, "that one letter from Mr. Townsend, of Septem- ber 29, 1775, gives the account of his mission, in which he hath baptized thirty infants, buried seven, and married three couple in the preceding half year."
During the interval of the Revolutionary war there was a suspension of services in Ridgebury, as in the
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other stations, by the departure of the Rev. Mr. Townsend, in July 1776, as stated in the account of St. Stephen's Church. The last services held in Ridge- bury, of which there is any existing record, was in 1779, where we find the following in the Ridgefield parish record.
" At a meeting of the First Episcopal Society in Ridgefield, holden at the Town House on the 22nd day of Sept. 1789, the following occurs among its doings :
"Voted, That this Society shall pay a tax of two pence on the pound on the list of said Society by the first of March annually to David Perry, as long as he shall serve them in the office of a Minister.
" Voted, That the Society will consent that said Perry shall go to Ridgebury one quarter of the time."
At a meeting of said society in the year following, the above consent, according to the record, was with- drawn.
Thus after the services of the church had been main- tained with more or less frequency nearly half a cen- tury in Ridgebury, they appear to have been brought to a close, as far as any existing record remains. Removals and death wrought many changes in the congregation. Many of those remaining united with the Ridgefield church. Among its active supporters in the latter period of its history were Dr. John Andreas, the Sherwood families, Dr. Stephen Ben- nett, Nehemiah Sturges, Eliphalet Brush, and others. The two latter-named families united with the church in Ridgefield, and their constant attendance there is still in the recollection of many of its members.
The church edifice, which stood on the north side of
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
the Green, and was about the size of the first one erected in Ridgefield parish, remained until about the year 1810, when, being much out of repair, it was taken down, and its materials disposed of for other purposes, with the exception of a stone, still visible, supposed by many to have been one of the corner- stones. No vestige of its foundation now remains. The recollection of the church and its appearance is still fresh in the minds of several of our older citi- zens.
CHAPTER XI.
HISTORY OF THE SCHOOLS OF THE TOWN.
THE school has always been one of the chief pillars of our nationality. The church and the school-house have stood side by side, while the preacher and the teacher have wrought together. It is also a fact, ap- parent to every careful observer, that nearly every college and seminary of learning in the length and breadth of our land has originated in the brain and by the hand of the minister of Christ. Especially is this true in New England, and of no State truer than of Connecticut.
Scarcely had the log cabin indicated the halt of the emigrant, before the log school-house as surely in- dicated the purpose and plan of the settler. Every village and hamlet had its school and its church, and as a rule the latter was the parent of the former. This was the case in this town. It is not certainly known when the first school was opened, nor when the first church was gathered ; the earliest records of the town reveal the fact that both existed. The settlers came to the town with their faith in God and their faith in education already established, and the one immedi- ately gave rise to a church and the other to a school.
The first reference made to the schools of the town was in the year 1721, when "it was voted at a town meeting that eight pounds shall be raised for ye sup- port of a school."
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
In the year 1725 General Assembly passed an act releasing the citizens of the town from the' payment of taxes, " provided they draw no money out of the treasury for the school."
In 1742 the town by a major vote released the peo- ple of the new patent (Ridgebury) from paying any tax to the town school on condition that they should keep a school among themselves six months yearly.
At this time there was in the town but one school- house, and that was located nearly opposite Mr. Ab- ner Gilbert's residence ; there was, however, another school taught in the town-house.
That this was not the first school-house erected in the town is proven by the fact that as early as 1726 steps were taken in a town meeting to repair the "school-house ;" which school-house was located on the Church Green, near where the present Congre- gational church edifice now stands.
So nearly as can be at present determined this first school-house was used for a meeting-house until 1726, and for this purpose was at one time enlarged by an addition to the east end. This addition (or new part, as it was called) was afterwards (when the Con- gregational church was built) taken off and removed, and the remaining or original part repaired and used exclusively for school purposes.
School continued to be taught in this school-house until the first town-house was built, which was in 1743, when the school was removed to that house, as will be seen by an action of the town in 1746. On . the 18th September, 1744, this old school-house was sold at public auction.
The first town-house stood on the corner south of
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Mrs. Irad Hawley's, and was afterwards moved to some point which cannot at present be determined.
The action in reference to its removal reads, "The Town House shall be moved and set a little Southerly of where the Pound now stands." The probability is that this new location was immediately across the Green, a little south of Mrs. Nathan Smith's. The following will throw some light on the manner in which schools at that early day were maintained :
At a sheep meeting held in Ridgefield, December 24th, 1742, it was voted by a majority "that the money coming for the hire of the Sheep the last year shall be given as a Bounty to help maintain the Town School for ever, and when the money is gathered it shall be delivered to the committee that is appointed to take care of the bounty money given by the Govern- ment to support ye school, And ordered by the above said vote to let out the said money as ye money is that comes from the government, and to improve the use thereof to pay it towards ye maintenance of said town school forever.
" Test TIMOTHY KEELER, Clerk."
This sheep hire is easily explained. Until about the year 1760 there were a considerable number of sheep in the town, owned by the town-Mr. Goodrich says about two thousand-which were kept by a shep- herd in the summer months, and regularly twice in the week let to the highest bidder to lay in his plough land during the night season, which method of enrich- ing the land it is stated "caused the worn land to produce excellent crops of wheat of the best quality." The money thus obtained was that which was appro- priated by the town for school purposes. The fol- lowing receipt appears on town records :
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
" Ridgefield April 28th 1743, then received of Capt. Richard Olmstead and Matthew Benedict, Commit- tee of the Donation Money Given by the Government, ye sum of 25£ 14s and 6d in order to pay the School Master. We say we received it, as Witness our hands,
JOSEPH KEELER, School JAMES BENEDICT, ( Committee."
Rev. Samuel Goodrich says in his history of the town, written in A.D. 1800, that the schools of the town "are maintained Ist in part by the produce of the sales of lands in Litchfield County by the State and appropriated to the schools. 2nd. By the produce of an excise duty laid on Rum and Tea, but the act proving unpopular was never carried into gen- eral execution, the money paid in by this town was returned and appropriated for the benefit of schools. 3ª. By the 40/ on the thousand, as it is called. 4th. By the produce of the sales of the western lands, and lastly, in case of deficiency, by a tax on the scholars."
Mr. Goodrich also says that the "wages given to masters is from 15 to 18 dollars per month, accord- ing to number of scholars and the ability of the teachers. There is taught in our schools Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Grammar, some Catechising, and a little manners. It has been remarked that since the visiting committee have attended to their duty our schools are under better regulation and our schol- ars make greater proficiency. There are a number of young people who have been taught in our schools who have gone into other parts and taught with ap- plause. Board for children is from seventy-five cents to one dollar per week, and tuition from fifty cents to one dollar per quarter."
Photo ENG.CO.NY
White
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SCHOOLS OF THE TOWN.
" At a Town Meeting held in Ridgefield March 18th 1746 at ye said meeting Sergt James Northrup by a Major vote was chosen Moderator.
" The sd meeting by their Major vote do agree and order that there shall be two women Schools be kept from ye first of April next till ye first of Octobr ensuing, ye one of sd Schools to be kept at ye Town house and ye other at ye house that was built for that purpose, a little northward of Jonah Smith8.
" Test TIMOTHY KEELER, Registr."
" Ridgefield April ye 13th 1749 then Received of Capt Richard Olmsted, Matthew Benedict, School Comtee of ye Donation money ye sum of Twenty six Pounds twelve shillings money in order to pay for ye keeping School or Schools in testimony hereof we do set our hands
" SAM SMITH
" THOMAS HYATT Selectmen."
" JAMES NORTHROP
" At a Town Meeting held in Ridgefield by Adjournment from Decem' ye 18th to Decem' ye 24th AD 1753 Matthew Benedict being Moderator it was Voted in sd meeting that there shall be two Men Schools kept 3 Months between this time and ye first of April next one of them at ye Town house and ye other at ye School house near Lt Jonah Smith8. It was also voted in sd meeting that there shall be three School Mistresses provided and put into Schools ye first of April next and continued therein until ye first of October next, one of them to be kept in ye School house near Lt Jonah Smiths, one of them in ye Town house, and one of them in or near Ben" Rockwells house.
" It was voted in sd meeting that two Men Schools shall be kept by two masters in (sd houses or places where ye above said men Schools are to be kept) from ye first of October next till ye next Annual Town Meeting."
In the year 1761 five schools were taught in the town, one at the town-house, and the remaining four at houses built for the purpose ; one at West Lane, one at Titicus, one at Limestone, and one at Florida.
At a town meeting held December 28th, 1761, it was " Voted that there be five Schools kept within the Limits of this Society for three months viz. one at the 8
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house near John Northrups Jur, one at the Town House, one at the house near Benj" Stebbins Jr, one at Limestone; and one near Platt's Mill, Pro- vided there be a sufficient number of scholars at each school, to be Determined by the School Commitee Capt. Daniel Bradley, Aaron Northrup, Thos Hawley, Theophilus Stebbins, and Obadiah Platt were Chosen a School Committee.
" Granted a Rate or Tax of three farthings upon the Pound to Defray the Charges . of the Schools and Society, to be paid by the first Day of May next.
" John Smith Jur was Chosen a Collector to Collect the Society Rate and pay the same into the Hands of the Committe that has the charge of the School Bonds viz Sam Olmsted Esq Capt Richard Olmsted and Stephen Smith."
On the 22d of December, 1762, it was voted, " That there shall be 25 Scholars to attend each School in the Society one Day with the other as long as the Schools are Continued."
On the 20th of December, 1763, at a meeting of the First Ecclesiastical Society it was voted that the schools be continued the same as the previous year, with the additional clause : " Liberty is allowed by the Major vote of the meeting to set up Six Schools in the Society at or near the Places where they were kept last year and to be kept by Masters for three Months, and each School to draw an equal Share of the ten Shilling upon the thousand allowed by the Government for the use of Schools and the Interest upon the Donation, provided they are kept two months compleat."
On the 14th of December, 1767, it was voted in the
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said society meeting that the "Society be Divided into Districts for Schooling."
So far as can be gathered such a division had never before been definitely made. Previous to this schools were located in different parts of the parish, seem- ingly without regard to definite limits.
In 1773 it was voted at a society's meeting "that schools may be kept in the same places, and under the same regulations as last year, with this addition, that each Committee man warn the people in the District where he resides to meet at Time and Place, and the major part of their votes shall Determine who shall be the master to keep their school, and the Committee shall be concluded thereby and hire the master. Said district shall by their major vote order him to hire ; and also with this reserve that the district up at Tytichus have Liberty to keep their school at the house near to James Smith's, or at any other place said District shall agree upon."
" At a Society Meeting held by adjournment Dec" 14th AD 1784.
" Voted That this Society be and is divided into five whole districts and two half districts Voted, That all that part of the Society, begin- ing at and including Lt Wilsons Dwelling House, and running South- erly including Esq' Benedicts Dwelling House and all the houses joining on the West side of Town Street, as far as Norwalk line then Easterly on said line as far as James Ressequie house (including it) thence Northerly taking in the dwelling houses joining the East side of the Road to the west side of the Great Swamp, as far North as Capt Scotts House up the Lane to Lt Wilsons aforesaid, be called the first District. " Also, to begin at the North West corner of the first District, to run Easterly along the North Line of the same to the Great Swamp then North along the West side of the same to the Island Bridge then over the same; including John Waters and Isaac Sherwoods Houses, as far North as Waters' Barn, then a Westerly course to the mouth of the Lane south of Jasper Meads House, then a strait course to Titichus
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
Bridge then Westerly the South side of King's House to the road South of Daniel Dauchy's House-then Westerly along the middle of the road to the State line, then southerly along said line to Concklins Saw Mill then Easterly a strait line, to said North West-corner of the first District, to be called the Second District.
" Also, to begin at the River Westerly of John Waters Barn to run Northerly on the East side of Gideon Scotts Dwelling House, to Ridge- bury Line then Westerly along said line to the State line, then Southerly along sd State line to the North West corner of the Second District, then Easterly along the North line thereof, to the River where it begun to be called the third District.
" Also To begin at the South West Corner of the first District- and to run Northerly along the West line thereof, to the North West corner of said first District, then Westerly along the south line of the second District to the State line, then Southerly along the State line to Norwalk Line, then Easterly along Norwalk line to sd South West corner of first District ; To be called the fourth District.
" Also To begin at the South East Corner of the Third District, to run as far Northerly on the East line thereof as the turn of the river then to run East to the River, then along the river to Resseque's Saw Mill, then to run Easterly a strait line across the South end of Burts pond to Redding Line, then Southerly along s'd line, to the Cross High- way leading to Kains then Westerly taking in the Houses on the South side of said Highway to Nathan Burr's (including it), then Westerly a strait course to the South East Corner of the Second District, then Northerly on the East line of the Second District to Waters Barn, then Westerly to said South East Corner of the third District at the river where it begun, To be called the fifth District.
" Also To begin at the North East Corner of the fifth District and to run Westerly along the North line thereof till it comes to the East line of the third District, then Northerly along the East thereof to Ridge- bury line ; then Easterly along s'd line to Danbury line, then Southerly Westerly and Easterly along said Danbury and Reading lines to said North East corner of the fifth District
" To be called the first half District.
" Also To begin at the South East corner of the first District and to run Northerly along the East line thereof, to the southwest corner of the fifth District then Easterly along the South line thereof to Reading line then southerly along said line to Norwalk line then Westerly along Norwalk line to the South East Corner of said first District
" To be called the Second half District.
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" Voted, That the Public Monies (by Law appropriated for the ben- efit of schools) belonging to this Society be equally divided, between and to the Several School Districts in said Society and that each whole District one Sixth part thereof and Each half District one twelvth part thereof ; Provided Each whole District, keeps Schools three Month in Each Year ; and Each half District, six weeks in Each Year ;- and in case any whole or half District fails of keeping a school as aforesaid ; then the Moneys belonging to them (in case they had kept School as aforesaid) to be divided as aforesaid to and among those Districts- that keep a School as aforesaid.
" Voted That Jesse Benedict, Benjamin Smith Job Smith John Benedict Jr Michael Warring Joseph Mead and Robert Edmond, be and are appointed School Committees, for the Several Districts to which they belong for the Year Ensuing.
" At a Town Meeting held April ye roth 1786 voted
" That the Proprietors of the Frame set up for a School House near ye Dwelling house of Jeremiah Wilson may have the privilege of ap- propriating the present Town house towards finishing said School House ; provided the Proprietors of said School House fully vest the Town and the first Society with the privilege of holding all their neces- sary Town Proprietors, First Society and Freemans Meetings therein and that they (the proprietors of sd School House) will finish and Compleat said School House and make it Convenient by seating ye same."
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