USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Ridgefield > The history of Ridgefield, Conn. : from its first settlement to the present time > Part 9
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
The sacrament of the Lord's Supper was adminis- tered on this occasion. The services were solemn, and were rendered peculiarly interesting by the presence of the Rev. and venerable Samuel Goodrich, the former beloved pastor of the church, who was providentially present, and assisted in the services.
In the summer of 1841 the exterior of the edifice was thoroughly repaired and several important ad- ditions and alterations were made. Subsequently a new bell, a new pulpit and its surroundings, and an organ have added their attractions to this more than centenary building, still a work of strength, and giving promise of a long future as a sanctuary of the Most High.
ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH.
CHAPTER VIII.
ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH.
"Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth."-Ps. 26 : 8.
"Your fathers, where are they ? and the prophets, do they live for- ever ?"-Zech. I : 5.
THE foundation of the Episcopal Church in Ridge- field was laid by the Rev. Samuel Johnson of Strat- ford, the first clergyman of the Church in Connecticut, who preached here occasionally for several years, and was instrumental in bringing several families into the Church. He began his services here about 1725. He was succeeded by the two brothers, Henry Caner, of Fairfield, and Richard Caner, of Norwalk ; also by the Rev. John Beach, of Newtown, and Rev. James Wet- more, of Rye, until about the year 1744.
In the year 1728 the Rev. Henry Caner reported several small parishes, or missionary stations, beyond the bounds of his proper care, one of which was Ridgefield, with twelve families.
The Rev. John Beach, missionary at Newtown, re- ported to the Society in London, " that he often offi- ciated and administered the sacraments in Ridgefield, distant from his residence about eighteen miles, where, in 1735, there were nearly twenty families of very serious and religious people, who had a just es- teem of the Church of England, and desired to have the opportunity of worshipping God in that way." -
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
The Rev. Joseph Lamson, assistant to the Rev. James Wetmore, of Rye, officiated at Ridgefield in 1744, in connection with Bedford and North Castle, until his removal to Fairfield, in 1747, where he still continued to serve the Church in Ridgefield, as far as can be ascertained, until 1762. He was succeeded by the Rev. Richard S. Clark, of Salem, about 1764, who held services in connection with Salem and Ridgebury.
In the year 1768 the Rev. Epenetus Townsend took the charge of services in Ridgefield, in connection with Salem and Ridgebury, and so continued until 1776, when, after the Declaration of Independence, he left and was appointed chaplain to one of the loyal batta- lions then stationed in New York, and in 1779 the battalion was ordered to Halifax, Nova Scotia. He embarked from New York with his wife and five chil- dren in one of the vessels. A severe storm arose soon after leaving New York, and the vessel in which he embarked was foundered in Boston Bay, and every soul on board perished.
All of the clergy of the Church who ministered here previous to the American Revolution were mission- aries of the "Society (in England) for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," and received annual stipend toward their maintenance. The Rev. Mr. Townsend, as well as other missionaries, received an annuity of twenty pounds sterling, in addition to the tax raised among his people for his support.
As far as ascertained, an interval of about thirteen years passed by before the resumption of regular ser- vices by a clergyman of the Church.
The following, among others, are from the records of the town of Ridgefield :
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ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH.
March 29. 1738. Received of the Members of the Church of England in Ridgefield, the whole of their Ministerial Taxes for the year 1737.
" Received per me, JOHN BEACH Missionary.
" A true copy of original Receipt, TIMOTHY KEELER, Register.
" Recorded April 3, 1738."
"NORWALK, March 17, 1742-3.
To MR. JOHN SMITH, Collector at Ridgefield.
"Sir. Please to cross Messrs. Benjamin Bradley, Jonathan Brooks, Robert Faquer, Samuel Lobdell, Caleb Lobdell, Ebenezer Lobdell, Jabez Northrop, Richard Osborn, Daniel Sherwood Senr. Daniel Sherwood Jun". David Osborn, Alexander Resse- guie, Isaac Resseguie, Jacob Resseguie, Nathan Sher- wood, Robert Smith, John Whitlock, Abraham Whit- lock, and Nathan Whitlock's names out of your book for collecting Minister's rates ; and place their dues to account of-
" Your humble servant, RICHARD CANER, Missionary.
" Recorded Oct. 24, 1744 per me- TIMOTHY KEELER, Register."
" March 15, 1744. Mr. Samuel Smith.
"Sir. Please to pay the Ministerial Rate which you have collected of the Professors of the Church of Eng- land in Ridgefield, to Mr Joseph Lamson ; and his Receipt shall be your discharge, from Sir,
"Your humble servants, HENRY CANER Missionary. RICHARD CANER Missionary.
" Received to Record,
" Dec. 24, 1744, and Recorded per me-
TIMOTHY KEELER, Register."
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
" Ridgefield, April 14, 1744. Then received of Sam- uel Smith Collector of the Ministerial Rate for the Town of Ridgefield for the year 1744, the sum of forty Pounds, eleven Shillings and eleven Pence of the old tenor, in full of the Episcopal parties' Rates in said Ridgefield,
£40. II. II. Received per me,
JOSEPH LAMSON.
" Received to Record December 24, 1744, and Re- corded per me. TIMOTHY KEELER, Register."
The Rev. David Perry was the first settled minister of the Church after the Revolution, and entered upon his charge in September, 1789, having been ordained by Bishop Seabury, September 22d, 1789, to deacon's orders ; and to priest's orders on the 16th of October following :
The following is copied from the church records :
"At a meeting of the First Episcopal Society holden at the Town House in Ridgefield by adjournment on the first Monday in August, 1789,
"Voted, That Doct. David Perry receive Holy Orders for this Society."
The first church edifice erected here for Episcopal worship was about 1740, upon a spot in the Town Street, which was granted by the proprietors of the town, at a meeting held January 4th, 1739, and was situated directly in front of what was called the Stur- tevant lot, and bounded within three feet of said lot ; the space granted was thirty-six feet north and south, and twenty-six feet east and west ; its location being a little south of the present church lot.
d
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.ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH.
The following article, in reference to the grant, is from the Ridgefield town records :
" Whereas, at a Proprietor's Meeting January 4th 1740, did by a major vote, order and empower us the subscribers, to view and look a spot or place of ground that may be convenient and suitable to build and erect a Church or Meeting House, for those that are of the profession of the Church of England ; and also to agree with, and confirm unto them the said spot or piece of land so agreed upon ; in pursuance to, and by virtue of said vote, we have set out, and do agree with the said professors, that they shall have liberty of a certain spot of land in said Town Street, on the front of that home lot that was formerly John Sturte- vant's deceased ; the west sill bounded within three feet of the line or front of said lot ; which said spot or piece of ground is to be in extent, thirty-six feet north and south ; and east and west, twenty-six feet. RICHARD OLMSTED MATTHEW SEAMORE Committee TIMOTHY KEELER
" Received to Record, Jany. 10, 1746, and recorded per me- TIMOTHY KEELER, Register."
This building remained until after the Revolutionary War. During the war it was taken by a commissary of the American army as a building in which to de- posit the public stores. In April, 1777, the building was set on fire by the British forces in their retreat from Danbury. Though not consumed, it was ren- dered unfit for use as a place of public worship.
In June, 1784, at a meeting of those friendly to the Church of England, it was deemed advisable to tear down the old building and build a new one.
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
The following is the notice for said meeting :
" To ALEXANDER RESSEGUIE of Ridgefield in Fairfield County, Greeting.
" By authority of the State of Connecticut ; you are hereby required to notify and warn all the inhabitants living within the limits of the First Society in Ridge- field, that are professors of the Church of England, to meet and hold a Society meeting at the Church in said Society, on the 28th day of instant, June, at 3 o'clock after noon, (it being the place of worship for said pro- fessors,) for the purpose of choosing Society officers, repairing the church, hiring some person to perform Divine Service in said Episcopal Society, granting a tax for these purposes, and any other business proper for said meeting to do or act. By order of us-
PHILIP B. BRADLEY Justice of Peace. EBENEZER LOBDELL
DAVID PERRY Principal
ALEXANDER RESSEGUIE Inhabitants.
" RIDGEFIELD, June 19, 1784."
The meeting was held according to notice, and it was voted not to repair the old church, to hire a per- son to perform divine service for four months, and to pay ten pounds by way of tax on the list of the year 1783, for the purpose of paying for this and other So- ciety charges.
At a meeting held on the 28th day of October, 1784, it was voted to pull down the old church, and build a new one, forty feet long, thirty feet wide, and eighteen feet posts, a little south of the old one, and on the ground formerly granted by the town for that purpose.
" Voted, To pay a tax of one shilling on the pound on the list of the year 1784, by the first day of April, 1785, for the purpose of erecting a new church.
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ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH.
" Voted, That Benjamin Hoyt, Ezekiel Wilson, Thaddeus Sturges, and Jonathan Whitlock be a com- mittee to conduct the pulling down and disposing of the old church, and to manage and carry on the building of a new one."
In the mean time Lieutenant Benjamin Smith dona- ted a piece of ground on which to erect a new church ; the deed to which was executed in the year follow- ing, and bearing date September 20th, 1785. The plot thus deeded was on the north-east corner of his homestead, adjoining the Town Street, and which now comprises the yard in front of the present church. The ground in size was seventy-three feet in length north and south, and forty-three feet wide east and west, and bounded east by the Town Street, north by Nathan Dauchy's land, and south and west by his own land. The conditions were that it should be for- ever appropriated to the use of said church.
At a meeting held at the house of Captain Vivus Dauchy, on the 16th day of December, 1784, it was
" Voted, To reconsider the appointment of the Com- mittee made at the meeting held on the 28th day of October ; and that Benjamin Hoyt and Ezekiel Wilson constitute the Committee to carry on the building of said church.
" Voted, That the said building shall stand at the north east corner of the Sturtevant lot so called, ad- joining the Town Street, in the First Society in Ridge- field, on a piece of ground given by Benjamin Smith for that purpose.
" Voted, That the church shall not exceed forty-two feet in length ; and that the width and height be in pro- portion, according to the judgment of the Committee."
The church was subsequently erected on said land,
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
and the size adopted was forty-four feet in length, and thirty-two feet in width, the ends facing north and south, with a door on the south and east sides, but without a steeple. A gallery was placed in the south end of the church.
The project of building immediately following the Revolutionary War, when the effort in raising means was difficult, from the impoverishment of the people generally in consequence of the war, it was not with- out struggles, financially and otherwise, that the pro- cess of rebuilding was carried forward, and that by slow degrees through a series of years, until it was finally accomplished, for the resources of the parish were lim- ited.
The following are extracts from the parish record at that time :
"At a meeting of the First Episcopal Society in Ridgefield, holden at the house of Capt. Vivus Dauchy on the first day of Sept. 1785,
" Voted, That Ebenezer Stebbins be a committee, in addition to Benjamin Hoyt, and Ezekiel Wilson, ap- pointed at a former meeting, to manage the building of a Church.
" Voted, likewise, That all persons who have under- taken to get timber for a church, shall have it at the place appointed, by Thursday the 8th inst. Septem- ber ; or the Committee shall not be obliged to accept it in payment of taxes."
At a meeting of the Society, held at the house of Capt. Vivus Dauchy, April 27th, 1787 :
" Voted, That said Society shall pay a tax of two pence on the Pound on the List of 1786, into the
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ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH. -
Treasury of said Society by first day of October next, for the purpose of carrying on the building a Church.
" Item, That any person who shall furnish good eighteen inch chestnut shingle for the Church, shall be allowed one Pound, four shillings per thousand. That good whitewood inch Boards, shall be valued at six shil- lings per hundred foot ; three quarter-inch Oak Boards at four shillings and six pence per hundred foot.
" Item, That the aforesaid articles shall be delivered at the church in said Ridgefield by the first day of June next ; otherwise, the Committee shall not be obliged to take them in payment of taxes towards the building a church."
At a meeting held at the house of Captain Vivus Dauchy, on the 31st day of September, 1787 :
" Voted, That the Society shall pay a tax of four Pence on the Pound, on the List of the year 1787, by the first day of April next.
" Voted, That Rye at three shillings and six pence per bushel ; Corn at three shillings ; Oats at one shilling and six pence ; Buckwheat at two shillings per bushel ; Flax at seven Pence per pound, shall be taken in pay- ment of said tax."
The church was not comfortably furnished until the year 1791, and the entire ground floor was not occu- pied with pews until some time after the church was used for divine service ; and at a meeting held March 30th, 1791, it was " voted," That we will sell the lots for the pews in the church, and also voted, That they shall be sold at public vendue to the highest bidder. It was voted, also, " That the committee appointed to carry on the finishing of the church, shall lay out the lots for the pews in the same, and advertise and sell them as before directed, when and at what time they
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
think proper. Benjamin Hoyt and Joshua Burt were said committee."
At a meeting held April 17th, 1794, a committee was appointed to superintend the building of a pul- pit in the church.
At a meeting held April 17th, 1799, it was
" Voted, That the Society's Committee be directed to procure materials, and build the remaining pews in the church, and charge the same to the Society."
In the year 1819 the church was materially altered and improved, side galleries were built, and a steeple erected on the south end, in style and form the same as the one at the Congregational Church. The door at the east side was closed, and in its place a square pew was built and occupied by Abijah Resseguie and others ; he then being in manhood's prime, and al- though nearly sixty years have rolled away, he still continues in a vigorous old age an honored citizen among us, and also continues to hold, as in years past, the office of one of the Wardens of the church.
In the year 1820 an effort was made by the parish to obtain some remuneration for the damage done to the former church edifice during the Revolutionary War. The following is from the parish records :
At a meeting held on the 24th day of April, 1820, it was,
" Voted, That Mr. Jeremiah Mead be an agent for the purpose of preferring a petition in behalf of this parish to the Honorable General Assembly of the State of Connecticut, at their session in May next, praying for a remuneration of damages sustained in consequence of the injury done to the former church belonging to the parish, by being used as a store house for provisions by
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ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH.
the Commissary, in the time of the Revolutionary War ; and that said Agent be empowered and instructed to employ counsel to advocate said petition."
The application, however, proved unsuccessful, and no compensation was ever obtained to cover the loss sustained in consequence of the firing of the church by the British.
In the year 1828 a bell was procured of six hundred pounds weight, and placed in the tower of the church, the first one owned by the parish.
The church edifice never having been consecrated, on the 12th day of November, 1831, the Right Rev. Bishop Brownell visited the parish and consecrated it by the name of St. Stephen's Church, and at the same time administered the rite of confirmation to fifty-two per- sons-a large number for this parish. It was a year of great religious interest in the church, and sixty new communicants were added in the course of the year, under the successful ministry of the Rev. Charles J. Todd.
In the year 1832 the square pews in the centre of the church were removed, and " slips," or long pens, erected in their stead ; the square pews on each side still remaining.
On the 29th day of January, 1841, a meeting was held, and measures taken for the erection of a new church, provided a suitable site could be procured. A plot of ground directly in the rear of the church lot was generously donated by Isaac Jones, the owner of the land adjoining, in size one hundred feet east and west, and eighty-two to eighty-six feet north and south, the deed bearing date August 12th, 1841. Mr. Jones had previously given a strip of ground ten feet
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
wide at the south end of the old church lot. The corner-stone of the present church was laid by the Rec- tor, the Rev. Warner Hoyt, in the presence of a num- ber of the clergy and of the inhabitants, on the 12th day of August, 1841. The church was finished and consecrated by Bishop Brownell on the 20th day of September, 1842. The organ, the first one in posses- sion of the parish, was placed in the church and first used at its consecration.
Thus was completed and consecrated the third church in this parish, a little over a century after the erection of the first church edifice. Its dimensions are forty feet in width and fifty-six feet in length, with a projection in front for a vestibule and stairway of five feet, and with the addition afterward of a chancel of a depth of fifteen feet, making the entire present length of the church seventy-six feet.
Tablets were also placed in the walls of the church in commemoration of two venerable laymen of the parish, one to Samuel Stebbins, Esq., the other to Nathan Dauchy, both firm and zealous supporters of the church, in all its vicissitudes-the former a dis- tinguished and useful citizen of the town, as well as of the parish ; for forty years the town clerk, and during a period of forty-six years the parish clerk, and for over forty years the senior warden of the church.
In the month of August, 1851, the bell now in use, and weighing 1508 pounds, from the foundry of Me- neely & Sons, of West Troy, N. Y., was placed in the tower of the church; the old one having been disposed of to a neighboring church in Georgetown.
In the year 1857 measures were taken for an exten- sive alteration and improvement in the church, the
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ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH.
building of a chancel, alteration of the pews, and to be so arranged as to admit of a centre aisle, coloring and frescoing the walls, the procuring of a new organ from the manufactory of George Jardine, of New York, of a sweet tone and finish, all of which improvements being at an expense of about two thousand dollars. The church was reopened with appropriate services by the Right Rev. Bishop Williams, assisted by a number of the neighboring clergy, including former rectors of the parish.
In the summer of 1875 the organ was enlarged by the addition of several stops, and 126 new pipes, mak- ing the present number of 16 stops and 450 pipes ; the addition nearly doubling its capacity.
The parish has a fund of a little over three thousand dollars, the income of which is devoted toward the support of the ministry.
The first efforts made toward the creation of a fund for the support of the ministry in the parish was in 1836, when Nathan Dauchy, Esq., of Troy, N. Y., a native of this town, made an offer for that purpose on condition that the parish would raise a like amount. In order to avail themselves of his generous offer, they used persevering exertions, and raised the sum of twelve hundred dollars, to which he added a like amount. This, with later benefactions, from other sources, increased the fund to its present amount, three thousand and fifty dollars.
In the year 1869 a legacy was received by the be- quest of the late Nancy Smith, of Norwalk, formerly of Ridgefield, of five hundred dollars, the income of which to be used in aid of the poor of the parish.
It is also possessed of a convenient parsonage, built
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
in 1853, with a glebe of four acres, in the central part . of the village, of a valuation of about six thousand dol- lars.
The first building erected for a parsonage was in 1838, upon a piece of ground containing one acre, ap- propriated by the late Philip Bradley, in the northern part of the village street, and which, with improve- ments, is now the residence of Gould Rockwell. It was built by a stock company, and occupied by the clergy until it was afterward sold, and the present one erected more contiguous to the church.
The first wardens of the church, of which there is any existing record, that of 1788, were Benjamin Hoyt and Doctor David Perry. Doctor Perry was also the clerk and treasurer of the parish from the commence- ment of its permanent record in 1784 until his admis- sion to holy orders in 1789.
The present wardens of the church are Keeler, Dauchy, and Abijah Resseguie, who have served the church in that capacity for a series of years-Mr. Dauchy having served the church as a vestryman, parish clerk, and in his present office for nearly half a century. During a period of thirty-three years he has been a warden of the church.
The likenesses of nearly all the rectors of the present century are placed on the walls in the vestry room. On the left hand of the chancel is placed a memorial window to the Rev. Warner Hoyt, under whose zeal- ous rectorship the present church was built, and who is the only one of its clergy thus far who have been re- moved by death while in charge of the duties of the parish.
Among the many persons not heretofore named,
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ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH.
with two or three exceptions, as among the early and prominent supporters of the church, who have passed away, may be named the following : Caleb Lobdell, Vivus Dauchy, Jacob Resseguie, Ezekiel Wilson, John Jones, Ebenezer Stebbins, Hackaliah Burt, Eliphalet Brush, Nehemiah Sturges, Epenetus How, Jeremiah Smith, Jacob Dauchy, Benjamin Sherwood, Benjamin Smith, Jeremiah Mead, Daniel Jones, Timothy Jones, Isaac Olmsted, Thaddeus Olmsted, David Burr, Sam- uel B. Grumman, Czar Jones, John M. Smith, Philip Northrup, William Sherwood, Stephen Olmsted, Wal- ter Dauchy, Chauncey Olmsted, William Crocker, and others. Of the above, Jacob Dauchy served as a war- den of the church twenty-three years, and John M. Smith for a period of twenty-seven years.
The first instance in which the rite of confirmation was administered was in 1809, when Bishop Abraham Jarvis visited the parish, and confirmed 86 per- sons, and which with those confirmed on subsequent episcopal visitations, makes the entire number of 510 persons confirmed in this church to the present time.
The parish at the present time numbers 85 families, about 250 baptized members, and 140 communicants.
The first year in the history of the parish in which it was enabled to avail itself of a resident clergyman with constant services was in 1837, under the rectorship of the Rev. Eli Wheeler, who remained until 1839, when he was succeeded by the Rev. Warner Hoyt, who en- tered upon the regular charge of the parish, and was the first occupant of its first parsonage, just erected, and the parish has been favored with the undivided services of all succeeding clergymen to the present time.
The ministrations of all the preceding clergy, from
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HISTORY OF RIDGEFIELD.
the year 1789, when the Rev. David Perry assumed the charge of the parish, until the year 1837, were in connection with other parishes. The Rev. David Perry served the churches in Ridgebury and Danbury a portion of the time. His successors-the Rev. David Butler, the Rev. Elijah G. Plumb, and the Rev. Reu- ben Hubbard-each had charge of the three churches of Ridgefield, Danbury, and Reading, giving an equal time to each.
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