USA > Connecticut > The records of convocation, 1790-1848 > Part 11
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The death in September, 1792, of the Rev. Moses Badger, rector of King's Chapel, Providence, Rhode Island, made a vacancy in that important and desirable parish. The vestry followed the suggestion of the Rev. William Smith, then at Newport, and invited the Rev. John Bowden to the parish. His loss of voice compelled him to decline and he cordially commended Mr. Clarke as a clergyman who would fill admirably the rectorship of that parish. Bishop Seabury wrote to the vestry that Mr. Clarke was "not only a gentleman of good character and understanding, but also of easy and polite manners, and of diligence in his profession."
Mr. Clarke commenced his duties on Easter Day, March 31, 1793, and remained with growing appreciation in Providence for seven years. There was increase in the congregation and general prosperity in the parish during his incumbency. In 1794 the name of the corporation was changed from King's Chapel to St. John's Church.
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Mr. Clarke resigned on March 30, 1800, and soon after took charge of St. Michael's Church, Bristol, Rhode Island. This was one of the oldest parishes in New England, having been founded in 1719. The beloved and venerated John Usher was then rector. He was the first child baptized in the parish, and after the death of his father, the Rev. John Usher, in 1775, whose connection with St. Michael's extended over fifty-two years, had kept it alive by reading the service. Mr. Usher in his seventy-third year received holy orders and with all the energy of a young man maintained the services and did his parish work. Feeling in his eightieth year the need of some relief, Mr. Clarke was called to his assistance.
Mr. Clarke's work was commendable and he showed great considera- tion to his colleague. From some cause not fully ascertainable dissension arose in the parish and early in 1803 Mr. Clarke resigned.
He accepted the united parishes of St. James, Newtown, and St. George's, Flushing, on Long Island, and was inducted into them in the spring of 1803.
The Church of England had been established on Long Island in the beginning of the eighteenth century. Jamaica was the chief parish at the western end of the island. Newtown and Flushing had from their organi- zation been associated with it under the charge of one incumbent.
The blindness and other infirmities of the Rev. William Hammell, rector in 1794, led to a severing of the long connection between Jamaica and the outlying parishes. The Rev. Henry Van Dyck became in 1795 rector of St. James, Newtown, and also officiated at Flushing.
The resignation of Mr. Van Dyck in the winter of 1802-03 led to a formal union of the two congregations at Newtown and Flushing. It was probably due to the knowledge Mr. Van Dyck had of Mr. Clarke that the call was made by the vestries of these parishes.
In the exacting but pleasant and varied duties of a country parson Mr. Clarke spent the remainder of his life. He died at St. James's parsonage, Newtown, on December 31, 1810.
THE REVEREND AMBROSE HULL, M.A.
Ambrose Hull is, traditionally, a native of Cheshire, Connecticut.
No authentic documents are available concerning his ancestry, early years, and many events of his life.
He is known to have been graduated from Harvard College in 1785, and afterward to have pursued the study of theology. He was recom- mended by the convocation at its meeting in North Haven on October 22, 1788. The entry in the Bishop's register gives the date of the ordi- nation of Mr. Hull as deacon as "Sunday the 12th day of October, 1788," in Trinity Church, New Haven. The candidate was presented by the Rev. Jeremiah Leaming. To the entry in his register Bishop Seabury appends this : "NOTE: The following registry of the ordinations of Mr. Foot and Dr. Nesbitt ought to have preceded that of Mr. Hull."1 The
1 P. 7. A Reprint in full of the Registry of Ordinations by Bishops Seabury and Jarvis.
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exact date of the ordination it is impossible now to ascertain. Mr. Hull was licensed to preach and "appointed to officiate as Deacon at Reading." The parish of Christ Church, Reading, is one of the oldest in the Diocese. Under the fostering care of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Johnson the Rev. Henry Caner established Church of England services there in 1727. The congregation came under the pastoral oversight of the Rev. John Beach, that noble confessor, until his death in 1782. The first church was built in 1732, but as the congregation increased rapidly a larger church was erected in 1750. After the Revolution the Rev. Richard S. Clarke of New Milford officiated occasionally. Mr. Truman Marsh, of Litchfield, acted as lay reader until 1786, when Mr. David Belden was made deacon and began a brief ministry.
On June 7th, 1789, Mr. Hull was made priest in St. Paul's Church, Norwalk, by Bishop Seabury at the same time with the Rev. Abraham Lynsen Clarke and the Rev. Ambrose Todd. Mr. Hull continued in charge of Reading until 1791, when he resigned. It is not certain that he took another parish immediately. In 1792 he was rector of the "Episcopal Church of Brooklyn," afterward St. Ann's Church. He suc- ceeded the Rev. Elijah D. Rattoone, who had become a professor in Columbia College.
The incompleteness of the records of St. Ann's Church for this period is an obstacle to ascertaining the cause of Mr. Hull's sudden resigna- tion early in January, 1793.
Mr. Hull's name does not appear in the Journal of any diocese or of the General Convention after 1792. There is no record of his deposition and there is no reason to suppose any moral delinquency on his part. Like two or three other clergymen of that period, notably the Rev. James Kilbourn, deacon, who became after a brief ministerial career a prominent politician in Ohio, Mr. Hull apparently ceased to execute the priest's office.
His later years are said to have been spent in South Carolina, Ohio, and Florida. He is reported to have won political honors and ascended the judicial bench in East Florida, where it is supposed he died in 1821.
THE REVEREND TRUMAN MARSH, M.A.
Truman Marsh was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, on February 24, 1768. After completing the course in the common schools he was well fitted for college by the Rev. George Beckwith, the Congregational minister of Litchfield South Farms (now Morris). He was graduated from Yale College in 1786.
It was then customary for Yale graduates to seek employment as tutors in the southern states. Mr. Marsh went to Maryland and became an instructor in Cokesbury College, near Baltimore, under the Rev. Levi Heath. Mr. Heath gave him a full theological course, and probably was his presenter when he was made deacon by Bishop White on March 5, 1789.
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After his ordination, in addition to his duties in the college, he assisted Mr. Heath in the parochial work of St. John's parish, Baltimore.
For various reasons Mr. Marsh was desirous to become a clergyman in his native state and on that account refused the principalship of Cokesbury College.
In a letter to Bishop Seabury written from Philadelphia on August II, 1789, Bishop White refers to the ordination of Mr. Marsh and his work in Maryland, which was earnest and acceptable. The Bishop also says : "I believe him to be a deserving young man and of unblemished morals."*
The ancient and influential parish of St. John's, New Milford, founded in 1742 by the Rev. John Beach, became vacant by the removal of the Rev. Tillotson Bronson, who had been temporarily in charge.
Mr. Marsh was invited in 1790 to become its rector and accepted.
He entered upon his duties soon after his ordination to the priesthood. The "Records" show that this service was in the old "meeting house" near the Litchfield Green on June 2, 1790, by Bishop Seabury, and that Mr. Marsh had been recommended by the clergy of Connecticut.
Mr. Marsh's work in New Milford, Roxbury, and New Preston, which were included in his cure, was characterized by tact, zeal and success.
The second church building in New Milford, erected in 1765, had remained unfinished. The sale by the town of "highway lands" and the division of the proceeds among the several "ecclesiastical societies" of the town materially benefited the parish. Ultimately the share of St. John's Church was forty-six pounds. With twenty-seven pounds, which had been paid in 1793, and other contributions, the church was com- pleted. Among the "improvements" was a front gallery and a high pulpit with winding stairs.
The church was consecrated by Bishop Seabury on September 25, 1793. In 1799 the Rev. David Butler resigned his charge of St. Michael's, Litchfield.
Mr. Marsh's townsmen appreciated him and he was asked to become the successor of Mr. Butler.
Mr. Marsh removed to Litchfield late in 1799. He there spent the remainder of his life; thirty years of it in hard and exacting work. He was ever punctual in the performance of his duty and went into every nook and corner of the town. He was known and beloved by every one.
As his health and endurance began to fail after 1810, he was obliged to have the help of assistants; among them were the Rev. Dr. Isaac Jones, the Rev. Dr. John S. Stone and the Rev. William Lucas. In 1830, having fallen into a state of nervous hypochondria, he felt obliged to resign, very much to the regret of his parishioners.
It is said that during the later months of his active ministry he became so much depressed that he shrank from officiating. A simple remedy administered by his wife encouraged him. He mounted his horse and attended by his man servant proceeded to church, where he read the
1 P. 338. Connecticut Church Documents, II.
IO
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service with dignity and preached with logical power and eloquence two admirable sermons. In his retirement he did not wholly omit clerical duty.
He remained to be the confidant and adviser of many of his former parishioners, the counsellor and friend of his successors in the parish, and a venerable and respected senior among his brethren of the clergy.
Mr. Marsh ended his earthly life on March 28, 1851, in the eighty- fourth year of his age.
His funeral was largely attended from the Congregational church, as the old St. Michael's had been demolished and the new one was not completed. The full Church service was used and a funeral sermon preached by the Rev. Benjamin W. Stone, rector of the parish.
Mr. Marsh was entrusted with various diocesan offices, among them membership on the Standing Committee, trusteeship in several boards, and a clerical deputyship in the General Convention.
In his Convention address in 1851, Bishop Brownell says: "Few of his brethren have surpassed him for clearness of mind, simplicity of char- acter, purity of life, and faithfulness to the trust committed to him. This venerable brother has been taken from us like a shock of corn fully ripe." The Rev. Alonzo B. Chapin in his "Sketches of the Early Clergy" gives this characterization: "a fine scholar, an acceptable preacher, an able instructor, a man of pure character and unblemished reputation."1
THE REVEREND EDWARD BLAKESLEE, M.A.
Edward, a son of Abraham Blakeslee, was born in North Haven, Connecticut, on June 27, 1766. He was educated in the common schools, and entered Yale College, where he took a high rank, before his twentieth year. He was compelled to leave college in his Junior year on' account of the sickness and death of his parents.
From 1786 he had acted as lay reader for St. John's Church, North Haven. The congregation were very much pleased with his manner of conducting the service and wished him to obtain holy orders. At "a meeting in the red school house near Dr. Trumbull's Church," Mr. Blakeslee was requested to ride to New London and be ordained. Three dollars were voted for his expenses.
Mr. Blakeslee went to New London bearing letters of commendation from the Rev. Drs. Mansfield, Leaming, and Hubbard, also the votes of the meeting of the congregation of St. John's Church. He had a pleasant interview with Bishop Seabury and successfully passed the required examinations.
On Sunday, February 24, 1788, the feast of St. Matthias, he was made deacon in St. James's Church, New London, by Bishop Seabury. At the same service the Rev. Reuben Ives, the Rev. Chauncey Prindle, and the Rev. Tillotson Bronson were ordained priests.
Mr. Blakeslee was expected by the people of St. John's to become their minister. He, however, accepted the invitation of Trinity Church, Bran-
1 The Calendar, August 19, 1854.
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ford, 'and for two years worked with faithful diligence in that parish, with which were then associated Christ Church, Guilford, and St. John's, North Guilford. To properly care for them required much riding and constant vigilance.
In 1790 Mr. Blakeslee resigned, returned to his native town, and accepted the pastorate of St. John's and St. Andrew's, Northford. He was also expected to explore the surrounding country for churchmen and organize new congregations wherever it could be done. During his ministry a parish was formed at Hamden and named Grace Church.
In 1791 Mr. Blakeslee became assistant to the Rev. Dr. Mansfield at Derby. He was to assist in the services, preach occasionally, and also to visit and hold service in remote parts of the town.
On Sunday, July 9, 1793, Mr. Blakeslee was ordained priest by Bishop Seabury at the same time with Rev. Solomon Blakeslee, the Rev. Russel Catling, and the Rev. David Butler in Christ Church, Middletown. In the Bishop's register is noted that he was appointed "to the cure of Woodbridge for one-half his time, the other half as assistant to the Rev'd Dr. Mansfield at Derby."
In this double duty he was diligent and faithful.
In that part of Derby then known as Chusetown, afterward Humphreysville (now Seymour), a parish was organized in February, 1797. With this the congregation worshipping on Great Hill was united and the new corporation took the name of Union Church. Mr. Blakeslee laid the corner-stone of a church building for that parish during the early spring of 1797 which was framed and enclosed before the following winter. It was not fully completed and ready for consecration until 1817, when, on September 2, it was consecrated by Bishop Hobart. The ancient frame still remains sound. Upon it in 1857 a new church was built and consecrated by Bishop Williams on May II, 1858, as Trinity Church, Seymour.
Mr. Blakeslee died on July 15, 1797, in the thirty-first year of his age. His death was felt as a personal loss by many both in Derby and wher- ever he was known. His clerical brethren mourned for him and grieved that his earthly ministry had so soon ended, as they had anticipated for him a brilliant future.
This brief extract from a manuscript sermon upon fasting will show his method of sermonizing. His text is from St. Luke v. 34, 35. "Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them and then shall they fast in those days."
He first states the circumstances under which our Lord spoke these words and then shows the necessity for joy while the Bridegroom is with His dis- ciples, and the reason for sadness and fasting when the light of His coun- tenance is withdrawn from them. He considers the reasons why Christians should fast and alludes to the practice of the Primitive Church and the obligation resting upon all Christians to follow its example. He then says : "Again this Duty is too often abused by considering ye bare per- formance of it acceptable to God, without regard to those other Religious
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exercises wh are inseparably connected with it-for Fasting considerd in ye Abstract is but A Colateral Duty, & enjoined for no other Purpose yn to assist us in ye great & essential Duties of Prayer, Almsgiving & an holy life, & is intended to be wholly subservient thereto. If ergo we flatter ourselves with ye Notion, yt having modified our Appetites for a little Time, we may yn indulge ym at large, till ye return of the next stated Season of Fasting & Humiliation we grossely Deceive ourselves & add to our own Condemnation, by turning yt wh is intended for an Assistant to Virtue & Godliness, into an Instrument of Impiety & Wicked- ness; since He who lives A good life without fasting, is a much better Man y" He who abstains from Meat only, without regarding those other ends, wh yt Abstinence was designed to promote.
Notwithstanding, ergo, this as well as many other Religious Duties is often neglected or Abused, yet, let us not, for this Reason lay aside ye Use of it, but Deliberately consider those good Purposes for wh it was originally Designed, & ye great advantages yt will arise to us from a regular & conscientious Discharge of it. Fasting, it must be acknowl- edged, is a very fit & becoming Act of Humiliation to God for our past. Offences against his Divine Majesty. The best of us all have abundant reason to pray with ye Devout Publican in ye Gospel, Ld be merciful, &c."1
THE REVEREND SOLOMON BLAKESLEE, M.A.
Solomon, a son of Zophar Blakeslee, was born at North Haven, Connecticut, on November 9, 1762. He was educated in the schools of the town and when nineteen years old entered Yale College, where he maintained a creditable rank and was graduated in 1785.
He probably studied theology with the Rev. Dr. Mansfield of Derby, but was, like other candidates of the period, better versed in the practical duties of the ministry than in systematic divinity. The lack of ordained clergymen compelled the students to read the service in parishes which otherwise would be wholly without the ministrations of the Church. His time seems to have been spent largely in Claremont, New Hampshire, where a parish had been formed as early as 1770 and a church com- menced in 1773. Among the earliest services in Claremont were those of the Rev. Samuel Peters, of Hebron, Connecticut, who made a mis- sionary tour in 1770 which included Claremont. The parish then was occasionally visited by the itinerant missionary in New Hampshire, the Rev. Moses Badger, and in 1773 the Rev. Ranna Cositt became rector and missionary. An outspoken loyalist, Mr. Cossit finally became a mis- sionary in Sydney, Cape Breton Island. There is evidence that Mr. Blakeslee was in New Hampshire in the closing months of 1788 and that he officiated until the time of his ordination. Mr. Blakeslee entered heartily into the work and did good service not only in Claremont but also in the new settlements of New Hampshire and Vermont. He is known to have made several journeys to Connecticut, where he officiated at North
1 Dr. Burhans' Collection of Manuscript Sermons. The sermon is thus endorsed : Amity, March II, 1792 ; Great Hill, March 18, 1792 ; Derby, April Ist, 1792.
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Haven and other places after his cousin, the Rev. Edward Blakeslee, had in 1791 gone to Derby. A recent writer upon North Haven says that he was "rather in advance of the older people, and locally known as the man who whistled on the sabbath day."1
For three years he was in New Hampshire during the greater portion of his time. The last services by him in Claremont are in September, I792. What he did for the upbuilding of the Church and the searching out of the scattered and uncared for people in the wilderness towns and hamlets merits high praise.
A parish by the name of St. Stephen's Church had been formed at Haddam, on the Connecticut river, under the auspices of the Rev. Dr. Abraham Jarvis of Middletown in April, 1791. Dr. Jarvis in addition to his other onerous duties had cheerfully served it until 1792. On March Ist, 1793, Mr. Blakeslee accepted the charge of it. He was a devoted parish priest and a preacher of sound common sense. He possessed a practical knowledge of men which made him attractive to his parish- ioners. Mr. Blakeslee was ordained priest in Christ Church, Middletown, on Sunday, June 9, 1793 by Bishop Seabury at the same time with Edward Blakeslee, Russel Catling and David Butler.
A church was planned in February, 1792, which was to be "fifty-four feet long, thirty-seven feet wide, and twenty-one feet posts, with a steeple." This church was not finished and ready for consecration until October, 1795. The consecration was on St. Luke's Day, October 18, 1795. It served the parish for nearly a hundred years until the erection and consecration of the present St. Stephen's, which is nearer the "Landing," in 1890. It still stands, a witness to the zeal of the fathers, and a conspicuous and cherished object to all vessels passing up or down the river.
Mr. Blakeslee in 1803 was one of six clergymen who united in a memorial to Bishop Jarvis concerning the right of the Rev. Ammi Rogers to a seat in the Convention of the Diocese; basing their plea upon the principle that "each parish has a right to choose its own rector," subject to the approval of the Bishop. For one of his parishes the memorial stated Mr. Rogers had obtained approval.2
In thus joining with five of his brethren of undoubted loyalty to the Diocese and conspicuously successful as parish priests, Mr. Blakeslee did not intend to prejudge the case of Mr. Rogers or oppose the deci- sion of the Bishop.
The rector of East Haddam had the pleasure of seeing the church well filled and new families of intelligence inquiring into the principles of the American Church, many of whom became earnest and consistent churchmen.
In 1815 the Rev. Charles Seabury, who had succeeded his father, the 1 P. 155. North Haven Annals, * * * by Sheldon B. Thorpe. New Haven : 1892. The Rev. Wm. Lusk's sketch of St. John's Church.
? P. 31. Dr. Beardsley's "History," II. The other clergymen were the Rev. Dr. Mans- field, of Derby ; the Rev. John Tyler, of Norwich ; the Rev. Ambrose Todd, of Hunting- ton ; the Rev. Joseph Warren, of Middletown : and the Rev. Smith Miles, of Chatham.
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Bishop, as rector of St. James's Church, New London, resigned. On March 27, 1815, Mr. Blakeslee was chosen as his successor. He accepted immediately and soon after removed to New London. During his three years incumbency there was much activity and abundant life in the old parish. In 1816 the gallery in St. James's Church was lowered and in 1817 a small organ of English manufacture and of excellent tone, was presented to the parish and placed in the gallery. Previously the music had been entirely vocal. This was the first organ in New London. Mr. Blakeslee's advocacy of the deposed priest, Ammi Rogers, in which his neighbor, the Rev. John Tyler, of Norwich, joined, brought him into disfavor with some of his brethren. It seemed expedient for him to resign St. James's Church, which he did early in 1818. East Haddam had been vacant since Mr. Blakeslee's departure for New London and had relied upon him for various clerical offices.
Yielding to the wishes of his former parishioners, he accepted in April, 1818, the call made by them and continued to serve the parish until October, 1821.
Mr. Blakeslee then went to St. James's Church, Great Barrington, Mas- sachusetts, where he did excellent work until May, 1827. In 1828 he returned to Connecticut but without taking any parochial charge, and soon after removed to the state of New York. He made his home at New Lisbon, Otsego County, in that picturesque region made famous by the pen of James Fenimore Cooper. It was that part of the state long blessed with the unceasing labors of that apostolic missionary affection- ately known as "Father Nash."
Mr. Blakeslee as he had health and opportunity engaged in mission work in Otsego and Chenango Counties with much acceptance and success.
He died at New Lisbon on April 10, 1835, in the seventy-third year of his age.
Bishop Onderdonk of New York in his Convention address for 1835 says of him: "He had been for several years residing on an estate in Otsego County, and rendered important gratuitous service to the mis- sionary cause in this Diocese. * * I am personally cognisant of * much good which he had done to the Church in our Diocese." The Rev. Dr. Robert Hallam, who was a boy in St. James's in New London during Mr. Blakeslee's rectorship, gives these recollections of Mr. Blakeslee in his valuable "Annals of St. James's Church, New London": "He was a man of peculiarly cheerful, genial, and social temperament, an agreeable companion and associate; but was thought to be by many, perhaps not without reason, somewhat deficient in the gravity and seriousness which became his calling."1
1 P. 88. Annals of St. James's Church, New London, for one hundred and fifty years ; by Robert A. Hallam, D.D., Rector. The Church Press : M. H. Mallory & Co., Hartford, Conn., 1873. 12mo, pp. v, 120.
Note II
The edifice in which the opening service of the Convocation was held and the Rev. Truman Marsh was ordained priest, was the second built for the First Ecclesiastical Society of Litchfield. Its first house was commenced in April, 1723, and finished in 1726. It was a neat but plain building without a steeple, forty-five feet long and thirty-five feet wide. The second house was completed in 1762, and was a much more stately structure with a steeple. Its dimensions were sixty feet by forty-five feet. It stood until 1829.
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