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E\ST 1
1^
JONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
HISTORICAL DISCOURSE,
DELIVERED AT THE
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
OF THE DEDICATION OF THE
Stone Meeting House
EAST HAVEN, CONN.,
Wednesday, ^eptemher 16, 1874"
Bv D. WILLIAM HAVENS.
PRl^TfiB BY PUNCERSON & OltlSAND, 12 CENTER STREET^ NE^^' HAYfiJf.
1876.
.L^ Hi
>uoxLU.
,HE preliminary steps for tlie celebration of the
One Hundredth Anniversary of the Dedication of
the "Old Stone Meeting-house," in East Haven,
was taken at the Annual Church Meeting, October 12,
1873, when Deacon Samuel T. Andrews, Deacon Thaddeus
Street, Jeremiah Barnes, Capt. Samuel C. Thompson, and
Isaac S. Pardee were appointed a Committee on the part
of the Church, to co-operate with a similar Committee, to
be ai:)pointed by the Society, to make arrangements for
the appropriate celebration of the Centennial.
At the Annual Meeting of the Ecclesiastical Society,
December 28, 1873, Lyman Hotchkiss, Samuel Chidsey,
James Thompson. Lyman A. Granniss, and Henry Smith
were appointed a Committee to co-operate with a similar
Committee of the Church, previously appointed, in mak-
ing the necessary preparations for the celebration. The
Pastor was subsequently added to this Committee. These
two committees composed the "General Centennial Com-
mittee," from which the following sub-committees were
appointed :
ON FINANCE:
Jeremiah Barnes, Thaddeus Street, James Thompson.
ON PRINTING :
Lyman A. Granniss, Henry Smith, Lyman Hotchkiss.
ON INVITATIONS:
D. Wm. Havens, Isaac S. Pardee, Thaddeus Street.
ON EXERCISES:
D. Wm. Havens, Samuel T. Andrews, Augustus Street, Joseph L
Hotchkiss, Jonathan Dudley.
ON RECEPTION:
Samuel Chidsky, Nathan Andrews, Edwin Granniss, Timothy
Andrews, Albert Forbes, Henry Smith, Collis B. Granniss,
Alexander W. Forbes, Leander F. Eichaiond, Julius H.
Morris.
ON MUSIC:
Miss Sara C. Upson, Mrs. Harriet M. Walker, Mrs. Delia A. Rich-
mond, Joseph I. Hotchkiss, Lyjian Hotchkiss, Isaac S. Pardee.
ON ENTERTAINMENTS:
William A. Woodward, Edward J. Upson, Abraham B. Chidsey, C.
Edwin Woodward, Levi L. Bradley, F. Foote Andrews, Lyman
A. Granniss, Leonakd R. Andrews, Theodore H. Thompson,
S. W. F. Andrews, John Wm. Thompson, Mrs. Olive Black-
stone, Mrs. Lavinia C. Frink, Mrs. Lydia B. Dickinson, Mrs.
Eliza T. Street, Mrs. Hannah C. Hurd, Mrs. Mahion Bradley,
Mrs. Jane E. Tyler, Mrs. Lois M. Woodward, Mrs. Martha P.
Pardee, Mrs. Louisa M. Bradley, Miss Elsie A. Pardee, Miss
Bertha M. Havens.
ON DECORA TIONS :
Samuel F. Bradley, James King, E. Dwigut Street, Henry T.
Thompson, Lyivian C. Thompson, Oliver King, Mrs. Laura A.
R. Woodward, Mrs. Grace E. Casey, Mrs. Jane Forbes, Mrs.
Ella A. Cowles, Mrs. N. E. Bartholomew, .Mrs. Maria A.
Walker.
ON ANTIQUITIES :
Samuel T. Andrews, Hiram Jacobs, C. S. Prout.
The Order of Exercises, as arranged by the Committee
for the Centennial Celebration, was as follows :
ORDE^ OF MEETINGS >ND EXERCISES.
10 o'clock A. M. — Meeting for Religious Services, and De-
livery of the Historical Discourse.
1. Organ Voluntary, with the Doxology —
" Praise God, from whom all blessings flow."
2. Invocation. Rev. Owen Stkeet.
3. Reading Scripture. Rev. Burdett Hart.
4. Singing. Original Hymn — By the Pastor —
THE CENTURY.
A HUNDRED YEARS ! 'mid Calm and storm,
These massive walls have silent stood.
And busy life, in every form,
Has round them breathed, and thought, and moved.
A HUNDRED YEARS ! thcsc scenes the same,
The Rock, the Lake, the Hills, the Sea;
But where are they, O God, who came
To consecrate this house to Thee ?
A HUNDRED YEARS have swcpt away
That flowing tide of life and thought ;
We, on their graves, our tribute lay.
And bless Thee for what they have wrought.
[A HUNDRED YEARS ! and in then- flood,
A nation born has marched to fame ;
Its starry flag, in storm and blood,
God has kept pure in Freedom's name.
6
A HUNDRED YEARS ! the world has moved —
The march of mind has onward sped —
Dark slavery's chain has been removed
From human forms that cringed and bled.
A HUNDRED YEARS ! Christ's parting word,
Has sent the Gospel's joyful sound,
'Till earth's most distant nation's heard
The "tiding glad," salvation found.]
A HUNDRED YEARS ! when they have flown,
When life from us, now here, has fled.
In the dark grave, so drear and lone.
We've learned the secret of the dead.
A HUNDRED YEARS ! May they that then
Shall gather here in gladsome guise —
Worthy the name of Puritan —
Lift praise' loud anthems to the skies.
5. Prayer. Rev. Leonard Bacon, D.D.
6. Singing. Original Hymn — By Rev. Owen Street —
From the glad present and its dreamings.
Back to the past, great God, we turn ;
O may we catch its brightest gleamings.
And all its glorious lessons learn.
Do Thou, the faded page renewing.
Restore the distant and the dim ;
While we, our hundred years reviewing,
Lift up to Thee our Century Hymn.
We praise Thee for th' inspiring story
Of faith, that proved itself sublime ;
That toiling in the hope of glory.
Could look to wants of later time.
We praise Thee for these firm foundations.
Quarried from the enduring rock ;
This home of buried congregations.
This fold of the still gathering flock.
For words the holy dead have spoken
Resounding still in memory's halls.
Voices now still, and strings long broken.
That woke the echoes of these walls ;
For deeper echoes that went thrilling
Thro' waiting hearts that heard the word,
Till they were warmed to heavenly feeling.
Praise be to our all-glorious Lord !
For our inheritance of blessing,
Descending tlirough long ages down,
We come, our wondrous debt confessing.
And here thy faithful covenant own.
We'll hold the truth the fathers taught us.
We'll take the legacy bequeathed,
We'll guard the heritage they bought us,
And keep their memories brightly wreathed.
7. The Historical Discourse. First Part. By the Pastor.
8. Singing. Original Hymn— By Rev. Owen Street —
O, Builder of the Church of God,
Upon its own Eternal Rock,
Who hast the gates of hell withstood,
And all their rage and fury broke.
Thy grace has buil^ thy temple here.
And polished all its living stones ;
Here listened to thy people's prayer.
And saved thine own believing ones.
What victories hath thy spirit wrought !
What stubborn hearts to Thee have bowed
What wayward souls have here been taught,
And kept the pledge their lips have vowed !
What trials have thy people seen ?
What conflicts met, what storms endured V
What darkness passed, what anguish keen '?
What burdens cast upon the Lord V
What graces hath thy spirit shed !
What holy virtues from above !
What memories of the sainted dead
Remain to tell thy boundless love !
The past is sure ; but not more sure
Than promised good for coming time ;
Thy kingdom ever shall endure,
Eternity is but its prime.
Then haste we on to toils to come,
Trusting in God's all faithful care ;
Looking above to heaven our home.
And the sweet welcome waiting tliere.
9. The Historical Discourse. Second Part.
10. Singing. Original Hymn — By the Paptor-
THE CENTENNIAL.
To-day, let holy joy
In every heart arise ;
And every tongue emploj'
The accents of the skies.
With music sweet
Our voices raise,
Till songs of praise
The welkin greet.
Within these sacred walls,
Reared by the fathers' hand.
Hearts yielding to God's call,
Have full salvation found.
The Gospel's light,
The spirit's power,
In mercy's hour,
Made all things bright.
" The fathers, where are they ?"
Those men so tried and true ;
Yonder, they slumb'ring lay.
Beneath the spreading yew.
Their lives so brave,
Theii' work well done,
God's brightest sun
Rest on their grave.
Their children's children here,
In strong array have come,
From dwellings far and near,
To seek th' ancestral home.
Now to record
And give due meeds
To noble deeds
Of men of old.
Amid these scenes so fair,
O, bow before the Lord ;
And in our songs declare
The goodness of our God.
Our fathers' God,
Whose power and love
They oft did prove,
' And kept his word.
The Past forever gone.
Its deeds, its joys, its tears;
The FuTUKE now alone
In wraps our hopes and fears.
Let us be strong.
Let us be true,
Then for us, too,
The victor's song.
11. Benediction. Rev. O. EvAi^s Shannon.
1 o'clock p. M. — Collation.
11.
III.
2 o'clock p. M. — Meeting for Reunion, Addresses, Etc.
Chairman, Samuel T. Andrews, Esq.
IV.
7 o'clock p. M. — Old Folks Concert.
V.
8:30 o'clock P. m. — Reception at the Parsonage.
Notwithstanding the day of the Centennial Celebratioii
was stormy, the Meeting-house was crowded with a large,
attentive, and interested audience, composed for the most
part of persons from abroad — descendents and connections
of its ancient families. The services and intercourse of the
occasion were peculiarly interesting, and left in the minds
of all who participated in them the most pleasant impres-
sions and associations.
The interior of the Meeting-house was profusely and
beautifully decorated with flags and flowers. In the rear
of the platform which had been erected at the east end of
the audience room, the American and British ensigns were
draped together, significant of the fact that the ancient
sanctuary had stood under two national sovereignties.
Between these flags were hung the portraits of all the for-
mer pastors of the Church, excepting Mr. Heminway,
and under them were announced the dates of the com-
mencement and termination of their respective pastorates.
The names of the building committee appointed in 1772
were placed upon the panels of the galleries. Altogether,
the occasion was one that will long be remembered by
those who were present ; and the influences and effects of
its services will be felt for many years by the congregation
that worships within the walls of the "Old Stone Meet-
ing-house."
THE HISTORICAL DISCOURSE.
" See, what manner of stones, and what buildings are here ?"
These words were originally spoken in very different
circumstances than those in which we are gathered to-day,
and had another application than that which will be given
them on the present occasion. We would search in vain
for a better comment upon them : one that would suggest
more appropriate sentiments and emotions in contemplating
these massive walls which have withstood unharmed the
storms of a century, than can be found in one of Shakes-
peare' s most familiar dramas. "There are sermons in
stones." Under the influences from, and the associations
that cluster upon this sacred edifice, and the memories
that crowd upon our minds, these silent stones preach to
us a sermon more solemn and impressive than was ever
uttered by a Chrysostom, or the most eloquent of human
orators.
An unusual interest attaches to the occasion upon which
we are assembled. Rarely does it occur, in these days of
frequent changes, especially in this country, that a Church
celebrates the centennial of the dedication of its house of
worship. Owing to differences in the cost of construction,
quite as much as to the habits of the people, Church
edifices are generally built of materials unadapted to stand
the wear of time and the power of the elements. Conse-
quently, every few years they require to be replaced by
new structures. The men who erected this building were
wiser than the most of their contemporaries. So far as I
have been able to learn, this was the first stone meeting-
house erected in the Colony of Connecticut. There are but
two of any kind now standing in the State, older than this
12
— the brick meeting-house in Wethersfield, and the wooden
edifice at Farmington. The former antedates it by four
years, and the centennial of tlie latter was celebrated in
September, 1872. This is now the oldest stone meeting-
house standing in New England. It was, therefore, deemed
most fitting, by those who now worship within its walls,
that the completion of a century since its dedication to the
worship of God, should be marked by some demonstration
which would be a memorial to those who erected it, and at
the same time, a testimonial of gratitude to the divine
goodness in the past. May it also prove the earnest of the
continuance of that goodness to all the coming generations
who shall worship the God of their fathers within these
sacred walls.
What is that sentiment, that feeling, that influence
which has been effective in bringing together, like particles
drawn towards a central magnet, so large a number of
persons who feel an interest in East Haven ? It is the
sentiment of patriotism, the feeling of reverence for the
past, the influence of mental and heart associations, which
lift into importance and invest with a peculiar interest the
place of birth, the homes of ancestors, and the sanctuary
of childhood, such as does not attach itself to any other
spot on earth. After an unselfish patriotism, pride of
ancestry is the noblest natural sentiment of the human
heart. When based simply on birth, or wealth, or social
position, it often becomes a mean, selfish feeling — food for
personal vanity and arrogance, and is usually all that one
who cherishes it can boast. But when founded on piety
and moral worth, or upon what a former generation has
done for the promotion of the higher welfare of posterity,
"whose works do follow them," and through them, though
"being dead, they yet speak ;" then, no richer legacy have
they left to their descendents, and in honoring their memory
they do a high honor to themselves, unless, indeed, the
character of the latter presents a striking contrast to theirs.
Those, therefore, who are here to-day, inspired by the
spirit of the occasion, have reason for cherishing a just
pride in that ancestry, who, amid difficulties with which
13
few commiinities now have to contend, and with means so
limited as to be scarcely conceivable, entered npon and
carried to a successful completion, such an enterprise as
the erection of this < enduring edifice ; and, by the celebra-
tion of the termination of a full century of years since its
dedication to the purposes of divine worship, we honor
ourselves as much as we honor them, and shall catch some-
thing of that reverent and joyful spirit by which they were
animated, when, with grateful piety and devout thanks-
giving, they consecrated this house to the worship of Al-
miglity God.
New Haven Colony was settled in 1638. The tract of
land purchased of the Indians extended about half a mile
east of the "Great Pond," now " Lake Saltonstall " and
" Stoney River." The first allotment of land made on the
east side of Quinnipiac River, was in 1640, when six hun-
dred acres were given to Rev. John Davenport. A portion
of this tract was in possession of his descendents till 1830,
a peiiod of nearly two hundred years. It is still called the
"Davenport Farm." No settlement was made within the
present boundaries of the town of East Haven till 1644,
when Thomas Gregson built a house at "Solitary," now
"Morris Cove," and brought his family to reside there.
He was lost in the ill-fated sliip that sailed from New
Haven, in January, 1646, the account of whose spectral
appearance, given by Rev. James Pierrepont of New
Haven, is found in "Mather's Magnalia." His farm was
purchased by George Pardee, the first teacher of the
"Hopkins Grammar School," and the ancestor of all of
that name in the vicinity of New Haven. The principal
settlement, however, was made at what was known, for the
first half century, as "Stoney River Farms," at the southern
extremity of the "Great Pond." Here, extensive iron
works were established in 1650, by parties in Boston, Mass.,
and London, England, which, for fifty years, and until the
ore beds in North Haven were exhausted, called in quite
a numerous population. The other sections of the town
were settled very slowly, and only for agricultural pur-
poses.
14
At a very early date measures were taken for establish-
ing religious worship in this little village. The nearest
point for the peoj^le to attend divine service was New
Haven. This required a long walk, or journey on horse-
back, through an almost unbroken swamp and forest to
"Ferry Point," now known as "Red Rock ;" then the pas-
sage of a tedious and often dangerous ferry across the
broadest part of the river, and then another long travel, of
a mile or more, to the solitary meeting-house on New
Haven common. It is evident that those who attended
worship on the Sabbath from East Haven — and this meant
all not providentially prevented — must rise betimes in the
morning, and it would be far into the night when they
returned. If women and children were among the number,
they probably went over on Saturday and remained till
Monday. For the first twenty or thirty years after the
settlement of the village, the dead were carried to New
Haven for burial.
With that high appreciation of attending the services of
divine worship, which characterized the Puritans of New
England, the distance from New Haven, the difficulty of
the journey thither, especially as their infant children were
obliged to be carried there for baptism — an ordinance that
had for them a deeper significance than it has for many of
their descendents — were felt by the early settlers, not only
to be a serious inconvenience, but a deprivation and injury
to their spiritual life ; therefore, as early as 1677, a petition
was presented to the General Court of the Colony for
' ' liberty to set up separate worship ' ' in the village. The
petition was granted the following year. It was also neces-
sary to obtain the consent of the town of New Haven,
application for which was made the same year, but was
peremptorily refused. It was renewed the following year,
1679, with better success.* It was not, however, tni 1681,
* At a Towne Meeting held in New Haven, 24 December, 1679, and for
the village on ye East Side, those inhabitants gave in their propositions to the
Committee, which they desired might be granted, which was :
1. That they might liave liberty to get a minister amongst them, for their
ministei', and keep the Sabbath in a way as they ought.
15
that the necessary arrangements were completed for hold-
ing worship on the Sabbath. Rev, James Ailing was
engaged, who ministered to them acceptably for two years.
The people desired hii^ to remain with them, but as the
town would not grant permission to organize a church, and
as he was desirous of becoming a settled pastor, he declined
their invitation. The society was fortunate in immediately
obtaining the services of Rev. John Harriman, of New
Haven, who remained till November, 1685, when, owing to
the decline of business at the iron works, and consequent
decrease of population, the stipulated salary of £50 could
not be raised, and he was compelled to leave. He subse-
quently ministered, for a short time, to the Church in New
Haven. The people became disheartened, and their relig-
ious services were intermitted for eighteen years.
In 1704, the subject of re-establishing public worship
began to be discussed. Their number was small, and not
one of them all could be called wealthy, even for those
times. They could present no great inducements to a
minister to settle with them, and the burden of his support
would press heavily upon them. Providence always helps
those churches, as well as individuals, who endeavor to
help themselves. At this juncture one came to them, every
way adapted to their needs, and whose circumstances were
such as to render him an eligible candidate. Samuel Hem-
inway, Esq., the first of that name who settled in East
Haven, was, probably, the wealthiest and most influential
man in the village. His youngest son, Jacob, was about
to graduate from che new college located at Saybrook, and
not yet dignified with the historic name of "Yale." He
3. That boundaiy might be granted to them as high — i. e., north — as
Muddy River.
3. That they have liberty of admitting inhabitants among them for their
help in the work and maintenance of a minister.
4. That they may have liberty to purchase some lands of the Indians, near
Mr. Gregson's — i. e., at the Cove — if the Indians are willing to part with it.
5. That what land of the Quinnipiac is within Branford stated bounds,
the right of the purchase may be given them.
6. Lastly, That they may be freed from rates to the Towne, when they
shall have procured a Minister.
16
was intending to enter the Christian ministry, and was one
of the class of three which was the first to enter the newly-
founded institution in 1701, under the presidency of Rev.
Abraham Pierson, a man of exteifsive learning and great
influence in the Colony. Jacob Heminway graduated in
the summer of 1704, when in the twenty-first year of his
age. The attention of his fellow townsmen was turned
to him, and they cherished the hope that he might be
induced to become their minister ; for once disproving the
popular proverb, "a prophet has no honor in his own
country."
In November following, a meeting of the people of the
village was held, when they "Voted, to seek Sir Hemin-
way, that he would give us a taste of his gifts, in order to
settlement, in the work of the ministry."* The answer
was favorable, "Sir Heminway" gave them "a taste of
his gifts," which they relished so well he was invited to
preach to them statedly ; and when, after much tribulation,
the Church was organized in 1711, he became its pastor,
and remained with this people till his death in 1764. Very
little is known concerning Mr. Heminway, his personal
appearance, manner of preaching, or his abilities. That
he was a prudent, wise, and faithful pastor, winning and
holding the confidence and affection of his people, is evi-
dent from his continuance with them for half a century.
When Mr. Heminway commenced his ministry there
was no church or meeting-house. During all the time Mr.
■ Ailing and Mr. Harriman preached in the village, the Sab-
bath services were held either in the school-house or in
private dAvellings — almost any farm-house kitchen would
have accommodated the congregation. It was, probably,
for this reason, they declined remaining, and that public
* A meeting of the inhabitants of the village was held the following No-
vember, when they
" Voted, To seek Sir Heminway, that he would give us a taste of his gif te,
in order to settlement in the work of the Ministry. And
2. " Voted, To desire John Potter, Sen., Caleb Chidsey, and Ebenezer Chid-
sey, to treat with Sir Heminway, to get him, if they could, to give them a taste
of his gifts, in preaching the word."
worsiiip was discontinued for so long a period prior to the
engagement of Mr. Ileniinway. Before the departure of
Mr. Harriman, in 1685, the subject of building a meeting-
house was agitated, and an effort made to raise funds for
the purpose ; but, failing to secure a minister to succeed
him, the people lost heart, abandoned the enterprise, and
resumed their former ecclesiastical connection with New
Haven.
It was not till Mr. Heminway had labored among them
nearly two years that any movement was made for supply-
ing so great a need. June 10, 1706, the society ' ' Voted, to
build a meeting-house twenty feet long, sixteen feet wide,
and seventeen feet between joints, and set it across the East
End of the School-house." From these dimensions it is
evident that the population of the village was quite small.
The house could not have accommodated comfortably more
than fift}^ persons, and seventy -five w^ould have crowded it
to suffocation. And yet it was in this little building the
services w^ere held at the organization of ^ the Cliurch, and
the ordination of the first pastor, in October, 1711. It suf-
ficed for the accommodation of the people of the village,
until replaced by a larger structure in 1719.
For the location of the first meeting-house we are de-
pendent entirely upon ti-adition. The village records give
no further information on the subject than that it was
placed "across the east end of the school-house.'" The
location of the latter is known. It stood in the rear of the
ground now occupied by the residence of the late John M.
Finch, and a considerable distance back from the highway.
The meeting-house was erected in front and adjoining it.
A small burjdng-ground was in the rear, where a few per-
sons were interred previous to the donation by the proprie-
tors of the ground occupied by the present cemetery.
The people, with their accustomed energy and resolu-
tion, entered at once upon the work, and before the close
of the year the meeting-house was completed and dedicated,
with appropriate services, to the worship of God. Doubt-
less those poor and simple people looked upon it, as it
stood complete in all its appointments, with a pride and
18
satisfaction such as are rarely elicited by the completion of
the most splendid temples of modern times. If the secret
history of the undertaking was known, it would unques-
tionably be found that many a long-hoarded piece of coin
was brought forth, many an extra task of knitting, and
carding, and spinning, and weaving performed, the avails
of which were consecrated to this sacred object.
After a few years this meeting-hoiise was found wholly
inadequate for the accommodation of the steadily increas-
ing number of worshipers. The subject of a new, or
enlarging of the old one, began to be discussed. It was
not, however, till 1714 that any serious movement was made
in this direction.* But, in consequence of differences of
opinion concerning the location of the new meeting-house,
and the style in which it should be built, the project failed
at that time. It was revived in 1717, when the same dis-
cordance of views that rendered abortive the effort made
three years before arose, and threatened the same result.
The question being finally brought to a direct vote, by a
decided majority the new meeting-house was "ordered to
be set up upon the Nole, at that corner of the Green next
to Deacon Austin's, on the Nole, in the entrance of the
lane that leads from said Green to said Austin's."
* The first definite action talven was October 11, 1714, and was as follows :
Ys meeting adjourned till this day fortnite, at eight of ye clock in ye
morning, to consider about building a meeting-hous.
Then follows :
At a meeting held in East Haven, on ye 25 day of October, 1714, which
meeting was warned to be on this day, and ye warning were given in a meet-
ing hold ye 11 day of October, 1714, and for ye end of considering about ye
building of a meeting-hous in this place.
Voted, to build a meeting-hous.
Voted, to build said meeting-hous with a straight roof, and forty foot
long, and thirty foot wide and twenty foot between joints, and jetted at each
end about a foot.
Voted, that ye said meeting-hous shall be set upon ye high ground at ye
head of ye lane that leads to Joshua Austin's, at or near ye oak trte at ye head
of said lane. Capt. John Russell, Ensign Ailing Ball, Sergeant John Hemiu-
way. Sergeant Thomas Smith, Samuel Hotchkiss, were chosen, by vote, to
agree with some man or men to give said meeting-lums — (this is incomprehen-
sible, unless it means the timber for the frame) — and get shingles and clap-
boards and cover said hous.
19
The question of location settled, another difficulty arose
concerning the style and form in which the meeting-house
should be built. By a vote of tlie society, taken in 1714,
it was directed to "be built with a straight roof, barn
FASHioiS", and JETTED, sides and ends, about afoot." By
this is meant that the upper half should project that dis-
tance beyond the lower or basement half. This was the
usual style of building at that time, a few examples of
which still remain in the town. This vote was subse-
quently rescinded, in regard to the sides, leaving the ends
alone to be "jetted." Probably another style of building
had been introduced, in which the jut did not appear, and
two parties had arisen — a conservative and a progressive
party — one preferring the old style of architecture, the
other in favor of the new. It would seem from the last
mentioned vote that a compromise was effected, and Jacob
Robinson ^one was unyielding. He entered a formal pro-
test againsFthe change, in which he says that he "stands
to the former vote about the meeting-house."
In order to carry the foregoing resolution into effect, a
tax of sixpence on the pound was laid, one-third of which
was to be paid in cash, and the remaining two-thirds in
materials for, or work upon, the building, at the option of
the tax payer. It was furthermore required, that two-thirds
of the tax should be paid in on or before November 1, 1718 ;
and if not paid by that date, then the whole tax was to be
paid in cash, on or before May 31, 1719. Lieutenant
Thomas Smith and Thomas Alcock were chosen collectors
of the tax, with strict orders "to pay it over," as rapidly
as it was collected, to the building committee — Capt. Ailing
Ball, Sergeant John Thompson, Samuel Russell, Sergeant
Joseph Granniss, Ensign Samuel Hotchkiss, Nathaniel
Hitchcock, and Samuel Goodsell. This committee was
enjoined " to contrive and set forward the aforesaid meet-
ing-house, in 'the best ways they can, and to demand the
aforesaid tax from said collectors, and receive said rate and
improve it, to the best of their skill, for the promoting of
the building of said meeting-house ; also, to set the price of
broadax men that work at said house."
20
After this the work proceeded slowly, and the edifice
was not readj^ for occupation till the autumn of 1719.
The society directed the comniittee to "cause a pew to
be made in said meeting-house, in some convenient place
as they may judge littest, to be and remain for the use
of the minister in this place ; and said committee shall
not allow any more pews to be made in said meeting-
house." The minister' s family were accorded the distinc-
tion of being fenced off from the rest of the congregation,
in a wooden box constructed expressly for them. East
Haven was always a very democratic town. At that time
there was not one other family of sufficient consequence,
or of so much greater importance than others, to ad-
vance a claim to a similar privilege. The rest of the
congregation occujiied rude benches, the only preference
shown in seating being based solely on difference of age —
the older members being seated nearest the pulmt, and the
younger reaching backward by regular gradation, accord-
ing to their years. In some places, where the distinctions
in society were more marked than in East Haven, the best
seats in the meeting-house were assigned to the more aristo-
cratic families ; the process was called ' ' dignifying the
pews." The expression never occurs in the records of this
society.
When the new meeting-house was completed and ready
for occupation, all the necessary steps were taken to arrange
this matter. In order to prevent ill-feeling, some of the
more eligible seats Avere assigned, by vote of the society, to
certain families and individuals. The remainder of the
congregation were to be seated on a prescribed plan, and
by a committee appointed for the purpose, according to the
formal vote of the societ}^, which declared that ''the first
short seat shall be reckoned equal with the second long
seat," that is, the first wall })ew, next the pulpit, was "the
short seat," and those in the bodv of the house, fronting:
the pulpit, were the long seats. "Mr. Shepard, Mr. Will-
iam Luddington, shall sit in the short seat ; old Mr.
lieminway (the father of the pastor), Mr. Bradley, Isaac
the first ; Mr. Deiiison, James the first ; Mr. Smith, the first
21
Thomas, shall sit in tlie first seat of the square body ; Mr.
Pardee, George the second ; Mr. Morris, Eleazer the tirst ;
Capt. Jolm Russell ; Sergeant John Thompson, Samuel
Eussell, Samuel Clark, shall sit in the fore seat of the
square body ; and these six men were chosen to seat the
rest of the meeting-house, or the major part of them to do
it, according to their rates in 1717."
The only additional direction given, in regard to the in-
ternal arrangement was, that ''the pulpit and seats shall be
in the form of Branford meeting-house." The new edifice
stood on the northwest corner of the Green, six rods north-
east of the old meeting-house, and nearly in front of the
residence of Henry Smith, Esq. The locality is still known
as "Meeting-house Hill," though all appearance of a hill,
hillock, or knoll, has long since disappeared before the
march of improvement.
This house served the purposes of the society for more
than half a century, and for nearly twenty years after
the settlement of Rev, Nicholas Street, the successor of
Mr. Heminway. Though larger and more pretentious than
the first meeting-house, it was still a rude affair, without
steeple or other appendage, except its greater dimensions,
to distinguish it from other buildings in the village. Not
only the roof, but the whole structure, was in "baen
FASHIOJSr."
Soon after the settlement of Rev. Nicholas Street, in
October, 1755, it became necessary either to enlarge and
extensively repair the meeting-house, or build a new one.
When this was erected, the mechanical arts, as well as
architectural taste, were in a very rude state throughout
the Colony. The building was unpainted, and, consequent-
ly, soon became weather-worn and dilapidated. Several
years prior to the death of Mr. Heminway, the proposition
was made to build a new one, but as the necessity was not
pressing the subject was indefinitely postponed. It was
not revived till thirty-five years afterwards. In December,
17G9, the society " V'oted, we will build a new mteting-
liouse, if we can be suited with the place." This was all
that was attempted at the time. Oir the twenty-sixth of
23
the same month another meeting was held " to fix upon a
place where the new meeting-house is to be set." It was
fully attended, every voter being present. The contest was
between north and south — those dwelling at Foxon and
Dragon forming one party, those at the Cove and South
End constituting the other. The residents at Woodward-
town and Center were divided, the majority acting with
the south party. The point in controversy was : whether
the new meeting-house should be built upon or near the
site of the old ediiice, or at the point of "Mullen Hill," in
the fork made by the junction of the Foxon and old North
Haven road, where the track of the Shore Line Railway is
now laid. The first action of the meeting was to declare,
by more than a two-thirds vote, that "we will build a new
meeting-house, in this society, for the public worship of
God." Also, "It was tryed by vote, where ye people
were to have ye meeting-house. There were thirty-seven
votes for the Green, and twenty-seven votes for the end of
the Hill." The parties were so nearly balanced, and the
spirit of both ran so high and bitter, that although a
decided majority was in favor of the Green, the more pru-
dent of both parties recommended that nothing should be
done, by virtue of tliis vote, in the way of preparation for
building, till further consultation could be had concerning
the matter. It was finally concluded to appoint a mixed
committee, composed of members from both parties, "to
try to agree about a spot where the meeting-house should
stand, and if they agreed the people woukl agree." This
committee, in the political nomenclature of the day, would
be called a "compromise committee." It contained one
or more I'epresentative from each of the separate districts
of the society. Capt. Stephen Smith, Samuel Thompson,
and Capt. Isaac Chidsey, were from Foxon ; Samuel Hem-
inway, from Dragon; Capt. Amos Morris and Stephen
Morris, from the Cove ; Benjamin Smith, from South End ;
John Woodward, from Woodwardtown ; while Abraham
Ileminway and Timothy Andrews— one of whom was for
th-e Green, and the other for the Hill site— resided at the
Center, in the village* proper.
2.^
The following year, 1770, this committee reported to the
society, that they were unable to come to any agreement.
Hopeless of determining the question among themselves,
it was decided to refer it to persons non-resident in the
society, who could have no personal interest or bias in the
matter. The persons selected were, Capt. Eliakim Hull, of
Wallingford, and Col. Nathaniel Chauncy and James
Wadsworth, Esq., both of Durham ; Capt. Guernsey, of
New Haven, was chosen to act in case one of the three
principals failed to do so. There is nothing in the records
to inform us of the action of this committee. The only
reference to it is found under date of April 8, 1770, when
Stephen Morris, Esq., was appointed to notify the County
Court of "the committee's doings." What is meant by
their "doings" is not stated; but certainly the people
were no more satisfied with them than they were with the
action of their own committee. The committee from abroad
was manifestly a failure. The project of building a new
meeting-house was abandoned, and the whole subject re-
mained in statu quo. But the increasing necessity for
larger and better accommodations w^ould not allow the
subject to rest for any long period. In the following De-
cember the society, by a two-thirds vote, again declared,
' ' We will build a meeting-house for the public worship of
God." The next week the grand question of location was
tried, when twenty-seven votes were for the Hill, two votes
for the Corner, and twenty votes for the Green." It will
be seen, by comparing this result with the vote of the pre-
vious year, that while the ranks of the Hill party remained
unbroken, the number that voted for the Green was much
diminished. Then the vote stood thirty-seven for the Green,
and twenty- seven for the Hill. In the meantime a new site
had been proposed, known as "Thompson's Corner,"
situated about midway between the other two, the selection
of which would require an equal concession from both
parties. The aggregate vote was fifteen less than that of
the previous year, and the presumption is, that in that
number were included those who were indifferent as to
which site was selected.
H
The majority of the two piineipal jmrties remained
imyiel cling. Despairing of arriving at a decision among
th;^mselves, in Jannary, 1772, the sociefy, by formal vote,
referred the matter of locating the new meeting-house to
the Judges of the County Court. A committee was ap-
pointed to notify tliem of tlieir appointment, and "desire
their Honors should come as soon as it was convenient."
At a subsequent meeting, it was "Voted, that two of the
Judges of the County Court, with another judicious man,
should be a committee to state the place of the meeting-
house." Col. Chauncy, of Durham, Esquire Darling, and
Col. Allen, or Ailing, of New Haven, were afterwards
added. Col. Allen having declined to act, Caleb Beecher,
Esq., of Amity, now Woodbridge, was chosen in his place.
The society also requested the committee "to come and
take a view of the society before the court sits," and to
"keep their decision secret till the court hath empowered
them " to disclose it. The important question was decided
before the 10th of April ensuing. The committee came to
East Haven, and, after a thorough examination of the dif-
ferent sites, drove a stake on "Thompson's Corner," for
the site of the new meeting-house. Tiiis was the only de-
cision they could reasonably have rendered. It did not
meet the views of either of the principal parties, and
required an equal concession from both. That decision
was most fortunate. Had the committee fixed the site upon
the Green, the effect in the future might not liave been so
unhappy, though the society would have lost several fami-
lies that resided in the north part of the town, which, for
more than half a century afterwards, formed no inconsider-
able part of its strength. When marking the changes that
have taken place in the centers of population, since the
commencement of the present century, we readily perceive
how disastrous would have been the consequences had that
massive edifice, which was destined to last for centuries,
been located at the point of "Mullen Hill," instead of in
the central and coniuianding position it now occupies.
Notliiug appears in the society records to indicate that the
decision did not meet with general acquiescence. Tlie
;i5
people were probably rejoic^ed tliat the long and acrimo-
nious controversy Avas ended.
As soon as the question of location was set at rest, steps
were at once taken to commence building. A sixpenny
tax was laid upon a total valuation not exceeding £5,000,
This would yield about £300, or $1,000 in Federal currency.
Upon this small amount, to be collected, the society de-
cided to commence the work. After much debate, it was
decided to "build a stone meeting-house, sixty-five feet
long and fifty feet wide." The tower did not enter into
the original plan, without which the new, like the old,
meeting-house, would have been in "barn fashion," differ-
ing from it only in being of larger dimensions and con-
structed of more enduring materials. The building com-
mittee were Capt, Amos Morris, John Woodward, Joel
Tuttle, Stephen Morris, Isaac Cdidsey, Stephen Thomp-
son , Dan Bradley, and Stephen Smith. After the main
building was commenced, a few public-spirited men, who
had somewhere seen specimens of a more advanced style
of architecture than was found in the Colony, were deter-
mined that the new edifice should be brought into conform-
ity with it. They had sufficient influence to procure a vote
of the society to "build a steeple to be carried up with
stone." It was, at the same time, decided to add eight feet
to the length of the building, making it seventy three feet.
The w^ork, when commenced, w^as pushed forward with
resolution and dispatch, for the same reason that the Jewish
temple was so speedily rebuilt, because "the people had a
mind to work." In contemplating the magnitude of the
work, and the difficulties in the way of its prosecution, it
must be remembered that few workers in stone were found
in the Colony. It is true the material required lay close at
hand, and was easy of access and transportation ; but the
quarrying, dressing, and laying the stone was done almost
entirely by the people themselves. It is less surprising
that they should have undertaken to build n, stone meeting-
house than that they should have wj-ought it in the manner
and form they did. There was not another in all the Eng-
lish Colonies in America, that furnished them with a pat-
'26
tern. The stone dwelling-house that stands near Tomlin-
son's Bridge, built b}^ Capt. Jeliiel Forbes in 1767, was
evidently the model after which tln^ stone for the meeting-
house was wrought and laid. The "Old South Church,"
in Boston, which had been lately linished in the latest style
of architecture, furnished the model for the general style
of the house. The circumstance is not mentioned in the
records, but there is a local tradition that some members
of the society went to Boston to examine that wonderful
edifice. Be that as it may, so faithfully and effectively was
the work done, that now, after the lapse of a hundred years
since its completion, scarcely a stone has started from its
original position, and the water-line is as level and even as
when it was first laid. The dimensions of the building, as
it now stands in its solid and massive proportions, mea-
sures, from outside to outside, seventy feet in length and
fifty feet in width. The work occupied a little more than
two years, and during its progress nothing occurred to
disturb the harmony of sentiment among the people, or to
interrupt for a moment its steady advance toward comple-
tion. But a single accident occurred, and this did not take
place till the walls were nearly finished, and was not as
serious as in the circumstances might have been expected.
The account of it is given in "Mr. Dodd's Register," and
is as follows :
"The workmen were raising the last window-cap to its place, over the east
upper window, on the north side, when the scaffolding gave way, and three
men, with a ponderous stone in their arms, fell to the ground. Tony, a negro
servant of Capt. Amos Morris', was considerably injured, but not so seriously
as to prevent his running away two weeks afterwards. Mr. Stephen Thomp-
son had his skull fractured, was oblidged to be trepanned, and, after long suffer-
ing and confinement, ultimately recovered. Mr. Joseph Hotchkiss had one leg
crushed by the stone falling upon it, was confined for ten months, and never
wholly recovered from the effects of the injury."
Th« walls were completed and the roof put on, in Au-
gust, 1774. When the work had advanced thus far, the
society found it had undertaken an enterprise it was unable
to finish. It had reached the limit of its ability, even gone
beyond it, and must leave the work lor another generation
to complete. It is estimated that the mere shell of the
27
building, without a steeple, had cost the society $12,000,
or three-fifths of the whole amount of its grand list. It is
doubtful if sucli an instance of liberality and self-sacrifice
can be produced in the history of New England Congrega-
tionalism.
Many persons, not acquainted with the circumstances
of the village of East Haven at the time this house was
erected, and with its internal form and arrangements, have
expressed surprise that it should have been placed in the
position it now occupies. It was directed by the society,
that "the stone meeting-liouse shall front the south, and
on the main road." The beautiful avenue that now leads
to Morris' Causeway, was not opened till more than twenty
years afterwards. Those residing at South End, in order
to attend public worship on the Sabbath, were compelled
to go around by the Cove, through Bridge Swamp, and
thence around by the Green to the meeting-house. This
was a long, tedious, and uncomfortable ride, especially in
the winter, and it is not strange that those dwelling in the
south part of the society so strenuously resisted the trans-
fer of the site from the Green to Mullen Hill. By the pres-
ent arrangement, the building fronts the west. But it does
not now wear the same appearance it did when first com-
pleted, and for three-quarters of a century afterwards
Until 1850, it presented the same aspect externally, except-
ing the spire, as it did when dedicated in 1774. It had
three doors for entrance — one on the east end, one in the
south side of the tower, on the west end, and one on the
south side of the main building. The last mentioned was
the principal entrance, leading directly through the broad
aisle to the pulpit, which was placed high up against the
north wall ; consequently the south side was the front, and
the position of the building in accordance with the direc-
tion of the society. It is now regretted that it was so
placed, as the appearance of it would be finer 'and more
commanding liad the present front, or tower end, been
made to face the south, affording a clear view of its noble
facade to those approaching it by the fine avenue leading
to it from tlie Causeway. Had those who erected it fore-
28
seen, not only the clianges in aruliitectural style and taste,
but in the surroundings of the stone church, they would
have arranged . some things very ditFerently. The present
style of church, and domestic architecture, is in striking
contrast with that which was in vogue a century ago.
Those structures, now considered so grand and noble and
tasty, a century hence will be looked upon as out of date,
and those then living will wonder at the strangeness of the
taste that could produce such architectural monstrosities,
as many of them undoubtedly are. But, if the men who
reared these walls could not foresee the coming changes in
these respects, they had the sagacity to perceive that the
building itself would be permanent. Unless destroyed by
accident or natural convulsion, it will endure for centuries,
and is capable of being repeatedly remodeled and improved,
at a comparatively trifling expense, so as to conform to the
continually changing demands of taste and fashion, which,
in other circumstances, would require the erection of a new
building. During the century it has stood, it has saved
the outlay of thousands of dollars, and will save thousands
more in the centuries to come.
Notwithstanding the unfinished state of the new meet-
ing-house, the society decided to occupy it for public
worship on the Sabbath. -Dark and threatening clouds
were gathering on the political horizon, and armed resist-
ance to the tyranny of the mother country became more
and more imminent, the consequences and the end whereof
could not be forecasted. Tlie means of the society were
exhausted. The idea of leaving the new edifice unoccupied,
after so great sacrifices and labor had been made for its
erection, was repugnant to their feelings. Therefore, the
pulpit and pews of the old meeting-house were removed to
the new ; and although, in consequence of the greater
dimensions of the latter, tln^ interior wore the appearance
of ill-fittiiig hose — "a world too wide for the shrunk
slianks" — tlie house was made quite comfortable and ready
for dedication in September, 1774. The precise day can
not be determined, either from records or tradition.
The occasion was one of great interest and exultation.
29
There were no differences of opinion among tlie people, in
regard eitlier to ecclesiastical polity or forms of worship.
There were, indeed, discordant sentiments concerning the
great political question of the day — the necessity or expe-
diency of resistance to tlie oppressive acts of the llritish
government ; but they had not reached that point of bitter-
ness they eventually attained, when they produced religious
and social divisions. All were united, harmonious, and
haj^py, in the completion of that meeting-house wliich had
cost them so much ; which was justly regarded with pride,
as unequalled by any ecclesiastical structure in the Colony.
When, therefore, the auspicious morning arrived, the wliole
community was astir, and we may be sure that nothing
less than a providential reason prevented any resident of
East Haven from being present at the dedicatory services.
As the hour for their commencejnent approached, some on
foot, and some on horse-back with wives and daughters on
pillions behind them, and some in ox-carts — for otlier con
ve3^ance there was none — wended their way from every
section of the town, all converging toward the Center,
where stood the new meeting-house, the grand object of
interest to all. From tlie north, and along the eastern side
of the Mullen Hill range, came the Thompsons and Smiths,
the Chidsej^s and Moulthrops, the Holts and the Granniss',
the Luddingtons and Dawsons, the Andrews' and Ilotch-
kiss' and Shepards. From the same direction, and along
tlie western side of the same hill, came the Bradle^ys and
Hemingways, the Russells and Rowes, and Davenports.
From the soutii came the Morris' and Pardees, the Smiths,
and Thompsons, and Bishops. From the west came the
Browns and Pardees, the Mallorys and Hughes', the
Forbes' and Woodwards, witli many of the same names,
together with other ancient families residing at the Center,
filling the new meeting-house with probably as lai-ge a
congregation as has ever gathered within its walls. It has
been my fortune to meet but a single person avIio was
present on the occasion — Jehiel Forbes, Esq., who became
one of the most successful merchants and eminent citizens
of New Haven, and died in 1855, at the advanced age of
30
nearly ninety years. Some years previous to his death he
related to me some of the occnrrences of the day, which
made an unusually vivid impression on his mind, as fresh
and clear in his memor}^, after the lapse of eighty years, as
it was the day it was made. He was at the time about six
years of age, and rode to the scene from his home — the old
Forbes Mansion, near Tomlinson's Bridge — on hore-back
behind his father. Doubtless many from New Haven and
the adjacent towns, with the neighboring ministers, were
present to participate in the services, and congratulate the
people of East Haven, on the completion of what, at the
time, was a gigantic work — the first stone meeting-house in
the Colony of Connecticut.
For several years diligent inquiry has been made for
the dedication sermon, preached by Mr. Street on this
occasion, but without success. Could that be found, the
precise day of its occurrence, as also of the first Sabbatli it
was occupied for public worship, would be known. This
knowledge is now hopelessly lost. We may imagine some-
thing of the feeling of that congregation, when, for the first
time, they gathered within these walls, reared by their
toils, and self-denials, and sacrifices. Rough and unfin-
ished as they were, when they gazed upon them, and
thought there was nothing like them in all New England,
they would feel amply repaid for all they had cost. And,
as they accompanied their beloved pastor in his fervent
thanksgivings at the throne of grace, and listened to his
recital of the struggles through which they had passed for
the accomplishment of their great work, they would feel
confident their descendants would manifest their apprecia-
tion of the work they had performed, not merely by the
preservation of this sacred edifice from desecration and
decay, but by continuing steadfast in their adherence to
those principles of truth and righteousness, of patriotism
and piety, which have ever been inculcated here, and of
whii^h the solid structure they reared, and the im])erisli-
able materials of which it is composed, are the fitting
emblems.
31
"It was a great and lionoiablu work," says Mr. Dodd in his Register,
published just half a century ago, " and there stands as a lasting monument of
the enterprise, public spirit, wisdom, and perseverance of the undertakers, and
especially of the leaders. It was a cheaper l)iiilding than one of wood. They
had stone and lime, and teams and laborers enough to do the work. A stone
house saved them money. The papers containing the accounts of the building
are lost, and the expense of it can not now be ascertained. But it is supposed,
that when they began to meet in it, it had cost ten or eleven thousand dollars.
The steeple and inside of the house were finished several years afterwards, for
the war coming on nothing could be done. Indeed, the society has never seen
a more favorable period for this great work. They were then united as one
people ; and the society, probably, never contained a company of men of more
enterprise, or greater resolution and public spirit, than that generation con-
tained. The Revolutionary War commenced the next year. And when that
war was terminated, divisions began to appear, and had considerably dimin-
ished the active abilty of the society to perform such a work again ; and, in a
few years, a number of those influential and enterprising men were removed
by death. And though there is yet a considerable portion of wealth in the
society, it is not accompanied with the same resolution and enterprise which
the fathers possessed. But it ought to be considered, that tlie hand of the
Lord was in the work. The time had come when the ' Lord's house should be
built,' and then men and means was prepared to execute the work of the Lord
and fultiU the divine purpose. 'Except the Lord build the house, they labour
in vain that build it.' And when the work was done, the people had occasion
to say, ' The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.' "
It was completed, dedicated, and occupied in the au-
tumn immediately preceding the Battle of Lexington,
which occurred April 18, 1775, Then was fired the tirst
gun of that revolution which, after eight years continuance,
resulted in the independence of the Colonies, and the birth
of a nation. It is needless to state, that with few excep-
tions, the congregation that worshiped here were heart and
soul with the patriots in their struggle for liberty, and
many of its young men gave their lives to the cause of
their country ; some on the battle-field, some in naval con-
flicts on the ocean, but more in the deadly prison ships at
New York. The "Stone Meeting-house" was the ap-
pointed rallying place in times of danger, and when, at the
invasion of New Haven in 1779, a strong detachment of
British troops landed on the East Haven shore, and com-
mitted their customary depredations, these walls were soon
surrounded by a body of brave and resolute men, who
would have defended them so long as stones enough re-
tnained to make a breastwork. The enemy formed in line
of battle, on the crest of yonder liill,* witli banners waving
and drums beating, apparent I3' about to swoop down upon
the little village and devote it to destruction. But the
officers seeing, with their glasses, the numbers gathered
and the preparations made to receive them, and being
without cannon, soon withdrew and hastily decamped to
their boats. Beyond the burning of a few buildings, and
the killing of one man — Isaac Pardee — they inflicted no
further injury, and never reappeared in this vicinity. One
incident of the Revolution is worthy of record. When the
army under General Sullivan, in Rhode Island, was trans-
ferred to New Jersey, to strengthen Washington in his
operations against General Howe, La Fayette with his regi-
ment encamped for a few days on the East Haven Green.
In 1824, on the occasion of his revisiting this country, he
rode out from New Haven to review the place of his en-
campment, nearly fifty years before.
In the constant state of excitement that pervaded the
country, and the frequent calls for men and money to carry
on the war, and consequent depression of every kind of
business and industrial pursuits, there was neither the dis-
position nor the ability to do any thing about the comple-
tion of the meeting-house. From subsequent developments
in the history of the town, it is evident that if it had not
been built at the time it was, it wotrld never have been
erected, at least in its present form. When the war closed,
the attention and energies of the people were engrossed by
the struggle to obtain a town charter, which had been in
progress, at intervals, for a hundred years, but was not suc-
cessful till 1785. The ill-feelings engendered by political
causes, during the war, had introduced discord into the
society, whicli, a few years later, resulted in a permanent
division. This combination of influences prevented any
effort being made towards finishing the meeting-house. It
was not until nearly twenty years had passed away, and
the men who had been most active in building it had gone
* Beacon Hill,
33
to their graves, that any serious movement was made in
this direction. In the meantime the peoph^ continued to
occupy it, for the services of public worship, cheerfully
submitting to the inconveniences resulting from its unfin-
ished condition, in hope the time would come when their
sanctuary would put on an appearance more consonant
with the honor of Him to whose worship it had been con-
secrated, and more in accordance with tlieir own intentions,
taste, and feelings. "^^
The first action taken by the society, in regard to it,
was in 1791, but nothing decisive was effected till March,
1793, when Esquire Samuel Davenport, Amos Morris,
Jun., Joseph Russell, John Woodward, and Dan Holt,
"they, or the major part of them, be authorized and em-
powered to indent and agree with any gentleman or gentle-
men, to finish the meeting-house of said society, in said
East Haven, in such a manner as they, or the major part
of them, shall think best ; said house to be finished by the
first of December, A. D. 1794." Though objection was
made to building a spire at the same time, on the ground
* From an incident that occurred in society meeting, in December, 1774, it
seems that the singers, who composed an important part of tlie congregation,
were subjected to greater inconvenience than others who attended divine
worship on the Sabbath, and tlie society was indisposed to afford tlxem relief.
The galleries of the meeting-house were not furnished with seats, except such
as had been extemporized of the roughest materials by the singers themselves.
After submitting for several months to this inconvenience, they petitioned for
better accommodations. In response, the society coolly " Voted, that the
singers should have liberty to make seats around the gallery, upon their own
cost." But, with characteristic sensitiveness, this action was greatly disliked
by the singers. The society receded, and " voted to build two seats round the
gallery for the singers ; and that the singers that carry the tenor should sit at
the east end of the first, or front gallery, and the base at the south end of the
west gallery, the treble at the north end of the east gallery." This arrange-
ment appears to have been satisfactory to all parties.
The Episcopal Society was organized in 1787, and was the result of divis-
ions which had occurred in the Congregational Society during the Revolution-
ary War. This secession weakened, to some extent, the old society, and
delayed for a time the making of those improvements in and upon the meeting-
house which were greatly needed. But, notwithstanding the loss it had
sustained, it was still a strong and united body, and four years afterwards the
first movement was made towards commencing the much-needed and desired
work.
34
of the increased burden it would impose, it was finally
concluded to make one business of it. It was felt to be full
time that the edifice, which the preceding generation had
reared with so much enterprise, perseverance, and sacrifice^
should be completed in the form and manner originally
designed. The people gave themselves to the work with
characteristic energy, and carried it through to a successful
issue. But the time allotted for it was wholly inadequate,
and instead of two it was four years before it was ready for
occupation. There are those present here to-day, who can
remember the interior arrangements as this house stood
completed in 1796, and before its alteration in 1822. Its
entire length was traversed by two aisles, from east to west,
while three transverse aisles intersected these, the middle
one of which lead directly from the front door to the pulpit.
The long gallery was on the south side, and two shorter
ones extended across the east and west ends. The stairs
leading to them were in the south-east and south-west cor-
ners, within the audience-room, and the tramping up and
down them, by uneasy boys or belated men with their
clumsy boots, during service, caused no little annoyance to
the minister and congregation. The clatter made by the
down-rush, at the close of the service, was almost deafen-
ing. But the grand and overshadowing object within was
the pulpit, with its surroundings, overhangings, and orna-
mentations. This was a marvel for workmanship, archi-
tecture, and embellishment. Perched at the highest possi-
ble point, it was a subject of ceaseless wonder, especially
to the child-mind, how the minister ever got into it, and,
when once in, how he ever got out. It must have been at
the hazard of a stiff neck on Monday, if those seated in the
body of the house kept their eyes on the preacher during
the delivery of the sermons on Sunday. But to the child-
ren, the most attractive .object was the sounding-board, or
canopy, which hung suspended over the pulpit by an iron
rod, so apparently slender as to be liable any moment to
break and let the whole ponderous mass fall and extinguish
the preacher. Upon what principle of acoustics such a
machine was constructed, it is difficult to imagine. The
35
only earthly use it did subserve was to rivet the attention
of children and keep them quiet, by the intense interest it
excited. The cumbrous pulpit, with its massive canopy,
stood its ground amid the changes of nearly sixty years,
and until the extensive alterations and improvements made
in and upon the meeting-house in 1850, when it was sold at
public auction, and the sounding-board appropriated to the
ignoble itse of a chicken-coop, where, instead of reverbe-
rating the tones of ministerial eloquence, it echoed with
the hoarse notes of incipient chanticleers. Sic transit gloria
inundi.
When the improvements were completed, a difficulty
arose that had not been anticipated. After repeated trials,
it was found impossible to seat the meeting-house in the
ancient manner without creating great dissatisfaction.
Committee after committee was appointed ; some being
unable to effect any thing resigned, whilst others were
superseded. A few years after this mode of procedure was
abandoned, and a different and more generally satisfactory
plan adopted. A great change had taken place in the
sentiments and habits of the people in the three-quarters
of a century since any thing of the kind had been done.
The old English notion, that special privileges should be
accorded to persons of birth, and rank, and wealth, in the
House of God, had passed away, and more democratic
ideas, the natural result of national independence, and
more in accordance with the genius of those free institu-
tions established by the Federal Constitution, had begun
to prevail. By the adoption of a different plan for dis-
posing of the seats, the society was happily relieved of an
element of discord, which, for a time, threatened serious
results. The whole trouble had its origin in the endeavor
to retain a system totally at variance with the altered con-
ditions of society, and should have been allowed to disap-
pear with the knee-breeches and shoe-buckles, and long
queues of the former generation.
The society had scarcely completed their meeting-
house, and became comfortably settled in it, when a great
calamity befel it. In October, 1797, a terrible tornado
36
passed through the center of the town, threw down the
newly erected spire, unroofed the building, and otherwise
seriously damaged it. To repair these damages required
renewed effort and sacrifice on the part of the people.
They were, as usual, equal to the emergency. The work
was commenced immediately, with the express stipulation
that it should be done in the most perfect and thorough
manner. No person now living retains a recoMection of
the first spire. Many years ago an aged member of the
congregation informed me that it was of the form and style
poj)ularly known as the " Squaw's Cap," which some now
present can remember as surmounting the ancient meeting-
houses familiar to their childhood. The new one that re-
placed it was a tall and graceful spire, far superior in form
and style to the one that had been destroyed. It remained
standing till 1857, when, becoming delapidated and de-
cayed, and in danger of falling, it was taken down, and
that beautiful and graceful spire erected, which now towers
so grandly above the ancient church and village around it.
The entire cost of repairing the damages caused by the
tornado, amounted to $1,000, which, added to the $2,500
just expended in finishing the meeting-house, was a large
sum for so small a society to raise, at a time when the value
of a dollar was three times as great as at present.
The repairs having been completed, to the general satis-
faction, the people determined to supply a great deficiency.
During the pastorate of Mr. Heminway, the hours for com-
mencing worship on the Sabbath were announced by beat of
drum. Deacon Joshua Austin was chosen first drummer,
whether because of his superior skill with the instrument,
or being an otRce-bearer in the churcli, he would perform
upon it in a more orthodox and godly manner, is not stated.
The society, by formal vote, directed him to "beat the
drum from 'Chidsey's Hill' to 'Goodsell's Hill,' " that is,
from the present residence of Lucius Linsley, Esq., to that
of Justin Bradley, Esq. The custom was probably discon-
tinued early in the ministry of Mr. Street, as no trace of it
is found in the records after his settlement. In 1798, the
society "voted to procure a bell, to place in the new
37
steeple." The necessary funds were appropriated, and a
committee appointed to carry out the vote. Dr. Bela Farn-
ham, one of that committee, who died in 1857 at the ad-
vanced age of eighty-nine years, informed me that he was
present at the melting of the metal, into which he threw
nineteen Spanish milled dollars, to give to the bell a sharp
and silvery tone. The committee were also present at the
important and mj^sterious process of casting, and with great
satisfaction saw the bell come forth from its smoking mold
in full perfection of beauty and tone. It has no motto
uj)on it, and bears only the inscription, ' ' Fenton & Coch-
ran, New Haven, 1798." It is the only one the society has
ever had, and for more than three-quarters of a century it
has, with cheery tones, called two generations and a half
of the people of the village to the house of prayer, with
solemn accents announced their deaths, and with measured
and melancholy toll marked the slow march of the funeral
procession that followed their remains to the grave. The
first year it was hung, its mournful notes announced the
death of the good and great Washington, and the last time
it pealed forth the sad intelligence of the death of a presi-
dent, was when the equally good and patriotic Lincoln
died by the bullet of the assassin, in April, 1865, This
bell is remarkable for the purity and richness of its tone,
which makes it capable of being heard at a greater distance
than bells of much larger size and weight. After it had
been raised to its position and hung, a curious direction
was given to the person invested with the dignity of first
bell-ringer in East Haven, namely, he was ' ' not to turn the
bell over in ringing." No description is given of the appa-
ratus used for working it ; but unless it was different from
any thing now employed for the purpose, the ringing must
have been a difficult affair, and the sounds produced some-
what peculiar.
There were some public-spirited, energetic, ^nd liberal
men in the society, with whom the determination to do a
thing was the same as doing it. Upon their request the
society passed a vote, giving permission " to Edmond
Bradley and others, to affix a clock in the steeple, in such a
38
manner as to strike the bell that is about to be fixed in said
steeple ; provided, that said clock is affixed without any
expense to the society." The clock was procured and
placed in position. It proved to be an excellent instru-
ment and true time-keeper, and for more than three-quar-
ters of a century has been the unfailing index of the time,
and announced the passing hours to all dwelling within
sound of the bell ; excepting, on a few occasions, when, for
lack of the same spirit that actuated those who procured it,
its works have been allowed to remain, sometimes for
years, silent and motionless.*
Thus, the "Old Stone Meeting-house," after the lapse of
thirty years from its projection, stood complete in all its
appointments, both external and internal, by^far the finest
church edifice in New Haven County. The ministry of the
aged pastor was now drawing to a close. For fifty years
he had stood on these walls of Zion, and proved himself
an able preacher and a faithful pastor — "a workman
thoroughly furnished unto every good work." He was a
man of dignified presence, tending to portliness, with a
* If tlie congregation that worshiped in the " Okl Stone Meeting-house,"
at the close of the last centuiy, did not enjoy good singing, it was not for want
of a large choir, or of choristers qualified to lead it. In 1799, no less than four
choristers were appointed, and the following year six. They were all men,
and, therefore, could not, as might have been surmised, officiate as leaders of
the several parts of the harmony. It is not stated whether they all officiated
at the same time, or by rotation. Such an arrangement appears strange at the
present day, when a paid quartet is considered sufficient to perform this im-
portant part of tlie services of public worship. Unless the disposition and
habits of choir singers have undergone an entire change since that time, such
an arrangement could not be of long continuance. That it was not, is evident
from the fact that the next year but a single chorister was appointed, and it is
significant that he was altogether a diSerent person from any of the six who
had been chosen to fill the office the previous year. In connection with his
appointment, the society authorized the committee " to purchase a Pitch-pipe,
for the use of the chorister." For many years this was the only instrument
allowed in the Congregational Churches of New England.
In 180G, in response to their petition, the society gave permission to
Samuel Bradley and others, " to fence in the meeting-house, under the special
direction of the society's committee." I have been unable to learn whether the
fence was built or not, probably it was not, on account of disagreement
between the proposers and the committee, concerning the kind of fence to be
erected.
39
eel-tain deliberateness in his movements wliicli gave ini-
pressiveness to them ; somewhat reserved in liis intercourse
with strangers, he was easy and aftable with his own peo-
ple, often indulging in humorous remarks and witticisms,
many of which are still lloating around in the traditionary
folk-talk of the community. He was an especial favorite
with the young, an exceptional circumstance at a time
when a minister was generally made a bugbear to frighten
refractory children into obedience. It is to these traits was
owing the strong hold he had on the aft'ections of his peo-
ple, which he retained till his death, which occurred on
the tifty-tirst anniversary of his ordination, October 8, 1806.
As he appears in the portrait that has been preserved of
him, he was a man evidently fitted to inspire reverence,
confidence, and afiection ; one to whom flie troubled would
go for counsel and advice, and the alflicted for sympathy
and consolation.
Mr. Street's theology was of that type which, a century
ago, was known throughout New England as " Old Light,"
and is now denominated "Hyper-Calvinism." Much of
his preaching consisted in the exposition and enforcement
of his favorite doctrines ; but they were never presented in
the dry, bony, scholastic form, which was the prevalent
style of preaching in his day. He had the rare faculty of
presenting abstruse subjects in a form of language interest-
ing to his hearers. Doctrines, such as the "Existence of
sin," "How a sinless being can fall," "Divine Decrees,"
"Predestination to eternal life," or "Election," assumed
an interest under his treatment which stripped them of that
repulsiveness with which they are commonly regarded, and
clothed them with all the importance of a necessary part of
the Christian scheme. The reason of his power in handling
these great doctrines was not merely because he presented
them in a clear, simple, and intelligent language, level with
the capacities of those he aimed to instruct, nor because he
manifested a sincere conviction of their truth, but because
he threw into his exposition of them all the goodness of his
heart, and all the warmth of an earnest nature. But it
would be doing injustice to Mr. Street to leave the impres-
40
sion that this class of subjects formed tlie staple of ills
preaching. His practical discourses, comprising much the
larger portion of his writings that have been preserved, are
of unusual excellence and power, and show a profound
knowledge of the workings of the liunian heart. What are
denominated hortatory sermons he never preached. Whit-
field was the originator of that style of preaching. During
the entire period of Mr. Street's ministry, commencing the
year immediately succeeding Whitfield's death, there was
a reaction from the intense excitement produced by his
preaching and that of his imitators. For thirty years
after the commencement of the war of the revolution, the
churches of New England were marked by a low state of
religion and absence of revivals, unparalelled by any
similar period in their history. This season of spiritual
deadness closed about the time Mr. Street was laid aside
from active labor, by reason of age and infirmities. Had
his ministry fallen upon times of greater spiritual activity
and religious feeling, it is evident, from his ability and
personal piety, that his preaching would have been of an
entirely different character, and he would have stood in the
front rank with men like Lyman Beecher and Edward D.
Griffin, in laboring for the promotion of revivals of religion.
Although nothing like what is denominated a revival oc-
curred during his ministry, yet that ministry was eminently
successful, as is manifest from the fact that, at its close, the
membership of the church was nearly double what it was
at its commencement. It is no more than simple justice to
state, that the series of powerful revivals with which this
church was blessed, during the ministry of his successor in
the pastoral office, was unquestionably the ingathering of
a harvest, the seeds of which were sown by the faithful
preaching and labors of Mr. Street.
Rev. Saul Clark, of Southampton, Mass., succeeded
Mr. Street as pastor of this church. During his ministry,
which extended from January, 1808, to May, 1817, nothing
was done to the meeting-house in the way of alteration or
improvement ; therefore, a brief glance at the character and
results of his labors will be all that is necessary. He was
41
a man of decided opinions, great energy and resolution,
and an able and eloquent preacher. Holding the same
theological views as his predecessor, he never hesitated to
present them on all appropriate occasions, and in the
strongest and most expressive manner. Earnest, animated,
and emotional, the eflects of his preaching soon began to
be manifested. Almost simultaneously with his ordination
commenced that series of revivals, which continued to fol-
low each other with astonishing rapidity till the close of
his ministry, and even after that, with intervals of only a
few years duration, down to the present time. The mem-
bership and moral power of the church was largely in-
creased. They were an entirely new spectacle and experi-
ence in East Haven. It appears from the church records,
that from its organization in 1711, and even from the com-
mencement of public worship in 1681, nothing like what is
now designated a revival of religion had occurred in its
history. From 1733 to 1750 revivals had extensively pre-
vailed throughout New England. Commencing at North-
ampton, Mass., under the preaching of Jonathan Edwards,
they were greatly extended by that of Whitfield and his
coadjutors and imitators. As, the result of the labors of
one of these — Rev. John Davenport, of Stamford — a power-
ful revival of religion was produced in New Haven and its
vicinity. There is no evidence that it effected, in the
slightest degree, the church in East Haven. Mr. Hemin-
way was one of the signers of a declaration to the Gen-
eral Association, censuring Whitfield and his measures.*
Therefore, to Mr, Clark belongs the credit, if any is due to
a mere human instrument, of having revolutionized the
sentiments of this church, and stamped upon it that high
evangelical character it has ever since retained. This
church and society have been somewhat noted for their
conservatism, which has at times blocked the wheels of
progress and prevented their reaping the benefits of the
improvements which have been going on all around them.
But, in respect to revivals, this church stands on the most
* See Appendix,
42
advanced ground. The effects of the revivals enjoyed
during Mr. Clark's ministry were unusually stable and
lasting. The present pastor is happy in being able to give
his unqualitied testimony on this point, from a personal
knoAvledge of many who embraced religion at that time,
and were living at the commencement of his ministry.
They were among the most reliable, prayerful, and spirit-
ually-minded of the members of the church.
But the very things that appeared adapted to assure the
prosperity of the church, brought on a crisis in its history,
which, for a time, threatened its existence. During the
later years of Mr. Street's ministry many practices had
crept into the church which were incompatable with the
purity of the Christian character, and destructive of the
spirituality of religion. Tlie line of demarcation between
the church and the world was nearly obliterated. The new
pastor soon came in conflict with these demoralizing tend-
encies. The revival that began soon after his ordination,
elevated the tone of piety in the church. These practices
were revealed in their true nature and influence, and recog-
nized as inconsistent with a profession of religion. A
festering ulcer was on the body of the church, and could
not be healed without destroying the equilibrium of, and
inflicting pain upon, the whole system. The diseased limb
must be amputated, or death would ensue. Mr. Clark
addressed himself to the task, with all the energy and
determination of an ardent nature, never for a moment
weighing his personal interests against the interests of
piety. A course of discipline was instituted against offend-
ing members, and prosecuted with such great effect that
the church was purged of the corrupt practices that had
crept into it. These measures produced much ill-feeling,
and the afiectiou of many was alienated from the pastor.
The excitement was intense. Some, who had been most
active in his settlement, became most vociferous in de-
manding his dismission. But the great majority of the
church, comprising the whole of its spiritual and active
piety, and especially the younger portion of the congrega-
tion, over whom he had gained a strong influence, rallied
43
around liini and sustained him, till tlie work was done.
As many as forty families withdrew, and united with other
congregations. Some of these subsequently returned, when
the passions of the hour had passed away, and the children
of others attached themselves to the old society, when, after
a few years, it was seen that the principles for which Mr.
Clark contended, were precisely those embraced by all
evangelical churches. In respect to these principles, he
was merely in advance of the people. Just as, seventy-five
years earlier, Jonathan Edwards was driven from North-
ampton, for adherence to a principle which was afterwards
adopted by all the churches in New England. With un-
flinching energy and unbending will, Mr. Clark carried
through the measures by which the church was purified
and her moral power in the community greatly increased.
The crisis was passed ; and in the very measures which
many predicted would prove its ruin, was laid the founda-
tion of a larger prosperity and stronger influence in the
coming years.
The church was saved, but the pastor had sacrificed
himself. He was dismissed, by his own request, in May,
1817, but continued to labor with success in various parts
of the Lord' s vineyard. His services were much in demand
in revivals of religion. He died in Meriden, in 1849, and
was buried among the people of his early love, where, with
all the former pastors of this church, he lies among the
generations gone, to whom they broke the ' ' bread of life,
pointed to heaven, and led the way," in yonder quiet
cemetery, where all distinctions are leveled, and all earthly
passions are quelled, and where friend and foe sleep to-
gether undisturbed in the silent realms of death.
After the storm the calm. Rev. Stephen Dodd was
installed in December, 1817. His pastorate of twenty-nine
years was singularly quiet, calm, and successful. From
character, and previous experience in the ministry, he was
peculiarly qualified to follow the boisterous ministry of
Mr. Clark, conciliate the disaffected, and bring back the
wanderers to the fold. As we approach the present, the
interest in the past weakens, and it will be necessary to
44
dwell only on a few points in illustration of the history of
the "Old Stone Meeting-house," during his pastorate. In
thirty years its interior arrangements had become some-
what antiquated. A new style of finishing and furnishing
the interior of a meeting-house, by the substitution of slips
for pews, had come into vogue. A few years before, the
First Ecclesiastical Society in New Haven had erected a
new, large, and for the time, magnificent church, finished
in the latest and most fashionable style. Taking this for
their model, the East Haven Society took out the square
pews in the body and north side of the house, and replaced
them with slips. For a long time there had been a growing
dissatisfaction with the old mode of defraying the current
expenses of the society by taxation. The plan was now
proposed, to make a permanent sale of the pews, and with
the avails found a fund for the support of the ministry.
The plan was adopted, and the sum realized was $8,000.
This was a good arrangement, so long as those lived who
established the fund ; but when they were gone, and the
pews inherited by a number of different heirs, its evil tend-
encies became apparent. In less than thirty years it was a
detriment to the society, and, unless it had been broken
up, would have resulted in its financial ruin. The plan
seems to have been adopted on the principle of Metternich's
famous saying, '''After me the deluge."
In 1830 the first church in Fair Haven was organized.
The majority of its members went from this church, and
carried with them some of the most important families in
the congregation. This greatly weakened the society, and
but for the fund previously established, the effect would
have been more disastrous. It was one of those events in
a grovidng community that is inevitable. That section of
the town, which for nearly two centuries was simply an
appendage to it, has grown into one of the most beautiful
and busiest villages in the State ; and, in forty-four years,
that feeble church, commenced in 1830, has expanded into
two large and flourishing Congregational Churches, besides
five others of different denominations.
It was during the pastorate of Mr. Dodd that the first
45
fence, of which there is any account, was put around the
meeting-house lot. This was due to the energy, enterprise,
and liberality of the ladies of the congregation. It was an
ornamental as well as substantial structure, and for thirty
years added greatly to the general appearance and beauty
of the church surroundings.
Rev. Stephen Dodd was an earnest, faithful, and suc-
cessful pastor, an able and often eloquent preacher. He
was a firm and outspoken advocate of temperance, and did
good service in the earlier years of the history of the cause.
In addition to his pastoral labors, he performed a work for
East Haven which should cause his name to be held in
grateful remembrance by all the coming generations of its
children. He had a great fondness for historical and gene-
alogical researches, and soon after his settlement com-
menced the compilation of a brief history of the town, and
a genealogical and statistical record of its families. By
reason of the imperfect state of the village records, for the
first century and a half of its history, this was a work of
great difficulty. With characteristic energy, patience, and
perseverance, he began to gather up the oral traditions of
the past, as they existed in the memories of the most aged
persons in the community, and spent much time in the
ancient burying-ground, where he gleaned many important
items of information, by deciphering the half-obliterated
inscriptions on its memorial stones. The results of his
labors and investigations were published in 1824, under the
title of "East Haven Register." Although not a compend-
ious or complete history, it contains an amount of informa-
tion concerning the town and its ancient families, which,
but for him, would be buried in oblivion. The book is now
out of print, and those who are fortunate enough to possess
a copy place a high value upon it. Mr. Dodd resigned his
pastorate in December, 1846, but continued to reside in the
town, respected and venerated, till his death in February,
1856, at the ripe age of seventy-seven years. His successor
takes pleasure in saying, that he was a sympathetic, plea-
sant, and valuable parishioner.
Owing to various causes, the condition of the society at
46
the commencement of the present pastorate, in June, 1847,
was unfavorable. The meeting-house was antiquated,
inconvenient, dilapidated, and in striking contrast with
others in the vicinity ; and one grand obstacle was in the
way of all improvements. After the withdrawal of so
many, to unite with the First Church and Society in Fair
Haven, the salary of the pastor was reduced to the precise
income of the fund, and the society, by formal vote, had
taken the stand that this should be a permanent arrange-
ment. This was suicidal. The pew owners were the
society, and a large number, mostly young men, were not
called upon to contribute a penny for the support of the
institutions of religion ; consequently, they felt little in-
terest in them, for that which costs nothing is lightly
esteemed. The pastor, soon after his settlement, perceived
the difficulties with which he had to contend, and that
unless they were removed his labors would be in vain — his
ministry a failure. If this incubus was permitted to remain,
what little of public spirit was left in the society would
disappear; and the society itself, notwithstanding it con-
tained the elements for a strong and effective organization,
must die of inanition and inaction — an ecclesiastical maras-
mus.
It was fortunate that, at the time, the society contained
a few energetic and public-spirited men, who, taking the
matter in hand, with the tacit consent rather than active
co-operation of the majority, carried it successfully through
this cri-sis. Having secured for it the rights of the pew
owners, either by purchase at a reduced valuation, or by
the free gift of the more generous or more able, the work
of remodeling, repairing, and refurnishing the " Old Stone
Meeting-house" was commenced in May, 1850, and com-
pleted in the following October. The interior arrangements
and external aspect of the building were entirely changed.
When the work was finished, nothing was left of the ancient
structure but the solid walls, and even these had under-
gone extensive alterations. The upper tier of windows was
lowered, the doors and windows on the east end filled up,
as well also the doors on the south side and in the tower.
and the window behind the pulpit, on the north side ; new
frames and windows were inserted, and the building brought
into that shape and style it now presents.
The change of the interior was even more sweeping.
The west end was pierced with doors, one on each side of
the tower ; the pulpit placed at the east end, changing the
front from the south to the west ; new galleries were built,
and the walls, upon which the plaster was originally laid
without lathing, were furred out and covered with hard
finish. The eye does not now rest on a solitary object
which was seen before these improvements were made.
The fitting up and furnishing of the interior was done
by the enterprise, energy, and labor of the ladies of the
congregation. For several years previously, they had been
busy with hands, and minds, and hearts, making prepara-
tions for the work, when the time for performing it should
come. In spite of discouragements and delays, they did
not "bate one jot of heart or hope," but, in every conceiv-
able way, endeavored to add to the little fund they had
sacredly devoted to this purpose. They provided the costly
furniture for the pulpit, the carpet for the floors and pews,
the cushions for the seats, and the elegant lamps for light-
ing the house. When completed, there was no church in
the vicinity that surpassed it, in the richness and beauty of
its furnishing. The pastor trusts it will not be considered
inappropriate, if lie avails himself of this occasion to pay a
deserved tribute to the ladies of the congregation, many of
whom, full of years and of piety, have gone to their eternal
rest and reward, who have done so much to aid him in his
labors, to cheer him in seasons of declension and despond-
ency, and to keep alive the flame of piety in the church,
when it seemed almost ready to expire. He is happy in
giving his testimony to their fldelity and zeal in the cause
of their divine Master, and their unfaltering love for Zion.
Having the true idea of the sphere of womanhood, they
have no desire to go out of it, and seek no distinction but
that which comes from the faithful discharge of the wifely
and womanly duties to their families, to the church, and,
to the community.
48
So extensive were the alterations and improvements
made within and upon the "Old Stone Meeting-house" at
that time, it was deemed appropriate that the entire struc-
ture should be rededicated to the worship of God. The
services were held October 16, 1850, when a discourse was
delivered by E,ev. Joel Hawes, D.D., of Hartford. It was
an occasion of devout gratitude to God, and of mutual con-
gratulation among the people. The entire cost of the work
was about $6,000.
Not many months elapsed, after the completion of this
great work — the most expensive that had been undertaken
in connection with the meeting house since its erection —
when the church received a beautiful and blessed answer
to the question, ' ' Who hath first given unto the Lord, and
it shall not be recompensed to him again f ' An unwonted
seriousness pervaded the congregation. Early in the au-
tumn of 1851, the Sabbath congregations became more
numerous, attendance on the meetings for social worship
largely increased, the interest deepened from month to
month, till, in February 1852, the cloud opened, and there
was a "gracious refreshing from the presence of the Lord."
As results of this extraordinary work of divine power,
eighty-five united with the church, by profession, on the
first Sabbath of May following, thirty of whom were heads
of families. There was scarcely a family in the congrega-
tion, one or more of whose members were not subjects of
the revival. In some instances, entire families were among
the converts. Whether regarded as to extent, or the depth
and intensity of religious interest, or the number of conver-
sions, it was never paralleled by any similar work of divine
grace experienced in the history of this church. It was
greatly needed, and added largely, not only to the numeri-
cal strength, but to the moral power of the church.
In 1859, the steeple erected just sixty -two years before
became so dilapidated as to be in danger of falling. Im-
mediate measures were taken for replacing it with one of
more modern style, and greater architectural pretensions.
It cost about $2,000. It was fortunate the work was per-
formed at that time, as there has been no year since 1860^
49
owing to the great advance in the price of building materials
and labor, when it could have been built for twice that
sum. It was the fitting completion and modernizing of the
"Old Stone Meeting-house." The lofty and spacious
belfry, and the neat and graceful spire, corresponding with
the stern simplicity of the building, and towering to the
height of 196 feet from the ground, makes it a conspicuous
object and an ornament to the village, in the center of
wdiich it stands. It is not surpassed, in symmetry of form,
excellence of workmanship, and good taste, by any struc-
ture of like magnitude in the Commonwealth.
Early in 1868, it became apparent that extensive im-
provements were required to be made within and upon the
meeting-house, if it was to be kept up with the advanced
taste of the time. Since the remodeling in 1850, the style
of internal arrangement and furnishing had changed to that
degree that this house, which eighteen years before had
been placed in advance, was now behind nearly all the
churches in the neighborhood. The Congregationalists of
East Haven had llnally learned, from a rather costly ex-
perience, that the prosperity of a church and society
depend, in a great measure, on the enterprise, energy, and
liberality of their members. The society, sustained by the
unanimous sentiment of the congregation, commenced the
work with unusual promptitude, and it was completed in
about three months. The inner walls and ceiling were
painted in fresco, a new and tasty pulpit replaced the old
one, the lower floor Vas re-carpeted, the pews new cush-
ioned, and new lamps provided. The cost was about
$3,000.
An equally great and much-needed improvement was
made, at the same time, in the external appearance of the
meeting-house. For several years previously, some of the
ladies of the congregation had been gathering funds for the
purpose of putting up an iron railing around the grounds,
but had not yet secured a sufficient amount. Incited by
their example, a number of public-spirited gentlemen now
came forward, by whose aid that substantial and orna-
mental fence, which now encloses the meeting-house on
50
two sides, was erected, and a broad concrete walk, continu-
ous with the fence, was laid. These add greatly to the
beauty of the grounds and convenience of the general pub-
lic. The cost of railing and pavement was about $1,300.
When these improvements were completed, the question
came up, "How shall the meeting-house be heated?"
Until about 1820 none of the meeting-houses in New Eng-
land were artificially warmed, even in the severest weather.
It never occurred to tlie men and women of the olden time,
that weather which did not prevent their pursuing their
secular business on a week day could be injurious to them
on the Sabbath. Stoves, with wood for fuel, were placed
in this meeting-house about 1825. These were changed for
coal burners about 1840, which were in use till 1868, when
it was feared they would be injurious to the new finish and
furniture ; therefore, stoves were voted impossible, p\d a
furnace impracticable, because of there being no basement.
After much discussion, it was finally decided to introduce
steam. The necessary funds were procured without diffi-
culty, though the amount was much larger than would
have been required for any other mode of heating. But,
once in operation, the saving of fuel will, in a few years,
compensate for the difference of outlay. The expense of
the steam apparatus was $1,300, as it stood completed and
ready for use. After six years experience, it has proved
entirely satisfactory, being equally reliable for warmth, far
more cleanly, and the heat more equable and pleasant than
is produced by any other mode. This was the first church
in the State that was heated by steam.
A parsonage has become a necessar}^ adjunct of an
ecclesiastical society. This is especially true at the present
time, when a newly- settled minister has scarcely passed
through the ordeal of house-hunting, and become warm in
his dwelling, Avhen he must leave, to go through the same
experience elsewhere. This society, in 1706, built a spaci-
ous dwelling, and presented it, a free gift, to their first
minister, Mr. Heminway. In this house he lived during
all his long pastorate, and there he died. Rev. Messrs.
Street, Clark, and Dodd, each built himself a dwelling,
51
without assistance from the society. When the present
pastor commenced his labors, it was difficult to obtain a
dwelling, and the society was not in a condition to provide
one. He was obliged to move his household goods and
gods five times in six years. After the society had abolished
its fund, and remodeled its meeting-house, it began to com-
miserate its minister for the nomadic life he was leading,
and at last gave him a "local habitation." The residence
of the late Haynes Heminway, Esq., was purchased for
$2,000, and occupied for a parsonage nearly twenty years.
With the desire to provide their future pastors with a more
convenient residence, and of a more modern style, in the
spring of 1873 the society purchased the house built by
their former minister — Rev. Saul Clark — enlarged and re-
modeled it, and made it one of the most beautiful and
commodious rural parsonages in the State. It has cost
about $8,000.
A commodious and convenient chapel had long been a
felt necessity to the church and congregation. Nearly ten
years ago, a movement was made to supply this great
want, which at first promised a speedy success. Funds
nearly sufficient for the purpose were either raised by the
efibrts of the ladies or j)ledged by the gentlemen of the
congregation. But unforeseen difficulties arose, which
required time to remove. It was not till the present year
that the desires and prayers of so many of the members of
the church, living and dead, have been fulfilled, and the
"Old Stone Meeting-house" is now supplemented by a
building corresponding with it in material, in style of
architecture, and in location. The enterprise was ma-
terially aided by a liberal bequest of the late Mrs. Eliza
Dodd. Though apparently small, in comparison with this
structure, it is nevertheless more than twice the dimensions
of the first meeting house erected in East Haven, and its
audience room is larger, by a few square feet, than the^
second. It is a matter of congratulation, rather than dis-
appointment, that its erection was deferred to the present
time. It is now the Centennial Chapel — a monumental
building, reared in honor of the men who built this struc-
52
ture, and of the generation they represented, as it will be a
century hence of this generation. This coincidence of time,
this connection of the close of one century with the com-
mencement of another, links together the history of the
two and sends them down the ages, clustering with like
associations and memories and devoted to the same pious
ends and objects.
The " Old Stone Meeting-house " now stands complete
in modern dress, arrangements, and appointments, with a
single exception, that of a suitable organ, which, judging
from the past, wUl come in due time, when the ladies of the
congregation are prepared to take hold of the enterprise in
earnest. It presents an aspect of solidity, convenience, and
beauty, surpassed by few rural churches in the State.
During the last quarter of a century a larger amount has
been expended upon and around it, than all it had pre-
viously cost, including the original erection. The minimum
value of the society's property can not be less than $75,000.
If, by any chance, it should be destroyed, it is doubtful if
it could be replaced for twice that sum. And as long as
the spirit that now animates the great proportion of the
congregation survives, they that have gone forth from this
community, and found homes in other parts of this broad
land, or on foreign shores, and whose thoughts and affec-
tions often linger around the scenes of their childhood and
the venerable meeting-house where their infant minds re-
ceived their first impressions from the gospel of salvation,
where have ever been inculcated the principles of truth
and righteousness, of an unselfish patriotism and an intel-
ligent piety, need have no fear that the sanctuary of their
fathers will be suffered to fall into neglect and decay, or
that those grand and lofty doctrines which have ever been
proclaimed from its pulpit, and have proved "the wisdom
of God, and the power of God unto salvation," to so many
generations who have worshiped within its walls, will be
renounced for any of the specious but sa])less and lifeless
theories wljicli, in tliese later times, have emasculated
religion of its spirituality and churches of their moral
j)ower.
53
From what has been advanced, the condition of the
First Ecclesiastical Society in East Haven may be inferred,
without entering upon a more detailed statement of its
affairs. It will not be inappropriate to speak briefly of the
condition of the church. The society is the body, the
church the informing and inspiring spirit. From the settle-
ment of Mr. Clark, in 1808, numerous and sometimes pow-
erful revivals of religion have occurred. His pastorate was
almost a continuous revival. In 1821, under the ministry
of Mr. Dodd, there was quite an extensive work of grace ;
in common with all the churches in New England, this
church was visited with a powerful revival in 1831 ; one of
less extent was enjoyed in 1843 ; in 1852 occurred the great
work, already described ; one of less power was enjoyed in
1858 ; another in 1866, and another still in 1871. As results
of the last four, about two hundred were added to this
church. Although not large in point of numbers, nor able
in respect to wealth, it has always been distinguished for
its stability and its fidelity to the principles and polity on
which it was originally founded. At a church meeting,
September 3, 1755 — after Mr. Street had accepted a call to
become its pastor, and before his ordination — "called to
discourse of church government, and of ye manner in which
they proposed to be governed," it was " Voted and agreed,
that Seabrook platform should be the constitution by which
they, with their pastor, would be governed." This was
signed by the church committee and pastor elect. Again,
in 1822, when the fund was founded, it was "Voted, that
the interest of said fund be appropriated for the support of
a regular Calvinistic minister, on the Saybrook platform,
especially as to doctrine, and to be appropriated to no
other purpose." With the exception of a single brief
period in its history, this church has been equally distin-
quished for the unity of sentiment among its members.
This has been mainly owing to the fact that, notwithstand-
ing the changes that have taken place around them, they
have remained steadfast in tlieir adherence to Puritan prin-
ciples, and retained, in a remarkable degree, the antique
manners and habits of thought. Never may principles less
54
noble be inculcated here, or influences less beneficent and
elevating go forth from this or any of its sister churches.
With fervent gratitude to God, and yet with a commend-
able pride, may the descendants of those who laid the
foundation of this church, nearly two centuries ago, con-
temi^hite it, as it stands to-day, far in advance of any period
in its past history. The good old ship has encountered
severe storms, when she seemed like a wreck, with shattered
masts and torn sails, tossed on the billows, and her enemies
predicted her ruin ; but, under the protection of divine
providence, and with the great head of the church at the
helm, she has rode out the tempest, and come forth from
all her trials greater in strength, superior in moral power,
and brighter in spiritual beauty. In the retrospect of her
past, in the contemplation of her present, and in the fore-
casting of her future, those who comprise her living mem-
bership, with devout thanksgiving and heartfelt gratitude,
can say, "The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof
we are glad."
This discourse could not, with propriety, be closed,
already and unavoidably lengthy, without some reference
to the great changes which these silent walls have witnessed
during the century of years they have stood like giant
warders, keeping watch by day and night, in sunshine and
in storm, in peace and war, over tlie surrounding village
and its families. There are here to-day worthy descendants
of those who gathered within them a liundred years ago, to
dedicate this house to the worship of God. But you come
in far different guise, and with different mien. The scenes
around us remain, in all their essential features, the same ;
the same skies canopy us ; the same ground they trod upon
resounds to our footsteps. But all else, how changed?
Homespun has given place to broadcloth and silks. The
very poorest in the community to-day have comforts and
conveniences, and even luxuries in their dwellings, un-
known to the wealthiest a hundred years ago. The school-
master, too, has been abroad. Some of the most prominent
and influential men of those da3'^s were unable to write tlieir
names ; newspapers and periodicals, there were none ; and
55
all the information and culture received by the great mass
of the people came through the pulpit. Agriculture and
navigation were the chief pursuits. The former was carried
on in a very rude and unproductive way, yielding a bare
support even to those whose wants were few, and to whom
the luxuries, and what are now regarded the comforts and
necessaries of life, were unknown. The young men were
compelled to resort to the sea for the means of subsistence.
From these came some of the "solid men" and "merchant
princes" of New Haven, when its foreign trade was most
flourishing ; men like Abraham Bradley, Laban Smith, and
Jeliiel Forbes, whose ability, integrity, and success are
still cherished among the mercantile traditions of the city.
But, in respect to the latter pursuit, the town has under-
gone an entire change. It has now very little interest in
navigation, with the exception of that portion included in
the village of Fair Haven, which then consisted of here and
there a farm-house, with a few oystermen's houses on the
banks of the Quinnipiac. The pursuits of the inhabitants
are mainly agricultural, and such are the facilities, and so
great the improvements made in agricultural implements
and modes of cultivation, that in spite of its naturally
inferior soil, from being one of the poorest, it has be^come
one of the richest farming towns in the State.
But when the view sweeps more distant fields, how vast
the changes, how deep-going the revolutions that have taken
place ? With what astonishing rapidity have some of the
most important events in the world' s history followed each
other, like ocean billows — wave impelling wave — till one
after another they have broken and disappeared on the
shores of time. When these walls were reared, all this
wide land was under the gway of Great Britain. The red-
cross flag of St. George waved undisputed from Quebec to
Savannah, whilst all that vast country lying west of the
Alleghanies, and stretching to the golden shores of the
Pacific, excepting a narrow cordon of French settlements
lying along or near the banks of the mighty Mississippi,
was a te7'Ta incognita — an unknown land. But scarcely
had this house been dedicated, when the storm of war burst
66
upon the nation and the struggle for independence com-
menced. For nearly eight years the tide of war surged
back and forth, from north to south and from south to
north, and when it ceased these walls beheld a vigorous
nation spring forth, like Minerva from the head of Jove,
l^anoplied for that wondrous career which has replaced
primeval forests with teeming cities and waving harvests,
and advanced it into the front rank of the nations of the
earth. They have seen the throes and convulsions which
preceded, and the atrocities that attended, the French revo-
lution, out of which was born the universal recognition of
the rights of man, which renders impossible the restoration
of autocratic or personal government in Europe. The}^
have seen the rise of the first French empire, the toppling
thrones of despotism, the fiery meteor, which, for twentj^
years, blazed through Europe, whose brightness was dim-
med b}^ the suQws of Russia, and finally quenched in blood
at Waterloo. They have seen the false glitter and deserved
fate of the second empire, whose foundations were laid on
the ruins of the old, and which, like the second Jewish
temple, caused those who had seen the glories of the first
to weep tears of shame for the contrast. The}^ have seen
the founding of a mighty empire in India, whose countless
millions of inhabitants are subject to the power of a little
sea-girt isle in the North Atlantic Ocean, and where the
blessings conferred by British philanthropy and British
Christianity scarcely compensate for the wrongs inflicted
by British ambition and cupidity. They have seen every
foreign power driven from the fairest portions of this con-
tinent, the downfall of the temporal power of the Pope, and
republicanism become the prevailing sentiment, if not the
dominant power, throughout Em-ope. They have seen this
young nation, when at the height of its power, and in the
full sweep of success, menaced with a danger such as never
threatened another. When these walls arose, a century
ago, slavery was a legal institution in every Colony. Slaves
passed every day within their shadow, and entered their
doors every Sabbath. To-day, the foot of the slave does
not tread the soil over which floats the starry flag of our
5i
country. But at what a price was the flaunting lie it once
told removed? and, in truth, does that flag now "wave
over the land of the free ?" For every drop of blood drawn
by the whips and chains of slaverj^, a noble life has been
sacrificed to save the Union. No ; these walls do not look
upon the' same world they did a hundred years ago ! In
respect to all material and political interests, in the enjoy-
ment and diffusion of the blessings of Christian civilization
and culture, it is a more advanced, a nobler, and a better
world, than it has been since the fall.
There are other fields where changes have spread wider
and gone deeper, aff*ecting not only the outer aspects but
touching the inner springs of human life. A century ago,
no swift and graceful steamers navigated our long rivers
and broad lakes ; no mighty Leviathans of the deep, pro-
pelled by enginery of Titanic force, yet working as softly
as the breathings of a sleeping infant, ploughed their way
across the wide expanse of oceans, in defiance of winds and
waves ; no iron rails bound together different parts of the
same country and distant lands, upon which rushing trains
bore the travel and the traffic of many nations ; no electric
wires, sweeping over mountains and under oceans, and
traversing plains and boundless prairies, carrying messages
of politics and science, of business and love, of life and
death, and "putting a girdle around the earth in forty
minutes." No mighty gatherings were held, pervaded wdtli
the primitive spirit of Christianity, to yield obedience to the
Saviour's last command, "Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature;" no great organiza-
tions, the outcome of the revival of the missionary spirit in
the church, and breathing the spirit of the Christian life and
heart and love, which aim to uplift the fallen, inform the
ignorant, and save the lost. All these have sprung into
existence since these walls were reared. They have seen
lands, then hermetically sealed against Christianity, opened
as mii-aculously to the ingress of the Gospel as Jericho was
made bare to the march of Joshua' s sumy ; Christian mis-
sions planted in nearly every i^ortion of the habitable globe,
and whole nations converted to Christ. They have seen
58
the proud boasts of English deism, French atheism, • and
CT('inj;i7i rationalism, falsified, and Christianity come forth
from their fierce assaults, stronger, purer, and more resist-
less than before. They have seen the wondrous results of
modern scientific researches, which give assurance and
earnest of an era now dawning upon the world, illustrious
for the discoveries of natural science, for the extending the
range of human knowledge, and the broadening and deep-
ening of human culture, by the revelation of facts, the
discoveries of forces, and the development of truths and
principles, which have been hidden since the foundation of
the world.
Buckle, in his "History of Civilization," brings out into
prominence, and illustrates by a variety of examples, the
theory that surroundings have great influence in molding
the character, and forming the habits, of individuals and
nations. This theory is, in the main, correct, though ex-
ceptional instances may not be difficult to find. A marked
difference of character is always observed between men
reared amid the grandeur and magnificence of mountain
scenery and those whose lives have been passed on rich and
fertile plains ; between those who have known only the
factitious life of cities and those who dwell amid rural
scenes, and in constant contact with ]N"ature's works; be-
tween those whose home is by the sea- shore, who have
" Laid their hand upon the ocean's mane,
And played familiar with his hoary locks,"
and those who, far removed from tempest-swept waters,
have never witnessed one of the sublimest spectacles the
mortal eye ever gazed upon.
Certain traits in the character of the people of East
Haven must be traced to some similar influence. They
distinguish them from all others, even in the immediate
vicinity, and in former years have isolated them and ren-
dered them peculiar. It is a matter of surprise to strangers,
that although in the immediate neighborhood of a large
city, its influence, until recently, has been scarcely per-
ceptible on their character, modes of thought, or habits of
59
life. On the other hand, the same influence has produced
a stability, reliableness, and force of character rarely found.
With a large proportion of those who have attended wor-
ship here, in their childhood and youth — especially the
descendants of the ancient families — the idea of worshiping
any where than in the sanctuary of their fathers, or em-
bracing an ecclesiastical polity or religious principles,
other than those of which the house they reared is the
fitting S3anbol, would be as alien to their sentiments and
feelings as the adoption of the heathen practices of the
Chinese, or the fetichism of Western Africa. That influ-
ence which has been so eff'ective in producing this peculiar
character, and stamping upon it those strong traits, which
are of great excellence when not in excess, is the direct
outcome from the impressions made upon the mind in
childhood and youth, by this massive structure.
No one who has been trained in the principles, which
for a century have been inculcated here, can look upon
these venerable walls without having the emotions of his
heart stirred, as he recalls the scenes of which they have
been the silent witnesses, the men and women who have
walked in their shadow, and the words of truth and elo-
quence to which they have listened, from lips now silent in
death. More than three generations of its worshipers have
passed away : those, who in early childhood were borne
hither in parental arms, have tottered here when bending
under the weight of years, till the time of their departure
came, and then entered the spirit world to join the white
robed company, in that purer "temple, not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens." Here, upon infant brows,
has been sprinkled the consecrating waters of baptism, and
in the same spot, in maturer years, the same children have
taken the vows of Christ upon them, fulfilling the solemn
obligation assumed for them by believing parents. Here,
God has spoken peace to many souls, when struggling in
the darkness and doubts of conviction of sin, and poured
into them the light and peace and joy of conscious forgive-
ness, acceptance, and salvation. Here, those whose lives
were destined to mingle in the same current, have stood up
60
amid the sacred memories and associations of the place,
and plighted to each other the solemn troth of marriage,
and gone forth from its doors, hand in hand, to tread the
same pathway in life, share its mingled joys and sorrows,
its common weal and woe. And when life's limit had been
reached, and their life-work done, hither their mortal re-
mains have been borne for the solemn service of the dead,
ere laid to rest with kindred dnst. As the years roll on
these memories and associations are continnally accumn-
lating, and the history of the families that worship here
become interwoven with that of the "Old Stone Meeting-
house," reared by the toils and sacrifices of the fathers,
and by them bequeathed to their descendants — a sacred
trust to be transmitted unimpaired to future generations.
The family traditions and historical associations connected
with the sanctuary of our childhood, are exceedingly ten-
der, strong, and lasting. It is the uniform testimony of
those who have gone forth from the childhood home, to
dwell in distant parts of their o\'^n country, or in foreign
lands, or are tossed upon the billows of distant seas, that
when recalling the scenes of their early life the old meeting-
house, whither their infant feet were turned by godly
parents, and the rude school-house where they received the
rudiments of education, stand out prominent in the fore-
ground of the picture, and around them cluster the purest
memories and the most cherished associations and affec-
tions.
Such, and so powerful and everlasting, are the influences
that press upon our minds to-day from the past. This
meeting-house has a history, of which every descendant of
the ancient families of East Haven may be justly proud.
As to-day we gather here, on an occasion of such rare
interest, imagination will fill these aisles, these seats, and
this puli:)it, with the forms of those who occupied them in
other days — the venerated fathers and mothers in Israel —
who toiled, and prayed, and suff"ered, and then entered on
their everlasting reward, whose memory and the savor of
their grateful piety are as fresh and green to-day as when
they were laid to rest in yonder cemetery. But, is it all
61
imagination? Were the veil tliat separates tlie material
and spiritual drawn aside this moment by a divine hand,
and we " see as we are seen, and known as we are known,"
what a cloud of witnesses 'would be revealed to our view,
hovering over and gazing down upon this scene, with an
interest more intense, and a gratitude more fervent for all
God' s goodness to his church in the century past, than is
possible for unsanctified minds and unglorilied souls to
feel. Let our emotions go forth responsive to theirs, and
our grateful praise arise, because "they labored and we
have entered into their labors," and are reaping the rich
fruitage of all their toils, and sacriiices, and sufferings.
" Thus, though oft depressed and lonely,
All my fears are laid aside,
If I but remember only
Such as these have lived and died."
But it is not with the past alone we have to do, or with
which our thoughts and feelings and interests should be
associated to-day. It is a law of our being, that we do not
and can not live for ourselves alone. All our acts, how-
ever unconsciously to ourselves, are inwoven with a net-
work of circumstances and events, which, in the providence
of God, are destined to have an influence far beyond the
immediate sphere in which they are performed, and even
the circle of our transient lives. We are links in that
mighty chain which connects the historic past with the
living present and the unborn future, prophecy with his-
tory — the known with the unknown — the seed-germ with
the ripened fruitage. The impressions and influences
which we carry away from these scenes and these services
should make us stronger for our life-work, and better fitted
for life' s close. The recalling of the memory of the fathers,
the recollection of their patient endurance, their zealous
patriotism, their unconquerable devotion, their simple,
earnest piety, their frugality and thrift, their rectitude and
fortitude, have arrested our attention and elicited our
admiration. In all the qualities required to constitute a
genuine manhood and integrity of character, they were rich
beyond any precedent ; and they remain at this day, in
62
spite of all the malice and ridicule and prejudice with
which the character of the Puritans of New England has
been assailed, the best models for our imitation, in all those
solid and unobtrusiv^e virtues which make a people strong,
vigorous, and truly great. And if such are the impressions
and the lessons we derive from this occasion and these
services, and if they shall cause us to think more wisely
and act more nobly, then will they who shall gather here
a hundred years hence, to celebrate the bi-centennial of
the "Old Stone Meeting-house," associate our names in
honored remembrance with the names of those who, a cen-
tury ago, reared this solid structure, and solemnly dedi-
cated it to the worship of Almighty God.
At the conclusion of the morning services, the assembled
multitude were invited to partake of a collation, prepared
b}^ the Committee on Entertainment. Tables were spread
under awnings in the meeting-house yard, and also in the
new chapel, laden with a great variety of viands, and in
ample quantities to satisfy the large number of persons
that partook of them. The divine blessing was invoked by
Rev. George I. Wood, of Ellington.
The reunion in the afternoon was fully attended. The
only disappointment connected with the celebration was
caused by the unexpected and necessary absence of Presi-
dent Porter. After listening to the reading of letters from
many invited guests who were unable to be present, by
the Secretary of the General Committee, Isaac S. Pardee,
Esq., Rev. Owen Street, of Lowell, Mass., grandson of Rev.
Nicholas Street, Pastor of the church in East Haven from
1755 to 1806, gave the following address :
63
Mr. Moderator : It seems proper that the after-dinner
speaking should begin at some point not very remote from
where the century began,
I propose for my topic the man who was at the head of
affairs in tlie local church in East Haven when this house
was built. I confess to some feeling of embarrassment,
growing out of the fact that he was my own grandfather.
But you will have the kindness to remember, that I had
no personal acquaintance with him, as he died nine years
before I was born, and hence no partialities of intimacy
can disqualify me to speak of him, and I shall certainly
"set down nought in malice."
But this very circumstance, of never having seen him,
while it relieves me of one embarrassment, creates another.
How shall I know what to say of him ? In what way, and
to what extent, I have succeeded in overcoming this diffi-
culty will appear as I proceed.
In my early days, when I might have gathered infor-
mation from many sources, my mind was not awake to the
subject. As time wore on, and such inquiries became
more interesting to me, I began to question my father ; but
from him I obtained incidents rather than characteristics,
yet some of the incidents revealed his idiosyncrasies, and
were characteristic enough. But bent still on finding out
something more, I caught at every opportunity. When I
was in college, 1 had occasion to call on Prof, Silliman.
Learning my name, he asked if I was a descendant of the
Rev. Nicholas Street, of East Haven. On hearing my
answer, he rejoined, "he used sometimes to preach for us
in the chapel ; I remember him with a great deal of plea-
sure." Some years afterward, when I found inquiries
arising which there was no one to answer, I bethought me
of Prof. Silliman, as just the man to give me an intelligent
and impartial estimate of my grandfather. Accordingly,
being favored with an opportunity, I mentioned his former
allusion to him, and told him how earnestly I desired to
know what impression he gained as to his qualities of mind
and his ability as a preacher. "0," said he, "he was a
very excellent man ; he used to exchange with Dr. Dwight;
64
and preach for us in the chapel." "But," said I, "do you
remember him well enough to say what his peculiarities
were?" "O yes," said he, "I remember him well ; he was
a very good man." I began now to despair of obtaining
the light for which I was seeking.
But sometime after this, when having been in the min-
istry myself sometime, I was supposed to have come to
years of discretion, my father brought me one da}^ a little
package of ancient-looking papers, which he said were my
grandfather' s sermons, and perhaps might as well be in my
keeping. Now the light dawned upon me. Here was
material, in part at least, for the knowledge I had so long
been seeking. This is the main source of the suggestions
which I now offer :
1. I will allude, first, to his industry in the preparation
of sermons. I have in my possession not more than fifty
sermons, and fragments of sermons, that were written by
him ; but these were scattered along through different
periods of his ministry, and furnish me the material for
the following statements. He was in the habit of number-
ing his sermons, as well as writing the date. By collating
the numbers for the first fifteen years of his ministry, of
which I have preserved ten, I find that he wrote in fifteen
years 617 sermons — something more than forty a year;
which, while it does not perhaps exceed the average of
ministerial work in that line at the present day, is at least
equal to it. Ministers, as a class, in this country are hard
working men, and he seems not to have been an exception.
At the rate which I have found for the first fifteen years,
he must have written more than two thousand sermons in
his life-time.*
* Numbers and dates.
Dates. Numbere.
1755 34 and 35 (double), and 60.
17C0 3G0.
1763 456.
1764 473, 474, 475 (triple).
1766 540.
1770 617.
1775 703.
65
2, But as tliere are fifty-two Sabbaths in a year, and
two sermons required for each, how was the deficiency
supplied ? Some briefs and skeletons of sermons wliich I
have, answer tliis question in part ; some notes, whicli
show tliat sermons were repeated after an average of five or
six years, tell a part of the story ; and his exchanges tell
the rest. I find one page which shows us something of his
range of exchanges. It is on the last leaf of a sermon that
was written in 1756, the second year of his settlement. It
seems to have served him merely as a page of memoranda.
It was evidently begun with a view of setting before his
own eye the number of times he had preached in the places
mentioned, during the twenty years included between 1772
and 1792. I find five Sabbaths at the chapel in Yale Col-
lege, three at Milford, two at West Haven, two at Amity,
one at Derby, one at Stratford, two at Brick Haven (or
Brick House), one at North Haven, one at Titicut, one at
Branford, two at Fair Haven ( ? ), and one at New Lebanon.*
These could not have been all the exchanges he .made
* The memorandum reads as follows :
Milford April 5th, 1772.
AprU 25th, 1781.
Derby June 20th, 1772.
Amity April 11th, 1773.
" March 13th, 1785.
West Haven June 13th, 1773.
Oct. 9th, 1791.
Milford May 14th, 1775.
Stratford April 26th, 1781.
Chapel, Yale College April 15th, 1781.
March 16th, 1783.
Brick Haven, or Brick House 1782.
March 13th, 1791.
Fair Haven Nov. 10th, 1782.
March 16th, 1785.
White Haven July 10th, 1785.
Chapel May 1st, 1785.
" June, 1789.
New Lebanon June 5th, 1785.
North Haven July 24th, 1785.
Titicut 1785.
Branford, Mr. Atwater, monthly meeting. May, 1791.
Chapel June 3d, 1792.
66
dnring that period, but it is all he gathered in this memo-
randiim, which was probably begun and not completed,
and shows something of the range with which he was
familiar. The mention of New Lebanon recalled to my
mind an incident mentioned by my father, when once we
were speaking of the peculiar tie of affection between col-
lege class-mates. My grandfather had a class-mate preach-
ing in New Lebanon, and when my father was about twelve
years old he took him and went to make this class-mate a
visit. He was met at the door with a welcome that rang
through the house. "Br. Street has come, let us kill the
fatted calf!"
3. But you will naturally ask, what was the quality of
his sermons? Just the same question that I was so long
in getting at. I give you one specimen of skeleton analy-
sis, the subject being one which required three sermons to
do justice to his thought. The text is in Hosea ii., 14, 15 :
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into
the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I
will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of
Achor for a door of hope : and she shall sing there, as in
the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came
up out of the land of Egypt." This analysis is as follows :
(1.) God's method with sinners is an alluring method.
(2.) Those whom he designs for the objects of his mercy
and grace, he brings into a wilderness of inward or out-
ward trials.
(3.) It is in this wilderness that God is graciously
pleased to speak comfortably to them.
(4.) That when God speaks comfortably to them, he
frequently comes with some present, real evidences of his
love to them.
(5.) Troubles not only go before mercies, but are doors
of hope to let in mercies, as the valley of Achor was to
Israel.
(6.) That our deliverance from outward trouble and
bondage, but especially from the bondage of sin, is enough
to make us sing for joy.
You may infer from these heads of discourse what the
07
sermon would be. You will catch something more of his
style if I let him lift the curtain and give you some
glimpses of things wherein his times differed from our own.
You may be interested to hear, in a few words, how one of
his thanksgiving sermons sounded in the times before the
American revolution. I have a part of one that was written
in the year 1762, the second year of the reign of George III.
His first reason for thankfulness is thus given :
"The first that I would remark upon is, the happy
accession and establishment of our most gracious sovereign,
King George the Third, upon the British throne, who so
largely possesses the virtues of his royal grandfather ; and
it is matter for our joy and rejoicing, at this day, that we
have one who has so much of the amiable character of
young Josiali upon the throne ; who has manifested so
much regard for the Protestant interest and religion, and
has discovered so much zeal for the suppression of vice,
immorality, and profaneness, by his royal proclamation,
which forebodes his reign to be auspicious for our nation
and land."
He had not preached in this Stone Meeting-house long
before he began to talk very differently about this same
King George the Third. He was as ready as any of the
people to call him "a prince whose character was marked
by every act that may define a tyrant. ' '
But let me follow the manuscript a few sentences further.
"It should be matter for our thanksgiving, that our
king has taken for his royal consort a Protestant princess
of such amiable virtues and endowments, from whom we
may expect a glorious succession, and for the safe and
happy delivery of our gracious queen, and the auspicious
birth of a prince, which joyful event is made the matter of
our public thanksgiving on this day, by the proclamation
that has been issued forth ; which, accordingly, we should
celebrate by our thankful acknowledgments to Almighty
God, who preserveth the Protestant succession, and causeth
the royal branch to shoot forth and to flourish, whereby we
may hope to have the British scepter swayed by his royal
descent to after generations and ages."
68
It was not foreseen then that this same house of Hano-
ver would be pronounced by the historian "a millstone
upon the neck of the British empire." This same thanks-
giving sermon narrates the capture of Havanna by an army
of l^^OOO men, and a fleet of 200 vessels, against 27,000
Spaniards — a quickly'- surrendered conquest as it proved,
though he could not foresee it, as the island of Cuba was
given up to the Spaniards in the treaty of the next year.
When this sermon was written, my grandfather was
thirty-two years old and had been settled seven years. His
oldest daughter, Eunecia, who married Mr. Stebbins, of
West Haven, and was the mother of the late Mrs. Dr.
Storrs, of Braintree, Mass., was about three years old. He
needed the best period of his eyesight to read a manuscript
so finely and closely written.
You will naturally inquire what he was in the trying
times of the war of the revolution ? He entered into the
patriotic sentiment of the war with all his soul. I have a
sermon of his, continued through two numbers, which con-
sists of a running commentary on the events of the war,
down to November, 1778. It reads very much like sopae
of the patriotic effusions that were called forth in the North
by the late war of the rebellion. Hear in what jubilant
strains he celebrates the evacuation of Boston by the British
troops :
" A year of jubilee !" he exclaims. " Angels announced
the joyous tidings. Prisoners leaped to loose their chains.
Joy sparkled in every eye, pleasure sat on every counten-
ance, and the tender gushing tear bedewed many a cheek.
Such emotions, such raptures, were never known before !
O, Boston, how great thy salvation? Let not extortion
mark thy character ! Henceforth live grateful in the rare
but glorious exercise of righteousness and love."
I do not know what acts of extortion by the people of
Boston had been reported to him, to call forth this form of
admonition. Doubtless it was timely.
Let me give a short paragraph on temperance. — Fast
Day sermon, February, 1775. He is speaking of perverting
and abusing the gifts of the divine bounty. He says :
69
"This is practiced in a shameful manner at this day.
Vast numbers of young and old, male and female, are given
to intemperance, so that it is no uncommon thing to see
drunken women, as well as drunken men ; and I fear that
many of our youths are training up for rank drunkards.
The custom that prevails among young people, when they
assemble together, to procure such large quantities of strong
drink, and drink as long as they can swill it down. [If
this was a homely word, it should be remembered he was
dealing with a worse than homely fact. Lorenzo Dow re-
lined upon this expression when he said, the drunkard is
the devil's swill tub.] This custom," says the sermon, "is
the direct road to drunkenness, and I greatly fear will end
in it." [I should think it would.] He goes on to say that
"when youths are elevated with liquor, they are ready for
any iniquity. They are emboldened to curse and swear, or
to commit lewdness, or whatever the devil is pleased to
incite them to do. So that this growing abuse of the good
creatures of God is an ill requital of His goodness in giving
us such a plenty of spirituous liquors for the refreshment
of the weary, and to restore the decays of Nature ; but not
to inflame the lusts and corruptions of the youthful, the
healthful, and the gay. This large and plentiful drinking
of spirits among youths, has a very destructive tendency
both as to soul and body."
There were some of the successors of these youths, that
I remember in my childhood, who had become men of
strength to mingle strong drink — men who lasted longer
than drunkards do now ; I used almost to think that the
liquor preserved them, as it does the specimens in natural
history which we are accustomed to put up in bottles of
alcohol to keep. When my father used to teach me from
an appendix to the catechism, that the wicked do not live
out half their days, it seemed to me that these men must
have had an original lease of life, comparable to that of
Methuselah.
The same sermon has a chapter on the slave-trade, in
which he expresses the "fear, that while we abhor oppres-
sion, as it comes upon us from the mother country, we may
70
be harboring it in our own bosoms," and exhorts to '"a
careful search and examination of all that has been written
on the subject, in an impartial and disinterested way."
This calls up the fact that he himself owned a negro, Tom,
of whom my father has told me several anecdotes. He was
evidently a favorite with the boys. He was contemporary
with Newport Freeman, the emancipated slave of Pres.
Stiles, He used sometimes to come and say, "Master, I
wish I could be free!" and the reply always was, "You
may be free any day, Tom, if you will let me draw up a
writing that shall clear me from the obligation to take care
of you when you are old and can earn nothing." Tom
went away in great good nature, but never accepted the
offer. I have heard my father tell how this negro Tom
used to illustrate to him the way the boys would get him
to explore the dangerous places, on the way to the pasture,
when the signals from Beacon Hill warned the people of
East Haven that foraging parties from the British ships
were about landing, to carry off their cattle. More than
once, the cattle belonging to the minister were driven by
this negro Tom to Northford, to be out of the reach of the
enemy.
One word to meet the question : Did not this pastor of a
century ago belong to a long-faced, puritanical age, when
it was a crime to smile, and men went to heaven as if they
were going to prison ? I think you will find a satisfactory
answer to this, in a few words which I give you from his
thanksgiving sermon for 1769. He says :
"Let our lives tell abroad what we feel within, that
things holy and lieavenly do not make us sad and heavy ;
that we can be pleasant and pious, both together, and
heartily merry without forgetting God, and turning all re-
ligion out of doors."
But he obviously felt that there was a possible error in
the other direction, and so he manages to say on the same
page, "But let not our times of thanksgiving be times
of self-pleasing only, nor sacred seasons our ungodliest
opportunities, nor holy days the profanest of all the year."
Very good advice to be given a century later !
71
Two more points, very briefly tonched, and I will close.
He had tlie gift of continuance. I do not mean that his
sermons were long, for, on the contrary, I And them to be
quite as short as the average of sermons now. With the
exception of the historical sermons, I do not think that any
of them that I have read would exceed thirty minutes in
the delivery. I mean the gift of continuance in his place
and in the service. Fifty-one years is a good record of
ministerial labor. There is nothing for the good people of
East Haven to be ashamed of, in the fact that their first two
pastors tilled out a history of 101 years, and that the graves
of all their ministers in the past are with them.
Of his work accomplished, we need say no more than
bid you look at the whole field as it is to day. The church
has not gone the way of the seven churches of Asia yet.
It is true that the century has brought other laborers, his
successors, into the field ; but they did not tear up his
foundations, nor undo his work. They continued it on,
with work the same in kind, just as good as his, perhaps
better — very probably better, for they have had better facili-
ties. But not any of them, nor all of them, need have been
ashamed at such an outgrowth of their ministry as this
solid and comely edifice of stone : a building over whose
walls time has as yet had no power ; walls that, .with
reasonable care, nothing short of an earthquake will fissure
for centuries to come.
During the past year the present pastor and people
have paid their tribute to the excellence of this work, by
building their chapel of the same material and in the same
way — a worthy testimony to the wisdom of the past, and a
graceful and enduring proof of their own. May God give
them their reward in glorious seasons of refreshing from on
high, and may generations to come rise up and call them
blessed.
Addresses were then delivered by Prof. George E. Day,
D.D., and Rev. Leonard Bacon, D.D., of New Haven.
Edward L. Hart, Esq., of Farmington, spoke as fol-
lows :
Mr. Chairman : I cannot refrain myself from express-
ing tlie great joy I feel to be once again, especially on this
memorable occasion, in this home of my fathers ; for,
surely, the place where the families of a people meet, from
generation to generation, to worship God, is the truest
home of any place on earth. I look around on these, walls
and see the names of the builders of this old Stone Meeting-
house, among them the name of Amos Morris, my grand-
father, with whom I lived in my early boyhood. Concern-
ing him, I remember particularly his morning devotions,
from their connection with Dr. Thomas Scott's long "Notes
and Practical Observations," which, I fear, failed of any
salutary effect upon me. But there was one petition in his
prayers, daily used, so beautiful in thought and expres-
sion — being the very words of David — namely, "Peace be
within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces, O
Jerusalem," that I delight to recall him to remembrance
on this occasion with the mention of them. Surely, this
daily petition of his has been answered, in the peace and
prosperity of the church that has met for a hundred years
in this old Stone Meeting-house.
I remember Dr. Bela Farnham, the beloved physician,
and who, that ever saw him, will be likely to forget his
dignified presence, and the pleasant face he always wore,
so beautified by the kindly spirit within. I remember,
also, Mr. Nicholas Street and Mr. Elnathan Street, being
often in their families in my early youth, wise, good men,
who, with many others of like spirit I did not know, pa-
tiently labored to strengthen and adorn the church of their
deepest love. In view of the beautiful lives, and the noble
Christian work of these, our ancestors, we, their descend-
ants, may thankfully boast, in the words of the poet,
Cowper,
" Not, that we deduce our birth
From loins enthroned and i-ulers of the earth,
But higher, far, our proud pretensions rise,
Children of parents passed into the skies."
I look with pride and great delight upon the evidence
of progress and growth, which this ancient town has made
since I left it, some fifty years ago. Long may its pros-
perity continue.
He was followed by John Gr. North, Esq., of New
Haven.
Mr. Chairman : I well remember, when I first came
to New Haven, attending church in this (then) old Stone
Meeting-house, and I was impressed with the solid appear-
ance of the building, and the substantial look of the homes
in East Haven, and no longer wondered that my employers
said they liked to select their clerks from the boys of East
Haven. Later than this, I attended an anniversary of the
Sunday-school in the meeting-house, and then was told by
an old citizen some incidents of by -gone days. The pulpit,
he said, was perched very high, on the north side of the
house, with a sounding-board of immense proportions sus-
pended over the minister' s head, in such a manner that it
was a mystery how it was held up ; the boys often watched
with eagerness to see it fall. On the sides were galleries-
occupied by boys on one side, and girls on the other, with
men to oversee and keep them from unusual noise and dis-
turbance. The walls of the meeting-house were not plas-
tered, and the uneven stones furnished shelves and hanging
places for clothing, umbrellas, mid fen fiel. Large square
boxes, with seats around them, called pews, were placed
under the galleries, on the wall sides, leaving the center
of the church unoccupied — almost like a promenade or
dancing-room — w^hicli was occasionally occupied by slap-
seats. The children of the best regulated families were not
allowed to go into the gallery, but sat with their parents ;
always with backs to the minister, or crowded in between
older persons who would keep order. Sometimes the little
ones, having nothing to see and little to understand, not
even touching their feet to the floors, became uneasy, and
felt, if they did not express it, ^Uhe minister 'peeclies too
long P'' This church is to-day frescoed most beautifully,
74
and warmed with the most approved steam apparatus;
but then, no church or meeting-house must be warmed.
"Little Sabbath-day houses" were built outside, where
people who came great distances could eat their lunch and
warm their feet. It was considered much out of place, and
quite iiTeligious, when stoves were first introduced into
churches. For many years, only very aged women and
feeble persons were allowed to carry foot-stoves (say about
one foot square, filled with coals of walnut wood, or, later,
with charcoal) with which to warm their feet during ser-
vice ; all the rest of the peoj)le would shiver and sufier with
the cold of the winter. Instead of gentlemanly ushers to
meet and welcome you to a seat, there stood often men with
long guns on their shoulders, to guard and protect those
who eagerly pushed their way from their homes to the old
stone church. The churches in those days were real forts
of defense against any intrusion of the enemy. Well should
the}' be built of stone ; and we honor these names which
we read as they were placed amid the decorations of the
church. Although I do not remember these men, I do
recognize their spirit of power in the present generation,
for some of our best men, bearing the same names, possess
the same energy, and public and religious enterprise, which .
so marked theii' ancestors ; so that to-day we can see the
wisdom of those who planted this firm church edifice, amid
so much difiiculty, and gave so liberally for the suppoi-t of
the Gospel preached here. And shall we not be wise in our
da}', and with the same determined spirit build strong the
temples of God in our own hearts, and see to it that our
children, "brought up in the admonition of the Lord," are
"rogted and grounded in love," having an house not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens, of which Christ is the
Cliief Corner Stone.
Rev. S. S. Joscelyn, of Brooklyn, N. Y., spoke as fol-
lows:
Me. CiiAiRMAisr : When, at the invitation of your com-
mittee to be present at this centennial celebration and
reunion, I left Brooklyn, N. Y. (my home), I anticipated
"a good tlme,'^^ but my anticipations have been greatly
surj^assed.
I have delightfully realized its full design, not only
as a celebration of the dedication of this venerable " Stone
Meeting-house," for the worship of God, a hundred years
ago, but also one ancestral — a memorial of the noble men
who, under difficulties which few bear in our day, erected
it ; the fruit of whose faith, toil, and perseverance has, for
three generations, been enjoyed by the people of this town
and vicinity, and, feeling with them that I stand on ances-
tral ground — for among the early ones my ancestors were
here, and through years of the building of this edifice — I
have the more rejoiced to be present and share with this
peculiar and large assembly the inspiration of this occasion.
The historic discourse by the pastor, so full, compre-
hensive, and rich in facts, biographical, churchwise, and of
venerable founders and pastors, in combination with times
which "tried men's souls," as in the revolution and at the
birth of our nation ; and, coming down to our times, with
the increase of knowledge, the spread of the Gospel in the
earth, the late fearful struggle with rebellion and slavery —
its Satanic cause — and both crushed out, all which acknowl-
edged to the mighty hand of the God of the oppressed and
to His glory ; all this and more, with their instructive
lessons and reflections, together with the accompanying
addresses of like point, variety, and interest, in combina-
tion with prayer, choice original hymns with music in fine
keeping, and the congregation entire in praise, all the ser-
mces and accompanyments have been too impressive, and
yet cheering, ever to be forgotten.
As we have been invited in the programme and by the
chairman, to speak of any personal experience in this place,
or facts bearing upon events in the past, I may state that,
with two of the later deceased venerable pastors, whose
portraits are in view to us behind the pulpit — Rev. Saul
Clark and Rev. Stephen Dodd — I was well acquainted,
and at times with events on this spot to the glory of God
and the riches of His grace. Here it was my privilege —
76
then a resident of New Haven, my native place — during
the great revival there in 1820, 1821, and part of 1822, and
in eighty towns in this State, to visit, with other brethren,
this church in its revival, to speak and rejoice with the
pastor and church in the work of salvation. Also, in the
other section, at Fair Haven, where the revival was attended
with unusual power and results. The Rev. Horatio Brins-
made, now at Newark, N. J., then of Yale, and preparing
for the ministr}^, with others of us, labored there and re-
joiced in the work so glorious. These were days indeed
memorable. The Rev. Asaliel Nettleton, so richly blessed
as an evangelist, wrought in New Haven at the time, and
lay brethren, sixty in number, met weekly on Saturday
evening at the house of that noble Christian and merchant,
Timothy Dwight, deceased, and ministers and professors
of the college, by their presence and good words occasion-
ally, encouraged their work. Deputations of the meeting
weekl}^ visited the churches, far and near, to herald the
work and share in revival meetings with pastors and
churches in this county and over the State. Others there
are in this assembly who could, with me, witness to those
wonderful days of the outpouring of the spirit, and to
others since, most precious, and it may have been to the
salvation of some present. May these days soon return !
Loud is the call, and great the work to be done in this
land ; fearful was the baptism of blood ere the slaves, and
I Tiiny say we, were free. The millions of the freedmen,
now citizens, are to be taught and led to Christ. Africa,
from the cruel slave-trade, and some other parts must be
delivered, and they, with the nations who make them vic-
tims, must have the Gospel to be saved, and all the world,
or perish.
What but the outpouring of the spirit, and the full con-
secration of God' s people, can avail for the work and time ?
We are stimulated to-day by the virtues and efforts of
pious ancestors, but our responsibilities, with our privileges
and means, are far greater than theirs were. Let us then
resolve, by the grace of Christ, to rise higher and truly to
llim in spirit, and meet our responsibility for the salvation
77
of the world and the honor of His name, remembering that
''HJie time is shorty If the churcli militant is true, may
not the dawn of the millennium light upon entire, sancti-
fied, thronging congregations in this old and honored
" Stone Meeting-house," and with all people unite in songs
of praise to God and shouts of earth' s redemption.
Mr. Charles H. Fowler then spoke as follows :
Mr." Chairman : This day is a day of pleasure to us
all. We are born of ancestry ennobled by strong virtue
and wonderful persistency in doing whatever they believed
would tend to the growth of a virtuous, noble, honest, and
rugged manhood, and this building is a lasting monument
to their self-sacrificing endeavors. I was born in East
Haven, and though not connected with this parish church
myself, yet, to my mother, who grew up to womanhood
under its teachings, I owe a debt that can be canceled only
by the efforts of a virtuous, noble, and honest life. I feel
that every man whose parents grew up here has an interest
in the heritage that has been left us by the strong men who
laid these foundations.
This is a day of prophecy, in that so long as these
rugged walls shall stand, and the memory of their builders
shall be impressed upon the characters of living men,
strength, virtue, and honest manhood, will be a bulwark
in the defense of religion, liberty, and law.
Mr. Fowler then said, that the historical address of the
pastor is of interest to many who are not here to-day, and,
as a literary monument of painstaking industry, ought to
be preserved. He therefore moved.
That the pastor be requested to furnish the manuscript of his address to a
committee to be raised, for publication.
The motion was carried unanimously, and the committee
appointed by the chair.
Mr. Fowler then moved,
That the thanks of this assembly be hereby tendered to the ladies of this
parish, for a most bountiful and delightful dinner.
Which motion was passed, unanimously.
78
Remarks were also made by Joseph C. Farnham, Esq.,
of Brooklyn, N. Y., Joseph T>. Farren, Esq., of Lawrence,
Kan., by the chairman, Samuel T. Andrews, Esq., and
others.
The concert in the evening, under the direction of Dr.
J. G. Barnet, in spite of the storm, was fully attended, and
was of unusual excellence.
The reception at the parsonage, after the concert, was a
pleasant occasion, but the attendance was not as large as it
would have been but for the unpropitious weather. Those
present were mostly strangers, from abroad, who thus, to
the last, testified their interest in the occasion which had
called them to East Haven.
Thus ended a day, memorable in the history of this
ancient church and society, a day whose services, reunions,
and associations, have left an influence for good upon both.
£Jsto perpetua.
APPENDIX.
THE
D ECLA RATI ON
Of the Affociation of the County of
New Haven in Conne6licut,
Conven'd at New Haven, Feb. 19, 1744,-5:,
Concerning the Reverend
Mr. George Whitefield,
His Condud:, and the State of Religion at
tliis Day.
2 Cor. 13, 8. For we can do nothing against the Truth,
but for the Truth.
BOSTON:
printed and fold by T. Fleet, at the Heart and Crown
in Cornhill, 1745.
82
(2)
THE
D E C L A R AT I O N
Of New Haven Affociation, &c.
WE the Servants of Jesus Christ, and (tho' un-
worthy) Ministers of his holy Religion, being
set as Watchmen to observe, what of the Night,
to warn and guard against Ei^rors and Corrupt
Doctriiies, Disorders and bad Practices, and all such as
teach othei'wise, and consent not to wholeso77ie Words,
even the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the
Doctrines zuhich is according to Godliness ; Do with Grief
of Heart behold and lament the prevalency of Errors,
the unhappy Divisions and Separations which are in
divers Places, and the Confusions and Disorders upon
Religious Accounts, which subsist in the Land, and
think we are call'd, in a publick Manner, to bear our
Testimony against the same, in this evil Day of our
Jacob's Troubles ; and in special, with regard to the
Rev. Mr. George Whitcficld, we esteem it our Duty to
withstand him, because we think he is to be blamed,
and that in various Articles.
I. We can in no wise approve of his Itinerancy, in
going from Country to Country, from Town to Town,
and from one Place to another, under a Pretence of
preaching the Gospel ; whereas we cannot understand
that he hath any orderly Oz// thereunto, whatever Plea
he may make of his having a special Mission and Com-
mission from Heaven so to do. We are of Opinion,
that
83
(3)
that such a Plea is no Justification, nor to be in any
wise regarded, unless he can prove such his Mission by
Miracle, or some other equivalent Attestation from
Heaven, that may satisfy a Rational and Impartial
Mind: For if his own Affirmation in this Case is to
be received, every wild Enthusiast may do the same ;
and it hath been the Manner of Enthusiasts so to do :
Wherefore in this QdiS^, if he bear Witness of himself ,
his Witness is not trite. We also declare against all
that have copied after him in the Itinerant and stroll-
ing-Way of proceeding, whether Exhorters or others,
by Reason of whom the way of Trnth is evil spoken of
2. We account the said Mr. Whitefield hath been a
publisher of False Doctrine, in sundry Articles ; particu-
larly in declaring in the Pulpit, that if any Man doubted
of his Conversion, it was a certain Evidence that he had
never experienced it, in those very Words, or Words
full up to the same Sense: That an unconverted
Alinister can no more be the Instrument of a Sinner s
Conversioji, than a dead Alan can beget a living Child ;
as tho' the Efficacy of the Ministry depended upon, and
was limited to, the Sanctity of the Preacher ; as tho'
Ministers were physical Causes, and not mere moral
Instruments in the Conversion of Sinners: That a
nattcral Jllan is a motley Mixture, half Beast and half
Devil : And in fine, that God loves Siiiners with a love
of Complacejicy ; yea, that he loves Sinners as Sinners ;
which whether Blasphemous, let others judge.
3. We think him guilty of uncharitable Censorious-
ness, and Slanderous Reproaching, in the vile Aspersions,
bitter Retiections, and condemnatory Censures he hath
passed upon the main Body Q>i \\\q. Ministry in this Land,
tho' the most of them he was a perfect Stranger to, and
of most of them it may be boldly said, that they are
found in Faith, and of blameless Conversation, and his
Superiours both in Age and Abilities : Upon Arch
Bishop Tillotson, to whose Name the venerable Dr.
Increase
84
(4)
Increase Mather hath affix'd the Epithets Great and
Good, and concerning whom, with Bishop Burnet, Dr.
Colman hath both from the Pulpit and from the Press
delivered these Words, (Mr. C rs Ordination Serni.
P. 1 8.) "So were Arch Bishop Tillotson and Bishop
Burnet, Men of whom the Age was not worthy ; of
conspicuous Sanctity, abundant in their Labours, steady
in their Conduct, of unspotted integrity, of an apostoli-
cal Spirit, and ready, I believe to have died either for
their Country or for Christ : yet these Great and Good
Me?i have been loaded with Obloquy. But \.\\Q\r Na7?ies
must needs live in the History of the Church, if Truth
do not perish from the Earth." Yet a raw and un-
studied young Man starts up, and assaults the Charac-
ter of the Great and Good A — Bp. in more opprobrious
Language than that which the wicked Children used
toward the Prophet, Go up thou Bald Head ; for he hath
had the Front to say, and print, " that the Arch B — p
knew no more of Christianity than Maho?net" which we
think is very injurious, tho' we agree not in all Points
with the Arch B — p. Bold and Daring Youth ! Go,
tarry at Jericho, until thy Beard is groiun.
— And upon our Colleges, our Beauty and our Glory,
which have been, and are, and we pray that they may
be, and hope that they will be, even to the latest Pos-
terity, great and rich Blessings ; but Mr. W d hath
said of them, that their Light is become Darkness, evefi
Darkness that may be felt. We are astonish'd at the
Impudence of the Man, and that he dare to closely imi-
tate the Accuser of the Brethren.
4. He appears to us to be justly accus'd of uncom-
mon Pride and Arrogance, and vanity of Alind, in his
very liberal boasting (as he hath done in his Writings,
especially in his Journals and the History of lus Life^
of his Litimacy with God, and his frequently receiving
Messages from Heaven by the Holy Spirit, and his
great Success here and there. Had he never read,
or
88
(5)
or had he forgot that counsel and Caution of the wise
Man, Let aiiot her praise thee anel not tJiine ozvn Month,
a Stranger, and not thine own Lips ?
5. He appears to us to be a great Enthusiast, in
being led by Lnpnlses and Impressions, and construing
his little Feelings, or the sudden workings of his own.
Mind, and his Dreams, to be the Suggestions of the
Holy Spirit, without any good Scripture Ground so to
do ; and that sometimes, in such trival Matters, and in
such a Manner, as can scarcely be clear'd of Prophaness.
6. Nor can we reconcile his Conduct and Practice,
in publickly praying and administring the Sacrament
2i\'\-\Q>\\<g Presbyterians and Congregationalists, in the Ex-
tempore Way, with his Subseription and Solemn Promises
and Vows at the Time of his Episcopal Ordination ; nor
see how his doing so is consistent with moral Honesty,
Christian Simplicity, and Godly Sincerity.
These Thines, which we have alledg-'d aofainst him
as matters of Grievance and Offence unto us, we could
easily, fully and particularly prove from his own Writ-
ings, and otherwise, but that we think it needless ; it
having been sufficiently done by others, by the Presi-
dent, Professors, drT. of Harvard College ; by the Letter
signed L. K. by Mr. Henchmans Letter; the Vindica-
tion (sarcastically so called) of Mr. W d, and other
Peices which have been printed, and (as far as we know)
never yet answered.
Nor can we forbear to enumerate some of the Evils
and Mischiefs which have follow'd his Conduct, and
Management of those that have gone in his Way, and
that (as we think) are the natural Consequents of the
same, — viz. The Ministry is cast into much Con-
tempt, and their Usefulness greatly clog'd and obstruct-
ed : The Minds of People in matters of Religion
are strangely unhing'd and tluctuating, and many turn-
ing away, some to Quakerism some to Anabaptism, &c.
insomuch that many know not what to think or where
to
86
(6)
to fix, and are tempted to suspect all Revealed Religion
to be a mere Flam and Nullity.
Antinomimi Principles are advanc'd, preach'd up and
printed ; Christian Brethren have their Affections
widely alienated ; Unchristian Censoriousness and
hard judging abounds, Love stands afar of, and Charity
cannot enter ; Many Churches and Societies are
broken and divided ; Pernicious and unjustifiable
Separations are set up and continued, particularly at
Neiv Haven and Milford, which have more especially
fallen under our Observation : Numbers of illiterate
Exhorters swarm about as Locusts from the Bottomless
Pit ; — We think upon the ivholc, that Religion is now
in a far worse State than it was in i 740.
Nor have we any good Account that the said Mr.
W d hath reflected upon himself, as to these his
Faults, evil Deeds, and Misdemeanours, held forth Re-
pentance, and ask'd Forgiveness in an open and publick
Manner, as we think the Rules of the Gospel do strictly
require.
For all which Reasons, and others that might be
mention'd, it is our Judgment that the said Mr. G —
VVkitcficld should not be allowed to preach any where,
or to have Communion ; and we do hereby publish and
Declare, that it is our Purpose and Determination, that
we will not admit the said Mr. W d into any of our
Pulpits, nor receive him to Communion in any of our
Churches ; and that we will Caution the People under
our Charge against going to hear him any where, 'till
he hold forth Repentance according to Gospel Rule,
and bring forth Fruit meet for Repentance.
It hath truly been Matter of Grief to us, that so
many of the Ministers in Boston did caress, applaud and
follow the said Mr. W d, and even bow'' d before him,
at his first coming, which we conceive hath had an un-
kind Influence into the Coiintry, and set the Things of
a bad and dangerous Tendency a going ; and it is still
more
^1
(7)
more o-Hevous to us, that so many Ministers \xi Boston
appea? so attach'd to him since his Return, after the
bad Effects of his former Visit are so manifest and
o-larino- • nor do we see Reason to dissent from the Rev.
%Ar.Nat]ianid EcllsM^^^^ Words in his printed Letter
are these • / verily believe, that God in Judgment, and
not in Mercy to this People, hath sent him again into this
Country. It is verily surprizing to us, and what we
cannot account for, that Mr. W d, under his Cir-
cumstances, pubHckly charged with so much moral
Scandal, and no way clear'd of the same, should be im-
prov'd to administer the holy Sacrament, ( 1 etl it not
in Gath) and that a Gentleman of Character should
attempt a Vindication of him in his prevaricating with
solemn Vows and Promises.
But we gladly improve this Opportunity to send our
publick Thanks to the Reverend and Honoured Gen-
tlemen of Harvard College, the Reverend Associations,
and particular Ministers, who have appear'd so valiant
for the Truth, against the Errors, Enthusiasm, and en-
croaching Evils of the present Day.
Thus in a Sense of Duty, we make known our Sen-
timents and our Resolutions ; and God forbid that we
should cease to pray for the Peace of our Jerusalem :
For our Brethren and Companions sake, we will noiv say,
Peace be within thee, because of the House of the Lord our
God, we will seek thy Good. Amen.
Samuel Whittelsey, Moderator, Pastor of a Church
(in Wallingford.
Jacob Heminivay, East-Haven,
Joseph Noyes, ^^^^ ^f"['\
Samuel Hall, ^f^^ Cheshire,
Isaac Stiles, North Haven,
I nomas
S8
(8)
Thomas Ruggles, Guilford,
yo7iatJian Mcruk, A-ortli Bi'dnfo^'d,
Theophihts Hall, Mci'idcn,
Samuel WJiittelsey, Milford,
Jonathan Todd, • East Guilford,
Nathan Birdsey, West Haven,
Benjamin Woodbridge, Amity.
Not being present at the Meeting of the Associa-
tion, but having had Opportunity to peruse the above
Declaraiion, I do fully agree with the Association
therein, as tho' present.
Nathaiiiel Chauncy, of Durham.
N'orth Gjiilford, February 21, 1744,-5.
I the Subscriber, not being present at the Meeting
of abovesaid Association, yet do fully agree with, and
consent unto the above Declaration of my Brethren,
not to improve the Rev. Mr. Whitefield.
Sannicl Russell, Pastor oi North-Guilford.
Jk'?7-79
70 ,
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