Litchfield County CT Archives History - Books .....Church Of Separates 1882 *********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ct/ctfiles.htm *********************************************** ************************************************************************ The USGenWeb Project makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. It is always best to consult the original material for verification. ************************************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com May 23, 2005, 2:41 pm Book Title: HISTORY OF THE TOWNS OF NEW MILFORD AND BRIDGEWATER, CONNECTICUT, 1703-1882 CHAPTER XII. CHURCH OF THE SEPARATES. 1753—18l2. KINDNESS, used as an element of power, instead of law, would have saved the Church and the world millions of men, treasure, and great honor, and would have elevated the human race far beyond anything as yet attained. While law is not to be discarded, yet it is proper to recognize the fact that it has been used, in a vast majority of cases, in the Church and out of it, as a matter of will, to gratify the anger and dictatorial feelings of men. The beginning of the influences which were largely the cause of the formation and existence of the Separatists' Church, in New Milford, were started and propagated by the idea of compelling people to obey the regulations of a legal church, while still pretending that the gospel taught the spirit of freedom and kindness. This occurred in a town vote in 1745, upon the question of settling a minister, the Rev. Noah Wells. The proceedings were such on that occasion as to lead thirty-five influential men to pledge themselves against that action, and to induce two of the leaders to pledge themselves to prosecute the matter in the county court if the decision of the meeting should be carried out in the settlement of Mr. Wells. These leaders, Joseph Ruggles and William Drinkwater, afterwards became strong men in starting, sustaining, and upholding the Separate Church. They were men of decided ability, means, and public influence, although they did not long remain in the town. The First Church paid most dearly for the exercise of the power placed in its hands by the Civil authority or State law, for by it they gave opportunity for all the objections which were urged by the "New Lights " against the "Standing Order" (i. r., the legally established church) as not strict enough, and as uniting the power of the state with the Church, as the Catholic and English churches had done through hundreds of years. The Separatists' Church of New Milford was organized on the 1st day of May, 1753, when there was "a meeting held at the house of Nathan Gayiord, when John Palmer, pastor of the Church of Christ at Scotland, and Jonathan Story, pastor of the Church of Christ at Norog, Long Society, being present, witnesseth the Church's coming together and making their confession of faith, which is as follows, and signing the .Covenant, as may appear hereafter by their names being subscribed." The Confession and Covenant, covering four sides of a foolscap sheet, are preserved, but, most unfortunately, the sheet with the names on it is lost, and hence no catalogue of the members is to be found. Some of the names, however, have been obtained through the records of the First Church and Mr. Griswold's historical sermon. The Confession of Faith as here adopted is very much the same as has been generally used in the Congregational churches in Connecticut for fifty years previous to 1840; possibly a little more definite in extreme Calvinistic phraseology. After the organization of this church, they were visited by lay-preachers as well as by pastors of churches, and meetings were held by lay-preachers, at which times they attended, and this fact was one of the charges brought against them, as recorded by Mr. Taylor, in the church book. "He had absented himself from the communion of the Church and neglected, the public worship of God on the Lord's day, attending upon lay-preaching, countenancing an unlawful and unchristian separation." This church continued to increase in numbers and influence, so that in 1759 they made application, and obtained liberty of the town, to erect a meeting-house, the town voting, December 10, 1759, "that the Separates (so called) shall have liberty to erect a convenient house for their public worship in some proper place in the highway as shall be thought proper in said New Milford, for that and no other use, and Capt. Botsford, and Mr. Thatcher and Mr. Job Gould are chosen a committee to view the circumstances of the place, and to establish and stake it out." The following is the report of the committee: " January 7, 1760. Then laid out a piece of land in New Milford, in the highway by the burying-place that runs northward up the town street easterly from Doct. John Carrington's home-lot, which land is to build a meeting-house upon for the worship of God for those persons that are called Separates, bounded as follows: beginning at the northeast corner at a heap of stones joining to the burying-place, then running southwardly 60 feet, then westerly 40 feet, then northerly 60 feet, then easterly to the first place; bounded east by the burying-place." The place was established in the eight-rod highway, then adjoining the burying-place in the village, but a part of that highway has since been added to the burying-place (now the cemetery), and hence the site is within the enclosure, at the left hand, immediately on entering the cemetery, by the carriage-way. Their meeting-house on this site was built in 1761, as stated in Mr. Griswold's sermon, which is undoubtedly correct, and remained there until about 1817. In 1754, this church, or its members, petitioned the First Society as follows: " Upon the memorial of Thomas Weller, Lemuel Bostwick, Eleazer Beecher, Ebenezer Hotchkiss, Nathan Gaylord, Jonathan Botsford, David Camp, Israel Baldwin, Michael Brownson, and Benjamin Phillips, inhabitants of. this society, showing that the said memorialists soberly dissent from the way of worship and method of supporting the ministry established, by the laws of this Colony, and that they do maintain and attend the public worship of_.God among themselves, in a way agreeable to their consciences; praying this society to show their minds, whether they are willing that the memorialists should be exempted from paying taxes for the support of the ministry and building meeting-houses for the established constitution, etc.: Voted, that this society are willing that the persons named in the memorial shall be exempted from paying taxes for the future as they request, so long as they shall continue soberly to dissent from the established constitution as aforesaid, provided the Hon. General Assembly (upon application to them made) shall approve the same." In the record of the First Church, in 1750, citing persons before that body as having separated themselves, the following are named: Joseph Ruggles, Jonathan Botsford and his wife, Eleazer Beecher and his wife, Lemuel Bostwick and his wife, Jonathan Buck and his wife, Ebenezer Hotchkiss, Ann, the wife of Joseph Buck, David Beardsley and his wife, Ellen Mackeney. This was three years before the Separate Church was organized, and, after two years, Ann Buck, David Beardsley, and his wife returned, made satisfaction, and the church accepted them. In 1773 the following were called to account by the First Church as having separated from it: Samuel Comstock, Caleb Terrill, Jr., Joseph Hart well, Capt. Isaac Bostwick and his wife, Stephen Chittenden, John Wilkinson, Moses Johnson, Anna, wife of Israel Camp. The following persons are named by Mr. Griswold as Deacons of this church: Nathan Gaylord, Israel Baldwin, Jr., Israel Baldwin, John Beecher, Ebenezer Hotchkiss, Riverius Stilson. Mr. Griswold also says (in 1801) of this church: "Their first Elder who preached statedly here, though he was not ordained over them, was Mr. Elihu Marsh. The second was Mr. Robert Campbell, who was the first that was ordained over them. He was ordained here twenty-nine years ago, continued about twelve years, and was then dismissed and left the town. Their third Elder was Mr. Barnabas Lathrop, who was not ordained over them, but came here about ten years ago, and preached with them about two years. He afterward joined the Presbyterian society, and died in this town April 10, 1796, aged 57 years. Their fourth and now officiating Elder is Mr. Daniel Hine. He has been ordained over them four years." Rev. Daniel Hine continued to preach to this church until about 1812, when he resigned, and recommended his church to disband and unite with the First Church; but, after giving up their church organization, they united with different churches. Several of them, residing in the north part of the town, united with the Baptist church at Northville. Mr. Hine, their last Elder, a good man, and faithful, resided in the town until his decease in 1835, in ms eighty-sixth year, and here his descendants still remain. Some further account of the persons connected with this church will be of interest. Capt. Joseph, Ruggles, then of New Haven, bought a Right of land in New Milford for £200, in November, 1733, which he sold the next spring for £300, and bought another right for £325 (January 19, 1734). Upon this Right he had land laid out to him on the 18th of the next March: "Twenty acres, in several pieces, in Still River Neck." "May 27, 1735. Laid to Joseph Ruggles forty acres, in the Still River Neck, near to Newtown line, across Hop Brook; also three acres in Still River Swamp, near the mouth of Four Mile Brook." Mr. Ruggles settled in New Milford at the Half-way Falls on Still River, in 1733 or 4, and was a partner in the enterprise at that place called the Iron Works, where he resided until about 1750, when he returned, with some of his family, to New Haven to reside, but leaving several of his sons and daughters and their families here. The Ruggles family was an influential one in the town for more than one hundred years, and are said to have been peculiar in this respect, that, if any one family was unfortunate, the other families and individuals of the name would join in supplying the loss, and enable the family to go on in the ways of prosperity, as if no calamity had happened. That is, instead of struggling to be independent of each other, they always clung together, each to help the others. It is impossible for a pen to pass on without commending this spirit, which is so great a contrast to what is often exhibited in the world. Capt. Joseph Ruggles was a stirring, intelligent business man,—above the average, as indicated in several ways, especially in the matter of establishing schools at the South Farms, as the region where he resided was then called, and the matter of sustaining the Separate Church in its beginning at New Milford against the disciplining effort "of the legal First Church; for, in about 1810, the old First Church became established on the foundations, almost precisely, in real fact, that Mr. Ruggles sustained in 1750. Capt. Lazarus Ruggles, son of Capt. Joseph, Sen., remained in New Milford when his father returned to New Haven, and soon after married Hannah Bostwick, and became an influential and estimable citizen, and departed this life in 1797. Philo Ruggles, his son, became a lawyer of note in New Milford, removed to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where the family became very influential, and was much esteemed. Benjamin Ruggles, eldest son of Captain Joseph, was a good citizen, remained in Brookfield, and died early. Capt. Joseph Ruggles, Jr., son of Captain Joseph, died in 1802, aged 71 years. He was appointed by the Assembly, in 1761, captain, of the first military company organized in the society of Newbury, now Brookfield, and was for many years an influential business man. Samuel Ruggles, another son of Captain Joseph, Sen., resided on his father's homestead, and his son Samuel and his daughter Lucia constituted an important part of the first company of missionaries that went to the Sandwich Islands. (See Biog.) Dea. Eleazer Beecher came from Milford a single man, and settled in New Milford before 1726, when he united with the First Church, and in October of 1729 married Frances Oviatt. He possessed great energy of character, was prominent in the transactions of the town, and was a successful farmer. He voted against what were said to be illegal proceedings in the effort of 1745 to settle Mr. Noah Wells, and was among the first, with his wife, who were cited before the First Church to make satisfaction for separating from that church, but as he lived until 1797, to the good age of 90 years, the censures of the church did not harm him seriously. If he could have lived about thirteen years longer he would have seen the old church fully established on the platform he adopted fifty years before. Mr. Griswold placed him as one of the deacons of the First Church, but Rev. Mr. Taylor made the following record in the church book, Mr. Beecher having officiated on trial as a deacon over two years in that church:—"February, 1750-51. At a church meeting regularly warned, it was fully voted in ye negative yt Eleazer Beecher should not be established in ye office of a deacon; he fell off to a party called Separates and could not be reclaimed." He was a deacon many years in the church of the Separates. Jonathan Buck came with his father Jonathan, Sen., from Wethersfield to New Milford, in 1716, and married Betsey Bostwick in 1733, and had seven children. He and his wife were cited before the First Church to answer for separation from it, but did not return. Ann, the wife of Joseph Buck, returned to the First Church in 1752. She was the daughter of William Gould, the millwright, and her husband Joseph was brother to Jonathan, Jr., as above described. David Beardsley and his wife, formerly of Stratford, came from Newtown and joined the First Church by letter in 1748. He and his wife returned to the First Church in 1752. Jonathan Botsford, with his wife Betsey, came from Milford and united with the First Church in 1737, but voted against the so-called illegal proceedings in 1745, and afterwards drew off to the Separates. They were cited to make satisfaction and return, but they continued in the Separate Church. Lemuel Bostwick, son of John 1st., came to New Milford and united with the First Church in 1727, and in 1729 married Anna Jackson of Stratford. He resided at first near the Great Falls, east side of the river, where he lived until after 1769, but later he removed to Lower Merryall, where he died, and where some of his descendants still reside. He was one of the choristers in the First Church some years, from 1741. He possessed a noble personal appearance, for which he was quite noted, and is reported as being a remarkably good man; one of those whom everybody delighted to meet. He sang his way on, until 87 years of age, then "departed this life." Anna, his widow, died at Hinesburg, Vt., in 1800, aged 92 years. A beautiful life; happy home; length of days;—what record more complete? Dea. Ebenezer Hotchkiss came, Mr. Griswold's sermon says, from Long Island, and married, in New Milford, Hannah Terrill, January 10, 1742. The records do not show when he joined the First Church, but he was cited to appear before it, with his wife and others, in 1750. He was afterwards deacon in the Separate Church, probably, many years. Joseph Hartwell came from Stoughton, Mass., married in New Milford, Rebecca, sister to Roger Sherman, in 1752. He was cited to appear before the First Church in 1773, to make satisfaction for separation and union with the Separate Church, but he continued with the latter. A question may arise as to why these persons who desired to join the Separate Church did not take a certificate from the First Church in the beginning, and thereby have no further trouble. The answer is that one lawful church, in those times, would not recognize another church within its parish by giving such a certificate or permit. None of these persons, however upright their character, could obtain, or ever did obtain, such a certificate. The only effort to obtain one, was made by Captain Joseph Ruggles, Sen., after he removed from the parish, and he did not succeed. The only way persons could be free from membership in a lawful church, and remain in the parish of said church, was by being expelled, with all the dishonor that such expulsion could bring to bear upon them. No relief could be found then as now by civil law to protect character, for the civil law was the church in real fact. It is historically true that a fair proportion of the men and women who went from the First to the Separate Church, were among the very best, most faithful, true Christians, in the town, and that they made the change in the only Christian way possible for them; and hence the whole question of the doings of the old church in Connecticut in this matter is one of nothing but mortification and chagrin to a true Congregationalist. Benajah Stone, of Branford, purchased, in February, 1742, about seventy acres of land in the North Purchase, for £100, and in 1749, when residing in Woodbury, bought of Job Gould, of New Milford, 130 acres of land, with a dwelling-house on it, lying to the northeast of the Park Lane school-house, on the west side of the north and "south road, the place being still known as the Old Stone Farm. He soon after bought more land in that vicinity, and in 1752 he purchased another seventy acres in the North Purchase for £200. His descendants still remain in the vicinity of the old farm, on the road direct from Park Lane to New Preston. Elihu Marsh settled in New Milford, at the place now called Jerusalem, on Rocky River, where he resided until his decease. He officiated as the minister of the Separate Church in New Milford, and as such was of very great importance to that church, for they were not able to pay the salary of a regularly-installed minister, and Mr. Marsh had an independent property of his own. Whether he ever received any salary is unknown, but he probably served them as their minister several years while living in New Fairfield, and three years after settling in New Milford. Stephen Chittenden came from Guilford into the town about 1765, and married here, probably, as a second wife, Mary "Bardsley" in that year, and was summoned before the First Church in 1773. Whether he removed or died here is not known. His son Stephen, Jr., married here, but seems to have removed soon after 1804. John Wilkinson from England, settled in the town about 1743, and united with the First Church in 1770, and went to the Separates in 1773. He married here and had a large family. Moses Johnson came from Newtown, and married Eunice Brownson; had a family of seven children. Peter Johnson, perhaps a brother, was here and married, about the same time, but both families seem to have left the town about 1780. Caleb Terrill, Jr., son of Caleb, born in New Milford, married Eunice Coggswell, of New Preston Society, in 1768, and resided, probably, in that part of the town, and had one son and two daughters. Capt. Isaac Bostwick, son of Lemuel, led the first company that went out of New Milford in the Revolution, to Boston, where they remained some months. After, if not before, the Revolution he became owner in a mill property at Lanesville, or the Great Falls, and was for a number of years a very influential man in the town. While town treasurer for a number of years, he became involved in money matters, and surrendered a large proportion of his property to the town to meet his deficiencies, in all which he was treated with great consideration and respect by the town authorities. The date of his death is not known. The family, some of them, and the widow, removed to Hinesburg, Vt. But few if any men were more active and influential in the town than he during Revolutionary times. Dea. Nathan Gaylord, son of William the first, joined the First Church in 1727; went to the Quakers in 1731, but united early with the Separatist movement, became a deacon in that church, and was well known and respected in the town. The Separate Church was organized at his house, a little way up the Aspetuck River, in 1753, and it is probable that the meetings of that church were held at his house much of the time until their meeting-house was built, in 1761. He died suddenly in 1769, in the sixtieth year of his age, and the inscription on his tombstone in the New Milford cemetery is not without both beauty and sadness. Dea. Israel Baldwin,, Sen., came from Milford; was the son of Samuel, and one of four brothers who settled in New Milford. Israel settled on the Litchfield road half a mile south of Theophilus Baldwin's, where he resided until his death. Samuel Baldwin was one of the four brothers; all of whom were like the Baldwins everywhere—good, reliable, honorable citizens. Gamaliel Baldwin, another brother, settled in Park Lane, where he established a fine home, which he sold, with his farm, in 1748, to Roger Sherman for £1,500, and he removed to the north part of Sherman. Dea. Israel Baldwin, Jr., brother to Gamaliel, was a deacon in the Separate Congregational Church, and resided on the homestead of his father. Abiel Baldwin, the fourth brother, settled on land laid to the father or brothers, in the northeast part of the town, where his descendants still remain. Dea. John Beecher, son of Eleazer, 2d, and twin brother of Eleazer, 3d, born in 1773, is said by Mr. Griswold to have been deacon of the Separate Church, resided about a mile east of the old Beecher home, on what was then called the Bound Hill road. He and his twin brother were twins in all their business transactions as well as blood, each always referring to what his brother might think in regard to all bargains and work. Dea. Riverius Stilson married Anne, dau. of Dea. Israel Baldwin, in 1767; his residence was on Stilson Hill. He is highly spoken of. He died in 1802, in his fifty-eighth year. This family, which occupied a prominent place in the town for many years, is now without a representative in it, many of them having removed to other parts of the country. David Camp, son of Samuel, one of the early settlers in the town, came with his father, and married Sarah Terrill of Woodbury, and settled on the west side of Poplar Swamp, near the present Park Lane school-house. He died in 1782. Fines Remitted. "December 10, 1787. Voted, that the fine which Joseph Squire is subjected to pay the town on trial for bringing in and entertaining unwholesome inhabitants, etc., be remitted, and he is by this vote released from paying said fine—he paying all costs of prosecution." This referred, probably, to Tories, whom the town had voted could not be acceptable citizens in the town; that is, those who had gone away, as quite a number had, during the war. "December 27, 1790. Voted, that the town treasurer give up the note he holds against Liffe Sanford for ten shillings, which was given by said Sanford for a fine." "December 10, 1792. Voted, that the town treasurer be and he is hereby directed to give up to Doct. Benjamin Warner and Reuben Warner, their two several notes of hand which beholds against them, which was given by them as fines for their two sons' breach of the Sabbath." "December 17, 1810. Voted, that sundry notes of hand formerly given to the town treasurer for fines be relinquished, and the notes given up, viz.: one of Thomas Davis, one of Jacob Reed, one of Robert and Gaius Norton, one of Eli Todd, one of Silas Lainson, one of William Conn, one of Paul Welch, Jr., and one of Harry Negro; all dated 8th December, 1797." "June, 1821. Voted, that a fine of $1.67 laid upon Hawley Morehouse as a fine for breach of the Sabbath, be remitted." In the list of assessments for the year 1790, we find the following record of occupations: Attorneys. Daniel Everitt, Esqr., Samuel Bostwick, Esqr., Nicholas S. Masters, Esqr. Merchants. Daniel and Elijah Boardman, Ithamar Canfield, Mead and Lockwood, Camp and Warner, Eli Todd. Tavern-keepers. William Clark, Col. Samuel Canfield, Riverius Camp, John Hull, Sherman Boardman, Esqr., Benjamin Stone, John Morehouse, Jonathan Downs. Physicians. Chauncey Lowrey, Lemuel Thomas. Blacksmiths. George Welton, Asa Prime, Abijah Bennett, Samuel Couch. Shoemakers. Abner Gunn, Epinetus Gunn, Thomas Wells, Wakefield Noble. Saddler. Noadiah Mygatt. Silversmiths. Isaac Beach, William Clark. Hatter. Josiah Lockwood. Joiners. Jonathan Mygatt, John Couch, Daniel Lines, Richard Bristol. Millers. Stephen Miles, John Murry, etc., N. G. Wheelwright. John Sturdevant, Jr. In 1787 the number of sheep reported on the list as owned in the town was 4,375. In the Assessors' List for 1793 there are the following names additional to the above in the list of occupations: Attorneys. Philo Ruggles. Merchants. William Taylor, Peter Fairchild, Riverius Camp, Clark and Baldwin, Samuel Lockwood. Tavern-keepers. EliTodd, Benajah Stone, Amasa Ferriss. Blacksmith. Elihu Ruggles. Saddler. Abijah Beach. Shoe-makers. Stephen Chittenden, Jr., William Doan, Joseph Peck, Nathaniel Lockwood, Abel Fost (perhaps Frost), Jared Terrill (New Preston), Philander Beers. Joiners. Nathaniel Ruggles, Ephraim Lyon, John Roburds, Hinman Hurd. Grist-mills. Justus Miles, 1/2 mill with Stephen Miles, Philip Wells, Nathaniel Taylor. Masons. Daniel Sherwood, Reuben Sherwood, George Milligan, Eli Dayton. Coopers. Ezra Marchant, Jedediah Marchant, Asa Baldwin, Daniel Comstock. Tailors. Clark Blackney, Samuel Garlick, Edmund Garlick, Stiles 'Goodsell (New Preston). Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF THE TOWNS OF NEW MILFORD AND BRIDGEWATER, CONNECTICUT, 1703-1882, BY SAMUEL ORCUTT AUTHOR OF THE HISTORIES OF TORRINGTON, WOLCOTT, AND DERBY, AND THE INDIANS OF THE HOUSATONIC AND NAUGATUCK VALLEYS, CONNECTICUT. HARTFORD, CONN.: PRESS OF THE CASE, LOCKWOOD AND BRAINARD COMPANY. 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