Middlesex County CT Archives History - Books .....Baptist, Methodist And Episcopal Churches 1887

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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com May 20, 2005, 11:05 am

Book Title: The Old Chimney Stacks Of East Haddam

CHAPTER XII.
BAPTIST, METHODIST AND EPISCOPAL CHURCHES.

  The Baptist Church in East Haddam was originally "The Third Baptist Church in
Colchester." The Church was organized at the house of David Miner, November 22d,
1809. The first meeting was held at Bulkley Hill school house December 15th,
1809—preaching by Elder Eliada Blakesley. Among the familiar names of the early
members are John and Guy Bigelow, Daniel Bulkley, Anson Ackley, Seth Hayes and
Turner Miner. The church prospered and increased in numbers notwithstanding they
had no regular place of worship, services being held in the school house and
occasionally at the house of some member for sixteen years. The first meeting in
East Haddam was held at the school house in the northwest district December 22d,
1825. Soon after, on the i5th of December, the first meeting was held in their
new meeting house on the East Haddam and Colchester Turnpike, where Ransom
Rathburn now lives. About this time the name was changed to "The Baptist Church
of Colchester and East Haddam." The first sermon in the new meeting house was
preached by Elder Stanwood, from the text: "One thing have I desired of the
Lord, and that will I seek after, that I might dwell in the house of the Lord."
Changes in place of worship, and the erection of new meeting houses are not
generally productive of harmony in any denomination. It seems that this change
was no exception to the general rule, for cases of discipline, for contempt
against some of the most prominent-members, became quite frequent soon after the
removal. In fact, during the fifty years that have elapsed since that time this
society has been particularly prominent in its intestine strifes. The last
strife, but a year or two since, wherein the Beebe faction was arrayed against
the Brooks and Stark faction in the civil and ecclesiastical courts. Injunctions
and counter injunctions, more potent than the Pope's bulls, closing the doors of
the church for months; a fight which was widely known and discussed as the
"Moodus Church war," is fresh in the memory of every townsman. The first pastor
of the new church was Alvin Ackley, June 19th 1827. June 18th, 1833, Amos
Watrous, and on September 3d, 1845, Thomas N. Dickinson were set apart as
preachers of the Word. August 1st, 1844, it was voted to sell the meeting house
in Millington, and put the avails in a building for public worship in
Mechanicsville (Moodus). On the 21st of September following, the church was
organized, under the name of the "Central Baptist Church in East Haddam." New
articles of faith were adopted, and since that time the place of worship has
been at their new house in Moodus.

  The first pastor of the church in Mood us was Elder Bela Hicks, whose
successors have been as follows:

  Rev. A. J. Watrous, Elder Knapp, Levi Wakeman.
  June 18th, 1854—Elder James M. Phillips.
  August 31st, 1856-—Elder A. Watrous.
  May 3d, 1858—Rev. A. V. Dimmock.
  September 6th, 1862—Rev. Mr. Haven. 
  March 25th, 1866—Rev. Thomas Attwood.
  April 30th, 1867—Rev. Percival Matthewson. 
  May 8th, 1870—Rev. C. N. Nichols.

  The present parsonage was.purchased in  1868 for two thousand dollars.

  "The M. E. Church of the Mechanicsville Station" was organized, and the church
erected upon its present site about 1834. It is under the control of the
Providence Conference. The Presiding Elders of the district have been as follows:

Daniel Dorchester, 1835-37
Asa U. Swinerton, 1838-41
William Livesey, 1842
Ralph W. Allen, 1843-46
Erastus Benton, 1847-50
Bartholomew Otherman, 1851-54
Levi Daggett, 1855-56
Anthony Palmer, 1857-58
L. W. Blood, 1859-60
Erastus Burton, 1860-62
George U. Carpenter, 1863—64
Parden T. Keeney, 1865-69
George W. Brewster, 1870
H. S. Smith, 1870—73
Anthony Palmer, 1873—74
James H. Nutting, 1874-77
A.W.Paige, 1877-78
A.E.Anthony, 1878

The following is the list of preachers:

Freeman Nutting, 1835
Amos Simpson, 1835
David Todd, 1836-37
John F. Blanchard, 1837
James Nichols, 1838
Solomon Cushman, 1838
Theodore W. Gile, 1839
Charles C. Barnes, 1841
Moses Stoddard, 1841
William Simmons, 1846
B. L. Sayer, 1847
Henry Torbush, 1849
Geo. W. Brewster, 1850
R. Albiston, 1851-52
Warren Emerson, 1853-54
J. F. Sheffield, 1855
N. Goodrich, 1858-59
H. W. Conant, 1860
—— Burnham, 1860
L. D. Bentley, 1861
C. M. Alvord, 1862-63
F. H. Brown, 1864
G. W. Wooding, 1865-67
Joel B. Bishop, 1868
William Turkinton, 1868-69
J. N. Worcester, 1870
H. S. Smith, 1871

  The Episcopal Society was formed April 27th, 1791, in consequence of a
division among the people of the First Congregational Society respecting the
location of their present meeting house. In 1792 the Rev. Solomon Blakeley was
placed over the Society as deacon, and a year later was placed in full orders.
He labored with this and neighboring societies for more than twenty years. He
moved to St. James Church, New London, in 1815. Returned, and again became
rector from 1818 to October 8th, 1821. The rectors who succeeded him were as
follows:

  Rev. Seth Paddock, during part of the year 1822.
  Rev. William James, from October 8th, 1822, until January 29th, 1827.
  Rev. Peter G. Clark, two-thirds of the time from November 8th, 1827, until
May, 1833.
  Rev. Stephen Beach, from June 20th 1833, until his death. January 14th, 1838.
  Rev.  William G. Hyes, from June, 1838, until November 1st, 1838.
  Rev. Charles W. Bradley, from February 10th, 1839, until August 2d, 1840.
  Rev. Albert G. Isaacs, (deacon) from August to November, 1840.
  Rev. Thomas G. Salter, from March 21st, 1841, until November 21st, 1842.
  Rev. Alex. Burgen (deacon), from November 28th, 1842, until December 11th, 1842.
  Rev. Henry DeKoven (deacon), was appointed minister October 29th, 1843, and
resigned September 1st, 1844.
  Rev. Alpheus Geer, from September 1st, 1844, until April 12th, 1852.
  Rev. George W. Nichols, from May 19th, 1852, until April 12th, 1853. Again,
from July 2d, 1854, until September 30th, 1855.
  Rev. B. F. Taylor, from December, 1853, to July, 1854.
  Rev. Gilbert B. Hayden, from September 30th, 1855, until September 17th, 1856.
  Rev. Michael Scofield, from September to November, 1856.
  Rev. H. B. Hitchings (deacon), from 1857, until November 1st, 1862.
  Rev. Henry T. Gregory, from November, 1862, until April 13th, 1868. During his
pastorate the present parsonage was built.
  Rev. E. C. Gardner, from October, 1868, until 1872.
  Rev. George Rumsey, from February 7th, 1872, until October, 1884.
  Rev. A. T. Parsons succeeded Mr. Rumsey, and is still in charge (1886). He is
a graduate of Trinity College and Berkley Divinity School.

  Inscription on the bell of St. Stephens Church:
" Ano de 815,
Serudo Prion E. I. V.,
P. Du Miguel Villa
Mueva Procunador,
El V. Du Josef 
Estavana.   A. D. 815.

Som do, Prion E. J. V. P. Du Miguel Villa 
Mueva Procunador, Elv. Du Josef Estavano."

TRANSLATION.
The Prior, being the most Rev. Father Miguel Villa Mueva, The Procurator, the
most Rev. Father Jose F. Estevan-Corvalis has made me. Made in the year A. D. 815.

  It hung many years in a Spanish Monastery, and was taken down during the wars
of Napoleon I. It is said to be the oldest bell in the United States.


Additional Comments:
Transcribed from:

THE OLD CHIMNEY STACKS OF EAST HADDAM, MIDDLESEX COUNTY, CONNECTICUT,
BY
HOSFORD B. NILES,
Author of Genealogy of THE NILES FAMILY.
NEW YORK: LOWE & CO., Book and Job Printers No. 210 Fulton Street.
1887


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