Middlesex County CT Archives History - Books .....Millington Ecclesiastical Society 1887 *********************************************** 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 19, 2005, 11:27 pm Book Title: The Old Chimney Stacks Of East Haddam CHAPTER VIII. MILLINGTON ECCLESIASTICAL SOCIETY. The following is the first record of the society of Millington: "At a society meeting warned according to directions of ye law, to be holden on ye third day of December, Anno Domini, 1733, at ye mansion house of Jonathan Chapman, in ye parish of Millington, in ye town of Haddam, John Bulkley was chosen Moderator at said meeting, and James Cone was chosen Clerk and sworn to a faithful discharge of his office by John Bulkley, justice of the peace. Samuel Emmons, Samuel Olmstead, and Matthias Fuller were chosen society committee. Also, it was voted that ye society will engage some suitable person to preach ye gospel to ye people in this society; also, it was voted that the committee as above said shall apply themselves to ye Rev. Mr. Hosmer for his advice and directions in their endeavors to engage some person to preach among them as aforesaid." The meetings of the society were held at the house of Mr. John Chapman for a number of years. As near as I can ascertain, his house stood near, the lower part of the hop yard. The Rev. Mr. Hosmer, alluded to in the above report, was at that time pastor of the church in the first society. It appears by the records that the society made several applications for preachers before they succeeded in having a permanent settlement. The first religious services were held for a considerable period in a house standing near the "Burke House," on Wall street. It appears that the first call for preaching was given a Mr. Williams, for at a meeting held December, 1734, it is recorded, "that ye society will not give Mr. Williams forty shillings a day for preaching ye gospel to ye people in said society." At a society meeting held March 7th, 1735, it was voted that the committee be instructed to engage the services of the Rev. Mr. Hosmer, and, in case he refused, to apply to the Rev. Nathaniel Brainard. At the same time there was voted the sum of seventy pounds a year for the support of the ministry. June 3oth, 1736, the society applied to the Rev. Mr. Brown, and engaged him to preach the gospel for two months at thirty-five shillings a day. At a subsequent meeting, held in September, 1736, the society voted a call to Rev. Timothy Symmes, and as an inducement it was "further voted that ye society will give Mr. Symmes three hundred and twenty pounds towards his settlement, and thirty pounds in labor towards building him a house, also one hundred pounds salary and find him his firewood; and that ye society will clear, break up, fence, and sow with wheat, two acres of land, the first year Mr. Symmes is an ordained minister in said society, and also plant out one hundred of apple trees on said land ye next spring after it is sowed with wheat." This call was accepted by Mr. Symmes in a letter dated October 26th, 1736. It appears from the records of these early days of the society that the good people were early risers and transacted their business in the early part of the day, for their society meetings were generally adjourned "to ye hour of eight of ye clock in the morning." It seems that perfect harmony among the members of the society was as rare a virtue a hundred years ago as now. For a number of years the society suffered by a division arising from a difference, partially doctrinal, but more from different views in regard to forms. Finally, at a society meeting, held the 17th of April, 1776, "it was voted not to oppose a number of said parish who call themselves Old Fathers and Dissenters of New England, if they should apply to the Hon. General Assembly of this colony to be made a district Ecclesiastical Society." Several legacies were granted to the society from time to time. The first one was bequeathed by Mr. Samuel Gates, who died August 21st, 1801, of two hundred and sixty dollars. A farm was also given by Mr. Simeon.Chapman, who died March 3ist, 1813; but to be used by his children during life. This bequest amounted to four thousand two hundred and eighty dollars. A legacy of fourteen hundred and forty dollars was also left by Thomas Beebe, who died June 6th, 1816. He was a son of Dr. Beebe, .who lived a short distance southeast of the Estabrook house. A part of the old chimney still remains. Dr. Beebe was a strong Tory during the Revolutionary War, and made himself so obnoxious that a party headed by Capt. Aaron Fox took him from the house one night and gave him a coat of tar and feathers. Thomas, the legator, was not religiously inclined, and it is said that he did not make his bequest because he loved the society more, but that he loved his family less. Capt. Aaron Fox was for a number of years captain of the Millington militia. His grandfather, Ebenezer. was one of the earliest settlers of Millington. He was one of three brothers who came from England. One of them settled in Massachusetts, one in Rhode Island, and Ebenezer in Foxtown, where he built a log house near the old house built by Aaron Fox, and now owned by Matthew Fox. The brothers occasionally visited each other, taking the journey through the wilderness on horseback, their wives riding behind them. A portion of the house where Ebeneezer, a son of Aaron, recently died, was built by Enoch Arnold, about one hundred and fifty years ago. People came from a great distance to the raising. It was covered with white-oak clap boards, securely fastened with wrought nails. Two of the original rooms still remain. The Old Chimney Stack, just west of Charles Swan's, is what remains of a house built and occupied by Brockway Beebe, and later by Josiah W. Willey. Turner Miner came from New London about the year 1770, and erected a house where Charles Swan lives. The place was subsequently bought by Rufus Swan, who gave it to his son Wheeler. Turner Miner married a daughter of General Joseph Spencer by his second wife. The wife of Deacon Jeremiah Hutchins and Mrs. James Stranahan are daughters of Mr. Miner, and consequently granddaughters of Gen. Spencer. Rev. Nathaniel Miner, who preached in Millington for a number of years, is a nephew of Turner Miner. The old Estabrook house, on Millington Green, and long known as the parsonage, was built by Rev. Hobert Estabrook, who came from Canterbury and settled in Millington. Preached and died there in 1766. Hobert 2, born 1748, at Millington. Moved to Lebanon, N. H., and died in 1839, aged 91. He married Hannah Paddleford, who died May 24th, at Chatham, Conn. Children: Hannah, married Hurlbert Swan; she died September 18th, 1831, aged 57. Jerusha, born September 18th, 1775; died March 3ist, 1863; married Ira Gates. Mary, died in infancy; Mary 2, married George Little, of Pennsylvania; she died September 13th, 1836. They had four sons, who are lawyers, prominent in their profession and well off. One resides in Tunkhannock, Pa.; one in Towanda; one in Montrose, and one in Bloomsburg. They all have sons who are lawyers. Annie married Ambrose Niles about 1780. Children: Wm. H., founder of the "Sentinel and Witness" of Middletown. He and his three children are dead. His widow, aged 84, lives with the writer at Whitestone, N. Y. Col. Aaron Tarbox Niles married Rachel Ann Harris, of Millington. Had five children. All the family except the writer died many years ago. Annie Estabrook Niles, married second, John Markham, of Chatham, in 1812. She died in 1849, aged 71. He died in 1852, aged 96. Their descendants mostly live in Chatham. Olive Estabrook died young. Hobert 3, born May 9th, 1787, married Ascenath Harvey, of Millington. In November, 1827, he was appointed Commissioner of Lands, 16,000 acres belonging to the Connecticut School Fund, and moved to Newfield, N. Y. He died at Havana in 1872. Children: Robert, resides at Newfield. His children live near by. Rhoda married a Rockwell; Mary, an Alexander; Isaac, a Smith; Clara, an Allen; Addie is unmarried and lives at home. George, son of Hobert, lives at Andover; Herman lives at Ithaca; has one son, William. 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 File at -- http://files.usgwarchives.net/ct/middlesex/history/1887/oldchimn/millingt20gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ctfiles/ File size: 8.9 Kb