Morning journal and courier., 1889-08-26
TWO AND A HALF CENTURIES.

tory -GOvernOr TreaI's Chnir - A"-
 mehse Audiences-ApproP Ser vices and Addresses-The Memorla1 InscriptiOns-Record of the Day. The First Congregational church at Mil ford. celebrated the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of it's foundation yesterday Special services were held in the church botf morning and afternoon and as the whole town turned out to attend them togethe, | with several hundred visitors from other places the spacious ediice was filled to over. l flowing at each service. The invterior of thu building has recently been redecorated and ii 1 It's special trimming presented handsome ap pearsnoe. Large bouquets were iberally placed about the pulpit and around tho gallery front. The bright colors of thu flowers contracted pleasantly with the greer back ground with which each was provided Over the entrance at the right of the plat form were the numerals 1639, and in simi' lar position on the left 1889. The pastor o the church, Rev. F. L. Ferguson, presided a the services and occupied the old chair 1T which Governor Robert Treat was accus toned to sit when performing his oficia duties. In connection with this interesting piece of antique furniture it was announced that Governor Treat, when only IS years ol age, settled in Milford in 1889. That ht
 assisted in, the survey and layout oi the town and proved very efficient in subdu ing attacks of the Indians, especially in af fording protection to the church while iti members were assembled for worship. Ht was successful in the Indian war in subduinl the Narragansetts under King Philip. Fol twenty-one years he served iu the legislature was deputy governor for seventeen years and governor of Connecticut for fifteen years The chair is now owned by Mrs. Sarah Trea Booth of this city, direct descendant of thu governor. The chair was used at the church yesterday through the courtesy of John G North and proved of interest to large DOT | ton of the vast audiences present. It fl l richly carved. The work was done in 1870 The special programme arranged for thes, | services, as published in the COURIER, prov | ed so long that large part of the historica address, as also of that of the Rev. MT. Cal houn, was omitted. The presentations to tn, | ory of as many pastors of this old churcf | were the chief feature of the day. The tab. | let's are of brass, except two, that to Rev Pinneo, being of white marble and to Rev Whittlesey of black. They were on thu programme for the morning service, bu | time for the presentation of only two was | found at that service and the others wer' presented in the afternoon. It is worthy oi note that in connection with this service per petuating the memory of the old father | of the Milford church, three being pas | tors of the church who, like those of old, ar' l representative men of capacity and piety | leaders of the people, took prominent par ! in the morning services. They are: Rev. Dr
 Daniel B. Coe, Rev. J. A. Riddle, Rev. Franl l.. Ferguson.
 Many old residents of Milford returned tt thak k<,a akk days memorial service. Large delegations from Plymouth church, Milford, and thu church at Orange were also in attendance. A dozen or more clergymen were there, nearly all of whom assisted in the services. Nearly seven hours in all were consumed in thest services. The First Church of Christ 1T Milford was organized in New. Haven Augus 22, 1889, which was before the settlement o | the town was commenced. Mather's Mag church: "There were then two famous churches gathered at New Haven-gatherei in two days, one following upon the other = Mir. Davenport's and MT. Prudden's, and witt this one singular circumstance, that mighty barn was the place wherein the duties of tha | solemnity were attended"
 The Morning Service.
 The pastor, the Rev. F. L. Ferguson, con ducted the preliminary services with the ex ception of the prayer of invocation, whicl was offered by the Rev. N. M. Calhoun O Canandaigua, N. Y., formerly of Milford Rev. Henry G. Marshall of Cromwell reat the first covenant of the church, and Rev David B. Coe, pastor of the church forty nine years ago, administered the Lords Sup per. Mir. Coe is now secretary of the Home Missionary society, with his office at New York.
 sALUTArIoN FROM ORANGE. In behalf of the Congregational church a Orange, the Rev. H. W. Hunt extended tt
 the Milford church, parent of that at Orange a cordial greeting, and congratulated it O, ] the attainment of its 250th anniversary The Orange church was originally known ai the church at North Milford. The speaker referred to the history of the church 1T Orange and the effective work of its 17( members for Christianity. During theee years the church in this country has attained less sanctimonious aspect and stronger anG deeper piety. Its vitality has been demon strated.
 THE RESPONSE.
 To the eloquent salutation of the pastor O
 the church at Orange Deacon Henry 0 Platt of the Milford church responded. H. | returned hearty thanks for the kind, Chris | tian greeting extended by the daughte | church in Orange. Mir. Platt entered @ | some length into the establishment of tn \ Orange church as an offshoot from that o Milford. The old founders of the churcl are gone, but the fruits of their labors re
 main.
 GREETING FROM PLYMOUTH.
 Mir. A. A. Baldwin, senior deacon of tn Plymouth church, bore to the old Firs church the congratulations of her daughter The founders laid foundations broad ant deep, he said, for time, for the days il | which you and I live, for heaven. Wh | can measure the influence of the men an, | women who have gone out from this place | It will not be measured until we shall al sittogether around the throne on high ol
 the great judgment day. He referred 10 tn
 contrast between the present day and tw' hundred and fifty years ago when the wor
 shippers came through the paths of the wil
 derness trusting in God and yet keepinl
 their old flint locks with them. The recol lections of these years should fire our heart
 as patriots, should i'll cur minds witl | Christian zeal.
 REsPoNsE TO PLYMOUTH.
 The pastor of the First church, the Rev t greeting to Plymouth church which secede' | from his church five generations ago. Tn days of the separation were days of sever | theological discussion. At that time tn fathers sought to place over the church | pastor of more progressive thought than thu | preceding years had known. But of the diff ferences of those years only the good effect | remain.
 THE MEMORIAL TABLETS.
 The presentations of the memorial tablet were next in order. Two of them were pre-
 sented but the ceremonies attendant on tn, others were left to the afternoon service a the hour was growing late.
 TO PETER PRUDDEN.
 The tablet to the memory of Rev. Peter Prudden, first pastor of the church, wht presided over the church from 1e39-1858
 was presented by Henry Prudden of thi city. No stone, no epitsph marks the grav' | of Peter Prudden and the tablet is placed ir the church by a relative to take, in som, measure, the place of @ monument. In pre-
 senting the tablet MT. Prudden referred a,
 some length to the life of the early pastor to his characteristics as man and his con- ! nection with the Milford church. The in. l scription on the tablet reads. /
 Peter Prudden, founder and pastor of this church from It's establishment in 1639 till his death in 1856 T am sure 'tis blessed child of God whose nam, is before us, who besides his other excellent quail ties was noted for . singular faculty to sweeten compose and qualify exasperated spirits and stor of Milford enjoyed peace with truth all his days He continued an able and faithful servant of the
 was f by ts colony G as the M of pillar which made the whole fabric to shake. :