The Newtown bee., 1889-10-11
NewtoWn,s First Minister.

July 25, I705, and the first settlement was made ill 1109, but it was 1713 before the 30 families then on the ground were of Rev Thomas Tousey. One of the first
 recorded acts of the Newtown proprie-
 tors, September 24, I'll, was to appoint
 Lieut. William Adams to invite Mr Phin- eas Fisk ssto come to this place to preach
 a sermon amongst us and that we may
 discourse him about settling amongst us
 as minister of the Gospel for half d year or some other space of time, as may be agreed on for a trial. 4 The first town
 meeting, too, voted that Mir Fisk give them another visit, which shows him to have been generally liked. To this act ion, John Glover entered his protest.
 Twenty days later, December 24, I'll, q town meeting offered Mir Fisk petition right if he twill come and settle in New town and preach the ministry to us.r
 The next February, they were still at
 sea and Ebenezer Prindle, Samuel San
 ford, John Platt, Abraham Kimberly and
 John Griffin were picked out ito dis course minister, iu order for settling of him in Newtown.,' March IT, TIP, Mir Fisk was offered f30 in money and his wood for the first year, besides which they would fence his home lot, break it up and SOW it with wheat and be at the charge of bringing his goods into the | g,lo May ll nf that voc thxS sC,.
 part" voted for MT Fisk to be their mins ister and offered him a petition right in full with the petitioners of Newtown,
 which would have given him an equal share in all divisions of land. The peo- pie seemed bent on getting him and i'm August l2, TIP, by renewing previous inducements and adding a house, which should be of two stories, 16 feet between joints and 20x40 feet on the ground. MT Fisk appears to have rejected their gen. erosity, for October l, 1872, the town i'm structed John Glover to request Rev
 Messrs Chauncey (their old minister at
 Stratfield), Webb and some other minis
 ter of the county to come to Newtown to
 advise them and keep day of humili- ation with them ssthat God in mercy
 would direct us and prosper us with a
 man to preach the Gospel to us and that God would continue the Gospel with us.'' January 29, 1713, Mir Cook of New Ha- ven was requested to ssgive us visit at Newtown and preach a sermon." Noth- snn of hptt Mo
 Thomas Tousey of Wethersfield was vot-
 ed f30 in money and to have his home l lot sowed with wheat, ssto preach the gospel amongst us for the space of a year upon probation in order to settle
 ment.r This was the result of q town vote taken April % of that year, when Ebe-
 nezer Smith was instructed to go to 1 Wethersfield ssto treat with MT Towse of Weatherstield" and request him to
 come and give us a visit and preach q
 opertunity to discorce him, in order to
 carry on ye work of ye ministry amongst
 us." Mir Tousey probably accepted the call to preach for q year, for Newtown,
 wishing to secure his permanent services
 by regular settlement, at town meeting
 held November 16, l7l3, appointed Abra-
 ham Kimberly, John Glover, Ebenezer
 Smith, Ebenezer Prindle and John Grif- fen to discourse him ito know wheather
 he is willing to cary on ye worck of ye
 ministry in this place as loung as God
 shall grant him life and health per ye sal lery that ye town and he shall yearly agree for" The town also took action
 January II, 1714, and confirmed it April
 l5 of that year, to sell a proprietor's right in their common or undivided land, the proceeds to be used in building minis ter's house. This right was sold to Jos eph Peck of Milford, afterward town | clerk, for f45. The house did not pro-
 gross very fast, for a town meeting held
 March r, 1715, after reciting that the frame of a dwelling house has been erected for MT Thomas Tousey, voted to
 give him f1oO 'sas money for and toward completing said house." Of this sum,
 $40 was to be paid immediately, f10
 more during the year and f50 the next
 year. They also voted, We will gitand
 cart all ye stones needfuIl for underpin-
 ming, for building the chimney and com
 pleting the seller' and those familiar
 with the chimneys of the 18th century
 know that they swallowed up an enor-
 nous quantity of stone. John Foot was
 also engaged to get 5000 shingles for the
 town to use on the house. The terms of
 the agreement Mir Tousey made with the
 town, July P, 17l4, provided for honse
 to be built on i've house lott of vt right
 aloted to ye minister by ye General l Court" It was to be 42 feet long, 2l
 wide and 16 feet between joints, with a
 seller under one ende and chimnies in ye
 midst of sd house, three below and one
 in ye chamber.v The town was to find
 everything for the house but glass and
 nails and was to finish it except sslathing, I plastering and finding lime for ye cham
 bers." Mr Tousey was single man at
 this time, as his salary was to be f30 q
 year for the first three years ssand his
 board whilst he holds q single life;' if
 lie married, he was to have f13 yearly in
 .slew' of his board. The town, further
 more, was to break up 12 acres of the
 minister's land in the three years, four acres yearly and SOW it with wheat, MT Tousey to furnish the 'sseade;' half the | F acres were to be fenced in the fourth
 year. The salary was to be increased
 until it reached E60 in the sixth year.
 Provisions were to be accepted at this
 rate: Wheat four shillings q bushel; ssrey two and eight pence;'' Indian corn