Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1889-07-19
NORTH HAVEN ANNALS.

The Vitality OF the Old Parish-mr'
Pierpont,s Call-NOt Munihcene JON
athan Edwards Called In vnin-Jonh
ssaIes, Important Innuence In tne
Town.
II did not take long for the parish to re-
cover from the shock occasioned by the Rev.
Mr.. Wetmore's detection and dismission. Al
has been stated, there was plenty OF vitality
left. Their first overtures for successor
we're made February 10, 1888:
"Royerend Gentlemen: This society having fresh
p sSs Sd having brought
us into such circumstances as yourselves Know, pc,
Ing q, o. sanuet OF ye Reyd Elders Of
We county. to ye Rev. Mr.. James Pierpont 70 come
and preach among us for probation In orusr 10 se'
Element"
Pending an answer to the above, they en-
gagged Rev. Mr.. Russell to supply the pulpit
two months for twenty-five shillings for
each days service. The association saw
nothing Objectionable In the Rev. MIR. Pier
point and 80 signifed to the waiting people.
The way being clear then, the parish made
the following proposition Tin substancs) to
him:
"Agre,d on by ye Society TO make offers to ye
Rev Mr.. James Pierpont to come and settle
amongst them In We work OF ye ministry as follows:
Rev Mr.. James Pierpont for his incoriagementt to
come and settle amongst them, ye sum OF eot year.
Sesres so se 70 yearly
long as he shall carry on We work or ye ministry
amongst them to be paid to him IN money III pills
and size pence for bushe; Rye. three shingS ano
sixe pence for bushel; Indian Corne two shillings
and size pence for bushel."
This offer was not muni6cent enough to
IT. frov nj ami
five weeks later they tried him again.
Then agreed on by ye Society that they will give
to 70 Rev. MIR. James Perpont for his tncorlags'
Of yo ministry a ys sum Of i5os to be paid
within ye space of three years at 5oe year to be
them in We work Of We ministry
adIy-X And for his salary, three pence half penny
eiet " By We good Providence Of God shall increase
to such in We list that three pence half penny
his stated SALARY yearly soc long as he shall con,
tinue pasture Of this church and minister Of this So
70 Ss Psd R three shs
Indian Corno two shillings and six pence"
But Mr.. Pierpont was still obdurate, and
this proposition also failed to secure him,
Next they sought permission from the Asso
citation to give the Rev. Jonathan Edwards q
"call to come and preach among them on
probation" Mr.. Edwards was then tutor
| In Yale college and declined to leave his
post. Then In December the Society Com
mittee were instructed to give Rev. Jedediat
Mills an opportunity to become Mr.. Wet
more's successor If his probationary preach
| ing should warrant such a course; but THU
| plan too, failed, and now more than a yea
| had gone by and the flock was still shepherd
| less.
Perhaps they began to see they had Sc
| their standard of spiritual tastes to high, ant
| that II was bootless to single out the risins
suns In the clerical armament to shine OF
| their little world in the wilderness. At any
rate, they grew less dictatorial In their wants
as the following shows:
| "Dec. fs: 1873.
| Agreed on by ye Society that ye committees ar
| whom they may think fit TO come and preach
l amongst them on probation"
| The free translation of such instruction.
gave the committee more discretionary powe
than they had before, and at the same mo-
msnt laid greater responsibility on them
Their names were:
Ebenezsr Frost,
/ Joseph Clark.
Twenty-Five years before the events JUS
| mentioned were occurring, boy had beer
born In Windsor, Conn.,, destined to WELD NJ
| uncomfortable influence in the history Of
this town. In the parish register at Middle
broke, Bedfordshire, England, may be seer
the following entry: "John Stiles was bap-
tized the Eve and twentie of December, one
thousand Eve hundred and ninetie i've.
This John Stiles embarked at Plymouth
England, with . number of godly people
from the counties of Devon, Dorset and Som
erset early in 1880, bound for New England
Before starting they formed themselves into
church, with the Rev. John Warham as
their pastor, and reached these shores May
80, 1880. They settled at Dorchester
Mass, remained there Ave years, and
then came TO Connecticut, settling
again In Windsor, 1886. This was the first
church founded in Connecticut. and quain,
old Cotton Mather supposes Mr.. Warham wal
Il the first preacher who used notes In his pull
member of this flock. During the Pequoi
war, in 1887, the people of the new village
built "palisade" in its center for refuge and
protection. The old Stiles mansion erected
Just south Of this defence, stands to-day in
fair preservation as a historic relic. In 1t a
son John was born, who in turn became the
father of Isaac in 1897.
1923, and consequently was in the prime of
his youth when he met the North Haven com
mittee named. Just how the meeting was
brought about we do not know, out that
there was something in the young preacher
which attracted the sturdy settlers at once ID
apparent from the fact that within Ave weeks
OF his introduction to them they took the
following action:
Voted by We Society that they are well salts
already heard from him as that they now give him
call in order to his settlement In ye work Of ye
ministry among them.
They also agreed at this meeting to give
him 1909 for Settlement" to be paid at
three general payments within the space OF
n I'm fr11lx
beripg their previous experience with Mr..
Wetmore, they added this clinoher to the
"Call." Said sum or sums to be paid
to him upon ye conditions following: that he
settle among them and not varying from ye
articles of faith or church management
agreed on at Saybrooke by ye Rev. Elders OF
this government"
For his salary they voted to give him "ye
sum of TOE yearly for ye first three years,
and then to add to We above ZOE, ZOE a year
until it make 1909 and that to be his yearly
salary, to be paid In money or grain at cur
rent prices.
Flattering as was the offer it did not lead
young Stiles to an acceptance. He continued
to preach for them, however, and his star
was in the ascendant. They called a special
meeting in the following April, and reduced
the prices of grain which might be offered in
payment of the ministers rate, nine pence
a bushel on wheat, and three pence bushel
on rye and corn, and also voted to give him
his firewoed, and with a further generosity
which could not but have been pieasurable
to the young candidate they declared "that
they would add 50f to the former settlement
of 1900 voted in former meeting"
This proposition like the other failed to
land their prize. The enthusiastio preacher
feeling his influence among them and true to
his family training in discerning the signs OF
the times, made no haste to come to them
but rather whetted their appetites by delay
until he thought himself strong enough to
dictate his own terms of surrender. This he
did In the following July just six months af-
ter receiving their first overtures.
eye agreement between this society and
ye Rev. Mr.. Stiles now follows: Ye Rev. Mr.
Stiles, after some proposals made to him
which he did not see cause to accept, was
pleased to make an offer to ye society which
was as follows: Namely! That If ye society
would give him for q settlement the living
that is Mr.. Wetmore's, or one of equal value,
and for salary TOE yearly during ye first three
years and then to add ZOE yearly till 1t
amount to 1009, and never to be less, and
then ye salary to rise in proportion to ye ris-
ing in the List till 1t amount to 1909 annual
ly, and this to be given me during my life,
Extraordinary Cases excepted, and to be
paid in money or grain at ye prices stated in
your last note, and also my frewood."
1.-THE above written was proposed to
ye society, which they voted In 70 af