Morning journal and courier., 1891-04-03
AN HISTORICAL SIX FITCH.
The Founding of the ssNorth Parishs,
 of New Haven, Conn. [Read before the New Haven Colony Historical society March 30, 1891, by Sheldon B.

BOIL suppoloiHS AIoAi 'io HI So eAN~ Ao~A asked penny of assistance from the general assembly or the abatement of a farthing of it rates. During the building of the meeting house, which consumed within fraction of five years time, religious service was held either at the house of Ebenezer Blakeslee or of Joseph Ives. The records name the former; Dr. Trumbull says the latter. The probability is both are right. At the for nation of the society MT. Blakeslee offered his house, as has been said. They voted to accept the same ftill ye major part of ye society shall see cause to lay it aside, ' indicating, perhaps, by these words that a minority preferred MT. Ives' house, and to which possibly in the interests of peace they later went.
 THE PASTORS HOUSE.
 At the same time the meeting house was going up, the Rev. MT. Wetmore was also engaged in building home for himself. He located upon the south side of south end of s'the market place." It does not seem that his society, as such, lent him any aid. From the appearance of the dwelling, which stood until the year 1853, Mir. Wetmore must have been possessed of means beyond the meagre salary paid him. In it's day it was the most pretentious dwelling in the parish. At it's destruction the frame of oak was found hard as iron and sound as when erected.
 UNCERTAIN IN HIS ORTHODOXY.
 Scarcely was the Rev. MT. Wetmore well settled in his pulpit and had preached a six months from it ere the quick ear of Nathaniel Yale detected an uncertain ring to the divine's orthodoxy
 He was on his feet in an instant. A re- monstrance was prepared by the church and handed to MT. Wetmore. This paper he treated. ..contemptuously. Yale scented danger and was not mistaken. Wetmore and his six associates had already addressed the authorities of Yale college in that re- markable document of September IS, 1722, pal belief. Consternation spread through the parish. No man should utter such sentiments and again face New Haven born congregation.
 The sturdy old Puritan boldly came to the fore front and gave him battle. Said Yale among other things (and it shows the grit and the grip of 1722.
 '*-- we did count that we had reason to fear that our foundation would be greatly shaken, reason to fear that we might be snared and taken in waves that was contrary to our miuds-aud Reverend Sir we have this further to say, that when the news of our dissatisfaction was made known to yourself you cast considerable ref1ec- tion in our esteem, on those that manifested their dissatisfaction, by calling them mob, a riot and a disorder etc.
 We do not esteem ourselves to desire such re. hectlons from yourself, but do count we have just grounds to be dissatisfied etc."
 HE WAS DIsN1ssED-H1s SUCCESSOR.
 There was no defense-Wetmore was dismissed-the walls Of Zion remained in- tact-and Yale preserved for himself and his associates the old faith of their fathers they had sworn to maintain.
 Following Mr. Wetmore came the Rev. Issac Stiles, q native of Windsor, Conn. and graduate of Yale college in 1722. He was ordained over the little church No vember l l. i.
 In his !astorate were really laid the foundations of the future town. MT. Wet more's Ca. : had been too brief and too busy busy to fo Hate any plan for the exten- bought fc, him the parsonage vacated by his predecessor. Here he installed Kezia Taylor of Westfeld, Mass, as his wife and it's mistress. Here Ezra Stiles's most noted of all North Maven born boys was born, played on the green, attended school and finally went away to earn those i'm perishable honors Yale college assisted to confer upon him.
 There IS neither space nor time to enter into an extended notice of Mr. Stiles. Readers of ecclesiastical history are con- versant with his connection with "the Ruggles affair" in the Guilford church l with "the Robbins episode" in the Bran. ford church, and lastly with that great ex. hibition of theological fireworks and spunk, ''the Dana natter in the Wallingford church.
 The first ten years of MT. Stiles pastor ate appear to have been spent quietly It was not "good form" in that day for a young divine to be over forward either with his older brethren of the cloth or his parishioners. Stiles apparently was con tent to study the situation and get accli- mated with his congregation. This he did so quietly that before his people knew it they had taken upon themselves new bur dens and fresh zeal wherewith to carry them. New highways were laid out, bridges were built, commons cleared and fenced, schools set up, justices of peace nominated and all the machinery of an in cipient town set in motion.
 THE ERECTION OF THE SECOND CHURCH
 ED1F1cE.
 Not the least of the important events in Mir. Stiles pastoraue was the building of the second meeting house, 1739-1741. Though but twenty years had elapsed since the occupation of the first place of wor- ship the parish had outgrown the latter. The new building was 65 feet by 40 feet, and like it's predecessor, entirely devoid of external ornamentation. A steeple was added in 1799. It stood near the middle of the green and when completed was full ly abreast of the times in interior furnish ings. Its handsome pulpit-great sound ing board, balustraded pews, ample gal leries and tall steeple made it second to no country meeting house in the state It stood until 1885,
 There was no lack of duties imposed upon the young pastor. The wonder grows when those inordinately long ser mons, accustomed to be delivered, were ever written Besides, the minister not only was expected to be the spiritual guide of the people, but their school board and civil authority in many cases.
 It is to be said of him that he was full of resources; that he met all the emergen- cies of church and state fearlessly; that he witnessed the growth of the parish from forty families in 1720 to 175 in his time; that he died in the faith May IA, 176O; and that among the foremost residents in the town to-day are the descendants of his family.
 Coming back for a moment to Nathaniel Yale, we find MT. Stiles was secured large ly through his e1ertions.
 This act was apparently the last public service rendered by this now aged servant of God, for from this time all mention of him ceases In the founding of the so- ciety, in the calling of Mr. Wetmore, in the erection of the first meeting house, in every movement connected with the best interests of the parish we trace the hand of Nathaniel Yale. Nor were his services unsought in the political arena. Besides holding minor town offices innumerable and assisting on committees of one nature and another in all parts of the colony, he was nine tines elected deputy from New Haven to t1e general assembly in the years 17li, 12, 13, IA, 15, 16, IF, 22 and
 Octobe4 9, 17so, he passed from the church n -a 1t to the church triumphant. His mem ,ial is his steadfastness; there is no othcr of him. His name does not even appear for some strange reason on the church catalogue of his generation. One might have imagined he would have preferred burial in his own parish, but perhaps the place of his birth had always strong attractions for him, for his remains were laid in the common place of sepul- ture on New Haven Green Seventy