The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-03-27

ity for this definition. In all organi- zationS-religious and ciVil-it is neces- sary that there should be 8 treasury and a treasurer A person who holds this office asumeS trust and responsi- bility. In business matters the church is like the World--there must be money from some source to support and main tain every society. The East Haven church was organized on notable day in the Roman Catholic church calendar, namely St. Patricks day This oc- cured on March IT, 1TSS. Money was then represented by pounds, shillings and pence. For many years a tax rate was laid on the grand list of so many shillings or pence on the pound for church purposes. The first mention in the East Haven church records of the present United States money was in the year of our Lord 1900. The follow ing is verbatim copy of record.
 Easter Monday, April 14th, 1900.
 In the care of the Rev. Bela Hubbard. Voted-To tax the society one cent on the dollar.
 In 1902 the following appears Easter Monday April 18th;
 
 Voted-To lay tax of one cent and five mills on the dollar.
 On Easter Monday March 20th 1872. the following vote was passed:
 Voted-To tax the society three cents on the dollar on the list of 1S11.
 A tax of this amount was also laid on the grand list of the previous year in 1916. This would be considered in East Haven at the present time very high rate of taxation. It is equivalent to tax of $50 on every $1O0O of assessed property. Probably this method of raising funds for church purposes be- came unpopular, for after 1916 there is no record of laying a tax. It can be truthfully said that there is no church officer that is so closely allied to the rector or minister in every day business matters as the treasurer. Years ago the tithingman was considered an inn portant office, but the custom of ap- pointing them seems in a great measure to have fallen into disuse, and to be- come obsolete. Webster gives the fol- lowing definition of the office of tithing- man as applied to the church: Tn New England a parish officer annually elected to preserve good order in the church during divine service and to make complaint of any disorderly con- duct"
 The incorporators of the East Haven Church society were Henry F. Huse, John Bird, Samuel Futile, James Par dee, Stephen Pardee, Mabel Bishop, Samuel Barnes, John Hunt, Stephen Thompson, jr., Dan Goodsell, jr, Jehial Forbes and Levi Forbes. The society was organized by the operation of civil law. At the meeting of the society held at the house of Samuel Futile, March 20, 178S, at 4 o'clock post meridian, the following vote was adopted: Voted, That the clerk should procure a sum- mons to be delived to an officer to warn the subscribers of this society to appear at the house Of MT. Samuel Tuttle in East Haven on Monday, the 31st day of March, 17SS, at ? o'clock p. m, to choose officers, also to invite the Rev. MT. Hubbard to attend said meeting at the same time and place. At the last mentioned date John Bird was elected clerk, and upon the oath of fidelity and oath of office was duly sworn according to law by Josiah Bradley, Esq, justice of the peace.
 The first church officers were Samuel Futile, James Pardee, wardens; Jehial Forbes, Captain Samuel Barnes. Sam uelThompson, Captain Stephen Thomp- son, jr., and Ichabod Bishop, vestry- men; John Bird clerk No mention made oe a treasurer or other officers. It appears as if there were a good many captains, but it was just after the close of a great war and also there were good many mariners in the town
 Jacob Hemingway of East Haven and of Episcopal percentage was the first graduate of Yale college This was previous to the time Bishop Seabury assumed charge of the diocese of Con- necticut. MT. Hemingway intended to take ministerial orders in the Episcopal church, but the cost of going to Eng land was so great that his parents did not like to bear the expense. He after wards became a Presbyterian or Con- gregational clergyman.
 The first instrumental music in the churches of East Haven was from the pitch pipe "A wind instrument used by choristers in regulating the pitch or elevation of the key or leading note of tune" It may be somewhat ir- relevant, but a good story has been told of the way in which the first bass viol-an instrument of music sometimes larger in size than the person who used twas first introduced at the meeting house or Congregational church, as 1t is called at the present day.
 The occupation of many in East Ha- ven has always been that of fishermen and oystermen, as well as farmers: ire quently the two combined.
 This statement is made from the fact that it is narrative about oysters as well as the church.
 The Ogeechee river in Georgia was a favorite place in the month of Decem- Der for East Haven fishermen. The principal market was Savannah. Iii this famous southern city 8 five-pound shad, sometimes as large as seven pounds. is considered as necessary for complete and satisfactory Christmas dinner as a ten-pound turkey in the New England states. Many also ped dled oysters ill the winter season in western New York and Canada. Pre- vious to the advent of good roads, ard sometimes when the highways in north ern New York were almost impossible on account of the deep snow, the oys- ters were placed in bags and slung across the backs of mules and horses, in the same manner as the Andes noun