Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-09-10
CHURCH'S HISTORY
HE STORY OF HEW HAVEN'S CON-
EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY.

VINO It's FIRST laSloiH w ere an" wv
Trouble Experienced in Collecting sal
aries by Public Taxation.
A most interesting feature of the pro-
leedings of the New Haven COugrega-
|ional church, an account of which APP
beared i'm last weeks REGISTER, was the
historical address by Rev. f. II. Bying-
lon, d. d., of Newton. Mass, on THE
congregational Ministers of New Haven.
lie said in part:
The earliest ministers in New Haven
We're home missionaries from the Con
|ecticut home missionary society. The
|irst settlers here were from western Con-
|lecticut and Massachusetts, and they had
brought with them the religious opinions,
. nd the habits which they had formed in
hose states. 1t was as natural for those
pioneers from Salisbury and from Lanes
|oro to set about forming a Puritan Con-
'Eregational church in the new settlement
b the woods of Vermont as it is for a
ird to fly. They had been accustomed
10 the method of supporting the gospel
E direct tax, which was assessed by
he vote of the town. i'm the annual town
leeting, and they naturally preferred to
dOpt that practice in the new town.
. lie low II VI New llhN Oii az VI EduiHNu
EIarch 20, l7S7.
On the 18th of November, l7SS, less
han two years after the town was or.
anlZed, a town meeting was called to
zee if the town would raise money to
upport the preaching of the gospel, and
it would unite on place for public
,orship. 1t was voted that the town
-ould meet in three places for public wor-
hi fIhn offnrf n ruicn nnnnU for tho
upport of preaching by vote of the
bwn was repeated again and again,
8,ithin the next ten years. But very
tile came from it. April Il, 1892, the
own voted to appoint committee to
upplv the town with preaching
Lugust Il, 1856 town meeting was
billed to see if the town won raise money
d support the gospel in this town and
b choose a committee to secure a preach
r, and to agree on "A place for the hold
lg Of public worship. March IL, 1893,
town meeting was called to see if the
Dwn would raise money to build a
|eeting house, and to support the Cos
lei. June Il, of the next year (lS00)
be town voted to choose committee to
icl stake to set "A meeting house by.
he committee consisted of Ezra HOyt,
helps. At the same town meeting it
as also voted that the meeting house
Mould be built by subscription. But on
he 10Th of September. 1900, a town
= letting was called to see if the town
ould build meeting house and support
g gospel. At about the same time it
as voted to build meeting house
Xtv-five feet by fifty-five with a steeple
ST., k,1. lat .
:. at every house in New Haven be
sited TO see if the Inhabitants would
Eree to buil1 a meeting house on Lanes
,ro street or on Beech hill. The effort
raise money to build a meeting house
d to support minister by a town tax
as unsucCeSs full for two reasons. In
e first place. there were MethOdiSts
d Baptisis and Universalists among
G early settlers. and they could not well
expected to vote to tax themselves
support a congregational society.
Psides the people were not agreed as
the best location for a meeting house.
pr fifteen years. or longer, the question
location was In the way Of any united
ton.
For these reasons, and for others. a
ngregational society was formed long
lOlt lllt vi SdAlL tllOu vi lllt NIlulCll
We not been able to find any record of
organization. But a meeting of the
cety was called for December u -.
n, to see whether the society would
rec upon a plan for public worship !:
to raise money for the support of
gospel. and choose a committee to
pvde preaching. 1t was vCt d to
.et for public worship at the home of
ooh Innge limo , 1-Hp
ted to choose "A committee from out Of
vn to say where the stake for the
citing house should be set: and this
nmlttee We're Joshua Hull, Samuel
rrOW and Daniel lolcut.
was this society which led to the or
+ |nization of this church, on the 23d Of
Y. 1871, and few wears later TO the
ldiug of the meeting house.
here were fifteen members, seven
les and eight females. The confession
faith. the covenant and the rules of
1 church are all on record.
After the church had been gathered
Y voted as follows: That Joseph
bert be the moderator of the church q:
II the church choose Andrew Mills
s. ir first deacon and Amos Lay their
ond deacon"
I is possible that Joseph Gilbert, who
5 chosen the first moderator of the
Irch was a minister. who had been
plOyed in gathering the church. A
lie later we find that Rev. Nathaniel
bert of Massachusetts was in charge
he church. In 1902 a Mr.. Gillett. a
lister from Massachusetts, was in
rye. Rev. Dan Kent was active in
herring the church. Rev. Jedediah
shnell did excellent service here before
settlement in Cornwall. June 10. 1902.
Y. Mr.. Gilbert, a missionary from Con-
ticut, was present at a church meet
These isolated facts are all that
e been able to CLEAN from the records
citation to the ministers of these early
rs.
Another Congregational church had
N organized at New Haven Mills on
18th Of November l797. These
riches by unanimous vote. were united
one September %, 1900. by the
ice and help Of Rev. Nathaniel Tur-
a home missionary from Massa-
sets. The number of members of
church, after the union, was 2G,
males, and ! : females.
his union assisted very much the