The Newtown bee., 1897-01-22

male persons resident, filed formal cer- Uificate with the parish clerk, declaring themselves favorable to the ''doctrine, discipline and worship of, and desirous of belonging to, the Episcopal Church. A few years since, these early original documents were lost in disastrous fire that consumed the residence of the late Eugene T. Shepherd, the Parish Clerk of St Paul's Church, in which these
 PRECIOUS DOCUMENTS WERE STORED. The Congregational Society is the first and the oldest religious body es- tablished within our corporate limits ; having teen organized just 30 years be- fore St Faul's Church, viz: on the 2lst day of January, 1755, nearly one third of a century, or a complete generation before the incorporation of the Town of Brookfieid. It has not quite so full a membership or attendance as St Paufs Church, it's communicants today nun bering SS souls, of both sexes, with a church attendance of about POO individ- uals all told; though, perhaps, It ought to be said here, that we have had no access to official data, except such as has been furnished by friends in that so- ciety.
 See Memorial Discourse" by the late Rev Asa c. Pierce, of happy memory, pronounced in his pulpit the Centennial year of 1876, and published by request of his grateful parishioners, in pamph- let form, and containing many interest ing statistics that have aided us in the preparation of this paper. From that pamphlet is gathered the fact that the Rev Thomas Brooks, of the apple tree incident referred to herein, held the earliest, as well as the
 LONGEST PASToRATE OF ANY CLERGY hitherto in this Township, being of about 40 years duration that be died in the eightieth year of his age, just three months and one day prior to the death of the first Pre- -ident of che United States, and that his mortal remains were inferred at the Lands End cemetery in Newtown, where a simple stone, with line of Latin engraved thereon, an nounccs his departure from this planet. Is it not pity that his ashes are slowly dissolving in ground at least half a mile or more, outside of and beyond the borders of the land believed to have been called after his own name, and loved so we'll by him while in the flesh?
 The ingratitude of Republics iss pro- verbal. But linen may come and men may go," but Brooks run on forever.n So teaches Sir Alfred Tenuyson, the poet laureate of the British monarchy.
 Our Roman Catholic population, some forty years ago, held their first services in their own, or in hired, dwelling houses, from time to time, as they found it practicable, until four years ago, when aided by some of their Protestant friends and neighbors, they built St Joseph's Church, in the autumn of 1892, in Iron Works district on the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Colum mbus, and they
 HOLD THEIR SERVICES BI-MoNTHLY
 by priest from out of town, claiming an adherence of some 120 individuals, of both sexes, about one third of whom are in full membership mostly of Irish birth, pr parentage--they are industri- trious, and excellent members of society, and good and thrifty citizens.
 The Methodist and Baptist societies are disbanded as ecclesiastical organi- zations, and their former edifices for religious worship, are not used by their respective denominations at present. The former is now occupied as Chapel of ease, by st Paul's church people, at Iron Works, And the latter is sometimes