The Newtown bee., 1903-11-20
LlTCHFIELD COUNTY.
 WASHINGTON.

SOME INTERESTING CHURCH HISTORY.
 F.J. Kingsbury and daughter of Waterbury, descendants of Juhn Davies who was the founder of the Church of England in this town, recently visited the ancient Davies cemetery at Rom ford, which marks the original site of the first Episcopal church. With the consent of che Davies family the edi6ce was re- moved in the year 1913 to Washington Green where it has preserved through many discOuraging circumstances to 1he present day. Ia the near future the Kingsburys intend placing tab- let in the church in memory of the founder of St Johu's. The history of the parish is an interesting one and cakes us back to 1762 when a few Epis- copal families settled in that part of Washington known as Birch Plains, were ministered to by the Rev Tn Dm ss Davies, a missionary who belonged to the society in Elgand "For Prop1yat- ing the Gospel in Foreign Parts." This preacher was graduated from Yale in l75S and ordained by the Arch bishop of Canterbury. He went from house to house holding services and administering baptism to followers of the faith in the towas of Litcht1eld county. About this time Birch Plains r Davies Hollow (now Romford) was separated from the township of Litch- field and the D.vies family (the R,v Thomas parents) who were jealous ,hurchmen and people of considerable prestige, withdrew from the distant Litchtield parish and with the aid of few neighboring followers, built a ,hurch of their own in Davies' Hollow \ deed of the land for the edifice was given by John Davies, father of the Rev Thomas DAvies,tO the churchmen of Washington. The land deScrib Id tn the ancient deed was equal to about 56 square rods and was used for pub lie bdrying ground. Interments have oeen m ade there in recent years. The
 Iced required that ''one pepper corn" should be paid annually on the feast of St Michael the Archangel if demanded. During John Dlvies' later years tue church was erected in m ,m )ry of his son, the Rev Taom ts, wa hld pissed iway at the age of 30. The ediice was built almost entirely at the expense of this one man. Aged and intirm, seated in his own doorway, he watched the raising of the church with a feeling like that of Simeon of Old when he said "Now lettest thou thy servant tepart in peace." This pious man was laid to rest in the little cemetery near his beloved church in May, 1797. As time went on the number of inhabi- tants interested in the church gre W less, many of the parishiOners having settled in another part of the town known as Church Hill. The few who remained decided to moved the church to it's present site on Washington Green. Moving a church in these days vas no sma Ill undertaking aud one or two parishioners remain who remem-
 Yer hearing their fathers tell of the ong string of oxen ths helped carry the precious house of worship to the
 &reen. It was appropriately named St JOhn's and at first services were held tbOut once in three m ,nthS. Ltter inc members ctme together on e in | six weeks and then every other Sun | lly, sharing their minister with S'
 \ndrew's of srbledale. At present
 ime the church enj 'yS a rector of its
 'wn and recent repprts m 'de to the
 Rt Rev Bishop of the Diocese show
 hat the ancient church is in d fl Durish
 ng condition.