The Newtown bee., 1905-08-11

ooAoou III Gue carly years vi Uue ldSl
century.
The Baptist church and society took
its organic form in 1894, its numeri
cal strength lying largely in the east
ern part of the town. The church
building was located in Zoar near the
house now owned by Charles Pratt.
Whenever the history of Newtown
shall be written the Ecclesiastical his
tory will form chapter of more than
common interest. The General Court
or the colony made it obligatory upon
all landed proprietors To raise yearly
amount by tax levied upon all ratea BILE
property for its ministers support and
one of the first duties required when a
new town was organized, was to pro-
vide minister. Salaries paid ranged
from 100 pounds down, but never less
Than 80, which might be paid in mon
ey, or part in grain, wood, or prOviS-
ions, the money value of which was
liked from time to time by the Gen.
eral Court. The Congregational or
der of church government was the ap-
proved order Of the General Court, ex-
pressed in the Col. Records as folio VS.:
''We can doe no less than still Apr owe
and countenance the same to be with
out disturbance until better light in
an orderly way doth appear; but yet,
foraSmuch as sundry persons of worth,
| prudence and piety amongst us are
| otherwise persuaded whose welfare
and peaceable satisfaction we desi re
to accommodated This Court doth
declare that all such persons being al
SO approved according to law as Or
thodox and sound in the fundamen-
tails of Christian religion may have al
ioWance OF their persuasion and pro-
fession in church ways or assemblies
without disturbance Attendance
at public worship was compulsory, the
General Court ordering that ''if any
person shall pFophane the Sabbath by
unnecessary travel or playing thereon
in the time of public worship, or be-
fore, or after, or shall keep out of the
meeting house during the public wor-
ship unnecessarily, there being con-
venient room in the house, he shall
pay five shillings for every such Of
tense or Sit in the stocks one hour"
1t was also provided that IL there |
in town all persons should contribute
to one or both of the societies in the
township.
At the annual town meeting held
December "a, 1888, it was voted
Whereas the Worshipfull Mr. Thomas
Toucey and ye Reverend Mr. Elisha |
Kent have petitioned for Liberty to |
build upon their own Charge each of |
them a pew in ye meeting house in |
Newtown for ye use of themselves and
families as they shall have occasion, |
South Door, and ye other on ye other |
side thereof, at ye above said meeting
voted in We Affirmative that their Pc |
titiOn Be Granted, and it is hereby
Granted.
Entered We date above
Per Joseph Peck
Town Clerk
The first meeting house was put to
use before being completed, and in
l745 after having been in use for about |
twenty years was made more comfort |
able by an expenditure of two hum
dred and twenty pounds, some glass
windows were put in, bell was pro-
cured and hung, thus dispensing with
the drum that had been used up to
that time, to call the people together
on all public occasions, or in case of
an alarm being sounded.
ing in cold weather unless with open
fireplace it was an uncongenial place
either as place of worship or social
converse at the luncheon hour. 1t
was the bleness of the first
meeting houses that made necessary
the putting up of what are called in
the town records Sabbath Day
houses"
Cothren in his history of Ancient
Woodbury. says 'the Sabbath Day
house was place in which to take re-
services, and for social and religious
worship as the occupants might be in
clined. 1t was built in two divisions,
one for males and the other for fe-
males. Some families would have
houses of their own for private use.
These houses were necessary because
the meeting houses were not warmed"
From Vol. of NewtOwn Records we
| find there were no less than seven
Sabbath Day houses on Newtown
street in the early days; They were
sion being given by vote of the free
holders in Town meeting. Thinking
it may be Of special interest we give
few of the votes as recorded:
December 8, 1740, voted and agreed
that jeremiah Northrop shall have
liberty to set small Sabbath day
house In ye Lane by or against Cap
tain Baldwin's orchard.
December 3, 1850, voted that Jon
athan Sanford shall have Liberty to
Build a small Sabbath Day house at
ye westerly Gnu VI JOuu IldGS OdO.
bath Day house.
December %, 1751, voted that Ben
jamin Northrop shall have Liberty to
Building a Sabbath Day house for his
use in ye Lane by Captain Baldwin'S
fence OF his home Lott Below or some
thing west of Caleb Baldwin'S Sab
bath day house.
December 3, 1853, voted that Mat
thew Curtis shall have Liberty to
erect or sett up a Sabbath Day house
in ye Cross Lane by Captain Baldwin's
as they shall think best by agreement.
| December 30, 1854, voted that Cap
tain Amos Botsford shall have Liber-
ty to Build small house for Sabbath
Days, not Doing Damage to ye high
way nor any other person.
1t would be strange experience for
us If, on the morrow, we could go in
to NewtOwn street and see 1t as 1t
looked $50 years ago at the meeting
hour, the meeting house standing
near where the liberty pole now stands,
Stephen Parmaly beating the drum to
call the people together, men coming
in along the paths or trails on horse
back with wife on the pillion behind,
the children trudging along on foot
beside them, all enlisted in one COM
mon cause, and each in sympathy with
the other, vanguard of the millions
who have been following in their wake
since the pilgrims landed on Plymouth
Rock. Almost with holy reverence