Norwich bulletin., 1909-07-05
eREENEWLLE CONGREGATIONAL
 IN THE LIFE OF NORWICH.
History of the Organization During It's
 76 Years.

History of the Organization During It's
 76 Years.
 Sunday morning, Rev. c. H. Rick etts preached a church historical ser mon, which was heard with much in- terest. He said:
 This section of 'the Rose of New still retaining the old name of Greeneville, came into existence about the year 1928. It was in this year that the Water Power company was incorporated with a capital of $43,000 for the purpose, as the old records say, "of building dam and canal in order to bring the waters or the Shetucket river into manufactur- ing use" William F. Greene, rom whom the village evidently derived lis name, was the largest stockholder and the moving spirit.
 He had previously purchased the land extending from in those days was known as Sachem's plain, the junction of the Shetucket and Quine- baug rivers, on both sides, for the dis tance of three miles.
 Immediately the old Shetucket dam was built of solid masonry. and a canal dug forty-fve feet wide, nine feet deep, and seven-eighths of a mile in length. The old Shetucket cotton mill was the first of our manufactur- ing enterprises, to be followed by the Chelsea Paper Manufacturing com pany, at one time said to have been the largest paper-making establish ment in the world.
 Our fathers did not allow great bus mess enterprises to crowd out their religious duties. Religious services were held from the very beginning of our community life, but definite organ ization dates back to January 1s, 1e3a, when twenty men banded themselves together as the Greeneville Ecclesias- tical society, and among that number are not a few that have had much to do in the material development of Norwich. Among the number who signed that first call are Samuel Mo- rey, William H. Colt, Benjamin Dur fey, Oliver Woodworth, Nathan Sears and Nathan P. Avery. There is every reason to believe that at the same time steps were regularly taken to form Congregational church in this newly settled community, for the names or the original or charter members are preserved. They are as follows: Ma than P. Avery, Eunice A. Avery, after ward the wife of Harland Hyde; Mary Avery, William H. Colt, Mrs. Cornelia D. Colt, Noah Davis, Jonathan R. Da- wis, Mrs. Mary (Cornin) Davis, Ben jamin Durfey, Ardelia B. Durfey, liar vey Lathrop, Mary M. Lathrop, Octa- via Lathrop, Samuel Mercy, Wilson Potter, Mrs. Cynthia Potter, Asa Peck, Mrs. Lydia Peck, Walter O. Pearl and Mrs. Esther Pearl.
 It naturally followed that provision should be made for a sanctuary and parsonage. Accordingly, between the years of 1883 and 1885 both a meet ing house and parsonage were built. The church was first known as the Fourth Congregational church of Nor wich, but after the abandonment of the Third church in 1S42, it received the latter name in the order of organ- ization, although locality has forced upon it the name of the Greeneville Congregational church.
 According to the records of Janu- ary IS, 1883, Samuel Mercy, William H. Colt, and Benjamin Durfey were constituted the first committee of the Ecclesiastical society to engage a pull pit supply, and Rev. Dennis Platt was secured for the ensuing three months, but probably remained to the close of the year 1883.
 At a regular meeting of the society held in January. 1884, call was given to the Rev. John Storrs of Williman- tic, who accepted and labored one year. During 1885 and 1886 the pull pit was supplied for the most part by the Rev. Spencer Beard, but in 1887 a call was extended to the Rev. Ste- phen Crosby, but owing to a period of financial depression the installa- tion was deferred and his death oc- cured before 1t was effected. Next came Rev. A. L. Whitman, who re- mained until 1S46. For ten years the spiritual affairs of the village were in the able and faithful hands of the Rev. ~ fes deared to us through our missionary aid to her work in India At the close of his iabors in 1856, Rev. Robert F. Stanton was called, and his pastorate of 23 years is the longest in the history of the church. It was a period mark ed by great material and spiritual prosperity, the church building being enlarged in 1867, and the present pipe organ provided in 1876.
 MT. Stanton closed his labors in the year 1880, and the same year marked the installation of the Rev. Andrew J. Sullivan. In 1888, the Rev. Thomas Simms entered on his work as pastor, which he faithfully carried on till 1892, the year in which the Rev. Lew is Barney accepted the pastorate. During Mir. Barney's term of service extensive repairs were made upon the church property at a considerable cost.
 The present pastorate began in 1897 and is the second longest in the his- tory of the church. Duuring this time between four and five thousand dollars have been raised toward the liquida- tion of our church debt, the parsonage has been improved, and the church. and ecclesiastical society have been legally consolidated. The early records contain such names as Samuel Mercy, Oliver Woodworth, Benjamin Durfey William H. Colt, William P. Greene, Nathan P. Avery, Rufus Sibley, Da- vid Torrance, and others who have shown that the ministry of this church has not been in vain in the production of men of character
 During these seventy-six years of history, our community has been sig riod has been marked by many serious derstanding, is regarded as calamity
 The most serious blow that ever came to our Sunday school, by way of the loss of life, was on April IS, 1S44, when four young lads met a ter rible death by the explosion of a DOW der magazine near the corner of Bos- well avenue and the present Hickory street If one were to enumerate those who have lost their lives or were se- riously injured in these factories, the list would be a lon gone, containing the names of some of our leading fam flies. Notwithstanding all this, as a church and as a community, we have abundant reason for thanking God for his Towing kindness and tender mer- cy" If we are grateful for the past, the reasons are strong why we should enter heartily into the two hundred
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