Norwich bulletin., 1915-10-29

before ordination took place a dis agreement arose regarding church dis cipline and he withdrew.
 Frame of New Westinghouse. Rev. Aaron Putnam was next called \ and was ordained March 10th, 1156. A frame of a new meetinghouse was raised September 5th, IT60 on the home lot of Zachariah Waldo, where two acres of land had been purchased for the purpose. It was completed during the following year. Galleries were built around the sides and high pull pit and massive canopy was erected. The outside of the house was "cul- lered" in the most approved fashion of the day, the main body being orange and the trimmings white and choco- late.
 Given an Assistant
 While yet in the prime of life Mir. Putnam was in a great measure dis abled by a failure of voice and physi- cal weakness and Oliver Dodge of Ip- swich. a recent graduate of Harvard, was Invited to act as his assistant MT. Dodge manifested an alarming license in speech and conduct and objection was made to his ordination. The coun- cfl called to ordafn him refused 10 do so. Another council was called to hear the charges and sustained them A majority, both in church and so- ciety, were in favor of him but by a strategic Inaneuver of MT. Putnam their desire was defeated
 Reformed Church Organized. This led them to indignantly re- pudiate all connection with the First church and straightway organize in a new form as the Reformed Christian Church and Congregation in Pomfret Crowds fiocked to the new meeting house and minister and the old church and minister were almost deserted l Conflict of sentiment ran high and l there was a recriminative war of words | in pomfret, but throughout the sta -e and county.
 Congregation from Other Towns. The first public act of the new sc- ciety was to invite MT. Dodge to sef- tie as minister and he was ordained. although many ministers of good standing shrank from introducing him into the ministry. The old Grosvenor house in which his congregation wor- | gregation and no minister in the coun- ty had so wide a popularity. Some of the most respectable fami- lies in Brooklyn, Abingdon parish, Woodstock. Thompson and KillingIy left their churches and united under the Reformed Church of Pomfret. Matter Settled by Court. But there was a small but powerful minority banded against him and an attempt made by the Reform society to obtain possession of the church was unsuccessful, the county court decid- l ing that MT. Putnam's adherents were
 the First Ecclesiastical society and
 had right to the property.
 | Dismissed on Serious charaes.
 The breach continued until near the close of tho century. The conduct oi
 MT. Dodge became so outrageous tha-
 at last his followers abandoned him
 he was tried by his own church, founc guilty Of drunkenness and profanity | and was excluded from the rites an( | should be restored to its charity. The
 members decided to return to the Frs
 church society and the Reform church
 wtthered and died
 Third Westinghouse Built.
 Mir. Putnam was dismissed in Is0.
 owing to physical disabilities whici
 prevented him from the further per.
 formance of his duties. Sixteen min.
 isters have followed Mr. Putnam, bu
 his activity in the ministry of thu
 church was of longer duration thaI 1 any other. The third u1eetinghousi
 was built in 1882 and was enlarged a-l
 remodeled to its present proportioni . in 1851, 1872 and 1891. The churcl ] has given it's spirit and life to tn formation of churches in Brooklyn Putnam, Abingdon and Pomfret, Yer
 mont.
 Merider.-The doors of the Bradie Nurses home were thrown open ol : Wednesday afternoon for inspection Of the fnstftutfon by the general pub