Chapter VIII: Part II: The Bi-Centennial Exercises (2)

266. Silver spoon, marked T. M. (T. Mygatt).

267. Pewter dish, French pewter, dated 1777.

268. Old pewter lamp.

D. K. Crofut:

269. Quilt, warming pan, and ancient hoe.

270. Flint lock musket.

May G. Brown:

271. “Tapa” cloth, made from bark by natives of the Sandwich Islands.

Mrs. H. S. Mygatt:

272. Cane. Belonged to Philo Canfield, son of Col. Samuel Canfield.

Roger Sherman Chapter, D. A. R.:

273. Warming pan.

274. Foot stove, used in the Congregational Church, New Milford, 1812.

Mrs. G. W. Wright:

275. Picture of New Milford.

A. E. Taylor:

276. Piano, age unknown.

Lehman T. Peet:

277. Indian work basket, made by Rachel Mauwehu, a squaw of the Schaghticoke tribe, about 1847.

278. Thread stand, about 125 years old.

Congregational Church:

279. Chair, belonging to Rev. Nathaniel Taylor, second pastor of the Congregational Church, from 1748 to 1800.

Mrs. B. F. Humeston:

280. Fireplace cooker. Used in 1775.

281. Cuff buttons, made in 1797 from ore found in Roxbury.

Mrs. S. E. Bristol:

282. Pitcher, Staffordshire, 175 years old.

Mrs. S. E. Bristol:

283. Silhouette, 90 years old. William Bristol, father of Isaac B. Bristol.

284. Miniature, 80 years old, Heman Crane.

285. Cake basket, 100 years old.

Mrs. H. R. Treadwell:

286. _Massachusetts Gazette_ and _Boston News Letter_ of 1775.

287. Patch box, as used by fashionable ladies of the 17th and 18th centuries, to contain black patches, cut in various shapes and sizes, to stick on the face, supposedly to heighten the brilliancy of the complexion by contrast.

Bessie Kennedy:

288. Shears, hand wrought, date unknown.

Annie Kennedy:

289. Ink well, hollowed out of a solid piece of soapstone.

E. Kennedy:

290. Skillet.

Jeannette L. Gaylord:

291. Old Honiton and point lace.

292. Old embroideries.

293. Portraits, Mr. and Mrs. Ebenezer Gaylord, about 1798.

294. Shell cameo. Portrait of owner’s uncle, W. L. Jewitt, 1840.

295. Old rum bottles and liquor jug, the latter being used in olden times to carry to the hayfields.

296. Indian needle-case and horn spoons.

W. F. Gaylord:

297. Three Indian implements.

Mrs. Theodore Carlson:

298. Swedish bracelet. Wood and iron watch chain, Swedish.

Jeannette L. Gaylord:

299. Lace evening cloak. 1850.

Mrs. Henry Hine:

300. Articles from Martinique: Lava; tile from old cathedral; goblets which went through fire; pictures of Martinique after the eruption.

301. Pottery vase from Equador, between 400 and 500 years old.

302. Asphalt, from Asphalt Lake, La Brea, Trinidad.

303. Pottery from Fort de France, Martinique.

304. Tea pot from Cuba.

305. Chocolate bean and picture, Trinidad.

306. Two photos, Kingston, Jamaica.

Mrs. Charles Taylor:

307. Miniature of Mrs. Margaret Craft. Painted just before her marriage in 1832. She is now 97 years old.

308. Miniature of Mr. James Craft in 1832.

Harriet A. Taylor Lee:

309. Badge of Israel Putnam in a Greek Society at Yale College, 1776. Given by him to Wm. Taylor.

310. Prayer Book, English, published during the reign of King George and Queen Caroline. Belonging to Colonel Wm. Taylor.

Mrs. E. A. Wildman:

311. Pewter platter, 130 years old.

Mrs. Henry Hine:

312. Anklet, or Hindoo bracelet.

313. Alligator.

314. Candle-stick, Trinidad.

315. Poinsettia bean, Martinique. Nutmeg, Puerto Cabello. Betel nut (natives chew to blacken teeth).

Miss A. E. Bostwick:

316. Sampler, 1831, made by Lucy M. Sanford (afterwards Mrs. William Bostwick), when nine years old.

Mrs. C. A. Smith:

317. Brass candle-stick, made by hand in 1767.

318. Legal document bearing signature of Roger Sherman.

319. Pocketbook made by Kent Wright, the first white child born in Kent, Conn.

Mrs. Lily Traver:

320. China, 18 pieces, very old.

321. Cuff buttons, hand-made, Chinese.

322. Indian implements and bead bag.

323. Silver spoons, very old.

324. Candle-stick.

325. Coins and bill (Confederate).

326. Breastpin and ribbon, 100 years.

327. Book and old documents. Account of third and last voyage of Capt. Cook, in 1776.

328. Salt-cellar.

329. Map, drawn by Sarah Northrop (afterwards married to Col. Starr) in 1822.

Mrs. J. Leroy Buck:

330. Tea caddy. Owned by Mrs. Ithamar Canfield, born Jan. 2, 1770. Loaned by her great-granddaughter.

331. Dressing case, owned by Ithamar Canfield, born Feb. 19, 1764; died Apr. 11, 1848.

332. Document. Share in Toll Bridge Co.

Lawrence Northrop:

333. Sword, carried in War of 1812.

Willis F. Bennett:

334. Powder horn, used in Revolutionary War by Sam Bennett.

335. Snuff box, used by Isaac Baldwin, soldier in the Revolutionary War.

Flora G. Stillson:

336. Invitation to opening ball at the New England House, Dec. 11, 1856.

J. H. Nettleton:

337. Indian relics, found in New Milford.

Helen M. Boardman:

338. Chinese idols, brought from China in 1854 by Frederic A. Boardman.

The Misses Boardman:

339. Gondola hook, used in Venice by the nobility in the early part of the 17th century.

Miss Rose Murdoch:

340. English miniature, mother of Mrs. David Murdoch.

341. Mexican ivory, very old.

Albert Evitts:

342. Vegetable dish, used by Dr. Williams. Old willow ware.

Mrs. H. S. Mygatt:

343. Bull’s-eye watch, over 100 years of age.

344. Bouquet holder, 75 years old.

Helen M. Boardman:

345. Compass, made from tree sent by Thomas Jefferson to Mount Vernon, and planted by General Lafayette.

Martha D. Treadwell:

346. Watch, 75 years old.

347. Jewelry, very old.

J. H. Nettleton:

348. Flint lock pistol.

Mrs. Nettleton:

349. Hand-made collar, 60 years old.

Congregational Church:

350. Picture of Rev. Noah Porter, D. D., LL. D., pastor of the Congregational Church 1836-1843. Afterwards President of Yale College.

Russell B. Noble:

351. Picture of house (now standing) on the plains about two miles south of the village of New Milford, with the deed, dated 30th day of May, in the 12th year of his Majesty’s reign, A. D. 1772, conveying it to his son, Ezra Dibble Noble, by Zadok Noble, grandson of John Noble, the first settler.

352. Silhouette picture of Charles Clement Noble, son of Ichabod, son of Ezra Dibble, son of Zadok, son of David, son of _John Noble_, who settled in New Milford, A. D. 1707.

353. Three commissions signed by Governors: Jonathan Trumbull, John Treadwell, John Cotton Smith.

354. Dr. William Gordon’s “History of the Rise, Progress, and Establishment of the Independence of the United States of America,” in 4 volumes. Published in London, 1788.

355. Map of New Milford, published by Richard Clark, 1853.

Mrs. Henry Brinsmade:

356. Picture, Mrs. George N. Mallory, born in New Milford, Sept. 17, 1808. Now living in New Haven. This picture was taken at the age of 97.

Geo. B. Ackley:

357. Bellows, over 100 years.

Mrs. Charles E. Marsh:

358. Bible, leather-covered, printed 1696. From my grandfather, Allen Marsh.

Chas. E. Marsh:

359. A reel.

360. Double linen wheel.

361. Foot stove.

362. Single linen wheel.

363. A spinning wheel, for wool.

Mr. E. P. Hill:

364. Iron fire dogs.

Miss Sarah J. Roberts:

365. A Pilgrim staff, brought to New Milford in 1750 by Mr. Eli Roberts.

Mrs. Arza Morris:

366. Ancient gridiron.

367. Reel.

368. Swift.

369. Linen wheel.

370. Wheel for spinning wool.

371. Blue and white blanket (Phebe Velie).

372. Blue and white blanket.

373. Hatchel for flax.

Mrs. Eli Welton:

374. Old mirror.

375. Sunrise quilt, home spun and woven.

376. Tulip quilt.

Mrs. Carson B. Mead:

377. Map of original thirteen States. About 1785.

378. Gun used in Revolutionary War.

379. Indian hatchet and pistol.

Mrs. Grace C. Wellwood:

380. Hanging iron lamp.

David Barnum:

381. Button-hole cutter.

Mrs. Hannah More Jessup:

382. Candle-stick, used in Platt’s Tavern in Bridgewater, in 1820.

383. Whale-oil lamp.

384. Geography, 1807.

385. Tent lantern of Gen. Burgoyne, taken by a Bridgewater soldier at the time of his surrender, at Saratoga, 1777. Gen. Burgoyne’s own lantern.

386. Lantern belonging to one of the first settlers of New Milford (Bostwick) and used in the War of 1812.

387. Tripod wooden candle-stick.

Mrs. Dora K. Sanford:

388. Glass lamp, 1850 or earlier.

389. Pewter lamps, about 1800.

390. Lard lamp, about 1770.

Mrs. Horace Allen:

391. Masonic pitcher.

Boardman Wright:

392. Autograph letter of Daniel Webster.

393. _New England Weekly Journal_, April 8, 1728, an early number of one of the first newspapers published in this country, the first number of the _Boston News Letter_ (the first newspaper) having appeared Apr. 24, 1704.

394. _Country Journal and Poughkeepsie Advertiser_, 1787 to 1789. Contemporary account of Washington’s first inauguration.

George W. Murphy:

395. Iron tea-kettle, over 100 years old.

Mrs. Henry Ives:

396. Silver spoon, made from silver coin earned by spinning (1799), by the grandmother of Deacon Henry Ives.

H. C. Ives:

397. Silver tea-pot, about 100 years old. Owned by the grandfather of H. C. Ives.

Mrs. H. C. Ives:

398. Sugar-tongs, made from silver dollars in 1825, at the silversmith establishment of Stanley Sanford Baldwin, for his bride, Harriet Stevens. Grandparents of Mrs. H. C. Ives.

399. Brass candle-sticks, over 100 years old.

F. J. Turrill:

400. Deed, from Daniel Boardman, 1729.

401. Plow, used by John Turrill, a Revolutionary soldier.

William B. Pell:

402. Collection of Continental currency.

403. Pewter mug, part of the camp outfit of the 24th regiment of Napoleon’s _cuirassiers_. From the room which the Duke of Wellington occupied after the battle, and known to have been used by him.

404. Club, made from a part of the ram “Merrimac” of the Confederate Navy. Sunk at the engagement at Hampton Roads, Va., by U. S. S. “Monitor.”

W. F. Gaylord:

405. Gun, used in three old wars. Carried by Zephaniah Briggs, when 24 years old, in French and Indian War; in the Revolutionary War by the same man at 46 years of age; and in the War of 1812 by the same man at 78. He lived to be 103.

Mrs. S. E. Bristol:

406. Old China, 100 and 150 years old.

Mrs. H. C. Ives:

407. Collection of old china, 97 pieces, all very old.

Mrs. P. L. Anderson:

408. Roman mosaic jewelry, 60 or 70 years old.

Mrs. Henry R. Treadwell:

409. Autograph letter of Gen. Washington.

Mrs. W. H. Percy:

410. Silhouettes, Stanley Sanford Baldwin and wife, 1825. Mexican medal, presented by State of Louisiana to Zachary Taylor, Major General.

Miss M. E. Hine:

411. Sampler, worked by Alta Eliza Gaylord, 1829.

Mrs. G. W. Wright:

412. The idol of the royal family of the Sandwich Islands. Presented to a missionary by Kamehameha I.

413. Taper for reading, age unknown.

414. Spoon, formerly the property of Daniel Boardman, who was ordained the first pastor of the Congregational Church, then called the “Church of Christ,” Nov. 21, 1716. The spoon is marked:

B D I

B is for Boardman, D is for Daniel, I is for Jerusha, his wife.

415. Latin Psalter, 1509.

416. Prayer Book. Changed from the English ritual to American P. E. ritual in handwriting of Bishop Provost. It lay on the altar of Trinity Church, New York, for many years previous to the Revolution. When the church burned down during the occupancy of New York by the British, the cinders from the burning roof left their marks on the cover.

Boardman Wright and Rev. F. A. Wright:

417. Pictorial German Bible, 1692. Formerly property of Rev. J. Friedrich Schröder, minister in the German Lutheran Church, in Mecklenburg.

Mrs. Boardman Wright:

418. Silver chatelaine.

419. Scarf.

420. Scarf.

421. Sandalwood fan.

422. Hand-painted fan, sticks, mother-of-pearl, gold inlaid.

423. Fan, sticks, mother-of-pearl, silver inlaid.

424. Lace, Rose Point and Duchesse.

425. Old lady’s cap.

Boardman Wright:

426. Invitation, Dance Programme and Menu. Ball given in honor of Prince of Wales (now King Edward VII.), in 1860.

427. Silver tankard, property of Daniel Boardman, the first minister of New Milford. Probably brought from England by Samuel Boardman in 1633.

Mrs. Florence Buck Loonan:

428. Clock, more than 150 years old. Wooden works, made with a knife.

Raymond Goodsell:

429. Indian arrow-heads in case.

Mrs. C. H. Allen:

430. Lustre pitcher, about 150 years old.

431. Sugar-bowl, over 100 years of age.

432. Lafayette Cup.

Mrs. G. W. Wright:

433. Chair, property of Madame Boardman (Mrs. Daniel Boardman), wife of the first minister of New Milford.

Boardman Wright:

434. Hat badge (U. S. Engineers). Worn by Gen. Robert E. Lee through the Mexican War.

Dr. G. H. Wright:

435. Old wooden fireplace, frame and mantel. Old fireplace crane.

Mrs. Henry E. Bostwick:

436. Commission, William Gaylord, 1723.

437. Two commissions, Benjamin Gaylord, 1760 and 1762.

438. Sword captured during the Revolutionary War from the Tory leader, Wade Vaughn, by the Gaylord Band.

439. Silver, over 100 years old, showing style of engraving at that time. Initial of both husband and wife, D. T. M.--David and Tamasin Merwin.

440. Pitch-pipe used in the old Congregational “Meeting House.”

441. Powder horn, carried through the Revolutionary War.

442. Piece of the wedding dress of Mrs. Abel Seeley, married before the Revolutionary War. It is home-spun linen and hand-woven, in imitation of French muslin.

Mrs. Henry E. Bostwick:

443. Pewter porringer.

444. China.

Mrs. G. W. Wright:

445. Tea pot, cup and saucer, imported from China by Hon. Elijah Boardman, about 1790.

446. Holster and flint lock pistols.

Mrs. S. E. Bristol:

447. Gold watch and chain, 150 years old.

E. J. Emmons:

448. Newspaper, _Ulster County Gazette_, 1800. Account of funeral of George Washington.

Mrs. C. H. Allen:

449. Medicine chest, over 100 years old.

Sadie Strong:

450. Knitted counterpane, about 40 years old.

A. H. McMahon:

451. Millennium plate, over 160 years old.

Mrs. Henry E. Bostwick:

452. Engraving of Roger Sherman.

Mrs. Willis F. Bennett:

453. Iron peel, nearly 100 years old. Used for placing and withdrawing food from the brick oven.

Dr. G. H. Wright:

454. White satin suit, worn by Senator Elijah Boardman.

Dr. H. H. Hartwell:

455. Trooper’s coat.

Mrs. Helen B. Carr:

456. Dress, made in style shown in London Fashion Book of 1799.

Mrs. Salmon and Fred Buck:

467. Silver spoon, 150 years old. Cup and saucer used by Roger Sherman’s sister.

Mrs. Helen B. Carr:

458. Sermons of Rev. Daniel Boardman.

459. Sampler, 1804.

460. Locket and ring, worn by the grandmother of Mrs. Helen B. Carr.

Will Cogswell:

461. Dagger found during Revolutionary War. Indian Hammer Head.

Mrs. F. W. Knowles:

462. China, over 100 years old; 11 pieces.

463. Flax grown in New Milford by John Caldwell, in 1800.

464. Tailor’s shears, over 150 years old. With these shears the lady represented in the daguerreotype of No. 465 earned by tailoring the gold beads of No. 465.

465. Gold beads and daguerreotype, very old.

466. Dress worn by Harriet Beard when married to Charles Knowles.

The Misses Boardman:

467. Two brooches; one, tomb of Washington, the other, made from the Charter Oak.

Clarissa T. Staples:

468. Queen Anne knife and fork, Sheffield plate, made in 1690.

Mrs. Ellen Lamson:

469. Tea pot, 200 years old, brought over from England.

G. G. Bray:

470. Tray, 150 years old.

C. Andrew Humeston:

471. Wedgewood pitcher; lustre pitcher, very old; cup and saucer, 80 years old.

Mrs. F. E. Starr:

472. Apron, home-spun linen, worked with crewels. Very old.

Clarissa T. Staples:

473. Candle-stick, formerly used by Samuel Treadwell.

Ormida Northrop Pratt:

474. Brewster Cup, 150 years old, belonging to Mrs. Mary Brewster Beach, whose father was William Brewster, second son of Elder Brewster, of the _Mayflower_.

475. Sampler, 90 years old, embroidered by Mary Brewster Beach, great-great-granddaughter of Elder Brewster, of the _Mayflower_.

476. Fan of Mrs. Jane (Mills) Bordwell, wife of Rev. Joel Bordwell, pastor of Kent Congregational Church, 1758-1811.

477. Purse, 75 years old.

Mrs. Seymour C. Loomis:

478. Ring dropped by Lafayette in the house of my great-great-great-grandmother, Abigail Starr Taylor, in Danbury, during the Revolutionary War.

479. Brooch. Belonged to Mrs. Ithamar Canfield, worn during 1700.

480. Book, used by Abigail Starr, wife of Major Daniel Starr, 1750.

481. Letter of Abigail Starr, 1756.

482. Slipper worn by Abigail Starr, 1765.

Helen M. Boardman:

483. Brooch (Italian), about 75 years old.

Miss M. D. Porter:

484. Door-handle from back door of Rev. Nathaniel Taylor’s house in New Milford, probably made for the front door by the old blacksmith, Daniel Burritt, whose initials are on it, 1759. When repairs were made in the house, in the summer of 1880 or 1881, this old latch was taken off and given to Mrs. Mary Taylor Porter.

485. Powder horn (Abel Hine, 1758).

486. Pulpit Bible, used by Rev. Nathaniel Taylor, who was settled in New Milford in 1748, and died after a pastorate of 52 years. This Bible was given to him by his father, Daniel Taylor, of Danbury.

487. Silhouette, Rev. Nathaniel William Taylor, D. D. (grandson of Rev. Nathaniel Taylor), made by Samuel Metford, New Haven, in 1842.

Mrs. Chas. Taylor:

488. Hand-made counterpane. Made for large four-post bedstead, of linen, with pattern done in candle wicking, drawn through.

THE OLD HOME GATHERING

The “Old Home Gathering” in Roger Sherman Hall, at 8:30 o’clock Saturday evening, was presided over by W. Frank Kinney, Chairman of the Committee on Invitation, Reception, and Entertainment. Mr. Kinney, by way of welcome, spoke as follows:

“You do not know how hard it is for me to come to-night into a place like this. I was asked by the committee to take charge of these exercises for reasons that you well know. I am asked to give you a welcome to our town. ‘Surely, the love of home is interwoven with all that is pure, deep, and lasting in earthly affection. Let us wander where we may, the heart turns back with secret longing to the paternal roof. There all the scattered rays of affection concentrate. Time may enfeeble them, distance overshadow them, and the storms of life obscure them for a season, but they will at length break through the clouds and gloom, and glow, and burn, and brighten, around the peaceful threshold of home.’ Thus wrote the poet Longfellow, and I repeat those lines because they express in so much better language than it is possible for me to do, the thoughts that are uppermost in your hearts to-night.

“We welcome you to-night to these grand old hills, among which your ancestors were born and bred, and where they drew the inspiration that made them the men of mark and note of their day; over whose wooded heights you tramped with the old gun on your shoulder, looking for the gray squirrel, watching for the rise of the partridge, or listening to the distant baying of the hound, as he chased the fox along the trail.

“We welcome you back to these beautiful valleys, where, in your earlier days, you bent your back, and, by the sweat of your brow, earned your daily bread. We welcome you back to the

noble old river, where you swam and bathed in its clear, bright waters, or sailed so smoothly upon its bosom, or skated over it, in its winter coat, or, perhaps, studied astronomy by counting the stars as you lay prone upon your back.

“We welcome you back to these beautiful mountain streams that come tumbling down the hills, and through the valleys to the river, which many a day you followed with hook and line, trying to entice the speckled beauty from some favorite haunt. Welcome back to the little red school house at the corner, where you learned your A, B, C’s, and to the historic old birch tree that stands near by, and of whose branches you still have tender memories. Welcome back to the dear old church, within whose sacred walls you spent so many hallowed hours, and from which you took many of the sweetest, as well as the saddest, memories of the old town.

“Welcome back to the old homesteads, ‘Sacred to all that can gladden, or sadden, the heart of man, over whose thresholds of oak and stone, life and death has come and gone.’ We leave you there, we cannot cross those thresholds; but when you come forth again, we welcome you to our beautiful village, to the festivities of this Bi-Centennial occasion. And to those who have come back after a few years of absence, and to those who have come to the homes of their ancestors for the first time, you will find we have hearts warm enough, and homes large enough, to welcome you all. Again I say, welcome, thrice welcome to our grand old town.”

Brief speeches, replete with sentiment and reminiscence, were made by Rev. George S. Bennitt, D. D., of Jersey City; Hon. Henry C. Sanford, of Bridgewater (formerly a part of New Milford); Boardman Wright and Timothy Dwight Merwin, New York lawyers; Rev. John T. Huntington, of Hartford, and Edwin W. Marsh, a Bridgeport banker--all members of families which have been closely identified with New Milford interests for several generations.

The Chairman read the following poem, written for the occasion by Mary Murdoch Mason, daughter of a former pastor of the Congregational Church:

“HOME

“Born on these hills, or in this happy vale,
Our feet turn swiftly toward the well-known trail:
At all great moments, when the heart is stirred,
The exile’s soul spreads wings like homing bird.

“’Tis in this village church our knees are bent,
When, ’neath cathedral dome or tropic tent,
We hear the burial service for the dead,
’Tis in the old home pew our prayers are said.

“No brilliant light in bold, bright city street
Can dazzle, eyes accustom-ed to greet
That golden splash and sparkle where the sun
Kisses our River’s curve ere day is done.
You know the spot. We see it from Town-Hill;
It stirs our hearts and makes old memories thrill.

“In Switzerland, the snow-capped heights grow dim,
Mt. Tom appears, and Guardian Mount with him.
Rigi’s a dream, and even Jungfrau pales,
While Alpine glow lights up New England dales.

“Old Ocean’s storms and winds for us grow calm,
The while we dream of Housatonic’s charm:
And we forget the harbor at Trieste
To float upon Lake Waramaug’s dear breast.

“No bells that ring from far-famed distant towers
Are half so sweet as those ‘First Bells’ of ours.
And songs that thrill the world were never sung
As noble as those hymns we loved when young.

“On London ’bus, or in Pall-Mall’s vast crowd,
Sudden we’re walking through a field fresh plowed:
Upon the steamer’s deck far out at sea,
We hear a robin sing in Main Street tree.

“In wind-swept wastes, we’re filled with joy, not gloom,
Because at home th’ arbutus is in bloom.
And when June comes, and roses blow, we say:
‘Oh, for those roses round our porch to-day!’

“But ’tis at night beneath the heavens we cry:
‘These same kind stars with ever-friendly eye
Upon our well-beloved graves look down,
Far, far away, in dear New Milford town.’”

Charles N. Hall, Secretary of the General Bi-Centennial Committee, read the following cablegram:

“London, England, June 15, 1907.

“Success to the Bi-Centennial and best wishes for the dear old town! Deeply regret my absence.

FRANK HINE.”

He also read the following letter, explaining that, although addressed to the Committee, it belonged to all New Milford, since it came straight from the heart of one whom all New Milford loves:

“New York, June 11, 1907.

“CHARLES N. HALL, Esq., Secretary of the Bi-Centennial Association of New Milford,

“_Dear Sir_:--

“Owing to a severe and unexpected attack of illness I am reluctantly compelled, acting under the imperative orders of my physician, Dr. Allan McLane Hamilton, of New York, to relinquish any participation in the Bi-Centennial ceremonies, and I, therefore, request that arrangements be made to have my duties assumed by the officers upon whom they will devolve.

“It is impossible for me to express my deep regret at the necessity of giving up any part in these exercises, to which I have looked forward with so much pleasure and pride, and my profound appreciation of the high honor conferred on me by the people of New Milford in electing me President of this Association.

“I desire to extend to them all, through you, my sincere and heartfelt thanks; and to all guests and friends who honor us with their presence on this glad and memorable occasion, and whom I hoped to meet personally, I extend a warm welcome and a hearty greeting.

“Very truly yours,

“HENRY S. MYGATT.”

Before and after the exercises of the evening, much informal sociability was indulged in, in the course of which many stories of old times were exchanged and many old friendships renewed. The occasion was a highly enjoyable one, especially to those who had come from a distance after an absence of many years. It was an “old home gathering” in the best and fullest acceptation of the term.

OUR FOREFATHERS

WRITTEN FOR BI-CENTENNIAL SUNDAY BY CHARLES N. HALL

Lord of the Pilgrims; they who came
Far over-seas to praise Thy name;
Braving the wave, the wilderness,
Firm in their faith that Thou wouldst bless;
Planting upon a new world’s shore
Thy name, their faith, forevermore--
Grant us, their children, thus to be
Persistent in our faith in Thee.

Dark seemed the way; grim forests frowned,
Hunger and cold crouched close around
That Pilgrim band; while wintry seas
Rolled wide, ’twixt English homes and these,
Who, faithful still, to doubt unknown,
Laid here the Nation’s cornerstone.
Grant us, their children, thus to be
Unfaltering in our faith in Thee.

Bitter their sufferings and tears;
Hardship and toil marked all the years;
But through it all Thy saving hand
Guided and held the chosen band;
Leading them safely home at last,
All hardship done, all trials passed.
Grant us, their children, thus to be
Guided, sustained, brought home, by Thee.

THE SUNDAY EXERCISES

Sermons appropriate to the occasion were preached to large
congregations in all the churches Sunday morning. These sermons, in
so far as they were historical, are reproduced herewith:

BY REV. FRANK A. JOHNSON

IN THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

“...In the summer of 1707, an eagle, poised on extended pinions over the Housatonic Valley, would have looked down upon a scene of singular beauty. He would have beheld a wilderness; but has not a wilderness a beauty unsurpassed by the artificial works of man? Mountain, hill and valley were clothed with magnificent forests of oak, chestnut and ash. The river, then a clear mountain stream, weaving its way among the hills, added to the sylvan beauty of the scene. There was no sign of the presence, or even existence of man, save possibly the thin smoke from the camp-fire of some peaceful Indian, who loved these hills, the home of his fathers.

“Into this trackless wilderness, from the then far-away north-land of Massachusetts, came John Noble and his little eight-year-old daughter. Do we, who know this lovely valley so well, wonder that he built his simple home here, and that his descendants have remained here ever since? His house was for some time the last house this side of Albany.

“After a short time, a company from Milford, on Long Island Sound, took up much of the land here, and naturally gave the name New Milford to the new settlement. These men were of a sturdy race, strong in body, courageous, believers in God and His righteousness. Just think of the task that confronted them! The great forests, which would be a better possession than a gold mine now, were an encumbrance then. The traditions of these fathers tell us nothing of enervating club life, or midday siestas; the daily rule of life for man

Methodist Episcopal Baptist, Northville

Methodist, Gaylordsville Saint Francis Xavier]

and woman then was work, work, work, that we might enter into the goodly heritage we now enjoy. Among the early settlers was Mr. John Read, who built a primitive house at the upper end of “The Green,” near Mr. Frederic Knapp’s house. Mr. Read, at one time, intended to enter the ministry. He preached the first sermon here in his own house. The founders of our State and town believed in God, and delighted in his worship. They were assured that God could manifest himself in the wild woods, or in some log cabin as well as in a stately cathedral. And so, before their families were fairly settled, they provided some place for the stated worship of Almighty God.

“So, here, after Mr. Read left the town, the people continued to use his simple home as their place of worship. I quote from our church manual: ‘These people held their religious services in what was called Mr. Read’s house, which has been described as probably built of logs, one story high, and had but one window, and was not very commodious nor an ornamental place of worship. The first vote to build a regular meeting-house was passed in 1716, and, then, so many difficulties were encountered, and so limited were the resources of the people, that the building does not seem to have been completely finished and furnished till 1731--though it was probably occupied for worship in its unfinished condition as early as 1720. This building stood on Town Hill, on the upper side of the present “Green.” In 1754 a new and more commodious meeting-house was erected upon the village “Green,” nearly opposite the present residence of Mrs. Henry E. Bostwick. This building was used as a house of worship for seventy-nine years, during the pastorates of Revs. Taylor, Griswold and Elliot. During the pastorate of the Rev. Mr. Rood in 1833, the present edifice was erected. In 1860, it was completely renovated.’

“In 1892 it was again renovated and a considerable addition made to this audience room, and the chapel, parlor and class rooms were added to the main building. In 1902 the present parsonage was built, and the ample grounds about it were laid out. In 1904 the organ was presented by one of our members....

“They were a godly people who settled in this valley; a people who believed in the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship, and we may be sure that some kind of religious service was held here from the beginning of the settlement, but a regular church was not organized until 1716. Eight female and five male members were formally recognized as a church by council on November 21 of that year. It was a Congregational Church of the ‘Standing Order,’ and all the early inhabitants seem to have been in sympathy with it. It has continued an unbroken organization to this day. It has always been influential in the moral and religious movements of the community; and we are proud of its history, and are glad that we are members of it in this later day.

“We are so firmly convinced of the wisdom of the separation of Church and State, that it is hard for us to appreciate that our own church, through much of its history, was rigidly united with the State. For thirty-four years after the organization of the church, the Ecclesiastical Society and the town were practically the same thing. The larger part of the business of town meetings was the consideration of religious affairs. The town called the minister, provided for the expenses of the church, cared for the building; in fact did about everything that the church and society would do now. It was a town meeting that voted the size of the shingles and clapboards to be placed on the church building. Some of you, not very old, can remember when the town voted in the basement of this building. If there is any virtue in a union of Church and State, this church must have received the full measure. Until 1819 this Society had the legal right to tax all the inhabitants for its own support; but naturally, other denominations, which had arisen within the town, would object to this, and, as a matter of fact, this right was not insisted upon. The only relic of this incongruous relation of Church and State, according to American standards, is the Ecclesiastical Society; and, in the formation of new churches, this is generally done away with, the church feeling abundantly able to take care of its own affairs.

“During the one hundred and ninety-one years of its history this church has been served by ten settled pastors, and by several ministers who acted as pastors for limited periods. All of these ministers were men of power and influence, and have left their mark upon both church and town. From the organization of the church in 1716 to the end of the eighteenth century the church was served by only two pastors--the Rev. Daniel Boardman, and the Rev. Nathaniel Taylor. They were strong men and did much for the religious development of western Connecticut. Their descendants are still influential residents of our town. The third pastor was the Rev. Stanley Griswold, a man of strong personality and pronounced ability. After leaving New Milford he retired from the ministry, and, entering upon political life, became Secretary of Michigan Territory, and afterwards one of the first United States Senators from the State of Michigan. Later, he was Chief Justice of the Northwest Territory. The Revs. Andrew Elliot and Herman Rood were strong men, leaving the impress of their labors upon the life of the church. The sixth pastor was the Rev. Noah Porter. He was a faithful worker here, and his work was greatly blessed. He afterwards became known to all the world of scholars as the distinguished President, for many years, of Yale College. The Rev. John Greenwood was a pastor greatly beloved. After a period of absence from the town, he returned to spend his latter days with the church he loved. The eighth pastor was the Rev. David Murdock, Jr. He was a forcible preacher, and many of the present membership were received into the church during his fruitful ministry. He was pastor during the exciting days of the Civil War, and his stirring, patriotic addresses never left any doubt of the position of this church in the days which tried men’s souls. The last three ministers, the Revs. James B. Bonar, George S. Thrall, and Timothy J. Lee, were the friends and pastors of a large part of the present congregation. Many of the older members were welcomed into the fellowship of the church during their ministries. Not only here, but in other fields of labor, they gave good proof of their ministry. Of all this list of former ministers, only one is living to-day, the Rev. Timothy J. Lee, the immediate predecessor of the present pastor.

“These ministers were advised and assisted by a consecrated band of deacons; men chosen for their piety and interest in the affairs of the church. The New England Congregational deacon has always filled a large place in the moral development of a community; and so these men have done their part in promoting the better life of this town. It would be impossible to write a true history of the town without giving their names a prominent place. The name of one of their number, also sometime clerk of our Society, is written high in the annals of his country, the distinguished patriot and statesman, Roger Sherman, associate of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Robert R. Livingston, on the committee of five which prepared the immortal Declaration of Independence. His colleague, Thomas Jefferson, said of him, he was ‘a man who never said a foolish thing’; and the noted Senator Macon declared, ‘He had more common sense than any man I have ever known.’ At this anniversary time, we are happy to recall the name of such a man as a citizen of our town, and a member and officer in our church....

The following hymn, written for the occasion by Charlotte B. Bennett, was sung in the Congregational Church in the course of the service at which the above sermon was preached.

BI-CENTENNIAL HYMN

“God of our fathers, in whose sight
The centuries are but as days,
We ask, as those of old, Thy light;
We bring, like them, our gift of praise.

“We bless Thee for the fathers’ love;
They made the rough way smooth, that we
Might safer walk. O, may it prove
The path of peace that leads to Thee.

“We reach across the vanished years
And touch their holy lives to-day,
They kept the faith through toils and fears;
Grant healing in the touch, we pray.

“If mists of time have dimmed our sight,
And faith has faltered on the way,
May clearer vision in the light
Of holy memories, crown this day.

“Alike to Thee are new and old;
Thy care through ages is the same;
Thy love links with a chain of gold
The centuries, in one dear Name.

“Keep in the hollow of Thy hand
This hallowed place, while years shall last;
For righteousness still may it stand,
Till days and ages are all past.”

BY REV. SAMUEL HART, D. D.

OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT, IN SAINT JOHN’S CHURCH, ALL SAINTS’ CONGREGATION UNITING

“It happened, as men say, that the beginning of the settlement of this town fell in the year which saw the organization of the first parish of the Church of England in Connecticut; the bi-centenary of New Milford is also the bi-centenary of the Diocese of Connecticut. It is but natural, therefore, that one who is called to speak to-day as to that part which this parish has borne in the history of the town, should recur to the origin of the Church in this Colony, and should have in his mind the inspiration of last week’s commemoration in Stratford; we cannot but look back from the time when the Church’s ministrations were first held here, to the earlier ministrations on the shores of the Sound. But we have a stronger reason to-day for turning to the beginnings; for the two clergymen who first officiated here, at the request of a few adherents of the Church of England, were Dr. Johnson, missionary and rector at Stratford, ‘the father of the Church in Connecticut,’ and Mr. John Beach, of Stratford birth, Dr. Johnson’s pupil in theology, in charge of congregations in Redding and Newtown. But, as it appears, we can go still further back; for one of the first settlers here, of whom indeed it is said that he claimed the land by title from the Indians, was John Read, who, at the time when the church services were first held by a clergyman in Stratford, was ministering to the Congregational society there, and presently connected himself with the newly formed congregation of Churchmen; indeed, we are told that at one time he had it in mind to go to England and ask for ordination at the hands of a bishop. Whatever his plans in this matter, they were not carried out; for he removed to this place, granted the use of a house which he built as a place of meeting for public worship, and occasionally preached to those who assembled there. He became a lawyer and Queen’s attorney, and removed to Boston, where he was a communicant in King’s Chapel. His son John was one of the first settlers of Reading (Redding) and named the town for his father. Thus there was here, from the very first, a little Church of England leaven.

“But we are told of no formal church services here for twenty-two years, and of no separate congregation until 1743. At this time, Dr. Johnson, that man of great learning and prudence and missionary zeal, had been ministering for twenty years in Stratford, extending his journeys to places adjacent and remote in the Colony, and exercising a strong and healthful influence on behalf of the Church. Among the young men whom he trained in the Church’s ways and in her theology, his pupils and members of his family, was John Beach, for eight years Congregational minister at Newtown, ‘a popular and insinuating young man,’ as was testified of him, who after ordination in England came back to his former field of labor and began a wonderful work there and in Redding, with a small congregation of five families. These two men came hither at

the request of a few Church people, of whom Mr. Beach wrote in 1743 there were about twenty families in New Milford and New Fairfield, who frequently attended church at Newtown, and to whom he ministered at their homes as he was able, but rarely on the Lord’s Day. The town, presently, on the petition of twelve men, granted them a piece of land in the street at its south end, ‘near where the old pound used to stand,’ forty feet by sixty, ‘in order to build a Church of England upon;’ and the building seems to have been erected in 1744....

“Under Mr. Beach’s care many in this part of the colony--for he had a wide circuit for visitations and services--accepted the Church’s ways; and thus was the Church established in the faith and increasing in number, as in the primitive times. When at last he asked to be relieved from the care of the congregations and scattered communicants in Litchfield County, the Rev. Solomon Palmer took charge of the Churchmen in this neighborhood, and became the first clergyman resident here. After five years he removed to Litchfield; and to him succeeded, in 1762, as by a kind of exchange, the Rev. Thomas Davies, whose grandfather and father, faithful laymen, had founded the parishes in Litchfield and Washington. His whole span of life was but thirty years, and he ministered here but four years; but he left a record for untiring labor, constant pastoral labor, persuasive eloquence, and godly living, which has not been effaced by time, and the results of which, we cannot but believe, still remain in this community. Even when there was talk of a division of his work, he proposed to retain the towns of New Milford, Woodbury, Kent, and New Fairfield as his mission, leaving Litchfield, Cornwall and Sharon, with a few Churchmen in nine other towns, to the care of another clergyman. During his ministry, a second house of worship was built, the old church being too small for the congregation; it stood in part on the street, some twenty or thirty rods north of the former site. After Mr. Davies, followed the Rev. Richard (or Richard Samuel) Clarke, the twenty years of whose ministry included the cloudy days that preceded the Revolution and the stormy times of the Revolution itself. He was a Tory in political convictions and, after the war, removed to Nova Scotia, where he died in 1824 at the age of 87, the oldest missionary in the Colonies.

“It would be ungracious to dwell now on the opposition, for the most part conscientious, and nearly always quite in accordance with law, which the early Churchmen experienced. It is pleasanter to note that their neighbors and the Colonial authorities extended to them what was for the times, a generous toleration as to ‘sober dissenters,’ and allowed them, if they actually attended church, to turn their ‘church rates’ to the support of their own clergymen. And this parish had the special favor, shared with but two others, of a special act of the General Assembly, which practically put it before the law in the full status of a society of the standing Congregational order. Even the hard feelings of Revolutionary days, almost excusable at the time, soon passed away. The Church of England in Connecticut, under the nominal care of the Bishop of London, became the Church of the Diocese of Connecticut, under the care of her own Bishop, and presently a constituent part of the Church in the United States, loyally maintaining the Commonwealth and the Republic, actually guiding the organization of the State, and moulding a large part of the people in the ways of soberness, righteousness, and godliness.

“In all this time, the parish of St. John’s, New Milford, was a true center of missionary work. We wonder when we read of Dr. Johnson from Stratford extending his journeys to Newtown and Middletown and New London; of Mr. Beach from Newtown visiting New Milford and other places, really caring for a whole county with ‘parts adjacent’; of Mr. Davies from New Milford going about in circuit, preaching and baptizing in Roxbury, and New Preston, and Salisbury, and Litchfield, and Sharon, and divers other places in the Colony, and crossing the line into Great Barrington, where he found difficulties incident to another government, but where a church was built under his care; and how he, in his turn, directed to that place the steps of Gideon Bostwick, who ministered for more than twenty years in Berkshire, in the southern part of Vermont, and in the eastern part of New York. Moreover, there came in 1769, to the clergy of Connecticut, assembled in Convocation in New Milford, a memorial from the few Churchmen in the new settlement of Claremont, in New Hampshire, asking that their case might be presented to the Venerable Society in England, with the hope that they would be allowed at least a catechist and schoolteacher, until (as they said) they should have passed ‘the first difficulties and hardships of a wild, uncultivated country.’ Such a man was commissioned, and did good work as an unordained missionary; while a clergyman was presently sent to make a personal exploration of the northern provinces. It is apart from our immediate topic; but we can never think of the religious history of New Milford without being reminded of that remarkable man, Count Zinzendorf, who held the episcopate among the Moravians, and for a while ministered to the aborigines in this very place--one of the few places in which the Indians remained, and in which they were affected by the preaching of Christianity. There were others also here whose very presence was a challenge to the teaching of the Church at one time or another--Separatists, and Quakers, and Jemimaites, and Glassites. Among them all, the Church held her place, and guided the life of no small part of the whole community.

“For the last ten years of the eighteenth century the Rev. Truman Marsh was rector of New Milford, with New Preston and Roxbury. In 1793 the Church, already occupied for eight and twenty years, was formally consecrated by Bishop Seabury, eight of the clergy being present for a Convocation. It had been long in an unfinished state, as we gather from the frequent entries in the parish records, which refer to the work yet to be done. Only two years before the consecration it was voted, ‘To go on and finish the Pulpit, Reading Desk, Clark’s pew, and Gallery’; and in the next year a vote was passed as to the assignment of seats; and, the front seat in the gallery being reserved for singers, and the back seat there for blacks, it was commendably voted, ‘That People of any Denomination that Wish a Seat Shall have one.’ This edifice, repaired from time to time, served the purposes of the congregation until 1837; and the third Church was in turn replaced by the present beautiful and enduring building, on a new but adjacent site, twenty-four years ago, in 1883. There must have been of old a glebe lot here, though we do not find early notice of it; it lay on the west side of the Main Street, and, in Mr. Marsh’s day, it had a house and barn upon it; there is a tradition that it was secured in part from the sale of a piece of land which the parish owned at a still earlier day and in part from the parish’s share of the avails from undivided land in the highway; at any rate, it was sold long ago.

“The history of post-Revolutionary times must be rapidly passed over. Mr. Benjamin Benham began here as a lay-reader, and, having been ordained in 1808, was rector for nearly twenty years, having duties also at New Preston, Roxbury, Bridgewater, and Brookfield; then, for another score of years the Rev. Enoch Huntington ministered to the congregation, and, after an interval, another twenty years of your records is covered by the rectorship of the Rev. Charles G. Acly, in whose time a rectory was secured.

“This brings us down to a date but little more than thirty years ago, well within the memory of many in this congregation; and the last twelve of these years belong to the present rectorship, as to which we may well hope, both for the rector’s sake and for the people’s, that it is much nearer its beginning than its end.

“A few figures will show the remarkable growth of the parish, noticeable even among the thriving country parishes of Connecticut. A hundred years ago, already a century after the first settlement, there were seventy-four communicants in the cure of New Milford, New Preston, and Roxbury; fifty years ago, St. John’s Church, New Milford, reported one hundred and twenty-five communicants and one hundred Sunday scholars; in 1885, not quite thirty years later, the number of communicants had increased to two hundred and eighty-nine, and the number of Sunday scholars was one hundred sixty-four. In the last named year, the new congregation of All Saints’ Memorial Church was canonically organized, its beautiful place of worship being consecrated in a subsequent year, and a rectory being added some twelve years ago. The result of this increase of the provision for the worship of the Church and for its varied ministrations in this town has been a growth, under all the circumstances, more remarkable than that of former times; in twenty-one years the number of communicants has increased from two hundred eighty-nine to five hundred forty-nine--four hundred five in the older parish and one hundred forty-four in the younger; and where there were one hundred sixty-four scholars in one Sunday school, there are now two hundred fifty-eight in two schools, of which the mother parish has two hundred nine....”

BY REV. S. D. WOODS

IN THE BAPTIST CHURCH AT NORTHVILLE

“Our best authority tells us that while Baptists were not very numerous in the early days of the town’s history, yet a decade or more before the close of its first century there was a sufficient number to warrant the carrying on of services at varying places--Bridgewater, Warren, and Gaylord’s Bridge. These were kept up for twenty-five years, when, on Jan. 7, 1814, a meeting was held at the residence of Asahel Baldwin, at which time it was voted: ‘1st, To organize ourselves into a society to be known as the “New Milford Baptist Church.” 2d, To invite a council from sister churches to meet with us on Feb. 9, to consider the propriety of recognizing us as a regular Baptist Church.’ This council met as planned, and after a proper examination of ‘their Articles of Faith and their Covenant,’ voted, unanimously, ‘to recognize them as a sister church in the Lord.’

“By this act twenty-two believers became a recognized body of worshipers, who, ten days later, voted to license Eleazer Beecher as pastor. He was ordained Sept. 15, 1814, at the residence of Abel Canfield on Long Mountain. The services were conducted in the open air.

“This first pastorate continued for seven years, when Rev. Seth Higby assumed charge for one momentous year, as it witnessed the beginning of this present house of worship; and the following year, 1822, saw its completion, when Elder Higby resigned, and Elder Beecher was again installed, serving the church for ten years more. He was succeeded by Rev. Nathan Benedict in a two years’ pastorate, and he, in turn, by Rev. Elijah Baldwin, who remained until 1840. For ten years the church was without a settled pastor, though the pulpit was supplied by various non-resident clergymen.

“From 1850 to 1866 but little growth is recorded; they were years of struggles and trials. There was a succession of pastors, Revs. H. M. Barlow, J. F. Jones, and J. Hepburn, serving as under shepherds.

“In 1868 the Rev. C. W. Potter was called, and his three years of service witnessed a gracious revival and added ten to the church roll. With the resignation of Elder Potter, the church experienced five years of pastorless existence, though being supplied occasionally by Rev. Arthur Day. With the settlement of Rev. Edwin Beardsley, in 1875, the church entered upon a new era of growth and activity. The records show that two are still members who came in during that time. The succeeding pastor was Rev. J. P. Cotney, who remained about three years, adding two by baptism. He was succeeded by Rev. F. P. Braman, in 1887, who remained two years, baptizing six into fellowship. In 1889 the Rev. Frederick Kratz was installed, to be succeeded within two years by Rev. John Scott, during whose ministry of two years the parsonage was well-nigh completed and three members added to the church roll. This pastorate also saw the church made a corporate body. In 1893 Rev. F. D. Luddington was called, and remained three years, baptizing twenty-eight into church fellowship. In July, 1896, Rev. Charles I. Ramsey assumed the pastorate, and for nearly five years continued the good work already begun, by adding ten by baptism. The Rev. A. H. Manee began his pastoral labors in August, 1901, closing his labors in October, 1904, baptizing one into fellowship.

“From November, 1904, until April, 1905, the pulpit was supplied by various clergymen, when Rev. S. D. Woods became pastor, and continues in that office at the present time. Thus far there have been nineteen baptisms, and the church shows the largest membership in its history.

“All told, there have been two hundred and sixty-nine baptisms. The present membership is seventy....

BY REV. HARRIS K. SMITH

IN THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH