FROM THE HISTORIAN’S DESK, March 2007 – Carol Ganz.
How have you been faring with this strange winter, so mild and then so cold – and who knows what March will bring? At least we have our warm homes, and vehicles to get about in. And when we come to church it is warm and there’s a pew waiting for us, and we don’t have to worry about getting it built and plastered ourselves. The windows are sound, even if they do rattle a bit at times, and repairs are handled by some dedicated volunteers. How were our church forefathers spending their winters and early springs? (Keep in mind that our existing records for the 1700’s are only society records, not church records, so they tend to dwell on the financial and property issues.)
At a February 6, 1727, meeting of the Ecclesiastical Society, a committee of five (Richard Williams, Christopher Avery, John Dean, Joshua Bill, and Ralph Stoddard) reported that they had measured “the Lands in Said Society to find the middle or Senter, to set the meeting house.” This means that they had walked or ridden horseback, probably doing some bush-whacking along the way, covering the entire territory of the society. “Wee began at the South line of said Society and measured to the North line. – and we began at the East side and run west and by north To the Great River, and find the middle or Senter of sd. Society to be a bout fourty or fifty Rods from the Southwest Corner of Capt. John Morgan’s Goat Pasture fence ….” That location was the site of the meetinghouse that was built over the course of several years, and is very close to the location of our current church building. Why did they need to find the “Senter” to locate the meetinghouse? A common conflict was that the meetinghouse of a society was too far from some of the population – the center was the best they could do to be fair. A mile or two made a big difference in those days! For the time being, they met in homes, probably kept cozy with fireplaces, and hired a series of preachers, while searching for one who would “settle” here as a permanent pastor.
March 11, 1728 – they voted to raise forty pounds by rates (taxes) to cover and enclose the meetinghouse.
March 13, 1729 – voted to add a penny per pound to the tax that was being taken to offer a minister. The extra penny collection was “for Glazing the meetinghouse.” Later that year, Ebenezer Punderson was hired as our first “settled” minister.
March 19, 1733 – “Voated that the method for finishing the loor part of the meetinghouse adjoyning to the walls Round Shall be by building pews not infringing upon the Stare ways & allyes, and the number of sd. pews to be eighteen one of which has been disposed of to the Reverend Mr. E. Punderson.” A list follows of the men given the privilege of building themselves pews and where they were to be located, and a limit of twelve months was set for this to be accomplished. Each was to build a pew and “seal up the wall against his pew as high as the pew.”
By the following March (1734), Rev. Punderson had left and the search was on for a replacement. In February 1736 Capt. John Morgan was assigned to go to Greenwich to talk to one minister, and if he didn’t succeed, then Deacon William Morgan was to go to Springfield “or else where” to find a minister. By that fall Andrew Croswell had agreed to settle as minister.
In April 1738 – voted that the “meeting House shall be finished by building of pews.” Again location assignments were written up and Mr. Croswell was given the privilege of building himself a pew! Again a year’s time limit was set to build (and plaster to the girt against their pews), under penalty of forfeiting the privilege.
June 1739 – privileges of building a pew were again listed, building and plastering to be done by November – now they were getting tough! But December 1739 saw them again listing the privileges, with six months to finish… Do we see a pattern here?
Over the next few years the lists continued but assignments were sometimes relative to a pew already there, so it appears some individuals did begin to get their pews completed.
March 1745 – The society voted against repairing the windows in the lower part of the meetinghouse at the society’s expense. In December it was made clear that it was the responsibility of the adjoining pew holders to case the windows, mend the glass and keep the windows in repair.
We’ve got it easy! Thank you Property Committee and volunteers!