From 1752 until 1796, all the educational and religious affairs of the town were under the control of this Society. It located the Schools, fixed the tax, collected it, and superintended the Schools through committees annually appointed. It was, in fact, the School Society for the Town, and as such received Benoni Stebbins’ legacy. It fixed and collected the tax for the salary of the ministers, “for the sweeping out of the Meeting House.” It also, in some measure, managed the financial affairs of the Episcopal Society; for in 1771, after appointing Ichabod Bostwick to gather the minister’s rate, it appointed “Solomon Hodkiss to gather a rate for Mr. Clark.” And in 1772 this Society issued a notice “to warn all the Church people to meet together on Monday, the 13th day of instant, April, at St. John’s Church at 8 of the clock in the morning, then and there to consult such measures as they shall think proper to procure a Glebe house for the Rev. Mr. Clark, and to do such other business as shall be thought proper.” The minutes of the meeting thus warned are recorded as “a meeting of the inhabitants of the 1st Ecclesiastical Society—holden by the Church of England.” This was doubtless done, in a fraternal spirit, to give legal efficacy to the action of the Episcopal Society in disposing of one Glebe and purchasing another. This shows the kindly feeling that then, as now and always, has governed the members of this Society. The Church Review (vol. ii, p. 317,—See Hollister’s Hist. of Conn. vol. ii, p. 545—Note) states that “certain Churchmen in New Milford were fined for refusing to attend the meetings of the established Church. These fines were, by recommendation of Mr. Beach, paid, and copies of the proceedings taken to be forwarded to the King and council. The fact becoming known, the authorities refunded the money and granted permission to build a church, which before had been refused.” I do not know the authority of the Church Review for this statement; but I do know that there is no warrant for it in Town or Society’s books. There is no record of any refusal to permit Churchmen to build, nor of the remittance of a fine upon any person for being absent from the worship of this Church; yet the books contain records of scores of votes remitting fines for breach of the Sabbath and other minor offences. From 1752 to 1819 this Society had all the legal rights in its own hand. But, in all the records there is no instance of anything like intolerance, or a disposition to throw obstacles in the way of others; while there are numerous instances of its generosity, and readiness to aid those who entertained a faith different from its own.
This Society has uniformly treated its ministers honorably and kindly. It has always acted with a good degree of unanimity. In every instance, except the first, the Society has found it difficult to unite in the calling of a pastor. At such times feeling has often run high, and when a call was voted, there has often been a few votes in the negative But the call once given and the pastor settled, parties have disappeared and all united in treating the man with the respect due to his office. Of the 8 pastors who have preceded the present, 3—Boardman, Taylor, and Elliot—died in office. Mr. Griswold left voluntarily, without any action on the part of the Church or Society. Mr. Porter resigned because of his “physical inability to perform the duties belonging to so large and scattered a parish.” Mr. Murdoch resigned to accept the invitation of the Third Church in New Haven. In regard to Mr. Rood, the Church and Society both voted unanimously that a change was needful for their well being; but even then, it voted him a gift of $400 and borrowed the money to give it to him. In the only other instance in which a change was desired, it was solely because of the physical infirmity of the pastor, who was as universally admired for his talents, as he was revered for his character. On his resignation, the Society voted him a donation of $500. The Society has always cared for the comfort of its pastors and been faithful to its promises to them. In the times of Messrs. Boardman and Taylor it was very poor and did not always pay promptly; but then it allowed interest on all arrearages. It gave Mr. Boardman a settlement in land and increased his salary from £50 and 40 cords of wood, “good and suitable for the fire,” to £125. It gave Mr. Taylor a settlement of £1,000, payable in installments within three years, and increased his salary from time to time at his request. But in 1779—“the time that tried men’s souls”—Mr. Taylor, “trusting to the generosity of the members of the Society,” relinquished his salary of £150, lawful money, from May 1st, 1778, to May 1st, 1779. And in 1782, Mr. Taylor, “taking into consideration the great burden and heavy taxes now lying on the people by reason of the present war, and he, being free and willing to bear a proportionate part of the cost and burden with others of the Society,” did “abate and discharge to said Society, the sum of £30, lawful money” from what was then due to him. And the Society, in its vote of thanks, “allowed that £30 was his full equal part, according to his interest or estate.” On the ordination of Mr. Griswold the Society voted Mr. Taylor “a gratuity of £80, in addition to all arrears then due to him.” Mr. Griswold’s settlement was £200, with a salary of £100, “payable in gold or silver, or produce at such prices as he would accept, with interest on all arrears.” £15 was afterwards added to his salary “because he did not receive so much wood as he expected.” And from 1794 to 1801 the Society annually voted him, usually £30 “in view of the high price of provisions the current year.” Mr. Elliot’s salary was $550: but from 1819 to his death $50 additional was annually voted to him except in 1826. Mr. Rood’s salary was $600, while Messrs. Porter and Greenwood had $700; Mr. Murdoch accepted the call of the Church and Society at a salary of $800, which, on his application, was gradually increased to $2,000. And in 1868 members of the Society presented him $1,750.
This statement of facts shows that this Society has aimed to do well by its pastors, and that these pastors were men who were worthy of good treatment.
These pastors were:—
1. Daniel Boardman—Graduated at Yale College, 1709, was ordained here November 21st, 1716, and died August, 25th, 1744.
2. Nathaniel Taylor was born in Danbury, August 27th, 1722; graduated at Yale College, in 1745; was ordained pastor here June 29th, 1748, and died here December 9th, 1800. He fitted many boys for College and married the daughter of his predecessor.
3. Stanley Griswold was born in Torringford, November 14th, 1763; graduated at Yale College, in 1786; was ordained pastor here June 20th, 1790; became a Unitarian, threw open the sacraments to all, and was censured by Consociation. He left town in 1802, and edited a political paper in New Hampshire. In 1805 he was appointed Secretary of Michigan Territory. In 1809 he was sent to the U. S. Senate, was afterwards Chief Judge of the N. W. Territory, and died at Shawneetown, Ill., August 25th, 1815, aged 52.
This Church and Society united in forming the Litchfield South Consociation, on July 7th, 1752. But feeling aggrieved by the action of the Association and Consociation in relation to Mr. Griswold, the Society, September 1805, by a unanimous vote withdrew from said Consociation, for intermeddling in the private affairs of this Society and excommunicating the pastor unheard in his own defence. It stood unconsociated until the installation of Mr. Elliot, when dropping the half-way covenant, which was adopted here in 1769, it was received into the Fairfield Consociation, February 24th, 1808. It returned to Litchfield South Consociation, April 27th, 1836.
4. Andrew Elliot, son of Rev. Andrew Elliot, of Fairfield; graduated at Yale College, in 1790; was ordained pastor here February 24th, 1808, and labored most successfully until his death, May 9th, 1829. No pastor of this Church has exerted a more powerful and healthy influence upon the town than Mr. Elliot. The most extensive and genuine revival that ever blessed this community, was under his ministry.