Spring, 2004
| New & Noteworthy |
The
Ellsworth Ecclesiastical Society
|
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| Heirloom Discovery Day |
The Ellsworth Ecclesiastical Society
What happens when a church goes out of existence? Apart from legal dissolution of its ecclesiastical society, there are other forms of its life which a church can never let die. Legally, the Ellsworth Ecclesiastical Society was dissolved in November of 1955. But the history and influence of its church are very much alive and full of meaning. This story presents highlights of a century and a half of growth in the Town of Sharon and its two Congregational Churches.
Symbolically, this growth came to contemporary expression last Sunday morning at the Sharon Congregational Church when, in commemorative services, Sharon's "East" and "West" met, after more than a hundred years.
When the original site of Sharon's town plot was changed, by a close town vote, to the area west of the geographical centre (sic) of the township, the settlers in the eastern section were highly dissatisfied. Through repeated appeals they obtained from the General Assembly, permission to establish an Ecclesiastical Society of their own. Inexplicably, 50 years elapsed before this permission was acted on. A parish line was drawn in 1753 (this line is recorded on the 1853 Town of Sharon Map) and the establishment of the Ellsworth Society took place, holding its first legally warned meeting on July 3, 1800.
On March 15, 1802, a group of 22 people covenanted together as the Ellsworth Congregational Church, 16 of which were members of the Sharon Congregational Church. Six years later, the temporary meeting house - started in 1793 - was finished by Joel Chaffee, "after the manner of the North Canaan meeting house."
Ellsworth's present meeting house was built in 1849 by Uriel Scott of Plymouth, Connecticut.
The cornerstone was laid on Sunday, June 18, 1848, with an appropriate prayer and address by the Rev. Mr. Osborne, pastor of the meeting house. Following this a large Bible, formerly owned by Joshua Lovell, was placed. An old hymn book, 130 years old at that time, was added by William Everitt. The cornerstone was then sealed and the minister, building committee, men, women and children passed around in succession touching the seal.
Historical
Highlights
Seating the Meeting House
Seating the meeting house was an important task in 1806 when the Deacons Woodward,
Seymour and St. John were instructed by the Society to seat the meeting house
according to age and that $40.00 in the List shall be equal to one year of
age; that the seating give any man in the Society a seat. Later the custom
of "seating" was discontinued and heads of families bid for pews
at public auction with highest bidder having his choice. This was a form of
church income for many years. In 1827, pews were sold or rented for one year.
In 1855, it was voted that the seats in the church be free.
The
Bell
In 1838, the first bell of the Ellsworth Society was bought at Hartford. This
bell, placed in the belfry, called the people "to the gathering"
on the Sabbath; it announced each marriage as well as tolled throughout many
a funeral service. After serving the meeting house four years, the bell cracked.
Asa Everitt, Elmore Everitt and Nathan Dunbar bought another bell at Troy, New York, to replace the damaged one. Mr. William Beebe was paid sixteen dollars and the use of the green for one year for ringing the bell. In 1847, the church and bell were consumed by fire. The following year another Troy bell was purchased.
Public
Confessions
In the early life of the Church, people attending were under the watch and
care of each other, feeling that if one sinned they had neglected their responsibility
to that person and to God. Public confessions were continued as late as 1875
when the sinner came before the Church body and acknowledged his sins and
asked for forgiveness as is shown in the following confessional made on October
17, 1807:
"I have of late been desirous of confessing my faults, and my disorderly walk. I have wandered from the path of duty and have wickedly committed the sin of intemperance and others too numerous to mention. I have wounded my soul which causes me to mourn. May God have mercy on me, and may my walk be nearer to Him, so that at last I may meet you all in heaven. Desiring to be restored to the privileges of the Church, I present this my confession, promising with the assistance of God to walk among you, as becometh the Christian profession."
Music
and the Singing School
Ellsworth was known miles around for its talented choir, often employed for
special public occasions. In 1839, it was employed for the 100th Anniversary
of the settling of the Town of Sharon.
Sabbath
School
The first Sunday School, with an enrollment of forty, was organized in 1814.
It was one of the first to be held in the State of Connecticut. Ellsworth's
Sabbath School was a pioneer and spread its influence to the surrounding churches.
First Church of Christ, Congregational, in Sharon, followed in 1817. There
was no particular course followed in the beginning of the Sabbath schools.
Scriptures, hymns, complete chapters of the
Bible, as well as a catechism, were memorized and recited to the teacher.
The
Everitt Library
A Library was the vision of Major Samuel Everitt when he proposed to the Congregational
Society at Ellsworth on October 16, 1865, the following: "Whereas the
Society is not and perhaps will not become strong in respect to its numbers
and wealth and hence must look for the source of its strength and influence
to the growth and intelligence of its members, and whereas the salary which
it can afford to pay its pastor is not likely to furnish him with abundant
means for supplying himself with books so necessary to fit him for his work,
I propose the establishment of a good library."
The Society accepted Mr. Everitt's offer on October 16, 1865. The Rev. G.F. Goodenough, assisted by E.W. Chaffee and E.S. Dunbar, spent $800.00 for books. The remaining two hundred dollars plus two hundred dollars from the Church was put into a library fund. The library, until 1880 was housed in the parsonage, with the pastor as ex officio librarian. Olive Johnson served as librarian for many years. At the time of dissolution of the Society, the Hotchkiss Library became the recipient of the Everitt Library.
Centennial
- 1900
The Centennial celebration was held on July 3, 1900 when a special exhibit
of heirlooms, old dishes, original documents and photographs pertaining to
the early life of the community were on exhibition. The Rev. Giles F. Goodenough
compiled a book on the Centennial entitled, "Ellsworth, Connecticut,"
in which can be found a more detailed account.
Interesting
Items
All early business and voting were done by the men of the Church, until 1925
when a meeting held at the home of Mr. Horace Dunbar voted in the ladies of
the Ellsworth Church as members of the Ecclesiastical Society, thereby strengthening
the Society. The following were voted in: Mrs. Horace Dunbar, Miss Rose DeMusey,
Mrs. Alice Morey and Mrs. William Everitt.
In 1935 a merger with the First church of Christ, Congregational, in Sharon, was considered but no action was taken. When the Ellsworth Society was dissolved in November, 1955, its funds and properties were assigned to the Sharon Church which plans to use the funds, plus monies derived from the property sale for its parish house building. Appropriate recognition (by record and designated portion of the new building) is to be made at the proper time.
Mrs. George W. Hotchkiss, the former Elizabeth St. John, presented part of the Communion Service with Gibbs Skiff. She married George Hotchkiss in 1856 and went to Evanston, Illinois. Lucy Skiff donated the chandelier and oil lamps and reseated the Church.
Reprinted from the Lakeville Journal, March 21, 1957, with permission from the Lakeville Journal, February 20, 2004.
The Sharon Historical Society will host a fund raising event on Saturday, May 8th, 2004, at the newly restored 1848 Ellsworth Congregational Church, now the home of Karin and Beattie Crawford. Sharon's "tricky" geography created the necessity for two Congregational churches. The Ellsworth Ecclesiastical Society was covenanted in 1802. The Crawford home is the third physical location of the Society and was used as a church until 1955. The following is excerpted from an article published in the Lakeville Journal upon the consolidation of the two Sharon churches.
SHS Annual Meeting and Lecture
The annual
meeting of the Sharon Historical Society will be held on Saturday, April 3
at 9:30 a.m. in the new, bright reading room of the Gay-Hoyt House Museum.
The business meeting will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. to be followed by a
lecture by archaeologist Victor Rolando. The general meeting will include
committee reports, a discussion of the coming season, and election of officers.
Refreshments will be served.
The opportunity to get a professional appraisal of your antique or collectible treasures will be a feature of this summers Attic Classic fund raiser to be held July 2 & 3 in the "beg tent' set up adjoining the museum grounds. Rick Lawler and John Stair, hosts of the popular public radio (WAMC) show on antiques will be on hand for appraisals on Saturday July 3, which will include a "mini" version of the spectacular tag sale that has become a Sharon Independence Day tradition.
The two veteran experts were both long associated with Sothebys; Lawler specializing
in military antiques, clocks and watches, and Stair trained as a fine arts
consultant in the family's prestigious London antique firm of Stair &
Andrew. At the preview cocktail part on Friday evening, an informal discussion
by the two experts will let guests test their knowledge of antiques. Friday
evening tickets are available in advance for $35 per person which includes
the short lecture, fabulous hors d'oeurves and an open bar.
On Saturday
everyone can bring their suspected treasures or heirloom for a review of its
history and a verbal appraisal. Each person can have up to three items examined,
the first at a cost of $10 and others at $5 each. Jewelry, stamps and coins
will not be appraised. People who wish to have large furniture pieces discussed
may bring photographs and/or parts of the piece such as drawers. Appraisers
will be happy to make car visits to see items not easily transported.
History through Stitchery
Pat and Jim Cummings, connoisseurs and craftsmen of quilts, recently journeyed down from New Hampshire to view our collection of antique quilts for an article in The Quilter magazine.
While here they took notes and photographs that will enable them to trace the history of the more interesting pieces. This information will add to the body of information already in our files on these beautiful and utilitarian objects.
Mrs. Cummings is an accomplished quilt historian who writes regular features on the history of quilting for The Quilter magazine. She also maintains her own website on quilts and quilting techniques, both historic and modern. She is the recent author of an article entitled, "Symbolism in Quilts as Part of the Underground Railroad System: African Textile Traditions" challenging the theory expounded in the book Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard, that quilts were used as maps to guide fugitive slaves from "station to station" on the underground railroad. For further information on this topic, and a preview of the article, visit her website at www.quiltmuse.com
Francoise Kelz, who has headed the volunteer program to preserve the Society's textile collection, notes that the museum's quilts span a period of over 125 years. Some of the most interesting date from the 1880s and 1890s and are pieced crazy quilts with meticulous embroidered enhancements.
For those who love quilts, the Litchfield Historical Society will open its exhibit, The Ties That Bind: A Sampler of Litchfield County Quilts, on April 17. Quilts from all across Litchfield County will be on display, including a quilt from the collection of the Sharon Historical Society and featured in the book, Quilts and Quiltmakers Covering Connecticut. The quilt, made by Aunt "Anna" Elizabeth Morehouse Prindle (1858-1952) in 1887, is in the Mariner's Compass pattern.
Calling All Weavers!
Sharon resident Ken Edholm has been working non-stop to get our large 18th century loom ready to be the centerpiece of this years main exhibit. Ken, an accomplished weaver by avocation, brings years of expertise to this project - along with a library of books, photographs and articles on the many aspects of weaving. The new exhibit, which will open in the late spring, will focus on the process of making textiles in Sharon. Visitors will have the opportunity to try their hand at weaving on the big loom. Stop by to see the work in progress Tuesday-Friday, 1-4 p.m.
Planning Moves Along
The "listening" phase of the Society's strategic planning process is now underway. Interviews with a cross section of the community have begun to help chart future activities of the museum in keeping with the public's vision of its goals.
In addition to representative of various Sharon organizations the opinions of a sampling of residents will be sought. A tear sheet in the printed and mailed issue of the SHS newsletter will enable the committee to tap a broad base of opinion. All are invited to answer questions on the sheet and return it to the museum. If you're interested in sharing more detailed information and opinions, call Liz Shapiro, museum director, at (860) 374-5688 or e-mail to director@sharonhist.org to set up a one-on-one interview.
Cemetery Walks Across the Upper Housatonic Valley with Civil War Theme
On Saturday, April 24, guided walks through local cemeteries will be offered as part of a program to increase awareness of the region's historic and cultural offerings. Sponsored by the Tri-Corner's History Council and the Housatonic Valley National Heritage Corridor Area, the walks will let visitors delve into some of the fascinating stories that may best be found in ancient cemeteries.
Walks will be held at each of the participating sites at 10 a.m., and repeated at 2 p.m. Visitor's are asked to wear practical footwear and to dress appropriately for the weather (winds often come howling through these landscapes!) The tours will highlight grave markers from the Civil War period.
Sharon's cemetery walk will take place at the Hillside Cemetery (the Sharon Burying Ground) on Main Street in Sharon. Visitors are asked to meet at the Civil War monument. Cemetery walks will also be offered in Kent, Cornwall, Salisbury and Canaan, Connecticut, and Sheffield, Richmond and New Marlborough, Massachusetts.
We're still looking for people to help with Sharon's tour, so if you are a frustrated actor or just love old cemeteries, call Liz or Meg!
Wanted!
Historical Society
staff and volunteers are desirous of obtaining a copy of Born, Married and
Died in Sharon, Connecticut. The book is a record of births, marriages and
deaths in the town of Sharon between 1721 and 1879 and was compiled by Sharon
historian Lawrence Van
Alstyne in 1897. If you are interested in donating your copy to our library,
we would be most grateful.
Reminiscences of Ye Olde Country Store
In the 21st century, we are used to a certain degree of anonymity when we do our shopping (though some larger chain stores are threatening to start tracking the buying habits of those of us who pay by credit card!) But before the days of computerized cash registers and self-serve scanners at the check out counters, the weekly shopping trip was an intensely personal matter. The local shopkeeper was privy to the most secret habits of his customers, who must have hoped that he could be trusted to keep his own counsel.
The Sharon Historical Society has in its archives a collection of store ledgers spanning most of the 19th century. There is one handsome leather bound account book from 1869 that reveals the shopping habits of many of Sharon's residents, yet poses intriguing questions at the same time.
Unlike most of the other ledgers in the collection, this book is neither titled nor signed, so we are not sure of its source. However, a perusal of the beautifully written names on the numerous accounts suggests that it may have been the Calkinstown store (which eventually moved, first across the street from its original location, and then down to the center of town where it became part of an inn that stood on the location of the present day Fire House). Frequent patrons of the store included Hiram Weed, I. N. Bartram, Chesterfield King, Larry vanAlstyne, John Loucks, Albert Hoag, Milo Prindle, with various Dakin, Roberts, Skinner, Gager, Penoyer, Rinehart and Hoysradt entries, to name just a few. Most of these folk lived in the Calkinstown vicinity.
Hiram Weed, a prominent Calkinstown resident, was the store's biggest patron,
buying such treats as cocoanut, raisins, oranges, and a shawl and silk from
New York. He also bought kerosene, nails and ham. According to SHS President
Ed Kirby, who is writing a book about the man, Hiram Weed had made a small
fortune in the iron industry. By 1869, his furnace had closed, the foundry
was about to close, but Weed had enough wealth to quickly run up a $3900 tab
in this store, which he seems to have easily paid off.
This is an enormous amount of shopping! There are entries throughout the book for items such as a lamp chimney for 10 cents, a whip lash for 15 cents, a chair for $1.75, a bedstedt (sic) for $7. The Clay Bed Co. paid $11.40 for two wheelbarrows. James Doyle bought mackerel for 23 cents and a box of pills for 25 cents. Mrs. H.V. King bought cheese, potash, tea, soap, magic oil, starch, mackerel and "bosoms". Their tabs were rarely more than a few hundred dollars.
But Hiram
Weed's shopping habits beg the question - what was he doing with all the stuff????
According to Ed Kirby, Weed was operating a furnace in Boston Corners in 1869.
It is possible that he had a small store there for his workers and was buying
supplies for resale. But that would mean having to haul everything all that
distance.... The answer may be in Ed's computer, where lies the final draft
of his next book Seldom Told Tales of Sharon - Calkinstown's Inscrutable Hiram
Weed,
to be published this year by the Sharon Historical Society.
Stay tuned!
A similar question arises when we look at the ledger page for Chesterfield King, who lived in the brick house at the head of the Green. Frequent items on King's long list of entries are coffee, tea, sugar and molasses. Was he a caffeine addict with a sweet tooth, or was he, too, buying to resell at another location?
There are many ways to get sidetracked in these intriguing ledgers - far too many to pursue for this newsletter assignment. But the ledgers will be here, waiting in the archives till there is more time to explore...!
by Marge McAvoy