Church History

 

      Nine men drew up an agreement on April 20, 1763 to build a church and “to tax themselves according to their several List of Ratable Estate”.  On December 31, 1763, The Episcopal Church of England bought eighteen square rods of land for £5.  In 1963 a stone was erected on the William Douglas School property marking a site of this first church, consecrated in 1822 by Bishop Brownell when there were approximately fifteen families in the parish.

 

      The Rev. John Lyon was called in 1768, but is not known if he accepted.  The first recorded rector, The Rev. Bela Hubbard, had in 1775, the parishes of Trinity New Haven, West Haven, Branford, Guilford, North Guilford and Northford.  In 1794, the Rev. David Butler listed the first baptisms.  The Rev. Ammi Rogers, record from 1802-1804, writing in his Memoirs, said St. Andrew’s “had remained ever since before the revolutionary war in a state of decay, was now repaired and finished”.

 

      First mention of a Lay Reader was 1822, when Uriah C. Foot was voted “to assist to read the service”.  There must have been others, as previous ministers referred to regular gatherings of parishioners through lacking a minister. . A common occurrence until the twentieth century.

 

      Music was introduced in 1820 and choristers were appointed until after 1863.

 

The earliest reference to communion vessels is an 1830 vote “That the money that is in the Treasury be laid out for Communion Cups”.  Presumably these are the two, still in our possession, dated 1832.  The flagon now used for baptisms, was presented in 1846 by Irene Rogers Todd, wife of Thelus Todd.  Many of their descendants are active members of our parish.  In 1851, Mrs. George Fowler gave a footed salver.  Our baptismal font (the stone part surviving the 1938 fire) was donated by the Ladies Benevolent Society.

 

By 1837 a new building was discussed, but not until 1845 was one acre of land purchased, where now stand the church, parish house and rectory.  Immediately the “Episcopalians commenced ploughing and scraping on the site of their new church”.  The original building was sold and probably used as a hay barn.  The 1845 church burned in 1938 and was replaced by our present building.  The first rectory, the Warham Williams house, was bought in 1866 and sold in 1943.  In 1957 our present rectory was built and in 1965, the parish house.

 

Several rectors have served the parish of St. Andrew’s, and since 1971, the pastoral ministry at St. Andrew’s has been on a team basis with two part time priests sharing the duties of parish leadership.