Skip to main content

History of First Church of Christ Congregational Church

00-2011-117-0

 Collection
Identifier: 00-2011-117-0

Scope and Contents

The History of First Church of Christ Congregational Church collection (2011-117-0) is a collection of papers and a manuscript found in Small Acquisitions. The collection pertains to a history and list of members of the First Church of Christ Congregational Church in Litchfield Connecticut. Leonard Woolsey Bacon the pastor of the church was compiling a list of members from 1721 (when the church was founded) to 1859 (when he was pastor of the church). The collection contains two letters from former pastors relaying information from when they were pastors of the church to Bacon. The collection also contains a manuscript which is a collection of the names of members fof the church and a historical introduction which seems to focus on Lyman Beecher. Other papers in the collection include miscellaneous notes and records of families and their religion throughout the region which seem to mostly be collected by other people. Please see the detailed descriptions below for a much more detailed description of the contents of each folder.

Dates

  • created: 1859
  • Other: Date acquired: 03/06/2013

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection are in the public domain. There are no restrictions on use. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of copyright holders. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright holders. Responsibility for any use rests with the user.

Biographical or Historical Information

Leonard Woolsey Bacon was born in New Haven, Connecticut on January 1st, 1830 to Rev. Dr. Leonard Bacon and Lucy Johnson Bacon. Bacon was graduated from Yale in 1850 and then attended the Andover Theological Seminary for two years; he then attended Yale’s Divinity School graduating in 1854. On October 16th, 1854 Bacon was ordained to the ministry of the First Congregational Church in Litchfield, Connecticut. Three years later in 1857 Bacon married Susan Almoran Bacon; they had thirteen children together. In 1879 he received his Doctor of Divinity degree from Harvard in 1879. Bacon was the pastor at various churches in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, and even Geneva; he held posts in: Litchfield, Connecticut (1856-1861), First Church in Stamford, Connecticut (1862-1865), New England Congregation Church in Brooklyn, New York (1865-1870), Baltimore, Maryland, 1870-1872, American Church in Geneva, Switzerland (1872-1877), Norwich, Connecticut (1878-1882),Woodland Presbyterian Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1883-1886), Savannah, Georgia (1886-1887), Park Congregational Church Norwich, Connecticut (1887-1902), Assonet, Massachusetts (1902-1906). He married a second time to Letitia Wilson Jordan Bacon in May 26, 1890; they had one son together. Leonard Bacon passed away on May 12th, 1907 in Assonent, Massachusetts. Bacon has been known for “controversial statements” mainly regarding pro-segregation sentiments. He also has published several works including: A Life Worth Living: Life of Emily Gould (1878),History of American Christianity (1898), The Congregationalists(1904), and he edited Martin Luther’s Deutche gesitliche Lieder (1883); several sermons of his have been published and can easily be found online: "The Simplicity that is in Christ," and "The Sabbath Question."

Note written by Benjamin Bradley

Extent

4.00 folders

4 folders of loose papers. other_unmapped

4.00 folders

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement Note

The collection is arranged into four folders: Folder 1: The Manuscript Folder 2: Membership List Folder 3: Laurens Perseus Hickok and Benjamin Lincoln Swan Letters Folder 4: Memberships of Local Churches, Miscellaneous Notes, and Items

Source of Acquisition

Unknown Donor.

Method of Acquisition

Found in collections.

Existence and Location of Originals

multi-part note content

Related Materials

multi-part note content

Title
History of First Church of Christ Congregational Church
Author
Benjamin Bradley
Date
03/06/2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Litchfield Historical Society Repository

Contact:
7 South Street
P.O. Box 385
Litchfield CT 06759
860-567-4501
860-567-3565 (Fax)