It took several years to actually build the meeting house and services were held in the house of Joseph Ives and Ebenezer Blakeslee. Proper behavior on church meeting days was very important and the General Court in Hartford decreed in 1721 (Thrope, 1892)
“That each town at their annual meetings in December shall choose two or more tythingmen in each parish or society for divine worship within said town, who shall forthwidth be sworn to a faithful discharge of work hereby allotted to them; or if they neglect or refuse to take said oath shall pay a fine of forty shillings into treasury of said town.” Their duties were “to carefully inspect the behavior of all persons on the Sabbath …” to determine if they make any “prophanation of worship.”
The fine for offenses was five shillings and if the payment was not made the offender was publicly whipped. John Barnes and Joseph Cooper (see Cooper family) were the first appointees. A second, and larger, meeting house was built in 1739 (as shown on the previous page).
The Congregational Church was the early center of the colony and the minister’s salary was voted by the New Haven town meeting until 1667 and church attendance was mandatory. Unlike the Connecticut Colony, where every male could vote, in New Haven only church members could vote. This changed when New Haven had to join Connecticut in 1662. Other churches began and by 1708 everyone could worship as they wanted but they still had to pay a tax toward the Congregational Church. In 1726, members of other denominations could form their own churches.
In 1727 members of the Anglican Church were free from paying taxes to the Congregational Church and could collect their own. This right was extended to the Baptists and Quakers in 1729. For those living in Hamden, attendance at the New Haven church was a hardship due to travel. They received the right to attend the North Haven or Cheshire churches in 1739 and Jonathan Ives, while living in Hamden, was on the North Haven church rolls in 1760. The first church in Hamden was completed in 1761. In 1767 Jonathan Ives, Stephen Goodyear and Alvin Bradley were chosen to read the palms before musical instruments were added to the service. Jonathan was also on the first Hamden school committee in 1758. Classes were held in Samuel Bellamy’s home until the first school in Hamden was built in 1770. North Haven officially became a separate town from New Haven in 1784 and Hamden, originally called Mount Carmel, was granted this independent status in 1786 after several unsuccessful attempts. Around 1795 Jeremiah Ives took his family from Hamden to West Springfield, MA.
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