THE TOWN OF BEDFORD. 65 



IN MEMOEIAM 

 OF 



MRS. ALTHEA LAMSOJST, 



Wife of the Rev. Joseph Lamson, 



and daughter of the Re-vr James Wetmore, 



the Rector of Rye, in the New York Province. 



Who departed this life ye 8th of Feb'y, 1766, 



Aged 44 Years. 



Their daughter Anne was also interred at Fairfield, where there is a 

 monument to her memory. 



In the Spring of 1762 the precincts of Bedford and Northcastle were 

 visited by the Rev. George Dibble, Rector of St. John's church, Stam- 

 ford and St. George Talbot, Esq. JHere the former preached and 

 baptized several children. 01 At this time there appear to have been 

 several families professors of the Church of England. Mr. Talbot subse- 

 quently devised in trust, the sum of six hundred pounds, (for the use 

 and benefit of the churches of Northcastle and Bedford,) this amount 

 appears to have been in possession of Lewis Macdonald and others, 

 trustees under the will of Mr. Talbot. 



" From letters received by Dr. Auchmuty, Rector of Trinity church, 

 and Mr. Livingston (executor of the late Mr. St. George Talbot, ) 

 dated December 8th, 1769, it appears that the heirs at law leave no 

 method untried to defeat the purposes of Mr. Talbot's will; and, by eva- 

 sive practices in law, the cause is still undetermined." 



In 177 1, Mr. John Livingston informs the Propagation Society, that 

 with regard to Mr. Talbot's will the attorneys have judged it expedient 

 to come to an agreement with the heirs of Mr. Talbot, by which the 

 executors should pay them ^1300, in full for their claim and demand 

 on the real and personal estate. It will be seen, however, that the 

 Church did not receive the legacy until the year 1803. 



Mr. Punderson, who succeeded Mr. Whitmdre in 1762, died Anno 

 Domini 1764, and was followed by the Rev. Ephriam Avery in 1765. 



From this period nothing worthy of especial importance appears in 

 the Society's Reports relative to Bedford. Mr. Avery's death took place 

 soon after the exciting scenes of the Revolution had commenced, and 

 during the subsequent years the whole parish of Rye suffered considera- 

 bly from the confusion that attended the Revolutionary war. The Par- 

 ochial Church was destroyed by fire, and the parishoners dispersed in 

 every direction. 



Upon the 19th of April, 1789 the present parish was incorporated 



a See Parochial Registers of St. John's church, Stamford. 



