THE TOWN OF LEWISBORO. 439 



with their brethren at Ridgefield ; for at a public town meeting held in 

 the latter place, Dec. 24th, 1746, it was agreed "that what money is or 

 shall be brought by any person living in the Oblong to support Mr. 

 Ingersol in ye ministery shall be delivered to the selectmen and they to 

 deliver it to Mr. Ingersol over and what ye town has, voted for his; 

 salary."* A meeting house is also spoken of as standing in Ridgefield,, 

 December, 1746. 



The earliest mention of a Presbyterian ministry in this town occurs 

 in the year 1747, when Samuel Sackett, a minister of the New Bruns- 

 wick Presbytery, who had been sent in 1741 to labor in Westchester 

 County, and who had been installed, October 12th, 1743, as pastor at 

 Bedford, was charged with the occasional supply of Salem and Cort- 

 landt Manor/ 



It appears from the following records of the Presbyterian Society, 

 that not only had a church been informally organized, but that a candi- 

 date was on probation and awaiting installation as early as 1752. 



"As this people belonged not to any Presbytery or association it was 

 agreed by said Society, that the Committee of said Society, with' the 

 candidate then on Probation, viz., Mr. Solomon Mead, jointly should 

 send for some of the neighboring ministers to perform the work of 

 authorizing of him, the said Mr. Mead, and invest him with the ministe- 

 rial charge over them. The ministers sent for were those which follow, 

 (viz.,) Rev. Messrs. Abraham Todd, Elisha Kent, William Gaylord, 

 Jonathan Ingersoll, Robert Silliman and Samuel Sackett, which Convo- 

 cation was agreed to be called on May the 20th, 1752. Accordingly 

 on the 19th met those who are set down in the convocation which I 

 transcribe from the doings of the said Convention, and is as followeth : " 



"At a Convention of ministers at Salem on the 19th of May, Anno Domini 

 1752, met upon the desire of the People of Salem and places adjacent in con- 

 junction with Mr. Solomon Mead, a candidate for the Gospel ministry, in order 

 to ordain the said Mr. Mead a Gospel minister among or over the said People. 

 Present of the Revd. Messrs. sent for, Abraham Todd, Elisha Kent, Jonathan 

 Ingersol and Samuel Sacket. Mr. Todd chosen Moderator, Mr. Ingersol Scribe. 

 The meeting opened by Prayer, Performed by the Moderator. The Revd. 

 James Davenport being present was voted in as member of the Convention. 

 Proceeded on Mr. Mead's tryals. Examined him in the Languages, in his ex- 

 perimental acquaintance with Religion, his Doctrinal knowledge of Divinity and 

 his orthodoxy. Then meeting adjourned till to-morrow morning. Met accord- 

 ing to adjournment. Mr. Mead presented and read a sermon to the Convention, 



a Ridgefield Town Rec., 1746, p. 3. 



b A Hist, of the Presbyterian Church in America from its origin until the year 1760, by 

 Rev. Richard Webster, Philadelphia, 1857, p. 546. It is more than probable, however, that 

 this supply of Salem and Cortlandt manor refers to upper Salem now North Salem.— [Editor. 



