THE TOWN OF NORTH SALEM. ■ 747 



In a letter of Oct. ist, 1767, Mr.' Dibblee of Stamford, writes to the 

 Secretary as follows : — " Mr. Townsend thankfully accepts the leave to 

 go home for Holy Orders ; and if the Society is not pleased to appoint 

 him their missionary at Salem and parts contiguous, where he is much 

 wanted, he will submit to the superior wisdom and direction of the So- 

 ciety."* Mr. Townsend's license from the Bishop of London to officiate 

 as a missionary in this province, bears date December 21st, 1767. The 

 following notice of his return appeared in the New York Mercury for 

 April 25th, 1768:" — "The Rev. Mr. Townsend arrived last Saturday, 

 (22d)in the 'Hope' from London." Upon the 29th of September, 1768, 

 he informed the Venerable Society:—" That he arrived at his mission, 

 on the 26th of May, 1768,- and was kindly received. The church- 

 wardens also of Salem, in the name of the people belonging to the mis- 

 sion, have returned thanks to the Society for Mr. Townsend's appoint- 

 ment." " At Salem and Ridgefield, there are one hundred and fifty 

 Church people. At Ridgefield, eighty." Mr. Townsend was formally 

 inducted on Sunday, the 29th of May, 1768, by his predecessor, the 

 Rev. Ebenezer Dibblee, who preached a sermon on the occasion. 6 



Eight months prior to this event Mr. Dibblee writes, Oct. ist, 1767 : 

 — " I preached on Sunday, 23d of August last, at Salem to a numerous 

 and devout congregation, baptized sundry children and gave the com- 

 munion the first and second Sundays after Trinity last." c Mr. Town- 

 send was married to Lucy Beach, in St. James' church, Newtown, L. I., 

 on the 10th of September, 1769. Upon the 13th of June, 1769, Stephen 

 De Lancey and wife conveyed to the Rev. Epenetus Townsend " all 

 that land being part of farm No. 12 in north lot No. 10, beginning at 

 a white oak bush, and runs south-west twenty-six degrees, eight chains 

 and twenty-four links, to a pile of stones, thence south-west seventeen 

 degrees, sixteen chains and thirteen links, to a pile of stones, thence 

 north-east eighty-eight degrees, twenty-five chains and fifty links, to a 

 pile of stones, thence south-east seventy-four degrees and a half, six 

 chains and forty-five links to a stake and stones by the church, then 

 north-east fifteen degrees, five chains and thirty-five links to the oblong 

 line, then south-east ten degrees, twenty-one chains and twenty-five 

 links to a stake on the same line, then south-west to the place of begin- 

 ning, containing sixty acres, inclusive of the ground tip on which the 

 church, church yard a?id burying ground stand, which is not included 



a Conn. MSS. from archives at Fulham, p. 541. (Hawks.) 



£ Fowler's MSS. Biographies of the clergy, vol. vi, 1061. 



c Conn. MSS. from archives at Fulham, p. 541. (Hawks.) In his register Mr. Dibblee writes 

 — " Cortlandt's manor, Province of New York, Salem, 1767, Aug. 23d, baptized James Dickin- 

 son." 



