Browse the First Church of Christ records in Fairfield, Connecticut

The First Church in Fairfield, Connecticut was founded in 1639. The first settled minister was Rev. John Jones, who emigrated from England in 1635 and was ordained in Concord, Massachusetts before settling in Fairfield in 1644. Jones was minister in Fairfield until his death in 1664. The second minister at Fairfield was Rev. Samuel Wakeman. He was ordained in 1665 and continued as minister until his death in 1692. Rev. Joseph Webb was ordained in 1694 and served as minister until his death in 1732. In 1733, Rev. Noah Hobart was ordained at First Church and served until his death in 1773. Rev. Andrew Elliot became the minister at Fairfield in 1774 and continued until his death in 1805. Webb, Hobart, and Elliot were also trustees of Yale.

The first meetinghouse was constructed around 1640. As the community of Fairfield grew, several new congregations were established by members of First Church. By the time of the American Revolution, First Church had built its fourth meetinghouse and seven Congregational churches had been established and new towns incorporated in and around Fairfield. 

In 1779, during the Revolutionary War, a British fleet off the coast came to Fairfield and set fire to the town, burning the church along with nearly 100 homes and many other buildings. The loss is noted in the church records. A new, fifth, meetinghouse was constructed after the war on the same site, until it too was destroyed by fire in 1890. The current church building, made of stone, was completed in 1892. The First Church of Fairfield is active today and is a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC). 

This collection contains one volume of church records which include admissions, baptisms, marriages, and meeting notes. This volume starts during the period of Rev. Joseph Webb and also contains a list of books belonging to the ministerial library of Fairfield in 1857. 

Materials in this collection have been digitized in partnership with the Connecticut State Library and have been made available through our New England's Hidden Histories project.