Browse the First Ecclesiastical Society records in Litchfield, Connecticut

The First Congregational Church of Litchfield, Connecticut was organized in 1721 and the First Ecclesiastical Society was established in 1768. The first settled minister, Rev. Timothy Collins, was ordained in 1723. He was dismissed in 1752. Rev. Judah Champion was ordained in 1753 and was dismissed due to ill health in 1797. He was succeeded by Rev. Dan Huntington. Huntington was ordained in 1798 and continued as minister until 1809 when he was dismissed and became the minister at Middletown. In 1810, Rev. Lyman Beecher was ordained at Litchfield. Beecher was a graduate of Yale who had previously been a minister at East Hampton, Long Island. He was dismissed in 1826 and became the minister of the Hanover Street Church in Boston. Beecher’s preaching was influential, particularly on the subjects of temperance and Unitarianism.

The first meetinghouse in Litchfield was constructed in 1723 and replaced in 1762. The current meetinghouse was built in 1829. The First Congregational Church of Litchfield is active today and is a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC). 

This collection contains one volume of society records which includes financial records, meeting notes, and clergy correspondences.

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.