Reverend ROGER NEWTON 1620-1683

by Joseph B. Barnes, Esq.

 

Roger Newton was born possibly as early as 1607 but most likely about 1620 in a town in eastern England likely Bourne, Lincolnshire, England. A number of Newtons arrived in America and Canada in the 1600s but some say he was the first of his family to do so landing at Boston about the year 1638, Coincidentally the same year Davenport and Prudden arrived with the future Milford Settlers.

 

He was the son of Samuel Newton, of the same family as Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1726).

Samuel's parents (Roger's grandparents) are believed to have been John Newton born on April 1, 1565 in Bourne, Lincolnshire and Alice Hales.

Young Roger Newton enrolled in 1636 in Cambridge University [England]. In the Alumni Cantabrigienses which provides a record of students enrolled between 1261-1900 his entry reads:

"NEWTON, ROGER. Matriculated as a  "sizar" [a student receiving financial help from the college while having menial duties in return]  from King's, Easter, 1636…

He migrated to Boston in New England where he studied theology at Harvard. There is no record of his graduation possibly as the early Harvard records were accidentally burned. Rev. Cotton Mather speaks of him as one of the young students who came from England to finish their education in America.

 

A puritan superstar of the time, Rev. Thomas Hooker moved to Hartford from Boston in 1636, he returned to Boston several times, and it is said that "crowds rushed to hear him." In 1639, Thomas Hooker and Governor Haynes remained in Boston nearly a month, and one of Hooker's sermons delivered in Cambridge at that time, was two hours in length. It is presumed that Hooker and Newton made their acquaintance at Harvard at this time

 

In 1640, Roger traveled on foot from Cambridge, MA to Hartford, CT to study for the ministry under Rev. Thomas Hooker at his home.  It is possible that Rev. Hooker may have known grandfather, Rev. John Newton of Bourn, while studying at Cambridge University. Cambridge University assigned John as minister to the church in Bourne. If so, then Roger Newton and Thomas Hooker may have had ties predating Harvard. 

 

Roger married Hooker's eldest daughter, Mary Hooker at Hartford in 1644 (winter of 1645 in the old Julian calendar as new year then was March 25). Mary Hooker, as a child, had walked the long miles through the Massachusetts wilderness beside the litter which carried her invalid mother, Susannah Hooker; her journey was commemorated in marble on the front of the Capitol in Hartford. "Susannah Hooker was a lady of culture, and worthy to be the companion of such a man as Thomas Hooker." They had once lived in Holland where many strong Calvinists, like the Pilgrims, had fled to avoid the Church of England's dictates.

 

The Hartford home of Thomas Hooker was a large two story house close by that of Governor Haynes, corner lot on the streets now named Arch and Prospect then called, "Meeting House Alley," connecting the parsonage and the meeting house. When choosing a place for a home, water supply and boat access to other settlements especially for escape from Indians, so it was prudently set few dozen feet north of  the Little River, (now Park River).

 

The Farmington area was settled in 1640 in an area called Tunxis after the friendly Indians there. The Tunxis tribe had welcomed the white men as a protection against the Mohawks. Farmington was incorporated in 1645. Newton became their first minister serving from the "church Covenant" in 1652 to 1657. It is listed that Newton was an original settler and a "Founder" of Farmington. This may be because, in the early days, a town really didn't exist until the church was created, since he was clearly still in Hartford when the area was first settled. The Congregational custom was to choose seven men called the Seven Pillars who covenanted with each other, then others joined the fellowship. At Farmington He was one of the Seven in 1652. Fourteen men and their families constituted the church at the close of the year 1652. Roger Newton did missionary work among the Indians, "civilizing" and Christianizing them, receiving a large class for instruction, of whom a few gathered into the church and became voters in affairs of the new town.

 

In 1657 some Indians (likely not the Tunxis) became very "troublesome." They cruelly murdered Mr. Scott, one of the seven Pillars and burned the house of John Hart, who with his family perished in the flames. Roger Newton soon after left Farmington with his family for Boston. In October, 1658 he engaged passage for England. Bad weather with strong winds hindered the departure for several days. This apparently was a bad "omen" to the superstitious sailors. While Newton was conducting services in Boston, the captain of the ship, decided in his own mind that young minister Newton, like the biblical  Jonah,  was jinxed  by not following God's will to stay in country, so he sailed away without him.

 

The timing, and the captain's fears, proved good for Newton and Milford. Milford, after the death of Rev. Peter Prudden, was without a minister so the church sent Elder Thomas Buckingham to Boston to find one but he died soon after his arrival, June 16, 1657. The choosing of a minister was an important matter in those early days, as it was often a relationship for the duration of the clergyman's life. With the failure of the Buckingham mission, the position remained open until 1660 when Roger Newton's talents came to the attention of the Milford folk for consideration as new Pastor.

 

He removed to Milford, Conn., with Mary Hooker, his wife, and their family of six children, and was received into the church as a member July 29, 1660, elected pastor on August 22 and ordained with prayer and fasting September 9th. His second ordination (after Farmington) was not by a council of neighboring ministers as was the custom, but by the laying on of hands of members of the Milford church: Elder Zachariah Whitman, Deacon John Fletcher and Mr. (eventually Governor and MHOF inductee) Robert Treat, Magistrate.

 

With his young family it was necessary that he should immediately have a dwelling, so the town conveyed to him "the house and home lot beyond Dreadful Bridge, fourteen acres of meadow and as much upland as he should want." Later he had other grants of land. Property so given to a minister, became his alone, and the church or town had no further claim upon it. The parsonage of Peter Prudden, his predecessor, on the other side of the Wepowage River, was inherited by his children, so was no longer town/church property for Newton's use.

 

There is some confusion that his "home-lot" was "beyond Dreadful Bridge." The ford at today's West Main Street was crossed by the "Meetinghouse Bridge" constructed in 1641. Perhaps the bridge had become "dreadful" by 1660? Not likely; the inhabited land within the stockade was well laid out and distributed. In the North Street area, where his home was, no substantial acreage was available in 1660 within the timber walled town. More likely said bridge linked the "piece of upland beyond Dreadful Bridge" given to him outside the palisades. This was at  "Dreadful Swamp" (An vast area from today's Ford Street area and I-95 almost to Beaverbrook), therefore beyond "dreadful Bridge."

 

The Regicide judges, Whalley and Goffe, hid out for two years from August 19, 1661, in a cellar very near Newton's parsonage. A historical paper said "The presence of the Regicides was known to Governor Treat and to Rev. Roger Newton; they often walked in a grove back of the house where they were living." Newton was for God, but as to the King? seemingly, not so much.

 

Under Newton, his church received 164 persons. At the time of his death, it numbered about 200. That did not mean just anyone could join. He was deemed a "judicious pastor." Some cared nothing for church but desired admission for its worldly advantages. Others, not full church members, just sought baptism for their children. Newton was against any half way measures. Among the last of the puritans, a Christian to him was all in or all out. It was a losing fight as the public became increasing less religiously strict. Though "Old School" in this, his was not an ill-informed position. Newton was one of the most educated of ministers in all of New England. The library of Roger Newton was a marvel for his time. In an age when a Bible and catechism was an ordinary library and a score of books a clergyman's, he had more than two hundred volumes in all.

 

As Thomas Hooker, had done for him, Newton received young men in his household to educate them, including Abraham Pierson, first President of Yale College. Newton's successor Rev. Andrew (MHOF Inductee: 2009) would serve and host the nascent Yale College itself at the church in Milford.

 

At the beginning of his last illness in 1683, Roger Newton made his will. Newton had a huge estate for those times, valued at £683. In addition to 150 acres in Farmington, it included much Milford "land in Dreadful Swamp," "land at the West Noockes;" "land near a place commonly called 'Deere's Delight'" "land by the 'two mile brook;' " "the land between the two crooks in the Elder's Meadow;" "the new meadow playne;" "land by the path that goeth over the round meadow brook;" "the new fields by the river;" and "land at a place commonly called 'Bohemia.'" Experts in Milford historical topography take note! 

 

Rev Newton Died June 7, 1683 having served the Church of Christ for 22 years and about six months. Mary predeceased him on February 4, 1676, his greatest loss in life.

 

Of their eight children, locally, Samuel married Martha Fenn, ca. 1666, John married Lydia Ford, April l1, 1680, Sarah was married a month after her father's death, July 4, 1883, to her relative, John Wilson. Others moved out of town. Newton's Milford Descendant families include Allen, Anderson, Andrew, Baird, Beard, Baldwin, Bishop, Bradley, Butler, Carrington, Clark, Church, Fenn, Gillette, Gunn, Kilbourn, Lovejoy, Merwin, Morris, Newton, Platt, Shove, Stanley, Stow, Wait, Ward and others.

A Brass Tablet, set in a polished Belgian black marble background was  dedicated to Newton as part of Milford's 250th anniversary in 1889. It now hangs on the wall of the First Chuch:

 

ROGER NEWTON

 

Born in England

 

Pupil and Son-in-law

 

of Thomas Hooker of Hartford.

 

One of the Founders and

 

the first Pastors of the Church in

 

Farmington 1645-1657.

 

Installed Pastor of this Church

 

August 22, 1660 and so continued

 

until his Decease June 7, 1683.

 

 

 

A good Minister of Christ Jesus

 

nourished in the Words of the Faith

 

and of the good Doctrine.