14 CENTENNIAL HISTORY
fall of a pillar which made the whole fabric to shake." Here were descendants of such strong men in church and state as Governors Treat and Law; of those first deacons of the old church, Fenn and Clark; of such other deacons as Platt, Gunn, and Woodruff ; of the scholarly Samuel Andrew, the third minister and one of the founders of Yale College, and of William Fowler, one of the original "Seven Pillars." Without exception it was a list of honorable names. It was a band of men and women very reluctantly released by the mother church, and not wholly because it meant decreased strength and resources for them, but because they were brothers and sisters beloved. March 13, 1805, the church of North Milford was recognized by a council of neighboring churches. The Rev. Dr. Trumbull of North Haven preached the sermon from Col. 3:14, and Rev. Noah Williston, Rev. Bazaleel Pinneo and Rev. Sherman Johnson assisted in the services. The first minister, Rev. Erastus Scranton, was ordained July 4, 1805, and was dismissed January 3, 1827. During his ministry, which was longer than that [of] any of his successors, the church prospered, being blessed with several revivals, and securing that first necessity for continued and vigorous life, a suitable house of worship. The building was raised according to the record "on the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th days of June, 1810." That it took four days is not surprising to one who has seen the timbers that went into the frame. The posts are of oak, ten inches square, and so perfectly hewed that they look as if they had been planed. Even the ridge pole is seven inches square, and the other timbers are proportional in size and equally perfect in finish. It was God's house and they gave Him the best. Evidently the house was some time in building, for it was not dedicated till April 17, 1811, the Rev. Bazaleel Pinneo of the First church preaching the sermon. The record states "The house cost near $5,000 and was built partly by subscription and partly by tax, and the society were harmonious, and public spir-