Quakertown Hall and Its Choir

Edna Muriel (Crouch) Cooper

THE STORY OF the Quakertown Church of Ledyard, Connecticut, is unique in that all of the members were related, though many are now deceased. There are many memories of this church and its members and I will relate some of mine in the mid- to late-30s. We met for non-denominational worship in a church building which was referred to as “The Hall.” This was a building originally designed as a community gathering place and was located near the north-west corner of the Colonel Ledyard Highway and Lambtown Road. It was of a simple and basic design, which had as furnishings long, freestanding benches having spindle backs and legs. These were arranged on each side of a wide center aisle leading up to a platform at the rear of the building. Except for a brief period of time when electricity was used, evening services were illuminated by rows of wall-mounted kerosene lamps positioned between each window on both sides of the building. The Hall was totally destroyed in the Great Hurricane which swept New England, September, 1938. We loved to sing at church services and always had “specials.” The many young cousins provided most of this music and we loved it! Lillian (Crouch) Watrous played the piano for the services most of the time.

Our Uncle Arthur Watrous was the pastor assisted by: Frank Comrie, Charles Shafer, and Roy Phillips. Our parents’ cousin, Roy Phillips, Ph.D., college professor, trained musician, pianist and violinist, saw the raw talent displayed in our young people’s group! He took us in hand and through his training and our efforts an all-cousin Young People’s Choir came into being. We practiced Thursday nights regularly. My father, Herbert G. Crouch, and my brother Harold waited in the car for Evelyn and me to finish choir practice. Our text was the church hymnal, and with Roy’s knowledge of music and harmony, he made note-changes in the text. This enhanced the melody and gave emphasis to specific parts--soprano, alto, tenor and base. Millicent Crandall, note taker, used one of the hymnals to record all note-changes directed by Roy Phillips. In later years after these changes had been transcribed onto file cards, Claude Comrie collected them up and presented them to Charles E. Fuller of the “OldFashioned Revival Hour,” Pasadena, Calif., so that they could be put to further use by his choir.

The Young People’s Choir rendered special music at the Sunday morning services in the Quakertown Church. We usually had evangelistic services once a year. Sometimes an evangelist outside the church group was called to do the preaching. Reverend Richardson was one of those evangelists. At this time several young people made public confessions of their faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Millicent Crandall and Edna Crouch were two of those young people to do so and were baptized in the Hallville pond at Preston, Connecticut. Nathan Shafer, brother of Charles Shafer, made a public confession and became a shining example of a true adult conversion. His joy and peace were genuine and very infectious! About six months after Nathan’s conversion he suddenly became very ill and died. On May 28,1938, Nathan’s funeral service was conducted under the direction of Harry O. Williams, funeral director of Mystic, Connecticut. May 28th was a beautiful, sunny day with spring flowers in bloom and the singing of birds, which provided music of their own! Under the direction of Roy Phillips, the all-cousin Young People’s Choir walked double file into the cemetery singing, a capella in four-part harmony, the well known hymn, “The Eastern Gate”--

I will meet you in the morning

Just inside the eastern gate

Then be ready faithful pilgrim

Lest with you it be too late.

Chorus

I will meet you, I will meet you

I will meet you in the morning over there

I will meet you, I will meet you

I will meet you in the morning over there.

Nathan Shafer was laid to rest in Wightman Cemetery, on Cold Spring Road, off Route 184, Burnett’s Corners, Groton, Connecticut. This cemetery dates from the Colonial period. Aunt Mattie (Crouch) Crandall Peterson is also buried there, as well as (at a much earlier time) her first husband, Chauncey Crandall.

This funeral has remained a vivid memory to many for several reasons. The rural setting, a choir paying tribute to a righteous man--these and more had a lasting effect on those in attendance all these years later. Mr. Williams, the undertaker, upon his return home related to his wife that she had missed a memorable occasion. He then penned a letter of commendation directed to the choir and forwarded it to the director, Dr. Roy Phillips. As a way of tribute to all those choir members I should like at this time to list them by name: