with their brethren at Ridgefield ; for at a public town meeting held in the latter place, Dec. 24th, 1746, it was agreed "that what money is or shall be brought by any person living in the Oblong to support Mr. Ingersol in ye ministery shall be delivered to the selectmen and they to deliver it to Mr. Ingersol over and what ye town has voted for his salary."" A meeting house is also spoken of as standing in Ridgefield, December, 1746.

The earliest mention of a Presbyterian ministry in this town occurs in the year 1747, when Samuel Sackett. a minister of the New Brunswick Presbytery, who had been sent in 17 41 to labor in Westchester County, and who had been installed, October 12th, 1743, as pastor at Bedford, was charged with the occasional supply of Salem and Cortlandt Manor.*

It appears from the following records of the Presbyterian Society, that not only had a church been informally organized, but that a candidate was on probation and awaiting installation as early as 1752.

" As this people belonged not to any Presbytery or association it was agreed by said Society, that the Committee of said Society, with the candidate then on Probation, viz., Mr. Solomon Mead, jointly should send for some of the neighboring ministers to perform the work of authorizing of him, the said Mr. Mead, and invest him with the ministerial charge over them. The ministers sent for were those which follow, (viz..) Rev. Messrs. Abraham Todd, Elisha Kent, William Gaylord, Jonathan Ingersoll, Robert Silliman and Samuel Sackett, which Convocation was agreed to be called on May the 20th, 1752. Accordingly on the 19th met those who are set down in the convocation which I transcribe from the doings of the said Convention, and is as followeth : "