Townsend, missionary at Salem, who with all his family was lost la a ship which sank in its passage to Halifax.'' 8;>cietv's abstracts for 1 7 T9.

b Rec. of 11 rst Episcopal Soc., Ridgelleid, CoiUi., June, 1784, Liber I.

THE TOWN OF NORTH SALEM. 755

dressed to the author, says : " A few ancient theological books had strayed from the library of my uncle Epenetus to that of my father, and are now in my possession."

Soon after the Revolutionary war, the Rev. David Perry, A.M., M.D., officiated here and in the neighboring parishes. This individual was the

son of Perry. He was born , 1750; admitted B. A. at Yale

College, 1772, and graduated AM. 1776; studied medicine, and settled at Ridgefield as a physician. " He was ordained Deacon by Bishop Seabury, June 6th, 1790; Priest, 16th of October, 1791 ; and took charge

St. James' Church, North Salem, erected A.D. 1S10.

of the parishes of Salem, Reading, Ridgefield and Danbury. Neglecting to attend the convocations of the clergy and the Conventions of the Diocese of Connecticut (probably because of his practice as a physician), he fell under censure ; finally resigned his letter of orders, and relinquished the clerical profession June 3d, 1 795. He continued the practice of

medicine, and died , i8i7."<* His son was the late Nehemiah

Perry, M.D., of Ridgefield, the father of the present Nehemiah Perry, M.D., of that place. The parish appears to have been favored with occasional sen-ices only, until 1804, when the churches of Bedford, North Salem and Stephentown united, for the purpose of settling a minister " who should perform divine service in the different towns of Bedford, New Castle, North Salem and Stephentown so often as should be in proportion to amount of their several subscriptions." Upon the 4th of September, 1804, the Rev.