History Behind the Church Name in Oxford

S. B. Church is a familiar name in Oxford.

New Oxford residents associate the name with the Town Hall, formally called the Stephen B. Church Memorial Town Hall. The family was influential in Oxford business throughout the town's history, and S.B. Church was the last of a long line of the Church family in Oxford.

Since most people know the name, we figured we’d take a look at the Church family history and what made its members so important to Oxford.

The first official mention of the Church family is in the 1790 Census, which lists John Church residing in Derby. At the time of the 1800 Census, he is listed as living in Oxford. He probably did not move in that decade; Oxford was incorporated from part of Derby in 1798.

John married Rachael Davis, and they had a son, William Church, in 1770. William was a contractor and road builder, working chiefly in New York and New Jersey. He retired to the family home on Great Hill Road in Oxford, where he died in 1852. His grave is in the Oxford Congregational Cemetery. William’s wife, Lois Pitcher, was buried in the Seymour Methodist Cemetery in 1849.

William and Lois’ son, Sheldon Church, was born in the family home. He was large landowner and sold timber. His business involved cutting trees and making ship frames. He carted the timber to Derby, where men loaded it onto ships. The material went to New York for sale and assembly into ship frames.

Sheldon also provided the timber and framed many of the buildings, factories and homes in when Ansonia was built. He cut the chestnut timber from his Oxford lands, sawing it on his own water-powered sawmills using the old fashioned "up and down" saws. He also was a large-scale farm owner.

Sheldon Church married Laura Lines of Bethany, and of this union were born five sons and one daughter: Henry, William, John, Charles, Noyes and Alice. The graves of Sheldon and his wife are in Trinity Cemetery in Seymour.

John Church, son of Sheldon and Laura Lines Church, was born in Oxford on June 30, 1830. Like his father, he was a large landowner, and engaged extensively in the timber and wood business. John and Laura Church had two sons, both born at the family home in Oxford. William Waiting Church was the older brother.

Who is Stephen B. Church, the man for whom the Town Hall is named?

The younger brother, Stephen Betts Church, was born in 1866 and became the head of the family business. He owned considerable Oxford land, but expanded his business interests. He was a pioneer in the development of water supplies for farms, country estates and cities. He developed the S. B. Church Co., which drilled high capacity artesian wells and sold associated pumps and equipment.

He kept a large warehouse in Seymour, and one in the rear of his home in Oxford. He kept offices in Seymour and Boston. He ran his business on such a large a scale it required agents throughout New England all year round. Included among his employees was his older brother who was his assistant. Neither of the sons married, and they both lived at home with their mother in the family home.

The original house was built about 1736. In 1925, S.B decided to expand the house.  He hired architects who planned the expansion. Workers cut the original house in half and moved half to each side. Then they built a new section in the center. The house, located at 53 Great Hill Road, is an Oxford landmark.

“Pocket doors” and fluted pillars flank the front entry hall. A wide stairway with hand-carved banisters leads to the second floor sitting room hall (see photo). S.B. Church called his home Oxfordshire, and he entertained frequently.

When S. B. Church died at his home in 1951, he was chairman of the Board of Directors of the Seymour Trust Co. His will left his fortune to be maintained by the bank in trust for the support of several close relatives for the remainder of their lives. Upon their deaths, the remainder was divided. The bank had invested well, and the estate had increased in value. Oxford received the funds to build the Stephen B. Church Memorial Town Hall.