general health, however, remained unimpaired and his efforts to be useful among his people out of the pulpit was unintermitted till a very late period in his life," notes H. Mansfield in the Mansfield Genealogy.
    Despite his vocal limitation, Mansfield continued to be active in Episcopal affairs. In 1803, when he was 79 years of age, he was one of six clergy to urge that each parish be given the right to choose its own Rector and urged that the Rev. Rogers be admitted to the Convention. The effort failed, and the Connecticut Convocation requested the Standing Committee in New York to revoke his ministry, on the grounds that he had presented a certificate signed by the name of Rev. Philo Perry, which had not been written nor signed by him. After a lengthy church review, it was concluded that Rogers had fabricated the document, and he was discredited.
    However, Mansfield remained a respected member of the clergy, and in June, 1819, Mansfield presided over the election of the bishop. Beardsley notes, "The venerable Dr. Mansfield, of Derby, verging upon a century, met his brethren for the last time on this occasion and presided over their deliberations." The convention elected the Rev. Thomas C. Brownell as Bishop.
    Mansfield died at his home on April 12, 1820 at the age of 96, having seen the church change from a struggling minority, persecuted and despised, to an accepted church in area communities.

Chapter 4

GENERAL WILLIAM HULL

General William Hull was born in 1753 in Derby. He was educated in the local schools and entered Yale at age 15. He graduated from that institution at age 20 and was elected Captain of a Derby militia company.
    He was preparing to join the regiment of Colonel Webb,