History of Hartford County Towns History of Hartford County Towns
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This town was originally a parish in the north part of Farmington, by the name of Northington. It was incorporated as a distinct town in 1830. It is bounded N. by Canton and Simsbury, E. by Hartford and Bloomfield, W. by Burlington, and S. by Farmington. It is about 6 miles in length, and upwards of 5 1/2 in breadth. This township is for the most part a level and fertile tract of land, in the valley of the Farmington River, between two mountainous ridges, on the east and west. The population of the town in 1830, was 1,025. Berlinwas incorporated as a town in 1785. It was previously the second society of Farmington, by the name of Kensington;-a section of the towns of Wethersfield and Middletown were joined to it at its incorporation.Kensington was probably set off from Farmington as a society about the year 1712, as the first minister, the Rev. Mr. Burnham, was ordained in that year. At this time there were but 14 families in the place, and the church consisted of 10 members, seven males and three females. Previous to the settlement of Mr. Burnham, these families attended meeting at Farmington, and the women walked from 10 to 12 miles and carried their infants in their arms. Kensington was divided about the year 1753, by the incorporation of the society of New Britain; and Dr. Smalley, the first clergyman in this society, was ordained in 1753. In 1772, the society of Kensington was again divided, by the formation of the society of Worthington; its name being derived from one of the committee who located the society. The township of Berlin is bounded north by Farmington, east by Middletown and Wethersfield, west by Southington, and south by Meriden. It has an average length of about 8 miles, and about 5 in breadth.The population of the town in 1830 was 3,047. BloomfieldBloomfield was incorporated as a town in 1835. It was formerly the parish of Wintonbury in >Windsor, and derived its name it is said, from the circumstance of the parish being formed from three towns, viz. Windsor, Farmington, and Simsbury; the name Win-ton-bury being derived from a part of the name of each of these three towns. At the period of the first settlements on Connecticut river, the Windsor people sent out a number of men to explore the tract, since Wintonbury. These men returned, and reported that there was good land sufficient for the maintenance of three families. Bloomfield is bounded N. by Windsor, W. by Simsbury, S. by Hartford, and E. by Windsor. On the eastern bounds of the town there is a forest extending the whole length of the township; it is about 1 ? miles in width from east to west. The town averages about 4 miles in length and breadth, and contains about 1,400 inhabitants. The face of the township is gently undulating; the soil is good, and produces large crops of grass. This place is celebrated for the excellence of its fruit, a considerable quantity of which is annually raised. The inhabitants are generally agriculturists, and remarkably free from the evils of litigation. Bristol Bristol was formerly a parish in the town of Farmington, by the name of New Cambridge. It was incorporated as an independent society in 1747, and as a town in 1785. It is bounded N. by Burlington, E. by Farmington, W. by Plymouth, and S. by Wolcott and Southington It is 5 ? miles in length from north to south, and 5 in breadth. The surface of the town is uneven and hilly, and the soil is a gravelly loam, and considerably fertile, producing all kinds of grain, grass, and fruit common to this region. Iron and copper ore have been discovered in some places in the limits of the township. This is a manufacturing town, and the inhabitants are distinguished for their enterprise and industry. There are at present sixteen clock factories, in which nearly 100,000 brass and wooden clock have been manufactured in a single year. The manufacture of buttons is also carried on in this place. This place is 16 ? miles from Hartford, 28 from New Haven, 17 from Litchfield, and 5 to the nearest point on the New Haven and Northampton Canal. The number of inhabitants in the town in 1810, was 1,423; the number at present is estimated to be 2,500. Burlington Burlington originally belonged to Farmington, and was formerly known by the name of West Britain; it was at the first called West Woods. Previous to its incorporation as a town in 1806, it was within the limits of Bristol. It is 17 miles west from Hartford, and about 36 from New Haven, bounded N. by New Hartford and Canton, E. by Farmington and Avon, W. by Harwinton, and S. by Bristol. It is about six miles in length from north to south, and five in breadth. The township is diversified with hills and valleys; the soil is a gravelly loam, on granite rocks, yielding grain, particularly rye and oats. The inhabitants are principally engaged in agriculture. The population of the town in 1830 was 1,401. The Farmington river passes through the northeastern part of the town. There are 2 houses for public worship, 1 for Congregationalists and 1 for Methodists. The eastern part of the town was first settled by a family of the name of Strong, who were from Farmington; the northern part by a family of Pettibones from Simsbury; the western part by persons by the name of Yale, Lewis and Wiard; the south part by families by the name of Bunel and Smith from Cheshire. The first minister in the place was the Rev. Jonathan Miller from Torringford; he preached in this place about forty years; he died three or four years since. About thirty years since there was a society of Seventh day Baptists in this place; at that period they consisted of about twenty five families, who were mostly from Rhode Island or the eastern part of Connecticut; they had a Mr. Davis for their first minister, and Mr. Stillman for their last. They erected a house of worship, which is still standing. The society is nearly extinct, there being it is believed but one member now living: this person is an aged woman. The Methodists built their meeting house about twenty five years since. It formerly stood about 2 ? miles S.W. of its present location; it was removed to where it now stands in 1835. Canton Canton was first settled in 1740, and was incorporated as a town in 1806. The town was formed from the west section of Simsbury and the eastern part of New Hartford. It is bounded N. by Granby, S. by Avon and Burlington, W. by New Hartford and Barkhamsted, and E. by Simsbury. It is about eight miles in length from north to south, and nearly four miles in breadth. The population in 1830, including Collinsville, was 1,437. The township is hilly and mountainous, and the prevailing character of the soil is a coarse gravel, which is hard, dry and stony. The first settlement was made at the east village. This place was formerly called Suffrage, from the circumstance, it is said, of one of the first settlers experiencing an unusual share of suffering at the commencement of the settlement. East Hartford This town is pleasantly situated on the east side of Connecticut river, bounded N. by East Windsor, E. by Manchester, S. by Glastenbury, and W. by Connecticut river, separating it from Hartford. It is nearly 6 miles in length from north to south, and about 4 miles in breadth. Most of the inhabitants in this town live on one street, about three fourths of a mile from and parallel with the river. This street is thickly settled from Glastenbury to East Windsor. The meadows in this town, adjoining the Connecticut, contain an extensive range of some of the best land in the State. In the spring season these meadows are usually overflowed by the freshets of the river, which render them very productive. The causeway connected with the bridge over the Connecticut, extends about a mile in a straight line, across the meadows, to the main street in East Hartford, and forms a fine and productive avenue to the city. Leaving these meadows, you rise rather a steep acclivity of fifteen or twenty feet, into a level plain country, extending across the entire length of the township, and nearly three miles to the eastward. The soil is fertile, and a large proportion of it is fitted for almost every kind of cultivation and product. An excellent mill-stream, called the Hockanum river, enters this town from the northeast, and winds its way through nearly the center of the town, and unites with the Connecticut> about a mile below Hartford bridge. On this stream are many valuable mill seats, that give facilities to manufacturing operations, which are here carried on to a very considerable extent. East Hartford was for many years distinguished beyond any other town in the State, for the variety and amount of its manufactures. In 1775, a gunpowder mill was built here, under the especial patronage of the colony. It is believed to have been the first mill of the kind erected in the country. Iron works, consisting of an anchor shop, a forge and slitting mill, were built in this town in 1782. Anchors, mill screws, nail rods, gunpowder, paper, snuff, glass, &c. were among the manufactures carried on here in 1784, with spirit and success. The making of paper, at present, is the principal manufacturing business carried on within the limits of the town. There are five large paper mills, which are situated in a village called Scotland, about 2 ? miles eastward of the Congregational church, at a place formerly known by the name of Pitkins falls. From one establishment in this village, the U.S. Congress is furnished with paper by contract. This town was formerly included in the limits of Hartford. It was incorporated as a distinct town in 1784. The fertility of the soil, affording an easy cultivation of Indian corn, and the multitude of fish with which the rivers in this vicinity were stored, rendered this place a favorite residence of the native Indians. At a meeting of the inhabitants of Hartford, Jan. 11th, 1640, it was ordained, that all the upland on the east side of the great river, from Podunk river to Pewterpot river, shall be divided to the three miles end; that is to say, half a mile of it to be measured and staked, and each mans proportion to run up the country to the three miles end. And on the same day a committee was appointed to order the highway in the meadow, on the east side of the great river. The original settlers generally located themselves on the rising ground back from the meadow, where several of their cellars are still visible. In 1677, a more rapid and extensive settlement of this town appears to have taken place. Several new highways were laid out in the course of that year. In 1694, an ecclesiastical society was constituted, and early in 1703, the Rev. Samuel Woodbridge, their first settled clergyman, was ordained. The church and people here were united during the life and ministry of Mr. Woodbridge, who labored with them forty three years. He died June 9th, 1746, aged 63. The Rev. Eliphalet Williams, D.D. his successor, was ordained March 30th, 1748. For more than fifty years he was a settled minister in this town. The Podunk tribe, which dwelt in this and the adjoining town of East Windsor, were a ferocious and warlike people. Tontonimo, their first sachem with whom the English had any acquaintance, commanded two hundred bowmen. When the council of ministers assembled in Hartford, in 1657, the famous Mr. Elliot, hearing of the Podunk Indians, desired that the tribe might be assembled, that he might have an opportunity of offering Christ to them for their Saviour. By the influence of some of the principal gentlemen, they were persuaded to come together at Hartford, and Mr. Elliot preached to them in their own language, and labored to instruct them concerning their Creator and Redeemer. When he had finished his sermon, and explained the matter to them, he desired an answer from them whether they would accept Jesus Christ for their Saviour, as he had been offered to them? But their chief men, with great scorn and resentment, utterly refused. They said the English had taken away their lands, and were now attempting to make them servants. In the year 1656, a Podunk Indian, named Weaseapano, murdered a sachem, who lived near Mattabeseck, now Middletown. Seaquassin, the existing sachem of the tribe, compained of the outrage to the magistracy of Connecticut; and said that the Podunk Indians entertained the murderer, and protected him from the merited punishment. Seaquassin at the same time engaged Uncas in his cause; who also complained, that Tontonimo enticed away many of his men; and protected an Indian who had murdered a Moheagan. Upon these complaints the magistrates summoned the parties before them. Seaquassin and Uncas, after observing that the murderer was a mean fellow, and that the man murdered was a great sachem, insisted that ten men, friends of Weaseapano, should be delivered up, to be put to death, as a satisfaction for the crime. Tontonimo insisted that the satisfaction demanded was excessive; particularly as the murdered sachem had killed Weaseapano's uncle. The Governor endeavored to convince the complaintants that the demand was excessive; observing, that the English in cases of murder, punished only the principal, and such as were accessory to the crime. Tontonimo then proposed to make satisfaction by the payment of wampum; but it was refused. They fell however in their demands to six men, instead of ten. This proposition was rejected by Tontonimo. The magistrates then urged him to deliver up the murderer. This he promised to do. But, while the subject was in agitation, he privately withdrew from the court, with the rest of the Podunk sachems; and retired to the fortress belonging to his nation. Both the magistrates and the complainants, were offended by this behavior of Tontonimo. However, the magistrates appointed a committee, to persuade the Indians to continue at peace with each other. At their solicitation Uncas at length consented to accept the murderer, and promised to be satisfied, if he should be delivered up; but the Podunk Indians told the English that they could not comply with this condition, because the friends of Weaseapano were numerous and powerful, and would not agree to the proposal. The Governor then addressed them in form; urging them to continue in peace, and endeavoring to persuade the complainants to accept of wampum. This they again refused, and withdrew; after it had been agreed on all hands, that the English should not take any part in the controversy; and after the Indians had promised, that they would not injure either the persons of possessions of the English, on either side of the river. Soon after, Uncas assembled an army for the purpose of avenging his wrongs. But being met near Hoccanum river, by an equal number of the Podunks, and considering the issue of a battle as doubtful, he prudently retired, after having sent a message to Tontonimo, in which he declared, that if the Podunk sachem persisted in withholding the murderer from justice, he would send to the Mohawks, to come and destroy both him and his people. Not long after, the crafty Moheagan accomplished his purpose in the following manner. He sent a trusty warrior, furnished with some Mohawk weapons, to Podunk; directing him to set fire in the night to a house near the fort, and then to leave the weapons on the ground in the vicinity, and immediately return. The warrior executed his commission. When the Podunks came in the morning to examine the ruins, they found the weapons; and, knowing them to belong to the Mohawks, were so alarmed with the apprehension that Uncas was about to execute his threat, that they delivered up the murderer, and sued for peace. The Hon. William Pitkin, the ancestor of the Pitkin family of this town (East Hartford), emigrated from the county of Middlesex, Eng. and settled here in 1659. He was by profession a lawyer, and also one of the principal planters of the town. In 1664, he received the appointment of king's attorney for the colony. He died in 1694, after having filled various and important offices, distinguished for his virtues and abilities. He had a sister who emigrated soon after him to this country, who it is said possessed uncommon vigor of mind and many fine accomplishments. She married Simon, the youngest son of Henry Wolcott, was mother of the first Governor Wolcott, and grandmother of Oliver Wolcott and Roger Griswold, governors of Connecticut, and also great grandmother of the late Hon. Oliver Wolcott, of Litchfield. There have been a number of distinguished individuals of the name of William Pitkin in this town, one of whom was governor of the State, who was distinguished for his vigorous understanding and integrity; he died in 1769, while holding the office of governor. His son, the Hon. William Pitkin, was in 1758 appointed major of the Connecticut forces, raised for the expedition against Canada. He served through the campaign under General Abercrombie, and acquired the reputation of a faithful and gallant officer. He was a member of the Council during the Revolutionary war, and for the greater part of the war he served as a member of the Council of Safety. He died in 1789. East Windsor East Windsor was originally included within the ancient boundaries of Windsor Fear of the Indians appears to have prevented any settlement in this town on the east side of the Connecticut till 1680. By this time the Indian power in New England was effectually broken, by the death of King Philip in 1676. Although the Windsor and River Indians professed themselves neuter in Philip's war, yet numbers of their young men stole away and never returned. In 1695, the settlers of East Windsor formed themselves into an ecclesiastical society, and Mr. Timothy Edwards, the father of the celebrated divine, was ordained their minister. Previous to this, the inhabitants for fifteen years passed the river in boats, in order to attend worship on the west side. In 1768, East Windsor was incorporated as a town, and contained at that period four parishes, viz. 1st Society or East Windsor, 2d Society or Scantic, Ellington and Wapping. East Windsor is bounded N. by Enfield, E. by Ellington and Vernon, S. by East Hartford and Manchester, and W. by Connecticut river. It is about 10 miles in length, and averages upwards of 5 in breadth. The face of the town is generally level. In the western part of the town there are extensive tracts of sandy loam, which are light, warm, and fertile; in the eastern part a rich gravelly loam generally prevails. Upon the borders of Connecticut river there are natural meadows, which comprise more than 2,000 acres of the finest of land, uncommonly beautiful and fertile, producing grass, Indian corn, potatoes, &c, in great abundance. The eastern and northern parts of the town are best adapted for rye, of which it has been computed that 70,000 bushels have been raised in one season. Of late years considerable quantities of tobacco have been raised and manufactured in the western part of the town. The principal street runs parallel with Connecticut river, on the border of the first elevation of ground above the meadows, generally about a mile back from the river, and on this street, through the whole length of the town, is built an almost continuous village. The Second or North Society was made a parish in 1752; the Rev. Thomas Potwine was ordained their first pastor in 1754. Scantic river, a mill stream, passes through this part of the town, and gives this section the name of Scantic. The village of Wapping in the southeast part of the town, was allowed the privileges of a winter parish in 1761. Warehouse Point is a considerable village on the the town, at the head of sloop navigation. Formerly the manufacture of rye gin was an important branch of business in this place; of late years, considerable attention has been paid to the cultivation of tobacco. The place derived its name from a warehouse being built here by Mr. Pyncheon, of Springfield, about the time of the first settlement of that place. It is 13 miles from Hartford. There are now in the town 7 churches; 3 Congregational, 2 Methodist, 1 Episcopalian and 1 Baptist. Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards, who is considered the greatest of modern divines, was a native of this town (East Windsor). He was born Oct. 5th, 1703, about one mile north of the first Congregational church, and a few rods north of a small stream crossing the road, called Stoughton's brook. His father's house (the Rev. Timothy Edwards) stood on the east side of the road, and resembled very much the appearance of Mr. Hooker's, 'He was educated at Yale College, and took the degree of bachelor of arts in 1720, before he was seventeen years of age. His uncommon genius discovered itself early, and while he was yet a boy he read Locke on the human understanding with a keen relish. Though he took much pleasure in examining the kingdom of nature, yet moral and theological researches yielded him the highest satisfaction. He lived at college near two years after taking his first degree, preparing himself for the office of a minister of the gospel. In 1722 he went to New York, at the request of a small society of English Presbyterians, and preached a number of months. In 1724 he was appointed a tutor in Yale College, and he continued in that office, till he was invited in 1726 to preach in Northampton, Massachusetts. Here he was ordained as colleague with his grandfather, the Rev. Mr. Stoddard, February 15, 1727. In 1735 his benevolent labors were attended with uncommon success; a general impression was made upon the minds of his people by the truths which he proclaimed; and the church was much enlarged. He continued in this place more than twenty three years, till he was dismissed in 1750." In August, 1751, he succeeded the Rev. Mr. Sergeant as missionary to the Housatonnoc Indians at Stockbridge, in Berkshire county, Massachusetts. Here he continued six years, preaching to the Indians and the white people; and as he found much leisure, he prosecuted his theological and metaphysical studies, and produced works which rendered his name famous throughout Europe. In January, 1758, he reluctantly accepted the office of president of the college in New Jersey, as successor of his son-in-law, the Rev. Mr. Burr; but he had not entered fully upon the duties of this station, before the prevalence of the small pox induced him to be inoculated, and this disease was the cause of his death, March 22, 1758, in the fifty fifth year of his age. The following is a catalogue of his publications: a sermon preached at Boston on 1 Cor. i. 29, 30, 1731; a sermon preached at Northampton on Matt. Xvi. 17, 1734; a narrative of the work of God in the conversion of many hundreds of souls in Northampton, 1736; five discourses on justification by faith alone, pressing into the kingdom of God, Ruth's resolution, the justice of God in the damnation of sinners, and the excellency of Jesus Christ, 1738; sinners in the hands of an angry God, a sermon preached at Enfield, 1741; thoughts on the revival of religion, 1742, a sermon at the ordination of the reverend Robert Abercrombie, 1744; at the instalment of the reverend Samuel Buell, 1746; a treatise on religions affections, 1746; an attempt to promote agreement in prayer for the revival of religion, 1746; life of the reverend David Brainerd, 1749; an inquiry into the qualifications for full communion in the church, 1749; a reply to the reverend Solomon Williams' answer to the inquiry, 1752; a sermon preached at Newark, 1752; an inquiry into the modern prevailing notions of that freedom of will which is supposed to be essential to moral agency, &c., 1754; the great doctrine of original sin delended, 1758. Since his death the following works have been published from his manuscripts; eighteen sermons, with his life, written by the reverend Dr. Hopkins, 1765; the history of redemption, 1774; on the nature of true virtue, 1788; God's last end in the creation; thirty three sermons; twenty sermons, 1789; miscellaneous observations, 1793; miscellaneous remarks, 1796. John Fitch was a native of this town (East Windsor). To this individual belongs the honor of having constructed the first steamboat in this country. Although this honor has so generally been ascribed to Robert Fulton, yet it is a well known fact, that twenty years before the great experiment of Fulton and Livingston on the Hudson, a steamboat was constructed and put in operation in Philadelphia, under the sole direction of a then obscure and still almost unknown individual. This person was John Fitch. He was born in the south part of East Windsor, near the East Hartford line, on what is now called the old road. He was apprenticed as a watch and clock maker, to Mr. Cheney, who carried on the business in the eastern part of East Hartford, now Manchester. He married in early life and had two children; such however was the temper and unhappy disposition of his wife, that he left her, and went to New Brunswick, (N.J.) where he set up the business of clock making, engraving, and repairing muskets, before the Revolution. When New Jersey> was overrun by the British troops, Mr. Fitch removed into the interior of Pennsylvania, where he employed himself in repairing arms for the Continental army. In the year 1785, Mr. Fitch conceived the project of propelling a vessel by the force of condensed vapor. When the idea occurred to him, as he himself tells us, he did not know there was such a thing as a steam engine in existence. In 1788 he obtained a patent for the application of steam to navigation. By unwearied exertion he succeeded in interesting about twenty persons in his plan, and inducing them to take shares of 50 dollars each. A boat was built in 1787. A mile was measured off in Front or Water street, and the boat was found to go at the rate of eight miles an hour. It afterwards went eight miles in a day. The Governor and Council of Pennsylvania were so much gratified with the experiment, that they presented them with a superb silk flag. About this time the company sent Mr. Fitch to France, at the request of Mr. Vail, our Consul at L'Orient, who was one of the company, and wished to introduce the invention into France. Being in the midst of revolutions in that country, and as no men could be obtained for the purpose of building boats, Mr. Fitch returned. Mr. Vail afterwards subjected to the examination of Mr. Fulton, when in France, the papers and designs of the steamboat appertaining to the company. In 1790, he made an alteration in his boat and she performed tolerably well, but still it required further alterations. Mr. Fitch however was not able to obtain the necessary means in order to perfect his invention. The conviction of Fitch respecting the power of steam continued firm.In June, 1792, he addressed a letter to Mr. Rittenhouse, one of the share-holders; speaking of steam power, he said: This, sir, will be the mode of crossing the Atlantic in time, whether I shall bring it to perfection or not. He complains of his poverty, and to raise funds, he urges Mr. Rittenshouse to buy his land in Kentucky, that he might have the honor of enabling him to complete the great undertaking. Upon one occasion he called upon a smith who had worked upon his boat, and after dwelling for some time upon his favorite topic, concluded with these words: Well gentlemen, although I shall not live to see the time, you will, when steamboats will be preferred to all other means of conveyance, and especially for passengers, and they will be particularly useful in the navigation of the river Mississippi. He retired, when a person present observed, in a tone of deep sympathy, "Poor fellow, what a pity it is he is crazy." The distress of mind and mortification he suffered from the failure of his protracted exertions and his poverty were too much for him, and to drown his reflections, he had recourse to the common but deceptive remedy, strong drink, in which he indulged to excess, and retiring to wPittsburg, he ended his days by plunging into the Alleghany. He had filled several small MS books with personal and general narrative, more or less connected with his great scheme, and which he bequeathed to the Philadelphia Library, with the proviso that they were to remain closed for thirty years. The books were opened in due time, and were found to contain a minute account of his perplexities and disappointments. Of the boldness of his conceptions, (says a writer in the Mechanics' Magazine, Jan. 1836,) and the perseverance with which he followed it up, there can be but one opinion; and had fortune attended his efforts, and his means been equal to the accomplishment of his designs, there can be no doubt that he would now hold undisputed the honor of having given to the country this most noble and useful invention. Oliver Wolcott, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was the son of Gov. Roger Wolcott, who resided in this town (East Windsor). He was born Nov. 26, 1726, and died at Litchfield in 1797. Erastus Wolcott Erastus Wolcott, brother of the preceding (Oliver Wolcott), was born about the year 1723. Although a plain, laboring farmer, with inconsiderable advantages as to education, he by the force of his native talents, acquired great influence in public affairs. He was appointed a brigadier general in 1777, and went on an expedition to Peekskill. He was a member of Congress and Judge of the Supreme Court. He died in 1793. Enfield This town was settled by emigrants from Salem, Mass. In 1681, being at that time a part of the town of Springfield, in that state. For about seventy years after the settlement of the town, it was subject to the jurisdiction of the colony of Massachusetts, not being annexed to Connecticut until 1752. The town is bounded N. by Longmeadow in Massachusetts, E. by Somers, S. by East Windsor, and W. by Connecticut river, which separates it from Suffield. It is about six miles in length from north to south, and five and a half in breadth. The township is generally of a level surface, and the soil mostly of a light sandy loam, and generally fertile. The first bridge ever built across the Connecticut in this state, was erected in 1808, connecting this town with Suffield. It was supported by six stone piers, resting upon the rocky bed of the river; being 1000 feet in length and 30 in width. The whole expanse of its construction did not exceed $26,000. In 1832 a new bridge was built here, 70 feet in breadth, upon Mr. Town's plan, at an expense of about $15,000. A large proportion of the dwelling houses in this town are situated upon one street, passing through the town, and running parallel with the river. The plough-making business is prosecuted to a considerable extent in this place. Farmington Farmington were from Hartford, being emigrants from Boston, Newtown and Roxbury, in Massachusetts. They began the settlement in 1640, being probably attracted at this early period by the fine natural meadows upon the Tunxis or Farmington river. The town was incorporated in 1645. The land was purchased of the Tunxis tribe of Indians, which was a numerous and warlike tribe, by eighty four proprietors, and divided by them and their heirs according to their respective interests. The township at the time of its incorporation was about fifteen miles square. Since this period five new towns have been formed from it, viz. Southington, Berlin, Bristol, Burlington and Avon. The present length of Farmington is 7 ? miles from north to south, and averages upwards of four in breadth. The town is situated principally between two mountainous ridges which stretch from N.N.E. to S.S.W. indented by vallies; the mean distance between the mountains is about four miles. The east mountain, on the base of which the village is built, presents a mural front to the west, and has two convenient passes through it; the road to Hartford passing through the north, and the road to Middletown through the south pass, distant from each other about four miles. The Farmington river, about 45 yards wide, enters through the west mountain from the northwest, and runs southeast to the central part of the town, where meeting the east mountain, it turns an acute angle and runs northward through the town, parallel with the mountain. On the east side of the east mountain opposite a peak called Rattlesnake hill, rises the Quinnipiac or North Haven river. The great flat or natural meadow, from the river westward, from 1 ½ to 2 miles broad, is alluvial, a rich loam and sand, and is one of the most fertile tracts in the State. Glastenbury Glastenbury was incorporated as a town in 1690; it was previously included within the limits of Wethersfield. It is bounded N. by East Hartford and Manchester, E. by Hebron and Bolton, S. by Chatham and Marlborough, and W. by Connecticut river and Wethersfield. Its length from east to west averages about nine miles, being about six in breadth. There are some fine meadows upon the borders of the Connecticut, back of which, upon the rise of land, the soil is a sandy loam, generally fertile and productive. In Eastbury, the east society in the town, the lands to a considerable extent are rough and stony. There are five houses of worship, 2 Congregational, 2 Methodist and 1 Episcopal. The population in 1810 was 2,776; in 1830 it was 2,980. Glastenbury was originally purchased by the proprietors from the Indians. The deed from the chief, granted a certain number of rods in width north and south, "butting on the Great River, and running three miles into the wilderness." These lots have many of them presented the same general features to this day, although subdivided among descendants and purchasers, until some of them are only eight rods wide, though three miles long. The principal proprietors and first settlers were of the names of Welles, Wyllis, Hale, Kimberly, Hollister, Smith and Talcott. Thasseus Welles, Esq. now resides upon the land which his ancestor, Thomas Welles, purchased of Sowheag, the great sachem at Middletown. These lands have descended from father to son, and have never been out of the possession of the family for almost two hundred years. Samuel Welles, the celebrated banker of Paris, and the late Gen. Arnold Welles, son-in-law of Gen. Warren, who fell on Bunker Hill, were of the same family, and very recently owned another tract purchased by the same ancestor. About the year 1690, the Legislature gave permission to all the inhabitants of that part of Wethersfield, lying east of Connecticut river, to associate together and be invested with town privileges, 'so soon as they could procure and settle a good orthodox minister.' The Rev. Timothy Stephens was ordained their first minister in October, 1693. Mr. Stephens appears to have died in 1725, at the age of 60. Granby Granby is an extensive irregular township, situated in the northern section of Hartford County. It was incorporated as a town in 1786, previous to which it was a part of Simsbury. It is bounded N. by the Massachusetts line, E. by Suffield and Windsor, S. by Simsbury and Canton, and W. by Barkhamsted and Hartland. The average length of the township from east to west is 9 miles the breadth from north to south averages more than 6 miles. There are two societies in this town, Turkey Hills and Salmon Brook. Turkey Hills is said to have derived its name from the numerous flocks of wild turkeys which formerly used to range this part of the town. Salmon Brook (the western part of the town) derived its name from a brook of that name, passing through this section, in which salmon formerly used to be taken. There are 5 houses of worship in this town; 2 Congregational, 1 Episcopal, 1 Methodist, and 1 Universalist. Salmon Brook, which is 14 miles from Hartford and 3 from the old prison buildings, is perhaps the largest village. In this place is the Episcopal church, and about twenty or thirty dwelling houses in the vicinity. Hartland Hartland is an elevated township, 22 miles from Hartford, bounded N. by the Massachusetts line, E. by Granby, W. by Colebrook and S. by Barkhamsted, and is about 7 miles in length and 5 in breadth. This town is hilly and mountainous, being embraced within the extensive renge of granite in this part of the State. From its elevated situation it is cold and frosty, and the soil rather sterile, producing but little grain; it however affords tolerable grazing. The making of butter and cheese, beef and pork, and pasturing of cattle are the principal kinds of business done in the town. The farmers in the east of this to Connecticut river, have been in the practice of sending their growing or young cattle and sheep into this and other grazing towns, to be kept during several months in the spring and summer. The town is divided into two parts, one called East, the other West Hartland, in each of which is a Congregational church; there is also a Methodist church in the limits of the town. The town is centrally divided by the east branch of the Farmington river, on which are several small tracts of alluvial, and excellent mill seats. The deep ravine or valley through which this stream passes is called Hartland hollow, and is characterized by bold, rough, and picturesque scenery. Hartland is one of the towns sold by the State to the inhabitants of Hartford and Windsor. The first proprietors' meeting was holden in Hartford in 1733. The first person who lived in the town was John Kendall, who being in debt, fled from Granby, and to get out of the way of his creditors, located himself in Hartland Hollow, on the west bank of the branch of the Farmington river; here he made himself a hut with slabs which floated down the stream from Granville, Mass. this was in 1753. While here Kendall's wife bore a pair of twin daughters, the first white children born in the town. Kendall stayed in the town about one year. In 1755, Simon Baxter came into this town. He was considered a person of suspicious character. In the Revolution he joined the army of Burgoyne, and finally died at Halifax. Hartland was incorporated as a town in 1761, at which time it belonged to Litchfield County. In 1768, the Rev. Sterling Graves was ordained, being the first minister in the town. He was ordained in the open air, on a knoll about a mile south of the present Congregational church in East Hartland. The first meeting house was erected in 1770. In West Hartland, the first minister was the Rev. Nathaniel Gaylord, who settled there about 1782. Mr. Gaylord is still living, and preaches occasionally. Manchester Manchester was incorporated as a township in 1823. It was formerly called Orford, the East parish in East Hartford. It is nearly six miles in length, and about the same in breadth, bounded N. by East Windsor and Vernon, E. by Bolton and Vernon, W. by East Hartford, and S. by Glastenbury. The surface of the town is somewhat broken and hilly; it has a mixed soil of sand, loam and gravel, and is generally fertile. In the western part of it, there is a range of red sandstone, extending through the town; this stone generally lies under the surface, and being of a soft texture is easily worked, and is valuable for underpinning, hearth and step stones. The township is watered by the Hockanum and its branches, upon which are situated numerous mills and manufactories, among which are six or seven paper mills, one woolen and one satinet factory, and two powder mills. Marlborough This town is situated in the southeastern extremity of Hartford County.
It was incorporated in 1803, being formed from Colchester, Glastenbury and
Hebron, three towns which belonged to three different counties. The
township is irregular in its form, having an average length of five and a
half miles, and an average breadth of four miles, bounded N. by
Glastenbury, E. by Hebron, S. by Colchester, and W. by Chatham. The
surface of the town is hilly and stony, and the lands best adapted for
grazing. Marlborough pond, in this town, is a considerable body of water,
being one mile in length and half a mile in breadth. Black lead has been
found in this town. There is one house of worship in the town, which is of
the Congregational order. The most compact settlement in the town is around the Union Cotton Factory, which is 14 miles from Hartford and one mile northerly from the Congregational church. The number of inhabitants in 1810 was 720; in 1830 the population was 704. The first settlement in the town was commenced in the south part, by persons by the name of Foot and Carrier, who were from Colchester: these settlers located themselves between two and three miles south of the meeting house. The tradition is, that the first person who located himself in the limits of the town was Mr. Carrier, who constructed a kind of log hut on the land now owned by Mr. Gelston. Carrier, who came up from Colchester to make a clearing for a settlement, having got detained from some cause, was obliged to stay in his hut over night, and was attacked by a party of Indians, eight or ten in number. Carrier, who was a strong athletic man, defended himself with such effect that he killed nearly the whole number with his axe, as they attempted to force themselves into his cabin. New London and Hartford turnpike passes through the center of this town. After ascending the mountain which forms the eastern boundary of the valley of the Connecticut, about twelve miles from Hartford , the road passes through what is called "the dark hollow." This place is on the mountain, near the western boundary of Marlborough. Large masses of rocks are thrown about in great disorder, giving the place a wild and savage aspect. In the vicinity of this place, westerly from the turnpike, an English gentleman, it is said, who had married the daughter of one of the governors of Connecticut, resided for some time with his family at the period of the first settlement of the country. Simsbury The ancient name of Simsbury was Massacoe. The land was purchased of the Indians, and settlements began under the town of Windsor, of which it was then considered as part. In the session of the General Court, May, 1670, it was enacted, that Massacoe should be a distinct town, by the name of Simsbury; the limits granted were ten miles northward from the north bounds of Farmington, and ten miles westward from the western bounds of Windsor. About six years after the settlement, the inhabitants, numbering about forty families, were so alarmed at the hostility of the Indians, that they buried their effects and went back to Windsor. The settlement being deserted, the Indians destroyed the houses which had been erected, by burning them, and blotted out almost every vestige of improvement which distinguished the new born settlement from the surrounding wilderness; so that when the settlers returned, they could not find the place where their goods were secreted. This was in the spring of 1676, at which time Simsbury was a frontier settlement, although but about ten miles from Connecticut river. This township is seven miles in length, and about five and a half miles in breadth, upon an average estimate. It is bounded N. by Granby, E. by Windsor and Bloomfield, S. by Avon, and W. by Canton. It is strikingly diversified, being intersected by the Farmington river, and embracing the range of the greenstone mountain, which here is elevated and lofty. The New Haven and Northampton Canal passes through this town, running parallel with the river. Southington Southington is situated in the southwestern corner of Hartford County; bounded N. by Bristol and Farmington, W. by Wolcott, S. by Cheshire, and E. by a range of mountains, separating it from Berlin. The soil is generally good, and well adapted to the culture of rye and Indian corn. The township is about six miles in length, and about the same in breadth. The central part of the town is 18 miles from Hartford and 21 from New Haven. The population in 1810 was 1,807; in 1830, it was 1,844.This town was originally included in the limits of Farmington. It was laid out into lots, and divided among the eighty four proprietors of Farmington, in 1722. Several persons, however, had settled in it at that time, and within four or five years after that period, it was incorporated as a society, by the name of Southington, and was made a town in 1779. The first settlers were principally from Farmington; a few from Wallingford and Waterbury: their names were Woodruff, Hart, Andrews, Gridley, Newell, Lewis, Langdon, Root, Barnes, Clark, and others. The inhabitants are generally engaged in agriculture; yet several kinds of manufactures receive considerable attention. Peck's patent for machines for making tin ware, a most valuable invention, is exclusively owned in this town, and the business of making them is extensively carried on, by Messrs. Seth Peck & Co. whose manufactory supplies almost the whole of the United States and the British provinces. The manufacture of water cement is very extensively carried on in this town, and furnishes a supply for the wants of the vicinity, and some for distant markets. There is an establishment for the manufacture of lasts, which are turned out by a machine: this is effected by having a model of the shape wanted, inserted into the apparatus connected with the machinery. Besides the above, there is a brass foundery; and several other establishments, for manufacturing various articles, such as saws of different kinds, tin ware, combs, spoons, clocks, brushes, &c. are in operation, more or less extensively, at different time, according to the demands of the market. Copper has been discovered, in several places, in the range of mountains on the eastern border of the town. Suffield This town was originally under the jurisdiction of the colony of Massachusetts. It was purchased of two sachems by Mr. Pyncheon, and some others, for about one hundred dollars. In 1670, a grant of Suffield was made to Maj. John Pyncheon and his associates, by the general court of Massachusetts, as a committee to lay it out and plant a township. It was settled about this period, and incorporated with town privileges. It continued subject to the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, till the year 1752, being then annexed to Connecticut. Suffield is bounded N. by , E. by Connecticut river, separating it from Enfield, W. by Granby and the Southwick ponds in Massachusetts, and S. by Windsor and Granby. The township, which is somewhat irregular in its form, averages about eight miles in length from east to west, and five in breadth. This town, though somewhat diversified in its surface and soil, is considered by many to be one of the best townships of land in the State: the eastern section, bordering upon Connecticut river, has a gradual rise for about two miles to the public road, which runs nearly in a parallel direction with the river. This is a fine tract, the soil being a strong and deep loam. There is no alluvial upon the border of the river, and the bank is generally elevated and bold. The town is divided into two parishes, Suffield and West Suffield. There are four houses of worship in the town, two for Baptists and two for Congregationalists. The population of Suffield has not varied much for the last forty years. In 1800, the number of inhabitants was 2,666; in 1810, they numbered 2,630; in 1830, their number was 2,690. The principal street in the first society, which is a mile or more in length, lies on beautiful ground, rising gradually from the south towards the north. It is well settled, and contains many handsome dwelling houses. From the higher parts there is a fine prospect; the peak of Mount Tom is seen at the distance of twenty miles, forming a prominent object in the landscape, opening to the northward. Upon this street are two churches, one for the Congregationalists and one for the Baptists, a post office, stores, and the Connecticut Literary Institution. Gen. Phineas Lyman, distinguished for his services during the French war, and for many public employments, was for several years a resident in this town (Suffield). He was born at Durham, about the year 1716, and educated at Yale College. He devoted himself to the profession of law, and commenced practice in this town. He took a distinguished part in the dispute between this state and Massachusetts, relative to the right of jurisdiction over the town of Suffield, and the other towns upon that boundary, settled by Massachusetts. He afterwards became a councilor, then called a magistrate, which office he held for a number of years. During the French war, he had a distinguished command in the northern army for several years. In the campaign of 1755, he served as major general in the provincial troops. At or soon after the close of the war, he went to England to support a claim of the officers of the provincial troops, having been authorized to act as general agent. After experiencing great difficulties and delay, (having returned once for an extension of his powers,) he succeeded in obtaining a grant of an extensive tract of land upon the Mississippi, in the vicinity of Natchez. He accordingly embarked, and sailed directly for the Mississippi, where he arrived about the year 1774. He dispatched one of his sons for his family, which during this period had remained in Suffield; but just before their arrival, the same year, Gen. Lyman died, upon the tract of land of which he obtained a grant. His wife died during the passage, and his family left there soon after, on the country being reclaimed by the Spaniards. Gideon Granger Gideon Granger was born in this town (Suffield), July 19, 1767. He was graduated at Yale College in 1787, and in the following year was admitted a member of the bar of the supreme court of Connecticut, where he practiced law with great celebrity and distinction. In 1793 he was elected a member of the legislature of Connecticut, and was continued in that body for several years, and distinguished for energy, talents, and usefulness. To his enlightened exertions, this state is principally indebted for its school fund, so justly celebrated as the foundation of its primary schools, and the fostering parent of that useful information which prevails so generally in the state. In 1801, he was appointed postmaster general of the United States, and continued to execute the duties of that important office with great ability, until the spring of 1814, when he removed to the state of New York. In April, 1819, he was elected a member of the senate of that state, which situation he resigned in 1821, on account of ill health. He died at his seat in Canadaigua, on the 31st of December, 1822. Mr. Granger was a man of commanding appearance, of a striking physiognomy, of talents equally brilliant and profound, of a kind and benevolent heart, and unimpeachable rectitude. He was an able speaker and a powerful writer. His writings were confined almost entirely to political subjects. His principal publications were written under the signatures of Algernon Sidney, and Epaminodas, in favor of President Jefferson's and Governor Clinton's administrations, and of Senectus on the school fund of Connecticut. Oliver Phelps, Esq. OliverPhelps, Esq. a man of extraordinary enterprise and extensive business, was for many years a resident of this town. He was the "maker of his own fortunes." He was a native of Windsor, but was bred in this town, and received a mercantile education. He engaged in business in Granville Mass., and soon became a very enterprising, gracious and successful trader. During the Revolutionary war, he was employed by the state of Massachusetts, in the commissary department. Whilst in this situation, his transactions were of a most extensive and responsible nature, and his own paper formed a kind of circulating medium. Afterwards he purchased a large estate, and returned to this town. In 1789, he, in connection with the Hon. Mr. Gorham, purchased of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, a tract of land in the western part of the state of New York, in what is commonly called the Genesee country, comprising 2,200,000 acres. This is probably the greatest land purchase, or speculation, eber made by two individuals in the United States. This is a very excellent tract of land, having a mild climate, a fertile soil, and an abundance of waters, and is now comprised in the extensive counties of Ontario and Steuben. In 1795, Oliver Phelps, together with William Hart and their associates, purchased of this state the tract of land in the state of Ohio, called the Western Reserve, comprising 3,300,000 acres. Some years after this, he removed to Canandaigua, situated within his Genesee purchase. In 1802, he was elected member of Congress from the western district of that state. Wethersfield Wethersfield was one of the first settled towns in Connecticut. It is claimed by some, to be the oldest settlement in the state, as a few men from Watertown in Massachusetts, came to Connecticut in 1634, and erected a few huts at Pyquag, now Wethersfield, where they made out to subsists during the winter. The next year, 1635, Dr. Trumbell says, "the Watertown people gradually removed and prosecuted their settlement at Wethersfield. The probability is, that most of the Wethersfield settlers came round from Boston by water, and arrived before the Windsor and Hartford settlers, who came through the wilderness, and did not reach the Connecticut till about the 9th of November. This appears probable from the tradition which is still preserved, "that the first white woman who ever set foot in Connecticut, was a woman by the name of Barber; the tradition is, that when the settlers arrived at the place where they were to land, some controversy arose who should first set foot on the shore. While the men were contending with each other for this privilege, a woman by the name of Barber, taking advantage of the contention, dexterously sprang forward, and reaching the shore, had the honor of first treading on the soil. Wethersfield contains three parishes; Rocky Hill (3d society) on the south, Newington (2d society) on the northwest, and Wethersfield proper, on the northeast. The township is bounded N. by Hartford, W. by Berlin, S. by Middletown, and E. by Connecticut river, which separates it from Glastenbury. Extensive and fertile meadows border the Connecticut, and a broad and higher level tract, with light but rich soil, lies immediately west of the meadows. It is on this tract that the pleasant village of Wethersfield is built, four miles south of Hartford. Of the three principal streets two run from north to south, one of which is very broad and extensive; the other runs from southeast to northwest, along the bank of a large cove which sets up from the Connecticut to the north of the village. There are in the village three houses of public worship: 1 Congregational, 1 Baptist, 1 Methodist. There is a female seminary of some celebrity, established some years since, in the village. It is said that Mr. Hooker's company first pitched near what is now called "the Folly; the main channel of the river at that time, came round by the Cove. Here they found meadows, or lands, as they termed them, on both sides, but no mill stream; the main body then returned to the Little or Mill river in Hartford, and located themselves on both sides of that stream. The few settlers that remained near the "Folly" afterwards located themselves on Wolcott hill, about one mile westward of the main village in Wethersfield, and nearly in a range with Main street in Hartford, which is in fair view. Finding this place too far from the meadows, the most of the settlers removed to the eastward, to where the principal village is now built. Windsor Windsor was the first town in Connecticut in which any English settlement was made. This was in 1633, when William Holmes and others erected a house at the mouth of Farmington river. The town, which originally comprised an extensive tract, is now bounded N. by Suffield, W. by Bloomfield, Simsbury and Granby, S. by Bloomfield and Hartford, and E. by Connecticut river. It is 8 ? miles in length from north to south; at the north part the town is 6 miles in breadth, at the south part 3 miles. Farmington river, the largest tributary stream of the Connecticut, passes through the central part of the town. Windsor is generally of a level surface, having some extensive tracts of plains, and the other parts are of an undulating character. The soil is various, but generally fertile, and free from stone. There are two societies, Windsor proper, and Poquannoc.There are three houses for worship, 2 for Congregationalists, and 1 for Methodists. In the town there are 4 paper mills, 1 Kentucky jean factory, 2 for cotton batting, 1 wire and 1 satinet factory. Ship plank is manufactured at a village of about 20 houses, at the Windsor Locks, where the canal commences which runs by Enfield falls. This place, called Pine Meadow, is opposite Watehouse Point in East Windsor. Almost all the inhabitants in the first society live on a single street, which runs parallel with the river. The present number of inhabitants is believed to be about 1,900. One of the first ships which came over to New England in 1630, brought over the Rev. Mr. John Wareham, Mr. John Maverick, Mr. Rossiter, Mr. Ludlow, Mr. Henry Wolcott, and others of Mr. Wareham's church and congregation, who first settled the town of Windsor. This was considered an honorable company. Mr. Rossiter and Mr. Ludlow were magistrates; Mr. Wolcott had a great estate, and was a man of superior abilities. Mr. Wareham had been a celebrated minister in Exeter, the capital of the county of Devonshire. The people who came with him were from the counties of Devonshire, Dorsetshire and Somersetshire. This company sailed from Plymouth, and arrived at Nantasket on the 30th of May. The next day the master of the ship left them and their goods on Nantasket point, to shift for themselves. By the assistance of the old planters, they proceeded up Charles river to Watertown, but as they had many cattle, and finding a neck of land at Mattapan, where there were good accommodations for them, they soon removed there, and began a settlement, which they named Dorchester. In 1631, Wahquimacut, an Indian sachem, living near Connecticut river, made a journey to Plymouth and Boston, and earnestly entreated the governors of each of the colonies to send men to make settlements on the river. He represented the fruitfulness of the country, and promised the English, that if they would make a settlement, he would annually supply them with corn, and give them eighty beaver skins. The governor of Massachusetts, although he treated the sachem and his company with generosity, paid no attention to his proposals. Mr. Winslow, the governor of Plymouth, judged it worthy of attention. It seems that soon after that, he went into Connecticut, and discovered the river and the adjacent parts. It appeared that the earnestness with which the sachem solicited the English to make settlements on the river, originated from the distressed state of the river Indians. Pekoath, the great sachem of the Pequots, was at war with them and driving them from the country, and they imagined that if the English made settlements on the river, they would assist them in defending themselves against their too powerful enemies. Governor Winslow being pleased with the appearance of the country, the Plymouth people made preparations for erecting a trading house, and establishing a small company upon the river. In 1633, William Holmes, with his associates, having prepared the frame of a house, with boards and materials for covering it immediately, put them on board of a vessel and sailed for Connecticut. Holmes landed and erected his house a little below the mouth of the Little or Farmington river, in Windsor. The house was covered with the utmost dispatch, and fortified with palisadoes. The sachems who were the original owners of the soil having been driven away by the Pequots were brought back by Holmes'? vessel. The Plymouth people purchased of them the land on which they erected their house. This, Governor Wolcott says, was the first house erected in Connecticut. The Dutch about the same time built their trading house at Hartford. In June, 1634, the Dutch sent Jacob Van Curter to purchase lands on the Connecticut. He made a purchase of about twenty acres at Hartford, of Nepuquash, a Pequot captain, on the 25th of October. Curter protested against Holmes, the builder of the Plymouth house. Some time afterwards, the Dutch governor, Van Twiller, of Amsterdam, sent a reinforcement to Connecticut, in order to drive Holmes from the river. A party of seventy men under arms, with banners displayed, assaulted the Plymouth house, but they found it so well fortified, and the men who kept it so vigilant and determined, that it could not be taken without bloodshed. They therefore came to a parley, and finally returned in peace. A number of Mr. Wareham's people came, in the summer of 1635, to Connecticut, and made preparations to bring their families and make a permanent settlement. After having made such preparations as they judged necessary, they began to remove their families and property. "On the 15th of October, about sixty men, women and children, with their horses, cattle and swine, commenced their journey from Massachusetts, through the wilderness, to Connecticut river. After a tedious and difficult journey, through swamps and rivers, over mountains and rough grounds, which were passed with great difficulty and fatigue, they arrived safely at the places of their respective destination. They were so long on their journey, and so much time and pains were spent in passing the river, and in getting over their cattle, that after all their exertions, winter came upon them before they were prepared." By the 15th of November, Connecticut river was frozen over, and the snow was so deep, and the weather so tempestuous, that a considerable number of the cattle could not be brought across the river. The severity of the season was such, and so little time to prepare their huts and shelters for their cattle, that the suffering of man and beast were extreme. They had shipped their household furniture, and most of their provisions at Boston, but by reason of delays, and the tempestuousness of the season, were either cast away or did not arrive in season. About the beginning of December, provisions generally failed in the settlements on the river, and famine and death looked the inhabitants in the face. In their distress, some of them in this severe season attempted to go through the wilderness, to the nearest settlement in Massachusetts. A company of thirteen, who made the attempt, lost one of their number, who, in passing a river, fell through the ice and was drowned. The other twelve were ten days on their journey, and had they not received assistance from the Indians, would all have perished. Such was the general distress by the 3d and 4th of December, that a considerable part of the settlers were obliged to leave their habintations. Seventy persons, men, women and children, were obliged in the severity of winter, to go down to the mouth of the river to meet their provisions, as the only expedient to preserve their lives. Not meeting the vessels which they expected, they all went on board of the Rebecca, a vessel of about 60 tons. This vessel, two days before, was frozen in, twenty miles up the river; but by the falling of a small rain, and the influence of the tide, the ice became so broken, that she made a shift to get out. She however ran upon the bar, and the people were forced to unlade her to get her off. She was reladed, and in five days reached Boston. Had it not been for these providential circumstances, the people must have perished from famine. The people who remained and kept their stations on the river, suffered in an extreme degree. After all the help they were able to obtain, by hunting and from the Indians, they were obliged to subsist on acorns, malt and grains. The cattle, which could not be got over the river before winter, lived by browsing in the woods and meadows. They wintered as well, or better, than those that were brought over, and for which all the provision was made, and care taken, of which the settlers were capable. A great number of the cattle, however, perished. The Dorchester or Windsor people lost, in this species of property, about two hundred pounds sterling. Upon the breaking up of winter, and during the summer following, the settlers came in large companies, and the settlements at Windsor, Hartford and Wetherfield were firmly established. The original boundaries of the town of Windsor were very extensive, being about forty six miles in circumference, lying on both sides of Connecticut river. Within the limits of the town, there were ten distinct tribes or sovereignties. About the year 1670, it was estimated that there were in the town nineteen Indians to one Englishman. They had a large fort, a little north of the plat on which the first meeting house was erected; but, in the language of Ossian, "The chiefs of other times are departed. They have gone without their fame. Another race has arisen. The people are like the waves of the ocean; like the leaves of woody Morven, they pass away in the rustling blast, and other leaves lift their green heads on high." "For several years after the settlement of Windsor, the people were harassed with wars. Such was the fear which agitated the minds of the inhabitants, that they repaired to a fortress nights, and slept with their arms by their side, and used to go to labor in the fields in companies, prepared for battle. It was the common practice on the Lord's day to go to meeting armed. The following is a list of the names of the settlers of Windsor, which appear on the records of the town in 1640. Henry Wolcott, Esq. The Rev. John Wareham, the first minister at Windsor, died April 1st, 1670. He was about forty years minister in New England; 6 at Dorchester, and 34 at Windsor. He was distinguished for his piety, and the strictest morals; yet at times was subject to great gloominess and religious melancholy. Such were his doubts and fears, at some times, that when he administered the Lord's supper to his brethren, he did not participate with them, fearing that the seals of the covenant did not belong to him. It is said that he was the first minister in New England who used notes in preaching, yet he was applauded by his hearers, as one of the most animated and energetic preachers of his day. He was considered as one of the principal fathers and pillars of the church Connecticut. In 1639, the Rev. Ephraim Huit was installed as Teacher to the church at Windsor, over which Mr. Wareham was pastor. At this period, it was the opinion of the principal divines in New England, that in every church completely organized, there should be a pastor, teacher, ruling elder, and deacons. It was the general opinion, that the pastor's work consisted principally in exhortation; but the teacher's business was to teach, explain and defend the doctrines of Chrisitanity. Roger Wolcott Roger Wolcott, governor of Connecticut, was born in this town (Windsor), January 4th 1679. His parents lived in a part of the country which suffered much from the Indians, and in the town there was neither a schoolmaster nor minister, so that Mr. Wolcott was not a member of a common school for a single day in his life. When he was twelve years of age, he was bound as an apprentice to a mechanic. At the age of twenty one, when the laws permitted him to enjoy the fruits of his labors, he established himself on the east side of Connecticut river, in the same town in which he was born, where, by the blessing s of God upon his industry and frugality, he acquired what was considered as a plentiful fortune. He is an eminent proof of the power of talents and integrity, in a free country, in raising one to distinction, notwithstanding the disadvantages of education and of birth. He rose by degrees to the highest military and civil honors. In the expedition against Canada, in 1711, he was commissary of the Connecticut forces, and at the capture of Louisbourg, in 1745, he bore the commission of major general. He was successively a member of the assembly and of the council, judge of the county court, deputy governor, chief judge of the superior court, and from 1751 to 1754, governor. He died May 17th, 1767, in the eighty ninth year of his age. In all his exaltation above his neighbors, he exhibited no haughtiness od deportment, but was easy of access, free and affable, or ready wit and great humor. His literary attainments were such, that in conversation with the learned upon most subjects he secured respect. He was much attached to the peculiar doctrines of the gospel, and was for many years a member of a Christian church. From the year 1754, when his life was more retired, he devoted himself particularly to reading, meditation and prayer. He was very careful in searching into himself, that he might perceive his own character, and know whether he was rescued from that depravity, to which previously to the renewing agency of the divine Spirit the human mind is subjected, and whether he was interested in the salvation of the gospel. In his last moments he was supported by the hopes of the Christian, and he entered into his rest. He published poetical meditations, with a preface by Mr. Bulkley of Colchester, in 1725; and a letter to Mr. Hobart in 1761, entitled the new English Congregational churches are and always have been consociated churches, and their liberties greater and better founded in their platform, agreed upon at Cambridge in 1648, than in the agreement at Saybrook in 1708. A long poem, written by Governor Wolcott, entitled, A brief Account of the Agency of John Winthrop in the Court of Charles II in 1662, in procuring the Charter of Connecticut, is preserved in the Collections of the Historical Society. It describes with considerable minuteness the Pequot war. Oliver Ellsworth Oliver Ellsworth, LL.D., Chief Justice of the United States, was born 29th of April, 1745, and was graduated at New Jersey college in 1766. Devoting himself to the practice of law, he soon rose by the extraordinary energy of his mind and force of his eloquence, to distinguished eminence. In 1777 he was elected a delegate to the continental congress, and in 1784 appointed a judge of the superior court of Connecticut. He held a sear in the convention which formed the constitution of the United States, and was one of the most conspicuous and useful in that assembly, illustrious for learning, talents, and patriotism. On the organization of the federal government in 1789, he was elected a member of the senate, and continued in the office till he was appointed in 1796, chief judge of the supreme court of the United States. After discharging the duties of that station with great credit to his legal science, integrity, and eloquence, for near four years, he was appointed, towards the close of 1799, envoy extraordinary to France. The decline of his health disqualifying him for the duties of his office as judge, he resigned it toward the end of the year 1800. After his return to Connecticut, he was again elected into the council of that state, and appointed chief justice of the supreme court. He however declined the latter office, and soon after died, November 26th, 1807, greatly regretted, as in his life he had been admired for his extraordinary endowments, his accomplishments as an advocate, his integrity as a judge, his patriotism as a legislator and ambassador, and his exemplariness as a Christian.
Transcribed & Contributed by Marla S. |
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