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1800
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6.7. Jespeak
GENERAL HISTORY
- OF -
THE TOWN OF SHARON,
LITCHFIELD COUNTY, CONN.
FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT.
BY CHARLES F. SEDGWICK, A. M.
THIRD EDITION.
AMENIA, N. Y .: CHARLES WALSH, PRINTER AND PUBLISHER. 1898.
F184 .853542
CONTENTS.
CONTENTS 7- 9
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION 10-
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION 11- 12
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION 13- 14
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR. 15-
17-23
CHAPTER I.
Containing a Concise History of Events which Led to the Sale and Settlement of the Township.
CHAPTER II
An Account of the Measures Proposed and Ex- ecuted for the Sale and Settlement of the Town- ship.
CHAPTER III.
Incorporation of the Town-First Town Meeting- List of Officers Chosen-Settlement of Rev. Peter Pratt-First Meeting House-Alarming Sickness.
28- 35
CHAPTER IV 36- 41
Indians in Sharon.
CHAPTER V
42- 52
Ecclesiastical Affairs-Deposition of Mr. Pratt- His Subsequent Career-Litchfield County ; When Organized-Settlement of Mr. Searle-Ellsworth Society-Rev. Mr. Knibloe-Dismission of Mr. Searle.
24- 27
8
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
CHAPTER VI 53- 57 A History of the Moravian Missions in Sharon.
CHAPTER VII 58- 66 Rev. Cotton Mather Smith-Census-Church of England Missions-Organization of the Episcopal Parish-New Meeting House-Rev. George Whit- field.
CHAPTER VIII. 67-76 Events of the Revolutionary War.
CHAPTER IX 77-85
Incidental Events-Disastrous Fire in Sharon Val- ley-Small Pox-Casualties-Shay's Rebellion- Excise Duties.
CHAPTER X 86- 91 Methodist Society in Sharon.
CHAPTER XI.
92-103
History of the Ecclesiastical Society, Continued.
CHAPTER XII.
104-109
The War of the Rebellion.
CHAPTER XIII 110-163 Biographical Notices-Family Sketches, Geneal- ologies, Etc.
APPENDIX A 165-166 Form of Deeds Given by the Government's Com- mittee to the Purchasers of Rights to the Common Land in Sharon.
APPENDIX B. 167-170
Patent of the Town of Sharon.
APPENDIX C. 171-174
Rev. Cotton Mather Smith's Reply to Rev. Dr. Trumbull's Circular.
APPENDIX D. 175-176
Copy of the Deed by which the Indians Conveyed Away their Last Claim of Title to Lands in Sharon.
APPENDIX E. 177- List of Names of Soldiers of the Revolution, belonging to the Town of Sharon, who served in 1776, taken from the Controller's Books, in Hartford.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 9
APPENDIX F 178-181 Narrative of Adonijah Maxam.
APPENDIX G
182-183
Graduates of Yale College who have been Citizens of Sharon.
APPENDIX H.
184
Names of the Children of the Rev. Cotton Mather Smith, with the dates of their decease.
APPENDIX I
185-190
Roll of the Representatives from the Town of Sharon to the General Assembly.
APPENDIX J.
191-193
Town Officers.
APPENDIX K
194-
Hymn composed by the Hon. John Cotton Smith, and sung at the Celebration of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the First Town Meeting.
APPENDIX L. 195-198 History and Dedication of the Soldiers' Monument.
APPENDIX M
199-202
The Hotchkiss Library.
APPENDIX N.
203-204
The Catholic Church in Sharon.
* 2
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION.
THE Author of the following pages was requested by his fellow citizens of the town of Sharon to prepare an address to be delivered at the celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of their first town meeting, on the 22d day of December, 1839. This request was complied with, but the short period in which it was prepared rendered it, necessarily, in many respects imper- fect, and in some inaccurate. By the advice of many friends he has been induced to embody the facts connected with the History of the Town in the form here presented, and to commit the work to the press for the benefit of the inhabitants of his adopted town. The labor of making the researches has necessarily occu- pied much time, and no effort has been spared to make the work accurate in its details. In preparing sketches of the many citizens of the town who are brought to notice in the last chapter, the personal history of more than two hundred individuals, many of whom have been dead for a half century, has been investi- gated, and many names which had long since gone into forgetfulness are brought to light. It is not unlikely that in this part of the work some errors may have intervened, but it is believed that in almost every instance accuracy has been attained.
If the work shall prove interesting or useful to the citizens of the town, the labor incurred in its preparation will be well repaid. SHARON, March 1842,
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.
IT is now thirty-five years since the author published a His - tory of the Town of Sharon. He was appointed by his fellow townsmen to prepare an address to be delivered on the one hun- dredth anniversary of the first town meeting of the town. This led him to a partial but by no means thorough investigation of facts connected with the history of the town. Very little aid was obtained from public documents, other than the records of the town, and the principal reliance for items of history was upon the traditions handed down from the early settlers. Under these circumstances the work was committed to the press. The consequence was that in regard to the early history of the town, it was very defective, owing to the uncertainties of traditions and the barrenness of documentary proof. Since the book was published, the study into the history of local corporations has become very general, and the success which has in some cases attended such pursuits has encouraged the author to make more minute investigations into the facts relating to the early history of Sharon. In prosecuting this purpose he was greatly aided by the late Nathaniel Goodwin, Esq., of Hartford, who was an antiquarian of most scrupulous accuracy, and who delighted to extend his aid in the diffusion of historical knowledge. Many of the documents thus obtained have been copied into this work, that the men of those times may give in their own language a history of their trials and success.
12
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
When the first book was published some were living who were acquainted with some of the early settlers of the town, and whose recollections extended back to the preaching of Whitfield and to the exciting times preceding the war of the Revolution. Many others then survived who took an active part in that war. The late Alpheus Jewett, Esq., was one of the party which was organized in Sharon, which broke up and scattered a large body of tories who had gathered at Washing- ton Hollow, N. Y., in 1777, to welcome the coming of the British General, Burgoyne, then on his way with a large army from Canada. He was also in the battle at Compo in Fair- field, where Lieut. Samuel Elmer, Jun., was killed, and fur- nished the particulars of that battle as given in the body of this work. He had a remarkably retentive memory, and the aid which he furnished the author in gathering up the incidents in the history of the town is gratefully remembered. The same acknowledgment is due to the memory of the late Calvin Gay, Esq., from whom the author derived much aid in the prepara- tion of the notices of individuals noticed in the last chapter.
These worthies of the olden time have all gone to their rest, but their statement of historical events occurring during their time furnish the only authentic information of many incidents in the annals of the town.
It is only of late that the Author has been persuaded to prepare and publish this edition of the work. The strong in- terest expressed by the prominent citizens of Sharon for the embodiment of such additional facts as might be brought to light by further investigations into another edition of the work, has persuaded him to engage in the undertaking. If in any degree it answers the expectations of those who have urged the publication, he will feel much gratified.
CHARLES F. SEDGWICK.
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION.
THE HON. CHARLES F. SEDGWICK, A. M., from a large and valuable fund of information acquired through patient and pains- taking research, compiled a succinct and valuable historical work which was published as the History of Sharon. This first was delivered as an anniversary address and afterwards published in pamphlet form. Later the original matter, greatly amplified and added to, was given to the public in book form as the second edition, in 1877. Since that time the esteemed author has entered the life eternal. The second edition, published in 1877, has been completely exhausted for some years, and frequent demand hav- ing arisen for copies of a work so justly celebrated among local historical chronicles, the price of the very few copies available has risen to a large figure, and they are scarcely to be obtained at any price.
The Publisher of the History now issues a Third Edition, with the consent and by authorization of the family of the author. The work has been preserved in its integrity, the only matter added being brief resumes in regard to the Soldiers' Monument, the Hotchkiss Library and the Catholic Church, which have become notable features of Sharon, and worthy of mention in its history, and have come into being since Gen. Sedgwick's death. These will be found at the close of the book as Appendix L., Appendix M. and Appendix N., respectively. The records of the ecclesias- tical and civil organizations of the town have been brought down
14
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
to date to be complete at this time. The Publisher has wished to add also a little of illustration to the book, notably the portrait of the distinguished author as a frontispiece.
It is a wise and proper thing for every community to preserve and cherish the traditions and facts of its early annals, and every year makes the possession of such an interesting and well-written local history as this more valuable.
THE PUBLISHER.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR.
CHARLES FREDERICK SEDGWICK, son of John Andrews Sedgwick, was born at Cornwall Hollow, Conn., September 1, 1795. He belonged to a family distinguished both in this country and in England. His grandfather, General John Sedgwick, was Major in the Revolutionary army, and a Major-general of the State Militia, and was a direct descendant of the Puritan, Robert Sedgwick, who was one of Cromwell's most able Generals, and was the founder of the family in America, settling in Charles- town, Mass., about 1636.
Mr. Sedgwick graduated from Williams College in 1813, and studied law with Judge Cyrus Swan of Sharon, where he con- tinued in the practice of his profession. He held the office of State's Attorney for Litchfield County for eighteen years, and served in both branches of the Legislature of the State. He always took a great interest in military affairs, and for many years was Major general of the State Militia.
Mr. Sedgwick married Betsy, eldest daughter of Judge Swan, in 1821. He died in Sharon, March 9th, 1882. He had ten children, and the youngest son, Cyrus Swan Sedgwick, still resides in the old family home.
SHARON STREET .- THE ELMS AND GREEN.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
CHAPTER I.
CONTAINING A CONCISE HISTORY OF EVENTS WHICH LED TO THE SALE AND SETTLEMENT OF THE TOWNSHIP.
THE North-western part of Connecticut was sold and settled at a much later period than any other portion of the state. \s early as the year 1686, nearly all the lands in the Colony had been disposed of, except those lying north of Waterbury and Wood- bury, and west of Simsbury. Under the Charter of Charles Il., obtained in 1662, the Colony of Connecticut, though nominally dependent on the crown, enjoyed, in fact, a strictly Republican form of government ; the only service they were required to render to the crown of England being the one fifth part of the produce of such mines of gold and silver as should be discovered. Charles was succeeded by his brother, James II., a prince of very arbitrary and vindictive propensities, and no sooner was he firm ly seated on his throne, than he began to manifest his tyrannical disposition by causing the charters, which had been granted by his predecessors, to be vacated, and by assuming to himself the right of appointing governors for the different Colonies. It was feared by the people, that these Royal governors would seize upon all the public lands which had not been sold and granted by the Colony, and measures were taken to prevent such unjustiti- able proceedings. It was believed, that if the public lands were sold, and the title to them guaranteed by the governor and com- pany of the Colony, they could not be seized for the king, and under this impression, the land within the limits just mentioned
18
IHISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
were on the 26th day of Jannary, 1686, conveyed to the towns of Hartford and Windsor. The grant, however, did not include the lands west of the Ousatonie River, the assembly probably supposing, that, on account of their great distance from the settled parts of the Colony, they were beyond the reach of the royal governor's rapacity. In October, after the grant just men- tioned, Sir Elmund Andross came into the Colony, and by virtue of a commission from King James, took upon himself the ad- ministration of the government, and continued in it about two years, or until the deposition of King James, when the people quietly resumed their ancient form of government under the Charter.
The lands above mentioned being deemed of little value, and the more fertile parts of the State being but thinly populated, it was more than thirty years before any attempts were made to settle them. About the year 1722, the public attention was turned to the western lands, as they were called ; and as they began to rise in valne, the towns of Hartford and Windsor laid claim to them, under the ancient grant which had been made to them under the circumstances which have been mentioned. This claim created a strong excitement throughout the Colony, and a long and bitter controversy ensned, which resulted in a division of the lands between the towns and the Colony, the towns taking the eastern portion and the Colony the western.
This contention with Hartford and Windsor had retarded the sale of the western lands, but that difficulty was now adjusted, and the Assembly took measures, soon after 1730, to effect this object ; and for this purpose they were surveyed, and laid out into townships of suitable dimensions. At the session in May, 1732, Edmund Lewis, Esq., Capt. Stephen Noble, and Mr. William Gaylord,* were appointed a committee to view the Colony lands west of the Ousatonie River, and to lay out a township in the
. Mr. Lewis, who was placed at the head of this committee, belonged to Stratford, and was the County Surveyor of Fairfield County. He had been employed through the whole of the preceding year in surveying and running the boundary line between the colony of Connecticut and the province of New York, which was a work of very great labor. He had also been employed, years before, in laying out country grants in the sonth part of the territory, and of course was well acquainted with all this region of country, then in a state of nature. Mr. Noble was the second son of Mr. John Noble of New Milford, who is reputed the first settler of that town. Mr. Gaylord was also one of the first settlers of New Milford, and was originally from Windsor. He was the patriarch of the Gaylord family which settled in the northwest part of that town, called Gaylord's farms, or straights, in which the Gaylord name still prevails.
19
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
northern section of them. They were also endowed with disere tionary power to lay out a township on the south of the one just mentioned, if, upon viewing the lands, they should be of opinion that they were of such a quality as to render them a de- sirable place for a new settlement. This committee entered promptly upon their duties ; and by their report, dated at New Milford, October 9, 1732, it appears they laid out both townships. The north township, now Salisbury, they denominated "the township of M." and the south township they called N. S. The remainder of the country lands west of the Ousatonie River were afterwards annexed to Kent. The boundaries of the second township are thus described by the committee : "Then having taken a view of the whole tract, we proceeded and laid out a sec- ond township, which begins at the southwest corner of the aforesaid township of M, it being a stake set in the ground, and many stones laid to it, standing on the east side of a pond, as above set forth ; and from thence the line runs 12} D. W., with the line of partition between said province of New York and the Colony of Connecticut, nine miles to a heap of stones laid on a rock, in the aforesaid line of partition, and is about two miles east from Captain Sackett's dwelling house, which is the southwest corner bounds of said second township-from thence we run the south line of said second township E. 9} D. south four miles and a half and 115 rods, to the Ousatonic River, where we marked a white oak tree, and laid many stones to it, for the southeast corner bounds of said second township, and we have marked many trees and made many monuments in the said south line. Thus we have surveyed and laid out the town- ship of N. S., and it is bounded north on the township of M., south on the country lands, west on the aforesaid line of par- tition between the province of New York and the Colony of Connecticut, and east on the Ousatonic River." The above work was completed October 7, 1732 .*
* The opinion of the committee as to the quality of the lands west of the Onsatonie River is here given in their own language. and it will be read with much interest by those who are acquainted with its present con- dition and value. "Furthermore these may certify the Hon., the General Assembly, that as to the quality of the aforesaid described and laid out lands, in the said townships, we find them like a great part of the rest of the lands in this government, some good and some otherwise ; we find the good and fertile lands in the north township to be considerably scattering, and that there are country grants laid out in it to the quantity of about 3 500 acres. There are six ponds in said north township, which we judge, all of them, contain not less than 2,000 acres .- There is at the northwest
20
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
It would seem that the way was now prepared for the sale and settlement of the township, but the Hartford and Windsor lands being nearer the settled portions of the Colony, probably afford- ed a more desirable field for the enterprize of new settlers, and the Colony lands were neglected. Other circumstances also ex- isted which produced a serious delay in bringing the lands in Sharon into market. The line of partition between the Colony of Connecticut and the Province of New York, was defined and established in May, 1731. The commissioners to settle the boundaries between the different jurisdiction on the part of Con- necticut, were Samuel Eells, Roger Wolcott and Edmund Lewis ; on the part of New York, Cadwalader Colden, Vincent Matthews and Jacobus Bruyn, Jun., and the articles of settlement are dated Dover, May 14, 1731.
Several years before the settlement of the boundaries, one Richard Sackett had located himself at the place now called the Steel Works, in the beautiful Valley of the Ten Mile River, about seven miles south of the now village of Sharon. The whole re- gion was a wilderness, and it being in the time of Queen Anne's war, he was exposed to imminent peril from hostile savages. He acquired large possessions of land and his settlement is spoken of in cotemporary documents and records as Sackett's Farm. He had been a sea captain in early life, and in connection with wealthy individuals in the city of New York he commenced at an early day to purchase the Indian title to the lands near hin. The colony line not having been established, he probably availed himself of his knowledge of astronomy acquired in the
corner of said township, on Poconnuck Mount, a large piece of rough waste land, we think not less than 4,000 acres. The remainder of the lands in said township will, in our judgment, be serviceable for plowing, mowing, and pasturing and will, with the inhabitants there, and the farms, accommodate a sufficient number of inhabitants for a town.
"In the second township we find two ponds, which may contain 500 acres. There is laid out in it, of country grants, 400 acres, and a con- siderable quantity of rough land, yet we find such a quantity of feasible lands in it (and not so much scattering as in the first township), as will, in our judgment, accommodate a sufficient number of inhabitants for a town.
"The remainder of the country lands there is about eight miles in length, and at the south end, we judge, about three-fourths of a mile wide ; which we find, the greatest part of it, to be very rough and mountainous ; yet we find some feasible land in it-which is all at present supposed to be needful by your Honors' most obedient servants to command.
EDMUND LEWIS, - Committee,
STEPHEN NOBLE,
WM. GAYLORD,
New Milford, October 9, 1732,
21
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
study of navigation, and made experiments and observations, based upon a treaty of partition made in 1683, but which had never been carried out by actual survey, and persuaded himself that the boundary line, when surveyed, would run within about two miles of the Ousatonic River. In this belief, he purchased of Metoron, the great Chief of all the Indian tribes in that region, whose residence was probably at Copake Flats, N. Y., about twenty-two thousand acres of land, more than seven thousand acres of which the survey of the boundary line showed to be in Connecticut. The boundaries were definitely traced in the treaty of purchase but in general terms they were as follows :
The east line commenced at a place which the Indians called Wimpeting, at the western base of a range of mountains, about seven miles south of Sharon Village and from that point it followed the western base of the mountain range, northerly, to a point in Salisbury, a little east of Town Hill, so called. From that point the line ran northwesterly to the base of the mountain north of the Ore Hill, which in the Indian deed is called Pon- sumpsie, thence southwesterly to the foot of the mountain west of Spencer's Corner, then following that range southerly through the Wassaic valley, to Sackett's other possessions. Looking at this territory in all its characteristics and resources, we can hardly conceive of any other which exceeds it in rural beauty or sources of wealth.
He, believing that the whole tract was within the territory of New York, obtained a confirmation of his title from the Pro- vincial Government and from Queen Anne's Most Excellent Majesty. He exercised acts of ownership in different parts of the territory. He built a dwelling house in what is now called Sharon Valley, which stood west of the Ten Mile River, a little west of the Malleable Iron Works, and just within the territory of Connecticut. There he settled a tenant of the name of Baltus Lott, a Dutchman. There can be no doubt that the house oc- cupied by this individual was the first house built by a white man in Sharon, and that he was the first white inhabitant of the town. Sackett also made other improvements in various portions of the lands claimed by him. But the running of the bound- ary line in 1731 showed him that a large and valuable portion of them were within the jurisdiction of Connecticut, and that so much of them would be lost to him unless he could obtain a con- firmation of his title from that colony.
22
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
He immediately commenced petitioning the General Court of Connecticut for the recognition of his title, and prosecuted his suit for nearly seven years. He urged, from time to time, his claims to the land for the reasons, that he had expended large sums of money in the purchase of it, in the full belief that it was in New York ; that he had braved many dangers during a long residence in the wilderness, encountered perils and priva- tions of various kinds, had built a grist mill for the benefit of the neighboring inhabitants ; and in various other ways urged a confirmation of his title. His petitions were uniformly rejected by the legislature, and he, after several years' of effort, satisfied that a further prosecution would be useless, abandoned it forever. But his tenant Baltus Lott held on to his possessions for sev- eral years after the town was settled, despite the many efforts of the proprietors to dislodge him and finally compelled them to pay him a liberal price for his improvements.
The Colony of Connecticut ever made it a practice to deal justly by the Indian claimants before they attempted to dispose of its lands by settlements. Treating Sackett's purchase as a nullity, the governor and company employed Thomas Lamb, who lived at Lime Rock, in Salisbury, to buy up the Indian title to the lands in Sharon, and in October, 1738, he effected a pur- chase from the tribe claiming title to them, for about four hundred and fifty dollars. The indefiniteness and uncertainty of this contract with Lamb, as to how much, if any, land was re- served to the Indians, afterwards as will be seen, caused no little trouble to the settlers
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