USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > A biographical history of the county of Litchfield, Connecticut: comprising biographical sketches of distinguished natives and residents of the county; together with complete lists of the judges of the county court, justices of the quorum, county commissioners, judges of probate, sheriffs, senators, &c. from the organization of the county to the present time > Part 9
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But the portraiture of Governor Smith's character will bein- complete, without giving greater prominence to the element of . the Christian gentleman. He was an eminent ornament of a class of which very few survive, commonly spoken of as gentlemen of the old school. This is commonly understood to designate a lofty tone of manners which belonged to a state of society now gone by, and the loss of which is as little to be regretted as the obsolete fashions of our grandsires' coats, 'The free and casy spirit of our age rejoices in its deliverance from the un- comfortable restraints of those punctilious times, and ridicules the antique forms of social and public life. But manners are shaped by principles. They are the expression of the senti -. ment, of the moral and spiritual character, of men ; and when these are debased, they will stamp their meanness on the man. ners also. Outward coarseness and vulgarity are a fruit and an index of moral debasement ; and the stately and beautiful forms of life are the fit embodiment of high and honorable feeling, though they may be the decorated sepulchre that hides
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the corruption of death. The loftier manners of past ages, grew out of their loftier principles. . The life of man was felt to be encompassed by a heavenly Light. Society was a di- vine structure, and office-bearers therein were the representa- tives and ministers of God. Hence a reverential spirit, and its outward expression, a respectful manner, grew out of the faith of men in the Invisible as symbolized in the visible, in the Eter- nal as symbolized in the temporal. In the father they saw set forth the everlasting fatherhood of God ; in the ruler, the ma- jesty of the great King. Admiration of the person, was a distinct thing altogether from reverence for the office-bearer : the individual properties of the stone, were not confounded with the powers given it by its place in the arch.
Governor Smith was trained from childhood to revere and obey ; life, in the forms in which it was developed around him, was full of sacredness, and thus the ground-work was laid of that gentlemanly character, that union of courtesy and suavi- ty with a princely bearing, for which he was so eminently distinguished .* Elevated above all around him by the official
honors which he had so nobly worn; possessed of an ample estate, which enabled him to live in the style of dignified sim- plicity suited to his station, and which was the fit decoration and instrument of his majestic character ; and standing among his townsmen, not as a novus homo, but as the scion of an hon- ored stock, that for more than a century had struck its roots deep in the soil, and thus invested with strong hereditary claims
* Says Mr. Andrews, ",His dwelling had a nobility about it, in harmony with the man. Its position was one of almost unequalled beauty, near the western base of that range of hills which separates much of the rugged county of Litchfield from the gentle slopes of Dutchess, and overlooking a landscape of considerable extent and great loveliness. And the old stone mansion itself, with its spacious and lofty piazza, its battlemented roof, its regal look -- it was a fit abode for one
· Whose soul was like a star, and dwelt apart.'
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on their affections, he entered upon the last great period of his life, a recognized guide and leader of men. And seldom are such gifts turned to nobler account. He was a fountain of purifying and ennobling influences. All loved and revered him; and well it is for men when they can find worthy objects to love and revere.
But we must come to the closing scenes of his life, His last appearance in public was in New Haven at the annual com- . mencement of Yale College, August, 1845. Yielding to the entreaties of his friends against his own convictions, he con- sented to preside at the meeting of the Alumni. The journey in the heat of summer, across the rough and rain-washed hills of his native county, was too much for his advanced years. A. night's severe illness followed-and when the morning came, he was too enfeebled for the task he had undertaken, But he had never known the pain of giving disappointment, and, rallying his strength, he passed with slow and trembling steps up the lofty hall-but how were all shocked at the death-like paleness of his countenance, so unlike its wonted freshness. Twice in that stifled atmosphere he fainted ; but even then we saw how painful it was for his energetic will to relinquish its purpose. Never before had he assumed a duty that crushed him: From that illness he never fully re- covered ; and after a few weeks of extreme bodily suffering, under which he manifested great patience and faith, on the 7th of December, 1845, the spirit of John Cotton Smith departed to its rest.
" That," says Andrews, " was the quenching of a great light. A Man was taken from us-a man for whom all may mourn, for the beauty and majesty of manhood shone forth in him. Noble aims, an unspotted life, a tender conscience, the sim- plicity and gentleness of childhood united with manly vigor, all were his."
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au waldgy upon Governor Smith was pronounced before- the Connecticut Historical Society, af its annual meeting in 1846, by the Rev. Wm: W. Andrews, of Kent, from which the foregoing sketch is mainly compiled.
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IRA ALLEN.
IRA ALLEN, (a younger brother of Ethan Allen,) was born in Cornwall, A. D. 1752, and in early life removed to the wilderness of Vermont (then called the New Hampshire Grants.) Though less known to the world than the brother alluded to, Ira acted a part equally honorable and useful, and shared much more largely in the civil and political honors of their adopted State. He was actively engaged in the celebrated controversy between Vermont and New York, and subsequent- ly in the American Revolution. In the latter, he rose to the rank of Colonel, and was distinguished for coolness, patience, and courage.
In 1780, the British Generals in America began to meditate the scheme of bringing Vermont into a union with Canada, by taking advantage of the disputes which had continued so long . and waxed so warm between the settlers and the New York Government. Knowing the bitter feelings thus engendered, and the delay and hesitancy with which Congress had treated her remonstrances and petitions, these officers supposed Ver- mont would be ready to accept tempting overtures from the British. This idea received encouragement from the fact, that Congress afforded but a slender defence to these frontiers, while the Governor of Canada could at any time send a force among the settlers sufficient to bear down all opposition. The first step was, to bring over some of the leaders. According- ly, on the 30th of March, 1780, Col. Beverly Robinson wrote to Ethan Allen, revealing the plan and suggesting negocia- tions. This letter did not reach Allen until July. He imme-
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diately sent back the messenger, and ... confidence laid the communication before Gov. Chittenden and a few other friends. That they might not be outdone in the allowable stratagems of war, they bethought themselves to turn to a profitable account this advance on the part of the enemy. Several prisoners from Vermont were then confined in Canada, and it was advised that the Governor should write to the commander in Canada, proposing a cartel for an exchange. A letter was accordingly written and despatched with a flag. Soon after, the British fleet were seen coming up the Lake. The alarm spread, and thousands of Green Mountain Boys rushed to arms. The commander on board the fleet sent, secretly, a letter to Gov. Chittenden with a flag, assenting to the proposal for the ex- change of prisoners, and offering a truce with Vermont until the cartel should be arranged. As this arrangement was not publicly known, the people were surprised to see the fleet re- treating down the Lake, and the military disbanded and going home. Ira Allen and Maj. Fay were appointed Commission- ers to meet others from Canada, and settle the terms of a car- tel. The season was so far advanced, however, that they were obstructed in their voyage across the Lake by the ice, and were obliged to return.
" In the month of May following," says Col. Stone, in his 'Life of Brant,' " the Governor and Council of Vermont commissioned Colonel Ira Allen to proceed to the Isle au Noix, to settle a cartel with the British in Canada, and, if possible, negociate an armistice in favor of Vermont. The arrange- ments for this negociation were conducted with the most pro- found secrecy, only eight persons being cognizant of the pro- ceedure. Colonel Allen, accompanied by one subaltern, two sergeants, and sixteen privates, departed on his mission on the first of May, and, having arrived at the Isle au Noix, entered at once upon his business -- negociating with Major Dundas, the commander of that post, only on the subject of an exchange
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of prisoners, but more privately with Captain Sherwood and George Smith, Esq., on the subject of an armistice. The stay of Allen at the island was protracted for a considerable time, and the conferences with the two commissioners, Sherwood and Smith, were frequent, but perfectly confidential -- Allen carefully avoiding to write anything, to guard against acci dents. After a negociation of seventeen days, the cartel was arranged, and an armistice verbally agreed upon, by virtue of which hostilities were to cease between the British forces and the people under the jurisdiction of Vermont, for a specified time. Notwithstanding the suspicions of the people were aroused, so adroit was their management that the Allens held communication with the enemy during the whole summer without detection. On more than one occasion, British Guards of several men came to the very precincts of Arlington, delivering and receiving packages in the twilight."
On neither side would it answer to confide the secret of the armistice to the subordinates and soldiers. They, of course, regarded the opposing armies as enemies in good faith -- a fact which in one instance, at least, placed the superior officers in an embarrassing predicament. An American sergeant having been killed by the British, in a skirmish, Gen. St. Leger sent a messenger to Gov. Chittenden, with the sergeant's clothes, and an explanatory letter, in which he expressed regret for his death. This letter by some means fell into the hands of the people, and a popular clamor was the consequence. Major Runnels confronted Ira Allen, and demanded to know why St. Leger was sorry for the death of the sergeant. The an- swer was evasive and unsatisfactory. The major repeated the · question, and Allen replied that he bad better go to St. Leger at the head of his regiment, and demand the reason for his sorrow in person. A sharp altercation ensued, which had the effect, for a short time, to divert the attention of the people from the letter itself.
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"This finesse on the part of these few leaders, had the desired effect to protect the settlers from the attacks of the British until the news of the capture of Cornwallis, soon after which, the enemy left the Lake.
Ira Allen was a member of the Convention which formed the Constitution of Vermont, and was chosen one of the com- missioners to negociate for the admission of the State into the federal union. He was also appointed the first Secretary of State, and was subsequently member of the Council, State Treasurer, and Surveyor General. Hnving risen to the rank of Major-General of the militia, in December, 1795, he pro- ceeded to Europe to purchase arms, as a private speculation, for for the supply of the State. In France he contracted for twenty thousand muskets and twenty-four brass cannon, with a part of which, on his return to New York, he was captured and carried to England, being charged with the purpose of supplying the Irish rebels with arms. This led to a litigation of eight years in the court of admiralty, but the result was final- ly in his favor.
He was the author of " The Natural and Civil History of Vermont"-a work of much merit, and esteemed as unques- tionable authority in regard to the part which that State acted the border warfare and in the revolutionary struggle.
The subject of this notice died in the city of Philadelphia, January 7, 1814, in the 67th year of his age.
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JONATHAN BRACE.
Another one in that group of worthies which Litchfield Coun. ty has produced-one valued in all the relations of life, and long entrusted with great public interests-was the subject of this sketch.
JONATHAN BRACE was born in Harwinton, Novem- ber 19, 1754. His father, after whom he was named, (and who had ten children, five sons and five daughters,) was one of the first settlers and a substantial farmer in that town. Jon- athan had such advantages as the schools of the village at that time afforded ; and being a good scholar and desirous of a lib- eral education, he was sent to Yale College. During his col- lege course, he appreciated the value of time, and was distin- guished by close application to his studies, and received the baccalaureate in 1779. Of this institution, at which he grad- . uated, and whose interests he ever afterwards cherished, he was subsequently elected one of the Corporation.
Mr. Brace made a public profession of religion at the age of twenty years, and designed to have chosen the Christian min- istry as his sphere of action and duty ; but the arrangements of Providence seeming to order otherwise, he commenced the study of the law, under the direction of Oliver Ellsworth, then of Hartford, and afterwards Chief Justice of the United States. Soon after his admission to the bar, he removed to Manchester, Vermont, and in the counties of Bennington and Rutland he obtained a very extensive and lucrative practice in his profes- sion. While there, he held for a considerable part of the time the office of State Attorney for the county of Bennington, and
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attended courts in the State of New York. He was also ap- pointed a Justice of the Peace for said county, and was elected by the freemen of the State a member of the Council of Cen- sors.
From Manchester, he removed to Glastenbury, Conn., where he had married, and where he had lived for a time be- fore going to Vermont. Here he was several times chosen by his fellow townsmen a Representative to the Legislature, and faithfully served them in that capacity in the years 1788, '91. '92, '93 and '94. In August of the latter year, he removed to Hartford, and there pursued his professional business with good success. There were at that period men of high attain- ments at the Hartford bar, but he was inferior to none of them: His bodily frame was large, manly, and commanding, his voice full and sonorous, his countenance indicative of honesty and benevolence, and his manner easy and popular. Add to this, an intimate acquaintance with the law, and the springs of hu- man conduct-the ability of seizing upon the main points in a case, and of reasoning logically on common sense principles, connected with so complete a control of his temper and spirit as never to be thrown off his guard or unduly excited by the remarks of his opponents-and you have an idea of what he then was before a jury, and as an effective lawyer. These qualities were duly appreciated, for he was chosen to the of- fices of State Attorney for the county of Hartford, Judge of the County Court for said county, and Judge of Probate for that District. In May, 1798, he was elected an Assistant ; in 1799, he was chosen a member of Congress, in the room of the Hon. Mr. Coit, deceased; in May 1800, he was re-elected to Congress, and attended the winter following. That session closed in May 1801, and was the last meeting of that body in Philadelphia. At its close, his health being impaired, he ten- dered his resignation, which was accepted. He was, however, again chosen an Assistant in May 1802, and afterwards an-
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nually until May 1819, when the State having adopted a new Constitution, he was chosen a Senator-that title being sub- stituted in place of Assistant, and that branch of the Legisla- ture being denominated the Senate which before had been styled the Council. He was again chosen a Senator in 1820, and attended the session that year in New Haven, and declined a further election. The office of Judge of the County Court he held twelve years, and the office of Judge of Probate fifteen years. He was likewise for a protracted period one of the Common Councilmen for the city of Hartford, subsequently one of the Aldermen, and subsequently still, Mayor, which of- fice he held nine years, and resigned the same on account of age. For more than thirty years he was annually appointed, in connection with the Rev. Dr. Perkins, of West Hartford, a Trustee of the Missionary Society of Connecticut, which office he held until the time of his death ; which occurred in Hart- ford August 26, 1837. The following notice of that event is extracted from the Connecticut Observer, of which the Rev. Horace Hooker of Hartford was the Editor.
DIED, in this, city on the 26th inst. HON: JONATHAN BRACE, aged 83.
Rarely has the grave closed over a member of our community, who was more widely esteemed, or more fondly loved. His worth, early appreciated, won for him the confidence of the public ;- and most of the offices of honor and trust which it was in their power to bestow, were conferred upon him. He was several times elected to the State Legislature ; and held successively the offices of State Attorney, Judge of the County Court, Judge of Probate, a Representative to Congress, and Mayor of the City. These responsible stations he ably filled, so ably, that he could say, what few can say, that he was ejected from no one of them. All of them . he voluntarily resigned. But while distinguished as a civilian, he was no less distinguished as a christian: Here he shone pre-eminent. Admitted to the church at the early age of twenty, his character was moulded under the purify- ing, elevating influences of divine truth, and the divine Spirit. Hence the production of a character, signally symmetrical and faultless. In his daily walk, he embodied Paul's idea of " the living epistle." He was " read of men," and the reading was profitable to them. His life exhibited the lovliness and energy of the gospel ;-- and his
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course fulfilled, he came to the grave "as a shock of corn cometh in its season."
He died, as such an one might be expected to die. Perfectly con- scious of his critical situation, he was composed and tranquil. The valley of the shadow of death was not dark to him. The star of Bethlehem shone in upon it, with a reviving light. " Having so often given myself away to the Saviour," he observed, "in the days of my health, it is easy for me to do it now, and there is rich consolation in the act. Precious Jesus, He is precious !'' In this delightful frame of mind- "the silver cord was loosed," and he entered, we cannot doubt, that celestial city, at whose gate he had been sitting so many years, breathing the fragrance, and listening to the music which was wafted from within.
We are melancholy at the passing of such men from us, We need their services. We need them to stimulate us to virtue, and win us to goodness. Above all, we need their prayers. These "avail much ;" and hence when their lips are sealed in death, the severity of the loss keenly affects us. May their mantles be caught by those who succeed them.
" Those suns have set, O, rise some other such !"
To the above sketch of his life and notice of his death a few remarks may be appropriately appended.
That he must have had some marked intellectual and moral features, is manifest, for nothing less, would have enabled him to hold so many offices, and hold them so long. He was in public life from 1782, till 1824, forty two years,-holding during all this period, one or more important offices. It is doubtful whether there was ever a native of our county, per- haps we might say of our state, who was honored in a greater variety of ways, -- who had committed to him more responsible trusta, and who in the discharge of the duties thereby imposed, was brought in contact with a larger number of his fellow men. He was not so honored because his political sentiments were concealed. Those were well known, and known to be in accordance with those of Ellsworth, Jay, Hamilton, Picker- ing and Ames. He was not so honored because he could be used by others as a tool, would move as he was moved. He was independent, marked out his own path, and walked in it. The question with him was, -- not what is popular, but what is
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right ; and so well was this understood, that no one would venture by any appeal to his self-interest, to cause him to swerve from the line of rectitude. The secret of his success lay in the fact, that men had confidence in him -- confidence in is talents and integrity ; -- confidence in him as an honest man ;__ a confidence in him as a lawyer, that he would be employed in no cause, touching which he had not a fair conviction of its justice ; and confidence in him as a statesman, that however he might vote, speak, or act, it would be as a tender, enlightened conscience dictated. Hence he was respected even, by the wicked, who " felt how awful goodness is," and received the patronage and support of those who were politically opposed to him.
Such a man must have been very useful in his day; per- haps more so, than if he had carried out his original intention of preaching the gospel ; for his influence which was invariably thrown on the side of righteousness, had additional weight from the fact that it was cast by a layman and civilian, and so not cast professionally. Uniformly kind, uniformly firm to his convictions of duty, and inflexibly opposed to iniquity in all its forms, he " served his generation faithfully by the will of God;" and while many a widow whose rights as Judge of Probate he vindicated, and many a fatherless one whom he protected, and many an unguarded youth whom he counselled and befriended, have had occasion to bless him, and have blessed him ; his native town and county, if true to themselves, must ever count him among those who are worthy of their esteem;
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BEZALEEL BEEBE.
BEZALEEL BEEBE was born in Litchfield on the 28th of April, 1741. He was a son of Ebenezer Beebe, who emi- grated from Fairfield county to Litchfield in the carly settle- ment of that town, and purchased a tract of land lying on the north side of Bantam Lake, which is still owned and occupied by his descendants. The mother of the subject of this notice, was Berthia Osborn, sister of the late Capt. John Osborn of Litchfield-both natives of Long Island.
In 1758, at the age of seventeen years, Bezaleel Beebe was enrolled as a soldier in the French and Indian war, and march- ed with Capt. Evarts' company to Fort St. George, where he was for some time stationed. He soon after enlisted into Ma- jor Rogers' celebrated corps of Rangers, an account of whose daring exploits was subsequently published in London by their heroic commander. While with Rogers, he participated in the sanguinary fight which resulted in the capture of Major (after- wards General) Putnam. At this time, Gen. Abercrombie commanded the Northern Army, but was soon after superce- ded by Lord Amherst. During much of the succeeding year, he was a soldier in Capt. Whiting's company, and was station- ed at Fort Miller. In 1760, he enlisted under Capt. Archi- bald McNiel, of Litchfield, and shared in the glory and perils of the reduction of Montreal. He continued with McNiel un- til the clase of the war in 1768, having in the meantime been appointed Sergeant.
His country having no longer need of his services in the field, young Beebe, now in his 22d year, returned home, and
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engaged in the labors of the farm. On the 11th of July, 1764; he was married to Elizabeth Marsh, daughter of John Marsh of Litchfield, and settled upon his paternal estate, hoping to spend the remainder of his days in the quiet enjoyment of do- mestic life. But his lot was cast in troublous times. Only a few years of peace had elapsed, before the spirit of revolution, too long smothered in the breasts of the people, burst into a flame throughout the colonies. At the April session of the General Assembly of Connecticut, 1775, a law was passed mustering into the public service one-fourth of all the militia of the colony-formed into companies of 100 men each, and into six regiments. He was commissioned as Lieutenant of one of these companies, and immediately joined his command. This entire force was sent to Boston soon after battle at Lexington: In July of the same year, the Legislature sent one hundred soldiers, with their officers, to man the fortresses on Lake Champlain, which had been recently captured from the British; Lieutenant Beebe, who accompanied this expedition, was sta- tioned at Crown Point, having been transferred to the Quar- ter Master General's department:
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