A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume I, Part 53

Author: Lincoln, Allen B
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke publ. co.
Number of Pages: 930

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The children of the poor as well as the rich can avail themselves of the advantages of these schools as they are supported by taxation and most chil- dren are now within reach of a well equipped high school where, if desired, they can fit themselves for college without tuition fees.

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So, while we claim progress in the schools, we see that it has been in con- formity with changes in other conditions of life.

It was formerly thought that girls needed to learn only the common branches. They were not encouraged to seek a college course and to those who longed for it no college was open. The first class graduating from an exclusively woman's college (Vassar) was but fifty years old last summer. One mixed college (Oberlin), founded thirty years before Vassar, gave young women the privilege of taking with the young men the college course. Other colleges for women have been established since Vassar and all girls who have the means and inclination can take a complete college course and even a post- graduate course. The girls are improving these opportunities and the woman's colleges are overcrowded rather than lacking students.

T. K. PECK

By Thomas Hart Fuller

In the boyhood of Mr. T. K. Peck the district system was prevalent, each district being two to three miles in breadth and length with a schoolhouse nearly central. So all the children were within walking distance of the school. The income from the state school fund was apportioned among the towns of the state, and the towns apportioned their shares among their school districts. A law at that time required the towns to give to each small district $35, provided the district numbered as many as twelve children between the ages of four and sixteen, including, I believe, those ages. Those short of twelve I suppose received no public money. The cost of the schools above the public money was assessed upon the parents according to the number of children they respectively sent to school. Consequently those who had large families and so were least able to meet the expense had the burden of the cost, while the more wealthy ones without children had no share in the support of the schools.

Of course the small districts could pay teachers but small wages and so had either inexperienced teachers or those not over-well prepared. Sometimes older pupils desirous of a better education would go to a neighboring school that was fortunate in having more competent teaching, walking from home and back daily and paying tuition for the privilege. Or they would sometimes find a place in such district to do chores for their board. Later they would attend a fall "select school" or an academy.

The school "at the center" or in the village would have an experienced and competent teacher whose task was great, with no assistant and perhaps fifty, sixty or more pupils, ranging from a-b-c-darians to fairly well-advanced schol- ars. Under such conditions much of the teaching had to be more or less hur- ried and superficial, with the necessarily great number of classes or divisions.

In those days stress was laid upon the "three R's, Reading, 'Riting and . 'Rithmetic." In the small schools each half-day session was begun with a reading exercise and ended with a spelling exercise (except that the smallest children would have daily four reading exercises), the morning reading being in the New Testament. In that way the children acquired a familiarity with the Testament that I am afraid children now do not get.

In earlier times, schools were in session six days in the week; then came the custom of a half holiday (the afternoon) on Saturdays. That gave some of the children a long walk Saturday for a half-day's school, so that custom

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was shortly changed to having a full holiday every other Saturday. This custom prevailed during Mr. Peck's teaching days.

Mr. Peck was one of a family of six boys and one girl. Five of the boys had experience in teaching. Knowlton Peck, as we called him, was handi- capped by weak eyes occasioned, I believe, by a cold, in his youth that settled in them; he also suffered from a lameness of rheumatic trouble in one shoulder caused in a somewhat similar manner. The last few years of his life he was totally blind. His education beyond that afforded by the district school was obtained principally in reading and study by himself. He was fond of mathe- matics and carried his study therein to the higher branches. He was a thinker as well as a reader and industrious student. We of his neighborhood (he lived two long miles north by east of Hanover) had in him a wise helper and counselor. When about twenty-five he attended for a time the Connecticut State Normal School.

DAVID L. FULLER · By Dr. A. D. Ayer

David L. Fuller was one of the active men of Scotland before it was set off as a town. He was a native of Windham, but in early life his people went to Scotland parish, so called. As he grew up, he took much interest in the affairs of the parish and the town. After his marriage he opened a store near where he lived on the north side of the Main Road, just west of the Congre- gational Church. Later he added the making of clothing for men. At first he had tailors who cut out the pants, coats or vests from the cloth in the rear part of the store. As late as 1905, the long tailors' table, where the work was done, could be seen in the back part of the store. Here men were busily at work putting into packages a half-dozen pair of pants, vests or coats. These were taken to the. women of the vicinity who were paid so much per pair or per garment. Then teams would go around and collect them when made, taking store goods along to pay the women. These finished garments were sold to clothing dealers in the cities. In a short time clothing men, representing large firms in New York, Boston and Providence, sent garments all cut out, together with the linings, buttons and thread and buckles, etc., to be made into summer or winter clothes, according to the season of the year. Then Squire Fuller quit the cutting out.

His family were a remarkable one. One daughter, Jane Gay, was a serial writer for the New York Ledger. She wrote stories that were of the continued kind, which was one of the Ledger's features. A son Frank was a brilliant young man who was to be a lawyer. He was a chum of the Burrs of the Hart- ford Times, and the Burrs were quite often visitors at the Fullers, as was also Police Judge Monroe E. Merrill. If I remember right, Frank studied with Chauncey F. Cleveland and some Hartford lawyer and was to go to a law school, but he broke down and died at the forming period. He had every promise of success until disease took him from his labors, and then death came. Another of the squire's children married and left town.

When the people decided they wanted to be a town, none were greater workers for this cause than Squire Fuller. He lived to a good ripe old age, honored by all for his honesty, for his interests for the town. He was a very social and affable man. In politics he was a Jacksonian or Jefferson democrat.

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THE FULLER BOYS

A. B. L.

"The Fuller Boys," as they were affectionately referred to by the older residents of Scotland, "Hart and Luther," have added much to the credit of their native town by their honorable and efficient careers. The life and work of Thomas Hart Fuller is considered at length in connection with the Natchaug School of the Town of Windham. Luther Fuller left his home at Scotland when only sixteen to help his grandmother at Hanover, who was left a widow. There he attended the Thomas Knowlton Peck School, and took a particular interest in mastering the problems of analytical geometry. He was the only scholar in that class, and the master, with sixty pupils, could not find time for a class of one member, so he would hear Luther recite in the morning before the regular session began. By dint of extra study in higher mathematics and the languages, with his brother Hart's help, he thus was able to enter the class of '71 at Yale at the beginning of its junior year, an unusual thing to accomplish.

. Like Hart, he became a teacher, and for ten years taught in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Connecticut. He was principal of several different union schools. He has taken solid satisfaction in following the careers of some of his pupils. Two of them became associate editors of the Century Dictionary, one a meteorologist, having also been leading mathematician of his class at Yale; the other, a Smith College graduate, was one of the literary editors. In Seattle, Wash., are now living four other of his pupils, a physician, a dentist, a judge and his wife, all of whom attended the same school at the same time as the two mentioned above.

In later years both Hart and Luther retired from teaching and entered department work in the government service at Washington where they also conducted a very homelike boarding house for government clerks. Many of their earlier acquaintances have been entertained at their home while visiting the national capital, and have found the Fuller brothers very thoughtful and helpful to make the Washington visit most interesting and instructive. Nobody could "see Washington" to better advantage than under the suggestions and watchful care of the Fullers.

In recognition of the value of an education at Yale, these Fuller boys established there a fund, known as the Thomas H. and Luther Fuller Fund, and the income of which is perpetually devoted to the assistance of worthy students.

Thomas Hart Fuller, Yale '63, died at his home in Washington, D. C., June 8, 1919, at the age of seventy-nine, and was buried at Scotland. Luther Fuller, Yale '71, still maintains the home at Washington, and maintains a lively interest in Yale reunions, also then taking occasion to visit Scotland.

Concerning Byron Bingham and Henry Mead, Luther Fuller writes as follows: "Bingham entered Yale '63 in its sophomore year, a classmate of my brother Hart. Byron Bingham was an unusually promising young man of fine form and presence and a superior speaker. Scotland people expected great things of him with reason. He expected to study law. While he was in college he taught in Brooklyn, Conn., a fall Select School to help pay his college expenses. There was a revival in Brooklyn while he was there and he changed his plans and became a minister instead of a lawyer. While he was studying

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theology, he acted as tutor in college and was very popular. He was destined to shine in the ministry, but early he was afflicted with throat trouble which seriously handicapped him. He died comparatively young.

"Henry Mead, before his college days, was a Scotland boy and later was its minister until his death, which was very sudden. Both of these men were fine musicians. Mr. Mead was a very interesting talker. He entered Yale with the class of '65, and was graduated with '66. He was out of college a year, and then returned and started the College Book Store, earning enough to pay all his expenses. He was graduated from the Yale Divinity School in 1869."

Luther Fuller, in reply to the editor's questions, writes very interestingly of his own early experiences and gives permission to publish. He writes : "I went down to New Haven in the summer of '69, and took an examination for the Junior Class, or '71. I occupied Mead's room in Divinity Hall, which was one of the old brick row at the north end thereof; Mead had left New Haven, the divinity students having their graduation exercises earlier.

"Professor Hadley (father of Pres. Arthur T. Hadley) examined me in all the Greek for admission, Freshman and Sophomore. He came and sat down by me and stayed until he had got through it all. He would give me a little time to look over the selections but stuck right by me. The others would give me a selec- tion and then go away to somebody else.

"My father was Pearley B. Fuller. He was born and brought up in Hanover, which is over the line from Scotland in the Town of Lisbon, New London County. He married first Sarah L. Williams of Canterbury and married second our mother, Esther Palmer Smith of Canterbury. The first three children, Robert Bruce, Dwight and Thomas Hart, were born in Hanover. In 1843 the family moved to a farm in Scotland where the other three children, Sarah Esther, Emma Alice and Luther were born. Father's great-grandfather married in Ipswich, Mass., Ann Harris, the niece of Ben Franklin, and migrated to Hanover and settled in the wood where his descendants still live. Father was brought up under the preaching of Rev. Andrew Lee, Yale 1866, who preached in Hanover for sixty-four years.

"Mother got her name, 'Esther Palmer,' from Esther Cleveland, who married Rev. John Palmer, who was imprisoned for preaching the Separatist doctrine and was for fifty years the minister of the Brunswick Separatist Church in Scotland. I think he was the only minister it had. Palmer Walden has a volume of the minutes of its society meetings. The main business seemed to be disciplining its members. One man was called to account for swearing and wishing his wife in hell and he would not recant. Along about a year later I found where he had yielded to their discipline. The congregation came from miles around. The church had disappeared before my remembrance, but I remember the last relics of the building.

"Returning to the Reverend and his wife, they had a daughter Esther Palmer who was my mother's grandmother, she having married a Bingham, and their daughter married a Smith.

"The farm on which I was born and reared at one time was called the Brewster place. Mary Brewster, the fifth in descent from Elder Brewster of the Mayflower, lived there and married a Bingham who lived on the adjoining farm. Thus through my mother we are the ninth in descent from Elder Brewster."

Luther Fuller remembers "Old Darn Coat," of whom Dr. A. D. Ayer of

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Madison, a Scotland boy, has written in a separate chapter elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Fuller writes : "I remember 'Old Darn Coat' or 'Old Darn Man' as we called him. He wanted coffee that was very strong. He was at our house only a short time before he died, and my father and mother had a bad night with him. His name was Thompson, and it was said that he was disappointed in love."

MEN AND EVENTS IN LATER DAYS

Among the events of special interest in Scotland during the first half century of its existence as a separate town may be mentioned the establish- ment of the public library (see history in chapter on libraries), becoming a no-license town, inaugurating a local Grange, obtaining school consolidation, and securing a trunk-line state road.

There has been comparatively a small proportion of incoming "foreigners," probably one-tenth of the present population is of French-Canadian descent.

Among the more prominent citizens of the last half century who are now passed on may be mentioned the Rev. Henry B. Mead, William F. Palmer, Dwight H. Barstow, Samuel B. Sprague, John Anthony, Dwight Cary, Doctor Bromley, Sr., Rev. R. Gould Anthony, John Maine, William M. Burnham, Rufus T. Haskins, C. W. Kenyon, Waldo Bass, John Gager, Henry Greenslitt, Lewis Gager (father of Judge Gager), Deacon Dwight Allen, Oliver Chappell, Henry Cary, Dr. Ernest Kimball.

Among the active and influential citizens of today may be mentioned Rev. Martin Lovering, Gerald Waldo, Luther B. Ashley, Archie H. Gallup, James H. Johnson, F. B. Willoughby, L. J. Moffitt, Chas. M. Smith, William Anthony, Caleb Anthony, David P. Walden, C. Perry, George Orrak, J. L. Bass, George Cary, H. Chesbro, George C. Thomas, L. O. Haskins, Fred Gee, John Moffitt, J. L. Bass.

Special points of historic interest are the Samuel Huntington home, the old Devotion home and the Daniel Waldo home.

The life of the present-day community centers around the church, the school and the Grange.

SCOTLAND IN PUBLIC LIFE

In 1863 and in 1865, Calvin B. Bromley was chairman of the Windham County Medical Society.

In 1863 Calvin B. Bromley was state senator from Scotland, which was then a part of the old Thirteenth District. In 1872 James Burnett was state senator. William F. Palmer was a state senator in 1891 and 1892, when Scot- land was part of District Seventeen.

Following are the names of representatives, General Assembly of Connecti- cut, 1859 to date : 1859, Benjamin Hovey ; 1860, Daniel Tracy; 1861, David A. Allen ; 1862, David F. Smith ; 1863, John P. Gager; 1864, Simon Fuller; 1865. Lucius Burnham; 1866, William F. Palmer; 1867, Henry Ashley ; 1868, Dwight Carey ; 1869, Henry H. Carey ; 1870, Marcus Burnham; 1871, Amos S. Chap- man ; 1872, Lewis Gager; 1873, William G. Anthony: 1874, Waldo Bass; 1875. Marvin Barrett; 1876, Henry Lincoln ; 1877, Samuel B. Sprague; 1878, Jona- than W. Maine; 1879, Thomas H. Fuller; 1880, Charles L. Burnham; 1881. Anthony W. Parkhurst; 1882, M. Luther Barstow; 1883, Waterman C. Bass: 1884, Rufus T. Haskins; 1885, Chauncey M. Smith: 1886, Dennison E. Allen ;

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1887-88, Caleb Anthony; 1889-90, Jonathan Anthony; 1891-92, Arthur M. Clark; 1893-94, John D. Moffitt; 1895-96, Frank W. Bacon; 1897-98, William M. Burnham; 1899-1900, George S. Carey; 1901-02, Oliver S. Chappel; 1903- 04, David P. Walden; 1905-06, Charles H. Pendleton ; 1907-08, Frank E. Allen ; 1909-10, Archie H. Gallup; 1911-12, Erasmus D. Tracy; 1913-14, Clarence H. Perry ; 1915-16, Leander O. Haskins; 1917-18, Leon J. Moffitt; 1919-20, Everett E. Kimball.

In 1859 Thomas Gray was Judge of Probate for Scotland; after that time the judges of probate for the Town of Windham were also judges for Scotland.

From 1868-70 Jeptha Geer of Scotland was a commissioner of the Superior Court.

SCOTLAND PHYSICIANS

The following have been registered in Scotland as physicians, 1859 to date : 1859-1870, Calvin B. Bromley; 1871-80, Isaac B. Gallup; 1887-93, E. D. Kimball; 1892-93, J. C. Taylor; 1895, I. B. Gallup, eclectic; 1896-1907, D. L. Ross. There has been no resident physician since 1907.

DOCTOR AYER'S RECOLLECTIONS

Dr. A. D. Ayer, resident in Scotland as a boy, but for many years, as now, a practising physician in Madison, Conn., contributes the following sketches and anecdotes.

TOM BINGHAM'S CRADLES AND AXE-HELVES

One of the men who lived in Scotland and who had a reputation not con- fined to the borders of the town, was Thomas Bingham. People came many miles to get one of "Tom" Bingham's grain cradles, or one of his axe-helves. The cradle "hung just right," and would lay the swath . of grain so evenly that it could be raked and bound without waste. The axe-helves somehow fitted just right, where the hand grasped it, it did not cramp the hand or fingers, and would not slip out of the hand, as many other makes would. Then we boys and some of the men always liked to get some of "Uncle Tom's" "black ball," as everyone wore cowhide or kip boots-no rubbers then-and the black ball, melted in tallow and applied hot, would make the leather prac- tically water proof, and one could work or play in deep "slush" without get- ting the feet wet.

I well remember hearing one man from Lebanon say, "I heard Tom Bing- ham was sick and I was terrible 'fraid I would not get a cradle, so I come over to see about it." He got one and he said, "No money could buy it," and neither would he lend it, for fear it would get broken.

A RUGGED, FEARLESS PATRIOT

Another man worthy of note was John Bass. He was one of the first Abolitionists in the state and was the first one to advocate abolition in Scot- land. He was a great admirer of Horace Greeley. He got speakers to come to the town, to talk on Abolition, paying the bills himself. He disliked to see anyone imposed upon. One Fourth of July a certain man in town, when near the hotel shed, began to scream and dance. It transpired that some one had put a lighted package of firecrackers into his pantaloon's pocket, and they began to go off. Mr. Bass, who usually walked with a long walnut cane some-

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what like a whip stock, came near caning a certain young man, who was said to have been seen putting the crackers into the victim's pocket. He cornered the culprit under the hotel shed and he demanded of him, "Did you put those firecrackers into his pocket?" Before the young man could answer, some boys, who knew what the young man probably would get, pushed Mr. Bass and the culprit escaped. Then Mr. Bass went to the injured man and took him in his wagon to the doctor's, paying the bill himself.

One time Lucien Burleigh, a noted speaker, came to town to talk on Aboli- tion-Mr. Bass stood sponsor for him. Mr. Burleigh and Mr. Bass were so treated by the crowd in the church that Mr. Bass never got over it and never went to church again. He requested his sons never to take his body into the church and his request was observed.

During the Civil war Mr. Bass gave money and did much to help the cause. When Horace Greeley ran for President, Mr. Bass was an ardent Greeley and Brown advocate. One day he met a republican, who in the argument called Mr. Bass a "copperhead." Old as he was, he caused the man to make a hasty getaway. "Call me a copperhead," he exclaimed, "where were you during the war?" At the same time his walnut cane was freely used. Talk of a complaint for assault never materialized, however.

EARLY POTATOES AT $500 PER BUSHEL

Another man who was known in many towns was E. Benjamin Sharpe, who bought poultry, particularly turkeys, and he bought other things of the farmers; but he was known widely from a transaction which many said was a "fool business," when he brought to notice the early rose potato. He bought of Jonathan Hatch of South Windham all he had at the rate of $500 per bushel. This statement has sometimes been questioned, but careful inquiry shows clearly that some of those potatoes were sold, even a few at a time, at prices which make the $500 figure not far from correct. Mr. Sharpe proved he knew what he was about. My father had perhaps a dozen early rose that were mixed in with (I think) "Prince Alberts," a late, white, long potato, and good yielders. Sharpe tried to get the few we had, but my father would not sell. Sharpe planted all he bought of Hatch and had a big crop, which he then sold at a big price. Potato eyes were planted. Anyone who got hold of even a quart would cut them up and plant the eyes. Today the early rose is a favorite with many. Before that day, a red potato, round in shape and called the "Dover" was one of the earliest, but they would often rot, so that many were looking for an early potato that would yield well and keep well. So many stories were told of how much Sharpe made that no one knew what to believe. Undoubtedly he made for those days a good sum. He also ran a grist- mill and farmed it. He had two sons, Myron and Milo. He was a great story teller and it was said that he could play drunk to perfection, and one time a minister noted as a horse trader got taken in when he thought Sharpe was in booze, which in fact he never touched.

HE BEFRIENDED THE "BOYS IN BLUE"

Another man who made a record was Sidney L. Geer. He was a son of Jeptha Geer. He took up dentistry and located in Norwich. He became inter- ested in the culture of cranberries, bought a plot of land north of Norwich and started to raise them. He had made considerable money as a dentist ; was

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looked upon as one of the best in Norwich or elsewhere. He got part of the plot ready and in fact had got some part of the plot into plants that bore exceed- ingly large berries, when Norwich became aware that it needed a larger water supply and found that the most feasible place was where Doctor Geer's cran- berry plot was. After the usual delays they bought out Doctor Geer's plot and he was made water commissioner. Doctor Geer was a man of whom any town would be proud. He was generous to the poor and when he became fairly well-to-do, he did not forget or ignore his old friends who remained in humbler circumstances, especially when they were ill or unfortunate. He kept in close touch with everything pertaining to dentistry. I heard some of the "Boys in Blue" say that when they were going to the front, he did work for them but would not take pay if from Scotland.

ALECK, ORIGINAL SPELLER AND STRONG MAN

A peculiar character was a mulatto named "Aleck." He could not learn in school as others did, he could not spell any word in the usual way. But if told how to call a word by some queer expression, he would never forget it. For instance, he was told to call a woodpecker, "Redhead Chetty Croup." Rum he spelled by saying "devil." "W-qua-qua" to him spelled woodchuck ; "sky-unk," skunk; and when he was past age sixty, he would readily respond with these spellings when asked.

He was powerful physically, and a good worker. Once a man came along with a traveling show-a pair of horses drawing a big covered wagon which caged a bear, and also a big tent which the man would put up over the cage and then shout, "Come in and see the educated bear." By occasional punch- ing the bear would emit growls, and this greatly roused the curiosity of boys and also elders. After a time a number of us boys paid 5 cents each to go in, and we also paid Aleck's fare. It was evening and the tent was lighted by candles. Someone induced Aleck to hold a lighted candle up to the bear. Quicker than a flash the bear knocked the candle from Aleck's hand. Aleck did not wait to see where the exit was, but ran wildly against the canvas, tak- ing the whole tent down with him, pulling up the stakes and breaking guy- ropes; and when caught in the folds, he quickly tore it apart and got free. All the spectators were caught in the mess and the cage was nearly upset and there was something of a panic. The cage was exposed and many saw the bear for nothing.

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A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume I, Part 53

Author: Lincoln, Allen B Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke publ. co. Number of Pages: 930

Author: Lincoln, Allen B
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke publ. co.
Number of Pages: 930