A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume I, Part 8

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

USA > Connecticut > Windham County > A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume I > Part 8

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HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

baquasset to Boston on his back which he traded for a gallon of rum, but it is not related how much rum he carried in reaching home.

In 1635, Thomas Hooker and his party passed through the Wabbaquasset country on their way to settle Hartford, making use of the Indian trail known then as the Connecticut path and known later as the Great Road to Hartford. This passed through the north end of the "training field" at Woodstock Hill, now known as Woodstock Common.

It was not until 1686 that the white man entered the county as an actual settler.

The Town of Roxbury, Mass., bought the tract of land now known as Wood- stock of James Fitch, guardian of Owaneco, the drunken son of Uncas, who claimed by right of conquest much of the Nipmuck and Wabbaquasset country. "Nipmuck" means "fresh water." During the first year fifty lots were set off to the settlers and we find among them the names of James and Jabis Corbin, Henry Bowen, Eben Morris, William Lyon, John Chandler, Nathaniel John- son, Samuel May, Joseph Bugbee, John Marcy and John Holmes, whose de- scendants are living in town today.

In 1731 the County of Worcester was organized and no man had more influence in the county than Col. John Chandler of Woodstock, who was elected its first judge of probate. In 1749 Woodstock was transferred to the Plain- field probate district and in 1752 to Pomfret district. In 1831 the Woodstock district was constituted, Clarence H. Child being the present judge of probate (1920).

Woodstock has always stood strong on the side of right and sent the best of its young men to defend the flag all along the line from Lexington to York- town, and Capt. Hadlock Perrin of West Woodstock marched his company of eighty men to New London in the War of 1812. Other companies from Wood- stock were early on the march. The stirring events leading up to the Civil war found supporters both pro and con. Woodstock had elected in the person of Colonel Hopkins the first abolitionist representative in the state, and those who did not agree with Freemont and Freesoil were Copperheads and Wood- stock had some who strongly opposed the "Nigger war" as they delighted to call it. One fire eater made the remark that he would go South and make phosphate of soldiers' bones, but he went into his house and did not come out again for three weeks. Some of his neighbors stayed beside the road near his house waiting for him.

When the question of the town paying a bounty to all soldiers who en- listed from Woodstock came up in town meeting at North Woodstock, Pelig Child, a leading democrat, strongly opposed it and used language that the moderator considered out of order and ordered Sheriff Rawson to put him out. Rawson called for help and succeeded in carrying or pushing "Squire Pelig" out. However, his friends rallied to his support and just as quickly put him back into the room. At this point cooler heads succeeded in smoothing out the trouble. "Squire Pelig" owned one of the best farms in town and was one of the leading citizens of the town. It is remembered that he went to Wash- ington in 1855 and secured the establishment of the postoffices at Woodstock, North Woodstock and Woodstock Valley. At West Woodstock, when the sol- diers came home to vote, one Benjamin Vinton had more to say than some of the boys in blue considered proper, and they proceeded to chastise Mr. Vinton.

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

This action resulted in considerable disarrangement of his clothing and his shedding some blood for the Confederate cause. But the discussion of state rights ended with that memorable meeting of Grant and Lee at Appomattox. Some of our soldier boys who had so bravely defended the flag in the South (and at home) had fallen, some had died in Andersonville, Belle Isle and Libby, and many who lived to return home were broken in health.

Soon after the close of the Civil war there was organized in each of the three societies debating societies or Lyceums. At West Woodstock, through the efforts of the society, Lyceum Hall was built. The leading spirits in this society were Gilbert W. Phillips and Judson M. Lyon who was a school teacher in several districts in town. Both Mr. Phillips and Mr. Lyon became lawyers and located in Putnam. Stephen L. Potter, Oscar Fisher, Danforth Child and others, made a good team for the discussion of the questions of the day.

At Woodstock Hill the debating society was generally composed of the academy scholars or those who had just graduated. Judge Frank F. Russell, Lawyer Louis A. Chandler of New York, Louis R. Southworth, for many years shipping reporter of the New York World and Judge Mathewson of New Haven took their first lessons in "spellbinding" in the Academy Lyceum. For many years the valley Lyceum was one that attracted considerable interest in that locality. The early meetings were marshalled by the Kenyon brothers, Eli and Joseph, Alba Hiscox, Joseph Hollingworth, Capt. John Weeks and others. About 1880 the Lyceum was still keeping open door each winter. Senator James B. Putnam, now living in Putnam, Edward Allen, Frank White, Charles M. Perrin, Dr. A. S. Leonard, Sumner Cooper, William R. Barber and others were always ready to help settle the questions that Congress was trying to settle. No winter Lyceum was allowed to close until the old, old questions of capital punishment and woman suffrage had been "settled." Visitors were always present. Charles Snow, Southworth Chandler and others frequently drove over from the "Hill" to lend a hand in the contentions, and this help the valley Lyceum would be sure to return the next week. The writer still remembers several scraps between the two Lyceums, to see which could put up the better argument in favor or against some question. Col. Wm. Flynn, who was then a teacher at the valley, was a good debater.

No Lyceum was considered a good one unless it had its monthly papers, and it is remembered that Mrs. Emma (White) May and her sister Mary (White) May and Josie (Kenyon) Bartlett were very efficient editors of Gleaners and Records. The village Lyceum was always a help teaching the boys to think on their feet. The Lyceum at North Woodstock was always a good one and could not help being with such men as Uriel Lombard, Albert A. Paine, Ebenezer Bishop, Harris and Carlo May interested in its welfare. Mr. Lom- bard with a loud voice and earnest expression was always ready to talk on either side. Mr. Paine was a deep thinker while Mr. Bishop was a good student and had served many years on the school board.

The central and southern part of the town is a much better farming section than the northern and western portions. The northwestern part has been largely deserted within the last forty years. Perhaps no town in the county has a larger percentage of New England Yankees and some of our best home- steads are still in the hands of the descendants of the early settlers, but each year too many of the young people go to the cities.

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

"THE LAST OF THE WABBAQUASSETS"

By Oliver A. Hiscox

The early white settlers in what is now the northern part of Windham County found but few Indians. The scattered bands of the Red Man had years before in response to the demands of Uncas, the Indian chieftain, joined him at or near what is now Norwich. Here and there a few families remained, but the country was not overrun with Indians; although the few that were here were disposed at times to make trouble.

Soon after the close of the Revolutionary war, Woodstock set aside 100 acres of land at Hatchet Pond in the northwestern part of the town as an Indian reservation and there, in several small houses, gathered and scattered Indians of the town; and here the last of Woodstock's full-blooded Indians lived and died. The "September gale" tore off some of the roofs of their houses but they continued to live there until about 1850 when the land passed into the hands of Peleg Childs and the few that were living at that time moved to the vicinity of North Woodstock.

Hatchet Pond was always an attractive place for the Indian. A very large rock on the south shore is still known as the "Indian rock," the fields where they raised their corn are now covered with a forest growth. Their little grave yard is now almost covered with weeds and brush. Its few rough stones mark the resting place of the last of our Indians. A few cellar holes here and there are all that remain of their habitations, with the exception of a few old crab- apple trees now almost leafless and lifeless. The war-dance ring, which has re- fused to grass over, is about all that is left to tell the story.

It was here that the Wabbaquasset Indians last recognized that any of their own race had any authority over them. Their last chieftain lived and died here and in the dark hours of midnight they buried him with a bowl of soup, and his bow and arrows; then they carefully filled in the grave, and all hands helped roll a large stone on the grave. The Godell family who lived just southeast of the reservation were the only members of the "White trash" that were al- lowed to know the location of the Indian chief's grave, and when Lorenzo D. Godell died, the location of this grave passed from human knowledge. Per- haps Everett was right when he wrote:

"Ye shall not raise a marble bust Upon the spot where I repose, Ye shall not fawn before my dust, In hollow circumstance of woes, Nor sculptured clay with lying breath Insult the clay that moulds beneath."

Some of the Indian families were known by the English names of Hajjurd, Nedson, Dixson, Brown, Merrybee, while others were known only as Sam, Han- nah, etc. Much of the land in the Hatchet country was early burned over and made into pasture and owned in large lots by farmers in other portions of the town. Hundreds of sheep and cattle could be seen grazing on the hill- sides. It is remembered that the Merrybee family had a fine field of corn on the reservation that had got to be several inches high, when the cattle of Deacon Lyon broke through the fence and made a meal of the tender shoots. Merry-

IMPLEMENTS AND WEAPONS OF THE WABBAQUASSETS From the Collection of O. A. Hiscox.

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

bee, the Indian squaw, since she was the "man of the house," severely up- braided Deacon Lyon for the work of his steers. But Deacon Lyon assured her that there was no damage done, in fact, it was all the better for the corn as it would "make it grow stocky." The next Monday Merrybee went to the house of Deacon Lyon to do the weekly washing, and about 10 o'clock there was a hue and cry that the cows were in the deacon's corn. When they asked Merry- bee if she saw them in the field when she came, she said yes, but she knew that they would not hurt the corn as it would "make it grow stocky."

Nedson is remembered as a man of great strength. Many stories have been told of him. A favorite stunt of his was to pick up a barrel of cider and drink out of the bung hole, and there may be seen to this day beside the old orchard wall a large stone which he tipped up there, and he is said to have carried a barrel of cider home on his back from Mr. Godell's cider mill.

The chief industry at the reservation was basket making and there can be found in many Woodstock homes specimens of this handiwork. One and two bushel baskets were made of white oak splints while the smaller ones were made of black ash. These were for household use and of many sizes and pat- terns. One now very rarely found was the catch basket or hamper which was very large, holding sometimes as much as three bushels. This was not made with handles but had a cover and was used for storing clothing, etc. Others were work-baskets of all kinds and shapes, also dinner baskets. These were all painted and decorated with red, blue and black designs. For coloring the Indians used blood-root for the red and the juices of berries for the blue and black. A pointed stick was the "paint brush." These baskets are now sought after by antique hunters. The "birch broom" was another production. These baskets and brooms were sold to the country stores and were as good as cash to exchange for groceries and rum ;- for the white man's fire-water was con- sidered a necessity at the reservation.

THE SWEDES OF WOODSTOCK

In 1871, Dr. George Austin Bowen in partnership with Edward Smith of Brooklyn, N. Y., started to cultivate cranberries in a swamp near Woodstock Hill and as farm labor was scarce in Woodstock, Doctor Bowen went to Castle Garden, the immigration station in New York City to endeavor to secure some newly arriving foreigners to work in the cranberry bogs. Here he met a Charles Anderson, a Swede, who had just arrived and through an interpreter engaged him to come to Woodstock. Anderson was from the farming district of Jabre, Sweden and proved to be a good farm hand. His willingness and capacity to work made a good impression on Doctor Bowen and he arranged for Anderson to write to some of his neighbors in Sweden, telling them of the good opening in Woodstock for farm work. Several of them replied, that they would be glad to come and Doctor Bowen sent transportation to Sweden as did Henry C. Bowen, and the following men left Guttenburg, Sweden, May 9, 1872, for Woodstock arriving there early in June: Jonas M. Johnson, John Peterson, John Danielson, Charles Bloomstrum, John Johnson and wife, Charles Johnson with wife and child, Solomon Johnson with wife and three children, and several others.

Doctor Bowen met the party in New York and brought them to Woodstock. The married men were given quarters on Doctor Bowen's farm and the others were boarded at the farm of William Lester. These men had to work four

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

months to pay back the cost of their passage from Sweden. At expiration of the four months, John Danielson and John Peterson went to Massachusetts, engaged in railroad work, later going to Muskegon, Mich., where they perma- nently settled on farms. Bloomstrum, who was a tailor by trade, went to Webster, Mass., and followed his trade. Most of them worked on a few months longer and eventually departed for other states. Of the original party only a few remained in Woodstock and of these was Solomon Johnson who married here and farmed in Woodstock till his death. He had several children who now live in Woodstock and Putnam.

Jonas M. Johnson, one of the original party, is still in Woodstock, he like many of the others sent to Sweden for his old sweetheart, married her in the house of Henry T. Child, for whom he was then working. Mr. Johnson is looked upon as the pioneer Swedish settler of Woodstock. He is a prosperous farmer and a highly regarded citizen. He has been a great friend to many of the "greenhorn" Swedes who followed him to Woodstock. He has a large family, and one of his sons, a native of Woodstock, has been on the Board of Selectmen continuously since 1913. Jonas Johnson is the only surviving mem- ber of the first Swedes to settle in Woodstock.

In 1873 a party of twenty-three Swedes arrived in Woodstock. In this party came many of the sweethearts of the men who came in 1871. They mar- ried and their children are now prosperous farmers and land owners of Wood- stock.

Swedes continued to come direct from Sweden to Woodstock at intervals from 1871 to date.

John Peterson and Gustave Danielson were the first Swedes to buy land in that part of Woodstock now known as New Sweden. They were greenhorns, worked as farm hands, and saved their money, etc., and bought abandoned farms in the western part of town and prospered. Soon other Swedes followed suit and now practically all the land in that section is owned by Swedes. This land is now as productive as any section of Woodstock, here are found clean, neat homes of happy contented people. The farms and buildings are well kept and the dairy business of this section is one of the chief industries where only a short twenty odd years ago the land was abandoned by the native stock as worn out and not fit to work, and many of the buildings run down and were vacant, some for many years.

The Swedish settlers of Woodstock, those that came to make a new home in Woodstock, set to work with a firm resolution to make not only a new home for themselves, but to make of themselves good American citizens. How well they have succeeded is borne out by the facts that some of the most comfortable, happy, and contented homes in Woodstock are on the farms of the Swedes. It is a very rare sight to see a Swedish farm that has gone to brush and weeds, etc.

In the political and civic life of Woodstock the Swedes have been well rep- resented. Some of them or their children have served on the Board of Select- men, etc.

In religious matters the Swedes have made as much progress as they have in farming. The first few settlers attended services at the old Congregational Church on Woodstock Hill, but not having a thorough understanding of English this was not satisfactory and when a theological student, a native a Sweden, who was attending a Theological College in Massachusetts came traveling through

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

Woodstock, he went up with Jonas Johnson, who at that time was employed by Henry T. Child, and gathered a few of his countrymen together and, with the permission of Mr. Child, the first Swedish religious services in Woodstock were held in his home.

Later in 1881, through efforts of John Johnson and Jonas M. Johnson the services of Rev. George Wiberg, a Swedish Congregational minister, of Green- wich, R. I., were secured at irregular times and services were held at home of Jonas M. Johnson. Later services were held by Reverend Wiberg in Swedish once a month in the Congregational Church on Woodstock Hill.

Jonas M. Johnson has been the big chief of the Swedes. He has been their chief advisor for many years. No better class of immigrants ever came to Woodstock and the cry from every part of Woodstock is, send us more Swedes, they have always been willing and glad to do anything they could do for the moral uplift of the town, they are true patriotic Americans, some of the bright- est scholars in our schools and in fact; some of our best teachers in our schools are daughters of the Swedish immigrant.

A JOURNEY THROUGH WOODSTOCK WITH NOTES ALONG THE WAY

By Oliver A. Hiscox

Early on a September morning in the '80s I left the hill town of Union, traveled over the hills of Woodstock to Putnam, and these are some of the things I saw and heard.

I drove out from the pine forests of Union and the first thing in Wood- stock that attracted my attention was the Lyman Sessions house and mills, it was easy to see that this had been the center of considerable activity, it had been the life-long home of Lyman Sessions. Here he had sawmill, gristmill, carried on a general lumber business; kept a country store; engaged in the shoe manufacturing business. He was a son of Col. Abijah Sessions of Union, Revolutionary soldier and a cousin of Darius Sessions who was connected with the burning of "The Gaspee" an English ship in Providence harbor. His daughter Marcia married C. H. Stone; her daughter May married Edward L. Chamberlain.

Nearby is the site of Lowdin Arnold's silver-smith shop. Silver spoons may still be found in Woodstock which he made more than a hundred years ago. David Hiscox had a brick yard near Arnold's shop. The bricks for the house in West Woodstock, known as the Andrew Martin house, were made there in 1822.

I passed on over the old Boston and Hartford turnpike to Green's Tavern on the west side of Black Pond. This was a noted hostelry during stage coach days, and still known as Green's Tavern for miles around, Caleb Green now living here and carrying on the large farm connected with the early hotel. His father had run the hotel before his day, buying it from Daniel L. Healy, who came to Woodstock from Dudley, Mass., about 1820.

Turning south I passed the venerable old chestnut tree that for a hundred years has been a land mark along the way. I next passed the schoolhouse, only about twenty feet square; it was one of the red schoolhouses of town, but now had received a coat of brown paint. Next I came to a large two-story house that has sheltered at least three generations of the Dewing family, Ebenezer

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

being the last of the line to live there. His son Hiram achieved wonderful success as a broker in New York City, leaving at his death a fortune of several million dollars. The Dewing farm is now owned by Sumner Cooper who came to Woodstock from Windsor. He has been engaged in the lumber business since coming to town. Next I came to the house of Joab Guilds. His son John was a well-known Baptist clergyman. Next is the old Tiffany homestead, for years owned by David Tiffany and his son Schuyler.

Jonathan Bugbee was an early settler on the farm south of the Tiffany home- stead. This place was acquired by David Keyes who built the house now stand- ing. Hiscox mills just south owned by Alba Hiscox since 1836. Mr. Hiscox ran the sawmill, shingle mill, and gristmill for over fifty years. These mills occupy the site of Woodstock's earliest attempt to utilize the iron ore deposit of the town. A furnace was in operation here as early as 1760. Mr. Hiscox was also interested with his brother, William P. Hiscox, in the manufacture of shoes, making heavy brogans called "stoggys" which were shipped south for the slave trade. Joseph Hallock runs the tannery just below the gristmill, this is the tannery built by G. and Z. Wight.

A. H. Bancroft who came from Windsor is postmaster and store keeper at Woodstock Valley. Waldo Phillips, who amassed a snug fortune in the grain business in New York, occupies the next place. Dr. A. S. Leonard occupies the house on the opposite corner and is a successful country physician. His father, the venerable Moses G. Leonard of New York, for many years a congressman from that city, has never lost his interest in Woodstock. The Leonard family have lived in and around Woodstock for several generations. George N. Lyon occupies the Capt. Darius Barlow farm, and I notice he has a long string of bright Devon oxen and steers which he is training for the Woodstock Fair and they never fail to wear home the blue ribbon. Mr. Lyon is son of Oliver and grandson of Wareham. Wareham was a soldier at New London in 1812. He was a quaint character and the boys liked to kid him on his army experience. Once some of them asked him if he ever shot anybody and he said he did not know, but he aimed his gun, shut his eyes and fired and supposed he shot a man. The Lyon family were among the earliest settlers in this part of the town, building saw and grist mills near Black Pond. The dam at the outlet of the pond was built by slaves of Ebenezer Lyon and is the only known specimen of Woodstock slave labor existing. George Lyon's early home was at the next house.

Stephen B. Skinner lives on the hill just west of West Woodstock Village. He is selectman and a prominent man in the community. He is a Civil war veteran. His farm is a portion of the land granted to the Rev. Stephen Wil- liams, first pastor of the Congregational Church on its organization in 1747. The parsonage, built in 1747, stood just south of the house now occupied by G. Clinton Williams. The parsonage had a projection in front after the style of the Dutch houses. Mr. Williams is the last of the line to occupy the minis- terial place. Stephen B. Skinner's sister, Mrs. Z. N. Allen, lives in the house across the street from him. This was the home of Maj. Pitt Williams. The house east of Mrs. Allen's is where Naomi Perry lives who weaves carpets for all the country around. The Dutch house, known as the Coe house, was the home of Lucy and Deborah Coe. It was originally a store and was moved to its present location from a site east of the hotel.

The house occupied by Rev. P. S. Butler was the home of John Chandler. Vol. 1-5

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

the tanner, his tannery was located just west of the house. One of his children was drowned in one of the tan vats 125 years ago. Aldis Perrin lived here- during his long life and was the village painter. The place on the opposite corner now occupied by Robert Sherman was the home of Commodore Morris, who won his title in the War of 1812. It was also the home of Col. Augustus Williams, for many years postmaster and store keeper in West Woodstock. The other corner of the cross roads was the home of Ebenezer Stoddard, who was representative in Congress several years and lieutenant-governor of the state. Governor Stoddard built a pretentious house which was for many years run as a hotel by his daughter Marietta Sumner and is now known as the "Clark House."

The schoolhouse and church stand on land given to the society by Joshua Chandler. The house just west of the schoolhouse was built by Nehemiah Underwood for his son, Rev. Alvin Underwood who was pastor of the church from 1801 to 1833. The present church was built in 1820, Mr. Underwod giving one year's salary to the building fund and $100 toward purchase of the bell. The church has the handsomest spire in Windham County. Just north of the church stood years ago the Kibby Tavern. Capt. Daniel Lyon was landlord at the time of the Revolutionary war, he led his company to Concord after the Lexington alarm. Abiel Fox is store keeper and postmaster. The Major Ellis house, the store and parsonage, were set well back from the street in hopes that the street would be straightened at that point, but it never has been done.

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A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume I, Part 8

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