USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Winchester > Annals and family records of Winchester, Conn.: with exercises of the centennial celebration, on the 16th and 17th days of August, 1871 > Part 15
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III. WILLIAM,
b. December 9th, 1786.
IV. MARY, b. December 15, 1788.
V. LYDIA, b. January 11, 1791.
VI. AMOS, b. July 24, 1793; d. at Hudson, Ohio, April 14, 1861. An obit- uary notice says, " He has contributed a large share towards the improvement of this township for the last fifty-two years. He was a man of the strictest honesty, and of unswerving integrity. He leaves a wife and eight children, besides a large circle of relatives and friends, to mourn his loss."
VII. ASAHEL, b. August 13, 1795.
VIII. REUBEN,
b. December 23, 1797.
IX. SAMUEL, b. April 9, 1800.
X. LUCY, b. March 17, 1802.
XI. PHILEMON, b. January 31, 1804.
XII. HIRAM, b. December 27, 1807.
JEDEDIAH COE is on the assessment list of this year. He owned land adjoining, or a part of, the Bragg farm, which he sold to John Nash in 1809, and then migrated to Burke, Caledonia county, Vermont, where some of his descendants now reside.
TIMOTHY COOK, from Windsor, owned a lot and built a house on Wal- len's hill, where he resided some years, after which it became the property of his father-in-law, Simeon Moore, of Windsor. In 1792, he bought a sixty-acre lot on Colebrook line, west of Green Woods turnpike, on which he afterwards resided. His wife's name was Hannah.
CAPT. JOSEPH ELMORE, a blacksmith from Danbury, owned and occu- pied the place afterwards owned by Silliman Hubbell, and now by Norris Coe's widow, on the Norfolk road, a third of a mile west of Winchester Centre. His will was proved in Norfolk Probate District, December 26, 1801. He had, by wife Lucy, a son, Joseph Benedict, born in Danbury, November 16, 1769.
DOCTOR JOSEPH B. ELMORE, son of the foregoing, owned a house and lot previously owned by Dan'l Grover, on the discontinued north and south road, west of Orrin Tuller's, which he sold in 1799 to John Beecher, soon after which he removed to Granville, Massachusetts.
ISAAC FILLEY, son of Abram and cousin of Remembrance, is on the list as a resident tax payer. Nothing further is known of him except the following town legislation, recorded on January 7, 1787 :
"Voted, that Isaac Filley shall mend and make good the gun he broke, belonging to James Hale, as good as when he received the gun."
He married, December 9, 1782, Elizabeth Curtis, of Winchester.
157
AND FAMILY RECORDS.
BENJAMIN JUDD'S name is on the list of this year, but his residence and history are unknown. His marriage to Dinah Filley, April 24, 1783, is recorded in the Church Records, and he is there described as of Dan- bury.
JOSEPH PLATT, from Danbury, uncle to Deacon Levi Platt, lived on a lot north of the Edward Rugg Farm. He was a clothier, and had a ful- ling mill on the brook, a little south of the Potter negro house. He sold out in 1787, and afterwards moved to Ohio.
SAMUEL SMITH owned and resided on land near Winchester Centre, and was assessed as a tavern keeper this year. It is not easy to locate his residence, or to ascertain how long he dwelt in the town. In 1795, he is described in a deed of land as of Litchfield.
BENAJAH SMITH, son of Samuel, is grantee in 1784, of the above- mentioned land of his father, which he conveyed in 1787, to Roswell Coe.
EPHRAIM SMITH, known as " Deaf Smith," is on the list of this year. In 1794, Chauncey Smith conveyed to him his homestead above the Everitt house, which he sold to Levi Brownson in 1796. He is described as of Kent in a Recognizance dated June 27, 1797.
JOSIAH WADE, of Litchfield, bought, November 11, 1783, a wedge lot in the second tier, first division. bordering on Torrington line, on which he afterward resided, and which he sold to Amasa Wade, April 23, 1786, when he probably left the town.
DANIEL WARD, from Middletown, owned a lot on Blue Street, on which he probably lived until 1789, when he bought and lived on land near the parting of the Norfolk road and the Brooks road. He had a rough tongue, which he kept in vigorous exercise, in wordy contests with his neighbor- in-law, Richard Coit, who was an able combatant in this species of war- fare. Squire Alvord's records show that he was somewhat addicted to profanity and breaches of the peace.
HOPKINS WEST, from Chatham, owned land near the Leonard Hurlbut place, and probably resided there until about 1785, when he is described, in his conveyance of the same land, as of New Cambridge district, Albany county, New York.
NATHANIEL WHITE, from Chatham, owned land east of the little pond, now a part of the farm, late of Wm. F. Hatch. Where he lived, or when he left the town, is not ascertained.
CHAPTER XIII.
CLOSE OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR-RESUMÉ.
The close of the revolutionary war is a fitting period for summing up the growth of our infant settlement since its incorporation as a town in 1771.
The population at that period, as given in the petition of April 4, 1771, was,
In the Society of Winchester, 28 families, embracing 179 souls.
In the township and ont of the Society, 4 " estimated at 26
Total, 32
205
The census of 1782, in the Comptroller's office, gives the population at that period as 683 whites and 5 blacks ; Total, 688.
The oldest complete Assessment List of the town now to be found, is that of 1783, which has the names of 109 resident male tax-payers in Winchester Society, and thirty-nine in Winsted ; making the total of the town 148.
We copy this assessment, as showing who were then the inhabitants of the town, - their relative condition as property owners, - the amount of improvements and accumulation of property.
WINCHESTER SOCIETY.
NAMES.
Amount of Taxable Property. £. s. d.
NAMES.
Amount of Taxable Property. £. s. d.
Daniel Andrus, 50: 5: 0
Wm. Benedict, 26: 5: 6
Abram Andrus,
31: 8: 6
Benoni Brownson,
39: 2: 6
David Alvord, 33:11: 6
Peter Blackman,. 40: 3: 0
Theophilus Andrus,
15: 0: 0
Joseph Bown,. 21: 0: 0
Abram Andrus, Jr., 26: 5:
Lemuel Basset, 6: 2: 6
Eliphaz Alvord, 68: 0: 0
Capt. Benedict,
81: 8: 6
Isaac Adkins, . 49 :11: 0
Timothy Benedict, Jr., . 48: 1: 6
Jonathan Blackman, 38:13: 9 Joel Beach,
44: 0: 0
Levi Brownson, 59:15: 9 Elijah Castle,.
22: 8: 0
Timothy Benedict, 49: 7: 6 Aaron Cook,. 51: 7: 6
Capt. (Ozias) Brownson,
98: 4: 0 Richard Coit, 3: 8: 3
159
FAMILY RECORDS.
NAMES.
Amount of Taxable Property. £. s. d.
NAMES.
Amount of Taxable Property.
Abner Coc, .. 30: 3: 0
Lent Mott,
32: 2: 6
Capt. (Peter) Corbin,. 56:16: 0
Gershom MeCune, Jr.,
56: 1: 0
John Church,
35: 1: 6
Adam Mott,.
22: 6: 6
Peter Corbin, Jr.,
21: 0: 0
Jolin Minor.
43:18: 3
Jedediah Coe,
21: 0: 0
Samuel MeCune,.
62: 2: 6
Jonathan Coe, 70:15: 0
Gershom McCune
49: 13: 6
Sam'l Clark,
30:14 :
Robert McCune,
94:19: 6
Robert Coc,.
52: 9: 9
Reuben Minor,.
34: 0: 6
Sam'l Castle,
21: 0:
Martin North, Jr
23:17: 6
Daniel Cone & David Ward,
78: 7: 3 Martin North,
49: 13 : 6
Wm. Chamberlin,. 25:15: 6
Levi Norton, .
40: 8: 6
Rozel Coe,
91:17: 6
Joseph Platt,
37: 6: 6
Wm. Castle,
32: 2: 0
Benjamin Preston,
4:16: 0
Timothy Cook,
22:16: 6
Ambrose Palmer, 51: 0: 0
Daniel Clark,. 29: 1: 1
33: 4: 6
Ebenzer Preston,. 34: 2: 0
John Dear & Salmon Hoskin,
50: 5: 0
Moses Roberts,
21: 0: 0
Eli Dolphin,.
37:14: 0
Samuel Roberts,.
33: 2: 0
Andrew Everit,
36:19: 0
Ephraim Smith
22: 0: 0
Hannah Everit, 14: 1: 6
Ephraim Smith (deaf),
19:13: 0
Joseph Elmer,.
42: 0: 0
Samuel Stanclift,.
0:12: 0
Josiah Everit,.
30:10: 0
Eleazer Smith,
32:19 : 6
Wm. Fay,:
24:10: 6
Lemuel Stannard
27: 3: 6
Rem'b. Filley,
1:18: 6
Abel Stannard,
28: 2: 0
Isane Filley,
27: 0:
Chauncey Smith,
25:13: 6
Abm. Filley,
79: 1: 6 Samuel Smith,.
14:15: 3
Joseph Frisbie, 51: 2: 0 Stephen Spencer,
37: 8:3
Daniel Grover, 23:19: 6
Thomas Spencer,
69 : 13 :
Phineas Griswold,.
William Stannard, 20:10: 6
Seth Griswold,.
51: 0: 0
Reuben Tucker,.
45:18: 0
Joseph Hoskins,
39: 7: 6
Elijah Thomson,
42 :
6
Stephen Hurlbut, 20:15: 0
John Videto,.
28:16: 6
Elijah Hubard,
23 : 15 :
Jonah Woodruff, 36:17: 6
Samuel Hurlbut,.
93:17 : 6
Nathan White,
38 :
: 6
Seth Hills,.
83 : 6 :
Daniel Walter,
23: 0: 0
Widow Mary Hills, 5: 7:
29 : 11 : 6
Samuel Wetmore, 61: 0: 9
Benjamin Judd, 17: 2:
Elisha Wileoxson,. 74: 7: 9
Seth Kellogg, 38: 2: 0 Abel Wetmore,. 47: 0: 0
Ichabod Loomis,. 66 :13 : 6 Amaey Wade,.
60:17: 9
Daniel Loomis,
34: 0: 6
Lewis Wilkinson
23: 7: 3
Widow Leach,
2: 9: 6
Jesse Wilkinson,.
27:18: 3
William Leach,
12:15: 0
Levi Wilkinson,. 24:12: 0
John Marshall,. 26: 8: 9
Hopkins West,. 46: 0: 0
Total Winchester Society,
£4242 14s. 10d.
-
Christopher Whiting 48 : : 9
James Hale,
47: 2: 0
Samuel Preston, . 59: 1: 0
Joseph Dodge,
£. s. d.
160
ANNALS OF WINCHESTER,
WINSTED SOCIETY.
NAMES.
Amount of Taxable Property. NAMES.
Taxable Property.
£. s. d.
£. s. d.
David Austin, Jr.,
35:18: 6
Eleazer Porter,
36:15: 3
David Austin,
45:13: 3
Enoch Palmer,
59: 5: 0
Elijah Andrews, 55: 5: 6
Benjamin Palmer,
23 :14 : '0
Nathan Balcam,
27: 0:
Samuel Stanclift,
18: 0: 0
Jonathan Balcam,
28: 0: 0
Elisha Spencer,
23:10: 0
John Balcam,.
43 :
9 John Sweet,.
23:18: 0
Samuel Clark 2d,
21 :13:
Josiah Smith, .
84:14: 6
Uzal Clark, 28:16: 0
Comfort Stanclif,
24: 0: 0
David Crisse, 73:18: 0
Simeon Rogers,
32: 4: 9
Silas Dunham,. 25 : 0:
Ebenezer Rowlee,.
46: 10: 0
Jesse Doolittle,
54:14: 0
Zebulon Thomson,
4: 2: 0
Abijah Fuller 21:19: 9
Henry Walter,
37:17: 0
Comfort Goff,
19: 8: 0
Freedom Wright,
42: 13: 3
Samuel Hayden,
46: 4: 3
John Wright, .. 21: 6: 0
Abel Hoskin,.
55:16: 0
Charles Wright, 34:13: 3
Stephen Knowlton, 28:19: 9
John Wright, Jr.,
45: 9: 6
David Mills,
76: 6 :
John Walter,
31: 1: 0
Phinehas Potter,
30:14: 0 Lemuel Walter,
28: 6: 6
Lazarus Palmer,.
21: 0: 0
David West,.
47: 2: 0
Reuben Palmer,
21: 0: 0
Total, Winsted Society,
£1425 12s. 9d.
This list was made up of the following items :
134 Polls from 21 to 70 years, at £18 : 0 :0. 40 do. " 16 to 21 " at £9 : 0 : 0. 122 Oxen, 4 years old or upwards, at £4 : 0 : 0.
271 Cows and Steers, 3 years old or upwards, at £3 : 0 : 0.
100 Steers and Heifers, 2 years old or upwards, at £2 : 0 : 0.
77 " 1 "
at £1 : 0 : 0.
120 Horses, 3 years old and upwards, at £3 : 0 : 0.
9 2
at £2 : 0:0.
7 1 " 66
at £1 : 0 : 0.
154 Swine, at £1 : 0 : 0. 28 Smokes or fire place, at £0 : 7 : 6. 92 do. do. at £0 : 3 :9.
586 Acres of Plow Lands, at £0 : 10 :0.
1027 " Meadow Lands, at £0 : 8 :0.
51 Bog Meadow Lands, at £0 : 5 : 0.
409 " Bush Pasture Lands, at £0 : 2 : 0.
12219 " Timber Land, at £0 : 0 : 6.
3 Silver Watches, at £3:0:0.
5 Taverners assessed at £15:0:0.
1 Store, at £25 : 0 : 0.
I Grist-Mill and Saw-Mill, at £24 : 5:0.
I Saw-Mill, at £8:15:0.
Amount of
161
AND FAMILY RECORDS.
+
2 do. at £4 :0:0.
I Physician, at .£10 : 0 : 0.
2 Shoemakers, at £5 : 0:0.
The number of dwellings is not specified on the list; the tax being levied on the " smokes " or fire-places. From an examination of the list, the number of dwellings may be estimated at from seventy to seventy- five ; and their quality is indicated by the low assessment of the smokes, which are rated at 7s. 6d., or 3s. Qd. each, while the rate for smokes in houses in good repair is 15s. each.
The cleared lands of all kinds, - bush pasture included, - amounted to 1015 acres ; being about one-twentieth of the territory, and less than eight and a half acres to each resident land-owner.
The quantity of land put in the list falls short of the whole territory of the town by more than six thousand acres. It is difficult to account for so large an omission, except on the ground that lands "on mountains, inaccessible to teams," were not considered as taxable, even at the rate of sixpence per acre.
We have quoted largely from year to year, the votes passed and the measures adopted to recruit the army, and aid the government with supplies for carrying on the war, as showing how much the success of that struggle depended on the legislation of the New England towns, and how zcalously it was sustained by the efforts of our infant settlement.
It is often said that the settlement of this and other neighboring towns was greatly accelerated by immigration of men of more prudence than courage or patriotism, who hoped in this remote region to escape from compulsory military service. If this is true, they found it a poor refuge for non-combatant-, for it would be difficult to find an able-bodied man of that period who had not seen hard service, either as a volunteer or detached militiaman. Our infant town had her representatives at Ticonderoga, Bunker Hill, Quebec, Long Island, Saratoga, and many other battle fields.
The following soldiers from this town went to Ticonderoga in 1775, in Captain Sedgwick's Company, Colonel Hinman's Regiment :-
Warham Gibbs, Lieut., Nathan Balcom, William Stannard,
Charles Wright, Jr., Hawkins Woodruff, Lemuel Walter,
Adam Mott.
John Derby, Noah Gleason, Jr.,
Ebenezer Shepard, David Goff, Abraham Wilkinson,
Stephen Arnold, Peleg Sweet, Elisha Smith,
Freedom Wright, Oliver Coe, Sen. .
Charles Wright and Ebenezer Shepard marched to the relief of Boston on the Lexington alarm.
21
162
ANNALS OF WINCHESTER,
Samuel Hurlbut, John Sweet, and Lemuel Stannard served in the 7th Regiment in 1775.
Daniel Hurlbut Cone and William Lucas served in Colonel Meigs' Regiment in 1775.
Benoni Brownson served in Captain Hooker's Company in 1775.
Stephen Knowlton served 5th company, 3d Regiment. Judah West, 8th 2d
Gideon Wilcoxson,* 10th 7th 66
Shubael Cook, 4th 8tlı
Ebenezer Rowley, 66 9th 66 8th 66
Nathan Blackman, Capt. Smith's
8th
David Beebe, 66 8th 66
Truman Gibbs, Major Weld's Company.
Benjamin Palmer,
Josiah Adkins, Captain Arnold's Company, Wooster's Regiment.
John Arnold, Captain Denny's Company, Hosford's Regiment, in 1776.
William Leach, Colonel Ducher's (4th) Regiment, in 1779.
Do. Captain Converse's Company, 7th Regiment, in 1780.
Lemuel Walter, Captain Alden's Company, Colonel Butler's Regiment, in 1780.
Samuel Roberts, Captain Alden's Company, Colonel Butler's Regt., in 1780.
John Balcom, Captain Alden's Company, Colonel Butler's Regiment, in 1780.
Daniel Walter, Colonel Swift's Regiment, in 1780.
Oliver Coe, Jr., Captain Porson's Company, Col. Butler's Regt., 1780. Samuel Mott, 66 66
Peter Corbin, Sherman's Company,
8th Regiment, 66
Daniel Wright, 66
66
Ebenezer Coe, 66
66
The following other men served in the continental army prior to 1780, as appears by a certificate of the selectmen :-
George Hudson, Stephen Hurlbut,
Gershom Fay,
Peabody Stannard, Levi Wilkinson, William Fay,
Jonathan Preston, Stephen Schiovil, Timothy Fay,
Prince Negro, Adam Mott, Seth Stannard,
John Fay,
Remembrance Filley, Jesse Wilkinson.
* He served in Captain Beebe's Company in 1776, and died while a prisoner of war in the Sugar House, New York.
163
AND FAMILY RECORDS.
Of these, Remembrance Filley, Gershom Fay, and William Fay, belonged to Captain Beebe's Litchfield Company.
Oliver Coe, Jr., and Wait Loomis, also served under General Harmer, in the Indian War in Ohio.
David Austin, Daniel Corbin, and William Leach belonged to Captain Medad Hills' Company, enlisted in 1776.
William Stannard served in Captain Morris's Company, Bradley's Regiment, in 1781.
Richard Coit served in the 6th Troop in 1781, and in various regi- ments during the war.
David Goff and his son, served in the Northern Army in 1776.
The names here given are found on such of the muster and pay-rolls and other documents as are preserved in the state archives, the series of which is very imperfect, and embraces only a limited portion of the military service performed. Searcely a vestige is found of the service of drafted militia, repeatedly called out from Litchfield County to Danbury. Horse Neck, Long Island, Peekskill, and other points on the North River, during the long, protracted struggle for the possession of the Highlands. Probably not an able-bodied man of the town failed of being called out more than once on this harrassing service.
The town records refer, in 1777, to " those who went out with Ensign Ozias Brownson last April, with Sergeant Timothy Benedict in August, and with Lieutenant Benedict ;" in 1778, "to Sergeant Free- dom Wright, and John Balcom, Jr., for doing a tour of duty last year in the Northern Army;" in 1780, " to those men who are or may be detailed with the army between the 1st day of June last and the 1st of January next." In 1781 it was voted to try to get Dolphin's son (a negro) " to count for Winchester," and " to make application to General Parsons, or some other general officer, to try to procure a pardon for Jonathan Preston, on account of his deserting the army," and " to raise a man to supply the place of George Hudson in the Continental Army." In 1782 it was voted "to hire the men now called for, for the guard at Horse Neek, and to fill the deficiencies in the Continental Army 'till December next."
Many other inhabitants, not named in any of the pay rolls or votes of the town referred to, are known to have been in the service.
John Church served in the Canada invasion under Arnold, and was in the battle at Saratoga.
Deacon Seth Hills served at Saratoga, and was present at Burgoyne's surrender.
Joseph Hoskin served as a trooper on Long Island, and was in the rear guard at the retreat from Brooklyn Heights.
164
ANNALS OF WINCHESTER,
Captain Moses Hatch enlisted at sixteen, and served through the war .*
A company of which John Hills was Captain, and Ozias Brownson Lieutenant, served at New York while General Putnam commanded in that department.
We have before us a " Muster Roll " of Captain John Hills' Company, for the year 1778, from which we copy the names, embracing all the sub- jects of military duty in the town at that period, though it is not sup- posed that all, or a major part of them, were on the special service at New York.
Captain John Hills, Lieutenant Benjamin Benedict, Ensign Ozias Brownson, Sergeant Elisha Wilcoxson,
Jonathan Coe,
“ Eliphaz Alvord,
66 Joseph Frisbee,
Corporal Samuel Hurlbut,
" Abel Wetmore,
Josiah Smith,
66 John Wright,
Fifer Belah Hills,
60 Levi Brownson,
Drummer Joseph Dodge,
Andrew Avret,
66 John Austin.
* The late Dr. T. S. Wetmore informed the compiler that on the passage of the Revolutionary Pension Law, Captain Hatch made application for a pension, which was rejected for want of documentary proofs of his service. He was theu advised by the Doctor to make another application, and to detail the events connected with his service, which might lead to his identification. It was drawn up by the Doctor, and among other incidents he related the occurrence of his capturing a Tory spy while on picket guard, and bringing him before his colonel, who instantly recognized the spy, and ordered him to be taken out and shot, remarking that the fellow had once betrayed him into the hands of the enemy, and tried his best to get him executed as a spy.
This application, with many others, remained undecided on the files of the War Department, until the Secretaryship of John C. Spencer, during President Tyler's administration, who determined to bring them to a final adjudication. While. examining Captain Hatch's application, the identical colonel called on him on business. Mr. Spencer read him the statement, and enquired whether he remem- bered the circumstance. He replied, "Yes, I remember it well, and the name of the captor of the scoundrel was Moses Hatch, as good a soldier as ever shouldered a musket." The pension was at once awarded.
165
AND FAMILY RECORDS.
PRIVATES :
Daniel Andrus,
Reuben Tucker,
Eli Andrus,
David Alvord,
Steven Arnold, Joel Beach,
John Walter,
Nathan Balcom,
James Stevenson,
Jonathan Balcom,
Richard Coit,
John Balcom, Jr.,
Thomas Spencer,
John Beach,
Amasa Wade,
Timothy Benedick,
Joel Roberts,
Azariah Bradley,
Timothy Fay,
. Aaron Cook,
Steven Hurlbut,
Hezekiahı Elmer,
Phineas Potter,
Remembrance Filley,
Preserved Crissee.
Daniel Grover,
Abraham Andrews, Jr.,
Zimri Hills,
John Austin, Jr.,
Chauncey Hills,
Samuel Mott,
Seth Kellogg,
Phineas Smith,
William Kies,
David Mills,
Ichabod Loomis,
Daniel Corbin,
Samuel McCune,
Simeon Hurlbut,
Gershom McCune, Jr.,
Samuel Roberts,
Reuben Miner,
Elijah Castel,
Samuel Preston,
Benjamin Palmer,
Joseph Plat,
Silas Filer,
Philip Priest,
Peter Corbin, Jr.,
William Fay,
Samuel Castel,
Phineas Griswold,
Moses Derbye,
Ambrose Palmer,
William Leach,
Reuben Sweet,
Isaac Filley,
Peleg Sweet,
John Spencer,
William Stannard,
Moses Roberts,
Reuben Palmer,
Jacob Palmer,
Lazarus Palmer,
Daniel Loomis,
Lemuel Stannard, Jr.,
Abner Coe,
Jesse Wilkinson,
John Church,
Reuben Wilkinson,
Palmer.
Lemuel Walter,
This list embraces but few of the names of those who served in the early part of the war, - while many of the names copied have either been can- celed or encircled with lines, to indicate that by active service or for some other cause they had become exempt.
166
ANNALS OF WINCHESTER,
It is proper to say that some of the persons whose names have been ex- tracted from the pay rolls, performed the services referred to before be- coming inhabitants of the town.
On a general survey of the town at this period, it appears that the first or old Society was mainly settled; and had nearly as large a population as it has at the present time. Then, as now, the southern portion had a denser population than the northern, or Danbury quarter.
The portion of Winsted on or near the old North Road, was in a good measure settled, and inhabitants were thinly scattered along the Spencer Street Road, from Colebrook line down to the northern outskirt of the Borough of Winsted, and along the Still River valley from the crossing of the North road to Still River Bridge ; - and a few families had located on the South Street road.
Deacon Austin had located himself and built his mill at the outlet of Long Lake, and a few other families had settled around him, but no set- tler had yet ventured down the hill into the savage and almost impene- trable valley now populated with more than three thousand inhabitants and active with a business exceeding that of any other village in the County.
-
CHAPTER XIV.
WINCHESTER SOCIETY CONTINUED.
1784 TO 1791.
IN annual town meeting of this year, in addition to routine business, it was voted "That swine be free commoners, with a good and suitable yoke."
The society records show the doings of thirteen meetings during the year, none of which were of special interest. Efforts were made to collect arrearages on old rate bills, and a large number of them were wiped out by excusing the delinquents from payment. Six choristers were appointed, the difficulties between Mr. Knapp and disaffected parishioners were ventilated, and Rev. Messrs. Sherman of Goshen, Mills of Torringford, and Robbins of Norfolk were named as an advisory council " in matters between Mr. Knapp and ye Society ; " Mr. Knapp's accounts were settled, and a three and three-quarter-penny tax was laid to pay up the arrearages found due him. A place for building a new meeting house had been established by the county court, which, not proving acceptable, a new location was agreed on (by a vote of 33 to 16), near the burying ground, and then a new locating committee was appointed, whose doings were accepted, but it does not appear what place was designated.
The new comers of the year 1784 were as follows :-
DAVID GAYLORD from Cambridge, Hartford County, had an interest in the two wedge lots adjoining Colebrook line, at the northwest corner of the town. In 1792, in his deed conveying away these lots, he is named of Bristol. There was said to have been a man of this name who kept a tavern in that region in early times.
SAMUEL HAWLEY from Salisbury, owned the farm in Danbury Quarter a little north of the burying ground, afterwards occupied by his son-in-law, John Benedict, and recently owned by William Price. He died on this farm, February 10, 1820, aged 74. He married July 30, 1782, Rebecca Taylor, who died March 9, 1820, aged 69.
168
ANNALS OF WINCHESTER,
DIDYMUS SHEPARD, named of Winchester, was tried before Justice Alvord, February 5, 1784, for " prophane swearing," and on his plea of guilty was fined 6s., and costs 2s. On April 26 following, he was again brought before Esquire Alvord, and tried for a like offence, on his plea of not guilty, whereupon he was acquitted, and ordered to be dismissed on paying the cost of prosecution, taxed at £1 0s. 6d., and to stand com- mitted until the costs were paid. As his name no where else appears, it is probable that he fled the town through fear of another acquittal !
PELEG SWEET, named of Torrington, July 10, 1784, and of Win- chester, August 24, 1785, owned and lived on the Harry Brooks Farm, Danbury Quarter, until 1807, when he moved to Ashtabula, Ohio. The house he occupied is believed to be the wing of the present residence of Mr. Brooks. He married November 20, 1777, Mary Wilkinson.
CHILDREN.
I. LORRAIN,
b. September 17, 1778; m. October 6, 1799,
Huldah Benedict, and had one ehild, Candace, b. April 22, 1800.
II. SUSANNA,
b. December 6, 1780.
III. ISAAC,
b. March 13, 1783.
IV. MARY,
b. March 11, 1785.
V. CLARISSA,
b. March 13, 1787 ; d. August 19, 1797.
VI. ARA (twin),
b. February 13, 1789.
VII. IRA (twin),
b. February 13, 1789.
VIII. LEWIS,
b. April 7, 1791.
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