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 8
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It was a low, steep-roofed building, thirty feet long and twenty-four feet wide, with nine-feet posts, covered with wide rabbeted boards one
79
ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH.
inch thick. It stood on a side hill above the road, the rear resting on the ground, and the front supported by sections of Chestnut logs, three to four feet in diameter, lying diagonally under the corners. A huge chestnut butt, set up perpendicularly at the front door, with a series of steps cut crosswise of the timber, gave access to the ground floor. Oppo- site the door was the pulpit or rostrum, three to four feet high. The seats were rough planks or slabs with legs at the ends inserted in augur holes. Originally there was no floor overhead; but as more room was required to accommodate the worshippers, joists were inserted in the cross beams, and boards laid down loosely for a floor, except on a space of nine feet square, over the rostrum. This was the gallery. Access was gained to it by a plank ladder outside, at one of the ends of the building ascend- ing to a door in the gable. The interior was neither ceiled nor plas- tered. The space beneath the building was open on three sides, affording a shade and shelter for vagrant sheep, pigs, and calves.
In this primitive edifice our fathers worshipped summer and winter for seventeen years, with no warming apparatus but the foot stoves of the women, and the sound doctrine of the minister. Two choristers to lead the singing, and two readers to line the psalms were regularly appointed at each annual meeting.
Near this church edifice there appears to have been another religious building peculiar to New England in the last and early in the present century, called a Sabbath-day House, or, as spelled in the one of the two instances in which it occurs in our records, a "Saba-day House." It is first mentioned in a vote of temporary adjournment of a Society meeting in December, 1761, probably by reason of the extreme cold in the meet- ing house. The second mention of it is in the survey of the road form- ally laid out and established in 1772, along the line of the bridle path which had previously been the only means of access to the meeting house, in which two prominent land marks are "a birch tree near a saw-mill, then N. 13 E. to a Sabbath-day house." Such buildings were erected by individuals living distant from places of worship for the accommoda- tion of their families before and during the intervals of worship in the inclement weather of winter. They were generally long, low buildings of two apartments, with a fire place in each attached to one chimney. A supply of fuel was provided in the fall. Some member of the family or families owning those apartments went forward early on the Sunday morning and made up the fires, and the rest of the parties followed in such season as to thoroughly warm themselves before going into meeting. At the noon intermission, they returned to their rooms, warmed themselves, and such homely fare as they had brought with them, ate their dinners, discussed the morning sermon, and returned to the afterooon exercise ; at the close of which they again warmed themselves
80
ANNALS OF WINCHESTER.
at the fires, and returned to their distant homes with a far better appreci- ation of their Sabbath worship than could otherwise have been enjoyed .*
Such buildings, nearly unknown to the present generation, are well remembered by the aged people of New England. Probably some of them still exist in retired parishes. There were two or more of them in a dilapidated state near the Carmel Meeting House, eight miles north of New Haven, as late as 1820. There were one or more of them attached to the old Town Hill Meeting House in New Hartford until after the secession of the Northenders not far from 1830, in which the compiler was hospitably entertained in 1822, during the interval of worship on one of the coldest winter days of that year. The pleasant memory of the refreshing warmth of that snug little room, contrasted with the shiver- ing exercise of the unwarmed old barn-like house of worship and the freezing solemnities at the grave of a deceased classmate, on a still higher elevation, renders the old Sabaday House worthy of special notice as one of the by-gone institutions of New England.
. In the early part of this century, the Old Meeting House was removed by the owners of the land on which it stood, to the rear of the new store of Theron Bronson, Esq., at Winchester Center, where it stood in the last stage of dilapidation, having served for some fifty years as a barn, inntil Sunday, June 9th, 1867, when it was blown down in a violent thunder storm.
* Prior to the late centennial, a diversity of opinion was found to exist among the residents of "Old Winchester," in respect to the precise location of this meeting house. There was no one of them who had seen it before its removal to another loca- tion, and apparently not understanding of the requirements of the ancient records in reference to its location above quoted, and other records of a dwelling house once owned by Reuben Miner, and located on the east side of the road, " near the meeting house." This was the only dwelling ever erected in that vicinity. The location of the ancient saw-mill is ascertainable, and not many rods west of it, is the trace of an ancient sunken northerly and southerly road, along the center of which is a modern stone wall. On the east side of this road track, and in a north westerly direction from the saw-mill site, are the undoubted traces of the site of a dwelling house and garden, such as a continued growth of "live-for-ever," and traces of cellar walls, with frag- ments of ancient bricks, such as might have been used in constructing the oven. The stones in the wall immediately west of this location are more angular and square than in other places, and were probably taken from the old chimney stack and foundations of the house. The land on the west side of this old road, near this chimney place, slopes down from the west in the manner required by the traditions of a meeting house resting its rear sills on the ground, and raised to a level in front by the large logs under the corners, and the steps cut into a stump under the front door.
"The location adopted by the centennial committee, and on which they placed a stone monnment and flagstaff, is on the top of an eminence several rods west of where the . road must have run, and some forty rods northerly or northwesterly from the spot indicated by the record land marks. As a fancy location, it would be preferable to what is here claimed to be the true one: but authenticated facts do not warrant its selection.
CHAPTER VIII.
INCORPORATION AND ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWN.
AT the Society meeting on the first Monday of March, 1771, it was voted to petition the Assembly for a town corporation. The Petition prepared and sent in to the May session of that year is as follows :
To the Honorable General Assembly to be holden at Hartford on the sec- ond Tuesday of May next,
The memorial of Seth Hills and John Hills, inhabitants of the Eccle- siastical Society lately established in the Township of Winchester, and the rest of the inhabitants of said society humbly showeth ;
That your Honors, at your session at Hartford, in May, 1768, did make and establish a distinct Ecclesiastical Society in said Winchester, and were also graciously pleased to grant a tax of one penny half-penny upon the acre of all the lands within the limits of said society; as well to those of non-resident proprietors as others for the term of three years, toward the support of the Gospel ministry in said society (which term is now expired), and the moneys arisen by virtue of said tax have been duly expended for the purpose for which they were granted; by means whereof the lands lying within the limits of said society, and especially those near the center thereof, are much increased in price, and some almost or quite, doubled, which lands near the center chiefly belong to non-resident proprietors, who have received by far the greatest benefit in the rise of lands by means of said premises: yet so it is that all of the lands in said Township have been laid out for the sole use and benefit of the Proprietors, without appropriating any part thereof for the support of the Gospel, or schools, or any other pious or public uses whatever ; as has been usual and customary in many towns lying in the northwesterly part of this colony, which were formerly granted to the Proprietors of the towns of Hartford and Windsor, excepting only some little part re- served for highways, which is by no means sufficient to answer the pur- pose, even for necessary highways at present, but many more must in a short time be purchased at the expense of the inhabitants.
Your Memorialists would further beg leave to observe to your Honors,
11
82
ANNALS OF WINCHESTER.
that the number of families at present in the limits of said society amount to twenty-eight, and the number of souls to 179. and that there are but four at present who live within the limits of said Township, but which also live without the limits of said society ; and that the greatest part of your Memoriali-ts are under very low circumstances ; as they laid out a chief part of what they had towards purchasing their lands of the Proprietors at a much greater price than they otherwise would have given, upon a full expectation that they should be assisted by the non-resident Proprie- tors by way of general tax upon all the lands for the purpose of building a Meeting House, settling a minister, &c., as has been heretofore done in some of the new townships; and that your Memorialists have been at very great expense since their settlement in said township in the sup- porting of schools, building of mills and bridges, and in purchasing and making of highways, as well as in clearing and cultivating their lands, a very considerable part of which is rough, and the residue very heavy timbered : By means whereof, they are not able at present, (without some assistance) to build a Meeting House, settle a minister, support proper schools, &c., which they are very desirous of doing, that they might be enabled to attend upon institutions and ordinances of the Gos- pel themselves, but also to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, which cannot be otherwise obtained by reason of their distance from any other place of public worship.
Your Memorialists would further beg leave to inform your Honors that they are under many similar inconveniences and difficulties, by reason of not having town privileges among themselves.
Thereupon your Memorialists humbly pray your Honors to take their unhappy circumstances into your wise consideration, and to grant a tax (for such time and sum as to your Honors wisdom shall seem meet) upon all the lands lying within the limits of said Society, as well those belong- ing to the resident population as others, for the purpose, and to be im- proved in building a Meeting House, and settling a minister in said Society, or to be collected and laid out and improved according to the direction of your Honors ; and that your Honors would also make, incor- porate and establish the inhabitants living within the limits of said Town- ship of Winchester into one distinct and entire town, with all the powers and privileges that other towns by law have, and do enjoy, or under such particular limitations and restrictions as to your Honors may seem just and reasonable. And- your Memorialists as in duty bound shall ever pray, &c.
Dated at Winchester, this 4th day of April, 1771.
ADAM MOTT, JOSEPH HOSKIN,
LEMUEL STANNARD, JR.,
DAVID GOFF, REUBEN TUCKER, OLIVER COE,
83
INCORPORATION AND ORGANIZATION.
ABRAM FILLEY,
BERIAH HILLS,
ROBERT MACUNE,
BENONI HILLS,
JONATHAN ALVORD,
AARON COOK,
JOSIAH AVERIT,
BENJAMIN PALMER,
WARHAM GIBBS,
JESSE WILKINSON,
ELIPHAZ ALVORD,
JOEL BEACH.
In compliance with the prayer of this Memorial, the Assembly at the May 'Session, 1771, Resolved as follows :
"That a tax of two pence on the acre annually, for two years from the last day of May, 1771, be granted on all the lands in said Society ; - and that said Township of Winchester, with all the inhabitants thereof be, and they are hereby declared to be one distinct and entire town; with all the rights, powers and privileges, and subject to the same rules and orders, and to be under the same regulations as other towns in this colony have, enjoy, and are subject to."
Under this corporate act, the first Town Meeting was held, the Record of which is as follows :
At a Town Meeting of the Inhabitants of Winchester, lawfully assem- bled on Monday the 22d day of July, 1771.
Warham Gibbs chosen Moderator of sd. meeting.
Eliphaz Alvord chosen Town Clerk, and sworn.
Jonathan Alvord and Seth Hills, and Samuel Wetmore, Jr., chosen Townsmen.
Robert Mackune chosen Treasurer.
Warham Gibbs chosen Constable.
Abram Filley chosen Grand Jury Man.
Oliver Coe and Noah Gleason and David Goff chosen Surveyors of Highways.
Josiah Averit and Joseph Hoskin chosen Fence Viewers.
Beriah Hills and David Austin and Jonathan Coe chosen Listers.
Robert Mackune chosen Leather Sealer.
Adam Mott and Benoni Hills chosen Tything Men.
Voted, that David Austin's cow yard be a pound for the present.
Voted, that a Maple tree near the Meeting House shall be a sign-post. David Austin chosen Key-keeper.
Voted, that the Annual Town Meeting in this Town shall be on the first Monday of December at nine of the clock in the morning, at the Meeting House of said Town, and that the Selectmen shall set up a noti- fication on the Sigu-post twelve days before the said first Monday for sd. meeting.
Test, ELIPHAZ ALVORD, Town Clerk.
84
ANNALS OF WINCHESTER.
·
The settlements of the town thus organized were all embraced within the limits of the first, or " Old Society " of Winchester, with the exception of four families along the old north road, running across the extreme northeast corner of the town, a section which had little, if any community of interest with the original settlements. As set forth in the memorials of 1768 and 1771, the physical conformation of the township was such as to preclude free mutual intercourse between the two sections. South of the long lake, mountainous ridges extend to the borders of Torrington, the old south road entering the town from the southeast at a point westward of these ridges. The long lake thence extends northerly to a point near the center of the town, where it approaches within a quarter of a mile of the Little Pond which extends half a mile further north, at which point the mountain range on the west side of Mad River commences, and extends northerly to Colebrook. Prior to 1780 it is believed there was no road across this barrier. The communication through the town between the old north and old south roads was by a crooked and difficult bridle path across the Still River and Mad River valleys, thence winding. around between the two ponds and up the dugway to the highest eleva- tion of the town above the Deacon Alvord place, and thence to the center of Old Winchester.
The most feasible lands in the town were west of this barrier. The first settlers came largely from Torrington and Goshen, and settled along the borders of those towns, or along the old south road already described. None of them were rich, and most of them had scant means to purchase the small tracts of uncleared, heavy timbered lands they occupied.
In a former chapter we have alluded to the unshapely and inconve- nient lots set out to the smaller proprietors, the scant reservations of land for highways, and their unavailability to a great extent by reason of improper location, the want of reservations for the endowment of schools. and the reservations to their own resident clergymen instead of grants for the support of religious institutions of the impoverished and benighted settlers. Add to these drawbacks the withholding of their lands from sale by the larger proprietors, that their value might be enhanced by the improvement of lands of adjoining resident proprietors, and the exemp- tion of their lands from taxation in aid of the outlays for roads, bridges, ministers, churches, and schools. Considering all these hindrances, and adding to them the hardships and privations of pioneer life, it is not surpris- ing that at the twentieth anniversary of Caleb and Joel Beach's advent the number of resident families in the town were less than 180.
It is rather a wonder that any but outlaws should have resorted to a region so forlorn alike in its physical characteristics and proprietary management. None but the toughest of the puritan Anglo-Saxon race could have made headway against such impediments.
85
INCORPORATION AND ORGANIZATION.
Names of settlers not a few appear on the land records, who, after a short buffeting with hardships and discouragements retired from the forbidding field, and large numbers of others fled to the rich lands of Western New York as soon as they became accessible.
The names of those who participated in the organization of the town, as far as it is possible to ascertain them, and their prior residence, are as follows :---
JONATHAN ALVORD,
from Chatham.
ELIPHAZ ALVORD,
do.
DAVID AUSTIN,
Suffield.
JOSIAH AVERED,
Woodbury (Bethlem).
BENJAMIN BENEDICT,
66 Danbury.
JOHN BRADLEY,
Unknown.
OLIVER COE,
Torrington.
JONATHAN COE,
do.
AARON COOK,
do.
NATHANIEL DUTTON,
Woodbury.
ABRAM FILLEY,
Torrington.
NOAH GLEASON,
Unknown.
WARHAM GIBBS,
Litchfield.
DAVID GOFF,
Unknown.
THOMAS HOSMER, Junior,
Hartford.
SETH HILLS,
"
Torrington.
BERIAH HILLS,
66
do.
BENONI HILLS,
66
do.
JOSEPH HOSKIN,
do.
JOHN HILLS, (?)
do.
SIMEON LOOMIS,
66
do.
ROBERT MCEWEN,
Stratford.
ADAM MOTT,
Windsor.
EBENEZER PRESTON,
Wallingford.
ENOCH PALMER,
Farmington.
DANIEL PLATT, (?)
Danbury.
LEMUEL STANNARD,
Unknown.
REUBEN TUCKER,
Bolton.
SAMUEL WETMORE, Junior,
66 Middletown (Middlefield ).
JOHN WRIGHT, Junior,
Wethersfield.
JESSE WILKINSON,
New Miltord.
LEWIS WILKINSON,
do.
ADAM MOTT, Junior,
"
do.
This list comprises five more names than the number of families stated to be residents of the Society in the petition dated April 4, 1771, but it can hardly be doubted that all these, if not some four or five others, were inhabitants and voters on the 22d of July following. Some of them may have come in during the intervening time, or may not yet have become heads of families.
CHAPTER IX.
ORGANIZATION OF CHURCH AND SETTLEMENT OF FIRST PASTOR
* Immediately after the organization of the town, during the same year, the Congregational Church of Winchester was gathered. We copy the original minutes as follows :
" The Church of Christ in Winchester was gathered by the Rev. Messrs. Roberts of Torrington, and Robbins of Norfolk, October 30, A. D. 1771."
The Confession of Faith, which they assented to and adopted as their rule for admission of members, &c., is as follows, viz :
" You, and each of you do believe the articles of ye Christian faith as contained in ye Scriptures of ye old and new Testament, particularly.
" 1. You believe that there is one only living and true God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, ye great Creator, Preserver, and Governor of ye world.
"2. You believe that God did make man in His own image, consisting in knowledge, righteousness and holiness, but man, by his disobedience, has fallen from that holy and happy state, and plunged himself into a State of Sin and misery, and of which he is unable to recover himself, and in wh. he might have been justly left of God, to perish forever.
"3. You believe that God, out of his mere goodness, has opened a new way of life to a fallen, guilty, sinful world, by wh. the mediation of [his] own Son, Jesus Christ, who has offered up himself a sacrifice of atonement to God for ye sins of ye world, and that all are invited to put their trust in him and return to God through him, and that there is no salvation in any other way.
"4. You believe that mankind, in their present fallen State, are dead in Sins, and so contrary to God and averse to a reconciliation, that without the special influence of divine grace, they will never savingly hearken to and comply with ye gospel call ; so that ye Conversion and Salvation of Sinners is only owing to ye distinguishing sovereignty of God.
"5. You believe that altho. we are justified by faith, and saved by grace, yet the law, as a rule of life, remains in full force to believers ; so that perfect holiness of heart and life is their duty ; nor does the gospel of free grace in any sort Countenance or incourage them to live in ye least Sin.
87
ORGANIZATION OF CHURCH.
"6. You believe that all true saints shall persevere and finally be re- covered by ye grace of God, to perfect holiness and happiness - and be perfectly happy in ye enjoyment of the blessed God to all eternity, while the wicked and impenitent shall go away into everlasting punishment."
The above being publicly and unanimously owned and assented to by all those hereafter named, - they then, after solemn prayer, entered into a Covenant with God, and with one another, to walk in Christian fellow- ship and all the ordinances of the Gospel.
The form of the Covenant here follows :
" A COVENANT.
" You, and each of you, do now, in the presence of God, Angels and men, solemnly chuse and avouch the LORD JEHOVAH to be your God, taking JESUS CHRIST to be your only redeemer, and the HOLY SPIRIT to be your sanctifyer, - and do give up yourselves, souls and bodies, to be the Lords, with yours, -and you do Covenant & ingage faithfully to serve him in all the ways of his appointment, - seeking his glory as your last * You sincerely promise, by assistance of divine grace, that you will deny all ungodliness and every worldly lust, and live sober- ly in ye world, - and renouncing Sin, Satan and world, do bind your- selves to walk together in christian fellowship and Communion, in all the Ordinances of the Gospel, - and that you will watch over one another and your fellow-members in meekness and in love, -and submit yourselves to the discipline and government of Christ in this Church, in the admin- istration and services of it, - so far as you are therein directed by ye un- erring word of God."
The Covenant being exhibited, the following persons publicly owned and assented to it, and were thereupon declared to be a visable church of Jesus Christ, viz :
WIDOW MARY LOOMIS, WIDOW HANNAH AVERIT, DINAH, WIFE OF WM. FILLY, JOHN HILLS,
LENT MOTT, ABRAHAM FILLEY, ROBERT MACUNE, JOSEPH PRESTON,
SETH HILLS,
MARY PRESTON,
ADAM MOTT, ABIAH MOTT,
AMY, wife of JOEL BEACH, ELIZABETH AGARD.
" After ye Church was gathered, ye following persons were admitted members in full Com". with the Church, viz :
DAVID AUSTIN, MARY AUSTIN, MARY WILKINSON, MARY GOFFE, MERCY FILLEY.
· 88
ANNALS OF WINCHESTER.
" The Church then proceeded to, and made choice of Robert Macune to be the Moderator or Clerk of this church,
" Attest,
"NATH'. ROBERTS, Pastor of ye Ch., Torrington, " A. R. ROBBINS, Pastor of Ch., Norfolk."
The cursory reader of these annals will be very likely to pass over this record as a mere form, without significance in its bearing on the des- tinies of the newly organized community. While he recognizes the im- portance of a social compact, such as the heterogeneous gathering of settlers had just adopted for their civil guidance, he little realizes the vitalizing principle imparted by a humble band of believers walking in Christian fellowship, and in the ordinances of the gospel. It is this inner life of a town or state that determines its character and destinies. If strong and vigorous, healthful morals prevail; if feeble, vices are toler- ated ; if dead, anarchy succeeds to order, and licentiousness becomes rampant.
The following members were added to the church prior to the ordina- tion of its first pastor in 1772.
Nov. 3, 1771, Warham Gibbs and Eunice his wife, by profession. Jan. 19, 1772, Ebenezer Preston, by letter from ch. at Torrington.
66
6. Martha Preston (his wife) " Harwinton.
66 66 Eliphaz Alvord Chatham.
66 66 Esther Alvord (his wife) 66 66
Feb. 10,
Capt. Jon. Alvord
66
66 6. David Goff, by profession.
July 26, Samuel Wetmore and Anna his wife, by letter from Middlefield.
July 26, 1772, Simeon Loomis, by profession.
The records of the society show that endeavors were made, both before and after the gathering of the church, to secure a permanent minister. Mr. Peter Starr, afterwards the life-long minister of Warren, was invited to preach, on probation, in July, 1771. A Mr. Hale was employed four "Saboths": a Mr. Potter was invited, on probation, in Sept. 1771, and in case he could not come, a call, on probation, was voted to Mr. Judson ; and it was also voted to have Doctor Bellamy of Bethlem, and Rev. Mr. Robbins of Norfolk, act for them in hiring a candidate " that they think will sute the society." Sept: 30, 1771, it was left " with the comity to hire a candidate as they shall think best, but not to hire one that is Determined not to settle." Oct. 31, 1771, the committee was directed to " apply to Mr. Jonson to supply us six Saboths." Feb. 13, 1772, it was voted "that the society will give Mr. Sam11 Jonson amedeat call for a settlement. Feb. 17th following, the committee were directed to apply
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