USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Suffield > Celebration of the bi-centennial anniversary of the town of Suffield, Conn. : Wednesday, Oct. 12, 1870 > Part 8
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Judah, second son of the first John of Rowley, appears on the Connec- ticut records in 1668, when I find his name as plaintiff in an action for debt, before the town court in Windsor. He may have been living, at this time, in Springtiekl.
June 24th, 1674, " the committee for ordering the affairs of the new plantation now called Suffield," granted Judah Trumble and his younger brother Joseph each a lot of 50 acres on Feather street. From this time the two brothers were counted as of Suffickl.
The first recorded birth in the town is (as I learn from Mr. Sykes's Ilis- torieal Address in 1858), that of John, son of Judah and Mary Trumble, March 5th, 1674. The first recorded death is that of Ebenezer, son of Judah and Mary, Sept. 23d, 1675.
But John, the son of Judah, if the first born of Suffield, was not the first born of Suffield Johns. Joseph, the younger brother of Judah, mar- ried before him, and had a son John, born in Rowley, Nov. 27th, 1670- afterwards known on Suffield's records as " John Trimble the First." Ilis father did not bring his family to Suffield till the summer of 1675. In June of that year he sold his house in Rowley, and removed as soon as his youngest child, born in the previous March, was old enough to travel with.
These two young Johns-" John the First," son of Joseph, and " John the Second," son of Judah-have given genealogists a great deal of . trouble. I never looked into the Suffield records without being thankful that their uncle John of Rowley died before he brought his family to the new plantation. If he had come, and brought another little John with him, to be mixed up with his consins on the town records, the genealog- ical puzzle would have become hopelessly complicated.
I am making too long a story of the planting of the Trumbull elm, and must beware of " endless genealogies." I will dispose of the next half dozen generations in as few words, as possible, and restrict myself to lines of descent from Joseph, the younger brother. He had four sons- John, Joseph, Ammi, and Benoni-who became the founders of four dis- tinet families.
Joux was the grandfather of the Rev. John Trumbull, of Westbury, (how Watertown), ordained in 1740, whose son, John Trumbull, LL. D., of Hartford, was a Judge of the Superior Court from 1801 to 1819, but is far better known as the author of " MeFingal, the Modern Epic," that be-
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came the most popular of American poems, and went through more than thirty editions before 1820. The late George A. Trumbull, of the Cit- izens Bank in Worcester, was a descendant from John the First.
JOSEPH, the second son of Joseph, became one of the early planters of Lebanon, where he lived till his decease in 1755. His son Jonathan was the Revolutionary Governor. Of him I need only repeat the words of Washington : " A long and well-spent life in the service of his country, places Governor Trumbull among the first of patriots." His chelest son. Col. Joseph, was the first Commissary General of the army of the United States, and a Commissioner of the War Office. Another son, Jonathan, was secretary and aid to Washington, speaker of Congress, 1591-1796, and Governor of Connecticut from 1798 till his death in 1809. A third son, Col. John Trumbull, was, in the words of his epitaph, " Patriot and artist, friend and aid of Washington." The remaining son, Dacid, of Lebanon. was father of the third Governor, Joseph Trumbull, of Hartford, who died in 1861. The two daughters of the old Governor, Faith and Mary, were married, one to Gen. Jedediah Huntington, of the army of the Revolution, the other to William Williams, a signer of the Declaration of Independ- ence. The Rev. Dacid Trumbull, D. D., now of Valparaiso, is a grandson of Jonathan, the second Governor.
AMMI, third son of the first Joseph of Suffield, settled in East Windsor, and left descendants there by his son, Capt. Ammi, and two danghters married, one to Ebenezer Watson, the other to Ebenezer Hayden. Among his descendants I may name the late Dr. Horace Wells, of Hartford, to whose memory, as the discoverer of Anathesia, his state and country are beginning to award honors that have been too long deferred.
BENONI, fourth son of Joseph, born five days after his father's death, and hence, I suppose, named " a son of grief," founded the Hebron fam- ily, from which came, in the third generation, the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Trumbull, minister of North Haven, and author of the History of Con- neetient. The Hon. Lyman Trumbull, the distinguished Senator from Illinois, is a grandson of the Rev. Dr. Trumbull, and a native of Col- chester.
My letter has grown to an unreasonable length, and imperfect as is the outline sketch I have attempted to give of one of the principal branches of the Suffield stock, I nuist not now add to or complete it. Twenty names occur to me among descendants, in the male lines, from Judah and Joseph Trumbull, as well deserving honorable mention as some of whom I have taken note. And a much longer roll of men of mark might be made up from those who trace descent through maternel ancestors from the two brothers of Suffield. But I did not purpose to do the work of the genealogist, only to cull here and there a few twigs from an old trec.
With sincere regret that I cannot be present at the commemoration on Wednesday-a regret in which you can hardly fail to join, when you see how long a letter my presence would have spared yon, I am, my dear, sir,
Very truly yours, J. HAMMOND TRUMBULL.
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The old Porch House, the first parsonage, and the Sentinel Elms.
Responded to by the Hon. Samuel H. Huntington, of Hartford-in which Judge Huntington very happily and pleasantly stated that Suffield was the place of his nativity ; that he was cradled in the old " Porch House," where, and at the village school, his early boyhood was spent. The two majestic elin trees standing in front were planted by the Rev. Benjamin Ruggles and his people, about 175 years ago. We fancy we see them, emerging from the forest, with the young elms on their shoul- ders, spades in hand, and see them planting them on the highway or common. In the rear of the old " Porch House " was the well, with its crotch and sweep, and "old oaken bucket." The old Bell pear-tree on the northwest, into which many a vicious boy climbed in the darkness of the night, thus proving the old maxim, " stolen fruit was sweet." During the Revolutionary war a company of militia were paraded under the shade of these elms one summer's day, during the month of August, pre- paratory to go to the front in the service of their country. Gen. Wash- ington, the "Father of the Country," was passing through Suffield on that day, and stopped at the Austin tavern (directly opposite) to dine. Some of the principal men of the town invited him to go over and make a speech, to cheer and encourage the men in this company to go forward and do their duty to their country. He did so, and his speech had the desired effect. On another occasion, when General Washington was passing through this town, he stopped, and with others went up into the belfry in the. steeple of the Congregational church on the hill, just built, with its beautiful spire, by Master Howard, of Suffield. Gen. Wash- ington greatly admired the beauty of the surrounding country, the dwell- ings of its patriotic citizens, and the fertility of its cultivated fields.
A few years ago one of these majestic elm trees (the north one) fell dur- ing a wintry storm of wind, rain, and ice, whose spacious roots had been mutilated by a ruthless teamster's axe, in which he made a trongh which he filled with grain, for the purpose of feeding his team, ruining this no- ble tree, and causing its death in half a century, while the other sentinel is left in health and strength, solitary and alone, a silent mourner of the past, listening to the shrill whistle of the first locomotive with its special train from Hartford, over the branch railroad to Suffield, on this occasion. Long may this sentinel elm stand in all its glory, free from harm and the winter's blast, a memento of the past, and mark the site of the holy men of old. And long may the worthy and honorable respondent to this sen- timent live to visit the place of his nativity.
The Suffield men who are honored business men of other places.
Responded to by Wyllys King, Esq., of St. Louis, Missouri.
MR. PRESIDENT : It is not in my power to make a speech, even if I de- sired to do so, or if proper to take up the time, which can be much better used. I only beg the privilege of expressing my sincere thanks to you as
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the honored president of the day, and through you to the committee of invitation, for your circular which reached me "beyond the Mississippi," and which prompted my attendance on this happy reunion. When I read the names on the circular-Norton, Loomis, Sheldon, Spencer, and other names so familiar in early days, my heart responded at once to the invitation, and my purpose was fixed to be here if possible. And now I am here to mingle in these social pleasures, to hear the voices of old friends, and to look once more into one another's faces. Time has wrought changes in many of us, as well as in other things. We have to look deep down below the lines and groves-the marks of time-on our faces to see the soul once so well known and esteemed; but it still lives and shines out in the face, and I rejoice to see it there.
It is more than fifty years since I went out a boy from this grand old town-how grand only those know who have been abroad-to enter upon life's struggles, to fight its battles, and it is nearly forty years since my ex- perience of life began " beyond the Mississippi," then far off -- a journey of tirenty days of diligent travel -now a journey of forty hours, and that without loss of sleep -- then a far off land of plenty and cheapness, so much so that the farmers there used to tell me that a field of corn of sirty bushels to the acre " would run any man in debt to pick it." Now that same field is brought so near-thanks to your railroads that have reached us-that it is right alongside of your old pastures, into which the crop can be thrown with profit to the owner. The spirit of improvement has wrought here also, as I discover by the changes made in this old Suffield street-magnificent la goud comparison with any other street east or arest. I miss the building which was in the centre of the street, and where I did mischief as a schoolboy ; and a new handsome edifice has replaced the " meeting house " into the belfry of which we boys ran up and down on the lightning-rod at pleasure, and some of the most presumptuous even up to the ball on the top of the spire.
But I am not to make a speech, and will only remark further-again thanking you for this privilege-that my name is Wyllys King, son of Zeno King, born in Suffield-born on the river road once called " Feather street," a designation quite significant, but which I cannot now explain. My grandfather, Dan King, had fourteen children, and the most of them grew up, married, and did something more than " talk of population," and I am told that his grandfather had nineteen children, and at one time the name of " King" was on a par with that of " Smith."
It may not be out of place here to say that as to numbers in the family, my own blessings have been such that I need not be ashamed to stand up in the presence of Kings.
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Rev. Mr. Barton proposed an impromptu toast as follows :
Our Suffield branch railroad, and the arrival to-day of its first train-two hun- dred years in coming, but better late than never.
This toast was happily responded to by S. A. Lane, Esq., of Akron, Ohio. After giving some interesting statistics in regard to the great in- crease and also the great value of railroads in Ohio, and through the West, he expressed his joy that now at length his native town was to reap therich benefit of this grand and indispensable instrument of civilization. In closing, he gave utterance to a hope -- which at no distant day will doubtless be realized-that the Suffield railroad might have an outlet worthward, as it now has southward.
The farmers of Suffield-the foundation of society, the benefactors and feeders of the public, the hope for a tri-centennial celebration.
Responded to by Major Edwin P. Stevens.
MR. PRESIDENT AND FELLOW-CITIZENS : The sentiment just read is a truth so apparent that it needs no argument from me to prove it. It is from the fields and gardens of the husbandman that the table of the great kings, presidents, and nobles are supplied, as well as that of the peasant.
What a change to day from that those noble pioneers beheld, when they first came here and built their rude cabins, and made themselves a home, and commenced the settlement of our town. The dark forests and the giant oaks have nearly disappeared before their sturdy blows, and to-day we look ont upon well cultivated fields and stately mansions, where wealth and prosperity prevails, with joy and rejoicings, in all our hab- itations.
These beautiful churches, these institutions of learning, stand like dia- monds in the coronet of a prince, not only to beautify, but to bless.
What changes another century will bring it would be difficult to pre- diet. The river, that marks our eastern boundary and gives name to our noble State, will flow on to the ocean ; the brooks will run in their accus- tomed channels; the beautiful landscapes and fertile valleys will be here ; those western hills, and even old Manitic, that stands on our western bor- der, will remain unchanged and imchanging-but we, fellow-citizens, of to day will not be here ; others will walk these silent vales; before that time we shall be gathered to our fathers, and shall sleep the long sleep of death.
Let us then, fellow-citizens, meet with promptness the duties of our position, and discharge them with fidelity. Let ns practice the virtues of our fathers, and when we. like them, shall have passed away, we may have the proud consciousness that our town and the world have been made better by our living in it.
·Major Edwin P.Stevens
Cafet Apollos Phifer cy. 86
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The oldest man in Suffield-Capt. Apollos Phelps.
. Capt. Phelps came upon the stand and said : Mr. President, and fellow- citizens : I thank you for kindly remembering me on this deeply inter- esting occasion. I stand before you to-day the oldest man that is an in- habitant of this town. It was in Suffield that I was born, in Suffield I have always lived. I have been an active cotemporary with two genera- tions that have passed away. May the blessings of Almighty God rest upon the men and women of Suffield to-day, and the generations that arc to succeed you long after all that is mortal of Apollos Phelps shall be reposing beneath its generous soil.
Other voices than those whose remarks are recorded gave utterance to the thoughts and emotions, which seemed to well up spontaneously in every heart present, and many others would have been glad to have spoken, but the time of parting had come, and the company dispersed, each to seek his own home and the sphere to which he was accustomed to act. But all seemed to be well satisfied to have spent one day in com- memorating the virtues of their ancestors, and reviving the friendships of earlier years.
The Executive Committee desire to acknowledge much to the ladies of Suffield for their aid in the preparation for the table, and to all those who have assisted in the work and labor attending the celebration, as well as preparing the Appendix for the press.
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LETTERS AND REGRETS.
RECEIVED BY INVITATION COMMITTEE.
RAVENNA, OHIO, October 1, 1870.
To Wyr. L. LOOMIS, SIMON B. KENDALL, ALBERT AUSTIN, Esqs., and others, Committee, &c. :
GENTLEMEN: I have just received your kind invitation to attend and participate with you and others in the bi-centennial celebration of the "Grant of the General Court of Boston, October 12th, 1670," which was, I presume, the first effective movement for the settlement of the then wil- derness, now the beautiful and flourishing town of Suffield, our own na- tive town. For this invitation I thank you, and I assure you that noth- ing could give me more pleasure than it would to visit my old native place on such an occasion, and view it as it now is, and associate with those I might find there, and visit the graves of my ancestors. Though I might find few familiar faces after so long an absence, I would, no doubt, enjoy and duly appreciate the friendly greeting of some old friends, and others of the young generation that have succeeded the departed ones.
But I am now an old man, and though enjoying tolerable health, am, I fear, too feeble to endure the fatigues, to say nothing of the expense, of a journey of some 700 miles, even with the advantages of the modern im- provements in locomotion. Besides, to attend there on the 12th I would have to lose my vote at our Ohio annual election, which ocenrs on the 11th instant. I have never yet failed to cast my vote at an anmal elec- tion in Ohio for near fifty years.
My father, Elias Harmon, Sen., son of Deacon John Harmon, died on his farm a half mile west of the West Suffield meeting house, in January, 1793, leaving a widow and eight children, of whom I was the youngest- born December 11th, 1789, and of them all I am now the only survivor. We all removed West, the first in 1799, myself in March, 1802, and I have never re-visited my native State; have always wished to, but never found it convenient, and now I expect I must wholly give it up. asking of yon to exense me now.
Accept now my best wishes for a pleasant meeting on the 12th, and for the future prosperity of you all, individually, and for my dear old native town.
JOHN HARMON.
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BUFFALO, N. Y., July 20, 1870. D. W. NORTON, Esq., Chairman, &c. :
MY DEAR SIR: Your esteemed favor of the 6th inst., inviting me to at- tend the coming bi-centennial anniversary of the settlement of the town of Suffield, on the 11th and 12th of October next, is received, and would have been earlier answered but for my absence from Buffalo. Since my arrival home, last Saturday, I have looked over my business engagements and do not see how I can be with you at the time of the celebration. It is therefore prudent for me to say to you my attendance is so uncertain that you cannot safely rely upon my being present and taking a part in the ceremonies. I can assure you nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be present with you and to participate in the interesting ceremo- nies of that occasion. It is indeed an occasion which cannot but give utterance to a noble, sublime, and expansive sentiment. You will neces- sarily be carried back to contemplate the deeds and virtues of our ances- tors, a race of men and women ever to be revered by their descendants, for their indomitable energies and exalted virtues. Heaven bless and prosper you in the pious and dutiful work before you.
Yours most respectfully, S. G. AUSTIN.
MONTGOMERY, ALA., September 19, 1870. Hon. DANIEL W. NORTON, Chairman :
DEAR SIR : I have delayed a reply to your invitation to meet the " sons and danghters of Suffield " at the celebration of their bi-centennial an- niversary, hoping I might be able to be present ; but that I find will be impossible, and can only express my regret. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to greet once more the friends of half a century, and their descendants, and unite with them in celebrating the two hun- dredth anniversary of the birth of our old mother. I am proud of being remembered as a son of Suffield, and of being worthy of an invitation to 'meet her distinguished sons, and unite with them in their festivities. . Nearly forty years ago I left her to seek my fortune in a distant land ; but I have never ceased to remember her with pride, and to feel a deep interest in her welfare, and the welfare of her children. I trust I shall ever so remember her till " my right hand shall forget its cunning."
But, two hundred years! How long! and yet how short when I re- member that I have seen more than one fourth of them roll away. What changes have been wrought within my recollection ! How many loved ones have passed away to return no more: In your cemetery sleeps the dust of my parents and ancestors, with many dear friends. I confess to a feeling of sadness at the recollection.
Thanking you, Mr. Chairman, and through you the Executive Commit- tee-several of whom I remember as the friends of my youth-for your kind invitation, permit me to hope that the future history of "old Suf- field " may be even more glorious than its past-that its record of bright
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names may be even more illustrious than the preceding one -- that her " sons may be as plants, grown up in their youth; that her daughters may be as corner-stones, polished after the similitude of a palace ; that her garners may be full, affording all manner of store," and that the hap- piness and prosperity of her children may continue to the end.
I am, dear sir, very truly yours, W.M. HI. SMITH.
PROVIDENCE, R. I., Oct. 10, 1870. To D. W. NORTON, Esq., and Associates :
GENTLEMEN: Your note of invitation to participate in the celebration of the approaching bi-centennial anniversary of the settlement of Suffield came duly to hand. I should have replied weeks ago had I not hoped to be present on the occasion. But this satisfaction I am compelled reluctantly to forego.
In common with the good people of my native town, I feel that I owe a debt of gratitude to the brave men who laid the foundations of that municipality. Though it is now thirty-five years sinee I, a stripling, left the town, yet the influence of early association and companionship is felt to- day. The industrial habits of the people among whom my youth was passed, their regard for education and morality, and their respect for the institutions of Christianity, I reckon among the best educational influ- ences which I enjoyed in early life. Lowe to them more to-day than to any institutions of learning.
Gladly, therefore, would I unite with you in paying a deserved tribute to those who have passed away, but whose works still praise them. May the next bi-centennial find the principles and practices of the fathers flour- ishing in full vigor among their descendants.
With sentiments of respect I am your obedient servant,
A. II. GRANGER.
GUILFORD, Sept. 19, 1870." D. W. NORTON, Esq. :
DEAR SIR: Please accept the sincere thanks of myself and family for the kind invitation your committee have given us to be present at your bi-centennial anniversary on the 12th of October next. Be assured it would afford me great pleasure to comply with this invitation ; but such is the state of my health that I shall not be able to be with you on the deeply interesting occasion. The part which you kindly proposed for me must, of course, be given to some one else.
Very respectfully yours,
HENRY ROBINSON.
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MENDOTA, LA SALLE Co., ILL., Oct. 1, 1870.
MY DEAR ELIZABETH P. PHILLEO: Your welcome letter dated Septem- ber 26th was duly received, for which I thank you and those extending a kind invitation to me and my wife, to attend the celebration pending on the 12th of October, at Suffield. You ask my sentiments in regard to such occasions. I reply my mind is occupied with the scenes of the future state of my being. I am in the S4th year of my age. My hope in God is unshaken amid all the revolutions and changes of a protracted life. We live in an era of great interest and surprising changes. The next great event in the unfolding purposes of God, I think, will be the restoration of the Jews to the land of their fathers. Russia, from indications plainly manifest, will be employed as the favored instrument to remove the ob- stacles in the way of their return.
Russia may have no higher motive than her own aggrandizement in the enlargement of her own vast empire. The Jews, wherever located, though possessed of vast wealth, are not the owners of real estate; con- sequently they stand ready at the providential signal to march in rank and file, under the banner of the great Shepherd of Israel, to possess the land promised to their fathers. I am no prophet, and would not be curious to pry into the secret things of God, but study them carefully and prayerfully as the opening leaves unfold. Infidels are everywhere exult- ing over their fancied victories over the Christian religion. How vain are their hopes; sudden and final will be their overthrow. "The Lord reigns ; let the earth rejoice ; let the multitude of the isles thereof be glad." "Glory to God in the highest ; peace on earth and good will toward men." And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and amen.
I like to have forgotten Suffield altogether in my flight of thought. But I still remember her, and feel happy to know that I am kindly re- membered. I well remember after being in an extensive revival of religion in the State of New York, I took a journey eastward and called on Elder Cushman in Hartford, to visit and hear preaching. But he urged me to go to Suffield-perhaps God would bless my labors. I com- plied with his urgent request. I found the people without a pastor, and somewhat divided. I appointed a meeting. The people gathered, and God blessed the word, and many were added to the church. I stayed in Suffield and enjoyed a second glorious revival. I got permission of the church and congregation of leave of absence for four or five weeks to visit Pawtucket, R. I., in compliance with an earnest request of the church in that place, hoping and praying that God would bless my labors there as he had in other places. I left home in my own conveyance. I arrived there after two days' travel. I reached Pawtucket late in the afternoon. A meeting was appointed in the vestry in the evening. The bell was rung, the people soon filled the vestry to overflowing. I felt sure that God would bless the word to the salvation of souls. I obtained this evi-
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