USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Farmington > Farmington town clerks and their times (1645-1940) > Part 29
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35
332
Farmington Town Clerks and Their Times
cold nut machines for which he afterwards secured a patent. Eli D. Preston was a member of one of the earliest clock manu- facturing concerns in the village, that of Williams Orton & Preston, who started business in Farmington in 1820 where the Catholic church now stands. (As of 1925. Ed.)
Around the turn in the road and across the brook we come on our left to the former site of the George Payne place. He was a farmer. His son Frederick was a natural born musician and early developed a remarkable talent for music. He was leader and enthusiastic organizer of the first musical organization in the village -- the Unionville Band. Later he became leader of a band at Portland, Maine and furnished music at various sum- mer hotels at Bar Harbor and Peake Island on the Maine coast.
George Payne, Edwin Hawley, son of Romanta Hawley and brother of Frank Hawley of Lovely Street, Charles Moses of Avon and Alonzo Fuller were among the Gold Hunters - the Forty-Niners - during the rush to the gold fields of the Sacre- mento Valley.
George Payne kept a diary from the time the party left New York until they reached their destination, and we are fortunate in having a copy of a letter written to Samuel Dickinson and William Smith in 1850. William Smith was the father of Win- chell Smith, the collaborator of Lightnin' which made Win- chell Smith's name famous. Samuel Dickinson, or Sam Dick as he was familiarly called, was the son of Captain Dickinson of the canal boat "Hillhouse" which ran between New Haven and Farmington until 1849. Samuel Dickinson and William Smith were employed at this time in the old canal warehouse at Unionville which after the abandonment of the canal had been turned into a store, owned and operated by Chauncey Rowe, it being the first grocery store to be established in the village.
None of the men who were in the Sacremento Valley brought home any large amount of gold, but all but one lived many years thereafter to tell over their experiences in the search for treasure.
We now retrace our steps to Farmington Avenue.
On our left somewhat back from Water Street formerly stood
333
Unionville In The Past
what was undoubtedly one of the first houses erected in Union District. A long, one-story, red building known as the Hurlbut lace. Here lived at different times some of the earliest settlers .mong the Irish families - the Campions, Burns, Barretts .nd others. The Campions were the first Irish family to settle n Unionville. Patrick and Edward Campion were volunteers in the War of the Rebellion. The former was one of the three nonths men but re-enlisted and on his second trip south was joined by his brother Edward. Both men were in Andersonville rison and Edward was sent later to Florence, another prison, where he died. Patrick returned home in a weak condition and n such a state of collapse that he fell at the threshold of his nome.
In 1850 there were five houses on Water Street built by ames Cowles and Bidwell and several on Battle Row. At this lime these men owned half the tenements in Unionville.
On the left of Farmington Avenue was the gambrel-roofed louse then owned by Walter Cowles (present Cromack resi- lence). Cowles used to peddle soft soap around the village, adling it out to the customer after the manner of the itinerant reast peddlers. Horace Woodford in the rear of Water Street nade candles and George Taylor ran a blacksmithing business. i' So much interest has been shown in the old clocks once made n Farmington and now owned throughout the country, we will peak briefly of the clock industry.
The firm of Seymour Williams & Porter consisted of Edward I. Seymour, Unionville's first postmaster, Austin F. Williams of Farmington, grandfather of Miss Amy Vorce, and Timothy Porter, who lived in the Porter homestead on Main Street, cross from Colton Road.
In the early days of the clock industry there existed much prejudice against adopting anything new until its reputation had been fully established. Many were loath to abandon the old methods of keeping time, such as the sun dial, the hour glass and water clocks and natural reckonings by noting the position of the sun in the heavens. It was customary among the lock peddlers to leave a clock on trial for a couple of weeks and hen to call. By that time the average customer had usually
334
Farmington Town Clerks and Their Times
become convinced of the superiority of the new timepiece and became a willing customer. In looking over a few old bills of this company, we discover that at one time they carried on quite a lucrative business. We find an order from a Farmington firm for thirty eight-day clocks and twenty-four thirty-hour clocks making in all a neat bill of $500. But the industry was greatly handicapped in the matter of transportation. The rail- road was still a thing of the future - 1848-49, and all supplies must need come by steamboat to Hartford or by the more tedious route of the canal, so after a disastrous fire in 1837 which greatly injured the plant, the business of this firm seems to have declined.
Timothy Porter sold out his interest for $500 and Edward Seymour parted with his holdings in the company for $600, leaving Austin Williams the sole proprietor. Shortly after, the business at this end of the village was abandoned. Williams Orton and Preston, however, carried on the business in the old screw shop of Tolles, at the upper end of the village.
The Heiman place where the first postoffice was located is the next building that comes into view. Here Chauncey Hart of cutlery fame lived before he built his house on Depot Hill. Edward Seymour, first postmaster, also lived here. The double tenement house on the right was called the Benham Beecher place. Here once lived Hiram Bascom, Edward Goodwin, L. D. Hills and other old-time residents. The second schoolhouse built in 1833 and standing around the right corner looking north (present site of Episcopal Church) brings us to the center , of the village.
On the left is the Gleason Hotel built 1825 by Ashael Gleason. . Later it was known as the Hinkley Tavern, Brown's Hotel, Unionville House, McDonald House, Lambert Tavern. The old structure was burned in the early seventies when Brown occupied the premises but was rebuilt at a later period. On the opposite corner is the old landmark known as the Tunxis House built by Lyman Morey in 1845. Its next proprietor was Josiah B. Hinkley who ran the Tunxis Hotel and stables for many years. He sold the hotel business to James Bristol and later Hinkley moved across the street and took possession of the
335
Unionville In The Past
Hotel Gleason. The Tunxis building was occupied by many different parties in later years. After the Maine law went into effect it became a temperance hotel. W. B. Edwards of Sub- urban Park fame had a studio there. It finally passed into the hands of the Tramway company and later was purchased from the Rose Estate by Charles A. Hackney. Turning to the left at the Center and approaching the river, on our left just before crossing the bridge (built in 1847, but standing at this time farther east) we come to the old canal warehouse built in 1830 by James and Augustus Cowles. Among its many occupants after the close of the canal industry in 1849 were Chauncey Rowe, groceries, Samuel Dickinson, groceries (Winchell Smith's father worked here) Melvin J. Weeks, printing and the news- paper office of the Tunxis Valley Herald, Edward Thompson, groceries and Case Bros. Company, storehouse.
The New Hartford Branch Railroad was built in 1850 with Charles N. Yeamans as one of the first superintendents. A. A. Burnham was in the employ of the company for forty years.
The first attempt to supply Unionville with water for home purposes was called "Griswold's Folly." It consisted of a ditch with its source somewhere above the present reservoir on Huck- leberry Hill and leading down to the rear of the Griswold house on Main Street. Here a reservoir to store water was built. The ditch crossed the Huckleberry Hill road on some sort of a trestle. It is said that a small amount of water passed through for a short time but the cold weather and depredations of rats and other animals soon nipped further proceedings in the bud and all the time, labor and money that Captain Griswold had expended in its construction only resulted in an impracticable and useless enterprise.
On the right of Lovely Street and opposite each other are the two Goodwin houses. Daniel Goodwin and Phineas Good- win - half-brothers - were prominent residents of the village being intimately associated with its earliest industries. Phineas Goodwin built a home for his family on the premises prior to 1850. The ground on which the present Daniel Goodwin house stands was purchased of Martin Woodruff and Mr. Goodwin built his residence there in 1850. Daniel Goodwin was one of
336
Farmington Town Clerks and Their Times
the early employees in the clock shop of Seymour Williams & Porter and also worked at a later period in the cabinet shop of Joshua Brewer and Squire Lambert Hitchcock. Mrs. Addie Smith (nee Goodwin, his daughter) was organist in the Epis- copal Church in Farmington for sixteen years and during that time was absent but eight Sundays and then on account of stormy weather. Mrs. Smith was also organist at Christ Church (Episcopal) in Unionville for a long term of years and during the early part of her life taught privately at her own home. The Daniel Goodwin property with many additions and alterations is the present home of Mrs. Addie Smith and the buildings in the rear enclose the studio of Frank Foster and the printing office known as the Harrison Supply Company under his man- agement.
On our right further up Lovely Street is the Albert Hills place later known as the George Frisbie home. George Frisbie was a veteran of the Civil War, passing through some of its most se- vere engagements and being on the list of those confined in Andersonville prison. After the war while others were telling how fields were lost or won Mr. Frisbie would remain a silent onlooker. On being asked why he preserved an attitude of such indifference when everyone was supposed to contribute their share of anecdotes, he remarked, "When I came home I went upstairs into the old garret, took off my knapsack, threw my gun into the corner and said: 'You lie there. I've done with you now and forever.' His view of war was shared by many a com- rade whose only desire was to efface it forever from conscious- ness.
Farther up Lovely Street on our left is the Edmund Sanford farm. Sherman, Edmund and Truman Sanford were all born in the old North Homestead in Lovelytown section, once an important and ancient part of Farmington but later set off as Avon. Edmund Sanford was born January 16, 1824. At the age of twenty-five he went to Louisiana where he was overseer on the plantation of S. and R. Tillotson of Farmington, with two hundred slaves to watch and care for. He returned to Farm- ington in 1850 and engaged in farming and the lumber business until his death in 1892.
-
Birdseye view of Lovely Street, Main Street and Perry Street, Unionville, about 1865. The Congregational Parsonage is at the right, Tryon and Sanford building at lower left and Platner and Porter Mill at upper left. (Courtesy of Frank Foster)
337
Unionville In The Past
In 1844 Sherman Sanford represented Farmington in the Legislature. The same year he engaged in the lumber business with his nephew under the firm name of Sherman and Frank Sanford. Truman Sanford until his death was one of the promi- nent citizens of the village being associated for many years with Frank A. Tryon. Jesse Sanford, grandfather of Sherman and Jesse Sanford Jr., father, were soldiers in the War of the Revo- lution and War of 1812.
Returning to Main Street we come on our right to the par- sonage, present home of Rev. Franklin Barker. This house which has been the residence of the various pastors of the Con- gregational Church during all the years since 1848, was built by Joseph H. Lewis for Virgil Goodwin. It was at one time the residence of Deacon William Platner of the firm of Platner & Porter Paper Manufacturers.
On the left is the Samuel Q. Porter homestead - later the home of George S. Robotham, and built for Mr. Porter in 1852.
Farther up on the left is the Daniel Tuttle house built for Mr. Tuttle by the Plattner & Porter company in 1848. Crossing the side street leading to the paper mill, the small building on the right - later the Goodhind home - was the former resi- dence of Dr. William Sage one of the first physicians to intro- duce homeopathic remedies in the state and for many years the leading doctor in the village. Above on the left of Main Street up to 1855 there remain but three houses - Russell Humphrey, Seneca Gorham and Chester Dayton, in the corner close to the canal. The Russell Humphrey house - present Burnett dwelling, was built about 1850. Humphrey was a man- ufacturer of spoons and tableware. He was tax collector in 1850 and held many other positions of trust on the school board and elsewhere.
Seneca Gorham lived in the house afterwards the home of David North. Gorham was a builder in company with Charles Butler. They built the Cowles Paper Company Mill for James A. Cowles and Merriman's Block. The stone house on the right was built in 1840 by Abner Bidwell. It was the residence of Heman Orton, who came from Vermont and was a member of the firm of Williams, Orton & Preston, clock manufacturers.
338
Farmington Town Clerks and Their Times
The last house on the right known as the Pond Homestead, was the Captain William Griswold property. The house was built in 1837 but was enlarged and remodeled by Mr. Griswold from time to time. Griswold's Hall in the upper part of the structure was where the Odd Fellows who once had a lodge in the village, held their first meetings. Dances were also held there, it being the only hall in the village. Special chimneys built for the hall have only one fireplace for that floor. Captain William Griswold was a builder. He built the (former) High School in 1868.
Let us again cross the Farmington River at Richards' Mill and follow the old road to the south. Here appear houses of Seth Hosford who owned a grist mill on Roaring Brook; Seth Fuller who once carried on a small wood-turning shop in this vicinity. The homes of Lyman Woodruff, Sylvester Peck and Rufus Hitchcock follow next in order. We are now in the region known as West Woods, where dwelt the Ponds and the Moses and the numerous descendants of Samuel Payne. Continuing by the old Connolly home and to the right of Sydney Payne's and by the Flynns and the Hinmans' estate on the Litchfield Turnpike we turn to the left and the old Farmington Road.
Here we come to the John Lewis homestead built in 1770 and known in former days as Whittlesey's Tavern. Beyond on our right is the Ezra Ayer place built by Joseph Lewis in 1844 and previously being the site of Youngs' Hotel, another old time hostelry. And while we are pondering over the question of how these numerous places of entertainment for man and beast all made a living, we must remember that as long as the Dutch held New York City the Litchfield Turnpike and its various connections formed part of the direct route from Boston to the Middle West. No doubt the Hinmans, the Youngs and the Whittleseys had plenty of transient customers in their time. The Youngs were large land owners in this section. Joshua Youngs was one of the first settlers to free his slaves. He set at liberty one Titus who afterwards lived for many years in this section and gave the name of Titus Hill to a certain portion of land in that neighborhood. Joshua Youngs owned the grist mill industry previous to its purchase by the Richards, and was
339
Unionville In The Past
one of the original owners of the Farmington River Water Power Company.
Farther down the Farmington road lived Owen Wilcox, Romanta Porter, Deacon Calvin Hatch and Captain Alpheus Porter, but we have already passed the limits of our survey in trying to picture the Unionville of the past.
The diary of David Gleason records few great events, but pictures for us the homely everyday life of the years 1781-1795. Mr. Gleason was probably the father of the David Gleason who lived on the old Curtis place on Lovely Street and kept the Gleason House in Unionville in the early fifties. Mr. Gleason, Sr. lived in Northington on the west bank of the Farmington River on the sand road which leads up from where a bridge once stood to the meeting house and the graveyard. He was at times a farmer, a schoolmaster and a public functionary - probably a sheriff or constable.
"April 28, 1779 - Saturday fair. Mend fence. Wash sheep.
"September 21, 1779. Go to a freeman meeting. Chose John Treadwell and Gen. Hart deputies.
"October 14. Mend some fence. Thrash out rye. shell corn. Go to mill. Bridge broke, Let me in slap. Lost all my grain.
"November 2. Foul weather. grows cold. Have a spell here for to quilt bedquilt. An amusement less laborious but quite as merry as the spinning bee.
"June 27, 1781. Cloudy. Go and bring home a barrel of cider of Isaac Wilcox. Afternoon go to town. See the French there moving to the North River.
"February 14, 1785. Grows more moderate. Go and writen a will for Capt. Miller. a singing meeting at the meeting house.
"May 10, 1785. Fair. Go with Moore to Hartford. Put him in jail. Also put in one Joshua Phelps on an execution I levied on him Monday.
"January 14, 1794 Went out to Lovelytown to keep school. Board at Lent Harts.
"February 3, 1795. Fair morning. Early in the morning I put in our old horse and Tim Hawley and I go to Hartford. Get fifteen books for the village library."
Tim Hawley was the son of the Rev. Rufus Hawley who for
340
Farmington Town Clerks and Their Times
fifty-six years was the pastor of the church at Nod near Cider Brook. Farmer as well as minister as the parson had to be or starve, he was a very able and worthy man of whom it is re- corded that he once made this very business like prayer, speci- fying the very kind of rain wanted. "Not a devastating tempest, Lord, but a regular drizzling, drozzling rain."
Unionville Churches and their Pastors
In the original church edifice, destroyed by fire in 1884, and the later structure, Saint Mary's Star of the Sea, erected in 1885, the Catholic people of Unionville have worshipped for fifty years.
Catholic services in Unionville date back to seventy-two years ago. (As of 1925. Ed.) Prior to the establishment of a parish in the village, the Catholics worshipped on the south side of the river in what was known as the Connolly residence, afterwards the home of the Curran family. Monthly masses were held in Merriman's Hall. The year of 1876 saw a large commo- dious and attractive church begun, completed and dedicated to the great joy of the parishoners. In 1884 the church was en- tirely destroyed by fire. Nothing daunted, however, pastor and people labored untiringly and in a year's time a new church, the present one, arose out of the ruins of the old one. Father Fox was in charge of the parish at that time and built the new rectory and made other extensive improvements on the church property. The first pastor was Rev. Luke Daly, serving from 1854 to 1857. His successors have been Rev. Patrick O'Dwyer, Rev. John Fagan, Rev. B. R. Sheridan. Rev. Patrick Fox, first resident pastor in Unionville. Rev. William H. Redding served more than thirty years and was succeeded by Rev. Thomas H. Tiernan. (Rev. John J. Walsh has been the beloved pastor for many years. Ed.)
During the years immediately following the Revolution, the puritan Christianity of the early settlers in central and western Connecticut had almost died out. In consequence of this spir- itual low ebb there came in 1790 an invasion of Methodist min-
341
Unionville In The Past
isters with the missionary spirit from the South. In 1791 these men had established in Connecticut four circuits: Litchfield, Fairfield, Middlefield and Hartford. At that time the Metho- dist families of Unionville were connected with Burlington and were part of the Litchfield circuit. Burlington soon became the center of Methodism in western Connecticut so that in 1810 the name was changed to The Burlington Circuit. The Metho- dist church in Unionville dates back to 1835. In that year the Methodists here withdrew from the Burlington church and formed a society of their own. From 1835 to 1866 the society was without a church building. For many years they met in some big kitchen, afterwards in a hall over Tryon and Sanford store, and in Summer across the river in a grove at a place called "The Cove." The first Methodist Church in Unionville was built in 1866. At a meeting of the entire church in the town hall December 1, 1920, a committee was appointed consisting of S. W. Daniels, F. J. Broadbent and Rev. W. S. Burgess, to secure a central location for a new building, with the result that the property next the Library building and known as the residence of Charles Bill was purchased and is now used as a church by the Society.
Previous to 1841 the inhabitants of Union District at- tended church service in the Congregational Church in Farm- ington or in the church at West Avon. The Farmington Canal was then in operation and during the navigable season it was customary to use a yawl to take the people to church. Starting at the wharf at the store of James and Augustus Cowles the church-goers rode down to the head of the canal. Here they passed through the head gates, mules were attached to the boat, and the company enjoyed a pleasant ride to the mother settle- ment. The Congregational Church in Unionville was organized as a society March 30, 1841. The following six men constituted the first Church - George Richards, Eber Gibbs, Edward K. Hamilton, Eli D. Preston, William Bradley and Daniel John- son, under the leadership of Rev. John R. Keep. The first meet- ings were held in the old schoolhouse where the Episcopal Church now stands. A few years later a church was built which stood in front of the site of the present church, the land being
342
Farmington Town Clerks and Their Times
given by several citizens of the town to the Ecclesiastical So- ciety for Church, park and school purposes. In 1851 land was given to the Society on the south side of School Street and the church building was moved across the way in 1852 to where the town hall now stands. Here it was enlarged and improved. This structure was destroyed by fire in 1899. The land from which the church was removed was still retained as a park, and it was voted to expend $25 a year for its improvement. In 1870 it was found necessary to enlarge the old church building or build a new one. In 1882 a subscription sufficient to warrant a new building was raised. Another amount was secured in 1884 when it was decided to build with stone. Gray granite was the ma- terial used which was quarried in Burlington. The present church edifice was dedicated in 1886. During the history of the church it has enjoyed the services of the following pastors: Rev. John R. Keep, 1841; Rev. Richard Woodruff, 1842; Jarius C. Searle, 1848; Giles Meigs Porter, 1852; Hiram Slauson, 1857; Charles Brooks, 1864; T. E. Davies, 1869. Rev. Joseph H. Sawyer preceded C. S. Lane. The latter was installed in 1884. Thornton C. Brookes was in later years superintendent of the Sunday School and clerk of the Church Society for a long period. The following pastors have served since 1884 in the order named: Rev. R. G. S. MacNeille, Rev. Charles E. Ewing, Rev. Edward Fellows, Rev. David S. Wheeler, Rev. Franklin W. Barker. (Following the resignation of Mr. Barker, Rev. Howard Worth was pastor. Ed.)
In reviewing the history of the village it is quite evident that we are under obligations to the parent town for many things. Among the more prominent might be mentioned an educational fund from the Langdon bequests which has been continued throughout a long term of years.
Our earliest industries sprang from the efforts of men who came from the older part of Tunxis.
Chauncey Hart, the father of the cutlery industry, had his first modest shop in Farmington.
Two or more members at least of the clock making industry started the manufacture in the parent town.
The dam at the mouth of Roaring Brook was constructed by
343
Unionville In The Past
Timothy Cowles, thus furnishing power for one of the earliest industries.
The ground for the First Church of Christ and the third or present school building (now demolished, Ed.) was purchased of James L. Cowles, a resident of Farmington.
Cowles, Norton and Bidwell, with Joshua Youngs, all natives of Farmington, introduced the Farmington River Water Power Company to the manufacturers of Unionville.
The word Union suggests strength - that the title should not prove to be a misnomer the utmost harmony should prevail throughout all sections of the town, thus promoting its perma- nent growth and the general welfare of each and all of its in- habitants."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.