USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Cornwall > Historical records of the town of Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut; > Part 32
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Your own father, a man of stately presence, and somewhat of the old school in manners, was at this time approaching old age; but " his eye as yet was not dimmed, nor his natural strength abated." This is not the place for the many memories connected with that house ; they have their place, and will have to the end, with other so dear recollections of those early days.
The active officers of the church at this time were Deacon Dwight Pratt, whose children I baptized, now grown, or rapidly growing, to man's and woman's estate, and honoring their Christian parentage; and Deacon Russell Pratt. The church and society could ill have spared the liberal expenditure of energy and means on the part both of Deacon Russell Pratt and of his partner, Mr. Foster. It was matter of thankful- ness to me, that the sad death of the latter, in the midst of his years, came not till after my day. Time forbids my speaking of others, many others, in mid-life, whose presence at that time gave strength and character to the church.
And now what shall I say of the young life that gave brightness and animation to this whole scene? How it overflowed in the houses where I was so kindly made at home. I remember the sleighing parties, and the more distant blackberry expeditions. I remember, and Chauncey, I am sure, will not have forgotten, the literary society, the social gather- ings, the evening meetings. When my boy came from college .* what a glad day it was for me ! Oh ! the happy days in the woods ! the glori- ous picnics, the joyous laughter, the bounding pulse of youth, and joy of life! Unbroken substantially remained that happy circle during the four years I was there, and the thought of it fills my heart to tears, as I look back to-day. Where shall we seek them now ? Scattered wide over our land, and in the blue heavens. I thank God most of all, as I look back, for the moral and spiritual earnestness that animated that circle of young friends. I have found no other place, I expect to find none, where so large a proportion while still in youth gave their hearts to God, and their lives to His service. I rejoice to learn that it is still so. May the old church abide through all changes, and light the future as it has the past. Yours, dear friend, faithfully,
WM. B. CLARKE.
* Samuel Scoville.
327
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
I am indebted to M. S. Nickerson, school visitor, for an account of the condition of schools in the town:
The town of Cornwall still retains the old district system in the management of its public schools. It is divided into seventeen school districts. Each district annually elects a district com- mittee, clerk and treasurer, and collector. The employment of teachers is left to the district committees, subject to the approval of the district. The town board of school visitors is composed of six members, who are elected for terms of three years, and whose duty it is to examine and decide upon the qualifications of teachers, and exercise a general supervision over the public schools of the town. These in 1878 are Arthur D. Warner, Rev. Charles N. Fitch, Wilbur F. Harrison, M. S. Nickerson, Frederic Kellogg, and Theodore S. Gold.
Cornwall may be classed among the declining towns, as the enu- meration of scholars has been slowly diminishing, and two districts have been practically discontinued for lack of scholars, so that school is maintained at present in only fifteen districts. It may also be classed as among the poorer towns in the county, in point of wealth, yet its citizens enjoy an enviable reputation for giving liberally according to their means, for the support of schools, and in this respect the town stands in the front rank among the towns of the county.
Consolidation of districts with a view to establishing a high school has been recommended by the school visitors, and the subject has been agitated more or less at different times, but as yet no decisive action has been taken in the matter, and at the present time the town does not support a high school, yet in the more advanced schools, some of the higher branches are taught.
328
HISTORY OF CORNWALL.
TABLE OF STATISTICS IN REGARD TO SCHOOLS FOR THE YEAR ENDING AUGUST 31, 1877.
NAME OF DISTRICT.
Number of district.
Enume- rated Jan. 1, 1877.
Appro- priation.
Whole No. regis- tered.
Average attend. for the year.
Length of school in days.
Whole expense of school.
Puffingham, -
1
39
$225.00
30
16.25
190
$318.18
Cornwall Plain, -
2
32
250.00
28
20.00
160
249.04
Cornwall Center,
3
26
225.00
24
13.75
180
219.25
Johnson Hollow,
4
19
190.00
18
9.50
180
190.00
Cream Hill,
5
31
255.00
28
20.00
175
285.00
Cornwall Hollow,
6
34
250.00
40
21.00
150
310.00
West District,
7
28
225.00
29
17.50
160
236.75
Cornwall Bridge,
8
68
300.00
48
34.00
170
332.00
Bennett District,
10
9
100.00
9
6.75
80
100.00
North Cornwall,
12
8
175.00
=
7.00
140
175.00
Swift District,
13
21
150.00
14
9.00
95
167.00
East Street, -
14
18
175.00
19
10.78
165
175.00
West Cornwall, -
15
57
300.00
38
25.58
190
354.00
Beach District,
16
13
190.00
15
8.60
180
190.00
College Street,
17
21
200.00
25
15.25
210
299.50
Total,
424
$3,210.00
377
$3,600.72
In those districts where the whole expense of school exceeds the appropriation, the balance was given by the district as a volun- tary contribution for fuel, teachers' board, etc.
TABLE COMPARING THE LAST SCHOOL YEAR WITH THE THREE PRECEDING IT.
SCHOOL YEAR.
Enume- ration Jan. 1st.
Total appropria- tion.
Whole expense of school.
Average length of school in days.
PER CENT. ATTEND- ANCE.
Winter.
Summer.
Ending Aug. 31, 1874, -
458
$3,625.00
$4,038.25
154.38
71.60
64.00
Ending Aug. 31, 1875, -
463
3,540.00
3,811.59
161.42
69.80
66.00
Ending Aug. 31, 1876, -
427
3,450.00
3,537.33
163.40
76.70
73.00
Ending Ang. 31, 1877, -
424
3,210.00
3,600.72
166.66
78.90
Ending Aug. 31, 1878, -
. .
2,895.00
In giving the whole cost of schools, the amount expended on repairs is not included, only teachers' wages, fuel, and incidentals.
329
THE CHAPEL AT WEST CORNWALL.
THE CHAPEL AT WEST CORNWALL.
As the great event of the year in Cornwall, we give an account of the chapel at West Cornwall. Dea. R. R. Pratt has detailed the preliminaries in his church history, p. 115. The corner-stone was laid Aug. 9, 1877, with appropriate ceremonies, as follows:
Music by the band. Singing by the choir.
Reading of the Scriptures-I. Peter, Chap. 2, by the pastor, Rev. C. N. Fitch. Historical sketch by Dea. R. R. Pratt. . Dea. T. S. Gold then deposited documents in a box in the corner-stone. LIST OF DOCUMENTS.
Missionary Herald, Home Missionary, New York Observer, New York Independent, Republican Standard, Bridgeport Farmer, Litchfield Enquirer, Wolcottville Register, Winsted Herald, Connecticut West- ern News, Religious Herald, Christian Advocate, Southern Workman, Daily Courant, Pro ramme of Exercises, Passages of Scripture, Apostles' Creed, Lord's Prayer, Church Manual, with History of Second Ecclesiastical Church to the present time, Annual Report of the Church for 1876, Programme of the Semi-Centennial, 1876, Con- stitution of the West Cornwall S. S. Association, Report of Secretary of the West Cornwall S. S. Association, Card of the West Cornwall Sunday School, History of the Chapel Building, by R. R. Pratt, Copy of Subscription for Erection of Chapel, Contract for Mason Work, J. Odell; Contract with Builder, E. J. Beardsley ; Contract between Society's Committee and R. R. Pratt and N. Hart; Specifi- cations for the work ; Poem, written for the occasion by D. M. Pratt ; A silver half-dollar, 1876, contributed by Nathan Hart.
The corner-stone was then laid by the Pastor, assisted by Dea. T. S. Gold. Music by the band. Singing by the choir. Address by Dr. White of the First Congregational Church. Poem by Dwight M. Pratt.
In prophetic days of old time, Ere the advent of Messiah,
Muse, Urania, child of Heaven,
Gave her breath of inspiration
Unto poets, bards, and prophets.
David drank the poet's spirit, Sang the coming to the nations,
Of the corner-stone most precious,
Sang in words majestic, noble, Sang Isaiah, and his singing Has, with matchless music ringing, Gladdened all succeeding ages With these words, this sacred poem, " Thus the Lord God saith, Behold ! I Lay in Zion for foundation, A tried stone; a sure foundation ;
A tried stone, a precious corner."
We a corner-stone are singing, But it is of earth most earthy. Muse of Heaven, give then thy spirit;
42
330
HISTORY OF CORNWALL.
Lift our thoughts from stone of granite, To the stone it symbolizes, Corner-stone, elect, most precious. Builders led by intuitions, Of the future filled with wisdom; Seek alone, what will be lasting; Seek the permanent abiding, Be they architects of matter, Or of mind, and soul, and spirit. If they build of things material, Select such as time corroding Cannot weaken ; if of spirit, Choose foundation-stone eternal; Fashion character undying In its goodness and its beauty. In erecting here a chapel, We are building for the future. If for time alone, our object Is unworthy our ambition. If for never-dying ages, Guard the workmanship, and watch it. If the deep foundation solely, Be of granite or of marble, 'Twill not outlive storm and tempest. Build on Christ, though your foundation Be of stone, and earthly substance; Build on him whose name is written In your foreheads: Though material Be terrene, be this your object ; That the altar here erected, Be to all who join its worship, Portal to a " house eternal In the heavens, and made without hands."
Here the heart of hearts will mingle, Human hearts in happy union, And no discord, inharmonious, Will their fellowship dissever. Then this age and its descendants Will go singing, and this valley, With its echoes will be ringing, Praises to the glorious Author Of all good, who, by His spirit Shows man's need and God's great mercy. Sabbaths ! all these woodland mountains, To the church-bell.unaccustomed, Will repeat in joyous echoes, All the music of its ringing, All the music of its singing, As it calls to praise and worship, Dwellers by the peaceful river, And the sunlight of the azure, In its waters clear reflected, Will reshine in lives and faces Of the people. Such the mystic Power and influence radiated, From a temple dedicated To the Lord.
331
NATURAL CURIOSITY.
Rev. Samuel Scoville, a native of Cornwall, pastor of church at Norwich, N. Y., followed with a happy address, and the exercises were closed with the benediction by the pastor.
The chapel was dedicated Jan. 3, 1878.
ORDER OF EXERCISES.
PART FIRST-Afternoon.
Doxology. Scriptural Reading-I. Kings, 8 Chap. Rev. F. S. Fitch. Music by choir-" Brightest and Best." Business Report. R. R. Pratt.
Presentation of the chapel to the church from the donors. Dea. T. S. Gold. Reception Address. Rev. C. N. Fitch, Pastor. Music-"Rock of Ages." Dedicatory Prayer. S. J. White, D. D., Minister of First Church. Music-" I love Thy Kingdom, Lord."
PART SECOND.
"Giving as related to worship." Rev. W. H. McAllister, Litchfield, and Dr. H. M. Knight, Lakeville. Music-" Turn then unto us."
" Work as related to worship." Revs. J. O. Stevenson and S. H. Reid. " Respect unto the recompense of the reward." Rev. C. L. Kitchell. Music-" Coronation." COLLATION AT VILLAGE HALL.
6.30-Evening.
Sermon by Rev. Frank S. Fitch of Stratford. Text, Psalm xix, 14.
The whole cost of the building and furnishing was reported as amounting to $4,000. Builders contract $2,600; value of the site, the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Elbert Shepard and son; the bell from David Ocain; lamps from Geo. S. Hart of New York; pulpit chair from S. W. Gledhill of Chester; Bible and hymn book from Mrs. Noah Baldwin; other gifts from individuals; cushions, car- pets, etc., from the ladies; grading, foundation, and heaters, make up the foregoing estimate. Erected in the spirit of Christian unity, may the work prove a blessing to the community.
NATURAL CURIOSITY.
I have to thank Mr. Harry Sedgwick for information of a remarkable rock in the Hollow, in a northeasterly direction from the residence of Miss Hannah Harrison. Mr. Sedgwick says, and I agree with him, "that this rock would attract notice even in Monument Park or any other of the famed rock localities of Colorado."
332
HISTORY OF CORNWALL.
This rock, as well as the other bowlders in the vicinity, and the bed-rock, are a peculiar kind of gneiss, full of small nodules of quartz, which give an ancient and roughened aspect to the surface, from the wearing away of the softer materials, cemented together and rendered heavy, tough, and dark by hornblende and iron. The especial rock of interest is a bowlder of irregular shape, about twenty feet long and ten feet in diameter, perched on top of two other bowlders of the same kind, some four feet apart, and with space high enough for a boy to pass under upright. This big boulder thus poised has a rift, where the two pieces have slid a little from their original union, and at first thought we are afraid to climb it, for fear of its instability, but when we remember that it weighs perhaps two hundred tons, our weights as we climb its jagged surface will do little to disturb its equilibrium.
PHYSICIANS.
Most of those who have practiced medicine in Cornwall have been referred to elsewhere. Dr. Hollister from Salisbury, resided at the Center for several years, about 1830. Dr. John Scoville, after practicing at North Cornwall for fifteen years, about 1845 removed to Ashley Falls, Mass., where he now resides. Dr. Smith from Kent, practiced at West Cornwall about 1843, and went West. Dr. Edward Sanford from Goshen, resided at West Cornwall for nearly thirty years, till 1876, when he bought the residence of the late Dr. B. B. North, at South Cornwall, and continues his practice there. Dr. Elias B. Heady is now practicing at Cornwall Bridge. Sufficient to say of them that they have been faithful and generally successful in affording such relief to suffering humanity as comes within the power of the physician to bestow.
In January, 1878, Franklin W. Hall, M.D., from New Haven, takes up his residence at West Cornwall as a physician.
List of soldiers killed in battle, or who died of wounds or disease in the war of 1862-1865.
The following list kept by me at the time was mislaid, and but recently came to light-it contains some names that did not en- list from Cornwall. It has been recently examined by others, and pronounced substantially correct:
333
RECENT CITIZENS.
Maj-Gen. John Sedgwick.
Capt. Amos T. Allen.
Lieut. William Cogswell.
John Mills.
Sergt. Crawford H. Nodine.
Harvey Ford.
Henry Fieldsend.
Myron Hubbell.
Henry Peck.
Charles McCormick.
Patrick Troy.
James H. Roraback.
E. L. Nickerson.
Charles Hotchkiss.
Joseph Payne.
John McGown.
Corp. Henry L. Vaill.
Thomas Sherman.
Lieut. A. B. Swift.
Philo Cole.
Sergt. George Page.
Elisha Sole.
Lieut. William R. Payne.
John Hawver.
Charles Read.
Henry Morse.
Edward P. Barnum.
William Slover.
Henry Freeman.
Norman Mansfield.
Surg. William North.
Lieut. Fuller Nettleton.
ยท Paschal North.
William Ford.
Lucien Rouse.
Horace Sickman.
John Ford. Martin Scovill.
Allen G. Williams.
James Sterling.
Lewis Sawyer.
Peter Howard.
Henry Wright.
James Van Buren.
Herman Bonney.
Orlando Pritchard.
Andrew Green (col.)
RECENT CITIZENS.
Among the more recent comers to Cornwall are James Cochrane from Goshen, in 1845; originally came from the north part of Ireland. Has a large family, mostly married and settled in West Cornwall, some of whom have held important offices of trust in town affairs. Respectability and a handsome property are the results of industry.
John Thompson came from the north of Ireland in 1858. Has lived mostly on Cream Hill, and has recently purchased a part of the farms lately owned by Albert Hart and Elijah Nettleton. He has a large family of promising children.
Albert Robinson.
George C. Pendleton.
Charles Western (col.)
Rev. Jacob Eaton.
Henry Green (col.) William White.
334
HISTORY OF CORNWALL.
John Peter Fritz came from Germany in 1858. Is a profes- sional miller, and now runs the grist mill at the old stand, owned by T. S. Gold. He has purchased the homestead of the late Wm. Stoddard, where he now resides.
George Vollmiller from Germany makes shears at West Corn- wall; firm of Vollmiller & Beck, owning the so-called Gardiner property.
John Wood from near New York, connected with J. Mallinson, who owns the Housatonic dam at West Cornwall, the grist-mill, foundry, and shear-shop.
William Stratman from Germany, owns and occupies the farm in East street, formerly owned by Rogers White; the old Birds- eye place.
Joseph Whitney came from Salisbury, and lives at South Corn- wall. His son Ernest is seeking a liberal education.
Archelaus and Smith Nickerson, brothers, came from Sharon about 1842. They brought with them as their riches bright and promising families of children.
Hermon Fairchild came from Sharon in 1877, bought the farm in North Cornwall formerly owned by Earl Johnson.
W. H. Porter, from Lee, Mass., druggist at West Cornwall, and deputy postmaster.
These all have promising families, and it requires but small gift of prophecy to see their children, and the children of others like them, largely the landholders and the business men of the town- ship. These names must be taken as a sample, not as a full list, of those who will be likely to appear as the families most prom- inent in town when the historian of 1977 shall make his record.
CEMETERIES.
The oldest burial ground used in Cornwall was on the hill west of the present residence of Ozias Palmer. Few marked graves remain, as some bodies have been removed, and time has effaced the testimonials from others. Its neglected condition is dis- creditable.
The cemetery near South Cornwall has been occupied nearly 120 years, as we find tombstones marked 1763, and some may be earlier. By the liberality of Mr. J. C. Calhoun, assisted by others, not only has this ground been enlarged and handsomely laid out, but provision has been made for its care in the future. Mr. Cal- houn left $1,000 as a fund, the interest to be annually expended
335
CONCLUSION.
in the care of the cemetery. The spirit manifested by the citizens in the neighborhood in beautifying these grounds is in striking contrast with the neglect of the first-mentioned burial-place.
Cornwall Hollow has the old cemetery on the hill, on the road leading to Goshen west side, and the new one, opened early in the present century, near the Baptist Church.
About fifty years since, a small burying-ground was set apart near North Cornwall. This has since been enlarged. There is another in the southwest part of the town, near Cornwall Bridge, and still another in the southeast part, on the old Warren turn- pike. A few stones still standing near the North Cornwall church mark the graves of some who died of small-pox. Others who died of the same disease are buried on the old Wright farm, on the old Sharon and Goshen turnpike, where a marble monument marks the burial-place of Capt. Joel Wright and family.
CONCLUSION.
My thanks are due to the many friends who have contributed to these records. It is not my fault that any families are omitted. A notice of my intention to publish a History of Cornwall was issued in September, 1874. I have devoted all the leisure at my command since that time to the work, and in addition to the general published request, I have made personal solicitations of many individuals who have failed to respond by furnishing me with family records, which they alone possess, and I cannot in justice to those who have been prompt, longer delay the pub- lication. While no one can be better aware than myself of its imper- fections, and for which I beg the indulgence of the reader, it is not without some pride that I offer this volume to the citizens of Cornwall, and those who have gone out from us-pride for having gathered so much that would otherwise have been lost, and placed it in a perma- nent form; in happily blending the grave and the gay, the substantial facts of town history with the lighter effervescence of the times, thus securing a general reading of the volume, and in connection with the "Sun pictures " making it a household book for Cornwall ; but above all, is my pride that as a resident in Cornwall, I may claim some share of the honor, which so many noble and good men and women have con- ferred upon it, and expressing the hope that the memory of their virtues may not be buried with them, but that as our children learn of their toil, sacrifice, and vietory, they may emulate their example.
PART II.
The Foreign Mission School. BY REV. E. C. STARR, Pastor of First Congregational Church, Cornwall.
Between the years 1806 and 1816 several boys had drifted away from the Sandwich Islands as seamen and became tempo- rarily residents of New England ; some of them had begun to ac- quire an education by private assistance and a few, in 1816, were gathered into a flourishing school at Morris, Conn. Henry Obookiah, one of the most influential, had joined the church in Torringford the previous year, and was preparing to be a mission- ary to his native land under the direction of the Litchfield North Consociation.
In 1816 the American Board determined to establish a separate school for these heathen youth, in the hope of making missionaries of them. Litchfield county was much interested, for most of them were within its bounds, and a committee of the board, looking about the county in search of a location, came to Cornwall. Here a school building, recently erected, largely the gift of Capt. Pierce, was offered free, and the Board purchased the large house west of the village for commons and a house partly completed, on the south side of the green, for the principal.
The school building was 40 by 20, two stories, the upper to be used as a dormitory ; 80 acres of woodland and 75 of arable land was also purchased. The boys in vacation prepared the winter's fuel; and at all times were taught practical agriculture, both for education and means of support.
The school was a success in its time, as results show ; but, as the years passed, two young Cherokees of marked ability and char- acter married white wives from Cornwall families, which acts made so much commotion as to impair the standing of the school, and to lead the Indians not to send their boys thither any longer. More- over, the climate proved trying to the natives of warm countries. Patoo, Kirkpatrick, Obookiah, and several other Sandwich Island-
342
HISTORY OF CORNWALL.
ers had died, and it was now deemed better that they should be educated by missionaries at home.
The establishment of missions among the Cherokees, Choctaws, and Hawaiians, from whom most of the pupils came, had made that now both possible and cheaper. There were in all nearly one hundred pupils gathered here, ranging from boys hardly in their teens to well-developed young men. A few were Christians be- fore they came; twenty-two joined the church here and several after leaving, while a number never professed Christianity, and a few of those who did subsequently relapsed. They came from everywhere, and talked all sorts of languages. One school exhi- bition contained on its program addresses in English, French, Cherokee, Hawaiian, Tahitian, and Malay. There were among the boys Chinese, Mexican, Greek, Jew, and Mohammedan. They came from the Cherokee, Choctaw, Delaware, Osage, Tusca- rora, Mohegan, Narragansett, Seneca, Oneida, St. Francis, Chip- peway, Chaughnawaga, Iroquois, and Stockbridge Indian tribes. Some were born in the Marquesas, Society, and Sandwich Islands ; some came from Zante, New Zealand, Sicily, Sumatra, Timor, and the Azores; they spoke French, Italian, Maltese, Hebrew, Portuguese, Arabic, and perhaps Hindostanee and Bengalese - about twenty-five languages in all.
Their support came from as diverse sources as themselves; a traveling agent in Massachusetts, aided by Obookiah, raised money for the establishment of the school, and a Prussian nobleman vol- unteered a considerable gift. At Farmington a collection was taken at a wedding, and in Charleston, S. C., about $400 was raised after addresses by certain Indian youths on their way home. The United States government paid the schooling of four boys for four years, while Wm. Kirkpatrick of Pennsylvania and Deacon Thomas Bassel of New York, and others, named boys after them- selves and supported them. Mr. Parker of Liverpool, and John Jay, our first Chief Justice, were contributors. President Day of Yale, the students of Middlebury College, the boys of Lawrence- ville, and the girls of Miss Pierce's famous school at Litchfield shared in the work.
Innumerable societies sprang up for its assistance, with names diverse but single purpose, each one standing for many interested souls. For example, at Saybrook a Female Owyhean Society; at
343
THE FOREIGN MISSION SCHOOL.
Salisbury a Female Fragment Society; at South Haven, L. I., a Female Benevolent Association ; Lee, Mass., Young People's Read- ing Society; Killingworth, a Corban Society; Oakham, Mass., Young Gentlemen's Benevolent Society; Columbia, Pa., Juvenile Mite Society ; Plainfield, Conn., Young Ladies' Dorcas Society ; Utica, N. Y., Female Cent Society of People of Color. Mrs. Sigourney, the Hartford poet, sent the boys two dozen suggestive quills. The people of Cornwall gave the use of some eight or ten acres of land and sent fourteen yoke of oxen to plow it, Mr. Stone asking the divine blessing on the field as they were about to begin their furrows. A blind old lady of 90 knit some stockings for the pupils, and a child, at Winchester, sent sixty-four cents, a premium received in school. Mr. Stone published quarterly lists of donations, which ranged from a plow to Torrington's twenty- seven pairs of new pants; from a Cornwall load of hay to a gold ring; from a prize ticket and a bill on a broken bank to thirty- four volumes of poems ; from a sword and gold epaulettes to a peck of turnips. There were all imaginable things - heifer, hoes, hog, handerchiefs, hats, help, hams.
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