USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > New Haven > History and antiquities of New Haven, Conn. : from its earliest settlement to the present time, with biographical sketches and statistical information of the public institutions, &c., &c., 3rd ed. > Part 7
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Samuel Bayley.
Jeremiah Dixon. Ralph Deighton.
Richard Hull.
Widow Baldwin. Thomas Barnes.
William Davis.
Arthur Halbridge.
Nathan Birchall.
John Davis. Dumer.
Francis Hall.
William Bassett.
Thomas Dickinson. Andrew Hull.
William Ball.
Benjamin Hawley.
Robert Burnett.
John Dillingham. Abraham Doolittle.
John Hull.
Nicholas Baly.
George Dunning.
Theophilus Higginson.
Rice Edwards.
Joseph Alsop.
Allen Ball.
Thomas Chambers.
Timothy Forde.
Robert Hill.
Mathias Hitchcock.
Thomas Blakesley.
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Haines. Edward Harwood. Huitt. Heckock. William Harding. William Hawkins, John Hill. Edward Hitchcock. John Hunter. James Haywood. John Honedell. Luke Hitchcock. John Hutchison. Ralph Harrison. John Harriman. - Hopkins. Hunt. William Ives. Thomas Iles. John Jenner. Thomas Johnson. Thomas Jeffreys. John Johnson. William James. Robert Johnson. Richard Jewell. Thomas James. Thomas Kimberley. John Kimberley. William Knowles. Roger Knapp. Thomas Knowles. Richard Lovell. John Lovell. Thomas Laude. Thomas Lupton. Benjamin Linge. Andrew Low. John Livermore. George Larrimore. George Lamberton. Richard Low. Thomas Lamson. Henry Lendall. Lucas. Lucking. John Lawrence. James Love. Thomas Leaver. Henry Line. )
Thomas Lord. Philip Leake. Robert Lea. John Lawrenson. Philip Leete. Ralph Lines. John Linley.
Richard Lambert.
Richard Malbon. John Mosse.
Matthew Moulthrop.
William Preston.
Richard Mansfield.
Henry Morrell.
Thomas Manchester.
Andrew Messenger.
Thomas Mounson.
William Potter.
Thomas Mouland.
Thomas Morris.
John Moody.
Thomas Mitchell.
Richard Merriman.
Peter Pruden.
Richard Platt.
Widow Potter.
Isaac Mould.
Dani l Paule.
Stephen Medcalf.
Mark Pearce.
Epraim Pennington.
William Paine.
Mighill Palmer.
Edward Parker.
John Pardy.
William Russell.
James Russell. Roe.
Henry Rudder forde. Matthew Row.
Thomas Robinson. John Reader.
Jonathan Reed.
Jonathan Rudd. Robert Seely. George Smith.
Old Father Sherman.
Widow Sherman.
Mrs. Swinerton. John Seckett. Abraham Smyth. Anthony Stevens. Henry Stowell.
James Stewart.
Richard Sperry.
7*
Thomas Powell. William Pecke.
Henry Pecke. Joseph Pecke. Robert Persons. Robert Pigg. Matthew Pierce.
Benjamin Porling. Thomas Pell. Richard Perry.
John Ponderson. John Potter. Edward Pateson. John Peacocke.
Francis Parrett. John Proute. Thomas Parsons. Elias Packmore.
John Massam.
Peter Mallery. Nathan Merriman.
John Mason.
John Meigs. Marshall.
Samuel Martin. Mead. Robert Martin. Jonathan Marsh. William Mecar. Robert Meaker.
Thomas Meakes. Robert Newman. Francis Newman.
Richard Newman. William Newman. Edward Newton. Thomas Nash. John Nash. Joseph Nash. Adam Nichols. Thomas North. Richard Osborne. Thomas Osborne. John Owen.
Richard Miles.
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Ambrose Sutton. William Stow. Johnathan Sergant. Abraham Stolyon. Thomas Soule. Humphra Spinnage. George Spencer.
Robert Tamage.
Edmand Tooly. Martin Titchin.
Lawrence Watts. John Wakefield.
George Warde.
Lawrence Warde.
Benjamin Willmott. Jeremy Whitnell. William White.
Edward Watson.
John Walker.
Samuel Wilson.
John Wakeman.
Thomas Whitway.
Moses Wheeler.
Thomas Wheeler.
Edw'd Wigglesworth. Richard Webb.
William Wooden.
Thomas Welch.
Widow Williams.
Edward Woodcliff.
Zachariah Whitman.
John Whitmore.
David Yale.
Thomas Toby.
Matthew Wilson.
Thomas Yale.
In 1644, New Haven sent help to Fairfield and Stam- ford, as those towns had not numbers sufficient to defend themselves from the attacks of the Indians.
In this year, an Indian was executed at New Haven for attempting to murder a woman. The executioner cut off his head with a falchion ; but it was cruelly done. He gave the Indian eight blows before he effected his ob- ject. The Indian sat erect and motionless until his head was severed from his body.
New Haven, having been exceedingly disappointed in trade, and sustained great damages at Delaware, and the large estates which they brought into New England rap- idly declining, this year, made uncommon exertions, as far as possible, to retrieve their former losses. Combin- ing their money and labors, they built a ship, at Rhode Island, of 150 tons, an ' freighted her for England, with the best part of their commercial estates. Mr. Gregson, Capt. Turner, Mr. Lamberton, and five or six of their principal men, embarked on board. They sailed from New Haven in January, 1647. They were obliged to cut through the ice to get out of the harbor. The ship foundered at sea, and was never heard of after she sailed.
Nicholas Tanner. Goodman Tap. Robert Usher. John Vincon.
John Vincent.
Nathaniel Turner. William Touttle. William Thorpe. John Tompson. Anthony Tompson. William Tompson.
Andrew Ward. William Wilkes.
Samuel Whitehead. Isaac Whitehead.
Thomas Troubridge. Christerpher Todd. Edward Tenche. John Thomas. John Touttle.
John Wilforde.
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According to the belief of the inhabitants of that pe- riod. this ship was seen in the air after she was lost. We take the following account as we find it in Mather's Mag- nalia. Mather, hearing of the circumstances, wrote to his friend, the Rev. Mr. Pierpont, for information, and re- ceived from that gentleman the following answer :
" Reverend and Dear Sir
" In compliance with your desires, I now give you the relation of that apparition of a ship in the air, which I have received from the most credible, judicious, and curious surviving observers of it.
"In the year 1647, besides much other lading, a far more rich treasure of passengers, (five or six of which were persons of chief note and worth in New Haven,) put themselves on board a new ship, built at Rhode Island, of about 150 tons; but so walty, that the master (Lamberton) often said she would prove their grave. In the month of January, cutting their way through much ice, on which they were accompanied with the Rev. Mr. Davenport, be- sides many other friends, with many fears, as well as prayers and tears, they set sail. Mr. Davenport, in prayer, with an observable emphasis, used these words : " Lord, if it be thy pleasure to bury these our friends in the bottom of the sea, they are thine ; save them !" The spring following, no tiding of these friends arrived with the ships from England. New Haven's heart began to fail her. This put the godly people on much prayer, both public and private, that the Lord would (if it was his pleasure) let them hear what he had done with their dear friends, and prepare them with a suitable submission to his holy will. In June next ensuing, a great thunder storm arose out of the north-west; after which, the hemisphere being serene. about an hour before sunset, a ship of like dimensions with the aforesaid, with her canvass and colors abroad, (though the wind northernly,) appeared in the air, coming up from our harbor's mouth, which lies southward from the town, seemingly with her sails filled under a fresh gale, holding her course north, and continuing under observation, sailing against the wind for the space of half an hour. " Many were drawn to behold this great work of God ; yea, the very children cried out, ' There's a brave ship !' At length, crowd- ing up as far as there is usually water sufficient for such a vessel, and so near some of the spectators, as that they imagined a man might hurl a stone on board her, her main-top seemed to be blown off, but left hanging in the shrouds ; then her mizzen-top; then all her masting seemed blown away by the board. Quickly after, the hulk brought unto a careen, she overset, and so vanished into a smoky cloud, which in some time dissipated, leaving, as everywhere else, a clear air. The admiring spectators could distinguish the several colors of each part, the principal rigging, and such propor- tions as caused not only the generality of persons to say, This was the mould of their ship, and thus was her tragic end, but Mr. Daven-
1
!!
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port, also, in public declared to this effect : That God had conde- scended, for the quieting of their afflicted spirits, this extraordinary account of his sovereign disposal of those for whom so many fervent prayers were made continually. Thus I am, Sir, " Your humble servant, " JAMES PIERPONT."
The loss of this ship, with the former losses which the company had sustained, broke up all their expectation with respect to trade ; and, as they conceived themselves disadvantageously situated for husbandry, they adopted the desigu of leaving the country. Accordingly, they entered into treaties for the city of Galloway, in Ireland, which they designed to have settled, as a small province for themselves. They were, however, disappointed with respect to all these designs, and their posterity, who they feared would be reduced to beggary, made respectable farmers, and flourished no less than their neighbors.
It appears that the first planters had no written code of Laws. The Court determined all differences, &c., ac- cording to their views of justice and propriety, as occa- sion required.
The following extracts are taken from the ancient Re- cords of New Haven during this period :
" At a Court held at New Haven, A. D. 1643 .- Andrew Low, Jr., for breaking into Mr. Ling's house, where he brake open a cup- board, and took from thence some strong water, and 6d in money, and ransackt the house from roome to roome, and left open the doors, for which fact being committed to prison, brake forth and escaped, and still remains horrible obstinate and rebellious against his parents, and incorrigible under all the means that have been used to reclaim him. Whereupon, it was ordered that he shall be as severely whipt as the rule will bear, and work with his father as a prisoner, with a lock upon his leg, so that he may not escape."
" December 3d, 1651 .- It was propounded that some safer way might be found out to Connecticote, that the danger of the East River may be avoyded. The new waye was desired to be viewed again, as William Bradley offered to lend his cannow to lie in the East River, if the town will find ropes to draw it to and agayne."
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" A Court holden 3d November, 1639 .- It is ordered that Mr. Hop- kins shall have two hogsheads of lime for his present use, and as much more as will finish his house, as he now intends itt-he think- ing that two hogsheads more will serve.
" It is ordered, that a meeting-house shall be built forth with, fifty foote square; and that the carpenters shall fall timber where they can find it, till allotment be layed out, and men know their proprietyes.
" It is ordered, that Mr. Gregson and Mr. Evance shall have fower dayes liberty after this day to square their timber, before the former order shall take hold of them.
" It is ordered that Mr Eaton, Mr. Davenport, Robert Newman, Matthew Gilbert, Capt. Turner, and Thomas Fugill, shall from henceforward have the disposing of all house lotts, yett undisposed of, about this towne, to such persons as they shall judge meete for the good of the plantation; and thatt none come to dwell as plant- ers here without their consent and allowance, whether they come in by purchase or otherwise.
" It is ordered, that every one that bares armes shall be compleat- ly furnished with arms, viz. : a muskett, a sword, bandaleers, a rest, a pound of powder, 20 bullets fitted to their muskett, or four pound of pistoll shott, or swan shott at least, and be ready to show. them in the market-place upon Monday, the 16th of this monthe, before Captaine Turner and Lieutenant Seeley, under the penalty of 20s. fine for every default or absence."
" 4th of December, 1639 .- It is ordered, that Thomas Saule shall agree with Goodman Spinnage before the next Court, or else the Court will determine the difference between them.
" Goodman L- was whipped and sent out of the plantation, being not onely a disorderly person himselfe, butt an incourager of others to disorderly drinking meetings.
" George S-, being prophane and disorderly in his whole con- versation, and an abettor of others to sin, and drawing on others into a conspericie to carry away the Cock to Virgenia, was whipped and sent out of the plantation.
" Jon Proute, Hen. Brasier, and Will Bromfield, was whipped for joyning in the aforesaid conspericie, and the said Hen. and Wm. were ordered to weare irons during the magistrate's pleasure."
" At a General Court held the 1st of the 7th month, 1640 .- It is or- dered that none in this plantatione shall either sell or lett a lott to any strainger, for yeares, without allowance from the Courte."
" 8th Month, 1642 .- It 's ordered, that whosoever findes any things thatt are Lost, shall deliver them to the Marshall, to be kept safe till the owners challenge them."
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" 2d November, 1642 .- Jervas Boykin is ordered to pay unto George Badcocke the sum of 20s., for taking his cannow without leave.
" It is ordered, that those who have ffarmes att the River, Called stony River, shall have liberty to make a sluice in the river for their owne convenience."
" 7th December, 1642 .- Forasmuch as John Owen hath had some damage done in his corne by hogs, occasioned through the neglect of Mr. Lamberton, John Bud, and Will Preston, in not making up their fence in season, it is therefore ordered, thatt the said Mr. Lam- berton, John Bud, and Will Preston shall make satisfaction to the said John Owen for the damage done-viz. : eight days' worke and two pecks of corne, which is to be pay'd according to the several apportions of ffence unset up respectively."
About the year 1655, Gov. Eaton was desired to per- fect a code of laws for the colony of New Haven. For his assistance in the compilation, he was requested to consult the Rev. Mr. Cotton's discourse on civil govern- ment in a new plantation, and the laws of Massachusetts. Having accomplished the work, and the laws having been examined and approved by the elders of the jurisdiction, they were presented to the General Court, who ordered that five hundred copies should be printed. The copy was sent to England, that the impressions might be made under the inspection of Governor Hopkins. He pro- cured the printing of the laws at his own expense, and sent them the number proposed, with some other valuable books, as a present .*
* Much has been said and written respecting the " Blue Laws" of Connecticut, particularly those of New Haven colony ; and much merriment has been indulged at the expense of the Puritans, and much obloquy has been cast upon their memory on this account. The work which has given currency to these misrepresentations, more than any other, is an apochryphal work, known by the name of " Peters' History of Connecticut." Peters, the author, being a zealous royalist in Connecticut, was so roughly used on account of his exertions in the royal cause, that he was obliged to leave the country. Smarting under the indignities which he had received, he went to London, where, in 1781, he published his " General His- tory of Connecticut," &c., without his name. The work was evi-
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In 1656, complaints were made to the Court, at New Haven, that the inhabitants of Greenwich were under little government, and demeaned themselves in a lawless manner. They admitted of drunkenness among them- selves and among the Indians, by reason of which, dam- ages were done to themselves. and to the towns in the vicinity, and the public peace was disturbed. They re-
dently designed chiefly to render the people of Connecticut odious and despicable abroad. Such was the grossness of its falsehoods, that any attempt to expose or contradict them was deemed unne- cessary.
In Professor Kingsley's Historical Discourse, on the Two Hun- dredth Anniversary of the first Settlement of New Haven, he states : " Dr. Trumbull once told me, in reply to the question, why, in his History of Connecticut, he had made no allusion to this work of Dr. Peters, that he had considered a reference to it as wholly unnecessary, since any one, on very slight examination, would see that it was refuted in so many of its statements by indubitable pub- lic documents, that it could gain no credit. He said that he had been well acquainted with Dr. Peters from very early life, that they were contemporary in College, and that an occasional intercourse between them had been maintained, till Dr. Peters went to England, in 1774. He added, that of all men with whom he had ever been acquainted, Dr. Peters, he had thought, from his first knowledge of him, the least to be depended upon as to any matter of fact ; es- pecially 'in story-telling.' "
Peters, in describing New Haven, says it is " divided into three hundred squares, of the size of Bloomsbury Square, with streets twenty yards wide between each division. Forty of these squares are already built upon, having houses of brick and stone on each front, above five yards asunder ; every house with a garden, that produces vegetables sufficient for the family. Two hundred houses are annually erected." New Haven, at the time this was written, had probably not more than four hundred and twenty houses, ten or twelve of which may have been of brick or stone.
In his account of Connecticut River, he says, " that about 200 miles from the Sound, the water passes through a chasm, formed by ' two shelving mountains of solid rock,' and 'is consolidated, without frost, by pressure, by swiftness, between the pinching, sturdy rocks, to such a degree of induration, that an iron crow floats smoothly down its current ; here iron, lead, and cork have one common weight ; here, steady as time, and harder than marble, the stream passes irresistible, if not swift as lightning ; the electric fire rends trees in pieces with no greater ease than does this mighty water.' Yet on this water, 'harder than marble,' a squaw, he informs his readers, passed through this chasm in a canoe."
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ceived children and servants who fled from the correction of their parents and masters, and unlawfully joined per- sons in wedlock, with other misdemeanors.
Upon this, the General Court asserted their right to Greenwich, and ordered the inhabitants to submit to their jurisdiction. But they continued much in the same state, and sent a letter to the Court, denying their jurisdiction, and refusing any subjection to the colony, unless they should be compelled to it by the Parliament. The Court, therefore, resolved, that, unless they should appear be- fore the Court and make their submission by the 25th of June, Richard Crab, and others, who were the most stub- born among them, should be arrested and punished ac- cording to law. They therefore, some time after, sub- jected their persons and estates to the government of New Haven .- Trumbull's Hist. of Conn., Vol. 1.
In 1665, the colonies of Connecticut and New Haven were united, but not without a long and warm opposition from the latter colony. Among the causes which ex- cited this opposition was the laxity of discipline in the Churches of Connecticut.
Mr. Davenport and others, in the New Haven colony, were strong in the opinion that all government should be in the Church. No person in this colony could be a free- man, unless he was a member in full communion. But in Connecticut, all orderly persons, possessing a freehold to a certain amount, might be made free of the corpora- tion. These gentlemen who were so strong in the oppo- sition, were doubtless jealous that an union would mar the purity, order, and beauty of their churches, and have an ill influence on the civil administrations. The removal of the seat of government, with strong prejudices, all operated in forming the opposition.
In the year 1667, the Rev. Mr. Davenport, of New Haven, having been invited to take charge of the First Church in Boston, accepted the invitation, and the next year removed to that capital. He had been about thirty years minister at New Haven, and was greatly esteemed
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and beloved by his congregation. His Church were very unwilling that he should leave them, and never formally gave their consent. Owing to his removal, the Church and congregation at New Haven for many years were unable to unite in the choice of a person to take the pas- toral charge of them. Mr. Davenport died at Boston of an apoplexy, March 15th, 1670, in the 73d year of his age.
On the 23d of October. 1740, the Rev. George Whit- field paid a visit to New Haven, where he preached, and had the pleasure of seeing numbers daily impressed with divine truth. About the same time, there was a great revival of religion throughout the New England States, which gave rise to numerous irregularities, as lay ex- horters and ministers sprung up who were inclined to follow impulses, professing to know from an inward feel- ing the state of men's souls-who were converted and who were not.
" Among persons of this description, was a Mr. James Davenport, of Southold, on Long Island, who had the reputation of being a pious, sound, and faithful minister. He preached at New Haven, where he gave an unre- strained liberty to noise and outcry, both of distress and joy, in time of divine service. He promoted both with all his might, raising his voice to the highest pitch, to- gether with the most violent agitations of body. With his unnatural and violent agitations of the body, he united a strange singing tone, which greatly tended to raise the feelings of weak and undiscerning people, and conse- quently to heighten the confusion among the passionate of his hearers. This odd, disagreeable tuning of the voice in exercises of devotion was caught by the zealous exortists, and became a characteristic of the separate preachers. The whole sect was distinguished by this sanctimonious tone. It was Mr. Davenport's manner, when a member had cried out, and there had been great agitations of the body, to pronounce these tokens of di- vine favor; and what was still worse, he would declare those persons who were the subject of these outcries and agitations to be converted ; or that they had come to Christ. He encouraged any who were reputed to be
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lively, zealous Christians, to exhort publicly in full as- semblies, with ministerial assurance and authority, though altogether raw and unskillful in the word of righteous- ness. What had still more mischievous influence than all the rest, was his undertaking to examine his brethren in the ministry as to their spiritual state, and publicly to decide concerning them, whether they were converted or unconverted. Such as refused to be examined by him were certain to be denounced as either unconverted, or in a very doubtful condition. Some whom he had pri- vately examined, and, to all appearance, were of as much grace as himself, he would, in his public prayers, pro- nounce to be unconverted. Thus, disorder, jealousy, and confusion were sown in the Churches. He represented it as a dreadful thing to hear unconverted ministers ; that their preaching was worse than poison ; and he warned the people against it."
His brethren remonstrated against these wild measures, and represented to him that he must be under the influ- ence of a wrong spirit ; but he, persisting in his course, was complained of, and brought before the General Court of Massachusetts, and dismissed, as not being of a sound mind.
Two young men belonging to Yale College, adopting the sentiments of the separatists, and refusing to acknowl- edge their error, were expelled from that institution in the year 1744."- Trumbull's Hist. of Conn., Vol. 2.
The annexed map is a reduced copy of the oldest map of the town of New Haven now known to be in exist- ence. It exhibits all the public buildings and private dwellings, with the names of many of the occupants. It settles the point respecting the place where Col. Dixwell, one of the regicides, resided. His dwelling house, as will be seen by the map, was near the corner of Grove and College-streets, and opposite the garden of the Med- ical Institution.
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A plan of the town of New Haven, as taken by Mr. Joseph Brown, in the year 1724.
West lane
College
R
il
71.
Mill
Lane
M
. .
.
t
T
V
.
Ly
Marsh
Lane
Whuf
Field
W
14
Harbour
-6
7
&
S
9
=10
E
a Edyes.
6 Edyes.
n J. Bradley.
o Nat. Bradley.
2 Mansfield's.
c White.
p Thompson's.
3 Goram's.
d Nott.
e Dawson.
f Beecher.
g Thomas.
s Roswell's.
t Talmage.
8 Rothbotham.
j School. )
k Old Dixwell's.
w Dan. Bradley.
x Jonas Todd.
7 J. Brown's.
h Gregson's.
¿ Meeting-House.
u Nath'l Jones.
v Munson.
9 Nat. Brown's.
10 C. Brown's.
l Sam. Tuttle.
m Deacon Bradley.
q Trowbridge.
4 Collins.
5 Rutherford's.
r Trowbridge.
6 Sherman's.
11 Engliss.
Neck
a little
bridge
Lbridge
Pain's Gate
y James Talmadge.
1 Atwater's.
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In 1748, (twenty-four years after the above map was taken,) Gen. Wadsworth, of Durham, drew a plan of the town, with all the buildings, to which was added the names and professions at that period, also the location of lots to many of the first grantees. This map was pub- lished about 1806, by T. Kensett, engraver.
The following are the Names and Professions of the In- habitants of New Haven in 1748.
Austin, Ste., Joiner.
Cooper, Farmer.
Austin, Sam., Hatter.
Curtis, Priest.
Atwater, Dav.
Carver, Widow.
Atwater, John, Cooper.
Clapp, T., Pres. Yale College.
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