USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Cheshire > History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1694-1840, including Prospect, which, as Columbia parish, was a part of Cheshire until 1829; > Part 12
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Grant such Relieff as Your Wisdom shall think Meet and best, and your Memorialist Shall as in Duty Bound etc.
Dated New Cheshire December 19 ano 1769-
Nathaniel Moss, Reuben Atwater 1 agents for said Society
Eliakim Hitchcock,
"The Question was put Whether you will do any Thing upon the memorial .- Voted in the Negative a true record Test Caleb Hall Clerk-"
At a special Town Meeting in Wallingford May 14th, A. D., I770.
"On the memorial of the Inhabitants of the Parrish of New Cheshire in the town of Wallingford-to the Honorable General Assembly holden at Hartford May 1770, Praying that said Par- rish be made into a Distinct Town of themselves and be called by the name of the Town of Cheshire as by their memorial Dated April 22d, 1770, and said Town being summons to appear before sd Assembly to shew Reasons if any they have why sd memorial should not be granted, etc.
"The Question was put whether the Town will do anything respecting said Memorial.
"Voted they would appoint an Agent for said Town on said memorial & accordingly chose Macock Ward Esq. to be their agent."I
At the session of the Assembly Captain Macock Ward suc- ceeded in defeating the prayer of the New Cheshier memorial- ists for "town privileges." There is no report of the final action, because at that session the Assembly enacted that all such pet- tions should be referred, and, when final action was to be taken it was to be done by a yea or nay vote on the committee's report.
IOn the Wallingford records there is a vote Dec. 5th, 1738. "The town gave liberty to Mecok Ward to sett a clok in ye steeple:and if any damadge to ye belfre:hee will pay it and taik away ye clok."
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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE.
The memorial may have been adversely acted upon by the com- mittee to whom it was referred.
The next year a Memorial from "Waterbury South Farms" (Prospect) to be made a parish was "agreed" to be opposed in town meeting and Colonel Benjamin Hall and Captain Cornelius Brooks were appointed a committee. The town denied the pe- tition and the people on the "West Rocks" continued to attend church in New Cheshier, which parish now appointed Thomas Atwater "to colect the Church of England Ministers rate."!
The meeting house being in need of repairs, it was "agreed" to put in new underpinning, "repair the Turritt sufficient to hold a bel," and it was voted to get a bell of 450 lbs. weight at the dis- cretion of the Committee and they also "agreed that they which tune the Psalme Be seated in the front seat in the galrey," etc.
They may have bought the bell but did not set it up until 1776, when "Liberty Bells" were in demand all over the Colony. By a later vote in 1778 it was "agreed to ring but one bell at noon on ye Sabath."
It should be noted here, that year after year, from 1723 up to the hard times that were now beginning, the inhabitants of New Cheshier parish had not once failed to annually provide for their schools, which were in part sustained by the money received by the town of Wallingford as its share of the Ohio and Western lands sold by the Colony of Connecticut. The portion of this money allotted to the parish of New Cheshier, was most all held in bonds of the Western Reserve Corporation, but some of it was placed in Bank by the school committee who were annually ap- pointed.I This money was usually loaned out to those who would borrow it, and for many years Mr. Samuel Beach was chosen to attend to that business.
In the spring of 1771 there had been many freshets and dis- astrous floods ; some bridges had been carried away upon the river and much damage done, not only in Wallingford, but along Mill and Tenn Mile Rivers. "The so-called Johnsons, Royces, and Hough's bridges the town voated to repair or re-
IIn 1730 there were three school committeemen. In 1770 the number had increased to thirteen.
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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE.
place them." When the spring of the following year opened, Johnson's bridge "had been repaired by particular gentlemen," and as additional damage had been done to highways, the town "voated severally they would not rebuild Royses Bridge, but as to the Hough bridge and highway left it discretionary with ye selectmen." The New Cheshier people at the North Farms and on Cheshire street were probably pretty mad, until December, when the town "voated discretion to the selectmen" concerning "Johnsons Bridge & Royses bridge" and it was understood that some help would be extended to our "neighbours of ye New Cheshier Parish." It does not appear that the parish received much assistance; on the contrary the men were called upon to "turn out" and assist in the work necessary to be done all over town, before the winter storms should cause greater damage.
Meantime other troubles were being prepared to worry the hard-working people of the parish. A nephew of Rev. Mr. Hall (who was living in Wallingford), sent over the following procla- mation accompanied by a tax list, the collection of which at this time must have been considered particularly unwelcome.
EXECUTION FOR THE RATE.
TO Amasa Hitchcock of Wallingford in the County of New Haven Collector of the Town rate for the Parish of New Chesh- ire in said Town of Wallingford for the year 1774.
Greeting-
IN HIS MAJESTYS name you are hereby required forthwith to Levy and collect of the Persons named in the List herewith committed unto you Each one his several proportion is therein set down of the sum Total of such list being a Tax or sessment of one penny lawful money upon the pound Granted and agreed upon by the Inhabitants of the said town Regularly assembled in December 1773 for Defraying of the necessary charges arising within the same for the Ensewing year, and to Deliver the sum or sums you shall so Levy and Collect to the Treasury of said Town or to the selectmen of said town for the time being and
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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE.
if any person or persons shall neglect or refuse to make payment of the sum or sums whereof he or they respectively is set down in said List to distrain the goods or chattles of such person or per- sons and the same Dispose as the Law Directs Returning the overplus if any be unto the owner or owners and for want of Goods or Chattles whereon to make Distress you are to take the body or Bodys of the Person or Persons so refusing and him or them commit to the Keeper of the Gaol in New Haven in said County within the Prison there to remain until he or they pay and satisfy the several Sum or sums assessed upon him or them aforesaid and also satisfy your own fees unless the same or any part thereof upon application made to the County Court be abated.
"Dated in Wallingford Feby 8th 1774 "Caleb Hall Just Peace."
This "Execution for the Rate" was probably the last document isssued in Wallingford "In his Majesty's Name." There is no record that any delinquent taxpayer was sent to jail by the Col- lector.
This document is interesting reading at this time. It came to New Cheshier a month or two after orders had been issued for ascertaining the number of people living in the Colony of Con- necticut.
The Wallingford record reads "The following is an account of the Number of the Inhabetants of the town of Wallingford on the Ist day of January 1774 :the Orders for Numbering the Peo- ple came from the King and Council."
"the sum of ye old society 2130
"the sum of New Cheshier Parish 1933
"the sum of Merriden Parrish 0852
4915
"the sum Total of all ye whites 4777
the sum Total of all ye Blacks 138
4915
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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE.
The names of those persons who were taxed on the list for 1774 forwarded to Amasa Hitchcock with the "Execution" order, are here given, omitting the names of those New Cheshier inhab- itants who will be found already recorded in the tax list "For ye Ministers Rate" of 1762. The two lists will give the names, no doubt, of the persons living in the parish just before the Revo- lutionary war began, and six years before the town of Cheshire was incorporated.
The figures denote in pounds the sum on which the tax is laid.
ATWATER-Amos 37, Timothy 19.
ANDREWS-Thomas 30, Asahel 32, Bela 54.
BLACKSLEE-Moses III, Abner 36.
BEEBE-Ephraim 32.
BUNNEL-Stephen 19, Benjamin 2, Israel 58, Abner Jr. 20. BRYAN-John 38.
BROOKS-Stephen 21, Henry Jr. 38, Tanner 3.
BADGER-David 46.
BEACHER-Joseph 2, Isaac Jr. 29.
BRISTOL-Simeon II.
CLARK-Abel 22, Dimon 20, Silvanus 18, Samuel 25.
COOKE-Ezekiel 4, Benjamin 18.
COWLE (Cowell)-Josiah 2.
CALOG-See Kellogg. DUTTON-Daniel 74.
DOGESTER (Dorchester)-Reuben 21.
DODGE-Ezrah 33.
DOOLITTLE-Barnabas 20, Joseph 38, Ruth (widow) 36, Ambrose, Jr., 28, Charles 31.
Fox-Ebenezer 24. GAILORD-Thomas 62, Nathan, Jr., 20.
GRISWOLD-Jonathan 28.
HOTCHKISS-Jonathan 18, David 4, Jonah 65, Ephraim 21, Be- noni 30, Daniel III, Josiah, Jr., 39, David 44, Benjamin, Jr., 69.
HILLS-Asa 30, Jonas 34, Jonah Jr., 22, Esther (widow) 12.
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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE.
HITCHCOCK-Lemuel 18, David 37, Abner 28, Titus 51, Amasa 36, Amos 24, Bela, Sr., 144, Bela, Jr., 29, Mary (widow) 8, Thomas 21, Asahel 31.
HALL-Jonathan 38, Elias 60, William 31, Jared 59, Jonah 27, Benjamin, 3rd, 108.
HUTSON-Anne (widow) 6.
HULLS-Amos 70, Jesse 63, Abijah 43, Miles, Jr., 61.
IVES-John 21, Phinehas, Jr., 97, Phinehas, Sr., 24, Titus 72, Na- thaniel, Sr., 81, Nathaniel, Jr., 22, Isaac 14, Joel 18.
JOHNSON-Seth 25, John 18.
JONES-William 19, Elisha 18.
JOLY-John 19.
KELLOGG-Benjamin 3.
LEWIS-Abner 19, Amasa 27, John 29, Caleb, Jr., 21, Ebenezer 18. LINES-Erastus 23.
LAW-William 54.
Moss-Abigail (widow) 17, Thomas 43, Theophilus 45, Isaiah 40, Nathaniel 140.
MARTIN-Samuel 12, Isaac IS.
MUNSON-Samuel 23, Peter 50.
MERRIMAN-Lent 46, Hannah (widow) 55, Daniel 39.
MILES-Daniel 18.
MATTHEWS-Abel, Jr., 18, Reuben 43, Elizabeth 4, John IS, Eliada 21.
MIRRIAM-Samuel, Jr., 52, Munson 100.
MORRIS-Thomas 59, William 24.
MILLER-John 22.
MORGAIN-Abraham 29.
NEWTON-Jared 44.
PARKER-William 26, Job 18, Samuel 20, Amasa 21, Joseph, Jr.,
34, Jesse 24, Amos 56, Eldad 71.
PERKINS-John 37, Moses 25.
POTTER-John 15.
PLUMB-Benony 63.
PRINDLE-Jonathan 18.
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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE.
ROYCE (Rice)-Elisha 81, Robert 142, Levi 60, Jehiel 21, Sam- uel, Jr., 137.
RUSSELL-Nicholas 50.
RHOBACK-Jacob 30.
SANFORD-John, Sr., 46, John, Jr., 12, Gideon 54.
SANDERSON-William 39.
STREET-Samuel 18.
STONE-David 18.
SMITH-Ephraim, Jr., 53.
TUTTLE-Thankful (widow) 26, Lucius 48, Ichabod 21.
TURREL (Terrill)-Ephraim 72, Enoch 29, Ephraim, 2d, 30.
THOMPSON-Joseph 18.
TYLER-Joseph 37, Lydia (widow) 7.
TODD-Hezekiah 5.
TREAT-Samuel 22, John II.
UPSON-John 2, Amos 6, Timothy 3.
WILLMUT (Wilmot)-Elijah 47, Asa 134.
WARD-Timothy 19.
WOOLCUTT (Wolcot)-Abel 74.
WEEB (Webb)-Gideon 18.
YALE-Enos 18, Benjamin 132.
List of 1762-270 men Added by this list of 1774-169
439
No taxpayers in 1774
CHAPTER SIX.
OPPOSITION TO ENGLISH TAXATION-SLAVE OWNERS-CHESHIRE'S PART IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
In 1773 the Boston people had a "tea party" which brought upon the Massachusetts colony the infamous "Port Bill," a meas- ure that caused indignation meetings to be held in nearly every Connecticut town.
At Wallingford a town meeting was held in 1774, at which it was voted, "In consideration of the sufferings of the people of Boston in the Common Cause of Liberty, that committees be ap- pointed to collect subscriptions for their relief, etc." Eleven persons were appointed from Wallingford; six from the parish of New Cheshier, four from the parish of Meriden, and one for the Wallingford part of the Northford parish. These commit- teemen were instructed to send "their collections to the selectmen of the town of Boston to be disposed of at the discretion of said selectmen, for the benefit of the indigent sufferers by the Port Bill."
The Connecticut assembly voted favorably upon an invitation of the Colony of Massachusetts inviting delegates from all the Colonies to assemble at Philadelphia, on the 5th of September to deliberate upon plans for "mutual assistance," and "if need be re- sistance" to the increasing demands made upon them by the English King and his ministers.
This convention met on the day appointed. Twelve colonies were represented. It remained in session nearly two months, during which time they perfected a plan for Colonial Union, and adjourned on the 26th of October, 1774, to meet again on the Ioth of the following May, "unless the desired redress of Griev- ances should be obtained."
The Assembly of Connecticut met in October at New Haven, and decided to submit the Articles of Association to the sev-
(155)
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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE.
eral towns, and in addition to passing an elaborate act for or- ganizing troops for the defense of the Colony; they further ordered :
"Each military company in the colony shall be called out twelve half days and exercised in the use of their arms, between this time and the first of May. If any non-commissioned officer or private shall neglect to attend such exercises, he shall forfeit and pay for each half day, two shillings lawful money, to be divided equally among those on duty ; and a premium of six shillings shall be allowed each soldier who shall attend on said twelve half days."
It should be mentioned here, that for more than five years pre- vious to this enactment, the patriotic men, women and children of the Parish of New Cheshier, had, in common with the people in other towns, expressed in various ways their determined op- position to many of the laws the "King in Council" had pro- mulgated.
When the tea was taxed, the women drank no tea. When the law came that imposed a duty upon English cloth, the men sheared their own sheep, and the women spun the wool into yarn. When imported Irish linens were taxed, the farmers planted the seed and hetcheled their own flax, which the women and girls wove into garments. When candles became a royal monopoly and were not permitted to be sold without making a payment to the King's attorney or agent, the women got on very well by dipping rushes frequently in hot grease, cooled them off, and thus accumulated enough candle light to find their way about after dark. For every article on which the King or his officials-(who paid for the privilege)-claimed a tax, the people of New Chesh- ier parish either manufactured it themselves, or invented a sub- stitute. In this way most of the "Orders in Council" were nul- lified ; and because the "Sons and Daughters of Liberty" were so active in the colonies, troops were sent over to enforce enactments which the order loving people found many ways of evading short of open rebellion.
Our New Cheshier ancestors being "properly warned," went over to town to attend "A Legal town Meeting of the Inhabi-
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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE.
tants of Wallingford, convened on the 29th Day of November Anno Domini 1774"-(omitting the number of years his most Gracious Majesty had been on the throne).
"The Articles of Association of the American Colonial Con- gress, being read, together with the Resolutions of the Represen- tatives of this Colony thereon Voted to adopt the same, there being but three dissentients in a full meeting.
"In compliance with the Eleventh Article of the Agreement of said Congress, the following persons were chosen as a committee for the purposes therein mentioned.
"For the parish of New Cheshier Captain Ephraim Cook, Cap- tain Jesse Moss, Ensign John Beach, Mr. Timothy Hall, Mr. Eliakim Hitchcock and Mr. David Brooks."
For Wallingford, nine persons were appointed and two more for the Episcopal church. For Meriden four persons, and one for the Northford part of Wallingford.
Oliver Stanley, of Wallingford, and Deacon Samuel Beach of New Cheshier were voted the Committee on Correspondence.
Then it was "Voted not to countenance extravagance or en- tertainments."
After a vote of thanks to the Rev. Jas. Dana for his "patriotic speech" the meeting adjourned.
Important town meetings and generally all regular meetings were usually opened with prayer by one of the deacons or the minister. At this meeting the Rev. James Dana was probably called upon to invoke the divine blessing upon the deliberations of the townspeople.
The articles agreed upon in the Congress, pledged the "Dele- gates and the People of the several colonies they represented" to a policy of aggression which it was believed would bring about a redress of grievances. No article manufactured in England or the product of any of its islands was to be "imported, bought, sold or consumed" in the colonies. No rum, molasses, syrups, or wines were to be purchased by the people when brought into the colonies by English traders. No tea, coffee, pimento and other spices, sent by the English East India Company were to be used
158
HISTORY OF CHESHIRE.
by the people. Slaves were no longer to be imported and the trade was to be discontinued.
The Eleventh Article recommended that every county, city, and town, should appoint a "Committee whose business it shall be at- tentively to observe the conduct of all persons touching this As- sociation," and if they find any one violating its Articles, they were to make it known publicly, and thenceforth the people were to "break off all dealings with him or her, as foes to the rights of the colony." In other words they were to be a sort of Vigi- lance Committee, while the Correspondence Committee should keep the town posted upon what was being done elsewhere.
In the Connecticut Colony, the slave trade was never a very active one. The colony laws permitted the buying and selling of negroes, Indians and vicious white men and women. They also regulated their conduct, and punished slave owners who mal- treated their servants. Very few persons were rich enough to own more than one or two negroes, and the birth records of New Chesier do not show more than twenty or twenty-five slaves in the parish. Rev. Mr. Hall had several: Elnathan Beach had owned three or four; Captain Cook had some, and so had the late Col. Ben Hall. Occasionally a notice would be put up on the sign-post in Wallingford that some "likely negros" would be sold at "public vendue," but this was an exceptional occurrence. As a rule, when the owner died, his negroes were given a chance to select their new master or mistress from among the heirs to the estate, and after they had done so, the slave was duly "prized" and "set off" to the person chosen for his, or her owner. If there was any punishment to be inflicted upon a negro, it was done by the authorities, or abated if the circumstances warranted such a course.
Soon after Rev. John Foote got married he went to Branford, and bought a little negro boy "to wait on his wife."
The original "bill of sale" is still in the possession of one of Parson Foote's descendants. It reads as follows :
I Enoch Staples of Branford in the county of New Haven for the consideration of thirty Pounds Lawfull Money Received to
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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE.
my full satisfaction of the Revd Mr John Foot of the Parish of New Cheshire in ye town of Wallingford in said county do in open market sell, make over & deliver unto the sd John Foot & his heirs & assignes a Negro Boy Slave aged about Eight years named Prince-& I the said Enoch Staples do by these presents bind myself & my heirs to warrand and defend the said Negro Slave for the term of his natural life to him the said John Foot & his heirs & assignes against all lawfull claims & demands what- soever-
In witness whare of I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal the 8th day of June anno Domini 1769.
Signed Sealed & delivered in Presence of Saml Barker Mercy Barker L Enoch Staples S.
At a sale of negroes about this time in New Haven, a negro man named "Lot" was sold for £135; a negro wench named "Hannah" brought £100; boy named "Saul" £65, and another boy named "Pharoh" brought £45. This black family was sold at low prices according to the latest quotations in the slave mar- ket, which in Connecticut seldom held open sales of the human chattels that were imported "direct from Africa."
Before the convention which was to meet again on the 10th of May, 1775, at Philadelphia, could be called together, certain acts of aggression on the part of the English officials at Boston had precipitated affairs and the whole country was in a ferment. The Assembly of Connecticut was promptly called together, and for the first time the town of Wallingford was represented by two men from the Parish of New Cheshier. They were "Mis- ter" Samuel Beach and Captain Thaddeus Cook. The former magistrate, Colonel Ben Hall, had died in June, 1773, and Mr. Beach was appointed a magistrate the year following. The first session of this Assembly was held in Hartford early in May, and their enactments were worded in language that could be under- stood by the English government as meaning not only active re-
I60
HISTORY OF CHESHIRE.
sistance to the orders that had been issued by the "King in Council," but for entire separation from the government of Great Britain. It reiterated its official embargo on the sale of all Eng- lish goods and products, and enjoined the greatest activity up- on the part of the committees in the several towns for the ex- posure of every disaffected person, or the boycotting of all men and women who should refuse to aid the authorities in resisting the obnoxious measures of the English government. It promul- gated articles of war, and voted to raise six regiments of colony troops, besides giving minute. directions for the purchase of all sorts of necessary articles for the clothing, housing and subsist- ence of the troops, both at their homes and in the field.I It or- dered the issuance of bills of credit, and proper punishment for all who should refuse to accept it in payment for army supplies. In short, the Connecticut Assembly enacted every law it thought necessary to place the colony on the defensive. It appointed Del- egates to the Philadelphia Convention, to the New York and New Jersey Colony conventions, and then it adjourned to meet again whenever the Governor or the Deputy-Governor should call it together.
The New Cheshier Representatives for Wallingford came home and reported. A town meeting was held and committees of in- spection appointed, Samuel Beach being authorized for the Par- ish of New Cheshier. His duty was to visit every inhabitant and make a note of everything that might be available as war mate- rial. He took an account of all the surplus cloth available for tents or clothing. The yarn the housewives had in stock ; the ex- tra stockings they had already knitted ; the sheets and pillow-cases they could do without ; the old or new rags that could be turned into paper ; the kettles that might be spared, or temporarily used. All the extra knives and forks were taken account of ; and a full list made of every female, old or young, who could spin the wool into the yarn needed, or who could weave the cloth, of which large quantities would be required.
IEach soldier was to be provided with Beer, or a "jill of rum" each "fatigue day" and when they were not on active duty Rum and Beer was given out at the discretion of the officers "as they shall see cause."
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HISTORY OF CHESHIRE.
The committees of inspection took an account of all the sur- plus hay, straw and grain the farmers had in their barns or stacked in the fields. The horses, cattle, hogs, sheep and chickens were listed; and in some instances bargained for on the spot, to be delivered when paid for by the authorities.
To these preliminaries we may be sure there were a few people who objected to giving in any account of their possessions, but they were speedily called to order by the "Vigilance" Committee appointed at the town meeting six months previous, and which was still attending to the duties imposed upon it. As a rule, the Church of England people, being accustomed to pray "for the King" did not take kindly to preparations for resisting his au- thority, and in not a few instances they were severely handled by the patriotic young men of the parish.
The inspection committees no doubt paid little attention to these objectors and performed their work thoroughly, probably acting with discretion, quietly getting the desired information. When they made their reports to the selectmen, those town officials took care that the knowledge they had obtained of the resources of the town and its parishes should not be made public. What a light it would throw upon the circumstances of the people living at that time in the parish of New Cheshier, if we now had one of those reports of the inspection committee !
The Philadelphia convention of all the Colonies, came together in May, 1775, and at this session the "CONTINENTAL CON- GRESS" became the supreme power for directing the affairs of the colonies. While the plan of union was not altogether satis- factory, it was sufficient to unite the people, and every patriotic person at once became vigilant in the cause of Liberty.
Three or four times during the year the Connecticut Assembly was called together. It enacted almost every law required for the public defence, and some laws that might well have been left off of the statute books. The Governor and Committee of Safety were empowered to act in the interim and the assembly finally closed its sessions in December.
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