USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Hartland > History of Hartland, the 69th town in the Colony of Connecticut > Part 3
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"Voted, That the town will hear read what the Con- tinental Congress did in their Association, This meeting being sensible that the liberty of every freeborn American is most atrociously invaded, and having duly considered how the Association of the Continental Congress is most happily concerted to relieve our fears, to recover and pre- serve uninjured our invaded rights and privileges-we heartily approve of and acquiesce in it, and will to our
utmost faithfully ahere to and observe the same, and ac- knowledge to our worthy delegates who attended that Con- gress, that we have a most grateful sense of the service they have done us and our country in the wise and noble resolutions they adopted."
The War with George the 3rd proved to be a long one, and the tor- ies in their midst caused considerable concern. To add to their misfor- tunes, an epidemic of small-pox visited them at this time.
Dr. Jeremiah Emmons who came from East Haddam a few years previously, had settled in East Hartland to become their first doctor. The scourge of small-pox was not new for it had its yearly outbreaks in most every other town in the colony. The matter of inoculation, how- ever, was just coming into practice and there were some who doubted the effectiveness of this system. The only way to settle the matter was to have a town meeting, which they did on February 3, 1783, at which time the following votes were registered :
"Voted in Town Meeting that the enocluation for the Small Pox might be set up in this Town.
"Voted that Dr. Emmons liberty to build a house at the end of the 34 Tier of lots on the highway West of Mr. Aaaron Bushes for to have the Small Pox in.
"Voted that the Selectmen of this Town give directions what restrictions those that take the infection for the Small Pox should be under."
Dr. Jeremiah Emmons was given permission to establish a sort of isolation hospital. This was located north of old Route 20 (EH-Key
18
History of Hartland
# 58). The notebook of David N. Gaines states "There were three deaths here, and the bodies were buried northeast of the house. The house must have disappeared many years ago. The C.C.C. boys built a gravel road, a bridge and fire-places on the Pox-house lot in the summer of 1934.""
The Revolutionary War eventually came to an end, and the small- pox epidemic ceased. The inhabitants were at the beginning of a new era with a new government, a new form of money and a brighter out- look on life in general. They returned to their labors with renewed vigor; the clearing of the land began in earnest, and the mills of North Hartland Hollow ran from dawn till dark. Additional families moved into the town and settled. Those who were already established were building stone-walls, planting orchards, raising live-stock, but always finding time to look after the affairs of the Ecclesiastical Societies which had been established on both mountains. Most of the school districts had been set off. Sunday, however, was still considered a day of rest, with the necessity of attending divine service.
Land was in great demand, and during this period many exchanges of property took place between the local residents. Within a short time farms were developed into sizeable acreage of meadow and pasture lands. The roads had been improved to the point where they were pass- able for the conveyances in use. The population was on the increase and in the humble opinion of many, Providence had begun at last to smile upon them.
When the town was incorporated in 176], it was placed in the col- lection of towns comprising Litchfield County. The roads between Hart- land and Litchfield were in such condition that it wrought a hardship for those inhabitants who were forced to visit the county seat. A peti- tion was made to have the town included in Hartford County and this was granted in 1795. The townspeople considered this to be of great benefit to them.
With peace and plenty smiling on the land, life might have been a pleasant pursuit even among the granite boulders of the East and West Mountains. Tidings from the West, however, brought back by relatives of some who had ventured as far as the Ohio, caused the spirit of dis- content to fall like a cloud shadow across the sunny fields and the inhab- itants who tilled them. The pioneer spirit still prevailed within their rugged souls; many threw down their hoes and looked with longing eyes toward the brilliant sunset as it appeared on the western horizon.
CHAPTER IV
Over The Years
(FROM 1800 TO 1900)
By 1800 Hartland had reached the peak of the population it has so far attained, a total of 1318, men, women and children. It was no longer the frontier town of the 1760's. Churches, schools, farms, mills and a civic local government had been firmly established. Shops of the local craftsmen were supplying the community with wares which they could not produce themselves. The frontier had been pushed farther and farther West and was then in the newly explored regions of Ohio.
There is little doubt that many of those who had spent the best part of their lives in trying to develop the rugged Hartland terrain into till- able farms had become disillusioned and discouraged with their lot.
A HARTLAND CT. PASTURE.
Where They Shoppen Sheep's hoses. TO Get Between The Stones.
Courtesy Irene V. Shepard
Problem of land clearance faced by early settlers is illustrated by this boulder strewn pasture. Location is in West Hartland on land of James B. Hall.
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History of Hartland
Soil was scarce on both the East and West Mountains. There was no way in which the larger boulders could be removed from the fields and it was necessary to leave them, ploughing, hoeing and mowing around them year after year. Is it any wonder the news reaching them about the smooth and fertile regions of Western New York and Northern Ohio added to their discontent?
Much has been said about the exodus of Hartland families to Ohio and tradition has 102 people leaving in the carly 1800's. It is said that a new town called Hartland was formed in Ohio by these same Hart- land emigrants. Little has been written on this subject and no official records seem to exist. (There is a little town by the name of Hartland in Ohio today but it is too small to have a U. S. Post Office.) A few years ago, Mr. Lewis S. Mills, at one time Superintendent of Rural Edu- cation for Hartland, prepared a paper entitled "Western Migration From Hartland" in which he describes the exodus and with his kind permission we are quoting extracts from it:
"Titus Hayes, Sr. .. . was born on February 1, 1746, in Lyme, Con- necticut. He married Debora Beckwith of Lyme on June 7, 1770. On May 31, 1776, he purchased for about $760. a grist mill, fulling mill, house and several other buildings near Hubbard Brook in North Hol- low, Hartland, and moved his family to the new home at once.
"Titus Hayes, Sr. was enrolled in the Continental Army from 1777 to 1781, and was with Washington at Valley Forge. However, he spent most of his time from 1777 to 1781 on 'leave of absence' in order to grind corn for the town and the army.
"The State of Connecticut began, about the year 1796, to sell land in New Connecticut, now northern Ohio. As so many wished to buy western land, the buyers drew lots. On the 73rd draft, on April 22, 1798, Titus Hayes, Sr. and Uriel Holmes of Hartland together with Ephriam Root of Hartford drew 12,903.23 acres of land, at 25¢ an acre, in Trum- bull County, Ohio.
"In June 1798, Titus Hayes, Jr., the second son of Titus Hayes, Sr., and born in Lyme on February 28, 1776, left Hartland with the inten- tion of joining a company of surveyors to be employed in the Western Reserve during that season ... With no other companion than a faithful dog, his gun, a loaf of bread and some salt in his knapsack, he left Erie, Pennsylvania . .. he soon passed the last log cabin and trusting to his pocket compass bore westward and entered the State of Ohio. . . . pass- ing through the territory now called Andover, he entered the township of Wayne. He swam the Pymatuning Creek and began to admire the beautiful lands where he later settled ... His was the first visit of civ- ilized man to the interior of the township of Wayne. In 1799 this town- ship was surveyed into lots of a half-mile square, cach containing 160 acres.
"He sent a report to his father of the rich and fertile land with beautiful rolling prairies, land so much easier to cultivate than the rock-bound fields of Hartland . .
21
Over the Years
"Thirteen families made ready and set out at once for Ohio, in the early summer of 1799. On May 5, 1800, seventeen families numbering in all over 100 men, women and children, set out for Ohio. Among this group were the following:
Lemuel Stores-who had been a colonel in the Revolutionary War. Josiah Pelton-who rode all the way to Ohio on horse-back, and turned his horse loose to graze during the summer and it became so wild he had to lasso it in the fall .
Ruhamah DeWolf ... Jehire Meacham, who was a blacksmith in Hartland and set up the first blacksmith shop in Trumbull County, Ohio.
Joseph De Wolf ... and Isaac Jones of Barkhamsted ... Rev. Obed Crosby and family. He was a Methodist minister and organized the first Methodist Church in Hartland, Ohio, in 1801. The first services were held under a beech tree ...
"In 1804 Colonel Richard Hayes, son of Titus Hayes, Sr., left Hart- land for 'New Connecticut' with ten families. When they set out on their journey, a special service was held at the Meeting House and a farewell sermon preached ...
"In the spring of 1811, Titus Hayes, Sr., gave up his town position and with a little group of friends set out for Ohio. As he had been the town miller and so closely connected with town affairs for so many years, the town gathered to say 'Farewell' to one of its best loved citi- zens. The journey was long and difficult for the aged man so that he was ill on arriving in Ohio, and died in Vernon, Trumbull County, in 1811." End of quote.
The cold summer of 1816 may have contributed to the removal of many in the later groups. There was a frost in every month of that year destroying the crops on which all were dependent for food, including live-stock. When it became evident that corn and grain of all kinds would not come to harvest, large crops of turnips were planted late in the year and by this means many were able to survive-but during the following winter some were reduced to a state bordering on famine. A few reached the conclusion that future years might bring a repetition and hastened to depart for other regions.
An appraisal of the "First Exodus" from Hartland, when viewed in the light of statistics, indicates that it may not have been as great as one has been led to believe. The census of 1820 still shows a population of 1254, a loss of 64 during this 20 year period. Others may have moved into the empty houses of those who left, and births may have accounted for the small loss in population over these two decades.
Those who remained behind were discontent in a number of ways. Horses, neat cattle and sheep were still running at large on the high- ways. On October 6, 1823, they voted to put an end to this by fining the owners 6¢ per head on any so found. At other Town Meetings, other votes,-Bounties of $4. were offered for every wildcat any person may kill. No hemlock plank shall be allowed to be laid on any bridge in this Town.
22
History of Hartland
Hartland, like "Caesar's Gaul"" has always been divided into three parts. The East Mountain, Hartland Hollow and the West Mountain, were by nature and the abominable roads of the time so far distant from each other that a day's time was consumed in traveling to Town Meet- ing or any other function which required travel from one section to the other. The time had come to try to do something about it and on this all were apparently agreed. In Volume 2, at Page 71, of Town Clerk's Record Book, the following vote is recorded under date of April 9, 1827: "Voted: Whereas the inhabitants of this Town suffer many inconveniences from the peculiar local situation of said town and that it would be for the interest of said Town to be divided: Therefore, Resolved that it is expedient to have the Town divided according to the line this day agreed upon, and upon the terms this day agreed upon by Vote of the Town. And we do hereby appoint Nathaniel Bosworth and Augustus Humphreys our Agents to Petition the next Legislature to have the West Society of said Town incor- porated as a New Town.
"Voted to divide the Town by the following line (viz) : Beginning at Barkhamsted line at the Hollow River and following the River to the North Side of the Bassett farm, so-called, thence running West to the top of the ledge, thence North following the top of the ledge to the Massa- chusetts line. The West Society to take the whole of the Bridge near the house of George F. Miller."
The result of their petition seems to have met with a resounding NO on the part of the legislature, although no report of their Agents is on record. Although their efforts to accomplish this division were un- successful, there are some who advocate this plan at the present time. (A similar petition is before the Connecticut General Assembly in 1961.)
The year 1837 brought more pleasing matters for consideration. Hartland was to share with other towns in the State in the distribution of Surplus Funds resulting from the sale of lands in The New Connec- ticut of Northern Ohio. Vol. 2, Page 112, of the Town Clerk's record book, under date of January 26, 1837, describes the vote taken at that time to accept the Fund and provide for its management. The three who were appointed to loan and manage the fund were: Ira Beach, William Selby, Jr., and Asa Bushnell. Originally, the funds were invested in first mortgages on Hartland farms but later deposited in Savings Banks. This fund is still in existence and is known as the "Town Deposit Fund".
In 1840, under date of May 8, fourteen highway locations were de- fined and provisions made for their maintenance. Sometimes they were repaired by those residing along certain stretches of road on a contract basis. At other times the Selectmen looked after the upkeep of all the roads.
Hartland residents were still being plagued by horses, neat cattle, sheep and even swine roaming the fields and highways at large and at will. The older records are filled with "brands" registered with the own- er's name. It is understandable that before the stone walls and rail fences had been built that there was little restriction and everyone took the situation for granted. These conditions prevailed, however, for over 100
23
Over the Years
years. Each year, in addition to the appointments of the usual tithing- men, fence viewers, etc., a number of "Haywards" were designated to act for the several sections of the town. The name "Hayward" is defined by the American College Dictionary as: "An officer having charge of hedges and fences especially to keep cattle from breaking through and to impound strays." As late as the annual meeting of October 4, 1852, the following were chosen for that office:
Anson McLoud Isaac L. Pardee
Silas C. Banning Benjamin Giddings
Orris Giddings
Joseph Thompson, Jr. Chester W. Gilman Osmon Case
Dennison Crane John Ward
This condition did not end for many succeeding years for on Octo- ber 3, 1892, we find that they are still voting:
"Voted to make every man's yard a Pound. Every man shall be his own Pound-keeper. To have 3 Pounds, No. 1 in West Hartland-the old pound-E. A. Gavlord, keeper. No. 2, H. J. Gates' Yard, H. J. Gates, keeper. No. 3, J. R. Ferry's yard, J. R. Ferry, keeper. Voted to have the selectmen put in force the dog law."
Up to this time Town Meetings were held in the Meeting Houses of first one mountain and then the other. This practice had been scru- pulously followed from the beginning and it forced those in the outly- ing sections to travel long distances, while those who lived close by had all the advantage. This had been a bone of contention for many years but nothing had been done about it. Finally, it was decided to have a "Town House" and to locate it in the geographical center of the Town so that those in the remote sections would, at least, be on an equal basis. In Volume 2, at page 225, of the Town Clerk's records is recorded the vote taken at the annual meeting held October 3, 1859:
"Voted to build Town House in the East Hollow at such place on land of Jonathan Miller as may be selected by the building committee hereafter to be appointed. The cost of said house not to exceed $500. including the subscription and the expense of building said house over and above the subscriptions to be paid out of the Town Deposit Fund. Nathaniel W. Gaylord, John Jones and Warren Stebbins appointed as building committee. Voted to have the house completed by the first of September next."
The succeeding years are filled with votes, authorizing the building to be used for dances, religious services and social activities. Joshua Ferry was custodian for some years and was to have $1.00 for every dance.
Soon after, the Civil War occupied the attention of the authorities, and on July 23, 1862 they voted :
"That the Town pay $100. to each volunteer from this town immediately after he shall have been accepted and sworn into the United States service to fill the quota from the town of the 300,000 men called by the President."
Forty-nine eventually responded from Hartland.
24
History of Hartland
-Courtesy Georgiana Feley Rebillard
The Old Town Hall in Hartland Hollow. Built in 1860, and used as a Town Hall until sold to the Metropolitan District Commission in 1940. Each fall the local "Cattle Shows" were held at this location.
The Town Meeting of November 6, 1877 makes the first mention of voting for State Senator and Representatives to the General Assembly. (Vol. 3, page 45.) Ebenezer H. Miller and and Uriah Nickerson re- ceived a majority of the votes for representatives. This was the year when the Connecticut Capitol moved into the new building, as we know it now. The list of representatives we have compiled dates from this time.
The 1890's provided little of the gaiety for Hartland which this era is supposed to have evoked in other places. Life followed much the same routine as the pattern which had developed since the Civil War. The family farm with its butter and egg production and sustaining crops was the order of the day. Oil lamps had replaced the carlier candles, and the mowing machine, disc-harrow and horse-rake had made life a little easier, but the daily program still began at sunrise and continued until the last chores were finished-usually long after dark.
Schools were being given a little more attention by the Towns- people and the Selectmen were instructed by votes taken at Town Meet- ings to provide the several districts with physiologies, text books and copies of Webster's Unabridged Dictionaries.
Such were the high-lights of the Century from 1800-1900.
25
Over the Years
FROM 1900 TO 1961
It would be difficult today for anyone, traveling over the same roads, to visualize the Hartland of 1900. The roads themselves were al- ways a source of great contention, annoyance and inconvenience to the inhabitants; a slough of mud when the frost came out in the spring (it took all day for the mail from East Hartland to reach Granby and re- turn) , and a cloud of dust in the dry summers. The roads down the West and up the East Mountain were pretty much the same as they had been for the past 100 years-steep, with "thankye-maams" at inter- vals, and wooden sluices diverting the water from one side to the other. On the less traveled roads, grass grew in the center in the summer and they were impassable in the winter because of deep drifts. Neighbors combined their teams and efforts to keep the roads open during the winter months. Appeals to the Selectmen were not yet a common practice.
CASTHALTVAND
-Courtesy Alice Emmons Parmelee
East Hartland-West Granby Stage Early 1900's. Driver, Eric Yorgensen. Passengers, Mrs. Jennie Cooley and Grandson, Albert Harchett.
As one traveled along the muddy or dusty roads of 1900, the houses and buildings scattered along the way at various intervals presented an unkempt and dilapidated appearance. Money was still scarce, and the majority of residents were "too poor to paint and too proud to white- wash". Barns, wagon-sheds, and other outbuildings built a hundred years ago of solid construction but placed on poor foundations showed the ravages of time and were askew and leaning in all directions. No
26
History of Hartland
paint had ever been applied and all were of weathered wood. The houses, on firmer foundations, had fared somewhat better but most were in need of paint and the replacement of broken window-panes. Roofs covered with chestnut shingles, their courses raised and warped, added to the general unkempt appearance of the whole.
Door and farm-yards were filled with old lumber, cord-wood, wood- piles, broken and discarded wagons, farm tools, and broken down equip- ment littered the landscape. There were a few exceptions, of course.
The coming of the gasoline engine, composition shingles, ready- mixed paint, and later the automobile and improved roads, changed the face of Hartland, as indeed they did the entire face of America.
In 1909 the Town took over all the School Districts and became re- sponsible for their conduct and maintenance. The "second exodus" was beginning and the population on the decrease. World War I came, and high prices of farm products benefited the few still engaged in farming.
The year 1920 brought the franchise for Women, and the entire political life of Hartland was changed overnight. For 160 years men had governed, but from now on the fairer sex were a new force with which to be reckoned.
In September 1920, the first five women to be made voters were:
Mabel Hitchcock Cole Jennie L. Hitchcock Louisa Barker
Elnora Snow Rose Miller.
The first woman elected to public office was Marie P. Emmons of East Hartland who was elected a representative to the Connecticut Gen- eral Assembly in the State election of 1923. Since that time women have been active participants in all political activities, especially on the School Board.
In spite of the automobile being in common use and a correspond- ing improvement in road conditions, the population of Hartland con- tinued to decrease until it reached the all-time low of 296 in the census of 1930.
The 1930's brought the depression; the activities of the Metropoli- tan District Commission in Hartland Hollow; the C.C.C. Camp in East Hartland, and the State Forest program. During this time and before 1940, the Hartland Hollow and Center Hill sections were devoid of hab- itation, as well as other large areas of the Town acquired by the State Forest.
The last Town Meeting was held in the old Town Hall in October 1940, followed by the State election in November of the same year. In the 80 years since 1860, it had been the scene of many local political battles between Democrat and Republican. The Town became a Repub- lican "stronghold" in the early 1900's but before that time the Demo- crats were often in the majority.
27
Over the Years
marina
-Courtesy Alice Emmons Parmelee
Marie P. Emmons. First woman elected to public office in Hartland. Mother of Nathaniel Emmons, selectmen from 1945-1949, and Alice Emmons Parmelee, present tax collector.
With the sale of the old Town Hall to the M.D.C., the previous practice of holding Town Meetings alternating between the East and West Mountains was again inaugurated. The Methodist Church build- ing in West Hartland, and Society Hall in East Hartland were used for this purpose. Although the Town had a building fund of over $25,000. received from the M.D.C. and allocated for a new Town Hall, no satisfactory agreement could be reached as to location. Each side, East and West, thought it should be located in their area. The stale- mate was finally broken by East Hartland applying their share toward the building of an auditorium, designated as a Town Hall, in connee- tion with the new school built in East Hartland in 1949.
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History of Hartland
In 1953 West Hartland built an addition on the one-room school erected in 1937, and this also was designated as a Town Hall, their share of the Town Hall money being used for that purpose. Hartland is unique in being one of the few towns, if not the only one in Connecticut, having two Town Halls.
The population of Hartland is on the increase. The last census (1960) shows a total of 1044 as compared to the 1800 high of 1318 and the 1930 low of 296. A number of new homes are being built each year, and the East Hartland section is expanding rapidly. Town government has been modernized to keep pace with present day needs.
Those who settled here in the 1750's would no longer recognize the present Hartland and those who may have journeyed through as late as 1900 would have difficulty in identifying it as the same place. The last 50 years have brought such topographical changes that only the older residents remember when it was a town composed of family farms, dirt roads and one-room schools. The littered door-yards and drab buildings of the 1900's have been replaced by the well-kept lawns and freshly painted homes of the present inhabitants. State highways and hard-surfaced roads provide easy access to the more remote sections, and the hardships of previous years are all but forgotten. Much of that which was originally forest has returned to the same state and large areas of water cover the fertile acres of the past.
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