USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > History of Litchfield county, Connecticut > Part 108
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" Voted, Mr. Taylor £400 for his settlement & £300 for his sallery. April 11, 1748.
" Mr. Taylor's ordination shall be June 29, 1748.
" Voted, Where the seats of Mr. Enoch Buck, Wm. Judd, Widow Sarah Baldwin, Cap. Nathaniel Bostwick, Paul Welch, Samuel Picket, Eben- ezer Baldwin, Lewis Wilkinson, N. Collins, Mr. Roger Sherman place shall be in the - seat in the front galery. Junte 7, 1748.
" Voted, That Nathan Silliman shall be admitted a proprietor to pass and repass over the Great Bridge for 10 shillings. Dec. 12, 1748.
" Voted, That every person that shall kill any Ratell Snake for ys year ensuing from April 1st shall be allowed 3 shillings for each snake, &c. Dec. 12, 1748.
" Voted, That 12 pounds shall be paid for repairs of meeting house upon yo prespeterian order.
"Enoch Bucks aunt shall be in the fore seat. July 10, 1749.
"Seats in meeting house. Dec. 11, 1749.
" Voted, That people of North purchase shall have £15 to build a school house, &c. Dec. 11, 1749.
"Mr. Royce Sherman was chosen Leather Sealer, Dec. 10, 1751.
" Voted, That the School Committee shall divide the interest of ye School as Com money to each & every school within the limits of N. M. that are set up in a lawful manuer according to ye list of the inhabi- tants of each particular school year. Dec. 10, 1750.
" Voted, The Com, shall divide the interest or Cone money to each school &c. Jan. 1750-51.
" Voted, That all those persons of the Church of England & ye friends shall be freed from paying any dues towards ye building or repairing any meeting house.
" Voted, That they would build a new meeting-house in New Milford. Feb. 14, 1750-51.
" Voted, That the inhabitants of such parts of sd. town as shall obtain liberty of ye Hon. G. A. of this C. to be a society by themselves, at or before the expiration of 4 years next ensuing, that then they shall have paid to them by sd. town towards the building a meeting liouse within
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NEW MILFORD.
their societies so much money as was paid on their lists towards the meeting honsa now to be built for sd. town. Feb. 14.
" Voted, To build a new meeting house; 52 for and 24 against.
" Meeting house to be 56 feet in length 44 feet in breadth, 30 years 2 m.
" Voted, That a rate shall be raised of 12 peace per pound and put list in preparation to build meeting house.
" Toted in affirmative that they would chousa to continue under the jurisdictian of New Haven County rather than annexed so far northward as Litchfield or Cornwall.
" Voted, That N. M. should not oblige Woodbury to build a bridge on Shepaug River near ye mouth of sd. river. Dec. 9, 1751.
" Voted, That the inhabitants below Thomas Noble's, oa both sides Still River be freed from paying to ye minister in ye town or to Mr. Taylor for ye space of 3 months, in case they hire a minister with them.
"Rev. Mr. Taylor salary, £500, paid in my. or wheat, 30s., rye, 208., Indian corn, 15s.
" Meeting-house shall be 60 ft. long, 44 ft. wide, 27 ft. parte.
" Toted, That tha shingles shall be 18 in. long, 5 in. wide, 34 of an in. thick. '
" T'oted, That the clapboards shall be white oak, 4 in. wide, 12 io. thick on the back, the sap being taken out.
" Voted in negative that N. M. is not willing that the Northwest corner of N. M. shall be set off to Newfairfield.
" Toled, That the town shall apply to County Court, holden at Litch- field, to request for a new committee to affix n place for erecting and setting np a meeting-house in ed. town.
" Voted, That ye town will be at ye charge of laying ont highways, that ye proprietors' committee shall lay out ia sd. town, provided ye pro- prietors shall be at ye charge of making a recompense for sny land that may be taken away on that account.
" Voted, To allow of a bory ing-place to be laid out in N. Milfd. north purchase.
" Voted, That the inhabitants of N. M. shall cut brush on ye public highways one day this year in ye month of Nov. uxt.
"Committee shall have power to give liberty to nny person that shall come to denl in this town to go over the bridge tole free. Each person 80 paying 1 pound to town.
" The Select men shall have power to warn any one to cut brush ex- cep those who are exempt from mending highways.
" Voted, That since the town is divided into 2 societies, that the in- habitants of the Ist society shall have the benefit of that part of sd. rate raised on their lists towards building tha meeting-house, and the Inlinbitants of ed. town within the limits of Newburry & Newpreston societies slinll have their rates revised on their lists remitted, such as ure not already collected and paid, and anch of them as have paid them shall have them repaid by the treasurer.
" Dec. 8, 1755 .- Voted, That ench society in the town of N. M. shall support their own schools withia their lawful limits for the future.
" Voted, That toll of grent bridge shall bo returned Into town treasury, and that cost of ropnirs shall be drawn out of town treasury.
" Voted, That the town-rate shall be one-third part of a penny on the pound, lawful money, to be paid in lawful money, or bills of credit of this colony, of the Inte impressions, or equivalent in old tenor bills, the rate of exchange to be determined by the town treasurer, or In good merchantable whent at 38, Gd. pr. bush., or rye at 28. 4d. pr. b., or In- dian corn at la. 9d., or onts nt 9d., or tlax at 08. 4d. pr. pound.
" Voted, That thero shall be no money drawn out of the town treasury to pay for bulle for the year ensuing.
" Voted, That the rate shall be 1/3 part of a penny on the pound.
" Voted, That all bridges, except the great bridgo shall be built & re- paired by wny of highway work.
" Voted, That the old meeting-houso shall bo disposed of for the benefit of the town In genernl.
" Voted, That Saml. Canfield, John Hitchcock, & Suuml. Bostwick a committee to take money out of T. Treasury sufficient to buy paper & to make u new book & to regulate the enr-marke.
" Voted, That the bridge to Sumel. Brownson'e Mill shall be like Still rlvor Iron· works bridge.
" Dec. 12, 1757 .- Voted, That there shall be a bridge built over the mouth of Aspetuck river In the highway.
" Voted, That John Davenport shall be admitted an inhabitant.
" Voted, That Select-men shall have power to appoint Surveyors of highwaye their particular districts, when to warn the Inhabitants to work the highways. .
" A vote & argument as to rebuilding the bridge over great river, car- ried away by an ice-floo. Those who would rebuild ahonkl have the tole,
&c., provided they should pay for the lumber remaining, &c., if they took it, at the approval of the select-men.
"March I, 1758,-Voted, That the town will build a small house for Panl, the Frenchmen, to dwell in, on the town cost, & land for a garden place, not exceeding 12 an acre.
" Voled, That the house shall be 16 fot eq., 1 story high, for him to live in, till peace be made between the French & English ; then it is supposed sd. Paul will be returned to his native habitation, & then sd. housa is to be returned to the town.
" A committee appointed to see to fencing the burying-place in 1st Society of town.
"James Huis & wife and Thomas Clark & wife admitted inhabitants.
" Dec. 11, 1758 .- l'oted, That Saml. Clark shall be paid 148. 5d. for con-
veying a neutral french man from New Milford to Newtown.
" Voted, That the select mea shall draw money out of the T. T. to hire a house for Paul, the frenchmau, that is one of the neutrals among us for year ensuing.
" Toted, That S. men shall prosecute any person who has brought soy inhabitant into town, &c.
" Voted, That N. M. shall preambulate with N. Fairfield.
" Voted, That the Seperatrs, so called, shall have liberty to erect & con- venient house for their public worship, in the highway as shall be thought proper in N. M.
" April 9, 1759 .- Abel Hide being chosen to gather the rate for year, and has now gone into the war in the government service, Saml. Com- stock ie chosen.
"Dec. 8, 1760 .- l'oted, That if the authority and selectmen thiuk proper, they may have liberty to set up inoculation for the smallpox,
" Voted, That no person or persons shall cut or fell timber adjoining the Great River, on penalty of 10s. for each offense.
" Voted, that 28s. 2d shall be abated to Anios Collins & Isanc Deforest on the amount of their misunderstanding about their license to sell spdrituous liquors the year past.
" l'oted, That those that went into the inoculation for the smallpox shall pay their equal proportion of charge to the owner of the honse & the town. Dec. 14, 17G1.
" Voted, That there be n committee to divide the books called saybrook platform according to the sundry cents, &c.
"Gs. for killing n wild cat allowed from town.
" Daniel Burrit, Simcon Baldwin, Saml. Summers, Ephrahm Buck, Jolin Peet, Anron Gaylord, Jr., & David Hawley, Sextone.
" Voted, That the inhabitants of New Preston Society may have liberty to erect n School-house ou the highway near Capt. Nathl. Bosworth'e shop, so us not to incommode the highway.
" Yoted, That n comm. ap. to enquire and find whether the sum of money raised for the snlo of Country lands In Norfolk, a proportioned part of which is allotted to N. M., Is in Litchfield or Woodbury, and In whose hunde, &c.
" Jan. 24, 1763 .- Voted, That Hezekinh Ballwin be exempt from the fine for selling frevhold estate to Bishop.
" Voted, That Saml. Raymond bo exempt from the fine for selling free- hold to Zebulon Palmer,
" Voted, That the highway Surveyors ehall from thine to time warn out men to erect & maintain a bridge across Aspetuck river, by Mr. Taylor'e Grist-mlIl.
"Dec. 8, 1766 .- Voted, That the select men are heraby impowered to set out n place for W'm. James to set up a shop for life entrying on the trade of a Gold smith, in auch place ns they think proper.
" l'oted, That the town shall keep In repair the Grent Bridge over grent river, ngalust the middle of the town, with plank, &c.
" Sumo as voted concerning the bridge at Grent Falta.
" Dec. 14, 1767 .- Voted, That the town will pny £14 10s. to the church
of England for the old church for Town-llouse.
" Voted, That Danlol Taylor's fine for breaking the peace, before Samuel Bostwick, Eq., shall be relinquished.
" l'oted, That the town phy la. for killing red fox catched In ad town.
" Dec. 12, 1768,-l'oted, That P'hinens llurd'e fine of 124., taxed hy Paul Welch, Eqq., for his breach of Sabbath, shall be remitted, & not recoverable from him.
" Dec. 26, 1769,-Toled, To build n bridge over Aspotnek nenr Mr. Booth's Iron works.
" T'oted, That the united district shall or may keep a school In the Town-House the year cusuln, they paying all damage If any be dono thereby. Jan. 10, 1770.
" Dee. 9, 1771 .- Voted, That n binck bonnet, a red woman'e cloak, .t
all wosted gown, belonging to the estate of Hannah Beaman, of Derby,
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HISTORY OF LITCHFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT.
be kept for and given to her daughter, IInnnah Beaman, under age, and if she die under age the town to have them.
" Foled, That the town relinquish & resign what interest they have in or unto the bridge acrost the great river, at the great falls, to the original builders or proprietors thereof.
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" Dec. 13, 1773 .- Voted, That the select men are hereby impowered to take money out of the town treasury sufficient to purchase decent cloths to supply each of the burying-places in sd town to cover the coffins that need to be thus respectfully intered."
REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
" Voted, That they will chose a committee of correspondence (by the majority, only one negative).
" l'oted, That they chose a committee to draw up a draft to lay before the meeting.
"Sammel Canfield, Wm. Cogswell, David Enatt, &c., be a comittee of conference.
" Dee. 12, 1774 .- Voted, That the select men shall dispose of the gruin now in the custody of the Town Treasury, to the best advantage accord- ing to their discretion, and account with the Treasurer for the loss of drinking & also ye loss in ye changing of the price.
" Amos Northrop, Isaac Hitchcock, Bushnel Bostwick, Nathaniel Boz- worth, Epenetus P'ratt, Isaac Bostwick, Saml. Canfield, Reuben Booth, Sherman Boardman, Elizar Warner, Geo. Smith, Giliad Sperry, was chosen a committee of inspection, according to the Congress advice, and also according to the concurrence thereto by the Ilon. General Assembly holden at New Haven in Oct. Inst past.
" Dec. 9, 1776 .- Mr. Saml. Comstock, Mr. Israel Baldwin, Capt. Alm. Camp, Daniel Everitt, Eq., Capt. James Terrill, Mr. John Comstalk, Mr. Geo. Smith, Doet. Jonah Todd, Joseph Ruggles, Eq., Corpo. Bushnel Bostwick, Sanıl. Bostwick, Eq., Col. Saml. Canfield, Wm. Cogswell, Eq., Abel Iline, Eq., Mr. Amos Northup, Capt. Sherman Boardman, Mr. Reuben Booth, Mr. Asahel Noble, Deac. Benjn. Gaylord, Mr. Oliver Warner, Mr. Caleb Bennit, Mr. Saml. Warner, & Deac. Ebenezer Hoteli- kiss was chosen a committee of inspection and corrispondence.
"March 10, 1777 .- Voted, That the regulations contained in the late act of Assembly respecting the laying of Embargoes and the stating of prices now in force, are good and wholsome, and, as such, ought to be strictly adheared to, and that it is the indisputable duty of all inform- ing and executive officers to prosecute in the most effectual manner all violations of sd regulations, & that it is the duty of the inhabitants of this town to give all the assistance in their power to such officers in the discharge of their nforesaid duties.
" March 31, 1777 .- Voted, That a committee be appointed, according to the advice of his llonor, the Gov., &c., for the purpose of furnishing the quota of soldiers in the continental service for sd New Milford.
" Lieut. Zadoch Noble, Capt. Joseph Ruggles, Jr., Ensi. Geremiah Can- field, Mr. Etliel Stone, Dea. Israel Baldwin, Mr. Thomas Brownson, & Mr. Zachariah Sanford was chosen for a Com for the purpose meu- tioned in 2nd vote.
" Voted, That the town of N. M. will give £12 lawful money, bounty, for the Ist year's service in addition to all encouragement already given, to such inhabitants of this town as shall enlist into the Continental ser- vice for 3 years, or during the present war.
" That for the 2d & 3d years, the sd soldiers who shall so enlist shall have £6 lawful money pr. year, to be paid out of the T. T.
" That if money be wanting in T. T. to pay the s ---- who shall enlist within 10 days, nec. to 4th vote, that the T. T. is herby imp. to give notes of hand to such inlisted soldiers, payable by the 1st Sept. next, with in. until paid. Sept. 30, 1777.
"That the town will procede to transport home Salt which belongs to the town.
"Wm. Cogswell, Eq., Capt. Ebenezar Couch, to be a committee to pro- eure sd. salt & fetch it to New Milford.
" That the Comtec shall apply to the select men for money to hear the expense of getting & transporting sd. from Boston to sd. Town.
"Capt. Sherman Boardman, Mr. Saml Warner, Mr. Simeon Baldwin, Capt. Benje Brownson, Capt. Ebenezer Couch, Mr. Ethiel Stone, & Dea. Ebenezer Hotelikiss appointed a Comitee to procure clothing for the sol- diers in Continental Service & Select-m. to give an order on T. T. fur money.
" That a Cotuttee he appointed to purchase for the benefit & supply of the families of the soldiers in the Continental Army, & also to supply the necessaries of the other poor of the Town. A quantity of wheat, Rye, Corn, & other articles & necessaries of life at the prices now stated in a vote posted in this meeting, provided that sd. regulations shall not take
place, then each person selling sd. articles shall be entitled to each article the most common & general price sd. articles pass for in sd. N. M.
"Voted, That £12 : 0: 0 be granted to Daniel Trowbridge out of the T. T. to replace money sd Trowbridge recd. for his son (out of sd T.), who is in service & unfortunately lost the same out of his pocket. Aug. 5, 1778.
"The articles of Confederacy as proposed by Congress, Stiled the United States of North America, was recd. in T. M. und taken into serious consideration, by articles seperately & in succession, & no ob- jection made to sd. Articles, except some part of ye 5th Article, which respects ye mode of chooseing our delegates in Congress ; Voted, That the freemen will always hold the prerogation & sole power of changing our delegates in Congress hy vote, said articles of confederacy was approved as good and adopted in full by the members of sd. meeting without one dissenting roice. Feb. 10, 1778.
" Inoculation for the small pox may be carried on in T. untill Mar. 20, next, under direction of select men; & that no person be admitted to have the small pox except those persons who are exposed to be drafted & serve in the army & some few families who may be exposed to the in- fection by keeping turern.
" Mr. Simeon Baldwin, Mr. Ebenezer Hotchkiss & Eng. Cogswell was chosen a Committee to provide clothing for our soldiers in Continental service.
" Capt. Elizur Warner, Lient. Isaac Deforest, Lieut. Benj. Seeley, Capt. Benben Bostwick, Capt. Paul Yeats, Mr. Daul Emniitt, Cspt. James Tur- rill, Mr. Amos Northrop, Mr. John Paten, Mr. Nathan Gaylord, & Saml. Merwin, Jr., was chosen as a Committee of Corrispondence & inspection for the year ensning.
"Capt. James Ferriss, Mr. Reuben Booth, Lieut. David Smith, Mr. Simeon Baldwin, & Capt. Benj. Brownson was chosen a committee for the purpose of purchasing supplies for the families of the soldiers in the Continental army.
" Ensign Jeremiah Canfield, Mr. Ebenezer Ilotchkiss, Simeon Baldwin, & Ashacl Noble was chosen a committee to provide clothing for soldiers in the Continental army. Dec. 28, 1778.
"That the T. T. be authorised to pay to those Soldiers who were in- listed under Lieut. Israel Burritt the sum of £12 : 0 : 0 each, on receiving # certificate from the officer they now serve under in the Continental Army, that they were good soldiers, and were inlisted within the limits provided by a vote of this T., March 31, 1777.
" Voted, That the Town inhabitants of N. M. shall be divided into 12 districts, by anthity of select men & Comittee for purchasing. And that the sd. districts shall furnish thir respective quotas as shall be assigned to them as aforesaid, & on the failure of each or either of sd. districts in furnishing the clothing allotted to them a aforesaid, then in case a war- rant for disparsing clothing be granted, it shall be directed to the dis- triets that are deficient in proportion to their deficiency.
" Voted, That the select men shall be and are impowered to deliver back those guns to such disaffected persons of this town as have been dis- armed according to their direction.
"Ichobod Williams, a soldier of the 7th Co. Regiment, having served with reputation three years, the full term for which he enlisted, is dis- charged the service of the United States.
"CAMP, 12th Feb., 1780."
" I'HIL. B. BRADLEY, Col. Com'd.
"New Milford has always been loyal to the cause of freedom. In 1779 the town voted four bushels of wheat a month to every man who volunteered for six months, and three bushels a month to the militia- men who marched when ordered; but if they failed to report within eight days after marching orders, they forfeited this premium. The town also sup- ported the families of men while absent in the Con- tinental army. In 1778 the Articles of Confederacy proposed by Congress, styled " The United States of North America," were adopted in town-meeting, ex- cept part of the fifth article, which respects the mode of choosing delegates to Congress. It was "Voted, That the Freemen will always hold the prerogative and sole power of choosing our delegates in Congress by vote." Subsequently "said Articles of Confed- craey were adopted in full by the meeting without a
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dissenting voice." In 1783 it was voted, and a com- inittee was appointed to enforce the resolution, that all refugees, or "skedaddlers," as they would now be termed, as well as all who had voluntarily gone over to the enemy during the war, should be prohibited from returning and settling in the town.
" And yet these men of the past were not all saints and patriots. In 1776 there were some bitter Tories here. One of these was compelled by a company of riflemen to walk before them from New Milford to Litchfield, carrying one of his own geese the entire . distance. At Litchfield they tarred him, made him pluck his own goose, bestowed the feathers upon him, and drummed him out of the place, after obliging him to kneel down and thank them for their leniency."
CHAPTER XLIV.
NEW MILFORD (Continued).
Congregational Church, New Milford-Methodist Episcopal Church, New Milford-Methodist Episcopal Church, Gaylordsville-Baptist Church, Northville-Baptist Church, Gaylordsville-Jemima Wilkin- son, the Universal Friend-Quaker Society-Roman Catholic Church.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCII ..
THIS church was organized Nov. 21, 1716, with thirteen members. The first sermon was preached here by Col. John Reid, who had studied for the min- istry in his youth. Mr. Daniel Boardman, a preacher of the gospel, came here in 1712. The next year it was voted that the inhabitants should pay all the ex- pense that had been incurred in obtaining a minister, also to lay out a pastor's lot, to dig and stone up a well for Mr. Daniel Boardman, if he became a settled minister in New Milford. Meanwhile, the town al- lowed five shillings sixpence a week for the minister's board. In 1715 the town agreed to petition the Gen- eral Court to " attain liberty for the settlement of the worship and ordinances of God among us." This was the subject that then came up at every meeting of the inhabitants. It was not until 1716 that they made arrangements for laying out a burying-ground of two acres, but for four years before that they had been contriving and planning for the religious instruction of themselves and families. The poverty of the people appears in the resolution adopted as to Mr. Board- man's salary, one-third of which was to be paid in grain, two-thirds in labor, linen, or pork,-the estab- lished price of wheat was then four shillings a bushel ; rye, two shillings eightpence; corn, two shillings ; and oats, one shilling,-part of the agreement being that Mr. Boardman should sell the grain which he had to spare at the same prices to the inhabitants.
In accordance with a vote of the town, Mr. Board- man was ordained Nov. 21, 1716.
There was no ecclesiastical society until after 1750. Until then the town was the society. It was the town that provided for the supply of the pulpit, for the in- stallation of ministers, the erection and care of build- ings, and all expenses connected with publie worship. The church held meetings for the election of deacons, the discipline of members, and the spiritual interests of the people, but the town managed everything that now belongs to the society. It was the town that invited Mr. Daniel Boardman to labor here, and that settled him as a pastor, making all the arrangements for his installation ; the town did the same in the case of Mr. Taylor. So far as the records show, the church took no separate action in calling its pastors until the invitation to Mr. Griswold, in 1790, when it formally voted, as has been the custom ever since, to concur in the society's action. From 1713 to 1750 a large part of the business in town-meeting was in re- gard to ecclesiastical affairs.
The first meeting-house, " forty feet long, thirty feet wide, and twenty-four feet between 'gists,' with suit- able proportions," was built in 1718-19, but not opened for worship until 1720, and then it was in a very un- finished condition. In 1720 it was voted to wall up the "gists" before winter, and fill in between the laths and studs with timber and mortar. The floor was not laid until 1723. This building stood on the highway on Town Hill, a few rods north of the present resi- dence of Mrs. J. P'. Treadwell. The second house of worship, "sixty-four feet long, forty-four feet wide, and twenty-seven-feet posts," nearly twice the size of the first, was erected in 1754, the town applying to the General Assembly for power to sell the old meeting- house, and to tax non-resident land-holders for build- ing the new one. This building stood on the village green, nearly opposite the present residence of Mr. Solomon E. Bostwick. The present edifice was ereeted in 1833, and, though much larger than the former, for several years persons wishing slips have been unable to obtain them. It would be a good centennial work to enlarge the building.
The "Sabbath-day house" was an institution that is unknown to the present generation. In 1745 the town voted "that any farmers inhabitants have leave to build a small house to repair to on Sabbath-day, on the common land, provided the public is not damni- fied thereby." This building was located "north of the meeting-house, on the side of the hill." After the erection of the church on the green, the "Sabbath-day house" was built on the spot were now stands the house so long occupied by the Rev. Mr. Acly. It is de- scribed to me by a lady still with us ( Mrs. Eli My- gatt), who went through it more than seventy years ago, as a long, low building, with four large rooms, regarding which frightful stories were told of the ghosts that inhabited it. In this building farmers whose homes were distant stored loads of wood und
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