History of Litchfield county, Connecticut, Part 136

Author: J.W. Lewis & Company (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1532

USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > History of Litchfield county, Connecticut > Part 136

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" About the year 1750, Thomas Barnes moved into the town from New Fairfield, in Fairfield County, and purchased a large traet of land in the neighbor- hood of the Indian territory. In the course of a year or two he persuaded the Indians to sell out their lands to him, and took a formal deed of their possessions from two of their chiefs, Nequitimaugh and Bar- tholomew. It was contrary to law to take deeds of the Indian proprietors in that way, but the Legis- latnre, on the petition of Barnes, confirmed his title, and he took possession of the disputed territory, the Indians having gone to other parts. They carried with them, however, a deep sense of the wrongs they had sufferd, and some of them were often back among the inhabitants, complaining that they had been over- reached, and often giving significant hints of the re- sentment which was rankling in their bosoms. The

old French war commenced about this time, and the stories of Indian atrocities which were borne on every breeze filled the whole country with terror and alarm. Four persons were murdered about this time between Stockbridge and Lenox, and this, with other alarming incidents, produced a very general consternation in Sharon.

" In 1754 one Thomas Jones had purchased a tract of land near the Indian pond which had been claimed by the Indians, and built a log house upon it. His family were frequently disturbed in the night season by what they supposed to be the noise of Indians about the house, and an armed guard was kept there during nights for several weeks. A memorial was presented to the Assembly detailing the causes of danger from the Indians, by which the settlers were alarmed, and the statements of the memorial were fortified by the depositions of some half-dozen per- sons who kept the guard, detailing with minuteness the incidents of one night. The testimony of one witness was as follows:

""John l'almer, of lawful age, testifieth and saith, that some time ago I came to dwell, as a hired man, with the above named Mr. Thomas Jones, and have been a member of his family in the time of the late dis- turbaaces, which he has testified about, bat have aot seen any Indians but one night, when I was upon the watch with several other mea, but have frequently heard their whoops and whistles near his house, which noises of the Iadians I am well acquainted with, having been a considerable time a captive ciaong them and released from them last May. The time when I saw the Indians near Mr. Jones' was the latter part of the Sab- bath day night before last. llo came and put his head partly in at the door-way, against a blanket thet hung before the door. This he did twice. A man near me proposed to shoot, bat I prevented him, hoping for a fairer shot, but he not coming there again, I weat to tho side of the hoase and looked through a crack between the logs of which the house was made, and saw on Indian but a few rods from the house, it being clear moon light. I thea put my gun through the crack nad shot, but aot having advantage to tako good sight, suppose I did not hit hin. I then went to a place cut out for a window and saw him clearly, and shot again with a gun that was put into my hands, and supposed I had killed hiat, for I thought he fell down, upon which I took another man's gun and went out to sco what I could discern, but not finding hias at the place, ecouted some timo for him, at length discovered him at a small illstanco bebind a tree. I ondenvored to shout again, but my gun missed fire. 1 called to know if any one of the company was acar me when one man came to me. lle went further In search of him, and presently had a sight of him, when the other man presently shot. Afterwards I shot at him agala, but don't know that wo hit him, except my second shot. I supposed him to be aich wounded then, for he walked very pourly, stouplag near the ground, his left hand holding up his blnaket to his right side and his right arm haaging as if It was broken. But the men all coraing out of the house after I had shot the last time, I run to the house, fearing lest somo other Iudinns aight get into the house in our absence aad kill the women and children, so I saw the Indians no more. I saw no more Indians, but one of the company snid he saw another, which by his account I believe he did. I have sinco seen no more, but heard their whoops and whistles as aforesald. Dated October 11, 1754, and sworn beforo John Williams, Justico of the l'ence.'

"Such is a specimen of the exciting incidents of the early years of the history of the town. The peace between England and France in 1761 put an end to all Indian claims.

" There is no tradition or record hearing upon the history of the town which has any reference to the old French war other than these Indian alarms, except the simple fact that Col. Elmore, of the war of the

566

HISTORY OF LITCHFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT.

Revolution, was a lieutenant in the service of the pre- vious war."

THE FIRST SETTLEMENT.

"Several years before the settlement of the bound- aries one Richard Sackett had located himself at the place now called the Steel-Works, in the beautiful valley of the Ten-Mile River, about seven miles south of the now village of Sharon. The whole region was a wilderness, and, it being in the time of Queen Anne's war, he was exposed to imminent peril from hostile savages. He acquired large possessions of land, and his settlement is spoken of in contemporary docu- ments and records as Sackett's Farm. He had been a sea-captain in early life, and, in connection with wealthy individuals in the city of New York, he com- menced at an early day to purchase the Indian title to the lands near hin. The colony line not having been established, he probably availed himself of his knowledge of astronomy, acquired in the study of navigation, and made experiments and observations, based upon a treaty of partition made in 1683, but which had never been carried out by actual survey, and persuaded himself that the boundary line, when surveyed, would run within about two miles of the Ousatonic River. In this belief he purchased of Me- toxon, the great chief of all the Indian tribes in that region, whose residence was probably at Copake Flats, N. Y., about twenty-two thousand acres of land, more than seven thousand acres of which the survey of the boundary line showed to be in Connecticut. The boundaries were definitely traced in the treaty of pur- chase, but in general terms they were as follows :

" The east line commenced at a place which the In- dians called Wimpeting, at the western base of a range of mountains, about seveu miles south of Sharon vil- lage, and from that point it followed the western base of the mountain-range northerly to a point in Salis- bury a little east of Town Hill, so called. From that point the line ran northwesterly to the base of the mountain north of the Ore Hill, which in the Indian deed is called Ponsumpsie, thence southwesterly to the foot of the mountain west of Spencer's Corner, then, following that range, southerly through the Was- saic valley to Sackett's other possessions. Looking at this territory, in all its characteristics and resources, we can hardly conceive of any other which exceeds it in rural beauty or sources of wealth.

"He, believing that the whole tract was within the territory of New York, obtained a confirmation of his title from the provincial government, and from Queen Anne's Most Excellent Majesty. He exercised acts of ownership in different parts of the territory. He built a dwelling-house in what is now called Sharon Valley, which stood west of the Ten-Mile River, a little west of the malleable-iron works, and just within the territory of Connecticut. There he settled a tenant by the name of Baltus Lott, a Dutchman. There can be no doubt that the house occupied by

this individual was the first house built by a white man in Sharon, and that he was the first white in- habitant of the town. Sackett also made other im- provements in various portions of the lands claimed by him; but the running of the boundary line in 1731 showed him that a large and valuable portion of them were within the jurisdiction of Connecticut, and that so much of them would be lost to him unless he could obtain a confirmation of his title from that colony.

"He immediately commenced petitioning the Gen- eral Court of Connecticut for the recognition of his title, and prosecuted his suit for nearly seven years. He urged, from time to time, his claims to the land for the reasons that he had expended large sums of money in the purchase of it, in the full belief that it was in New York ; that he had braved many dangers during a long residence in the wilderness, encountered perils and privations of various kinds, had built a grist- mill for the benefit of the neighboring inhabitants, and in various other ways urged a confirmation of his title. His petitions were uniformly rejected by the Legislature, and he, after several years of effort, satis- fied that a further prosecution would be useless, aban- doned it forever; but his tenant, Baltus Lott, held on to his possession for several years after the town was settled, despite the many efforts of the proprietors to dislodge him, and finally compelled them to pay him a liberal price for his improvements.

"The colony of Connecticut ever made it a prac- tice to deal justly by the Indian claimants before they attempted to dispose of its land by settlements. Treating Sackett's purchase as a nullity, the Governor and Company employed Thomas Lamb, who lived at Lime Rock, in Salisbury, to buy up the Indian title to the lands in Sharon, and in October, 1738, he effected a purchase from the tribe claiming title to them for about four hundred and fifty dollars. The indefiniteness and uncertainty of this contract with Lamb as to how much, if any, land was reserved to the Indians afterwards, as will be seen, caused no little trouble to the settlers.

"It will be observed that the committee who laid out the township mention in their report to the Leg- islature that there had been laid out in country grants about four hundred acres of land. This was the des- ignation given to lands patented by the colony to individual purchasers. The land thus described was near Hitchcock's Corner. It was laid out in two par- cels,-one, of three hundred acres, to Samuel Orvis, of Farmington, and another, of about one hundred acres, to Jonathan Bird, of the same town. Both pieces were surveyed by Mr. Lewis about the time of the original survey of the town. This grant included lands of the very first quality, and extended as far north as to include the farm of the late Southard Hitchcock, Esq. Orvis and Bird never occupied their lands, but before 1734 sold them to one Daniel

567

SHARON.

Jackson, and the patent was taken out in Jackson's name, and the land for many years was called Jack- son's patent. Daniel Jackson was the first New Eng- land man who lived in Sharon. His house stood where the house lately owned by the Sharon Manu- facturing Company stands. He was originally from Newtown, in Fairfield County, but at the time of his purchase he resided in Dover, N. Y. His son, Jehiel Jackson, who once lived where George Maxam now lives, in the Great Hollow, was the first white child born in Sharon. Mr. Jackson lived but a few years in town. In February, 1739, he sold his patent to Garret Winegar, and removed to Great Barrington, Mass."

THE SALE OF THE TOWN.

"The town was divided into fifty-three rights, and sold at publie auction at New Haven, in October, 1738. The following is a list of the original pur- chasers: Nathaniel Skinner, Thomas Skinner, Na- thaniel Skinner, Jr., Samuel Calkin (two rights), Samuel Gillet, Joshua Lyon, Joseph Skinner, Icha- bod Foot, Stephen Calkin, Samuel Hutchinson, Tim- othy Pierce (three rights), James Smith, Ebenezer Mudge, John Sprague, John Pardee, Niles Coleman, Matthew Judd, Jabez Crippen, William Goodrich (two rights), Jonathan Petit, Zephaniah Swift, Joseph Parke, Joseph Holley. Caleb Chappel, Josiah Gillet, Jr., Samuel Beach, Joseph Monroe, Eben Case, Sam- uel Butler (three rights), Benjamin Johns, James Talmadge, Daniel Hunt, Thomas Spafford, John Goold, Benjamin Owen, Ebenezer Norton (three rights), Samuel Comstock, Jonathan Peck, Jonathan Case, Moses Case, John Woodin.

"These purchasers formed a legal corporation, whose designation was and is 'The Proprietors of the Common and Undivided Land in the Township of Sharon.' The clerks of the corporation have been Nathaniel Skinner, John Williams, Daniel Griswold, Samuel Canfield, Samuel E. Everitt, and Eben W. Chaffee. The corporation had power to set out to each proprietor in severalty his share of the lands, and at different times they have been thus deeded, and each right has furnished to its owner nearly seven hundred acres of land. The average price of each right was about one thousand dollars, and cach deed to the purchaser contained the following condi- tion, which would insure the speedy occupaney of the lands :

"' Always provided, and these presents are upon this condition, that if the said -, shall by himself or hals agent, within the space of two full years next oftor the into hereof, enter upon the said granted prom- Ines, build and finish an honse thereon not less than elghleen feet square and seven feet stud, subdue, clear, and fence six acres of said land, and continue thereon for the space of three successivo years, commencing after the two years nforesald (unless prevented by death or inevitable Previdences), and do perform ull duties and orders, pay all taxes that shall be granted, then the aforesnid deed shall remain in full force and virtue.'

" The records do not show how much, if any, of the purchase-money was paid on the sale, or that any

other security than the personal bond of the purchaser were required before giving the deeds.

"Of the original proprietors the following became inhabitants of the town : Nathaniel Skinner, Nathan- iel Skinner, Jr., Joseph Skinner, Stephen Calkin, Samuel Hutchinson, James Smith, Ebenezer Mudge, Joseph Holley, John Sprague, John Pardee, Jabez Crippen, William Goodrich, Jonathan Petit, Joseph Parke, James Talmadge, and Daniel Hunt.

" Many of the original purchasers sold their rights to those who were also among the first settlers of the town. Some of them were as follows : John Williams, Ebenezer Jackson, Jonathan Dunham, Caleb Jewett, Obadiah Chapman, Caleb Strong, John Corbet, Caleb Curtice, Ebenezer Frisbie, Benjamin Fuller, John Gay, David Hamilton, Thomas Hamlin, Bartholomew Heath, Samuel Hurlburt, Jonathan Lord, John Mar- vin, Jonathan Rowley, Matthew St. John, John Tick- ner, Bezaleel Tyler, George Way.

"Immediately after the sale of the township a number of the purchasers came on for the purpose of exploring, and to determine in what part of the town the settlement should be made. After exploring the lands and viewing their situation, it was found that the centre of the township was very unfavorably situ- ated for the town-plot. It was on a high ridge of land, where the face of the country was forbidding and un- comfortable. After mature deliberation it was deter- mined to fix the settlement on a street, laid out from Jackson's patent to Salisbury line, and the place de- signed for the centre, or site of the publie buildings, was laid out in squares of a half-mile each.

" All the individuals who came on to explore in the fall of 1738 returned to their families, except one, who was William Goodrich. He brought his family with him and spent the winter, which was a very severe one, with no other neighbors than the Indians nearer than the Dutch settlements in the oblong. The next spring, however, brought a large accession to the number of inhabitants, and from that period the settlement of the town may be said to have com- meneed.

"The first division was into lots of about eighty aeres each, which was to furnish the home-lot, or resi- dence, of the proprietor. A committee was appointed to lay out a lot of eighty aeres, which was called the standard lot, and all the other lots were made to con- form to this in value, the quantity to be more or less according to the quality. Some of the home-lots were laid out wholly on one side of the street, and some on both sides, according to the situation of the land. The standard lot was the one adjoining Jaek- son's patent, owned by the late Charles T. Lovell. The settlers principally located on the main street lead- ing from Jackson's patent, now Hitchcock's Corner, to Salisbury. Some, however, settled on the moun- tain and some in the valley, and in the course of a year or two nearly the whole territory of the first society was occupied. A large proportion of the first

568

HISTORY OF LITCHFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT.

inhabitants of Sharon were from Lebanon and Col- chester, in the county of Windham ; some few were from Norwalk and Stamford, in Fairfield County, and several families were from the old Plymouth colony. As they removed into the town they located them- selves upon the several home-lots which they had taken up, and by the next fall were all comfortably provided with homes and other necessaries."

PATENT OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.

" THE GOVERNOUR and Company of the English Colony of Connecticut, in New England, in America : To all to whom these presents shall come.

"GREETING: Whereas, The said Governour and Company in General court assembled, at Hartford, on the 11th day of May, A.D. 1732, did order that n township should bo laid out in the Southwest parts of the country lands, on the west side of the Ousatonic River, and appointed Messrs. Edmond Lewis, Stephen Noble, and William Gaylord a commit- tee to lay out the same.

" And, Whereas, In pursuance of said order, the said committee laid out the same, and bounded it as follows, viz .: Beginning at the South- west corner of the township of M, it being a stake set in the ground and many stones laid to it, standing on the east side of a poud ; from thence the line runs south 12 degrees 30 minutes west, with the line of partition between the Province of New York and the Colony of Connecticut, nine miles to a heap of stones laid on n rock, being in the nforesaid line of partition between the Province of New York and the Colony uf Connec- ticut, and is about two miles east of Captain Sackett's dwelling-house, which is the southwest corner bound of snid township; and from thence the south line rune E. 10º 30 S. four miles and one-half and one hundred and fifteen rods, to the Ousatonic River, where they marked n white-ash tree and laid innny stones to it, for the southeast corner bounds of said township, and marked many trees and made many monuments in the said south line, which township in their survey is called the township of N. S., and is bounded north on the township of M., south ou country lande, west on the aforesaid line of partition between the Province of New York and Colony of Connecticut, and east on the Ousatovic River, as by the return of said committee bearing date October 7th, A.D. 1732, entered on the records of said colony Liber. 4th for patents, Deeds and survey of land, folio 472-3, in the Secretary's office, reference thereto being hnd more fully and at large may appear.

" And, Whereas, The said Governour and Company in General Court assembled, nt llartford, on the 10th day of May, A.D. 1733, did enact that said township, among the townships then lately Inid out, should be dis- posed of nnd settled necording to such time and regulations as the said assembly should order. And, Whereas, The said Governour and Company in General Court assembled, at New Haven, A.D. 1737, by their act did order that township should be divided into fifty-three rights, of which fifty-threo rights one should be for the use of the ministry that should be settled in said town, according to the regulation in said act provided, one for the first gospel minister settled as aforesaid, and one other right for the support of the school in said town, and ordered that fifty of said rights should be sold, and that the other three rights should be for the uses aforesaid ; and that the committee by said act appointed should sell, and, in the name of the Governor and Company nforesaid, execute deeds of conveyance of the said several rights to the purchasers thereof re- spectively, with conditions to such deed annexed according to the direc- tions in the said act contained. And, Whereas, The said committee, in pursuance of and according to said nct, have sold, and by their several deeds under their hands and seals, have granted unto Samuel Hutchin- son, Nathaniel Skinner, John Sprague, John Pardee, and to the rest of the original purchasers of rights in said township, fifty rights or fifty- third parts of said township, upon condition as aforesaid, which town- ship is now called and known by the name of Sharon. And, Whereas, Mr. Peter Pratt is settled in the ministry in said town, according to the directions aforesaid, their heirs or assigns having performed the condi- tions in the said deed expressed, and now moving for a more full confir- mation of the said lands sold and granted them as nfor esaid.

"Now know ye, that the said Governour and Company, by virtue of the powers granted and derived to them by Ilie late majesty, King Charles the Second, of blessed memory, in and by his Letters Patent, under the grent seal of England, bearing date the three and twentieth day of April, in the fourteenth year of his reign, and in presence of the several acts and orders of assembly before in these acts referred to, have therefore given, grauted and confirmed, and by these presents do fully,

freely, and absolutely give, grant, ratify. and confirm for themselves and their successors unto, to the said Samuel Hutchinson, Nathaniel Skinner, John Sprague, John Pardee, and to the rest of the original purchasers aforesaid, sod to their heirs and assigns and such as legally represent or hold under them, in proportion to their respective purchases, and in such proportion as their assignees and legal representatives do hold un- der them as sforesaid, the said fifty rights or fifty-third parts, and to the said Peter Pratt, the said settled minister, the said one right or fifty-third part of all the lands in the township of Sharon aforesaid, and the said two rights ordered for the use of the ministry and school in said town, which two rights are hereby graoted and confirmed unto the ssid pur- chasers aod the said Peter Pratt, their heirs and assigne to and for the use aforesaid, and all and singular the lands, trees, woods, underwoods, ponds, rivers, fishiogs, fowlings, huntings, mines, minerals, and precious stones within the said township, and all the rights, royalties, powers, privileges, profits, and services to the premises belongiog. To have and to hold the said granted, or hereby intended to be granted, premises, to- gether with the privileges and appurtenances thereof, unto the said Samuel Hutchinson, Nathaniel Skinner, John Spragne, John Pardee, and Peter Pratt, aod to the rest of the said purchasers, and to their heirs and assigns and such as legally represent and hold under them in man- ner as aforesaid, and to their only use, benefit, and hehoof as aforesaid forever, as a good, sure, and indefeasible estate in fee simple to be holden of our Sovereign Lord the King, his heirs and successors as of his ma- jesty's manor of East Greenwich, in the County of Kent and Kingdom of England, in fee and common socage, and not in capite nor by Knights Service, yielding and paying therefor to his majesty King George the Second, his heirs and successors only the fifth part of all the ore of gold and silver that shall be there gotten or ohtained, in lieu of all other ser- vices, duties, and demands.

. these presents to be signed by the Governour And Secretary, and the public seal of the said Colony to he affixed. Dated in Hartford, the 26th day of May, Anno Domini, 1747.

" In witness whereof the said Governour and Company have caused

"J. LAW, Governor.

" By order of the Governour and Company of the Colony of Connec- ticut in General Court assembled, May, Anno Domini, 1747. " GEORGE WYLLYS, Secretary.

" Received May 30th, 1747, and here recorded.

"Test, GEORGE WYLLYS, Secretary."

THE SETTLEMENT IN DISTRESS.

"The first year (1739) was one of great promise and prosperity. The population rapidly increased and the productions of the soil richly rewarded the toil of its cultivators, but the month of May, 1742, was marked by the commencement of a wasting sick- ness which overwhelmed the settlers with distress and threatened the entire breaking up of the enterprise. This calamity put it out of their power to comply with the condition of their bonds, and in their ex- tremity they made application to the Assembly for relief. The following is a copy of their memorial, drawn up by the Rev. Mr. Pratt, which is a remark- able specimen of suppliant eloquence. It was ad- dressed to the Assembly in the usual way, and pro- ceeded to say,-

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History of Litchfield county, Connecticut, Part 136

Author: J.W. Lewis & Company (Philadelphia, Pa.) Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1532

Author: J.W. Lewis & Company (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1532