History of Middlesex county, Connecticut, with biographical sketches of its prominent men, Part 60

Author: Whittemore, Henry, b. 1833; Beers, J.B. & Company, publishers
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : J. B. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 818

USA > Connecticut > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex county, Connecticut, with biographical sketches of its prominent men > Part 60

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In 1688, after a hearing of the matter, between Gover- nor Winthrop and this committee, Governor Winthrop relinquished his claim to Saybrook, on condition that the timber and land should not be sold to any person who was not an inhabitant of the town. Subsequently the swamp was divided, by a committee appointed by the town for that purpose, into rights from one and a-half to twelve rods wide, running east and west through it, and sold or given to the inhabitants of the town.

In 1735, the names of the proprietors of Pattaconk were: John Whittlesey and his father, Ensign Jones and his father, Thomas Jones, Nathan Jones, Justice Whit- tlesey, Lieutenant Dudley, Ensign John Pratt, Isaac Pratt, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Baldwin, Mr. Warner, Joseph Blague, Ebenezer Ingham, Captain John Chapman, John Bushnell, and his brother Francis, Thomas Norton, Lieutenant Chalker, George Lees, Joseph Lees, William Bushnell, Sergeant James Post, Sergeant John Graves, Captain Fenner, John Conner, Job Wheeler, Nathan Hill, Sergeant Lord, Benjamin Lord, John Chapman, Gideon Webb, William Tully, John Kirtland, Lieut Kirtland, Thomas Dunk, Samuel Ingham, Ephraini Bush- nell, Thomas Bushnell, Samuel Lord, Mr. Gardner, Esq. Lynde, Rev. Daniel Chapman, Joseph Buckingham, Ebe- nezer Parker, Zack Sanford, Robert Coggswell, Samuel Chalker, Serg't Chalker, John Shipman, Samuel Shipman, John Pratt, Philip Shatuck, and six others whose names cannot be ascertained.

These proprietors met in 1735 to make a division of the undivided lands, and were instructed by the proprie- tors' committee, which was appointed by the town of Saybrook to make provision for all necessary highways, and this committee was instructed to lay them out. This committee was instructed by the town to lay out ten acres of the common land for a minister's lot, on condition that

* Most of the information in regard to Twelve Mile Island Farm was obtained from a history of it, written by Chief Justice Waite, of Lyme, and kindly loaned to the writer by William E. Seiden, Esq.

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.

the proprietors should give twenty acres for the same purpose, and in case they did so the committee was instructed to add twenty acres more of the common land, making in all fifty acres. It is supposed that this arrange- ment was carried out in full.

The highway from the head of the cove, running north past the town house, was probably the first road laid out in Pattaconk. It was originally thirty-six rods wide, or that width was given by the proprietors for a road, but after wheel vehicles were used for traveling, and the road worked, the proprietors' commmittee, in 1753, was au- thorized by Saybrook to sell to the adjoining proprietors any of highway land that was not needed for the road. The Wig Hill road, running from the town house over the hill past Cedar Swamp Pond, and northerly by the pond, was laid out in 1735, 1736, and 1737, by Samuel Jones, Abraham Waterhouse; Samuel Willard, John Graves, John Whittlesey, and Samuel Lord. The road leading from Charles Holt's house easterly to the river was laid out April 14th 1737, by James Baldwin, Job Wheeler, and Samuel Willard. The Straits road, running northerly to the head of the cove, was laid out in 1739 by Samuel Willard, Abraham Waterhouse, and John Whittlesey. The writer is not familiar with the history of the layout of the other roads in town by the early settlers. The Samuel Willard mentioned was an important man among the early settlers. He was one of the largest land owners, and rendered great ser- vice in surveying lands and establishing bounds, besides assisting the people in various ways. So sensible were they of their obligation to him that, in 1743, those owning land around Cedar Swamp Pond gave him a deed of the pond and a narrow strip of land surrounding it for a very small sum. Being already in possession of the plain east and the outlet of the pond, he became by this acquisition the owner of one of the finest water privi- leges in the State. Here was established, by his son, George, the first saw mill and grist mill in the town, which remained in the possession of the Willard family many years.

At a meeting of the Pattaconk proprietors in 1739, they agreed to assist each other in case of any molesta- tion or trespass upon their rights from the proprietors of Haddam. The trouble between the proprietors of Pat- taconk and Haddam, which has been alluded to, origi- nated in 1663, from a petition of the inhabitants of Say- brook and Lyme to the General Assemby for the enlarge- ment of their bounds four miles north of Pattaconk River on both sides of the Connecticut River. This petition was granted on condition that they should make a plantation on the enlargement on both sides of the river, within three years from the date of the petition. There is no record that the condition was complied with, and the proprietors of Haddam complained to the General Assembly that the grant was a trespass upon their rights. After a consideration of the matter by the Assembly, May 13th 1669, the following action was taken:

brook and Haddam, and Lyme and Haddam about their bounds, this court orders that the four miles granted to Saybrook and Lyme shall be divided, two miles of it to Saybrook and Lyme, and two miles of it to Haddam Plantation."

This, of course, settled the matter, but for some years there was contention between the inhabitants of Patta- conk and those in the lower part of Haddam.

CEMETERIES.

The first burying ground in the town was established at Parker's Point in 1717, in which there were about twenty-five interments. The second, known as the old burying ground, on the west side of the road, near the town house, was established about the year 1736. The third, on the opposite side of the road, was established in 1804, and the one in the West District in 1813. The new cemetery, on Laurel Hill, was established in 1863.

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

Previous to October 1729, the inhabitants of Patta- conk attended religious worship at Potapaug, near Cen- terbrook, and were required by law to pay taxes there to support the minister. At this time the inhabitants peti- tioned the General Assembly for liberty to "set up " the worship of God among themselves, and to hire some good orthodox minister, during the months of December, January, February, and March, for four years. This petition was granted on condition that it should be done at the cost of the inhabitants; and that they should not be exempt from paying full taxes at Potapaug. In 1732, the inhabitants again memorialized the General Assem- bly, setting forth the disadvantages they were under to attend worship at Potapaug, and praying for "liberty to hire a gospel minister for some time in the year to preach among them, and that for the time they do so - they may be discharged from paying ministerial charges at Pattapaug." The following was the action of the As- sembly upon the petition:

" This Assembly grants to the memorialists, inhabit- ants of Pattaconk, free liberty to hire a minister to preach the gospel with them at said Pattaconk five months in the year yearly, from the first day of December till the last of April, during the court's pleasure, and do dis- charge them from paying any ministerial taxes to Petta- paug, during said time and said months, if they have a gospel minister to preach to them at Pattaconk."

It is not known whether public worship was "set up" here according to the grant of the General Assembly or not. September 25th 1739, the proprietors of Patta- conk met at the house of Abraham Waterhouse jr. for the purpose of doing something toward forming a parish or society and voted that they were " willing that their lands should be taxed for the settlement of a minister." In 1740, upon the petition of James Baldwin, Benjamin Everett, Jonathan Hough, Abraham Waterhouse, and others, the General Assembly passed an act making Pat- taconk Quarter a separate and distinct society, to be known as the "Fourth Ecclesiastical Society of Saybrook,"

" Whereas there has been a difference between Say- and to be called Chester. It is supposed that this name

22I

CHESTER-CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

was given to the parish because some of the early settlers came from Chester in England. The church was formed September 15th 1742, with 22 male and 41 female mem- bers. The first meeting house was built in 1743, on the east side of the third burying ground, southeast of the present town house. It was a two-story building, 42 by 34 feet in size. The house was merely enclosed, with- out suitable glass windows, doors, pulpit, permanent floors, or seats, until April 4th 1750, when, at a society meeting, it was " voted to build a good pulpit, lay a good double floor, glaze all of the lower windows with sash glass, and make the doors." In 1746, the General As- sembly granted the society the privilege of laying a tax of four pence on the pound for four years, to defray the expense of building and furnishing the meeting-house, but this was not sufficient to finish it, as there were no per- manent seats in the gallery until 1765, when, at a society meeting, held January 15th, it was voted to allow Mr. Samuel Canfield, Mr. Joel Canfield, Mr. James Warner, Mr. Samuel Parmelee, and Mr. Matthew Cooly to build a pew at their own expense in the front gallery, on the north side of the middle window, provided they would agree to remove it when the society requested them to do so. In 1768, the society voted to pay for this pew, as it was also voted at the meeting held in 1765 to grant liberty to have all the seats in the gallery taken up and pews built, provided sufficient funds could be raised to do it. This was subsequently done.

The house was never plastered nor sealed, and the studs and rafters were the only ornaments. It has been said by those who attended church there that the un- derpinning of the house was so defective that the religious services were often disturbed by the bleating of sheep, which had taken refuge under it from the sun or storm; and that the services had many times to be sus- pended until some members of the congregation drove them out.

One of the great troubles the society had for many years was "seating the meeting house " by a committee appointed for that purpose. The committee was re- quired to assign seats to the worshippers according to their estimate of their wealth or respectability, and to re- port at an adjourned meeting. These reports were so often unsatisfactory, and so often rejected, that the practice was given up in 1775, and each person chose his own seat for many years.

In 1773, there was much trouble in regard to the sing- ing in the church on the Sabbath. There was a new style of singing learned by the young people, which the older ones did not like; but the matter was compromised by " allowing the young people to sing once on each Sabbath, from December 30th until the last Sabbath in January following, according to the rules they had learned under the direction of Jonathan Benjamin." In 1779, there was again trouble about the singing, and the society " voted that the chorister should tune the psalms in the lower part of the meeting house, and that Justice Buck and Simeon Church should assist in reading the psalms." A month after this vote was passed another

was passed, allowing the chorister to "sit where he thought best in the meeting house to tune the psalms." This seems to have ended the trouble about the singing for some time.

The society seems to have acted with a great deal of caution in regard to employing ministers. The pruden -. tial committee were required, in some cases, to go to the former place of residence of the applicant for a pastorate of the church, and make inquiries in regard to his char- acter, and to question him in regard to his orthodoxy, and to report at an adjourned meeting.

The society had the care of the schools, and the first one permanently established was in 1755, when a vote was passed to lay a tax of one half-penny on a pound to maintain a school, and Moses Sheldon, Simeon Church, and Jonathan Dunk were appointed a committee to have the care of it one year. The society continued to have the care of the schools until the school society system was established.

In 1791, the meeting house being much out of repair, the society voted to build a new house on the "green;" and in 1793 it was erected, much after the plan of the old one. This building has now, by the great generosity of Stephen Shortland, and the skill and direction of Mer- ritt S. Brooks, become one of the most beautiful town halls to be found in any country town in the State.

The present meeting house was built in 1846, during the pastorate of the Rev. Amos S. Chesebrough, and at a time when great unanimity of feeling existed among the members of the church and society. The building committee were Joshua L'Hommedieu, Thaddeus Beach, and Samuel C. Silliman. The house is 38 by 58 feet, with an audience room, parlor, and pantry in the base- ment. The main audience room is furnished with a fine pipe organ, procured principally through the efforts of J. Elmer Watrous and the late James B. Clark.

The first pastor of the church was the Rev. Jared Harrison, who was installed in 1742, at the formation of the church, and died in 1751. The second was Simeon Stoddard, settled October 1759, and died October 1765. The third was Elijah Mason, settled May 1767, and died February 1770. The fourth was Robert Silliman, who had preached about 30 years in New Canaan, and was installed here in 1772. He died in his former parish, while on a visit to his friends.

The fifth pastor, Samuel Mills, was settled October 1786, and died in 1814. Of Mr. Mills, the Rev. Dr. David D. Field, in his "Statistics of Middlesex County," from which most of the statistics in regard to ministers are taken, says:

" After leaving college, Mr. Mills was employed in keeping school. In the Revolutionary war he went into the army in the capacity of a lieutenant of horse, where he received a wound from a cutlass in the back of his neck, in an engagement with the British at Philadelphia. During his ministry, as his stipend was too small to sup- port his family, he usually instructed a number of youth at his own house, and thus rendered important service to many persons in Chester and vicinity."

The sixth pastor was Nehemiah B. Beardsley, installed

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.

in January 1816, and dismissed in February 1822. The seventh pastor was William Case, settled in September 1824, and dismissed in 1835. He died in March 1857. Mr. Case, like Mr. Mills, was under the necessity of keeping school to enable him to meet the wants of his family, and for a considerable time this was quite popu- lar.

The eighth pastor, Samuel T. Mills, son of the fifth pastor, was installed in July 1835, and dismissed in April 1838. He died in 1853. Mr. Mills came here from Peterboro, New York, where he had preached many years.

The ninth pastor, Edward Pierson, was installed in September 1838, and dismissed in October 1839. He died in 1856. The tenth, Amos S. Chesebrough, was ordained and installed in December 1841, and dismissed in January 1853. The eleventh, Edgar J. Doolittle, was installed in April 1853, and dismissed in April 1859. He was acting pastor from August 1861, to May 1869. The twelfth, William S. Wright, was installed in June 1859, and dismissed in August 1861. The thirteenth, Jabez Backus, is the present pastor. He was ordained and in- stalled in June 1881. All of the dismissals were by the request of the pastors.

In the intervals between the dismission or death of the pastors, the pulpit was occupied by many valuable minis ters, among whom ' were the Rev. Chauncy Robbins, through whose untiring efforts a fund of five thousand dollars was raised for the support of the Gospel in the society; the Rev. Charles Dickinson, who accomplished much good by his plain, practical preaching; and the Rev. William D. Morton, who was instrumental in the establishment of the Chester Library Association, in 1875, which now has twelve hundred and fifty volumes. There was a library established in 1789, known as the Fraternal Library, with one hundred and one volumes.

The following named persons have been elected dea- cons of the church: Jedediah Chapman, in 1742; John Ward, in 1750; Jonathan Dunk, in 1760; Thomas Silli- man, son of Rev. Robert Silliman, in 1781; Andrew Lewis, in 1811; Samuel Silliman, in 1831; Jeremiah Wil- cox, in 1838; and Edward C. Hungerford, in 1871. The two last mentioned are the present deacons. Thomas Silliman and his son, Samuel Silliman, were deacons of the church one hundred years. They were men who took a great interest in ali public affairs, and were al- ways ready to battle for the right in every case.

The value of property belonging to the society is esti- mated at $11,000, exclusive of the fund of $5,000.

The following ministers have been raised up here from this church: Jonathan Silliman, Samuel T. Mills, Wil- liam Ely, John Mitchell, William Mitchell, and William Baldwin.

BAPTIST CHURCH.

In 1815, according to Field's Statistics, there were in the town one hundred and fifteen families, seventy-seven of whom were Congregationalists, and the remaining thirty-eight Baptists. The Baptists worshiped with the

church in Winthrop until about the year 1822, when they built a comfortable meeting house in what is now known as the Middle District.

Public worship was established in it, but the church was not organized until 1832, when it consisted of twenty-six male and forty-one female members.

During the interval of ten years between the building of the meeting house and the organization of the church, the pulpit was occupied by the Revs. Emory Shailer, William Denison, Joseph Glagior, Russell Jennings, and others.

The first regular pastor was Elder Hodge, whose pas- torate was from 1832 to 1833; William Palmer, from 1834 to 1838; Simon Shailer, from 1838 to 1839; A. F. Taylor, from 1839 to 1840; A. Vangilder, from 1840 to 1841; Sylvester Barrows, from 1841 to 1843; A. D. Wat- rous, a part of 1843; Alfred Gates, from 1843 to 1846; N. Boughton, from 1846 to 1849; Isaac Cheesebro, from 1849 to 1851.

After this, until 1862, the pulpit was temporarily occu- pied by E. N. Shailer, Russell Jennings, and others. William Denison was pastor in 1862. The church had seasons of prosperity and adversity, and at the tinie of its greatest declension the Rev. George W. Gorham re- turned from the war of the Rebellion, where he had served both as soldier and chaplain, with constitution im- paired in the service, and spent the most of his remain- ing strength, from 1868 to 1870, trying to restore har- mony, and tobuild up the church; and, for his self de- nying labors under great discouragements, the church is most indebted, and cherishes his memory with feelings of gratitude.

In 1870, through the great generosity of the Rev. Russell Jennings, who had always felt a deep solicitude for the church, it was put in possession of a fine new meeting house. The building is 41 by 26 feet, with a basement room, parlor, and consultation room. The main audience room is provided with an organ. From the dedication of the new meeting house, the church entered upon a season of prosperity.

Since the dedication, Elder Jennings has given the church a parsonage, and a permanent fund of $5,000, making the value of the church property more than $12,000, exclusive of the fund of $5,000.

The pastors of the church since the dedication of the new meeting house have been: T. N. Dickinson, John Evans, William D. Morgan, O. C. Kirkham, J. G. Noble, and J. A. Bailey. The Rev. A. J. Hughes, the present pastor, was ordained in September 1884.

The names of those who have been deacons of the church are John Parker and Samuel Webb jr. The pres- sent deacons are George W. Smith and Fisk Shailer. There have been raised up from this church three min- isters; Amos D. Watrous, George Watrous, and Hayden Watrous.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

In the year 1853, there were ten Catholic families re- siding in the town of Chester, and forty single persons

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CHESTER-EDUCATION-INDUSTRIES.

professing the same faith. All being anxious to worship at the shrine of their fathers, they acquainted the Rev. Father Brady, the resident pastor of St. Patrick's Church, in Hartford, of their situation. In the course of that sum- mer, he paid them a visit, and offered the holy sacrifice of the mass in a private house, the same now owned and occupied by Fisk Shailer. Believing that their spiritual wants would be more regularly attended to, they applied to the owners of the Rechabite Hall for permission to hold services there, which favor they granted, thus showing a liberal disposition, for which the Catholics felt very grateful. Rev. Peter Kelly, also from Hartford, then paid them a visit and celebrated mass in the Rech- abite Hall for the first time. The Rt. Rev. Bernard O'Riley, Bishop of Providence and Hartford at that time, being made acquainted with their situation, sent them the Rev. John Lynch as permanent pastor. He continued divine worship in the hall until 1855, St. Jo- seph's Church being completed and ready for service in 1856. Father Lynch was removed, and Chester being a part of the mission of Branford, Clinton, and Saybrook, Branford being the head, pastors were sent from the latter place, and from Colchester, until 1876, when the Rev. Philip Sheridan was sent to them as permanent pastor. He officiated until 1883, when he departed this life. He was succeeded by the Rev Joseph Synnott, a man of untiring zeal for the welfare of the church and his people. He has just completed a fine pastoral resi- dence, and intends soon to build a new church or en- large the present one. The number of Catholic people of all ages at present here is 250.

SCHOOLS.

As before stated, the first permanent school was estab- lished in 1752, although there was a school established in 1743, but no suitable provision made for its continuance. The first school house stood about five rods southeast of the present town hall; the second, about twenty rods in the same direction from the town hall, on the east side of the road. There was but one school district until 1775, when the territory of the town was about evenly divided, and the districts were called the East and West Districts. The building used by the West District for a school stood on the south side of the road, near the Hough house, until about 1799, when a house was built near the present one, which was erected in 1849. In 1816 the East District was divided into North and South Districts, each building a new school house. That in the North District stood east of D. D. Silliman's house, on the north side of the road, and about a quarter of a mile north of the present one, which was built in 1871; and that in the South District was located on the south side of the road, near the site of the present one, which was built in 1866. In 1845, the South District was divided, and the west part was called the Middle District, and a school house was built there.

Subsequently, a portion of the West District was an- nexed to the Middle. Each district has a good house, that in the South having two departments.

SHIPBUILDING.

Ship building, according to Field's "Statistics," com- menced in the town in 1755, near the mouth of the cove: afterward it was carried on a mile up the cove, at what is known as the old building yard, by Leet & Buck, Stevens & Colt, and Samuel Colt. Here the ship Adriatic was built, in 1811; it being the first ship built in town. The business was continued here many years, but owing to increasing difficulties in getting vessels below the turnpike bridge it was again commenced near the mouth of the cove, where it was continued several years

by Samuel Colt, William Lord, and others who were interested in the business. The ship Jane Blossom was built here, about the year 1822, by Samuel Colt and others, and was lost on her first trip to Mobile. Three vessels have been built near the Middlesex Turnpike bridge by Bani Denison and his son, Socrates Denison, and within forty years a schooner has been built at the " old yard " and another at the head of the cove.

WEST INDIA TRADE.

About the year 1810, and for some years previous, there was a considerable amount of shipping owned in the town, and quite a number of men were interested in the West India trade. Among them were Jonathan Warner, Gideon Leet, William Mitchell, and others. Subsequent to 1810, several vessels were owned here, but the number gradually decreased, and at present there is but one owned.

STORES AND HOTELS.

Mercantile business was carried on at an early period at the head of the cove by Leet & Buck (the Warners also being interested), by Stevens & Colt, and Samuel Colt.

In 1809, Bani Denison commenced the business near Middlesex Turnpike bridge, and was succeeded by his son, Socrates Denison, who discontinued the business some eighteen years ago, and it is now carried on at the head of the cove by William H. Sullivan, dealer in dry goods and groceries; Eli H. Wilcox, in groceries, confec- tionery, etc .; S. Denison & Son, in dry goods and groceries; Charles Wellman, in hardware; J. J. O'Connor, in boots and shoes, and gents' furnishing goods; Mis. Hattie Pratt in fancy goods, and Miss Nettie Wright, in millinery goods; S. A. Wright, postmaster, in drugs, paints, oils, &c., and E. M. Hughes, manufacturer and dealer in Hughe's extract of Witch Hazel. Julius Smith, a dealer in dry goods and groceries, is located about half a mile west of the cove. At the head of the cove is the stove store and tin shop of 1). H. Gilbert. The Chester House or Hotel, kept by Frank P. Smith, is a comforta- ble and commodious house, neatly kept, where transient or permanent guests are well fed and kindly treated.

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History of Middlesex county, Connecticut, with biographical sketches of its prominent men, Part 60

Author: Whittemore, Henry, b. 1833; Beers, J.B. & Company, publishers Publication date: 1884 Publisher: New York : J. B. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 818

Author: Whittemore, Henry, b. 1833; Beers, J.B. & Company, publishers
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : J. B. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 818