USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Granby > History of Simsbury, Granby, and Canton : from 1642 to 1845 > Part 2
USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Simsbury > History of Simsbury, Granby, and Canton : from 1642 to 1845 > Part 2
USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Canton > History of Simsbury, Granby, and Canton : from 1642 to 1845 > Part 2
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15
A Council of War had been established, and was almost in daily session, except during the sessions of the General Assembly. On the sixth of August, 1675, the Council ordered one hundred dragoons to be raised in the county of Hartford ;* and " that all persons be duly prepared and pro- vided with arms and ammunition, and that they assemble on Monday next, by sun an hour high, at the meeting- house in their respective plantations," there to attend "to such other directions as shall be given them by their com- manders."
On the thirtieth of the same month, Major Treat, who had been appointed commander of the forces, was directed
* Subsequently, 350 men were raised in the Colony-of whom seven were of Simsbury.
-
20
HISTORY OF SIMSBURY.
to march to Westfield and Northampton, to intercept the Indians. He proceeded as far as Windsor, when, being informed that one Christopher Crow, while traveling be- tween Hartford and Simsbury, had been assaulted and shot at by four Indians, eight being in company, he halted, and upon advising the Council of this occurrence, he was ordered to leave thirty of his men, and advance with the rest on the expedition. But, on the next day, the Council having received intelligence of other indications of hostility on the part of the Indians ; that one John Colt had been shot at, and another party of Indians been discovered lurk- ing near the north meadow in Hartford, on the preceding night, the Council ordered the return of Major Treat, with his forces, forthwith to Hartford.
A few days afterwards, the Council directed that a night watch be kept in every plantation,-all soldiers from six- teen to seventy years of age being required to attend their course of watch,-and that one fourth part of the military force of each town be under arms every day, by turns, to gnard their respective plantations.
It was also ordered, that, during these commotions with the Indians, all persons, having occasion to work in the fields, should work in companies ; and where the fields lay at a distance of half a mile from town, such 'companies should consist of not less than six persons, with their arms and ammunition well fitted for service.
For the prevention of danger to travelers, the town of Windsor was required to send, each other day, four men "to clear the roads to Simsbury." Other towns were required to perform a similar service on their main roads leading from town to town.
The Indians who had been in the service of the Colony, having returned to Hartford from one of their expeditions, the Council ordered, as a recompense for their services, that there be given to each Mohegan a coat, and to each Waba- quassuck Indian, "a payre of breeches."
On the twenty-seventh of September, the Council came to an agreement with the Indians of Farmington, Hartford,
21
HISTORY OF SIMSBURY.
Wethersfield and Middletown, wherein the Indians engaged " to continue in friendship with the English, to espouse their cause, and to discover and destroy their enemies" :- the Council stipulating to pay them two yards of cloth for every head of an enemy killed by them, and four yards of cloth for every captive they should deliver alive. This compact was afterwards renewed and confirmed by all the Indians residing within the county of Hartford, and was reduced to writing. The treaty was to continue during the war, and to guarantee its fulfillment the Indians were re- quired to give hostages.
The Indians who were known to be engaged in this war- fare against the English, in addition to powerful tribes under the immediate control of Philip, in Rhode Island, and other places in that vicinity, consisted of tribes scattered through the central parts of Massachusetts, and extending up the valley of the Connecticut river in that Colony. Some of the Pequots in this Colony, as well as portions of tribes residing in the county of Fairfield, were supposed to favor the conspiracy. Simsbury, from its being a frontier town, was peculiarly exposed to the inroads of the enemy, and. especially to sudden attacks from the northern Indians. The condition of the town was deemed so hazardous, as to attract the special attention of the General Assembly.
At an early period of the war, a garrison was kept up in this town at the public expense. It was so constructed and guarded, as to afford protection, in an ordinary assault, to such inhabitants as might flee to it for safety. But the danger became so imminent as to induce the Legislature, at the October session, 1675, to pass an order directing the inhabitants to provide places of security for themselves and crops, within one week, and, at the expiration of that time, that the garrison be evacuated .*
* The following is a copy of the record. Its melancholy tone is indicative of the despondency which so generally prevailed at that time
" This Court from a deep sense of the imminent danger that all our plan- tations are in, by the nakedness of each and every place, do order and appoynt every plantation, (as a means under God for their safety,) to make such suitable places of defence as they are capable of, and appoynt such
3
22
HISTORY OF SIMSBURY.
Upon the promulgation of this order, the inhabitants removed to Windsor or Hartford, carrying with them such of their effects as could be transported. But the contempla- ted attack did not take place that fall, and during the succeeding winter, the people, deeming the danger over, removed back to their former habitations. The danger, however, had not passed away; in the ensuing spring, it assumed a more threatening aspect than ever.
There is no record evidence of any act of hostility per- petrated by the Indians against the English in this Colony, during the winter of 1675-6, excepting that in February, one William Hill was shot and severely wounded by an Indian at Hockanum. Before the close of the season, how- ever, there were such evidences of a design to attack the settlements, especially those of the weaker classes, as to induce the Council of War to adopt the most vigorous mea- sures in defense of the plantations. A force of four hundred and fifteen men was raised in the Colony, and all the larger towns were ordered to complete their stockades, and line them with ditches and breastworks. The former orders of the Council, in reference to the people's working in companies in the fields, and those relating to the keep- ing of watches, and wards, were re-issued and directed to be obeyed, and the shooting off of guns, by which a false alarm might be given, was prohibited under severe penal- ties. It was also ordered, that all the male inhabitants of the several plantations, capable of bearing arms, should carry their arms and ammunition, with them, to all public
places for their women and children, and others that are not able to help themselves, to repayre unto, in case of assault, that all out-livers, and weak places, do take speedy and effectual course to get their women and children, corn, and the best of their estates, to places of the most hopeful security, as is within their compass to do; and that each plantation do appoynt suitable persons as a committee to order those affayres respecting places of fortifica- tion and defence.
This Court orders, that the people of Simsbury shall have a week's time to secure themselves and their corn there, and at the end of the week from this date, the souldiers, now in garrison at Simsbury, shall be released their attendance there."
23
HISTORY OF SIMSBURY.
meetings, at times of worship as well as at all other times. This is believed to have been the origin of the custom of attending meetings with fire arms, which is well known to have prevailed extensively, if not universally, during many years after this period.
Under date of March 3, 1676, is this record :
" The insolency of the heathen, and their rage increasing against the English, and the spoyle that they have made in sundry places, hath moved us to order that forthwith the people of Simsbury doe remove themselves, and what estate they can remove, to some of the neighboring plantations, for their safety and security."
In obedience to this order, every white person was removed from the town with all possible dispatch ; and the Indians of the place, most of whom had espoused the cause of the English, or at least had remained passive, were compelled to remove, or secrete themselves in the forests. The whites returned to Windsor, or Hartford, taking with them their herds of cattle, and but little else of consequence ; for, as there were at that time no bridges, and nothing but narrow pathways for roads, articles of personal estate, generally, could not be transported without much difficulty, and consequent delay. The friendly Indians who removed, it is believed went westwardly, and settled down upon the Housatonuc river, within the limits of the present township of Salisbury, where they built a village which they called Weatauge, after the village of that name in Simsbury which they had left, and where they and their descendants resided many years thereafter .*
The settlement, thus abandoned, became an easy prey to the ravages of the enemy. Hordes of Indians, under the command, as is supposed, of Philip himself, poured in from
* I have the authority of Judge Church, of Salisbury, for this statement. Having investigated the history of that town, which was published in 1842, he ascertained, as he has informed me, from the strongest kind of tradition- ary evidence, that the Weatauge Indians of Salisbury were driven from Sims- bury in the time of Philip's war. As Salisbury was not settled by the Eng- lish until about 1740, these Indians continued there without molestation from the whites, more than sixty years. Remnants of the tribe remained in that town many years afterwards.
24
HISTORY OF SIMSBURY.
the north, and after a general pillage, destroyed by fire nearly every building in the town, as well as every thing else left by the English, which could be found, and which the invaders could not appropriate to their own use. The ruin was complete - nothing but utter desolation remained. During all the Indian wars, before and since this event, no destruction of any English settlement in New England has taken place, in which the ruin, it is believed, was more extensive, or more general, than in this conflagration.
This event took place on Sunday, the twenty-sixth of March 1676-the pillaging in the day time, and the burning of the settlement in the succeeding night. Philip, it is said by tradition, seated upon a neighboring mountain, which has ever since borne his name, viewed the scene, and enjoyed from its contemplation those emotions of pleasure which, it is supposed, are peculiarly agreeable to all of his race, when placed under similar circumstances .* His deep rooted hatred of the English-the cause in which he was engaged, involving his own existence, and probably that of his nation, if not of his whole race-and his Indian habits and education-all tended to make this scene peculiarly
* There is more of fiction than truth in this tradition. It is pretty certain that Philip was not in this part of the country at this time, and it is extremely doubtful whether the mountain derives from him its name. In the early records of the town, it is called Phelps' mountain, a person of that name then being the owner of a large tract of land upon it. Nor is it by any means certain that a numerous body of Indians invaded the town at the conflagra- tion. Since writing the foregoing account of this disaster, Sylvester Judd Esq., of Northampton, whose knowledge of Indian history is very extensive, has directed my attention to a document in the State department at Hartford, which, perhaps, throws some light upon this subject. It is the examination of an Indian culprit concerning the perpetrators of various offences. When asked who committed a particular murder, he gives the names of seven Indians, most of whom belonged to Springfield, and then adds " and they it was who burnt Simsbury." Perhaps no reliance ought to be placed upon any part of his story, even though he accuses himself with others of certain crimes. But if he is on other subjects, entitled to credit, and if, concerning this transaction, he intends to say that but seven persons were engaged in the conflagration, he must be mistaken; for so small a number, it is believed, could not, in one night, have fired so many buildings situated as these were, separated by a river, and extending through a distance of about seven miles.
25
HISTORY OF SIMSBURY.
pleasant to his sight. But, if he turned his eyes, as he probably did, in another direction, he might view settle- ments, on the banks of the Connecticut, so strongly forti- fied and manned, as to defy his power, and put an end to his hopes of conquest. At any rate, he withdrew his forces, and in the month of July following was himself taken and slain. But the war continued some months after his decease.
On the following day, the Council of War received notice of this conflagration, which they communicated to the people of Farmington, with this caution-" to stand upon their guard for their own defence."
It is understood that nearly forty dwelling houses, chiefly of the poorer classes, were destroyed, with a large number of barns and other buildings. Nor was this all. Provis- ions, produce, furniture, fences and farming utensils, were collected into heaps and burned. In short, every injury which the enemy could devise was inflicted, and in a man- ner too so as most to destroy the property of the settlers.
After this event, the town remained deserted about one year, during which time no attempt was made to rebuild it. During their absence, the inhabitants, most of whom had fled to Windsor, held a town meeting on the fourth of April 1676, at the house of Joseph Skinner, in Windsor, occa- sioned, as the record says, " by reason of the war."
But in March 1677, the danger being supposed over, a number of the inhabitants, feeling desirous to return, applied to the Council of War for advice and permission to remove back to Simsbury. The Council granted their request, and passed an order in reference to common fences, and another relating to the occupancy of the lands of such proprietors as should not return to the town within a specified term of time. Some few of the proprietors, it is well known, never did return back ;- preferring, probably, to sacrifice their estates there, rather than expose themselves and families to the hazard of another Indian invasion. But the greater number removed back with their families during the spring of 1677, and commenced to repair the damages sustained
3*
26
HISTORY OF SIMSBURY.
They found on their return little else but ruin and desola- tion. Not even the goods that had been secreted could be discovered. Every thing showed too plainly, that havoc" had been "let loose"-that the evil spirit of destruction had reigned triumphant .*
In consideration of the great losses sustained by the inhab- itants, and to encourage the re-building of the town, the
* According to tradition, the inhabitants when they fled from the town in 1676, secreted many articles of household furniture and other personal estate, by burying them in swamps, or depositing them in wells which they attempted to conceal by filling or covering over ; and that upon their return, they were unable to recover the articles thus left, because, such changes had been wrought by the devastation, that the places where the articles had been deposited could not be found.
It is undoubtedly true that many goods were secreted in this manner, which, when sought for by their owners, could not be found. But, it is hardly possible to suppose that every mark of locality could, within the space of one year, have been so thoroughly effaced, as this account, to be true, would require. It is, perhaps more compatible with probability to suppose, that the Indians discovered the places where the hidden treasures were deposited, and that they destroyed every thing concealed therein which they could not conveniently carry off.
The recent discovery of two wells, which had been covered over or filled up so long that history had lost all traces of them, has given occasion to revive this tradition, and lead some to conjecture that a portion of the lost articles had been deposited in them. One of these wells is in the garden of the late Roger Wilcox, deceased, at Westover's plain ; and it is certainly a singular circumstance that, had its locality been known, it should have remained so long in this condition,-for there has been, for upwards of a hundred years, a house near it, the occupants of which, during all this time, for want of a well, have been compelled to obtain a supply of water from one at a distance on the opposite side of the road. Not far from this well, is an old building which, from its construction as well as tradition, is supposed to have been erected for a block-house. It is now used as an appendage to a barn. In this building, was born Samuel Forbes Esq. of Canaan, who died some years since at an advanced age, and in possession of great wealth.
The other discovered well is on the lot opposite the residence of the late Gen. Noalı Phelps. It probably belonged to the " Minister's house," which stood there, and which was also, at times, occupied as a garrison or block - house. If so, and if, as supposed, the well was used by the tenants of that house, it could not have been covered over until nearly fifty years after the burning of the town, for the house was not demolished until after 1720. The presumption is that both wells, not being wanted for use, were covered up, and in process of time had become forgotten.
27 .
HISTORY OF SIMSBURY.
General Assembly, at the May Session 1677. granted liberty of raising the rates for town charges, and the support of the ministry, for the three ensuing years, upon lands only,- thus taxing non-residents equally with the residents of the town ;- and also remitted, to all actual inhabitants, the payment of Colony taxes for the period of three years .*
But these enactments failed to accomplish the objects intended. Many of the proprietors, including some of the former inhabitants, neglected to take possession of their - lands, or to make any improvements upon them. This, by
To the Honoured Generall Assembly now sitting in Hartford.
HONOURED FATHERS.
Wee whose names are underwritten, the present inhabitants of Simsbury, haveing bin formerly burthened by the inequallity of levying of rates (as the case is circumstanced with us,) and now through the late afflictive dispensa- tion of God's providence, haveing bin greater sufferers than other plantations in this Collony, and thereby allsoe in some measure at the present incapaci- tated to rayse rates in the common way that is stated in the country law : m this our infant state do humbly request and desire of this Honoured Assembly that they would be pleased to graunt us at the present that privilidge (which wee understand hath been formerly and of late graunted to other plantations in their beginning,) viz. that all rates that shall be raysed for the defraying of publicke charges may be levyed onely upon lands ; the farther grounds and reasons of this our request wee have desired Samuel Willcockson and Benajah Holecomb to represent to your Honours as our agents in this case: Who are your very Humble Servants.
May 14th : 77.
SAMUEL STONE, THOMAS BARBAR, JOHN PETYBONE, JOSEPH PHELPS, PEETER BUELL, JOHN DRAKE, JOHN GRIFFIN, MICHALL HUMPHREY, JOHN HUMPHREY, JOSIAH CLARK."
General Court, May Session 1677. "This Court upon the motion of the inhabitants of Simsbury, doe grant that the people of Simsbury shall have liberty to rayse their rates for the ministry and towne charges onely upon lands for the three next years ensueing this date, any law to the contrary not- withstanding. And in regard of the great loss that, that town hath received in the late warr, the Court have seen cause to remitt to the inhabitants of Simsbury that make their constant aboad (there,) their Country rates for the three next years ensueing both for persons, land and cattell."
-
28
HISTORY OF SIMSBURY.
the actual settlers, was deemed so injurious to their rights, as to induce them, in 1679, to call a town meeting, and appoint agents to apply to the General Assembly for relief.
In pursuance of this application, the General Court, at the October session, 1679, in view of aiding the settlement, and giving greater security to the inhabitants against any future invasion of the Indians, appointed a committee to determine where the proprietors should build their respective mansion houses, and ordered the proprietors to occupy their premises, and construct dwelling-houses thereon, within the space of six months after the decision of the committee should have been made known .* This committee in the following March, decided that eleven of the proprietors should build at Captain Newberry's, now Westover's plain,- that thirteen persons, who had grants on Salmon brook, should build at the same place, to whom should be given houselots of three acres cach,-that fifteen proprietors should build at Hop meadow,-four, who had not already houses, at Weatauge, west of the river, and thirteen on the east side of the river,-five at Terry's plain,-and nine on the east side of the mountain. This order included some proprietors who had not previously erected any house in the town.
Some of the proprietors having neglected to comply with
* " Upon the petition of John Terry and John Case in behalf of the town of Simsbury, that those who are proprietors of land in Simsbury might be compelled to com to their alottments and settle themselves, or som other suitable persons on their accomadations there ; This Court having consid- ered the sayd petition, doe nominate and appoynt Major John Talcott, Mr. James Richards, Mr. John Wadsworth and Capt. Benjamin Newberry, or any three of them, to be a comittee to take a view of the sayd plantation of Simsbury, and to appoynt the place or places where the inhabitants shall build and settle, so as may be most for their accomadation and safety, and when this is done, all such persons as have propriety there, and doe not com and build upon their accomadations or alotments, and setle some Inhabitants in them within the space of six months after the determin- ation of the sayd comittee, shall forfeit forty shillings pr year to the Town till he shall Build upon his sayd accomadations a good sufficient mansion house according to former order of court, except any particular person doe produce some grant that doth free him from this injunction formerly granted by this Court, or a committee impowered by this Court."
29
HISTORY OF SIMSBURY.
the orders of the committee, within the time allowed for building, were prosecuted for the penalties forfeited. They were all joined in one process. The following is a copy of the writ.
" Captain Benjamin Newberry, Captain Daniele Clark, Quarter- master Bissell, Nathaniel Bissell, Samuel Bissell, Georg Grisowld, Timothy Phelps, Serg't Anthony Hoskins, Joseph Skinner, Thomas Egglston, Samuel Pinney, Aurther Henbery, Andrew Hylliard, John Drak. In his Majesties name, these are to require you, and every of you, to appeare at the County Court, to be holden in Hartford on the first thirsday in March next, and then and there to answer Thomas Barber, one of the Townsmen in Sims- bury, and such other as they shall appoynt as a commity, in behalf of said Towne of Simsbury, in their Complaynt made agaenst you and every of you, for that you have not errected mansion houseing upon your respective and particular house lots in Simsbury, accord- ing to the order of Court provided to that purposs, with the pen- alty anexed which has accrued, without payment whereof to the Towns usses. You may not faile to make your appearence. Feb. 14, 1682. Per, John Talcott, Assistant."
One of the persons sued, Capt. Benjamin Newberry, be- longed to the committee who made the very order, for trans- gressing which he was prosecuted! The power exercised by the Assembly, and delegated to the committee in this matter, would, at the present day, be deemed exceedingly unjust and oppressive. But the proceedings, being in aid of the general welfare, were cheerfully acquiesced in, and had the effect, at least in some degree, of advancing the prosperity of the settlement. Still, the progress of improve- ment was slow. The injury sustained by the burning of the town was so great as to require, in the then impover- ished condition of the people, time to repair it. The set- tlement remained at a stand, or nearly so, for about ten years. There were no representatives elected by the town to the General Assembly, from 1675 until 1687; and there was no Colony tax levied until 1689.
CHAPTER III.
History of the Massacoe Indians. Indian Hostilities after Philip's War. Captivity of Daniel Ilayes. 1648-1750.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.