History of Torrington, Connecticut, from its first settlement in 1737, with biographies and genealogies, Part 3

Author: Orcutt, Samuel, 1824-1893
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Albany, J. Munsell, printer
Number of Pages: 920

USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Torrington > History of Torrington, Connecticut, from its first settlement in 1737, with biographies and genealogies > Part 3

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It was not obligatory on the saints of those days to run to church three times a week in order to keep out of the hands of the evil one the rest of the week. Their Sunday preaching, Bible reading and catechism lasted at least six days before it was entirely forgotten.

It was supposed to be the duty of the hearers of the Word to exer- cise their powers, to study, investigate and apply, intelligently, the doctrines, principles and teachings of the sermons they heard, and not leave it all to be done by the minister. Then the people were thinkers as well as bearers ; and the sermons were strong with doc- trines, principles, rules and laws, intended to set men to thinking.2 It is a blundering mistake, as well as an injustice to the fathers and

I Colonial Records.

2 The author of this work has in his possession a schedule of questions for study, for seve- ral successive weeks, presented by Rev. Daniel Brinsmade, of Washington, Ct., to the women of his congregation, in 1760. Many of these questions would trouble a class of professors of a theological institute to answer.

RELIGIOUS PRIVILEGES.

mothers of a century ago, to suppose that, because their heads were not filled with the reading of a hundred books a year of thin quality though great in quantity, therefore they were no thinkers, and pos- sessed but little refinement of sentiment and taste. The intellectual faculties were brought into vigorous exercise in those days, in regard to all the great questions of life, though in a different form, as well as, and as thoroughly as, at the present day.

Hence to go to church was a glory, an honor, an intellectual pri- vilege, and not a drudgery of which they would gladly rid themselves. Therefore the church was full, and full morning and afternoon. Meeting house life was a part of home life. Sympathy of joys and sorrows was to be found and rendered at the house of God; and it was home ; the one great home for all the people.

When, therefore, the first inhabitants had met in that old hem- lock church thirty-five years, under such circumstances, after many of the fathers had passed away, and their funerals been attended in that house, the place where many of their children were baptized, it may well be supposed to have been a place cherished and hallowed in the memories of most of the people. That old hemlock church ; that first church ; on that high hill, cold in winter, breezy and beau- tiful in summer, looking out to the four corners of the earth from old Torrington, was a place long to be remembered.

Where do the thousands of the living descendants of the families who used to meet in that church, now meet for worship? In all parts of the United States to the Pacific ocean; in South America, on the Sandwich islands ; in the Canadas, and in Europe.

CHAPTER V.

IMPROVEMENTS.

THE FORT.

UILDING a fort was a work of necessity for the safety of the inhabitants of the town. In October, 1744, the town voted thirty-five pounds six shillings and six pence, as one-half of the cost of building a fort. It was located near Ebenezer Lyman's dwelling, on the west side of the present road at that place, and was built of chestnut logs split in halves and standing in the ground, rising to the height of about eight feet. The object of the fort was, protection to the inhabitants from the ravages of the Indians, especially the raids of the Mohawks, which were made for the one only purpose of pillage and destruction. The Connecti- cut Indians had learned, many years before, to make little trouble for the settlers. Various narrations are still repeated about the fright of the people ; the haste with which they fled to the fort, leaving nearly everything in their homes, and remaining over night and sometimes several days, in great anxiety as to their own lives and also the safety of their homes, And for a time the settlers sought homes near this fort. Several of them owned lots on the east side, but sold them and bought on the west side and then brought their families into the town near the fort, and others lived on the west side while they worked their lands on the east side.

This fear of the Indians was the greatest disturber of the peace of the people in the new settlements. The dread of the wild beasts, though no inconsiderable matter, was of little weight compared to the terror produced at the report of the coming of the Mohawk Indians. The alarm at the approach of the Indians was given by lighting signal fires on the hills from Albany eastward as the party advanced. Hence, if an accidental fire occurred in the direction of the Hudson river it was taken as an alarm fire, and the people hastened to the fort to wait until information could be obtained of the cause of the fire. This state of society came to an end soon after the close of the French war in 1760. The old fort served its purpose as a refuge in

IMPROVEMENTS.

time of need, was a number of times occupied by the frightened in- habitants, for several days at a time ; then gradually tumbled down, leaving nothing but a mound seventy-five feet by one hundred, which still marks the place of its once warlike standing. There is said to be another mound about three-fourths of a mile westerly from the site of this old fort, which marks the place of some fortifi- cation, either of the Indians before, or by the first settlers of the town.

A school house was built within the fort, in 1745;1 the first insti- tution of learning in the town. In this house religious services were held several years. It was probably a framed house and of good size, as the only public building in the town at that time. Town meetings, very likely, were also held at this house for several years.

Deacon Cook's house, built in 1740 or 1741, was a framed build- ing ; the frame still standing, it having been re-covered several times. It is probable that Deacon Lyman's house was a framed building and those of Asahel Strong and Jacob Strong on the road south of Mill brook, and Israel Everitt's and others on the road west of Deacon Cook's, also those of Abel Beach, Aaron Loomis and others on the present Goshen road, which were built before 1742.2 The site of the first Grant house is in the lot north of Dea. F. P. Hills' present dwelling. Joel Thrall's second home, probably, stood some little distance south of Dea. F. P. Hills' dwelling, was one of the first houses put up in the town and may have been a log house.

So far as ascertained, the first settler in Torringford was Abraham Dibble, or his son Daniel, in 1744 or 5, on the second lot laid out from Harwinton line, the place still known as the Dibble place. The next settler was Benjamin Bissell, a little north of the Shubael Gris- wold place on the east side of the street, where Mr. Bissell kept a tavern a number of years. He came probably in 1745. The third settler was John Birge, on the present Roswell Birge place. Nehe- miah Gaylord made his home opposite Benjamin Bissell's, a little north, in a log house first, probably in 1746. Elijah Gaylord settled on a farm that included the site of the present Torringford church, and the burying ground ; his log house standing in the lot southeast of the present church, in 1747. Shubael Griswold built his house a little south of Nehemiah Gaylord's in 1754, and made his home

I Rev. J. A. Mckinstry in Manual of the First Church. Dea. L. Wetmore in Wolcott- ville Register, 1875.

2 Since writing the above it has been ascertained that nearly all the first dwellings were built with logs.

HISTORY OF TORRINGTON.

there. He lived on the west side of the town a year or two before this house was completed and before he was married. In 1752 or 1753, John Burr settled on the place long known by his name, and Benjamin Matthews came about the same time, with Mr. Burr from Farmington ; the others were from Windsor. Soon after this came Dea. Jonathan Kelsey and his son Nathan from Woodbury. Between 1753 and 1760, came Joshua, David, Daniel and Aaron Austin from Suffield, some of whom settled on West street ; and Aaron Yale from Wallingford, and some others from Windsor, and Samuel and Ephraim Durwin from Waterbury.

APPLE TREES.

Many of the early settlers having been reared in those parts of the state where apples had become an important commodity in the en- joyment of life, were led, in the early stages of the settlement, to give much attention to the planting of this kind of tree. This is very evident from the large quantity of apples and cider found here in 1770, and afterwards. In 1773, there were four cider mills on the west side, and at least one brandy still. An apple orchard would not reach any considerable maturity under twenty years, and there- fore the planting of such orchards must have been one of the first great enterprises of the town.

EVERITT'S MILL.

Israel Everitt had a grist mill on Mill brook, on the site which was afterwards occupied by General Sheldon's tannery, afterwards Raphael Marshall's. This mill was gone in 1760, and the place is spoken of as the old grist mill, and Everitt's mill, and therefore it must have been built very early. In 1739, Mr. Everitt sold a piece of land, in the hollow west of Deacon Cook's house, upon which was erected a tannery, and there may have been a run of stone at that place for grinding grain, but the probability is that Mr. Everitt, soon after 1739, built the grist mill on Mill brook, and if so it was the first one in the town.

WILSON'S MILL.

One of the great institutions in Torrington for fifty years and more was Wilson's mill.

At their meeting on June 22d, 1743, after the second division of

IMPROVEMENTS.

lands was made, the proprietors voted that "Thomas Stoughton, Jacob Strong and Ebenezer Lyman, Jr., be a committee to lease a convenient place for a corn mill in the proprietors' land on Water- bury river as shall be needful to accommodate the setting of a mill, to some suitable person that will engage to build a corn mill, between Lieut. Nathaniel Gaylord's lot and Thomas Stoughton's lot."

The mill was not built at that time, for a vote of the proprietors passed in January, 1757, says a mill lot should be laid out, and that this lot with all the privileges thereof should be sold to the highest bidder. Accordingly the committee, Jacob Strong, Ebenezer Lyman, Jr., and Elijah Gaylord, sold this lease, in the next March, to Amos Wilson, " for and during the full term of nine hundred ninety and nine years, from and after the date of these presents." The land contained in this lease, on the west side of the river was estimated to be twenty acres, that on the east side, one acre ; and for this land and mill privilege, Amos Wilson paid four hundred and fifty pounds, old tenor ; or fifteen hundred dollars.

In the same month Amos Wilson sold certain parts of this pro- perty and formed a stock company ; Amos Wilson, Noah Wilson, Jacob Strong, Ashael Strong, Ebenezer Lyman, Jr., and William Grant being the stock owners. The mill was built as a saw mill and continued such only, so far as is known, for several years. An old account book of Amos Wilson is preserved and shows that much work was done in this mill. In 1776, is first mentioned the grist mill, and from that time until 1794, the accounts of the grist mill are regularly recorded, and then a new grist mill is mentioned. The owners of this mill changed but seldom. After fifteen or twenty years Jacob Strong sold to Samuel Everitt, and some time after this Matthew Grant sold to David Soper. When the grist mill was added, the proprietors became Amos Wilson, Noah Wilson, Ashael Strong, and Noah Wilson Jr. Joseph Taylor bought one share of this mill in 1781.

FIRST TAVERNS.

One of the first taverns was erected and kept by Epaphras Sheldon a little north of Ebenezer Lyman's, on the east side of the road. Mr. Sheldon having received quite a farm from his father and having purchased several pieces of land, made his home here about 1760, and was of considerable importance as a new settler, and for thirty years he was as prominent as any man in the business transactions of

HISTORY OF TORRINGTON.

the town, and in social, military and political positions. His tavern was the head quarters for most doings of the town. The road run- ning north and south past his house was the race course for running horses, and the fields near his house were the parade grounds for military drill, until after the center of the town became established at at the green, after the building of the second meeting house.

Ephraim Bancroft, lived a little north of Mr. Sheldon's and also kept a tavern, but whether it was established as soon as the other is not ascertained. In these taverns the people often assembled during the Revolution, to learn the news and to discuss the great questions then exciting the minds of the people. What anxiety at times filled the minds of those thus assembled and how sadly many a man went home from those places, to speak of the sad news to an anxious mother, and to mourn in a home which once broken could never be made whole.

Capt. Abel Beach kept a tavern beginning some time before the revolutionary war, but at what time he opened his house for public entertainment cannot be definitely ascertained. Noah North's ac- count book indicates that Capt. Beach had a tavern as early as 1764, but he may have kept such a house several years before.

John Burr, of Farmington, bought in 1751 and in 1752, land amounting to over four hundred pounds money, and settled in the town in 1753, on the farm known many years as the Burr place, east of Burrville, on the hill. Here Mr. Burr was keeping a tavern in 1762, and may have opened such a house some years earlier.

Shubael Griswold built his house on the corner of Torringford street and what was afterwards the Torrington turnpike, in 1754, and opened it as a tavern about 1757. His son Thaddeus Griswold, con- tinued it as a public house many years.

Benjamin Bissell's tavern, stood a little north of Shubael Griswold's, and was kept as a public house some years before the Revolution ; and still later David Soper kept a tavern on Torringford street, west side, near the first meeting house.

CHAPTER VI.

TORRINGTON CHURCH.

HE Rev. Nathaniel Roberts closed his ministerial and earthly labors on the fourth of March 1776. The church under his care had prospered in an ordinary degree compared with other churches of the same order in its vicinity, and had been conducted on the broadest principles of doc- trine and usage for that day. They had a creed and covenant from the first organization in 1741, as appears from papers still preserved. The discipline of the church had been as carefully attended to as was the custom among churches of the time, with the exception of ad- ministering baptism to children under the half way covenant. This practice had caused trouble in many churches but none here while Mr. Roberts remained.

Rev. Noah Merwin followed Mr. Roberts in his pastorate, being ordained October 25, 1776. He labored here seven years, but no account of the prosperity or doings of the church during that time is at hand, he having taken all such records with him when he left the place. There is a paper however, which reveals somewhat of a con- flicting element in the mind of the second pastor in regard to the former practices of the church. According to the date of the paper Mr. Merwin delivered these opinions one year after he was dismissed. In his declarations he says : "Justifying faith is necessary in order to enter into covenant with God ;" that the " sacrament of baptism is as sacred an ordinance as that of the Lord's supper ;" that the " church has no right to prescribe to the ministers who are the proper subjects for him to administer the seals unto ;" that the church " has no right to blame a minister for refusing to put to vote anything that is con- trary to the dictates of his own conscience."

All these opinions were in conflict with the former practice of the church, hence there was a stirring of both good and bad faith. It is apparent that the waters were troubled, not to heal but to divide, as the reason why Mr. Merwin was invited to return, after his dis- mission, and deliver his opinions. It was not an opinion of the peo- ple, alone in regard to Mr. Merwin and his services, but in regard

HISTORY OF TORRINGTON.

to certain rules of practice in the church, against which the minds of a number of the most substantial and faithful members began to be strongly exercised and in consequence of these divisions of opinion as to church rules, a disaffection had grown up which caused a de- ficiency in the treasury of the society as early as 1781, or earlier. Individua' notes had been given by various persons to meet Mr. Merwin's claims, and the matter was brought to issue in 1782, whether the society would pay those notes. Some arrangement was effected and Mr. Merwin was paid. This much the papers show. Tradition tells us that Mr. Merwin being paid in continental money was unfortunate, in that the revolutionary war closed, peace was de- clared, and his money was worthless. He asked that the society should make up his loss, they declined, and he requested to be dis- missed, which was granted by a regular council November 26, 1783. The account book of Deacon Whiting shows that Mr. Merwin preached here much of the time during the summer of 1784, residing in Cornwall; his preaching services being held in the old church.

Another paper is preserved, which shows that the defection in the church and society was not originated in regard to Mr. Mer- win, but through a movement which had troubled many churches in Connecticut more than twenty years, in regard to church government and practices. In the present case the objection raised was that the church in its usages was not strictly Congrega- tianal, and therefore was indulging practices which were injurious to the cause of religion. The items were, the halfway covenant, the authority of a council, and the authority of the minister. Mr. Merwin held that when advice had been given by the Consocia- tion, by itself or through a council, if the advice was not received and obeyed, the Consociation should withdraw fellowship and com- munion from such church. The two men who were the leaders toward the so-called strict congregational rules, were Benoni Hills and Ebenezer Coe; both, men of sound and discriminating judg- ment. These brethren gave to the church in a letter dated May 15, 1781, their objections to the practices of the church in regard to government, and requested letters of dismission. Instead of granting the request the church proposed several questions in writing to these brethren, the last of which reads thus: "Wherein does this church differ from the strict Congregational churches in New England." The church desired a mutual council ; these brethren declined doing any thing further. Two years passed with this controversy going

TORRINGTON CHURCH.

on, during which difficulties arose about paying Mr. Merwin, and the church voted, September 2, 1683, that Benoni Hills and Ebe- nezer Coe, by leaving us in the manner they have and going to join the Separates, have dismissed themselves from us, and therefore are no longer of us. This was done two months before Mr. Merwin was dismissed.

Nine days before the meeting of the council to dissolve the pas- toral relations of Mr. Merwin the church voted that, " this church has nothing to object against the Rev. Mr. Merwin as to his moral cha- racter or his ministerial performances since he took a pastoral care and charge over us. Nevertheless taking into consideration the broken, and divided state of the church and congregation, this church on the whole think it best that Mr. Merwin's ministerial relation to us and the society be dissolved, and we desire the same solely on this account, that we hope it will be for the peace of the society and the advancement of religion among us, and for Mr. Merwin's com- fort and more extensive usefulness."

The Rev. Lemuel Haynes was the next minister, commencing his labors early in the summer of 1785. He was a talented, devoted man, well and favorably received by his ministerial brethern; but African blood flowed in his veins, and there were prejudices existing in those days sufficient to make trouble as to this matter, if in all other respects there had been peace in the community. After Mr. Haynes had preached here a few months there was such rising of courage and union of disposition as to secure a combination to support the gospel. Forty-six persons covenanted together, not as a society nor as a church, but as individuals, that " we will join together in our en- deavor to procure steady preaching, and to keep up and maintain the public worship of God among ourselves, with a view to the calling and settling a gospel minister as soon as God, in his providence shall open a door therefor." They agreed to pay according to their list, or by subscription, as should be deemed best. From this last item it may be seen that a part of the trouble arose from the system of taxing every tax-payer for the support of the preaching.

The subscribers to this agreement dated October 3, 1785, were

Increase Grant,I Nathaniel Barber,

Elihu Cook,

William Wilson, Joseph Blake, Elijah Barber,

Epaphras Loomis, Samuel Beach, Hannah Loomis,

1 Lived in the edge of Litchfield.

HISTORY OF TORRINGTON.

Noah Fowler,

Asahel Wilcox,

Elisha Smith,

Urijah Cook,

Noah Wilson, Jr.,

Abner Loomis,

Joshua Leach,

Eli Barber,

Richard Loomis,

Richard Leach,

Guy Wolcott,

Moses Loomis,

Richard Leach, Jr.

Noah Wilson,

Moses Loomis, Jr.,

Caleb Leach,

Roger Wilson,

Adna Beach,

George Baldwin,

Oliver Filley,

Isaac Filley,

Jonathan Coe,

Nathaniel Leach,

Timothy Barber,

Ebenezer Coe,

Caleb Lyman,

Caleb Munson,

Amos Wilson,

John Whiting,

John Beach,

Abijah Wilson,

Bushniel Benedict,

Margaret Thrall.

Joseph Taylor,

Benoni Hills,

Lemuel Loomis,

Wait Beach,

In November of the same year a meeting of these subscribers was held and they appointed a moderator, clerk and treasurer and col- lector, in regular order, and voted a tax of " one penny on the pound, to be paid in money or the following articles : wheat and peas at five shillings a bushel, rye 3s, 6d, per bushel and Indian corn at 2s, 6d per bushel."

In the next March they voted that the committee "invite Mr. Lemuel Haynes to preach with us some time longer." That meant six months, at the end of which time, September 1786, they voted to "invite Mr. Haynes to preach to us the winter coming," and ap- pointed a committee to " see that Mr. Haynes be provided for."

At the same time of the above action, it was voted that " Ensign Beach set the Psalm," and that Noah Fowler, Seth Munson and Remembrance North be appointed to assist Ensign Beach in setting the Psalm." It was about this time that singing began to be con- ducted by a choir sitting in the gallery, about which there were some conflicting feelings that caused some little commotion in the church and community, but which soon quieted down, all being convinced that the change was an improvement.

All the records of the doings of the first society, to this time, 1785, are missing, and no conjecture as to what became of them is made, except they were among the records Mr. Merwin took with him and which he refused to return, after being requested to do so. Such records would doubtless show much effort on the part of the people to improve the singing, as was the custom in most churches in those days. There were a large number of excellent singers in the society at the time ; families by the dozen in which there were from three to a half dozen. Some families could have formed a choir, singing four parts, and have had several singers " to spare for their

TORRINGTON CHURCH.

neighbors," if any could be found that were in need. One hundred singers could have been placed in the gallery at one time, that would have done honor to ordinary singing in church, while a full audience would have been left in the body of the church to do congregational singing. This new departure in singing, from the deacon or deacons in front of the pulpit, to the gallery, took place in the old church in the spring of 1786.

During the summer of 1786 a meeting house was built as individual property and was thus owned about sixteen years, when it was made over to the Congregational society, then the established legal body. It was located a little north of Captain Abel Beach's tavern, at the place known for many years afterwards as Torrington green. It was two story, having two rows of windows on each side ; one side of the house faced the south. The belfry, built a few years after, with a high steeple, was on the west end of the building, jutting out from the body of the house so far that the west door was on the south side of the belfry. There was a door on the south side of the building, and one on the east end. One of the conditions on the part of the society when Mr. Gillett settled here, in 1792, was that this meeting-house should be finished inside. In the Church Manual by Rev. J. A. Mckinstry, we are told that this steeple was built in 1797, and the bell put in and the house thoroughly repaired. As to this bell, tradition says that the inhabitants contributed one hundred silver dollars which were sent to the maker and the silver put into the bell.

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History of Torrington, Connecticut, from its first settlement in 1737, with biographies and genealogies, Part 3

Author: Orcutt, Samuel, 1824-1893 Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Albany, J. Munsell, printer Number of Pages: 920

Author: Orcutt, Samuel, 1824-1893
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Albany, J. Munsell, printer
Number of Pages: 920