USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Torrington > History of Torrington, Connecticut, from its first settlement in 1737, with biographies and genealogies > Part 7
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I General Abernethy commenced keeping a store at this place about 1803.
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HISTORY OF TORRINGTON.
street is left ; and the only man representing the name in the town is Mr. Levi Hodges, representative to the state legislature in 1877. At the north end of this street, still residing in the old homestead, is Miss Adah, daughter of the Rev. Alexander Gillett, now in the ninetieth year of her age.
NEWFIELD.
Some part of Newfield was settled later than any portion of the town except the pine swamp. Noah North settled in the western part quite early, with a few others, and the Fylers came into the eastern part about 1780. The territory embraced in the fourth school district, before 1800, was called Noppet, taking its name from Noppet hill, west of Noah North's dwelling. Abel Beach, son of Capt. Abel, went to this hill hunting, and lost his way, and remained in the woods over night. He was, afterwards, asked what he did when he found he was lost. He said, "I laid down by a log and nopped it." Hence the hill on which he took his nap, was called Noppet hill, and finally that part of the town was known by the same name. About 1803, Junia North resolved that the name should be changed, and gave it Newfield instead, which was accepted without resistance.
This Junius North, who was always called Juna and later Uncle Juna, kept a tavern where his son Dea. Frederick now resides, and was a man of considerable influence. Rev. Mr. Haynes preached in this tavern, a number of times in 1786 and 7, and thus supplied the demand for meetings in this part of the town.
There was a small green at Capt. Eli Richards's, opposite the bury- ing ground, east side of the road, giving the locality some appearance of a public place. The military drill of the Newfield company was held at this place before 1800, as this part of the town furnished men enough, at that time, for a whole company. Charles Dix had a tannery and shoe shop a little north of Capt. Richards's, before 1795, and sold it to Giles Ward, who continued it some years. After- ward Phineas Reed established one north of the Meeting houses, on the road to Winchester. Henry Dayton built a tannery and shoe shop at Arrow pond, about 1827, which was continued some years.
Orange Soper had a blacksmith shop a little north of the burying ground, where he continued to work until about 1800, when he sold his place to Jesse Finch and removed to Vernon, N. Y. There were several other blacksmith shops in Newfield, and they were kept
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busy, because in the earlier days nearly all iron used went, first, through the blacksmith shops. Nails of all descriptions were made at these shops, and all the chains and irons used by the farmers about the barns and houses, and farming implements ; also cranes and hooks in the fire places to aid in cooking, and the hinges on the doors of the dwellings as well as the andirons in the fire place.
A grist mill was built by David Hart, half a mile north of where the Churches were afterwards built, which continued some length of time. Mr. James Culver was the miller some years. Capt. Salmon Bronson of Winchester wanted some dried pumpkin ground, and brought it to the mill. Mr. Culver put in the pumpkin to grind ; and put in and put in, and none came out. The end of it was, he was under the necessity of taking up the stone and digging off the pumpkin with the pick. The late Moses Waugh's wagon shop now occupies the site, or nearly so, of the old grist mill.
Saw mills, cider mills, and brandy stills flourished in this part, as well as elsewhere in the town. There was also a mill for turning wooden bowls, made from whitewood, on the brook half a mile east of the corners. For a time, these dishes were used by many people for the purpose of eating. Chauncey Humphrey was saddle and harness maker here in 1803, when the making of saddles was a much larger business than the making of harness ; and Theodore Goodwin was the hat maker at the same time.
The first School house for Newfield district stood on the north side of the east and west road, so that when the Waterbury turnpike was made, it went between the two chimneys of this house. It was built about 1790, and was large for the accommodation of the School, and also to answer the purpose of a meeting house, which it did for some twelve or more years. This same Newfield is said to have been, for many years, the most populous part of the town.
About 1830, a store was opened at the corners a little south of the churches, but never attained any considerable business or importance.
Mr. Harlow Fyler lived about one mile east of the Churches and about 1830, his large farm presented a scene of busy life. His dairy of sixty to eighty cows rolled out a thousand dollars a year. His brick yard produced about one hundred thousand of brick a year, and one year reached two hundred and fifty thousand. He burned char- coal to a great amount, year after year, and kept one and two coopers busy making casks for the brass foundery in Wolcottville, and barrels and tubs of all descriptions. His apple orchards poured out one
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HISTORY OF TORRINGTON.
hundred barrels of cider a year frequently and one year it reached three hundred barrels. Newfield once ran over with apples and cider ; the cider mills were so numerous that the older people do not try to tell the number, and several brandy stills were in successful operation for more than fifty years.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH.
Newfield derived, also, considerable celebrity from its meeting houses and religious movements. It comprised a large farming community and a numerous population, and was from two to five miles from any meeting house. Two causes led to a necessity for a church in this place. The Meeting house of the first society of the town, remained on the south hill from four to five miles distant, and although much effort had been made to remove it further north, the people of the southwestern part resisted severely. Another cause was the fact that Baptist min- isters had preached in this region and some of the people had become Baptists. While, therefore, the troubles were going on in the first church and society, special effort was made in Newfield, in connection with the Baptist people of Colebrook, in the summer of 1788, to ascertain the propriety of organizing a Baptist church. A meeting was held on the first Saturday in September and the matter considered in the presence of elders James Bacon and Ashbel Gillett, and dele- gates Caleb Case and Abel Gillet, as a council. On the following day, meetings were held and two persons baptized.
The advice of the council, that it was deemed expedient to organ- ize a church, was accepted and meetings appointed for the 17th of the same month. The account of that meeting is proper to be given as recorded in order to show the freedom and openness of the pro- ceedings. " Meeting opened by solemn prayer to God for his bless- ing. Brother Stephen Shepard told his experience, and we all spake one by one and gave him fellowship, and gave liberty for any body to speak for or against his experience or life. Then eight others told their experience and came forward in the same manner." These were, Stephen Shepard, Aaron Marshall, Silas Fyler, Gideon Smith, Esther Beach, Chloe Marshall, Bethesda Brunson, and Rhoda Agard. Joseph Drake, desiring the watch of the church submitted himself to its discipline though he did not become a member. About the mid- dle of the following November, Elder Gillet baptized Ashbel Bron- son, Remembrance North, Judia West and Sabra North and they were received into fellowship. On the 8th day of January, 1789, the church was recognized by sister churches and taken to their fellow-
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ship, and the same day Elder Gray baptized Esther Fyler, Jane Loomis 2d, Hannah Bronson, Olive Agard. Two days afterward, Noah North, Levi Marshall, Norman Shepard, were baptized, and on the_next day John Fyler, Lemuel Loomis, Elizabeth North, and Elizabeth Macomb were received into the church. From this time until June, this religious interest continued, preaching being obtained by various elders, and baptisms occurring almost weekly. On the 9th of June a council convened and agreed to the request of the church, to ordain Stephen Shepard as an evangelist, and the services of this ordination were held the next day in Captain Richards's lot at eleven o'clock in the forenoon. The elders present were Isaac Root
of Warren, James Bacon of Suffrage, Adam Hamelton of Westfield, John Hastings of Suffield, and Ashbel Gillet of Wintonbury. Another council was convened with this church on the fifth day of October, 1790, and on the next day ordained Epaphras Thompson to the work of the gospel ministry. Elders present were John Hastings, Suffield ; Eliakim Marshall, Windsor ; Isaac Root, Warren ; Ashbel Gillet, Wintonbury ; Calvin Hurlbut, Torrington ; Elisha Ransom, Water- town; Jacob Winchell, Springfield.
Elder Shepard continued to preach much of the time in Newfield until 1793, when he removed his family to Sharon, but preached one- half of the time in Newfield. The meetings were held frequently at the School house, and some times at Noah North's.
THE BAPTIST MEETING HOUSE.
A paper containing declarations of principles and stipulations of association for the purpose of building a Meeting house in Newfield, is dated November 10th, 1803, and states that, " We the inhabitants of the above named places, subscribers each one for ourselves, being persuaded that it is our duty which we owe to ourselves, our families, to civil society, whereof we are members, and above all to our God, to maintain in some suitable way the public worship of that being in whom we profess to believe ; and being of various denominations we congratulate the day which we behold in which the powers above hath abolished those walls of imposition and prejudice, so that we mutually agree to provide a convenient building for the accommoda- tion of a worshiping assembly, do hereby form ourselves into a volun- tary association by the name of the proprietors of the Free Meeting house, mutually agreeing to raise a fund for the purpose of building a Meeting house for the use and benefit of all denominations of Christ-
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HISTORY OF TORRINGTON.
ians upon the following terms." These terms were in harmony with the statements just made ; and the expenses were to be raised by stock shares, one hundred and twenty in number at five dollars each ; the building to be forty-five feet in length, thirty-five in width, and eighteen feet posts. The following names are on the paper as sub- scribers, but a portion of the original paper. is torn off, so that the amount given by two or three persons cannot be ascertained.
Noah North, Baptist,
$50.00 David Eggleston, ,
20.00
Junia North,
50.00
Joseph Eggleston,
5.00
Solomon Loomis,
15.00
Billy Eggleston, 5.00 .
Elihu Barber,
75.00
David Miller, 3.00
Isaac Bellows,
66
20.00
Bildad Loomis, . 10.00
Abel Beach,
15.00
Samuel Rowley,
5.00
Randall Shattuck, 66
10.00
Roger Coe.
Levi Munsell,
20.00
John C. Riley.
Mathew Adams, Episcopalian,
5.00
Pomeroy Leach.
Oliver Coe,
20.00
Benoni Hills.
William Reynolds,
15.00
Roger Marshall.
Charles Richards,
5.00
Moses Richards, Episcopalian,
10.00
Noah Drake, 3d,
5.00
Fred Case, .
5.00
Ichabod Loomis, 5.00
Luke Case, 5.00
right to think again," one saddle, 13.00
Noah Drake, Jr., a free thinker, 10.00
Theodore Goodwin, two felt hats,
2.50.
Simeon Richards, . 5.00
Jedidiah Eggleston, .
10.00
Simeon Richards, Jr., . 5.00 .
Linda Eggleston,
5.00
Ira Grant, 5.00
Molly Eggleston,
5.00
Moses Drake, 5.00
Robert Hurlbut,
10.00
David Eggleston, 5.00
15.00
Thomas Marshall,
Joseph Hoskins, .
5.00
Chauncey Humphrey, a free thinker,
i. e. " if I don't think right I have a
In 1819, a subscription was raised to repair the house, and again in 1834 ; and, in 1840, further efforts were made to revive the church and improve the Meeting house. Soon after this house was built the people began to remove west and the depopulating movement con- tinued for many years and it was difficult to keep services regularly, even from the beginning. On Monday evening July 5th, 1875, this Meeting house, not having been used for a number of years, and being in a dilapidated condition was set a fire by irresponsible persons and burned to the ground. Deacon Frederick North with a few other members of this church still remain as good examples of Christian faith and practice.
THE METHODIST CHURCH.
Between 1780 and 1790, Ensign Jonathan Coe, Joseph Haskins and others, then living just over the Winchester line, near Newfield, became disaffected with the standing or Congregational order and gave
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adhesion to the Methodists, and after this the circuit preachers held service occasionally at Mr. Coe's house. In the autumn of 1808, a Methodist camp meeting was held in Canada village, in Goshen, and Newfield was largely represented there. Methodism, however, took no definite prominence in Newfield until about 1816, when Rev. Daniel Coe, a local preacher from Winsted, began to hold regular services in the Baptist meeting house. Soon much interest was mani- fested ; meetings were multiplied, and quite a number of persons were baptized in the brook north of Harlow Fyler's residence. A church was organized and Capt. Levi Munsill was appointed class leader. The church increased until it numbered about fifty members, and the interest became so general that the school children held prayer meet- ings in the grove during the intermission of school exercises. Capt. Stephen Fyler and his sons Harlow and Juba, the Munsills, Loomises, Grants, Thralls, Daytons, and Capt. Asahel Smith and Amasa Wade of Winchester, and a number of other families warmly es- poused this cause ; and for some years a thriving society existed. Besides Daniel Coe, who always manifested a fatherly interest in this church, David Miller of Torringford was a frequent early preacher. Afterwards, several other ministers are remembered as having preached here, viz : Mr. Canfield Cochrane, Billy Hibbard, John Nickerson, Morris and Aaron Hill, - Washburn, Samuel D. Ferguson, John Beach, Gad N. Smith, Col. James Perry, Joseph Toy, Miles N. Olmstead and Henry J. Fox. Some of the presiding elders were, Nathan and Heman Bangs, Laban Clark, John Lucky, - Wash- burn, - Martindale, - Ferguson and Griswold.
Among the class leaders after Capt. Munsill, were Augustus Grant, Archibald Dayton and Chauncey Riggs.
Several of these ministers resided in Newfield, the circuit being at first and for many years, a four weeks' circuit, with two ministers, each preaching in the same place once in four weeks. The other minister living in Burlington ; the four preaching places being Bur- lington, Newfield, Canada village in Goshen and Cornwall.
The Methodists and Baptists occupied the Old meeting house on alternate Sabbaths, until a Methodist quarterly meeting occurred on the Baptist's Sabbath, and was conducted with closed doors, according to the custom of those days. Some young men insisted on going into this meeting, and finally broke down the door to effect an entrance. Much excitement followed. The next quarterly meeting was held in Harlow Fyler's wagon house, and a great company gathered for the occasion. This occurred in the autumn of 1832. A meeting 10
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HISTORY OF TORRINGTON.
of the members of this church was held Nov. 26, 1832, when the Rev. Heman Bangs, presiding elder, was chosen moderator and Rev. Charles Sherman, the pastor, was chosen scribe, and they voted that " we deem it expedient to make an effort to build a Meeting house." They appointed a committee consisting of Levi Munsill, Harlow Fyler, Archibald Dayton, Elihu Barber and Amasa Wade, to fix on a site and forward the movement as trustees of the society. Two thousand dollars were fixed as the amount to be raised in order to make the subscriptions binding. The names and amounts were :
Stephen Fyler,
John Humphrey,
10.00
Juba Fyler,
$750.00
Levi Hurlbut, . Bassett Dunbar,
25.00
Augustus Grant,
200.00
Elkanah Barber, 50.00
Archibald Dayton,
100.00
Jonah Dayton,
. 10.00
Elihu Barber,
250.00
Henry Ward, .
5.00
Orson Barber,
200.00
Sumner Cooper,
. 8.00
Josiah Appley,
50.00
Marcus Munsill,
5.00
Levi Munsill,
I 50.00
Luman Munsill,
. 5.00
Uriah Burr,
30.00
Isaac Bronson,
50.00
10.00
Homer H. Wade,
5.00
Moses Drake,
60.00
Lyman Bronson,
10.00
Amasa Wade, Jr.
25.00 Harmon E. Wade,
10.00
Joseph Eggleston,
10.00
Ebenezer Sexton,
10.00
Harlow Fyler,
25.00
The house was built in 1833, and seated with slips instead of the box pew.
In November, 1833, a subscription of $195 was raised and a bell purchased at Medway, Mass., and ordered sent by water to Hartford, but navigation closing, Mr. Harlow Fyler sent his team to Med- way, for the bell, which had been shipped to Boston to come by water, and the team went to Boston and brought the bell in time for the dedication. After a few years of full meetings and general in- terest, the cause began to decline ; families were removing from the community, almost yearly, some of them going to the far west. A debt of four hundred dollars remained on the Meeting house property which continued to increase although several efforts were made to pay it, until about 1850, when it was sold to the Advent society, and a series of meetings was held by Elders Miles Grant and Matthew- son. For a time there was much interest manifested ; the Meeting house was filled on the Sabbath, and some meetings were held in the Baptist house also, and a Second Advent church organized with thirty members, but after ten or twelve years the meetings ceased, most of the members went to Wrightville and the Meeting house stood unused until 1876, when it was sold and taken down.
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Now Newfield is lonely, not desolate, but lonely. Ashes are on the site of the Baptist house, brick and plastering on that of the Methodist house. A little brick school house stands near, where a dozen or twenty children meet for education, a small portion of the year.
" Time, whither dost thou flee?
" I, travel to eternity."
TORRINGFORD.
Shubael Griswold's tavern was probably the first institution of a public character in Torringford. It is possible that it was something more than a tavern, for he may have kept articles of merchandise answering to a store, such as teas, indigo, sugar, and farm productions, as did Amos Wilson, John Whiting, and Noah North, on the west side of the town. Not long after Mr. Griswold's tavern became established, Benjamin Bissell opened a house of entertainment a little further north on Torringford street east side of the road, which was in full operation in 1776, for it is stated that during the Revolution, the women of the eastern part of the town, whose husbands and sons were in the army, assembled at this tavern, at certain times, to obtain information from, or concerning the soldiers and the army. After - wards David Soper kept a tavern near the first Meeting house, which he continued a number of years. Another tavern was kept near the Greenwoods.
William Battell of Woodbury, bought ten acres of land adjoining Rev. Samuel J. Mills's house, on the south, on the ninth of October, 1783 ; giving for it three hundred and five pounds. On this land he erected a store building, and in it kept a store for many years. Mr. Battell was about thirty-five years of age when he settled in Torringford, and entered upon his mercantile business with energy and good judgment, as is indicated by the location he chose for him- self. There was but one store in the town at the time, that being Dr. Hodges, on the west side, and Torringford was fast becoming a populous region by immigration and the growing up of the young people of the families of the first settlers. Dr. Samuel Woodward had re- cently established his home here as a practicing physician, and the place needed just such a store as Mr. Battell opened to the public, and although he was under the necessity of transporting his mer- chandise to Hartford and New Haven, at first, with ox carts, yet he succeeded well, and his store became the place of a large amount of business transactions. He bought and shipped all kinds of farm pro-
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HISTORY OF TORRINGTON.
duce ; grains, butter, cheese, pork, beef, eggs, and flax, and brought in return all the articles usually sold at country stores in those days ; dry goods, including silks and satins, imported broadcloths of costly style, groceries, hardware, drugs, shoes and leather. All the various kinds of mercantile goods, that at the present day are found by visiting a dozen stores, were then crowded into one, and called a country store. Such a store was not complete without a choice variety of wines, brandies, and liquors of all kinds ; imported, and of home manufac- ture, and this was not all ; the people drank liquors by the gallon and barrel, and some of them made themselves drunk, and wallowed in the mire like beasts, as well as at the present day. The familiar pretense that persons did not become intoxicated and stagger in the streets, swear and fight and run horses and carouse, just like drunken men, is too shallow to be repeated by intelligent people. It may go for par a thou- sand years hence, but not quite yet. It was not a peculiarity of one store nor of one community to sell and use intoxicating drinks, but was the practice of a great portion of both stores and communities throughout the United States, before and many years after the year eighteen hundred. Mr. Battell had also a manufactory of potash, which was an article of extensive sale in those days.
. He sold his store and the ten acres of land and the potash works, to his sons William and Joseph, the latter being in Norfolk, in 1808, and probably retired from business life. His son William continued the store until about 1830.
Nathaniel Smith of Milford and later of Bethlehem, came to Tor- ringford a young man, and was clerk in the store of William Battell three years, when he engaged in the mercantile business for himself in a store at Griswold's corners, where he continued until his death, in 1854, a period of forty-six years. He married Harriet, the daughter of Daniel Winchell, and built and resided in the brick house on the west side of the street at that place. He was appointed post master in 1812, and held the office without interruption forty- two years, a case probably without a parallel in this country, and he was a very upright and careful business man, and highly esteemed among business men generally, credit in New York and else- where being of the highest kind, and for a number of years he did a large business, but Wolcottville began to be the market for farmer's produce and hence also of mercantile trade, and especially after the rail road was established. Therefore Torringford, as to commer- cial life must decline, while the valleys surrounding it should increase. Mr. Smith's son, Charles B. Smith, came to Wolcottville as a mer-
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chant, and the business at the old store was not great during the few last years that it was continued.
Quite an extensive tannery and shoe shop had been conducted in the early time of Torringford, on the corner where Nathaniel Smith built his brick house, and here also, he set up, in the rear of his dwelling, a leach, for the making of potash.
The brick building a short distance south of the Church was used some years, beginning about 1860, by Darius Wilson, as a wagon and blacksmith shop. He removed to Wolcottville and then west. Another wagon shop stood half a mile east, and was a busy place a number of years ; several men being regularly employed in making wagons, some of which were for the southern market. This shop was started about 1840.
THE TORRINGFORD FARMERS' COMPANY.
A people's store was started at or near Greenwoods, at the north end of Torringford street, in 1838, and was conducted by Ellis Bur- well.
The capital stock was four thousand dollars, and was held by the following persons :
Uriel Tuttle, Thomas A. Miller,
John C. Barber,
Ellis Burwell,
Henry Colt,
Anson Colt Jr.,
Barzillai Hudson,
Tuttle,
Allen Roberts,
Nelson Roberts,
Benjamin Tucker,
Leonard Tucker,
Barton Pond,
Daniel G. Humphrey,
Uriel Spencer,
Hiram Burr,
Milo Burr,
Peleg Elmer.
Uriel Tuttle, president, and Anson Colt Jr., T. A. Miller, Bar- ton Pond, directors.
All mercantile business has departed from Torringford, and noth- ing of the olden times is seen but the farmers and the farming, and the post office at Mr. Stanley Griswold's. The Greenwoods part of Torringford street was settled later than the southern part, but became as enterprising and prosperous after the year 1800, as any part of the town. The Haydens kept a tavern many years, and the Tuttles, Colts, and a number of other families, were as spir- ited, energetic and successful, and influential as any in the town. David Lyman settled on East street, during the Revolution, or soon after, and others became his neighbors on that street.
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