USA > Connecticut > Windham County > History of Windham County, Connecticut. Volume I, 1600-1760 > Part 11
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The Indian war, which broke out afresh in 1704, enforced more attention to military organization and defences. Windham, with other frontier towns, was " not to be deserted ; " its inhabitants having lands and freeholds were forbidden to remove on pain of forfeiting their estates, and any male person of sixteen years old and upward, who should presume to leave the place, would be fined ten pounds. Knap- sacks, hatchets and snow-shoes were provided by the selectinen, to be ready for emergencies, and ten pounds in silver were expended for a stock of ammunition. As Windham now possessed sufficient popula- tion to form a full train-band, its company was re-organized-John Fitch appointed captain ; Jonathan Crane, lieutenant ; and Joseph Cary, ensign. A watch was maintained along the frontiers and houses fortified according to law, but no alarm or serious inconvenience expe- rienced by the inhabitants.
In 1705, Messrs. Whiting, Joshua Ripley and Crane were appointed a committee for the proprietors of town lands, with power " to order any meetings, put to vote any matters to be acted and sign the acts." A division of four hundred acres of land to each allotment was ordered to be laid out, " west of a line from the northeast corner of the · purchased land to Appaquage." Lieutenant Crane, Sergeants Hunt- ington and Backus and Joshua Ripley were employed to view the land, make division and lay a highway through it. The disputed territory east of the line was also laid out.
The Scotland settlement was steadily increasing. Among the new settlers were Josiah Luce, Thomas Laselle, Robert Hebard and John Burnap. Luce and Laselle were of old Huguenot stock. Burnap came from Reading, Massachusetts, purchasing a tract of land
12
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HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
of Solomon Abbe, by Merrick's Brook, April 13, 1708. The high price paid for this land, £72. 10s.,-indicates a rapid rise in the value of landed property in this vicinity. A sawmill was already in opera- tion upon Merrick's Brook, and in 1706 a highway was ordered to be laid out for the farmers of Scotland, " above the mill-dam; four rods wide on the bank of the brook, for the convenience of getting on and off a bridge about to be erected,"-and thence extending to John Ormsbee's land. The privilege of Wolf Pit Brook was granted to Josiah Palmer, in 1706, " to set up a grist-mill-he building the same within three years and ditching or damming these as he thinks needful on the commons, not to damnify particular men's rights."
The southwest part of the town adjoining the Willimantic River was as yet neglected and unoccupied. The " broad, full-watered" stream only furnished shad and salmon; its useful meadows, coarse native grass and hay. In February, 1706, the Windham proprietors granted to Joseph Cary, John Backus, Jos. Dingley and John Waldo " the privilege of the stream at Willimantic Falls to build a mill or mills at one particular place, as they shall choose, north side of the river, so long as they or their heirs shall keep and maintain a good and sufficient mill-not obstructing said proprietors from granting the like privileges to others at other places on the river ; also, liberty of ditch- ing and damming ; also, the improvement of forty acres of land near Willimantic Falls-timber free, so long as ye land is left unfenced ; land to be laid out by selectmen-not to obstruct highways nor damnify lots in ye Crotch ; if the mills fail, the above to have ye refusal of ye land." A highway was laid out during the summer of 1707, east of the river, now developed into Main and Union streets of Willimantic Village. The forty acres of land were laid out between this highway and the river. A new mill was put up during the summer of 1706, on the site of the present saw and grist-mill privileges. Its builder was Thomas Hartshorn, mill-wright, from Charlestown, Massachusetts-the first white settler and resident of Willimantic. Thomas Davis was for a time his companion and assistant. In 1709, the proprietors of the privilege gave Mr. Hartshorn twenty acres east of the forty-acre lot " for good service," and in the March following, three or four acres were allowed to Hartshorn and Davis "to build a house on,"-the mill-house having, probably, previously afforded them accommodation. This first house in Willimantic was built in 1710, near the saw-mill. A grist-mill, the same year, was built and set in operation. The second permanent settler in the neighborhood of the Willimantic was Jonathan Babcock, of Lebanon, who purchased, September 15, 1709, for £180, a thousand- acre right accruing to the estate of Captain John Mason, taken up at the Crotch of the River-and built him a house just beyond the limits
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of the present Borough, near the site of the cemetery. A highway, four rods wide, was laid out through this farm in 1710, in consideration of which the town excused Mr. Babcock "from working on highways or cutting bushes except on his own land." These two dwelling houses and the mills comprised for many years the Willimantic settlement, but its facilities for sawing and grinding drew a large share of custom and gave it considerable importance.
The settlement at the Crotch, once so promising, received a fatal blow when it ceased to be the Centre and public worship was removed from it. Broughton and Howard removed to other parts of the town and their homesteads passed to permanent residents. Mr. Whiting still occupied the house built with so much pains and labor, but no village grew up around it. A twenty-acre land division was laid out here in 1707.
The northeast land division, ordered in 1706, opened that pleasant part of the town to settlement. The four hundred-acre lots distributed among the proprietors, were sold out to settlers. In January, 1709, David Canada, William Shaw, Robert Moulton and Edward Colburn, all of Salem, purchased one hundred acres of land on both sides of Little River, of William More, for £23, and began the settlement of a remote section-now included in the township of Hampton. A road passing through "the burnt cedar swamp " led from Windham to this settle- ment, and thence to the old Connecticut Path. Benjamin Howard also early purchased land in this region, between Merrick's Brook and Little River.
As population spread throughout the town, Windham Green increased in business and importance. Here were the leading men, the town- clerk, constable and justices. Here were the meeting-house, school and shops ; here were the training-field and Lieutenant Crane's " ordi- nary." If some old residents removed from town, new ones hastened to take their places. Thomas Huntington, who removed to Mansfield in 1707, was succeeded by Samuel Webb, who was allowed, the following year, to keep a house of public entertainment and was soon called to serve on many important committees. Though the first settlers were still alert and active, their sons were fast coming on to the stage, taking up homesteads for themselves and filling public offices of trust and importance. Jonathan, the oldest son of Thomas Bingham, was a man of superior character and standing-though once threatened prosecution by the town for fencing in a spring for his private use and convenience. His youngest brother, Joseph, remained on the home- stead with his father, while Abel, Samuel and Nathaniel settled in different parts of the town. Richard Abbe, son of John, married Mary, daughter of Jonathan Jennings, in 1703, and became a very
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HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
prominent, active and useful citizen. There was much good fellowship among the early Windham settlers ; much feasting and merry-making and interchange of hospitalities. The young people remained at home, marrying mostly among their own towns-people, till, in process of years, nearly the whole population were knit together in one great family circle.
The Windham church, during these years, was very prosperous, and received constant accessions to its membership. The inhabitants from all parts of the town-Willimantic, Scotland, the distant settlement on Little River-attended public religious services at Windham Green, and duly paid their rates for the support of the minister. The Mans- field people, unable to fulfill the stringent conditions of the General Court, retained their connection with Windham till 1710. After the adoption of the Saybrook Platform, in 1708, as the established form of church government in Connecticut-Windham was, by its provisions, included in the North Association of Hartford County. Mr. Whiting accepted the Platform in behalf of his church, and regularly participated in the meetings of the Association. As a pastor, Mr. Whiting con- tinued to retain the affection of his people, nor did his land operations and interest in public affairs interfere in the least with his ministerial duties and usefulness. As his family increased, his salary was propor- tionately enlarged, altliougli the eighty cords of wood was gradually reduced to forty-" each man to provide according to his list or forfeit six shillings a cord,"-and was finally superseded by a ten-pound rate for ministerial fire-wood.
In 1707, the town purchased "a house and acre of land lying by the meeting-house," for a burying-place, at the cost of six pounds, to be paid in " Indian corne at two shillings a bushel, and twenty shillings more for transporting the corne to Norwich,-and those that pay money, their charge of transportation taken out of the rate; corne or money to be paid to Mr. Whiting," he making the purchase. Samuel Palmer, George Lillie and William Backus were also appointed to view ground in the east part of the town suitable for a burying-ground, and take advice of some of the neighborhood, and the Scotland settlers had thus their first burial-place laid out.
The meeting house so long in building gave brief satisfaction. It was small, poorly built and every way inconvenient. A committee was appointed, in 1708, " to agree withi workmen to finish the galleries, repair the under-pinning and the breaches in the seats." A rate was ordered the same year for a " pound and pulpit-cushion ; " and Deacon Cary, Captain Fitch and Joshua Ripley directed " to seat the meeting- house at their best judgment."
Schools received less attention in Windham than might be expected
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in a town of such prosperity and intelligence-" a school to be kept in Thomas Snell's house " being, apparently, the only provision made for the whole township. The committee appointed to manage the schools may have ordered them, however, in different neighborhoods. In 1711, the town voted " to have no more school committees, but leave the matter to the selectmen." Two school-houses were ordered in 1713 ; one, eighteen feet square, to be set on the Green, " not above twenty rods from the meeting-house ; the other, sixteen feet square, in the east of the town." John Backus and James Badcock were chosen a committee, to agree with workmen to build the school-houses. That on the Green was soon completed, the other "protracted " for two years.
The highway surveyors were ordered, in 1713, to portion out the town for convenience in mending highways. Joseph Dingley was appointed "to call out the inhabitants east of the Willimantic and north from meeting house ; Stephen Tracey to call all those who dwelt west of Willimantic and Shetucket ; John Burnap and John Bemis were to warn all who lived east from John Ormsbee's, the whole length and breadth of the tract ; while to Richard Abbe was assigned "all south of meeting-house." The town also gave liberty to Plainfield proprietors " to join their field with that of proprietors south and west of Shetucket River, so that the highway by that River to the mill [at Willimantic] and that over the upper riding-place to Norwich might be pent-ways-provided Plainfield makes and maintains good, handy gates."
In 1713, the town voted to raise forty pounds for the enlargement of the meeting-house, and were preparing an addition twenty feet wide, the length and hight of the house, when the committee were re- quested to forbear working-and, after some delay and discussion, it was decided to build an entirely new edifice, "to be set on the old meeting house site or at the nearest place convenient." Deacons Cary and Bingham and Lieutenant Crane were a committee to agree with workmen-the latter also acting as treasurer,-and under their direc- tion this important work was speedily and successfully accomplished. No special report is found of its dimensions and appearance, but it was doubtless much larger and more elegant than the first house, though, perhaps, not equal to Woodstock's second meeting-house. Mr. Whiting was allowed to build a pew for the accommodation of his family, and received from the town a formal grant "of the place in the meeting- house where the pue stands, by the east door, that is known by the name of Mr. Whiting's pue, and has been wholly erected at Mr. Whit- ing's charge." The floor of the house was mainly occupied with seats, whose orderly seating was determined by Joshua Ripley, Abraham
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HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
Mitchell, Josiah Palmer and John Fitch, on the following prescribed rules :-
I. The place or station that persons are in.
II. The age they bear.
III. The estate they enjoy.
Ripley and Fitch were themselves honored with the chief seat in front. The venerable Joseph Dingley was allowed to sit in the pulpit, because of his deafness, and his son, Eleazer, in the third front seat, and his wife in the corner seat answerable thereto. The seat allowed to Abel Bingham not giving satisfaction, the town voted, "That he should remove out of the seat he was formerly seated in and sett in second pue." Several of the young men-Joseph Crane, Josiah Bing- ley, Zebulon Webb, Jeremiah Ripley, Jun., Jonathan Huntington, David Ripley and Ebenezer Wales-built a pew for themselves, probably in the gallery, and petitioned the town "that it may continue and we have liberty to set therein," which request was granted, on con- dition "that if they removed out of the pue they should deliver it to the town without demolishment." To modify the temperature of the unwarmed house as far as possible, it was ordered " That in cold and windy weather the windward doors should be kept shut ; leeward ones only opened." Two pounds, in provision pay, were allowed annually for sweeping the meeting-house.
XIV.
CANADA PARISHI.
THE northeast section of Windham gained steadily in population and importance, despite its remoteness and inaccessibility. Its soil was good and cheap ; its situation pleasant and attractive. A commanding eminence, encircled by Appaqnage or Little River, and encompassed by fertile valleys-now known as Hampton Hill-was deemed a favorable site for a settlement and village, and, by a land" distribution in 1712, was opened to purchasers. Nathaniel Hovey bought land in this vicinity in 1713; and soon settled upon it. "A hundred acres of Appaquage Hill" were soon after sold by Jennings to Timothy Pearl. "The Appaquage Lot" and "land on Little River" were purchased by John Durkee, of Gloucester, in 1715. Abiel and Robert Holt, of Andover; Nathaniel Kingsbury, of Massachusetts ; Thomas Fuller, John Button, George Allen and others also settled on or near this attractive hill, and helped build up what was known as Windham Village. A few sons of old Windham families like Ebenezer Abbe
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CANADA PARISH.
and Stephen Howard joined in this settlement, but the greater part of the settlers were new-comers from Massachusetts. This circumstance, and their great distance from the place of worship, led these settlers to seek for religious services in their own neighborhood as soon as prac- ticable, and, in 1715, they petitioned the town of Windham for liberty to form a separate religious society. The town took the matter into serious consideration, and appointed Captain Fitch, Lieutenant Crane, Joshua Ripley, Jonathan Jennings, Josiah Palmer and Nathaniel Heb- ard, "to consider the proposals of our northeast neighbors, with some appointed by them as they shall agree, to lay a skeem for bounds of a parish." While this was pending, other privileges were allowed them. Edward Colburn and Joshua Lasell were appointed fence-viewers for the northeast part of the town, and Jonathan Bingham to view a place for burying-place, after which view the town granted its northeast inhabitants liberty "to take off upon the east side of the highway by Cedar Swamp Brook, part of the highway for a convenient burying- place, they leaving the highway four rods wide by said brook-burying- place not to extend above twenty rods in length." Liberty to build a pound was also given. Thomas Fuller was appointed to keep a tavern in the northeast part, and " Robert Moulton, brander for samne, himself to find branding-iron."
In December, 1716, the town consented " that the northeast part be a parish," receiving one-fourth part of John Cates' legacy and having two hundred pounds returned to them which they had paid towards the new meeting-house. In April, the town empowered Nathaniel Kings- bury and Captain Aaron Cook to give and deliver the following petition to the General Assembly :-
" We, inhabitants of the northeast part of Windham, having obtained con- sent of said Windham that we should be a society distinct for the carrying on the public worship of God, do now pray your Honors to confirm and establish us as a parish. We are the more encouraged in this our request when we reflect upon your Honors' constant care for promoting religion and good order, which is one great end in this our desire: it being extremely difficult for us to attend upon the present place of worship, none of us being within six miles of it, and many of us much more. We also hope, by the blessing of Providence, that we shall be able to support and bear the charge of the public worship, being already between twenty and thirty families and having accom- modations for a great many more, who will doubtless be much encouraged to settle among us.
Thomas Durkee. Job Durfee.
Robert Moulton. Nathaniel Hovey.
James Luce.
Clement Neff.
George Martin.
Jeremiah Durkec.
George Allen. John Button.
John Scripture. Timothy Pearl.
Ebenezer Abbe.
William Durkee. Joshua Lasell. Edward Colburn.
May 9, 1717."
Contrary to the usual fate of first petitions for society privileges, this request was at once considered and granted, and the northeast part of Windham set off as a distinct parish-its south bound " beginning
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HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
at Canterbury line, to run westerly in the south line of Thomas Lasell's lot, and so in direct course to Merrick's Brook, and then the said brook to be the line until it intersects the present road that leads from said town to the Burnt Cedar Swamp, and from thence a straight line to the brook that empties itself into Nauchaug River about the middle of Six-Mile Meadow, at the place where Mansfield line crosseth the said brook,"-the new parish comprising all Windham territory north of this line. These privileges were granted, on condition "that the petitioners annually levy and pay a tax among themselves equal with what the rest of the town pay toward the support of the ministry, until the said parish now granted have a settled ministry amongst them- selves, which tax shall be paid in unto Captain John Fitch, of Wind- ham, and by his advice laid out towards providing for and support of the ministry in said new parish."
No record is preserved of the organization of this second society in Windham but it was probably soon effected. The name usually applied to it-Canada Parish-commemorated its first settler of whom little is known but the fact of his purchase and settlement. It is believed that David Canada built the first house in this section and kept the first tavern, but he probably died early, as his name does not appear among the first petitioners or church members nor is there any allusion to hini in Windham town or church records. David and Isaac Canada, probably his sons, appear among the inhabitants at a later date.
The new society chose for its committee, John and William Durkee and Nathaniel Hovey. Their first care and object was to establish public religious worship. They found its attainment far more difficult than they had anticipated. A new settlement with little money and no public land could not, unaided, provide means for meeting-house and minister's settlement. A large part of their land was owned by Windham proprietors and a tax on this land seemed their only feasible resource. October 15, 1717, the northeast parish again appeared before the Assembly, and humbly petitioned :-
" That, whereas, your Honors have made us a parish and. we have still need of further aid and beg for power to elect and impower such listers for our own society as may be needful and, also, seeing our remoteness from any other society where divine worship is publicly attended doth put us on ear- nest desire to promote what speed we can among ourselves, pray you to consider our low circumstances, and grant us the improvement of what public tax may be raised among us for some time following, and that what further charge shall be necessary for minister and meeting-house may be laid on the lands within our parish, seeing the lands are much advanced in their value by such a settlement.
EBENEZER ABBE, for the rest. WILLIAM DURKEE."
The Windham proprietors, who had just been assessed so heavily for their own second meeting-house on Windham Green, were very
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indignant at the demand for aid, and at once dispatched a spirited remonstrance, praying :-
" That the Honored Court will not allow our lands taxed for the new society. Can see no reason why this society should ascribe the advance of the price of our lands so much to their settling near them as to expect the whole profit thereof to acerue to them, seeing the land in the country in general is as much, and more, risen in value than that, and their land is risen in price equal to ours, and as muchi by means of our settling near them-(for which advantage we ask them nothing). Why, then, cannot they content themselves with the profit of their own estates, especially as they have pur- chased the choice and best of land within our limits and the remainder so poor as not likely to be of any advantage to ourselves for herbage and timber ? And we cannot but think it more agreeable to their professing an earnest desire to promote the worship of God among themselves, to have attended to the direction of the General Court by a dilligent care to provide some stock out of their own estate, rather than wholly to neglect their duty therein, and not so much as gather a list among themselves. But if their circumstances be as low as they pretend, so that they cannot maintain a minister without our help, we humbly pray, if your Honors think fit, to restore them to us again, for it was easier for us to maintain a minister without their help for them and us-which, probably, may content them for the present-rather than be rated at their pleasure to settle and maintain another."
This representation from men of such consideration as the Windham proprietors was not without effect but did not secure the entire rejec- tion of the petition and, in May, 1718, the Assembly ordered :-
" That all the unimproved lands lying within the limits of said parish shall be taxed at the rate of ten shillings per hundred acres, to defray parish charges, and that the petitioners shall be freed from paying country rates during the term of four years, for the better enabling them to support the ministry ; and, also, that they have liberty granted of being a military com- pany within said parish, and to have such officers as are allowed by law."
The neglect to state the time for the continuance of the land tax called out a new petition in October, and the additional enactment :-
" That said tax shall continue at ten shillings per annum for every hundred acres of land unimproved as aforesaid, for the term of four years."
Still, the troubles of the new society were not relieved. The collec- tion of this tax involved them in quarrels and difficulties. The act granting it had made no provision for gathering it and the disturbed Canadians were again constrained to appeal to the General Court, October, 1721, which ordered that the assessment should be paid in December each year, and appointed William Avery, Thomas Marsh and Nathaniel Kingsbury, tax-receivers, with full powers "to make distress in any part of this government, upon the goods or estates of such owners or proprietors of land within said parish as neglected to pay their just proportion." But even this provision failed to meet the emergency. Some who owned land in Canada Parish lived out of the Colony, and the goods and estates of others who refused to pay could not be reached without great difficulty, which would necessitate the seizure of their land for the payment of the tax, and "it was judiciously thought by most of the inhabitants that none
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