USA > Connecticut > Windham County > History of Windham County, Connecticut. Volume I, 1600-1760 > Part 16
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XX.
BOUNDARY QUARRELS. NEW MEETING-HOUSE. MORTALITY.
THOUGH Plainfield was now apparently peaceable and thriving, with lands equally laid out and many public improvements, she had never ceased to quarrel over boundary lines and press petitions for enlargement. The laying out of the township of Killingly, in 1708, effectually precluded all further hopes of addition on the northward, though Plainfield did not submit without opposition and remonstrance and various negotiations in reference to the bounds. The point was settled by an enactment of the Assembly, October, 1709, that Plain- field's north bound "should be and remain as the same was run and settled by Captain John Prentts, surveyor."
The vacant territory on the east still greatly excited the cupidity of Plainfield proprietors, and no pains were spared to secure its annexa- tion. After their own lands were parceled out, they took possession of its commons for pasturage, and its few inhabitants were protected and cherished and allowed to participate in the privileges of the town. Petition after petition was sent to the General Court, showing that the lands were good for nothing and yet they could not live without them, but all their efforts were unavailing.
With Canterbury, Plainfield maintained an incessant border warfare. That township had never submitted to the Court's decree, robbing her
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HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
of a valued part of her promised territory, and continued to take her share of the hay and help herself to cedar rails according to the original compact. Plainfield appointed a committee to defend the town's rights, with power to recover rails and withstand prosecution, against which vote William Marsh, Joseph Spalding, Ebenezer Harris and James Kingsbury had the honesty and fairness to protest-" if the town intends the rails which were gotten by Canterbury," showing that they, at least, still recognized the original agreement. Plainfield assumed full jurisdiction of all the land east of the Quinebaug, laying out divisions and ordering fences at pleasure ; while Canterbury retaliated by pulling down fences and carrying off hay and grain. Innumerable lawsuits were carried on between the contending parties. Samuel Adams, Obadiah Johnson, Tixhall Ensworth and Robert Green were arrested for taking from Greenwich Plain a parcel of grain, and though judged " not guilty," had to give account of grain. Gallup and Smith complained of Ensworth, also, for carrying off fence and recovered "two loads of posts and rails, with costs." The Tracys sued Thomas Brown, of Canterbury, for rail-timber, while, at a later stage : in the controversy, Major Fitch, Elisha Paine, Samuel Cleveland, John Dyer, and nearly all the prominent men of Canterbury, were indicted JO "for stealing loads of hay," and had each to pay ten shillings to the Treasury and twenty shillings to John Smith. At length, after ten Țu years of wrangling and confusion, the General Court, in a revision and AT. settlement of various disputed bounds, ordered the line between Plain- field and Canterbury to be re-stated, "pursuant to the agreement of OH the inhabitants of the east and west sides of the town of Plainfield, made on December 24, 1702." The line was then run by John Plumb, ur county surveyor, in 1714-15, a quarter of a mile east from the centre of Peagscomsuck Island, and thence in a straight line to the south bound of the town. This so-called settlement only increased the confusion and disorder, Plainfield resolutely refusing to yield her accustomed jurisdiction, and Canterbury assuming not only jurisdiction but owner- 011 ship of the land accruing to her. Open war was waged by the contend- ing townships and many acts of Border-ruffianism perpetrated on both sides. After some years of strife and litigation, Plainfield thus ap- pealed to the General Court :-
" Oct. 12, 1721. We, your poor petitioners, inhabitants and proprietors of , ye town of Plainfield, humbly showeth: That, whereas, notwithstanding a supposed agreement made by part of the inhabitants of the east and west sides in respect to a dividing line between them, when this agreement came to be laid before ye Hon. Assembly for confirmation ye Hon. Court granted the [Quinebaug] River, and, whereas, the Court had not granted us any fee in our first grant, doth show as looking upon it as not to lie in them-We, your humble petitioners, did propose, at no small cost, to purchase this property of the Hon. Winthrops, who, many years before, had purchased of the natives, which purchase had been approved by King Charles of blessed
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memory, and then we got confirmation from the Gen. Assembly and proceeded to lay out our land, &c. But now we are sorry to be obliged to expose the nakedness of our neighbors of Canterbury, which otherwise we should have covered with a mantle of love, as far as we could with a good conscience, but they, without giving any notice for the establishing of a line according to first agreement, and the General Court, not so well considering what they had done before, granted the line according to first agreement. And, whereas, our Canterbury neighbors, not sufficiently checked for their first fault as contrary to law, but too much countenanced, took encouragement, as it is the nature of sin to grow from bad to worse, and blinded the eyes of the Hon. Assembly with a most abominable falsehood-all which is greatly to our hurt, especially in the use Canterbury is making of the same, as may be evident :
1. Since the new line was fixed, Canterbury people came up in the midst of summer, when all our grain was standing, and pulled up the fence from the General Field, thus laying the field open to be destroyed by all sorts of devouring creatures to our unaccountable damage.
2. Some have come upon us in a riotous and disorderly manner when we were making hay on lands that we had honestly bought and been possessed of many years, and laid violent hands on some of us and dragged us down to New London by force, without writ or warrant, and feloniously carried away our hay that we had mowed.
3. Some have carried off our corn that we had planted and tilled for the support of ourselves and families.
4. Some have had their corn reaped and carried away, hay mown and carried away, and have not known by whom till Canterbury people have boasted of doing it under pretence of this line, so that they have to gather corn before it is ripe; all which are not fancies of the brain but real matters of fact.
Further, the records of this land are in Canterbury-an intolerable hardship to be laid on ye King's subjects and not to be tolerated in a christian govern- ment. We beg the Hon. Court to help us in our distressing difficulties and establish the first grant, for these reasons :-
1. It was, upon due consideration, granted and patented to us by this Court, and thereby established to us according to law.
2. In that. according to the Court's fears, if that Canterbury doth come to the said supposed line, it will not only be hurtful but totally ruinating to our General Field, which is our greatest dependence to support our families and charges in church and state.
3. Township so small without it that we cannot support ourselves and church.
4. If we should have it, yet Canterbury will be much bigger than we shall be.
5. Seeing what Canterbury has done hath been by under hand dealing and falsehood, and hath made such bad use of the same and hath refused to fulfil agreements-we pray the General Assembly to take off the incumbrance which Canterbury has caused to be laid upon our patent; but if we cannot prevail and Canterbury must come to the proposed line, to say whether the fee did ever lie in them and whether they have granted the same to Canter- bury, which we suppose contrary to ye intent of the Court.
Eph. Wheeler. John Crery.
John Hall. Eph. Kingsbury. Ed. Spalding."
To this latter query, the Assembly replied, that the transfer of land " did not convey the fee but only powers and privileges ;" ordered, " That Plainfield records should be in no wise invalidated by the act of division," and ignored the remainder of the memorial.
Before Plainfield had submitted to her loss in the Quinebaug Valley, she was called to battle for the vacant land eastward. It was rumored that this Colony land, so ardently coveted, was about to be annexed to
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HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
the Volunteer's Land, south of it. A number of the most prominent citizens-Thomas Williams, Jacob Warren, Joshua Whitney and John Fellows-hastened with a petition to the General Court, October 3, 1715, praying that Prentt's former survey might be established for their bounds and this land east annexed to them. At the same time, Richard Williams, Miles Jordan, John Smith and others, "living east of Plain- ET. field, hearing that their land was to be annexed to the Volunteers," most earnestly protested, "by reason of that town being so large already that some of the settlers live seven or eight miles from the meeting-house spot-a long Sabbath-day's journey,"-and begged to be annexed to Plainfield, as every way more convenient. In response to these and contrary requests from the people of Voluntown, the General Court ordered, "That the surveyor of the County of New London do, if either of the said towns will be at the charge of it, survey the lands lying east of Plainfield, south of Killingly, north of Voluntown aud to the east bounds of the Colony, and lay a plot of the same, with an account of the quality, before the General Court that they may be able to resolve of the future manner of the regulating of the same." This work having been done by the New London sur- veyor, Mr. John Plumb, the Plainfield petitioners renewed their request for the land the following October, but no answer was vouchsafed them and the vacant land was left unappropriated for several years.
Thus foiled on every side in her attempt to secure enlargement, Plainfield next sought relief by appropriating lands within her own borders included in the grants of Major Fitch from Owaneco, and hitherto allowed to that gentleman and his grantees. This attempt to seize land long held in peaceable possession, called forth a storm of indignation from Major Fitch and his adherents, and many frantic petitions to the General Court. These infant settlements were all like children, running crying to their parents with every want and com plaint, but none equalled Plainfield in the number, variety and impor tunity of its petitions. The outraged settlers whose lands were nov threatened appealed to the General Assembly, May 10, 1716, in thi piteous strain :-
" Unto whom shall the oppressed apply themselves? In the first place they sigli, they groan and send up their cries unto the Lord God, who in hi holy word directs in such cases to apply ourselves unto the earthly judges our rulers and fathers. Thence it is, we, with deepest humility as on ou bended knees, lay before you our miserable, deplorable, undone condition unless God or our King or your compassionate selves will relieve us.
The case is this : We have settled on the south part of Plainfield man years since, which lands we purchased. We find that the plow lands an meadows at the west part of our lots had been purchased of the natives an confirmed by seal to Major Fitch and some others in 1686, and he having bougl the others out, laid out our allotments, about fourteen in number-some fift; some sixty rods wide and about two miles long,-so that we have improvab land lying west of us; and to the east out-lots, pasture and commonage, wil
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BOUNDARY QUARRELS, ETC.
timber, which Major Fitch caused to be laid out to promote plantation work, which allotments were recorded (we suppose) more than twelve years since and now stand on Plainfield book, and many of the allotments were laid out by Thomas Williams and James Deane.
And, secondly, we inform, that several of us have for twelve or fourteen years done our proportion in town charges, both as to settling minister and public buildings; yet hath the town of Plainfield voted to lay out both our plow lands on the west and our out-lots on the east, and hath appointed men to lay them out, which is done and recorded, nor do they allow and lay out to us any lands in them, so that, as we hnmnbly conceive, their presumptuously so acting, if still allowed of and countenanced, we and our families are and must be undone. We, therefore, pray for a patent of our lands lying east of the former patent, according to each one's lawful purchase; not prejudicing any town's legal right. Protest signed by several, and if some others had opportunity, they might have signed what we here show, and that twelve years since we declared against the unjust and illegal proceedings of Plainfield, contrary to their grant for town privileges.
James Fitch. James Welch.
Elisha Paine. Thomas Harris.
James Deane. John Deane. Philip Bump.
Some proprietors had not opportunity to sign and some are children."
The town authorities, in justification of this measure, referred to "the Great Troubler of Israel " as causing all the trouble by complain- ing of them as beyond their lines, but neither plea nor response received any attention from the obdurate fathers, who left their troublesome children to fight out their own battles. A committee was appointed to attend the surveyor upon Major Fitch's notification-Joshua Whitney and others .protesting against the persons chosen, " lest they should do some irregular act that would not be justifiable." William Gallup and John Smith were directed "to go to New London and take advice of the Honored Governor and others," by whose mediation the matter was probably settled.
All these losses and squabbles did not prevent growth and public improvements. New inhabitants appeared from time to time. Thomas Williams was now town-clerk ; Timothy Pierce, tavern-keeper ; Samuel Douglas, school-master ; and Samuel Blunt, the man to sweep the meet- ing-house, having twenty shillings per year for his pains. William Deane received permission to make a dam across Moosup River, by his house, for setting up mills. In 1716, John Watson was "improved to keep school-the deacons and selectmen to order the school and receive the money." It was next agreed, "that the school should be kept in three places, a suitable place provided for the school-master to quarter at and a house suitable to accommodate each part during the time of the school being continued in that part, to be provided at the charge of each part, and if any neglect to provide such place the committee to order the school master to go to the next part. School to be kept first over Moosup River; next in middle; next in south part."
In 1717, a movement was initiated for the erection of a new meeting-
18
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HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
the Volunteer's Land, south of it. A number of the most prominent citizens-Thomas Williams, Jacob Warren, Joshua Whitney and John Fellows-hastened with a petition to the General Court, October 3, 1715, praying that Prentt's former survey might be established for their bounds and this land east annexed to them. At the same time, Richard Williams, Miles Jordan, John Smith and others, "living east of Plain- field, hearing that their land was to be annexed to the Volunteers," most earnestly protested, "by reason of that town being so large already that some of the settlers live seven or eight miles from the meeting-house spot-a long Sabbath-day's journey,"-and begged to be annexed to Plainfield, as every way more convenient. In response to these and contrary requests from the people of Voluntown, the General Court ordered, "That the surveyor of the County of New London do, if either of the said towns will be at the charge of it, survey the lands lying east of Plainfield, south of Killingly, north of Voluntown aud to the east bounds of the Colony, and lay a plot of the same, with an account of the quality, before the General Court that they may be able to resolve of the future manner of the regulating of the same." This work having been done by the New London sur- veyor, Mr. John Plumb, the Plainfield petitioners renewed their request for the land the following October, but no answer was vouchsafed them and the vacant land was left unappropriated for several years.
Thus foiled on every side in her attempt to secure enlargement, Plainfield next sought relief by appropriating lands within her own borders included in the grants of Major Fitch from Owaneco, and hitherto allowed to that gentleman and his grantees. This attempt to seize land long held in peaceable possession, called forth a storm of indignation from Major Fitch and his adherents, and many frantic petitions to the General Court. These infant settlements were all like children, running crying to their parents with every want and com- plaint, but none equalled Plainfield in the number, variety and impor- tunity of its petitions. The outraged settlers whose lands were now threatened appealed to the General Assembly, May 10, 1716, in this piteous strain :-
" Unto whom shall the oppressed apply themselves? In the first place, they sigh, they groan and send up their cries unto the Lord God, who in his holy word directs in such cases to apply ourselves unto the earthly judges, onr rulers and fathers. Thence it is, we, with deepest humility as on our bended knees, lay before you our miserable, deplorable, undone condition ; unless God or our King or your compassionate selves will relieve us.
The case is this : We have settled on the south part of Plainfield many years since, which lands we purchased. We find that the plow lands and meadows at the west part of our lots had been purchased of the natives and confirmed by seal to Major Fitchi and some others in 1686, and he having bought the others out, laid out our allotments, about fourteen in number-some fifty, some sixty rods wide and about two miles long,-so that we have improvable land lying west of us; and to the east out-lots, pasture and commonage, with
137
BOUNDARY QUARRELS, ETC.
timber, which Major Fitch caused to be laid out to promote plantation work, which allotments were recorded (we suppose) more than twelve years since and now stand on Plainfield book, and many of the allotments were laid out by Thomas Williams and James Deane.
And, secondly, we inform, that several of us have for twelve or fourteen years done our proportion in town charges, both as to settling minister and public buildings; yet hath the town of Plainfield voted to lay out both our plow lands on the west and our out-lots on the east, and hath appointed men to lay them out, which is done and recorded, nor do they allow and lay out to us any lands in them, so that, as we humbly conceive, their presumptuously so acting, if still allowed of and countenanced, we and our families are and must be undone. We, therefore, pray for a patent of our lands lying east of the former patent, according to each one's lawful purchase; not prejudicing any town's legal right. Protest signed by several, and if some others had opportunity, they might have signed what we here show, and that twelve years since we declared against the unjust and illegal proceedings of Plainfield, contrary to their grant for town privileges.
James Fitch. James Welch.
Elisha Paine. Thomas Harris.
James Deane. John Deane. Philip Bump.
Some proprietors had not opportunity to sign and some are children."
The town authorities, in justification of this measure, referred to " the Great Troubler of Israel " as causing all the trouble by complain- ing of them as beyond their lines, but neither plea nor response received any attention from the obdurate fathers, who left their troublesome children to fight out their own battles. A committee was appointed to attend the surveyor upon Major Fitch's notification-Joshua Whitney and others protesting against the persons chosen, " lest they should do some irregular act that would not be justifiable." William Gallup and John Smith were directed "to go to New London and take advice of the Honored Governor and others," by whose mediation the matter was probably settled.
All these losses and squabbles did not prevent growth and public improvements. New inhabitants appeared from time to time. Thomas Williams was now town-clerk ; Timothy Pierce, tavern-keeper ; Samuel Douglas, school-master ; and Samuel Blunt, the man to sweep the meet- ing-house, having twenty shillings per year for his pains. William Deane received permission to make a dam across Moosup River, by his house, for setting up mills. In 1716, John Watson was "improved to keep school-the deacons and selectmen to order the school and receive the money." It was next agreed, "that the school should be xept in three places, a suitable place provided for the school-master to quarter at and a house suitable to accommodate each part during the ime of the school being continued in that part, to be provided at the charge of each part, and if any neglect to provide such place the committee to order the school master to go to the next part. School o be kept first over Moosup River; next in middle; next in south art."
In 1717, a movement was initiated for the erection of a new meeting-
18
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HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
remote from the public worship of God but expected to have it much nearer when Plainfield should erect a new meeting-house," " but the place now stated would only bring farther difficulties upon them, being more remote than formerly and very difficult traveling, by reason of bad ways, stony, spongy and soft land, never likely to be remedied, and begged for a more central location, not only on their ac- count, but for their poor neighbors who lived eastward on ye country lands," and also " somewhat accomadable for our neighbors who live in Voluntown with much difficulty, living very remote and ever likely to be without the public means of grace by reason of ye brokenness and barren rocky land ;" and if the Assembly could not now change the lo- cation of Plainfield meeting-house, they begged them "in their great wisdom to find out some way to relieve them from such tedious travel on the Sabbath," either by annexing us to poor Voluntown, and giving to them and us and the inhabitants now living on the country land all your interest in those lands, and make of these three places one re- ligious society, and state a place on the west side of Pine Hill for a meeting-house and invest them with customary powers and privi- leges."
These petitions, like most that came from Plainfield, were re- jected by both houses and the meeting-house remained on the place as- signed near Blodget's-half a mile north of the site of the present Congregational house of worship-and slowly attained completion. In January, 1709, the committee was directed to provide stuff for finishing and order the placing of seats, and in the following year, to take boards from the old house to the new; dispose of the room behind the fore-seats in the several galleries to such per- sons as will finish them at their own cost; and to see that there be some way made under the eaves to carry the water off from the sides of the house. In September, 1720, the house was ready for occupation. John Howe, Deacon Warren, Timothy Pierce, John Crery and Daniel Lawrence were chosen to seat it; those over fifty years according to age, others by estates-allowing one head to a seat ; pews to be distributed according to estates. So arduous was the task of the committee, that they were allowed one pound in money for care and service. In December, Joseph Lawrence was chosen " to take care of the boys and girls Sabbath days and restrain them from playing and profaning the Sabbath." The seating of the meeting-house proving unsatisfactory, in 1721, it was voted, that the first regulations should not stand and new ones were adopted. A pew was built at the town's cost, probably for the minister ; Thomas Williams to build the second pew, east side of pulpit. It was also ordered that the boys and girls under thirteen years of age, "should sit in the two hind-seats of
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the body except the two last seats; the girls on the women's side, the boys on the men's-male negroes behind the boys; female negroes behind the girls." It is evident that the boys and girls were both numerous and disorderly, as a man was now perched up in the gallery to observe the young people below and restrain them from doing any damage to the meeting-house " by opening the windows or any wise damnifying the glass and if any (him or her), did profane the Sabbath by laughing or behaving unseemly, he should call him or her by name and so reprove them therefor." These arrangements being perfected and the new meeting-house fairly accomplished, the relics of the first were sold at vendue for twelve pounds sterling. Mr. Coit continued to labor faithfully and acceptably, and after the completion of the new meeting-house, had twenty pounds added to his salary. A slight " un- easiness" was developed the following year, and removed by the con- ciliatory efforts of a mediatory committee.
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