USA > Connecticut > Windham County > History of Windham County, Connecticut. Volume I, 1600-1760 > Part 41
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Williams, Benjamin Fasset, Ezekiel and Uriah Cady, Henry Smith, Joseph Holland, Isaac Adams, Edward Spalding, Jonathan Cady, Henry Rice and William Earle. December 2, 1740, it was voted, “ To seat the meeting-house, and that all shall be seated but such as have pews, and to be seated according to what they have done to the meet- ing house, having respect to their age and dignity-the seats dignified thus-the fore seat below, highest ; the second-seat, next; the third seat and the first in the front gallery, equal; next, the fourth seat below; next, the fore-seats in the side-gallery, and the rest of the seats according as the committee shall judge." A year later, it was voted, " To put a window in the minister's pew and plaster the gable ends of the meeting-house."
The church continued to increase in numbers-Henry Cobb and wife, Joseph Adams, Sen., and John Adams, Captain James Cleveland, William Darbe, Isaiah Wood, Edward Cleveland, Jonathan Hide, Isaac Parks and others, uniting with it previous to 1740. It was agreed, " That there should be a contribution in the church every time the communion was administered to defray the charges-every male communicant to give sixpence a time ; every female, fourpence ; every one writing their name on the money contributed, and the deacon giving them credit for it. In 1741, the church gave consent to sing in Dr. Watts' hymns at the sacrament. William Williams, Joshua Paine, Joseph Holland, Robert Freeman, Joseph Davison and Henry Smith, were then chosen committee, " to act with the minister in behalf of the church in dealing with offenders-acts not valid unless confirmed by church." All baptized persons, whether in full communion or otherwise, were under watch and care of the church. Richard Adams, the first settler in the vicinity of Mortlake, died in 1733, before the society was fairly established. He left a large supply of wearing apparel, the usual articles of household furniture, young cattle and colts, three swarms of bees, a Psalm book and Artillery sermon. His sons divided his land ; Richard settling on the western, and Peter on the eastern section. His widow married Samuel Butts of Canterbury.
Schools, as yet, received but little attention, the society providing a master three months of the year at the one school-house, and a mistress eight months, for other sections. The prescribed "trainings " were punctually observed upon the training-field, Joseph Cleveland serving as captain.
The relations of this society with its mother township during these years were far from harmonious. Mortlake manor was to Pomfret an intolerable grievance. Unless she could exercise lawful jurisdiction over it she preferred to be entirely free from it. When, despite her
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express stipulation, the south half of Mortlake was annexed to the south society, and the north part left on her hands, she thus remostrated to the General Assembly :-
" Whereas, a certain tract of land lying between Canterbury and Pomfret, was by an Act of the General Court, October 14, 1714, divided equally between the towns, and the Government having seen good to grant to the inhabitants of said tract parish privileges and make them a separate society, whereby their relations to said towns is in some measure vacated ; memorialists, there- fore, pray that they may be wholly discharged from any relation to said tracts of land as being parts of their town, and that the bounds of Pomfret may be according to their patent and no otherwise-and also because said tract was no part contained in the grant of Pomfret, never annexed to it at their request but contrary, and more especially because the town of Mortlake lies entirely between said parish and Pomfret, which is an unprecedented case, and by reason of the remoteness of the one from the other, and the manner and form of their lying, the inhabitants both of Pomfret and said society are exposed to many inconveniences and difficulties beyond other towns and societies, all which may be made to appear.
Pomfret, May 4, 1732."
This request was unheeded. The General Assembly was unable to make any suitable disposition of Mortlake, and Pomfret was forced to retain her unwelcome appendage. The first meeting of the inhabit- ants of the north part of Pomfret as a distinct society was held in December, 1731, "warned by an order from Justice Leavens, signed by Major Sabin, Deacon Benjamin Sabin and Abiel Lyon, principal inhabitants." Major Sabin served as moderator. Jehoshaphat Holmes was appointed society clerk ; Edward Payson, Isaac and Joseph Dana, committee ; John Weld, collector. School and church matters were thenceforth settled in society meetings. In 1732, it was agreed, "That there should be one standing school, kept by a school-master six months in the wintry season, midway upon the road leading from Woodstock to Mr. Williams' bridge, and the other half of the year be kept by school-dames, in the four quarters of the society." In 1733, four schools were allowed through the winter, and " as the north part about the sign-post had built themselves a house," it was now agreed: "That the other parts should provide school-houses for themselves." Mr. Williams' salary was now increased to £120. An acre of land " at the corner next ye meeting-house " was offered to the society in 1735, by John Grosvenor for fifteen pounds, to be used as a training field, and apparently accepted.
No attempt was made to conciliate the south society. Some of the inhabitants of the south end refusing for some cause to pay rates, the town empowered the selectmen to ask counsel in law and prosecute or otherwise as they should see best. To a humble petition, asking them to join "in running ye antient south line of Pomfret according to ye antient grant and patent," the society, "by a vote, declined joining with them in said service." In 1733, the town voted to petition the General Assembly, "That the old society may be freed from ye
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difficulty of being a distinct society, and that they may enjoy their ancient privilege as a town according to first grant." The residence of Mr. Williams and part of his land lying within Mortlake limits, he requested the town to aid him, "in getting his land where he lived annexed to Pomfret, for ye removal of ye difficulty he labored under of living out of the town, and for the bringing of his work and dwelling together." The town voted its consent that this land should be annexed, and instructed its deputies to be aiding and assisting our minister in all ways they are capable in getting his place annexed, but at the same time " were unwilling to have any concern to any other part of Mortlake, upon any account whatever." When the south society attempted to procure better highways, the town voted, "To oppose and withstand the inhabitants of the south part in respect to bearing any part of ye charge in procuring them," and Captain Grosvenor was chosen to appear in Court in behalf of the town. In spite of his remonstrances, a committee was sent to lay out the needed highways. At a town-meeting, June 16, 1737, it was put to vote, "Whether the town would rest satisfied in what the County Court had done respect- ing a road from the lower to upper end of the town, and there were two yeas and twenty-seven nays." The south inhabitants proceeded to lay out this road under sanction of the County Court. The town ordered its selectmen to go down and view the obnoxious highway, and sent Deacon Holbrook to the Court to express their dissatisfaction, but were finally compelled to yield, " provided the road be made conforma- ble to Governor Belcher's, through Mortlake, and thence come along by Mr. Williams' and Truesdell's, and so to meeting-house."
The grievances of Pomfret were somewhat relieved in 1739, by the transfer of Mortlake into the hands of new proprietors. The south part of Wiltshire was sold by Governor Belcher to Israel Putnam and John Pope, both of Salem. In the course of the year, Putnam purchased Pope's share and took personal possession of Wiltshire Manor. In the following year, all that remained of Belcher's land purchase, viz .: the north part of Wiltshire, the whole of Kingswood and twelve hundred acres in forest and meadow, were sold by him for £10,500, to Godfrey Malbone, a prominent merchant of Newport. Malbone purchased much other land in the vicinity of Williams, Cobb and others, but made no immediate attempt at settlement. The manorial status of Mortlake was unchanged by this transfer of ownership, but its owners were accessible and its land more open for improvement.
Changes were now occurring in all parts of Pomfret. Old settlers . were passing away; new ones coming in. Thomas and Ebenezer Grosvenor died in 1730. Their aged mother, Mrs. Esther Grosvenor, survived them several years, dying in 1738, at the advanced age of
45
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eighty-seven. She retained to the last the vigorous habits of her English training, walking every Sunday to the distant meeting-house till a short time before her death. Thomas Grosvenor left three sons- Amos, Robert and Joshua; Ebenezer left John, Ebenezer and Caleb, the former just twenty-one years old at the death of his father. The provision assigned for the support of Ebenezer Grosvenor's family during the settlement of his estate, was two cows, three swine, fifteen bushels malt, fourteen barrels cider, sixty bushels of corn and forty of rye. Major John Sabin, the first settler of Pomfret and long its most prominent citizen, died in 1743. He left to his sons : John, a respected physician in West Farms (now Franklin), and Hezekiah, innkeeper in Thompson, twenty pounds each. To his daughter Judith, wife of Justice Joseph Leavens, one hundred pounds. The remainder of his large estate was given to his son, Noah, who remained in Pomfret. His armor was valued at fifteen pounds ; books, four; brass and iron, thirty five ; husbandry utensils, sixty-four; stock, three hundred and six ; six horses, ninety ; one Indian girl, twenty pounds.
The farm north of the meeting-house owned by Jonathan Waldo, passed into the hands of one of his heirs, Zachariah Waldo of Wind- ham, in 1733, who soon took personal possession. Dr. Thomas Mather, of Suffield, purchased land of Samnel Nightingale, and established himself in Pomfret as its first practicing physician, in 1738. Another representative of the old Puritan stock-Thomas Cotton of Brookline- purchased of James Danielson, in 1740, six hundred acres of land, " beginning at the month of Cornet Sawyer's mill brook where it emptieth into the Quinebaug, thence south to the Mashamoquet and thence west to Dana's land." With Cotton's household goods, it is said, were imported to Pomfret its first rat and copper tea-kettle. Howe's mills were sold, in 1742, to John Daniels for twenty four hundred pounds, viz., the land adjoining the Falls, with dwelling-house, barn, mill, malt-house and shop, together with the whole manufacturing stock of the Quinebaug valley, comprising " ye conveniences of three coppers, two presses, one iron screw, two pairs shears, two iron bars, a blue pot, paper for pressing and sear-cloth for malting."
With these settlers were included some less reputable. Dr. John Hallowell, sometimes styling himself physician in Killingly, practiced widely in Pomfret and probably resided there. Information was laid before the Governor, that this Hallowell, living in Pomfret or Killingly, with other persons in company "had got ingraving irons, molds to cast plates in, colors to print with," and was intending to print false bills in imitation of the true bills of the Colony. This information appeared so credible, that it was resolved in Council, June 13, 1727, " That the Governor direct the informer to go to Pomfret to said
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Hallowell, make further private discovery how far they have proceeded and where the utensils for carrying on that vile practice are lodged, and then make speedy information of the matter to Justice Leavens of Kil- lingly, that the said justice may arrest the persons and examine thein and proceed further in that affair as his prudence shall direct him." This same Hallowell was largely concerned in land speculation in Thompson, and was afterwards arraigned before the Courts of Wind- ham county for unlawful professional practice.
Pomfret, with all her prosperity, suffered the usual providential visita- tions. Reports of fires, floods, drought and hail-storms, occasionally found their way into the Boston newspaper. In 1737, excessive rain, with boisterous winds, raised the streams higher than ever known, carried off bridges and greatly damaged Howe's grist-mill. A barn, filled with hay and stacks of grain, was struck by lightning and consumed in 1742. The following summer a violent hail-storm did much damage in Pomfret and adjoining towns, breaking glass, blowing over a house and barns-" a melancholy time with many." At about the same time, a mischievous old wolf was devastating farm-yards and sheep-folds. With these exceptions, Pomfret enjoyed remarkable pros- perity. In 1738, a new road was laid out to Ashford, beginning " at a small fall in Mashamoquet Brook, thirty rods below the old going-over to Ashford." In 1742, it was voted by the society, " That the burial- place shall be fenced with a stone wall at the direction and discretion of the standing committee." Tavern licenses were now granted to Joseph Dana, Zechariah Waldo, Alexander Sessions and Benjamin Hubbard- Waldo living near the meeting-house, the others in the east, west and south parts of the town. Samuel Nightingale was chosen town and society clerk in 1745, upon the death of Jehoshaphat Holmes, who had long faithfully discharged those offices. The first college graduate from Pomfret was, probably, Chester, son of Rev. Ebenezer Williams, who was graduated from Yale in 1735. Darius, son of Nathaniel Sessions, was graduated in 1737. Thomas, son of William Williams, was a member of the class of 1738.
XII.
UNITED LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. POMFRET WOLF-HUNT. A POMFRET LEGEND, LEGALLY ESTABLISHED.
P OMFRET, in 1740, was a prosperous, populous and influential township. Her western territory was as yet but partially subdued, rough ridges obtruded among fertile farms and valleys, and one
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oburate old wolf still infested her borders, but despite these drawbacks she had made great material progress, surpassed other Windham county towns in cultivation and refinement, and especially distinguished herself by forming the first library association in Eastern Connecticut. Public libraries were then very rare. Books were costly and money scarce. A small library had been collected at Yale College. Library associations were formed in Lyme and Guilford in 1738, but Hartford, New London, Norwich and other leading towns had made, as yet, no provision for supplying the public with reading. In Massachu- setts, associations for procuring books were becoming very common and thence spread into the border towns settled by that Colony. A grand Union Library Association, embracing the citizens of Wood- stock, Pomfret and Killingly, was projected, perhaps by Colonel John Chandler and the Rev. Messrs. Williams and Stiles, all distinguished as the warm friends of learning and literature. A meeting for this object was held September 25, 1739, at the house of Mr. Ebenezer Williams. Very great interest was manifested. Many prominent men from the north part of Windham County were present. Colonel Chandler was there, as fresh, vigorous and eager in promoting intellectual improvement as when fifty years before he taught the Woodstock children how " to write and cypher." The ministers of the respective towns and parishes were present-Williams of Pomfret, Stiles of Woodstock, Fisk of Killingly, Cabot of Thompson and Avery of Mortlake. Woodstock was further represented by John May, Benjamin Child and Penuel Bowen; Pomfret by Abiel Cheney, Ebenezer Holbrook, Joseph Dana, Joseph Bowman, Ephraim Hide and her two physicians ; Mortlake by William Williams ; Thompson by Hezekiah Sabin and Joseph Cady, the richest man in the parish, together with William Chandler and the much-tried Samuel Morris from the banks of the Quinebaug. The Hon. John Chandler was appointed moderator, Marston Cabot, scribe, and a most elaborate Triplicate Covenant formally adopted. Each individual covenanted, under his own hand and seal, to pay a certain specified sum, "to be used and improved to purchase, procure or buy a library, or number or collection of such useful and profitable English books as the said covenanters by their major vote taken and given . . shall be agreed and concluded upon, and for no other use or purpose what- ever-which said Library shall be called and known by the name of, The United English Library for the Propagation of Christian and Useful Knowledge, and the covenanters or proprietors thereof shall be called and known by the name of-The United Society or Company for Propagating Christian and Useful Knowledge; In the towns of
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Woodstock, Pomfret, Mortlake and Killingly and west part of Thomp- son Parish, as aforesaid."
Articles of regulation and government-corresponding in length with the name of the society -were next discussed, " condescended to, agreed and fully concluded," as follows :-
" First. That the said Library or collection of books shall be kept in one place within the limits of the town of Pomfret, or towns afore- said, for the common use, benefit and advantage of the said society or company, and those of their heirs, successors or assigns who shall be allowed to take and hold interest therein.
Secondly. That the Rev. Mr. Ebenezer Williams shall be the first keeper of said Library, and to continue in said post until the society shall order otherwise, or shall or do by their choice as need may require, appoint another person, who shall be a proprietor of said Library and an inhabitant of one of the towns aforesaid, to be the keeper thereof-which keeper for the time being shall and hereby is obliged to keep said Library clean and in good order, and shall deliver out and receive in the books thereto belonging. .
Thirdly. The said society or company shall or may, as occasion requires, meet together from time to time to make such necessary rules and orders as they may apprehend will best promote the good end and design of ye Covenant-in order whereto the Rev. Mr. Marston Cabot shall have power to call
such meetings, appointing the time and place and occasion of said meeting ; and a certificate thereof under his hand, directed to the several and respective members of said society, ten days before the meeting
shall be accounted a due and sufficient warning.
Fourthly. That a book of a Quarto Volume, clean paper, bound with parch- ment, and to contain three or four Quire, be bought for the use of the society or company, and be kept by a suitable person, who shall from time to time be chosen scribe of said company ; wherein shall be entered by him, in presence of two of the company all the votes, acts, proceedings and orders of said society or company.
Fifthiy. That no aets, orders, votes, or proceedings of said society or company shall be esteemed good and valid, unless they are made or done by the major part of the proprietors present at said meeting, to be computed always by their interest, [nor] unless there shall be at least two- thirds of the covenanters or proprietors present.
Sixthly. That three covenants of this tenor and date shall be duly executed, . . a copy of them to be transcribed or entered in the begin- ning of the Book wherein the votes and doings of said company are to be recorded, after which the said three covenants shall be lodged in the hands of such persons, members of said society, as they shall choose or appoint to keep the same until further order be taken.
Finally. It is agreed, in order to the making additions to said Library, that such other persons as shall be desirous to join with the present covenanters, and shall be approved by a major vote of the company shall and may be admitted and received members thereof in as full and ample manner as the present covenanters, and shall have and enjoy equal privileges and advantages with them."
Fifteen gentlemen, mostly residents of Pomfret, in accordance with the final article, were then admitted members of the society, together with those previously covenanting. The subjoined list gives the names and subscriptions of the Original members of the " United Society or Company for propagating Christian and useful Knowledge" in the northeast corner of Connecticut :-
" John Chandler, Esq., twenty pounds. Benjamin Child, gentleman, ten Abel Stiles, clerk, thirty pounds. pounds.
John May, gentleman, fifteen pounds.
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HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
Penuel Bowen, pelt-maker, twelve pounds.
Thomas Mather, physician, fifteen pounds.
Abiel Cheney, blacksmith, ten pounds. Ebenezer Holbrook, yeoman, twenty pounds.
Joseph Bowman, yeoman, twenty pounds.
Joseph Dana, yeoman, ten pounds.
Ephraim Hide, yeoman, fifteen pounds. Ephraim Avery, clerk, twenty pounds. William Williams, yeoman, twenty pounds.
Ebenezer Williams, clerk, forty pounds.
John Fisk, clerk, twenty pounds.
Marston Cabot, clerk, twenty pounds. Joseph Cady, Esq., sixteen pounds. John Hallowell, physician, sixteen pounds.
William Chandler, gentleman, fifteen pounds.
Samuel Morris, Jun., trader, ten pounds.
Hezekiah Sabin, yeoman, ten pounds. Noah Sabin, yeoman, twenty pounds. Edward Payson, yeoman, ten pounds. Joseph Craft, yeoman. ten pounds. Timothy Sabin, yeoman, ten pounds. Jacob Dana, yeoman, ten pounds. Isaac Dana, yeoman, ten pounds.
Darius Sessions, twenty pounds. Seth Paine, ten pounds.
Samuel Perrin, fifteen pounds. Nehemiah Sabin, ten pounds. Samuel Sumner, ten pounds.
Benjamin Griffin, twenty pounds.
John Payson, ten pounds.
Samuel Dana, ten pounds."
One-half of the sums subscribed was to be paid over, " the twentieth day of May next ensuing ; " the remainder, a year later-"'all in good bills of public credit passable within the Province of the Massachusetts Bay." Arrangements were made for procuring the books as speedily as possible. "Dr. Guise's Paraphrase on ye 4 Evangelists," kindly presented to the company by the author, and "Stackhouse's Body of Divinity," purchased of Mr. Sessions, formed the foundation of the Library. The remainder was ordered from England. The society's second meeting was held at the house of the Hon. John Chandler, December 24, 1740. Ebenezer Corbin was admitted a member upon the payment of ten pounds. Peter Perrin took the place of Mr. Morris. Mr. Williams was directed "to write a letter of thanks to ye Rev. Dr. Guise for his kind present, , and procure boxes to keep ye books in." The first installment of forty volumes had already arrived, and was followed, in 1741, by a much larger number. A full catalogue of the books was taken, and is given in the appendix. The sum of £418 12s. was paid out for them by Mr. Williams, who was com- missioned by the society, "to cover ye rest of the books as far as ye overplus of ye money will reach." An assessment of six pounds for every ten subscribed was found needful to make up the depreciation of currency.
Notwithstanding all the pains taken to organize this company, its continuance in its original form was found impracticable. Roads were bad, and often impassable, and the residents of the more distant towns found it often impossible to attend appointed meetings, and very diffi- cult to procure the books and return them in season. After the death of Colonel Chandler, a separation was deemed advisable. At a meeting of the " United Company for propagating useful and Christian Know-
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ledge in Pomfret, Woodstock, &c., met at the Rev. Mr. Williams', June 7, 1745 " :-
"Voted, That the society do agree to divide ye books into two parts, viz., one part to Pomfret and Mortlake, and the other to Woodstock and Kill- ingly, according to the interest that the respective proprietors in said towns have therein, and to hold their property according to the abovesaid division, any vote to the contrary notwithstanding."
Thirty-nine volumes were then assigned to Woodstock and Killingly, and the remainder allowed to Pomfret and Mortlake. The residents of the latter towns at once renewed the covenant, obliging themselves to keep that part together which belonged to the towns in which they lived as a United Library, and to remain under the same regulations and restrictions in general as the former company, with these additional conditions :-
"1. That the said Library shall be governed by votes, according to ye interest which the several persons or members have therein.
2. That no member be allowed to dispose of his right out of said towns at all; nor in said towns, but with the consent of the majority of ye pro- prietors.
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