History of Windham County, Connecticut, Part 39

Author: Bayles, Richard M. (Richard Mather)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: New York, Preston
Number of Pages: 1506

USA > Connecticut > Windham County > History of Windham County, Connecticut > Part 39

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Edward Spicer Cleveland received a common school education, with a brief period at the Thompson Academy in the same county. At the age of sixteen he entered upon a mercantile career in Hartford, the capital of the state, as a clerk. At the close of this engagement he opened a dry goods establishment on his own account. Soon after, he was married to Miss Caroline Lucinda Bolles, daughter of Mr. Edward Bolles, one of the leading mer-

390

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.

chants of Hartford. This occurred in 1846. Mr. Cleveland con- tinued in mercantile business until the year 1861, when he was appointed postmaster at Hartford by President Lincoln. At the expiration of his term of four years he was re-commissioned for another term by Mr. Lincoln's successor. After eight years' ser- vice in this position he resumed his residence in Hampton, which town he represented in the state legislature in the years 1875 and 1876. In 1877 he returned to Hartford, where he has since resided. In 1883 he was elected to the lower house of the legislature, and in 1885 to the senate, and re-elected in 1888. He was the candidate of the democratic party for governor of the state in the year 1886, by a unanimous nomination, receiving a plurality of 1,898 of the popular vote, there being four candidates in the field. He would have been inaugurated but for that fa- miliar clause in the constitution, dating back to 1818, which re- quires a majority instead of a plurality to elect. This provision required that the names of the two highest candidates should be sent to the legislature for choice, and that body, being republican by a small majority, decided in favor of the republican candidate, who lacked nearly 9,000 votes of a majority. Mr. Cleveland, by the courtesy of the senate, of which he is still a member, is a visitor for the term of two years to the Scientific School at New Haven, and a state trustee of the Connecticut Insane Hospital at Middletown, for four years from July 1st, 1889.

On the 8th of March, 1889, Mr. Cleveland sustained an irrep- arable loss by the death of his wife, who was a lady of the high- est excellence, always devoted to the household of which she was the light and joy. She was the mother of three children, two of whom survive her, Edward Mason and John. George Henry, the second son, died in 1865. Mr. Cleveland has retired from active pursuits, dividing his time between his country residence at Hampton in the summer, and his home in Hartford during the winter. The care of the household since the death of Mrs. Cleve- land has devolved upon the estimable wife of his younger son, John; and her children, named respectively Chauncey Fitch and Edward Spicer, 2d, are the especial care and pride of their grandfather.

DAVID GREENSLIT .- Elijah Greenslit, a farmer and the land- lord of one of the early taverns of the town of Hampton, mar- ried Mary Burnham. His children were: David, Elijah, Henry, Ebenezer, and one daughter. His son David spent his life in

ARTOTYPE, E. BIERSTADT, N. Y

391

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.

Hampton, the town of his birth, where he was an industrious and prosperous farmer. He married Nancy, daughter of Wil- liam Foster, of Canterbury. To this union were born nine chil- dren, of whom Lucius, William F. and David grew to mature years.

David Greenslit was born June 2d, 1817, in Hampton, and spent his early years at the schools in the vicinity of his home. At the age of sixteen he became useful as an assistant in the work of the farm, and was thus occupied until his nineteenth year. Leaving the paternal roof he then removed to Brooklyn, the adjoining town, and was for nearly two years engaged as a teacher. Soon after, he purchased a farm in Windham, but preferring a home in his native town, was influenced to dispose of this property and locate as a farmer in Hampton. He was on the 26th of May, 1840, married to Elizabeth, daughter of John Searls, of Brooklyn. Their only daughter, Charlotte E., died in 1866 at the age of twenty-two years.

Mr. Greenslit was in 1844 made a deputy sheriff of Windham county, and was for nine years the incumbent of the office. He was then appointed by the legislature to fill the unexpired term as sheriff, and subsequently elected for two terms to the same office. In 1866 he was elected to the state senate from the Thirteenth senatorial district, and appointed chairman of the committee on state prisons. In 1878 he was elected to the Connecticut house of representatives, and made chairman of the same committee. He has served several years on the republican state central committee, and had much experience in political matters pertaining to the state. Mr. Greenslit is a director of the Windham County National Bank, and has been for ten years president of the Windham County Mutual Insurance Company, as also adjuster of losses for that corporation. He is a director of the Willimantic Dime Savings Bank. Mr. Green- slit, though not a professional man, has given much attention to the study of law, his occupation as a business agent requir- ing him to be well versed in legal rules and practices. His services are much sought in the settlement of estates and in kindred offices involving great responsibility and well balanced judgment. Among other positions of trust he was in 1866 ap- pointed by the legislature a member of the board of equaliza- tion for the Thirteenth senatorial district.

392

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.

SAMUEL STRONG MOSELEY .- The Moseley family are among the oldest and most prominent in the town of Hampton. The father of the subject of this biography, Ebenezer Moseley, was a preacher of considerable repute in his day. His son, Samuel Strong Moseley, was born at the homestead of the family in Hampton, in 1786, and in his native town the whole of his active life was spent. He received an academic education, and early em- barked in mercantile pursuits, to which he later added farming. In both of these branches of industry he brought to bear the ability and thrift which were the inevitable precursors of suc- cess. He was also a large dealer in cattle and sheep, these op- erations proving extremely profitable. Mr. Moseley was act- ively identified with the public affairs of his county, and bore a prominent part in its political conflicts. He represented his constituents for successive terms in the Connecticut house of representatives, and filled numerous offices of lesser importance in the town.

He was united in marriage to Harriet Bulkley, of Colchester, Connecticut. To this union were born four sons: Edward S., who served two terms as state treasurer; George, William and Henry; and two daughters, Eliza and Mary, the first named daughter being the only survivor of these children. Mr. Mose- ley died in 1866.

W. W. Preston & C.N.Y.

Normal. e. V. Morely

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE TOWN OF SCOTLAND.

Description .- Original Connection .- First Settler .- Early Attractions .- Settlers coming in .- Church Association .- Disquiet in Society Relations .- Scotland Society Organized .- Minister Employed and a Meeting House Built .- Peace and Prosperity .- The Separate Movement .- Separate Church .-- The Standing Church and the Schools .- Leading Men in Society .- Successive Pastors .- Period of the Revolution .- The Congregational Church in Later Days .- Uni- versalism .- Business and Industry in the Town .- Organization of the Town. -Its Size and Growth .- Illustrious Citizens. - Present Status .- Shetucket Grange .- The Green and its Surroundings.

T HE township of Scotland, lying in the southwestern part of the county, is about six miles long from north to south, and about three miles wide. It lies on the southern bor- der of the county, being bounded on the north by Hampton and a small part of Chaplin, on the east by Canterbury, on the south by Lisbon and Franklin, in the county of New London, and on the west by Windham. It comprehends about eighteen square miles of territory, much of which is hilly and in a wild condi- tion. This is particularly true of the northern part of the town. In the central and southern parts there is a great deal of good farming land, and the improved farms and residences give a very attractive and home like appearance to the country. The surface is sufficiently rolling to make the rural landscape fascin- atingly picturesque. Merrick's brook runs down through the middle of the town, joining the Shetucket in the southwest cor- ner of the town. The Providence Division of the New York & New England railroad also runs with the Shetucket river across the southwest corner of the town. Here is Waldo's station, a locality surrounded by swamps and woods, an ancient saw mill having once been in operation near by on the stream already mentioned. Scotland presents to the passer-by one of those ri- pened communities in which the people are quietly and peacefully enjoying the fruits of labor performed in former years, rather than living on the sweat of present activities. The surrounding

394

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.

forest growth affords considerable timber, which is utilized in railroad ties. Scotland in 1870 had a population of 648; in 1880 the population was reduced to 590. As the history of the town is but little more than the history of the ecclesiastical society out of which it grew, we shall address ourselves at once to the consideration of that subject.

The territory of this town was originally a part of the exten- sive domain of ancient Windham, being the southeast section of that town. Settlement began here about the year 1700. The first settler was Isaac Magoon, a Scotchman, who gave to his adopted home the name of his native country. He was admitted an inhabitant of Windham in 1698, and chose to establish him- self east of Merrick's brook, in a remote and uninhabited part of the town. The brook of which we have spoken is supposed to have been named in honor of an early Norwich land owner. In 1700 Magoon purchased of Mr. Whiting several hundred acres, in the southern extremity of Clark & Buckingham's tract. The first rude hut built by him in this locality is said to have been destroyed by fire, whereupon his Windham neighbors helped him to rebuild it. He afterward bought sixty acres on both sides of Merrick's brook, and crossed by the road from Windham to Plainfield, of Joshua Ripley, and this is supposed to have been his homestead. This road becoming a great thor- oughfare between more important points, and the good quality of the soil here, as well as the natural beauty of location, soon attracted other settlers to the spot. In 1701 Magoon sold farms to Samuel Palmer, John Ormsbee, and Daniel and Nathaniel Fuller, all of whom came hither from Rehoboth. In 1702 Josiah Kingsley, John Waldo, Nathaniel Rudd, Josiah Palmer and Ralph Wheelock purchased land of Crane and Whiting and re- moved to this new settlement. Waldo's land, in the south of this settlement, is still held by his descendants. Many Mohe- gans frequented this part of the town, clinging to it by virtue of Owaneco's claim to it as Mamosqueage. A hut on the high hills near Waldo's was long the residence of the Mooch family, kindred of Uncas and the royal line of the Mohegans.

The settlement made quite rapid progress. Among others who soon followed were Josiah' Luce, Thomas Laselle, Robert Heb- ard and John Burnap. Luce and Laselle were of old Huguenot stock. Burnap came from Reading, Mass., purchasing a tract of land of Solomon Abbe, by Merrick's brook, April 13th, 1708.

395

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.

The demand thus incited here caused valuations of real estate to rise considerably. A saw mill was already in operation on the brook, and in 1706 a highway was ordered to be laid out for the farmers of Scotland, above the mill-dam, for the conven- ience of getting on and off the bridge which was then about to be constructed, and thence it was to run to John Ormsbee's land. With the destruction of the forests and the accompanying de- cadence of the streams this mill site has long since been power- less for the purposes to which it was once appropriated. And the same may be said in regard to Wolf Pit brook, the privilege of which was granted to Josiah Palmer in 1706, " to set up a grist mill-he building the same within three years and ditch- ing and damming there as he thinks needful on the commons, not to damnify particular men's rights."

In 1707 the town of Windham regarded its southeastern quar- ter as of sufficient importance to be allowed a burying ground, and at that time Samuel Palmer, George Lilly and William Backus were appointed to view the ground here and consult the people with regard to laying out a burying place in this local- ity.

The Scotland settlers still maintained their connection with the church at Windham Green, though their number was con- stantly increasing. George Lilly, in 1710, purchased land on both sides of Little river, which runs down along the eastern border but just outside the present limits of the town, and in 1714, John Robinson, a descendant of Elder John Robinson, of Leyden, removed to Scotland. The old Puritan stock was well represented in this locality. Descendants of Robinson, Brew- ster and Bradford, with French Huguenots and Scotch Presby- terians, were among its inhabitants. A pound had been erected and a school house was built, at what date we have not learned, and about these public institutions a straggling village grew up. Many sons of the first settlers of Windham established them- selves here. Joseph and John Cary settled on Merrick's brook, on land given them by their father, Deacon Cary. Deacon Bingham's son Samuel settled on Merrick's brook, and Nathaniel on Beaver brook. Nathaniel, son of Joseph Huntington, occu- pied a farm on Merrick's brook, near the center of the settlement and became one of its most prominent citizens. The population was gathered mainly on the road to Canterbury and on Merrick's . brook. Many of the Scotland settlers were members of the

396

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.

Windham church and some were active and prominent men in the affairs of the town.

But the Scotland settlers soon began to feel a desire for church privileges nearer their homes than away over the hills several miles to Windham Green. At what time this feeling began to develop into open agitation we do not know, but it had gone so far in that direction that in February, 1726, the town took action so far as to consent by vote that when the public list of that sec- tion should reach in amount £12,000 the town would build a meeting- house in that section, and when they should desire to settle a minister the town would join with them in supporting two ministers and keeping the two meeting houses in order. In December, 1727, the Scotland people were allowed to employ a suitable person to preach to them during the winter, and this permission was kept up for several winters. But the Scotland people could not see the advantage to them of paying their pro- portionate part of supporting the ministry at Windham Green and then hiring a minister additional during a part of the year, at so much extra expense. Hence the question of society privi- leges was agitated, and after a spirited contest before the gen- eral assembly the petition was granted and a charter for a dis- tinct society was given by the legislature in May, 1732. The bounds of the society were substantially the bounds of the pres- ent town. They began at the junction of Merrick's brook with the Shetucket, thence northerly to the southwest corner of the land of John Kingsley ; thence to Beaver brook at John Fitch's dam; thence a straight line to Merrick's brook, at the crossing of the road from Windham Green to the Burnt Cedar swamp ; thence north on the brook to the southwest corner of Canada Society ; thence easterly by the south bound of that society, and southerly along the Canterbury line to the dividing line between Windham and Norwich, and westerly along the Norwich line to the mouth of Merrick's brook. This bound probably included less than one-third of the territory of Windham. The petition- ers, in answer to whom the charter was granted, were Nathaniel Bingham, Jacob Burnap, Eleazer and Samuel Palmer, Joshua Luce, Daniel Meacham, Isaac Bingham, Samuel Hebard, Seth Palmer, Timothy Allen, Charles Mudie, Benjamin Case, John Waldo, David Ripley, Caleb Woodward, John Cary, Jonathan Silsby, Elisha Lilly, Jacob Lilly, Joshua Lasell, Nathaniel Hun- tington, Nathaniel Brewster, Nathaniel Rudd, Wilkinson Cook,

397

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.

Carpenter Cook and Samuel Cook. The number of families in the society was about eighty, and the number of persons proba- bly about four hundred. The list of estates reported amounted to £3,945.

The new society met to organize June 22d, 1732, at the house of Nathaniel Huntington. Edward Waldo was chosen moderator; John Manning, clerk; Peter Robinson, John Waldo and Edward Waldo, society committee. In September the society voted to employ a minister, and began eagerly to dis- cuss the location of their prospective meeting house. It was then decided that the preaching services should be held at the house of Nathaniel Huntington. The importance of having the business well attended to and the magnitude of the under- taking as it appeared to those people is shown by the vote at that time that "Ensign Nathaniel Rudd, Mr. Samuel Manning, Lieutenant Peter Robinson, Sergeants Nathaniel Bingham and Edward Waldo, Mr. John Bass and Mr. John Cary, be a commit- tee to provide us a minister to preach to us, and also to provide a place for him to diet in, and also to agree with him for what he shall have a day." The minister then employed by this pon- derous committee was a Mr. Flagg.

After settling some disputes as to the law in regard to electing officers, the society unanimously set to work to locate and build a meeting house. · The site decided upon was " a knoll, east side of Merrick's brook, south side of the road from Windham to Canterbury." Nathaniel Huntington, who owned the land, promptly made over a quarter of an acre for that purpose. June 25th, 1733, it was voted to build a house 43 by 33 feet and twenty feet high, the roof and sides to be covered with chestnut sawed shingles and clapboards. The work went bravely forward and by November 20th a society meeting was held in the house. Then the windows were glazed, and rough board seats provided, as well as a "conveniency for a minister to stand by to preach." Thus equipped the house was ready for service and the energies of the society were then devoted to employing a regular minis- ter.

After several attempts, which from one cause or another proved abortive, the society succeeded in obtaining the services of a minister to be permanently located among them. This they found in the person of Ebenezer Devotion, son of Reverend Ebenezer Devotion of Suffield, a young man of good abilities,

398

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.

pleasing address and unimpeachable orthodoxy, who had just completed his ministerial studies, having graduated from Yale College in 1732, and was just twenty-one years of age when called to this parish. On the 22d of October, 1735, a church was organized and Mr. Devotion ordained as its pastor, on a settle- ment of £300 and a salary of £140 a year, which was afterward increased by an additional thirty pounds. Eighty-nine members were dismissed from the First church of Windham to form the Scotland church. Edward Waldo and Nathaniel Bingham were chosen deacons.

These trying ordeals having been safely passed, the society now enjoyed a period of peaceful and harmonious prosperity reaching through many years. The interior of the meeting house was subject to many changes in its arrangements and seating, as was usual in those days, privileges being allowed individuals, singly or in groups, to erect pews for their own use and at their own expense. In this line one item is worthy of notice. In 1739 twelve young men had liberty to build a pew the length of the front gallery, dividing the same by a partition of wood, taking one half as their own seat and gallantly allow- ing the other half to as many young women.

We come now to the period when this church and society were greatly agitated, in common with others about them, by the great revival and the Separate movement, which occurred between the years 1740 and 1750. A very respectable part of the Scotland church became dissatisfied with the existing discipline and adop- ted decided Separate principles. Mr. Devotion, who was strongly attached to church order and the Saybrook Platform, wholly re- fused to grant them any concessions or liberty, whereupon they withdrew from the stated religious worship, and held separate meetings in private houses. Among the number were Joseph and Hannah Wood, Benjamin and Anne Cleveland, Zebulon and Hannah Hebard, Mrs. Samuel Manning, John Walden, Daniel Ross, Amos Kingsley, Peleg Brewster, Thomas and Henry Bass, and John, Sarah, Mary and Margaret Wilkinson. January 26th, 1746, these persons were cited to appear before the church court to "give their reasons for separating for a long time from the worship or ordinances which God had set up among them." Their an- swer in general was that the ministrations of Mr. Devotion were not satisfying to their souls like those of other preachers, like Lawyer Paine, Deacon Marsh and Solomon Paine, whom Mr.

399

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.

Devotion refused to recognize. Nothing conciliatory resulting from the hearing and subsequent action, these people joined themselves into a Separate church. This was organized during the summer of 1746, and soon gained a very respectable posi- tion, receiving into its membership some of the leading families in the parish.

The Windham County Association of ministers held an inves- tigation in February, 1747, and after hearing much testimony in regard to the Separatists, declared their action to be unscriptural, uncharitable and unchristian, and that the churches ought not to recognize them in a church capacity, but to labor with them as individuals to convert them from the error of their ways. The Scotland Separate church was, however, notwithstanding this meeting had been held in this town, unaffected by its judgments or proclamations, but continued to increase in numbers and in- fluence. One of the deacons of the standing church lapsed to the Separatists among the rest. For a time they enjoyed the ministrations of their favorite ministers, the Paines and Elder Marsh. John Palmer, a descendant of one of the early Scotland settlers, exercised his gift of exhortation so freely that he was summarily arrested by the civil authority and lodged in jail at Hartford, where he was kept four months. This only increased his zeal, and after his release the church gave him further trial and eventually united in a call to its ministry. He was accordingly ordained May 17tlı, 1749, as pastor of the Separate church of Scotland.

Though deficient in education and somewhat rough in speech and manner, Mr. Palmer was a man of estimable character and sound piety, and under his guidance the Brunswick church, as this body was now called, maintained for many years a good standing in the community, comparatively free from those ex- cesses and fanaticisms which marred so many of its contempo- raries. No difficulty was found in supporting its worship by voluntary contributions. A church edifice was built about a mile southeast of Scotland village, and this was long known as the Brunswick meeting house. Mr. Devotion was never recon- ciled to this intrusion within his parochial limits, but true to his own name as he was to his cause, it is said that he was accus- tomed every Sunday morning to send his negro servant with a rescript to the Brunswick meeting house, forbidding Mr. Palmer or any unauthorized person to preach therein that day ; a pro-

400

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.

hibition which doubtless only served to increase the number of attendants there.

For many years after this Separate church was established its members were obliged to pay their proportion of taxes for, the support of the ministry in the regular church of Scotland society. When they refused to comply with such demands their cattle or goods were taken by distraint or themselves were imprisoned in Windham jail. But on the prospect of having to pay rates tow- ard the building of the new meeting house in 1773 they peti- tioned the assembly for relief, and that body gave a favorable response, granting them release from the burden of taxation to build the house in which they did not expect to worship. The names of those at that time identified with the Separatist church were Zacheus Waldo, Zebulon Hebard, Lemuel Bingham, Ebene- zer Webb, John Palmer, Benjamin Cleveland, Joseph Allen, John Walden, Stephen Webb, Israel Hale, William Perkins, Joseph Allen, Jr., Jonathan Brewster, Ebenezer Bass, John Silsbury, Timothy Allen, Samuel Baker, Jr., Jedidiah Bingham, Henry Bass and Moses Cleveland.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Windham County, Connecticut, Part 39

Author: Bayles, Richard M. (Richard Mather) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: New York, Preston Number of Pages: 1506

Author: Bayles, Richard M. (Richard Mather)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: New York, Preston
Number of Pages: 1506