USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Woodbury > History of ancient Woodbury, Connecticut : from the first Indian dead in 1659 to 1854 > Part 28
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With regard to the numbers admitted into the church, and those who received baptism, the following entries are given :
By Mr. Judd, 69 admissions and 81 baptisms.
By Mr. Brinsmade, 130
66 306
By Mr. Merwin, 35
78 66
By Dr. Porter, 135
225 66
During the same time, Mr. Brinsmade celebrated 128 marria- ges ; Mr. Merwin, 37 ; Dr. Porter, 86, and the magistrates of the society and town, 44; making a total of 295.
In 1753, a putrid fever prevailed in this society, of which twenty or thirty died in six months. In 1776, the dysentery prevailed with great mortality. About thirty persons were swept away by it to the grave. During the preceding year, not a single deatlı occurred, and for the last twenty years preceding 1812, the average mortality in the society was but about one per cent. of the population per annum.
Twenty-one persons have died in this society, either by violent or untimely deaths : of which number, six were drowned ; three were killed with fire-arms ; four were found abroad, dying or dead ; one was killed with a penknife; two children were burnt to death in a eoal-pit ; and five were murdered.
The following account of the murders is taken from Morris' Sta- tistical Account of Litchfield County :
" The murder was committed by Barnett Davenport; and, taken with all the attending circumstances, it was one of the most inhuman, atrocious, and horri- ble deeds, ever perpetrated in New England. From the criminal's own confes- sion, it appears, that his parentage and early education were exactly fitted to produce his wicked life and tragical end. Untutored and nurestrained by pa- rental government, he was left to grow up at random, In the morning of life, no morality was inculcated in him, and no sense of religion, either by precept or example. On the contrary, he was, from early years, unprincipled, profane, and impions. Before he was nine years old, he was expert in eursing and swearing, and an adept in mischief. At eleven years, he began to pilfer. At thirteen, he stole money. At fifteen, he entertained thoughts of murder, and rapidly waxed harder and bolder in wickedness. At nineteen, he actually mur- dered a family in cold blood. As a friendless, wandering stranger, he was taken into the house of Mr. Caleb Mallory, and treated with the utmost kindness, in the month of December, 1779. Scarcely had two months elapsed, before the murder was determined upon. The night of the 3d of February, 1780, was fixed on, to exeente the horrid purpose. With a heart hard as adamant, he lighted a candle, went into the lodging-room of his benefactors, and beat them
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IIISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
to death with a club. A little grandchild, being with its grandparents, shared the same fate ; and two others were left, in sound sleep, to perish in the flames. Having kindled a fire in three of the rooms, he fled from the murdered family and burning house, after robbing the house of its most valuable articles. But from an aceusing conseienee, and the hand of justice, which followed hard upon his steps, he was unable to flee. He was taken and executed, by sentence of court, the May ensuing, at Litchfield. What a lesson is this, to parents, who negleet the religious education of their families ! When children are trained up without the worship and fear of God, let it be not thought strange, if ' their mouths are full of cursing, and their feet swift to shed blood.'"
A fact has been related, which occurred after Mr. Judd's dismis- sion, during the time the pulpit was supplied by Rev. John Searle, who was afterward settled in the ministry at Sharon. A number of young persons met one evening at a tavern, about a quarter of a mile south of the present meeting-house, and indulged in noisy and riotous mirth. On the next Sabbath, Mr. Searle, like a faithful pastor, took occasion to reprove their conduet in a sermon against vain recrea- tions. While he was speaking, one of the young men rose from his seat with expressions of the greatest contempt, and went out of the church. After a moment's panse, and while the young man was yet in the house, the preacher addressed him to this effect : "Perhaps you may never have another opportunity to come to this place ; but I leave it with the great God." The young man went home, was taken sick, languished a few days, and died without any bodily pain.
After the dismissal of Dr. Porter, the church was without a settled preacher nearly two years, when Rev. Cyrus W. Gray accepted a call to settle with the people of this parish, and was installed over the chinreh, on the third Wednesday of April, 1813. He remained here about two years, when he was dismissed, Angust 18, 1815. The church was again without a pastor for nearly three years, when Rev. Stephen Mason was settled, on the third Wednesday of February, 1818. He remained, with pleasure to himself, and usefulness to his charge, for the space of about ten years, and was dismissed, Decem- ber 17, 1823. Rev. Gordon Hayes was installed over the church, Oct. 28, 1829, and dismissed June 1, 1852. He is a graduate of Yale-class of 1828. He is now principal of a flourishing academy in Vermont. The present pastor, Rev. Ephraim Lyman, was in- stalled June 30, 1852.
There have been several revivals, by which considerable numbers were added to the church, as follows : fifty-four in 1804; twenty in
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HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
1816; fifty-eight in 1821; twenty-nine in 1825; twenty-two in 1827 ; and one hundred and thirty-one in 1831.
The following persons have borne the office of deacon in this church : Increase Moseley, appointed in 1742; Joseph Hurd, in 1742; Ebenezer Clark, John Powell, William Gibson, Joseph Fer- ry-dates not noted ; Preston S. Hollister and Sherman P. Hollister in 1805; David Punderson in 1821, and Daniel B. Brinsmade in 1832.
In October, 1748, eleven persons dwelling in the south-eastern part of Kent, and nine living in the north-eastern part of New Milford, petitioned the General Assembly for liberty to hire a minister six months in the year, on the ground of their living " from seven to ten miles from their places of worship in New Milford and Kent." This request was granted, to continue four years, with exemption from parish rates. Before the end of the four years, in May, 1752, forty- one individuals petitioned for a new ecclesiastical society. Their names were Samuel Averill, Caleb Rude, Samuel Lake, Moses Aver- ill, Henry Davis, Jehiel Murray, Isaac Averill, Joseph Carey, John Guthrie, Daniel Averill, Zebulon Palmer, Jacob Kinne, Samuel Cogs- well, Thomas Hodgship, Thos. Morris, Benj. Darling, Samuel Wal- ler, Nathaniel Deuine, Enoch Whittlesey, Joseph Jons, Stephen Bos- worth, Thomas Beeman, John Benedict, Stephen Noble, Gilead Sperry, Elnathan Curtis, John Bostwick, Benajah Bostwick, Mat- thew Beale, John Cogswell, Zephaniah Branch, Edward Cogswell, Emerson Cogswell, Josiah Cogswell, James Terrill, Joseph Miles, Nathan Hawley, Samuel Cogswell, John Cobb, Benjamin Capuen.
At the same session, sixteen persons of East Greenwich, (now Warren,) remonstrated against the incorporation of a new society, stating that their society had lost " thirty-five rateable persons, and £1467 on their list," and that they therefore protest against having any part of their society cut off, as no families can be spared. Kent, at the same time, passed a vote, that this statement was true. New Milford also sent a committee to oppose the application, and it failed. In October, 1753, thirty-nine persons " in the Northern part of New Milford, and the South and South East part of Kent, and a place Called Merry-all," renewed the application for an ecclesiastical soci- ety, which was granted, and the society called New Preston, with the following boundaries :
" Beginning at the South east corner of New Milford North Purchase, then running Southwardly joining upon Woodbury line one mile, from thence run- ning a West line to ye part of the Long Mountain, South West of Capt. Bost-
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HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
wick's farm, then a North line to the place called the Rockhorse Cobble, and so that course to Merryall line, and then across Merryall to Kent line, and then Running East to the South West corner of James Lake's farm North Easterly to the North West corner of John Henderson's farm, that he now lives on, then running East to East Greenwich line, then running South to ye South West corner of East Greenwich line to Sheppauge river, then running Southwardly upon sd river to Woodbury line, then running Westwardly on Woodbury line to ye first mentioned bounds," &c.
The first meeting of the society was held at the house of Jacob Kinne, Nov. 23, 1753. The officers chosen were Benajah Bostwick, Clerk, and Samuel Waller, Stephen Noble and Joseph Cary, Socie- ty's Committee. A vote was then passed to " meet at Jacob Kinne's house for 3 months for public Worship in the winter season," provi- ded they could obtain a minister. John Bostwick, Samuel W ller and Samuel Averill, were appointed a committee to hire a minister for three months. On the first Monday in December following, the society laid a tax of 12d. on the pound, to hire a minister " for a sea- son." They also voted to build by subscription, "two school-houses for the use of the society, one to be located between Nathaniel Bost- wiek's house and Steep Brook, in ye Highway, and the other near Joseph Cary's in the Highway." The following vote also passed :
" Whereas Jacob Kinne hath Freely Given the use of his Little old house to ye Society of New Preston for to Keep School in When Neaded-Voted yt sd house shall be a Lawful School house for sd Society."
On the 14th of November, 1754, the society voted to build a meet- ing-house. They represented to the Assembly, that they had voted to build a meeting-house, and that there was much unimproved land owned by non-residents, and they therefore prayed for a land- tax of 1d. an acre for four years, and also an exemption from the land-tax in New Milford. The tax was granted for two years, and the exemption was allowed. This house was thirty-six feet long, twenty-six wide, ten high, and stood about one hundred rods westerly from the present meeting-house. January 30, 1755, a call was ex- tended to Rev. Benjamin Chapman to preach on probation. At this meeting, also, a vote passed to have " 3 months preaching in the sum- mer season," and to join with East Greenwich in procuring a minis- ter for " 6 months, being 3 each." March 4, 1756, it was determin- ed that the church should be thirty-six feet by twenty-six, with posts ten feet high. There were to be " 5 windows with 12 panes of glass in each." At a meeting of the society, held September 16, 1756, a vote passed to invite Rev. Noah Wadhams to preach on probation,
.
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HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
and another appointing Matthew Beal as " Quorister to set the Psalm in this Society."1 On the 29th of December, 1766, it was voted to build " another Meeting House, 50 by 40, and 22 high." This house was inclosed three years later, but not entirely finished till 1798. January 19, 1825, the third meeting-house, a convenient edifice of stone, was dedicated. This house is fifty-four feet by forty-four, twenty-four feet high, and stands entirely on solid rock. Besides this, the society is now building a new church at the " Upper City," or Raumaug.
The church was fully organized in 1757, and Rev. Noah Wad- hams, as we have seen, was its first minister. At its organization, it was constituted of thirty-nine members, and fifty-four more were ad- ded during the ministry of Mr. Wadhams. He was a graduate of Nassau Hall College, of the class of 1754, and Yale College confer- red the degree of Master of Arts on him in 1764.
The second minister was Rev. Jeremiah Day, who was ordained over the church, January 31, 1770, and died September 12, 1806, in the seventieth year of his age. During the long period of his minis- trations, one hundred and twenty-three persons were admitted to the church, and three hundred were baptized. The church enjoyed dur- ing this time, much peace and prosperity. Mr. Day graduated at Yale College in 1756. He was the father of Rev. Jeremiah Day, D. D., LL. D., ex-president of Yale College, and of Hon. Thomas Day, LL. D., reporter of judicial decisions for the State of Con- necticut.
Rev. Samuel Whittlesey was the third minister, and was installed over the church and society December 30, 1807, and dismissed April 30, 1817. A hundred and forty-two were added to the church dur- ing the time of his ministry, and one hundred and sixty-seven were by him baptized. After a successful ministry of ten years in this parish, he was connected with the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb in Hartford, and subsequently, for several years, acted as editor of the Mother's Magazine in New York. IIe was a pleasant, gentlemanly inan, of a versatility of talent to meet the variety of his employ- ments.
Rev. Charles A. Boardman was installed June 24, 1818, and dis- missed March 9, 1830. During his ministry, one hundred and thirty- four were admitted to the church, and two hundred baptized. In 1819, he received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from Yale
1 State Archives-Ecclesiastical, II., vol. 1.
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HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
College. The whole number of members admitted to the church be- tween the years 1757 and 1825, was three hundred and nineteen.
Rev. Robert B. Campfield was ordained over the church Novem- ber 16, 1831. Eighty-eight persons were added to the church dur- ing his continuance over it, and there were seventy-nine baptisms.
Rev. Benjamin B. Parsons was ordained, in 1839, to the work of the ministry in this society, and was dismissed on his resignation of the ministerial office, 1842. Rev. Hollis Read was settled in 1845, and dismissed in 1851. The church is now without a settled pastor.
There have been several revivals, which added considerable num- bers to the church : thirty in 1780; twenty-five in 1804 ; thirteen in 1812 ; eighty in 1816 ; forty-one in 1821; thirteen in 1826; thirty- eight in 1827 ; and thirteen in 1829.
The following persons have borne the office of deacon in this church. Eliphalet Whittlesey, date not given ; Moses Averill and Isaac Day- ton, in 1783; Jonah Camp, 1784; Joseph Bassett, 1803; Daniel Whittlesey, 1807 ; Samuel B. Buck, 1812; Clark Hatch, 1822; Charles Whittlesey and Benjamin B. Knapp, 1826.
Washington, composed of the two societies of Judea and New Preston, was the first town incorporated in the state, after the decla- ration of independence. It was incorporated at a special session of the General Assembly, January 7, 1779. The petitioners, who num- bered forty-seven in Kent, one hundred and seventy-six in Woodbury, twenty in Litehfield, and twenty in New Milford, desired the Assem- bly to call their town by the name of Hampden, but their agents were persuaded to consent to have it called Washington, in honor of the commander-in-chief of the American armies. Its first meeting was held February 11, 1779, and William Cogswell was the first mod- erator.
Its boundaries are as follows :
" Beginning at the south-west corner of Judea parish; thenee running a straight line easterly, to the south-west corner of Bethlehem, five miles and about one quarter of a mile; thence North by Bethlehem lo Litchfield line, it being the north-west corner of Bethlehem ; thence continuing north in a straight line, to the north-east corner of the traet annexed from Litchfield ; (the east line of Washington, so far as it is straight, is between five and six miles ;) thence in a north-westerly direction, across the western part of Mount Tom, to Mount Tom bridge, crossing the western branch of Sheppauge river : thence in a line westerly, between Washington and Warren, to the West Pond; thenee across said pond ninety rods to Fairweather's Grant. The diagonal line from the northeast corner of Washington to Mount Tom bridge, is about two miles and an half : the north line is about five miles in length. From the northwest corner of Washington the line runs about South, between Washington and
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HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Kent, one mile and a half to New Milford line ; thence still South to the South line of New Milford, north purchase ; thence Southerly to the South-east bounds of the parish of New Preston, about one mile and an nalf; thence by New Mil- ford, about three miles and an half to the first mentioned bounds."
The only incident in the possession of the author, not before no- ticed in these pages, is here introduced. Rhoda Logan, daughter of John Logan, during the Revolution, was shot by her brother while standing in the front door of her father's house, under the following circumstances. A few persons opposed to the Revolution, then going on, were assembled in Davis' Hollow, a mile or two north of Lo- gan's. The whigs in his neighborhood wished to dislodge them, and had assembled at his house to devise the best method of doing it. While they were in council, young Logan went to a neighbor's, and returned with a musket, when his sister, seeing him in warlike mood, asked him what he was going to do with the gun. He replied, " Shoot tories." She rejoined, " You kill tories ; you have not cour- age enough to fire the gun." He said he had. "Then shoot me," she said playfully. Upon which he fired, and she fell dead at his feet.
This is a good agricultural town, and has a considerable man- ufacturing interest. There are within its limits, six mercantile stores, employing a capital of from $12,000 to $15,000; one woolen manu- factory, employing a capital of some $10,000, and making from 70,000 to 80,000 yards of cloth annually. There are two forges, not now in operation, and one cotton manufactory. There are two pocket furnaces with machine shops attached, employing from twelve to twenty men each, four wagon shops, one saddler's shop, one tannery, one chair and cabinet shop, one manufactory for making carpet yarn and seine twine, and fourteen saw-mills. From 600 to 1,000 casks of lime are annually burned, and from 25,000 to 30,000 feet of mar- ble per annum, are quarried and sawed. There are three Congrega- tional churches, and two Episcopal; a celebrated female seminary, under the care of Miss Brinsmade, and a select school for boys, un- der the care of Frederick W. Gunn, A. B. There is also a good circulating library. The population of the town, by the census of 1850, is 1,802.
CHAPTER XIV.
HISTORY OF ROXBURY ECCLESIASTICAL SOCIETY, AND THE TOWN OF ROXBURY.
1731 To 1853; SHEPAUG FIRST SETTLED, 1713; FIRST SETTLERS; FOUR MONTHS' WINTER PREACHING GRANTED, 1731 ; NINE YEARS SPENT IN EFFORTS TO OBTAIN A NEW SOCIETY; ROXBURY SOCIETY INCORPORATED, 1713; FIRST CHURCH BUILT ABOUT 1732; SECOND CHURCH BUILT, 1746; CHURCH GATHERED, AND REV. THOMAS CANFIELD SETTLED, 1744; MR. CANFIELD'S CHURCH IHISTORY ; REV. ZEPHANIAHI SWIFT INSTALLED, 1795 ; REV. FOSDICK HARRISON ORDAINED, JUNE, 1513; REV. AUSTIN ISHAM INSTALLED, 1539; THIRD CHURCHI BUILT, 1795 ; REVIVALS ; DEACONS ; TEN YEARS SPENT IN EFFORTS TO OBTAIN A TOWN CHARTER ; ROXBURY INCORPORATED INTO A TOWN, 1796; CASUALTIES ; PRES- ENT STATE OF THE TOWN.
THE first settlement in Shepaug was made abont the year 1713, by a man of the name of Hurlbut, who was soon joined by some of his relations. Ile located on the spot a few rods north of the house now occupied by Mr. Treat Davidson, a little south-east of the house once occupied by Peace Minor. This section was afterward called the " Upper Farms." Here they built a small fort for security against the Indians, to which they resorted at night. Sometimes when war existed with the Indians, in any direction, Woodbury sent a small number of soldiers to garrison this fort. One of the Hurl- buts soon married a Baker, and a number of her relations were in- duced to join the new settlement. Hence originated the Bakers, who were afterward of some notoriety in the society. Some repre- sentatives of this blood, in the female line, afterward became famous throughout the country. One of these was Col. Ethan Allen, the hero of Ticonderoga, and Col. Seth Warner, his intimate friend and military associate. Capt. Remember Baker, also, a cousin of these, of the Baker name, was intimately associated with them in all their undertakings of moment, before and during the early part of the Revolutionary War.
It is said by some, that a family of Hurds built the first house in
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HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
the present town of Roxbury, on the top of Good Hill, east of the house now occupied by Mr. Botsford. There, too, they built a small fort. The two settlements probably commenced about the same time. In about two years, Henry Castle settled on the spot where William Pierce, Esq., formerly lived. This location, to distinguish it from the other settlement, was called the " Lower Farms." Dr. Ebenezer Warner next removed here from the old society, having bought Promiseck, heretofore mentioned, of the Indians. Numbers of his descendants, in each generation, down to the fifth, were phy- sicians, some of whom gained a commendable notoriety. After these came a number of Castle families, and settled on what is called the "Lower Road." For some twenty years, the inhabitants attended divine worship in the "ancient Society." This was done both sum- mer and winter, by male and female. often on foot, the males carry- ing their fire-arms to protect themselves from the assaults of savage foes.
This state of affairs continued till October, 1731, when "21 West- ern inhabitants at Shippang in Woodbury," constituted Henry Castle their attorney, to petition the General Assembly for liberty to hire a preacher in the " difficult parts of the year," on the ground of their living "from 4 to 7 miles from the Meeting House," and the bad state of the roads. The petition was granted, and they were allowed to hire a minister four months in the winter. They sent a petition to the October session of the Assembly next year, to have the time in- creased to six months each year, but the request was denied. Things remained in this state till the May session, 1736, when thirty-one persons petitioned the Assembly to be constituted into a distinct ec- clesiastical society. They urged that they lived six miles from the place of worship, and the roads were rough ; that they had a list of £2,200, which was increasing. They asked an extension of privile- ges to advance both their " temporal and spiritual interests." They prayed to be made a society with a portion of the territory of the North Purchase and New Milford, to be called Westbury. They wished the east line of the society drawn two and a half miles west from " Woodbury Meeting House," or have a committee appointed to establish it. A committee was appointed, who reported at the October session the same year, that it was difficult for them to attend " worship at Woodbury, but at present they are unable to bear the expenses of a parish, but may be able in two years." Their appli- cation was accordingly dismissed. In May, 1739, they renewed, and then withdrew their application for a new society. At the October
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HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
session, 1740, the application for incorporation was again renewed. Among other things they urged, that having " experienced ye comfort and benefit of preaching amongst ourselves by the fatherly indulgence of this assembly and thereby learning how much more beneficial it would in all regards be, both to us and our children, to have the Gos- pel ministry fully settled among us," they the more ardently desired to be set off into a distinct society. This petition was signed by Jonathan IIurlbut, Tilley Blakslee, Samuel Castle, David Foot, Mo- ses Hurlbut, Daniel Castle, Consider Hurlbut, Gideon Hurlbut, John Baker, Sen., Ebenezer Warner, Sen., William Harris, Wm. Harris, Jr., Henry Castle, Solomon Squire, Samuel Blakslee, Jehamah Castle, Aaron Hurlbut, Elijah Baker, John Burritt, John Hunt.
At the same session, David and Adam Hurd, John and Zebulon Leavenworth, and Jonathan Sanford, sent a remonstrance, wishing to remain with the " Prime Society." Elijah Hurd, Joseph Hurd and Salmon Hurlbut, sent a petition, wishing to " belong to the North Purchase." The " Prime Society" appointed Ephraim Minor as agent, to oppose the application for a new society. Later in the ses- sion, the following sent on a petition in aid of the application, saying that they had not had an opportunity to sign that first sent : John Baker, Nathan Hurlbut, Cornelius Hurlbut, Jesse Baker, Alexander Alehouse, Abraham Hurd, Allin Curtis, Gamaliel Hurlbut, Benja- min Warner, and Jeremiah Thomas.
The petition again failed, and was again renewed, May, 1741, stat- ing, among other things, that having repeatedly applied to the Gen- eral Assembly, and the "Prime Society," and been denied their wish, and being still in " distressing circumstances, now again Be- seech and intreat this Honorable Assembly in the bowels of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in tender pitty and compassion to our Souls and the Souls of our Children, that they would in their Wonted Goodness es- tablish us a Distinct Society, with Liberty to settle an Orthodox Gos- pell Ministry, and Imbody in Church order." They further urged, that " Many were crying what shall we do to be saved, and were una- ble to attend on Rev. Mr. Stoddard, their pastor." Notwithstanding all this, the Assembly was still deaf to their " eries," and refused to grant their request. Nothing further was done in the premises till October, 1742, when they again renewed their application, for which they gave the following reasons:
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