USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Woodbury > History of ancient Woodbury, Connecticut : from the first Indian dead in 1659 to 1872, Vol. II > Part 14
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73
" A man of quick and active wit For drudgery is more unfit, Compared to those of duller parts, Than running nags to draw in carts."
Alike a man of business and a poet, success attends his efforts in both departments.
"Our friends, the Clergy, who have figured so largely and so suc- cessfully in these exercises, will pardon the spice of levity which may, by a careful examination, be detected in the verses which I am about to read. Yes, I know they will. I see it in their be- nevolent faces, and I remember, too, that the holidays of the
982
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Clergy are " few and far between," and I am persuaded that the enjoy this to the very " top of their bent."
" But it is time I should tell you the name of my friend wh has been so kind to us all. It is George H. Clark, and here is wh: he sends " greeting," as the Lawyers say :
GEO. H. CLARK'S WOODBURY CENTENNIAL POEM.
Mysterious notes were abroad on the air- Significant hints of some weighty affair : Rumors increased till they rose to a shout, And now we all see what the stir was about.
Ye modest admirers, who've nothing to say, Make room-for spread eagle is coming this way, We stand, as it were, in our forefathers' shoes, And the time for tall talking's too precious to lose.
Here frolicsome age shall grow young at the core, And youth shall strike hands with the boys of threescore; Brim full of good feeling-Oh! call it no folly- We've assembled on purpose to laugh and be jolly.
$
Ye attorneys-turn over a holiday leaf; The facts are before you-and here is the brief ! So give us as much as you please of your jaw, But don't, if you love us, don't let it be law.
Ye grave Boanerges-who thunder at sin, Let your features relax to a good natured grin : Pretermit theological chafing and chat, And talk about buttercups, birds, and all that.
Forget, O my friends, in this glorified hour, The Parson who vanquished that dreadful pow- wow-er ; But remember the Backus and Bellamy jokes, And up and be merry like rational folks.
Sink the shop, O ye trader in dry goods, to-day,- Just look at the prospect right over the way ! Don't the sight of the Pomperaug hills and green valleys Beat all your gay patterns on muslins and challies ?
Ye medical men-whose dreams are of drugs, Omit for a while your professional shrugs : Give the go-by to boluses, blisters, and nux, And think of the dandelions, daisies, and ducks.
983
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Ye farmers-the nearest to Nature's own breast, Who draw from her stores what her children love best; Who irradiate towns with fresh butter and cheese, And tickle our palates with lamb and green peas ;
We remember your haymows so fragrant in June ; Your pumpkins, as large and as round as the moon ; The green corn we roasted and ate on the sly, And the rye 'n 'ndian bread, and the-Oh! let us cry !
It makes my mouth water to talk of such things,- The truth is, you farmers are Nature's own kings: And the queens !- would you see the true test of their worth ? Just look at those boys! arn't they proud of their birth ?
Of course, we'll remember, and speak of with pride, Seth Warner, and others who fought by his side : And grand Ethan Allen-the hero all over- Who conquered Fort Ti, in the name of Jehovah !
Historians assert that you'd only one witeh- But history makes an unfortunate hitch ; For witches still flourish-as witness the groups ! Though for halters and faggots you substitute hoops.
Then a health to old Woodbury-merry or grave- And long in the land may her progeny wave, Nor forget where their excellent grand-mothers sleep, While their own little babies are learning to creep.
" Now, my friends, I have disposed of the props upon which I have relied to sustain me in the event, that my own thoughts should fail. I am left to my own resources, and begin to be ap- prehensive that you may be mirthfully inclined when I am seri- ous, and seriously disposed when I am gay. Topics were plenty, yesterday morning, but in the two days' speaking they have been, for the most part, used up. All the leading features in your his- tory have been passed in review. Those men who have distin- guished themselves most among you have also been already noticed. Of some of them too much could hardly be said. First and fore- most among the intellectual giants in our State, was the Hon. Na- thaniel Smith, who was born and lived, until his death, within the ancient limits of this town. He was indeed a great man. With- out the advantages of early culture, he worked his way to the front rank of the legal profession, at a period when the ablest men,
984
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
who have been known in the courts of this State, were in full pra tice. He stood among them primus inter pares. As an advoca he had great power, and his efforts were attended with mark success. At a later period he was an ornament to the Bench, ar has left a record upon the pages of our Reports of which tl worthy President here, (his son,) may well be proud.
"I must be indulged in saying a few words of another memb of the profession who has recently passed away. He was one the originators of this celebration, and one of the Committee carry out the plan adopted a year ago. The vacant chair up the stage draped in mourning, reminds us of him, who, had ] lived, would have mingled in these festivities with a keen relis He (the Hon. Charles B. Phelps) was a man of genius, and highly respectable member of the Bar. A ready debater, he w always equal to the emergency of an occasion. He had a ke wit and overflowed with humor.
" A merrier man Within the limit of becoming mirth, I never spent an hour's talk withal."
" He had, moreover, a kind heart, which displayed itself on a suitable occasions, and long will he be remembered for his mar good deeds. You will hardly " look upon his like again."
" You will pardon me for speaking a word of another gentl man of another profession, who has long since gone to his rest. mean the Rev. John R. Marshall, who was the first Episcopal cle gyman in this town. He was an eminently good man, and muc beloved by those to whom he ministered in holy things. He plan ed a vine here which he carefully nurtured while he lived, an which flourishes now in full vigor. He closed his ministry he with the termination of his life, leaving behind him many blesse fruits, " Allured to brighter worlds and led the way."
"There are many others who have distinguished themselves he in the different professions, and many who have gone from amon you, and distinguished themselves elsewhere, who deserve to l mentioned on this occasion, did time permit. There have been, to very many equally worthy and estimable men, who never attaine to any particular prominence in the eye of the world, men wh pursued the noiseless tenor of their way, but who have done the share in building up your institutions, and in making this valle bud and blossom. They were the fathers and the grand-father
%
985
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
of many whom I see before me, and this gathering attests the in- terest which their posterity feel in their memory. While the blood of some of them courses in the veins of their descendants, their names have become extinct among you. This is true of the names of my maternal grand-father and grand-mother, (Perry and Beers,) names once well and favorably known here. One of the latter name (Hon. S. P. Beers,) has addressed you to-day, but he has resided elsewhere for more than half a century. From his account of himself, nearly seventy years ago he had the ambition to sit cross-legged upon a tailor's bench, but because perhaps (in the language of the old song,) "the money came slowly in," he concluded to pursue the legal profession, supposed by some to be more productive. It would seem from his statement that he is now an old man, which, from his full head of brown hair, (which I envy,) and his youthful appearance, we should all doubt, had we not confidence in his veracity, and did we not know that he had been the popular commissioner of the School Fund, since the ear- liest recollection of the "oldest inhabitant." The sons of many have emigrated to other portions of the country, and thus have their names become extinct here. The daughters, although emi- nently worthy of trust in all other particulars, cannot be relied upon to bear up a name. In this particular, however honest they may be, they resemble the most practiced rogues. They are, with now and then a solitary, (not to say melancholy exception,) in search of an alias, and are quite sure to find and adopt it. I have always wondered why they mark their linen with their maiden names. Nearly two days have been spent here in glorifying our grand-fathers. But there has been, as there now is, a " better- half" of humanity, of whom I have heard nothing said. I mar- vel that such an omission could have occurred in such a presence. A "mutual admiration society," composed exclusively of men, I confess is not to my taste. We have heard much about great men -good men-valiant men-self-taught men, and about "all sorts and conditions of men." It has been from the beginning-men- men-men ; nothing but men. Had they no mothers-no wives ? Men have indeed fought the battles of the country ; felled the for- est trees ; tilled the earth, and toiled in the different professions and trades. But woman has toiled too amid dangers which ap- palled the stoutest hearts. She has braved suffering in its count- less forms, such as woman only knows, and submitted to priva- tions with a patient meekness of which woman is alone capable.
986
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
In the early settlement of the country, the mother nursed and reared her own children; was mistress and servant; carded the wool ; spun it into yarn, and made it into cloth. She was her husband's and boy's tailor, her own and her daughter's milliner and mantuamaker ; and in a word, discharged every domestic duty unaided. It is not strange that such women should have reared sneh sons as we have been boasting about here for two days.
"Let us do fitting honors on this occasion to the female charac- ter. Every man who has risen to distinction in any of the walks of life, is indebted to his mother for those traits of genius which he inherited from her, and those habits of thinking and of action, which are the result of her early teaching.
" The mother in her office, holds the key Of the soul : and she it is who stamps the coin Of character, amd makes the being who would be a savage, But for her gentle cares, a Christian man .- "
" How dear to us is the sacred name of mother! She it was whose loving care and ceaseless vigilance protected and nurtured us in helpless infancy. We learned from her those earliest lessons which are most deeply impressed upon our memories, and which time does not obliterate. Our recollections of a mother's love, a mother's care, a mother's patience, and a mother's forgiveness of our faults, freshen and become more and more tender, as our shad ows lengthen upon the dial. It is to her we owe all that we are and all we hope to be.
" I might speak of woman in the relation of wife, and of the love, respect, and kindness which she deserves as such. She is sought and won, forsakes father and mother, and cleaves unto the husband. With an amazing confidence, she entrusts her happi ness, her all, in his hands. She shares his sorrows, participates in his joys, labors for his advancement, and occupies the position ir life in which his success or misfortune may place her. If we loved her when seeking an alliance, how much more tenderly should we feel toward her, when she has committed herself to ou fostering care, and has become the mother of our children.
" There is still another relation in which I might speak of woman I mean as daughters. None but fathers know aught of the emo tions of a father's heart toward them. With what solicitude do we watch their growth and development. With what intense in terest do we gaze upon their budding beauty, and varied accom
ยท
987
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
plishments. With what tender affection do we cling to them, and how they wind themselves about our hearts. And then, endeared to us as they are, and in the flush and beauty of their youth, we are called to relinquish them into other hands, as their mothers were relinquished to us. Then we know for the first time, what the yielding to our request cost some few years ago.
"Were there time, and were there not some Governors, Lawyers, Doctors, and Clergymen yet to speak, and whom you are anxious to hear, I should be pleased to enlarge upon this fair topic ; but even at the hazard of standing between you and those gentlemen for an unreasonable time, I could not say less. When I look upon . this immense audience, and especially upon this bed of flowers be- fore me, in which I see the spring violet, the summer rose, and the dahlia of autumn, all in bloom at the same time, as if the three seasons had been consolidated, I wish we had another day in which we could say what we feel and think.
"Since my earliest recollection, great changes have been wrought in this valley. The stately elms and maples that line the way southward to the western limit of the village of Southbury, were in their infancy fifty years ago; but now they spread their giant arms in every direction, and are models of strength and beauty. This was then a sparsely settled village; but since that period it has undergone such alterations as to change its appearance alto- gether. Then it was purely an agricultural town ; but now it de- rives its prosperity in a degree from the successful prosecution of some of the mechanic arts.
" The men of that day have been for the most part gathered to their fathers; but I recognize in some of those here, the family likeness, and hear on every hand the familiar names. The names of Stiles, Curtiss, Hinman, Sherman, Judson, Atwood, Strong, and many others, are still preserved, and last, but not least, you have ' saved your Bacon." We had yesterday afternoon a taste of the attic salt which gives it value.
"In conclusion, let me congratulate the originators of this cele- bration, and all who have been interested in it, upon the singu- larly fortunate circumstances attendant upon this Festival. The heavens have smiled upon us-no accident has occurred to mar the festivities of the occasion-and the re-union has been one of un- mixed enjoyment. We can be present but upon one such occa- sion in a life-time. Here we have renewed old friendships, and I trust have formed new ones of an enduring character. Many a
10
988
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
history will date from this occasion, for it would not be strange if some, who have met here for the first time, will pursue life's jour- ney hand in hand-will ' climb life's hill together,' and when the journey is concluded, will ' sleep together at the foot' the sleep of death. The youth of both sexes here present, will excuse this public allusion to a delicate subject, which may have found a place in their private thoughts.
"Now, my friends, I must take my leave of you. There is a small army of orators behind me, who are waiting for turns, as the old settlers waited at the old mill; and there are many here whose thoughts, radiant with beauty as they are, will not find vent in words. We part with pleasant recollections of this memorable interview, which we shall cherish while we live."
Hon. Henry Dutton, of New Haven, a native of Watertown, within the limits of the Woodbury deed of 1659, responded to the sentiment, " The Cousins of Ancient Woodbury."
MR. PRESIDENT :- An incident has occurred since I have been on this platform, which has almost induced me to withdraw. The distinguished gentleman from Litchfield related an anecdote, which seemed to reflect upon the honored practice of " cousining." Now as I am here only under that long established custom, and have no right to be heard, except as a remote cousin of Woodbury, had I not felt the utmost confidence in the friendship of that gentleman, I should have been disposed to take offence. I have been some- what reassured, however, by the course taken by the eloquent gentleman who has preceded me. When that gentleman,
" Whose head is silvered o'er with age,"
but whose
" Long experience has [not] made him sage,"
and whom I have known for many years as a grand-father, comes here and palms himself off as a great-grandchild of Woodbury, I trust I shall be excused if I claim the relationship of only fourth cousin."
Gov. Dutton then proceeded to give some very interesting re- miniscenses of the men of the early and the Revolutionary times, to the great interest of the audience.
Samuel Minor, Esq., of Sandusky, Ohio, a native Woodbury,
989
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
then spoke to the sentiment, " The Emigrants from Ancient Wood- bury," as follows :"-
MR. PRESIDENT :- Under a brief notice, I am desired to make a few remarks in behalf of the Emigrants from Ancient Woodbury, those who have left these hills and valleys for distant abodes, and returned to unite in this festive occasion. In their names, we ten- der most cordial thanks, for the invitation we have received, to visit our paternal homes-to gather again around the domestic hearthstones, and to sit again in the old arm chairs of our ances- tors.
" Personally, this occasion has a special interest, for around the residence near by, and the grounds on which we are assembled, are gathered all the associations of a New England Home. Here were spent my childhood and youth, and here were received those instructions prized higher than any other legacy earthly parents could bestow. The rocks and trees and hills are as familiar as . household words. When I call to mind those who have fallen asleep, and look upon those who live; when recollection runs over the reminiscenses of the past, and then turn to the present, the soul is filled with emotions which can not be uttered, and I can only exclaim in reference to this loved spot, as can each returning wan- derer as to his own :
' Home, home, sweet, sweet home, There's no place like our old firesides, There's no place like our good old homes.'
Those of us who have removed from among you, observe with pe - culiar interest one feature of this celebration, and that is, the presence of so many of advanced and maturing years, so many bright links connecting the past to the present, so many Elishas, upon whom have fallen the mantles of the Elijahs that have gone before ; and when I speak for myself, I speak for all who reside in the newer States, and assure you, there is nothing we there so much miss as the presence of good old men. Happy is that com- munity which is blessed by many of them. It is for you, my aged Fathers, to remember, that, as physical strength diminishes, the fruits of a worthy character are ripening, and the fragrance of useful lives is being shed abroad over the community. Your in- fluence, like gravity, is silent, but powerful. To you we look with confidence and respect. We feel that you have imbibed the spirit
990
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
and principles of our Puritan ancestors, and are manifesting these principles in your lives, and that you have thus become, not only sons of the past, but fathers of the future.
"But time is passing. Again, we thank you for this occasion ; we thank you for the hospitality and kindness received, and for the able addresses we have heard. We thank you for the influence your character still exerts, and that, as we wander over the earth, we are enabled to point with pride to New England, with pride to Connecticut, with pride to Woodbury.
" Permit me, in behalf of my adopted, and also my native home, without disparagement to others, to close with this sentiment :
" OHIO-Noblest of the Western States.
" CONNECTICUT-Parent of the best part of Ohio."
Dr. Leman Galpin, of Milan, Ohio, a native of Woodbury, next spoke of the early days, and gave pleasing reminiscenses of early life, followed by Gen. William Williams, of Norwich, who con- gratulated us on our successful celebration, and invited the inhab- itants of the town to be present at a like celebration, to be held at Norwich in the succeeding September. Gen. Williams' remarks were followed by the reading, by Rev. Robert G. Williams, of an interesting poem by Miss Hortensia M. Thomas, now Mrs. Elam B. Burton.
Rev. C. Trowbridge Woodruff then read, with admirable effect, the closing poem of the occasion, written by Mrs. Ann S. Stephens, the distinguished authoress of New York, a native of Ancient Woodbury :-
" We have met-we have met, by the graves of our sires, Where the forest once reddened with war council fires,
Where the smoke of the wigwam, while curling on high, Left its bloom on the hemlock,-its cloud on the sky.
"Let us turn from the brightness of this happy hour, Two centuries back, when the savage held power, From the Naugatuck, sweeping through gorges and glen, To the bright Housatonic and onward again. Here a wilderness spread in its wildness and gloom, Revealed by the starlight of dogwood in bloom, And the broad rlvers ran in the flickering shade, Which the pine trees and cedars alternately made. Here the chiefs gathered wild in their gorgeous array,
' And their war-path was red at the dawning of day Along the broad plain where light lingers clear, Came the crack of the musket-the leap of the deer.
6
991
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY
" When the leaves of the oak were all downy and red, And the wild cherry blossoms were white overhead, When the buds and the sap of the maple were sweet, And the child lay asleep on the moss at her feet, Here the squaw sat at work in the cool of the trees, While her lord roamed at will, or reclined at his ease,- This-this is the picture all savagely grand, Which our forefathers found when they sought out this land.
" The contract was honest our ancestors made When they found the red warriors, lords of the shade ; They came not to wrangle or fight for the sod, But armed with the law and the blessing of God, With the gold they had won by privation and toil, They purchased a right to the rivers and soil. Then their cabins were built, and they planted the corn, Though the war-whoop soon answered the blast of the horn, And the sound of the axe as it rang through the wood But challenged a contest of carnage and blood. Still, upward and onward in peril of life They planted our homesteads with labor and strife, For labor is mighty, and courage is grand, When it conquers the foe as it toils with the hand. While the war-cry resounded from valley and hill, The smoke of the fallow rose steady and still ; If a cabin was burnt on the hills or the plain, A score of stout hearts piled the logs up again. If famine appeared, it was not to one roof, For charity then had its power and its proof; No mortar stood empty while one teemed with corn, For of danger and want is true brotherhood born. Thus our forefathers worked, and our forefathers won The wealth we inherit from father to son, Till their heads grew as white as the snow when it lies On the pine branches lifted half-way to the skies, And they laid themselves down in the ripeness of years, While a new generation baptized them with tears. While the meeting-house, crowned with its belfry and spire, Takes rose-tints from dawn-from the sunset its fire,- While our homesteads are built, where the log-cabin stood, And our fields ripen grain to the verge of the wood .- We ask for no trophies to tell of their deeds, No thunder of cannon, nor tramping of steeds, For each wild flower that springs to the smile of its God, Has written their virtues abroad on the sod.
" We have met-we have met, in the bloom of the year, The first glow of summer encircles us here ; The sunshine is warm on the ripening fruit, And the whip-poor-will sings when the robin is route ;
992
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WOODBURY.
Our mills as they toil through their burden of grain,
Send over the waters a mellow refrain.
While the wind whispers low as it whispered to them
And sways the pale rose on its delicate stem,
Our souls as they feel the melodious thrill,
Send up a thanksgiving more exquisite still,
And our fathers might bend from their heaven of bliss,
To smile on a scene of rejoicing like this.
Rev. C. T. Woodruff, Rector of St. Paul's Church, Woodbury, then said the concluding prayer.
Rev. Philo Judson, an aged clergyman of Rocky Hill, Conn., a native of Woodbury, after making the following remarks, pro- nounced the benediction, and the great assembly broke up, to meet no more on a similar occasion, within our beautiful valley :
" MR. PRESIEENT :- This is a glorious and interesting day to Woodbury. I am proud to say that I am a descendant of the Pilgrim fathers.
"I have attended celebrations before, but never one equal to this. It excells all that have been held in this State.
" This morning we met for prayer at Bethel Rock. My friends, my feelings and emotions were such as language cannot describe. We stood on sacred and holy ground. There our Pilgrim fathers and mothers worshipped on the Sabbath for about eight years, during the summer season. The over-hanging rock, as you saw, is perhaps 300 feet long, and very high. Our fathers, seated by this rock, would to some extent be shielded from the storms. Sen- tinels were placed on the top of the rock, so as to give the alarm if the Indians approached. There was a stone pulpit, as you saw. O! what prayers were there offered by our fathers. Prayer-meet- ings have been held there, more or less, ever since. In 1811, I at- tended a prayer-meeting there with Dr. Azel Backus, Dr. Bennett Tyler, Dr. Lyman Beecher, Rev. Messrs. Clark, Harrison, and others. It was one of uncommon interest and solemnity-we wrestled with God in prayer.
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.