USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Woodbury > History of ancient Woodbury, Connecticut : from the first Indian dead in 1659 to 1872, Vol. II > Part 50
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It was an occasion reverent in its honor of the dead, and long to be remembered with pleasant thoughts by all who were present.
It will be seen, on page 306, that Hon. Noah B. Benedict be- queathed certain property to the society, now occupied as a par- sonage on certain peculiar conditions, among which was the fol- lowing :-
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" Nor shall said Society take benefit of this bequest, if it shall hereafter cease to maintain the pure doctrines of the Gospel, as now held. preached and under- stood by our Pastor (Mr. Andrews) and his people."
After a few more years shall have rolled away into eternity, it might be difficult to prove in a court of law how Mr. Andrew's "peo- ple " actually did " believe and understand the pure principles of the gospel." But it was thought it could be determined how Mr" Andrew " held. preached and understood " these doctrines, and ac -. cordingly, the society, on the 2d of April, 1868, in legal meeting,
" Voted, That the Clerk of the Society be requested to procure from the widow of our former Pastor, the late Rev. S. R. Andrew, one or more of his sermons, formerly delivered by him from our pulpit, and covering doctrinal points, and of a character to show in any Court, if needed, the doctrines which he preached, the same to be preserved with the records, and other documents of the Society."
In accordance with this vote, his farewell sermon, which eover- ed the whole field of his doetrinal belief, was procured, and is now preserved in the archives of 'ye ancient Society."
Thus have we minutely traced the " dealings of the Lord" with this branch of the " Church universal," from its stormy founda- tion in 1670, to the present time, a period of 202 years. Our zion has been greatly favored of Heaven, and peace and prosperity prevail in all our borders.
CHAPTER VIII.
CIVIL HISTORY-CONTINUED FROM PAGE 342.
·
MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS FROM 1853 To 1872; TORIES; LOCAL SCHOOL FUND; REMEMBER BAKER; COLONEL SETH WARNER; PARSON STODDARD AND THE GUN- LOCK; EPIDEMICS; ANCIENT BURIRIAL-GROUND; NEW BURIAL-GROUNDS; NEW COUNTY PROPOSITION ; ANCIENT TEA-PARTY; MOLL CRAMER, THE WITCH ; BREAK NECK HILL; NATURAL CURIOSITIES; WALKER HEADSTONE; RAMPIT HILL; PAR- SON WILDMAN'S DONATION VISIT ; PARKER ACADEMY ; BETHEL ROCK LODGE; WOODBURY BANK ; BUILDING ASSOCIATION ; KING SOLOMON'S LODGE, No. 7.
ONTINUIN Gour ac- count of the miscellane- ous events that have oc- curred since 1853, we note a few of the most inportant. For the pur- pose of clearness and perspicuity, we have al- Wm. Cothren's residence. ready noticed, in the other divisions of this work, many of the most interesting of them. We repeat, in a slightly varied form, a few of the topics intro- duced into the former edition, for the purpose of allowing the ar- tist to give his interpretation of them. Very few items of the an- cient history of the town have been discovered, after the thorough gleaning of facts from every source that was employed on a for-
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mer occasion. A few additional names of revolutionary soldiers have been recorded, and will appear in the chapter of statistics at the end of this volume.
During the war of the Revolution, Woodbury was remarkably free from effective tories. While other towns had bitter and se- vere conflicts among their own inhabitants, and even among mem. bers of the same families, resulting in enormities and bloodshed, onr town, thanks to its standing Committee of Vigilance and Ob- servation, consisting of as many as thirty of the leading and most reliable citizens, was practically free from trouble. The laws against the enemies of the patriotic cause were very severe and comprehensive. The spirit of the people was at fever heat, and although, from the sensitive jealousy of all our people, even the ap . appearance of any unpatriotic conduct, caused prosecutions to be somewhat frequent, convictions were very rare. But twelve cases of successful confiscation of the estates of individuals appear upon our Probate records, the district at that time embracing a terri- tory including Waterbury and Litchfield on the East, New Fair- field on the South, and all the territory within these towns, to Massachusetts on the North, and New York on the West. Four of these were in Ancient Woodbury, four were residents of New Milford, and four were of Waterbury. If there were oth- er convicted tories, they must have been destitute of estates, or they would have been recorded. This is not a bad record, surely, for our ancient town, containing, at that period, some 6,000 in- habitants, or at least treble the present population.
Among the resources from which our public schools are sup- ported, is one of £100, old tenor-$333.33-which is kept at in- terest, and the interest only applied to the support of schools. It has always been reported, that this sum was a bequest for this purpose by one of the Shermans; but the writer has not been able to verify the correctness of the story. It is believed that it is the remainder of the money arising from the sale of Wood- bury's share of the school lands, set apart for the support of schools, under the "Fundamental Articles" of 1673. This opin- ion gains strength from a vote passed by the First Ecclesiastical Society, Dec. 6th, 1784, viz: " Voted, That Doct. Orton and Na- than Preston be a committee to take care of all the public moneys belonging to the school in this society." This was 111 years after the land had been "sequestered " for this use, and the tenor of that appropriation seemed to be, that the principal should never
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be expended. It is plausible, therefore, to suppose that this was the origin of our present " Local School Fund."
It is interesting to note the transmission of warlike and other traits of character down to remote generations. An instance of this kind may be instanced in the case of the late Brig. Gen. La- Fayette C. Baker, Provost Marshal of the War Department, and Chief Detective officer of the United States Army. He was son of Remember Baker, of Stafford, N. Y., afterwards of Lansing, Mich., and grandson of Capt. Remember Baker, of Woodbury, who was one of the Green Mountain Boys, and cousin of Col. Ethan Allen, and Col. Seth Warner. Capt. Remember Baker, the elder, was killed by the Indians. His head, right hand and toes were cut off, and carried as trophies to Quebec, where they were exposed to public gaze on a stake, placed on the walls. His slay- ers also took the gold brooches which he wore, and delivered them, with the head, to the Commandant at Quebec, who after wards, having discovered on them some Masonic emblems, caused the head and hand to be taken away and buried. A reward of £50 had been offered for his head, and the reason for carrying the head to Quebec was, to claim the reward.
During the Revolutionary War, it became frequently necessary to send prisoners of war into the interior towns for safe keeping. Neither party had then become so civilized as to impale prisoners.
On the 28th of October, 1776, Major Lockwood reported to the New York Committee of Safety, that he had sent the following prisoners of war from Pound Ridge, N. Y., to Woodbury, Conn., for safe keeping, in charge of Lieut. Samuel Bowten, viz :- James Wilson, John Murry, Samuel Coppin, Jeremiah Reerdor, Henry Kilgrove, Michael Cowney, and his child. 1
In the spring of 1865, Ex-Gov. Hilard Hall, of Bennington, Vt., called the writer's attention to the following matter,-desiring an examination into the facts stated, and a reply :-
"In Harper's Magazine for December last, there appeared an article entitled 'a new anecdote of Washington,' to the effect that while he was making the tour of the Northern States, in the fall of 1789, he made an unexpected call at the residence of the widow of Col. Seth Warner, in Woodbury, Conn., informed her that he had ascertained that her homestead had been left by her patriotic husband encumbered by a heavy mortgage, and then took from
1 3 Am. Archives, 273.
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his valise 'a bag of silver and deliberately proceeded to draw out and count from it, till he had reached the sum of nine hundred and some odd dollars,' the precise amount due the creditor 'in principal, interest and fees for the discharge of the mortgage,' which sum the astonished widow accepts from her illustrious vis- itor, and with it relieves her estate from the encumbrance."
Accordingly, after a careful inquiry, the following answer was returned, which explains itself :-
WOODBURY, CONN., April 20, 1865.
HON. HILARD HALL,-
Dear Sir :- Your favor of the 6th ultimo was duly received, and would have been answered earlier, except for pressing pro- fessional engagements. You call my attention to the story, which is going the rounds of the press, in relation to Gen. Washington's paying, in 1789, a heavy mortgage on the homestead of Mrs. Es- ther Warner, widow of Col. Seth Warner, of this town. In re- ply to your inquiries, I have to state, that during the seven years I was engaged in collecting materials for the history of Ancient Woodbury, I never heard a word of the transaction referred to. As we have a strong local pride in the history of Col. Warner, and a national pride in and reverence for the character of Wash- ington, I would be glad if the story were true. But a reference to our town and probate Records show, conclusively, that it is not true. By these records, it appears that Noah Frisbie deeded fifty-one acres of land, with the buildings thereon, in the Parish of Roxbury, in the south-west part of Woodbury, to Col. Seth Warner, of Bennington, Vermont, Oct. 16, 1783. Col. Warner died in December of the next year. Administration was granted on his estate Jan. 19, 1785, to his widow, Esther Warner, and Capt. David Leavenworth. The estate was represented insolvent, and proved to be so, paying only two shillings ten pence on the pound ; from all his property, both in Connecticut and Vermont. The inventory of his estate included the fifty-one acres of land be- fore mentioned, and was sold, subject to the widow's dower, the use during life of one-third of it having been set out to her at £118-14-4, including the avails of his few personal effects. Thus it appears that the whole value of his property was much less than the story has it. Of course there could be no mortgage on the widow's dower under this state of facts, and the records
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show no mortgage either before or after Col. Warner's death, either of his or her interest in the land. The avails of the Col.'s Verment property is carried out as €71-2-3.
The inventory shows that at time of his death Col. Warner owned no horse, and therefore Gen. Washington could not have seen his son Seth. " grooming him." By a reference to the Wood- bury History, and other authorities, it will be seen, that Col. War- ner was disabled in service, in 1777, and it would therefore be singu- lar that Washington should have seen him "on parade," and should, twelve years afterwards, have remembered his " war horse."
There is no tradition that Washington visited Woodbury after the close of the war for independene. During that war, there is a tradition that he, with his staff, passed through the town on ser- eral occasions, and houses are still pointed out where he is said to have lodged. This town was in the line of the regular route from Boston to the army on the Hudson River. The foregoing, I believe, answers all the questions you asked me. You are at liberty to use this letter in any manner you choose in aid of the truth of history.
Yours very truly, WILLIAM COTHREN.
On page 79 an account is given of the killing of two hostile
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Mohawk Indians, by Rev. Mr. Stoddard. While clearing out a lot of rubbish behind the huge chimney, in the old Parsonage house, which was built in 1700, an exceedingly large gun-flint loek was discovered, which is now in the possession of the writer.
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1 4 FULL SISE.
H.C.CURTIS
Its proportions are enormous. The base of the lock is some nine. inches in width, height of cock about six inches, face, or width for holding flint, one and a half inches. The calaber of the gun needing so large a flint-lock, must have been of ungainly propor- tions, requiring the strength of a giant to wield it with such deadly effect, as it is related the good old parson did. There is a great deal of history in this old flint lock, successor of the match- lock. The latter was so ungainly a contrivance, it is difficult to see how any damage could have ever been inflicted upon any one but him who wielded it.
On page 148 is an account of several periods of alarming sick- ness, which carried off great numbers of people. We had another of the seasons of great mortality during the winter of 1870-71. The diseases of which the people died were not precisely epidem- ic, though fever was the prevailing disease; but men, women and children unaccountably siekened and died, without apparent rea- son for such mortality. A large number of the most prominent and useful citizens were taken, and many others grappled with
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the fell disease. Within six months, 47 persons died, out of a popu- lation of less than 2,000. It was a sad season, well calculated to impress the heart of the most careless.
Though the ancient burial ground south of the Episcopal Church was used for the purposes of sepulture from the founding of the town in 1672, it was never formally laid out till 1741. By a vote of the town it was in that year laid out, by the Committee of common and undivided lands. By its description, we learn that Deacon Zechariah Walker, son of the first pastor, lived on the lot . now occupied by widow Burton Candee.
Twenty-five years ago, this ground, though burials were fre- quent, had become much neglected. Briars and weeds covered the whole area. The south-eastern part, now the most beautifully adorned, was the receptacle of the waste of the ground, including the ravine, now so beautiful. The western border was occupied by the town pound, and the refuse of the neighboring manufac- tories were piled along the western borders. The whole thing was an insult to the ashes of six generations. This state of things struck some of the people very unpleasantly, and, accordingly, the matter was brought before a special meeting of the town, May 22, 1868. A committee was appointed to investigate the subject, and report the action desirable for the town to adopt. The committee accordingly reported, that the pound should be removed to the river, the whole of the land cleared of rubbish, and enclosed to the highway on the west, and cleared also on the east. The west side was to be graded. This report was accepted, and its recom- mendations carried out. At the same time it was voted, that though heretofore this ground had been common land, any house- holder might take up a lot in the unoccupied ground thus reclaim- ed, and have a title to the same, on improving it. Under this provision the forlorn and desecrated south-east corner has become the most ornamented and beautiful in the cemetery. The south- west, or " pound " corner, has been also beautified, and has become very desirable for the resting place of our deceased loved ones.
At the same time, a lot containing about one and three-quarters acres of land, adjoining the north burial ground, was purchased by the town as an addition to that cemetery, and a lane between the two was discontinued, so as to form a continuous ground. Then immediately began a fierce contest among the inhabitants, on the question of whether the addition should be "free ground," as it was called, that is, every one to have the right to occupy any lot
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in the ground without question, or whether the inhabitants should have a right to purchase family lots, and take an indisputable title to the same, that they might beautify and hold them with immu- nity from trespass, as any other real estate is held. Although the old rule had been, that the family that first occupied a lot, should be enabled to retain the same as a family burial lot, without mo- lestation, yet in point of practice, there were continual encroach- ments, by other burials, on the appropriated family lots. Strange as it may seem, there was a little controversy, and the town was nearly equally divided on the question, whether the old plan of inevitable enchroachments should be continued, or whether each head of a family, on paying an assessed price, should have title to a lot, to beautify and adorn as private property, according to his individual taste. Meeting after meeting was called; contrary determinations were arrived at ; suits for mandamus and injune- tion followed, till the town was in quite a turmoil of excitement. It was finally determined, in a special meeting of the town, that one third of the addition should be " free ground," after the old fashion, and that the remainder should be sold, as called for, at assessed prices, the money to go into the town treasury, and the purchaser to have a deed of the same, for the purposes of sepul- ture alone, with full covenants. The effect has been, that the fam- ilies have taken an increased interest in the several lots, and the two cemeteries present an improved and tasteful appearance, ered- itable to the people, and in accordance with that delicate taste we should ever bestow upon the lonely resting place of our be- loved dead.
In 1748, 1751 and 1768, (see pages 153-4) there were efforts to establish a new county of Woodbury, with Woodbury for its shire town. Litchfield County was however selected instead, with Litchfield for its County seat. The matter rested there till the spring of 1871, more than a hundred years, when, on account of the fact that railroads had been built on either side of the County, and the shire town had become more difficult of access than many other towns, an application was made to the Legisla- ture for a new County, its seat to be at Waterbury.
A town meeting was held and a vote passed, that the town was in favor of a new County, and appointed a committee of five to advocate the measure before the Legislature. But, with the com- mendable prudence in the expenditure of money which has char- acterized the town every time this subject has been agitated
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for the last hundred years, a further vote was passed, that the prosecution of the enterprise should be conducted without expense to the town! The committee which had been appointed, consist- ing of William Cothren, Nathaniel B. Smith, James Huntington, George B. Lewis and Cornelius J. Minor, most of whom were not present at the meeting, or learning the terms on which they could address the " worshipful " General Assembly, declined to turn aside from their ordinary avocations, to engage in such a thank- less task at their own expense, and the other towns having evinced a similar want of pecuniary interest in the enterprise, it most in- gloriously "fell through !"
There is a very prevalent, though probably erroneous notion abroad in the world, to the effect that ministers' and deacons' children are wont to be, in early life, more actively hilarious, and sensitively appreciative of wordly joys, than others of their age and condition in life. Parson Stoddard, who, for the long period of sixty years resided in the old parsonage, and presided over the religions interests of the people with so much fidelity and success, had a large family of sons and danghters. Though no scandal ever attached to them, the daughters are related to have some- what rebelled at the rigid notions of their reverend father. It was not to their liking, when lovers called, to be obliged to sit with doors ajar, that their venerated parents might be assured by the " hearing of the ear," that no careless or irreverent word was ut-
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tered. So, after a time, arrangements were made by which the lovers ascended a ladder, and were admitted at the north-west chamber window of the venerable mansion. A notable occasion occurred, when there was a brilliant, though secret gathering in that old " tristing chamber." It was on the occasion of the first in- troduction of tea into the colony. The good pastor had obtained a small quantity, to be used in " cases of sickness." But the daugh- ters were " minded " to have a model " tea-party " with their "sweet-hearts." As the article had never been " cooked " in the house, they were at their wits' end to know how to " do the dish." They solved the difficulty in the end by cooking it in a large iron kettle and serving it in a platter, in the same manner as they would a mess of greens.
Woodbury has had a specimen of everything that any part of the State has possessed. It has therefore had its witch. The name of this " veritable being " was Moll Cramer, who lived in West side somewhere near the Bunnell , - place. She was the wife of the elder Adam Cramer, a blacksmith, who was living there as late as 1758. He took especial pains not to of- fend his wife, for whenever he was so unlucky as to fall under her ire, everything went wrong with him. If he was shoeing a horse, and she came around in wrathful mood, no shoe, however well secured to the hoof, no strength of iron nails was able to withstand her influ- ence. The shoe would im- mediately begin to loosen, and fall off.
Her conduct finally became so outrageous, that her husband, who was a Christian man, being dependent upon the patronage of the public for his support, and being in danger of the suspicion of " holding familiarity with Satan," was obliged to discard her and drive her from his house. She built a cabin of poles on Good Hill, slept on straw, in a filthy way, and eked out a scanty subsistance
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by begging from the much enraged neighborhood. Her son, who was believed to have been be- witched by her, was inseparable from her in all her wanderings, and begging for bread. No one dared to refuse her anything she asked for. If she asked for a piece of pork, and it was denied, a blight fell upon that man's swine, and no wealth of meal and potatoes could ever fatten them.
One day she went into the house of a neighbor who was churning cream. She conversed indifferent- ly with the lady of the house about butter and other matters, and, after a time, no present of butter, or anything else being offered her, she retired. The churning went on during the after- noon and evening, but no butter was produced. Next morning the churning was resumed by the good dame and her husband, with no better success than before. After a long time it occurred to them that Moll had been there the day before, and that she had doubtless bewitched the cream. The good man of the house, determining to burn the witch out of the cream,heated a horse shoe and dropped it into the churn. A few moments after, the process of churning ceased, and the butter was " gathered." If these good people had been a little better acquainted with nature's laws, they would have understood that the heat imparted by the shoe, was just the warmth required to accomplish the purpose, and would not have supposed that any miracle had been performed in burning the witch ! Further particulars about this crazy old woman, and the superstitious dread of her, will be found on pages 159, 160.
On page 214, an account is given of the passage through Wood- bury of the French army, on its way south, to join Washington in his operations against Lord Cornwallis. In the account, a single
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error occurs, in stating that Gen. La Fayette was with the troops. He proceeded another way to join Washington. It was Count Rochambeau who passed through Woodbury in command of the troops. Gen. La Fayette had generously raised the troops in his own country, and commanded them in the field. It was also sta- ted in the former account, that the army passed over Breakneck Hill, in Middlebury, near the north end of Quassapaug Lake, and that the hill was so called from the circuinstance of the falling of one of the cattle in descending that hill, and breaking its neck. The army passed over that hill, but we find by the records of ancient Waterbury, that it had borne the name of Breakneck for more than half a century before this occurrence.
One or two natural curiosities have been omitted in the chapter on the physical history of the town. One is a very singular spe- cimen of an oak tree, situated in the highway, near the house of Deacon Truman Judson, in upper Nonnewaug, of which the artist gives the subjoined sketch.
Near the southern boundary of the town, in Transylvania, by the high- way, on William N. Shelton's land, is another singular specimen of the freaks of nature. A tree stands there, which is formed by a complete union of a "shag-bark " hickory on the one side, and a white-oak on the other, both bearing nuts "after its kind." It is a very interesting specimen in natural history, and many people go to visit it, to mark its curious combination.
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