USA > Connecticut > Windham County > Danielson > Sketches concerning Danielson, Conn > Part 3
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wutmay be of some interest to raise the question in wégard to what may have existed in the vicinity of She Danielson homestead so far into the century as she year 1820 and perhaps a little later. Near the celose of last century, William Searls, of Brooklyn, published a sketch about carrying the mail horseback when a boy, for two or three years, between Brooklyn and Thompson, and in the early twenties. The mail trips were made once a week, his first stopping place after leaving Brooklyn, being a tavern at Killingly Center. Of the site of Danielsou, he said: "Nearly all there was there at that time was the Danielson Company's store standing where the brick mill now stands and a small cotton factory opposite."
Mr. Searis did not attempt to specify everything that may have been in evidence there and probably too, his mind had become bazy on the subject. W. read that "in August, 1807, James Danielson, Zadock and James Spalding asked liberty to build a dam ou the Quinebaug between Brooklyn and Killingly" for & . cotton spinning-mill, but when the dam was finally built, probably in the second decade of the century. it was only used to furnish fall so run . grist-mill which stood on the same site that the modern one does. Its dam was a low timber structure located about one hundred yards above the Quinebang bridge. The Tiffany brothers located their mill dam below `the bridge where the stone dam stands and that sub. merged the old grist-mill dam above. Thereafter, the grist- mill drew its water from the Tiffany mill pond. ' We may count on the grist-mill being in existence with a miller's house near by, when young Sesrls used to ride past the Danielson house. We further' learn
ISLIOS
thas:by the year 1818 power-looms had been introdud. ud into the factory, for the several stories of those carly Spilt.mille go.to show that they were not designed.to. remain. : merely as spinning-mills. Looms implied more house room and a tenement nearer the river most of Gen. Danielsons residence may have been uils at that time.
In 1811 two road projects came up for discussion im the town meetings of that year and the next, which concerned the site of danielsou. Evan Malbone and others had petitioned for the laying out of a road to begin at or near the Danielson factory and run north- easterly to the old country road, thence presumably Machentuck bill way to a road called the Connecticut and Rhode Island Turnpike, which road was owned by & company. The other proposed read wasa short one, to run from the. Danielson factory and intersect the. country or Plainfield road near Solomon Sikes' house. In those days as well as in later times, the treemen or voters of Killingly were jealous in regard to saddling the town with needless expenses, hence the Malbone road project was vigorously opposed and fell through. ¡Had it carried, say by 1815. it would have forestalled that part of Main street from the Five Mile river to ¡Vavis Park by a quarter of a century !
""In regard to the other road, the voters agreed not to oppose it, but they rather wanted the factory com- pany to build and maintain the bridge which the piece of road (now Cottage street) called for. The bridge was probably built and the roadway opened in 1812. There was a ford in the river near the stone-built mill at which teams could cross and this may have boos in existence and used for crossing before there was any
CONGERMINA OTHER OLD DATES
bridge at the Main street crossing of the stream. In the warm months after the spring foods were over, planka were often used, laid single from one rock to another in river beds for the convenience of persons afoot in the absence of a footbridge. Probably a lind of planks or boards were so used across the Five Mile river somewhere near the Danielson spinning-mill.
Gen. Danielson died October 28, 1827, and his land and manufacturing interests were bequeathed to bis four surviving sons.' James received a considerable tract of land adjoining the west bank of the Quine baug river, which included the pasture lot above the store and bridge and the former Lillibridge farm; George received his mill interests ard Elisha and Hezekiah other tracte of land on the Killingly side of the river. Elisha's inheritance included the old home place* on Maple street where he died October 6, 1866. He was commonly called Captain Eliaba Danielson.
AT this point we reach the last of several selected dates that pertain to early Danielson annals, the dis- cussion of which also involves many items of local history. It would hardly be supposed that the date of the year wherein the church that stood for nearly
· Not long after the death of Elisha Danielson the continued' existence of the old l'anielson house seemed menaced for a while. When the foundations for the brick mill across the way were begun in the middle sixties, a project was afloat to discharge the water from its mill wheels west inte the Quinebang Compa- ny's mill pond and above both the bridge and their stone dam. The excavation of the tail-race would have involved theremoval or destruction of the old house, but the Danielsons would not consent to this sacrifice. so the tail-race was carried southward under Main street and the water after passing through the mill wheels, discharged back into the Five Mile river.
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Haixty years in Westfield village. as the predecessor of Ste present Congregational Church, was actually . arected should have become obscured or rendered doubtful within the course of about forty- five years, and to an extent that local modern church historiane bave had to depend upon a traditional dato for the commonly accepted one. . All this is owing to the absence of any known written or printed record that either directly or indirectly specifies the year when this former house of worship in Westfield was really built. Not being thus authenticated the question of date is open to discussion.
As Thanksgiving Day of the year 1841 drew near, Rev. Roswell Whitmore who had been pastor of the church since 1813. set about preparing an historical sermon relative to the church society to be preached in the edifico itself. Naturally the date when the church building wae erected would come in for some share of attention, but Rev. Whitmore does not .ap- pear to have investigated the matter very closely nor gotten any satisfactory help from any of his aged parisishioners for be doubtfully fixed on the year.1798 as the one in which the church was built. There bad but recently been two of the original male members of the church living, to wit, Dr. Penuel Hutchins and his brother, Col. Shubael Hutchins, but both of them had died earlier in the year than the composing of. the sermon mentioned. Two of the original mer bors who were women-the widow of Gen. Danielson and Mary Stearns-were living still and Mr. Whitmore may have obtained the date he used from one of them. Had he been able to have consulted at that time the records of a church over at South Killingly he would
G OTHEK ULD DATES
mave seen reason to have placed his conjectural date relative to the building of the church one year earlier. These records show that while the church was in ex- istence betimes in 1798, apparently it had net leen built as much as 1} years earlier or thereabout.
As has been indicated the commonly accepted date -1796-for the erection of what was the first church on the site of Danielson, resta upon tradition, particu- Jarly one derived from Isaac T. Hutchins. Among his writings published late in life, was a brief suto- biographical sketch of himself in which he made the statement that the year of his birth, which was 1796, was marked by two or three memorable occurrences, one of which was the erection of the old Westfield church. A side-tradition also bas it that the frame of the church was raised on the day that Deacon Warren Stearns was born which was August 31, 1796. We do not lay much stress upon either of these tradi- tions. Probably Rev. Whitmore never heard them mentioned. In regard to i. T. Hatchine, he could not know from personal knowledge whether his statement was wholly correct or not; he evidently believed some statement that he had been told, ard that is merely · second-hand testimony. As for Deacon Stearns the frame of the church likely was raised on the Blat of August of a certain year, but our belief is that wbat was the first anniversary of the birth of a child has been confounded with bis natal day, an error that with the elapse of time might easily occur where a family tradition was concerred.
· In 1876 the church society over in South Killingly observed its 150th anniversary ard s number of arti- cles were prepared for the occasion to be read and
printed later. . One of those papers was an , historical sketch written by Goo. W. Pike and based, upon .the records of that society .. It appears that toward the close of the eighteenth century there was talk both in the South and Middle (later called Westfield) socie- ties of building new churches. That in the South Society was becoming old and inadequate, while in - the Middle Society or parish they had po minister ,and their former church building, moved from Break- peck Hill to Killingly Center, was used for the town house. But, as stated, there was talk of reviving the society and building upon another site.
From the historical sketch mentioned .it may be Learned that in the spring of 1797 the leading men residing in the middle parish endeavored to form an agreement or contract with the South Killingly society so. the effect that.if they would consent to erect a new oburch upon a site that would accommodate both parishes, they of the middle one would come there for worship, and would not attempt to organize or ro-en. ' tablish any church society in their own section. MOD Max.19, 1797, the. South Killingly society voted on the proposed . measure and- a majority opposed it. Then in July the society by vote declined to build any new church at that time.
.31 Now on the supposition that the Westfield church was built in. 1796. and therefore standing in the spring of. 1797, the action of the leading men of the middle ·parish in trying at that time to negotiate with the other parish, seems urscecertalk. Jean to July 1797; the South Killingly church. records read : 88 if there was no meeting-house in the middle parish of hich to take, any account, and that is the view takes
CONCERNING OTHER OLD DATES
ay the publisher of these sketches. Taken collective- y, the people of the middle parish were poor, few in number and rather widely scattered over the par- Ash; on the other hand, the South Society were at that sime influential in numbers and apparently puffed up with church pride; further, they were just emerging from Separateism under Rev. Israel Day, their minis- ter. It would seem that when the leading men of the Middle Society realized that their proposal had been blocked, they appear to have been prompted to united and energetic action and gathering materials, were enabled to raise the frame of a church of their own by the last day of August, 1797.
But tha self-suficient church society in South Kil- lingly was again heard from. Under date of August 16, 1798 the record reads ;: "The church this day heard and attended to a request sent to them by the propri- etors of the new meeting-house in the Middle Society to have our pastor preach with them half the time. Answered in the negative."
If the church had already been standing two years when this request was tendered, why was it not made a year or more earlier ? It looks like as though some of the interior work of the building had gone over the winter months into 1798, and this and other details having been finished, the request mentioned was put forward. The History of Windham County, vol. ii. pages 389 and 340 lend no countenance to the tradi- tion that the old Westfield church was built in 1796.
CHAPTER: III.
IN THE TIME OF THE OLD CHURCH
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'N this chapter our aim will be to take a 'glabde af old-time Westfield as this residential portion of the borough of Danielson existed during the period that its church, whose date has just been discussed, was in evidence there which. we hold was : from' 1797 down to.1855. In the first place, the topic can be all the better understood by taking a brief review of the historical background that preceded the beginning of what was once called -Westfield village.
When the General Court or Assembly of colonial Connecticut accorded a settlement township privileges it was specified or understood that within a reason- " able time the settlers should build a church in case ? they had not already done so. In some cases several
. years passed before this was accomplished. One of ' their ideals of a township was a church building standing on a broad bill top or elevated plateau. Altho Killingly was incorporatd in J708, the frst church edifice was not erected until 1714 on Killingly hill Within the present town of Putnam. Atthat time Killingly included all of Putnam between Quinebaug river and the Rhode Island line; also the southern part of Thompson, being about nine miles in length and from about five to seven mile ir width.
.. .Rev. John" Fisk of Braintree, Mans., settled in 'Killingly about the year 1711, but no church building having been erected, hø preached in houses and akho not so recorded he possibly may occasionally have 1?
NO OF THE ULD CHURCH
geld open air services im warm weather. Not boing as yet au ordained minister, he had no authority to administer the ameramente or baptise new born child- røn, but other clergymen who had been regularly. . ordained sometimes visited the settlement from other · towns and performed these services. In 1711 the aJen allotted to Mr. Fisk 350 acres of land.
A church building of small fi nonsione was orocted · in 1714, the lumber need in building it, where not of : hewn materials, probably being hauled from Wood- stock, since there was no saw-mill in Killingly until several years later. After the customary fasting and prayer of those times when about to embody in church .3state, a society was organized October 19, 1715 which began with eleven members. There were all men, their wives not being at first ad:nitted as proprietary members. Among the men was the firet James Dan- delson, who with Sarah, his wife, hitherto had belonged to the church society in Woodstock. Baing now an ordained minister Mr. Fisk's congregation began to. increase in number year by year and the church st Killingly Hill entered upon a season of prosperity.
Meanwhile the town was increasing in population, mainly owing to two causes, frst, natural increase by & preponderance of birth. over deaths, and second, now arrivals from Massachusetts of persons seeking umoccupied lands. In 1728 the General Assembly sot off the north part of the Killingly Hill parish as 's distinct society which was called the North Society in Killingly (Thompson), white the other parish over which Rov. Fisk presided was called the First and South Society in Killingly. In 1729 a church was erected and next year Marston Cabtt of Selem, Mass,
ww ordained as pastor. This church began with 28 ruembere, most of whom had previously belonged to Mr. Fisk's congregation.
The year 1741 was the beginning of troubles for the church at Killingly Hill. For some reason or other which is not apparent, and owing to neighborhood talk concaraing him, Rev. Fisk asked to be dismissed from his ministry over the society. A ministerial council with representatives of the church consented to bis request, and he retired to hisfarm. A successor stated later that the matter for which he requested ,dismissal in.no wise impugned bis moral character. It is is not considered that from a modern view point Mr. Fisk's case possibly would not row be regarded as anything very flagrant. In fact he retained bis mom- bership in the society and bore & part in supporting the church. Helived to be nearly ninety years old and died in 1778. During his ministry le performed 763 baptisms and admitted to the church about three hundred members.
Between the years 1741 and 1746 there was Do regular minister over the First Society an a successor to Mr. Fisk. This period became one of dissension and bickering over the location of a new church building that the society propried to erect. AB in- Quential minority resident farther south, among whom were Samnel Danielson and Boaz Stearns, do- wired a location that would accommodate them in regard to their attendance on worship better than #$ Killingly Hill. Committees came several times from the General Assembly in regard to fixing a location for the new church, but Capt. Ephraim Warren having offered the dissatisfied faction land on Breakneck hill
TIMA OF THE OLD CHURCH
dor a church sito, training feld and cemetery, they Broke away from the First Society and in 1744, die- regarding protests, they proceeded to erect a church upon that eminence. & clergyman named Nehemiah Barker was ordained and installed over this church Feb. 25, 1745, and for a while it arose ascendant.
As fret this society assumed that they were the First Church in Killingly moved to a new location and sent a petition to the General Assembly praying that the title named might be accorded them but the Assembly declined to do so. They nevertheless .con- Signed so hold that they were the First and South Society in Killingly, altho the valley of Five Mile river intervened between their former and new location. The parish accorded them by the General Assembly, extended south to the Plainfield line, there being no. church society as yet in South Killingly.
In regard to the society at Killingly Hill, they pro- oneded to carry out their project of erecting a Dow church building which was located about one-third of a mile north of the old site. Perley Howe, a son of Sampson Howe, one of the early settlers of the town was chosen pastor of the society in the old building, November 29, 1745. The next year the old church was torn down and its timbers used so far as service- able in completing the new building which bao s spacious one and under the ministry of Mr. Howe and his successor, Rev. Aaron Brown, the society regained through new accessions much of its former prosperity. The church maintained ite integrity and held to its records. The town meetings were held in the church edifice and a tavern and some other buildings became Axtares on the bill. .
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About 1785 the people of South Killingly weres given permission by the General Assembly. to have at minister of their own choosing during five monthsy of each year. This was on account of the difficulty of attending the church at Killingly Hill and later on tpoone built at Breakneck Hill during the colder part. of the year. They had no church building and they preaching was performed in houses. After 17.40 they drifted over to tha Separatist move nent, but were forced to pay church rates to the parish until 1755,, whan they were relieved from that unwelcome legali obligation. In 1746 the people of South Killingly: organized themselves as # Goperatiet church. Samuel .. Wadsworth of Canterbury became their first pastor and was ordained June 8, 1747. The date of thoin first church building is not known further than that ground was purchased for one in 1758 and & church was already in existence in 1757.
As the years passed, the Breakneck Hill church owing to various causes, began to decline in numbera. sud influence. One of these canses was the forming. of the South Killingly parish. Moreover a stubborn element dominated the society. It finally became difficult for the society to support a minister and in 1755, Rev. Barker was dismissed. He went next to Southold, Long Island, taking the records of the church with him. For over four years the society: had no settled pastor, and in that interval the church building was taken down and rebuilt in the "east field":at Killingly Center about the year 1757.
Settled in a new location in so far as a church build- ing.was concerned, the society called Eden Burroughs to become their. pastor. H. was & young man of
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IN THE TIME OF THE OLD CHURCH
rbility and proving to be acceptable to the people composing his congregation he was ordained January 28, 1760. For a time the church regained some meat- ure of prosperity, but latterly owing to deaths and removals and probably other causes the congregation again began wasting away, hence Mr. Burroughs war reluctantly dismissed in 1771 after about eleven years servico. Mr. Burroughs lived to the year 1810, most of his life after leaving Killingly being spent in the service of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire.
During the Revolutionary war and also under the Confederation the cause of religion in this country sank to a fearfully low ebb. A scoffing and vulgar form of infidelity appeared for a time to have become more fashionable than godliness. The churches fell into a languishing condition. But such a state of affairs will in course of time produce a reaction or counter-revolution beginning as a protest against the- prevalent loose morals of the period.
After the dismissal of Mr. Burroughs, preaching was held in the Killingly Center church at irregular intervals, but about 1780 the society virtually became. extinct, for it was never re-established by the same membership. On the contrary, the few surviving ones united with other churches. In 1785 Thompson par- ish was accorded township privileges, a measure that had been long delayed. The people now wanted the, place of holding town meetings changed from the Hill to Killingly Center and so the disused church thore naturally became the town house. A house that Mr. Burroughs had built was bought by Barzillai Fisher who made of it a tavern. At the last tomp meeting held at Killingly Hill September 3, 1785, 1>
was voted that the parish where they were assembled! should be called the North Society; that the one-next; south should be called the Middle Society, and the; douth Killingly parish, the South Society.
After a stable government had been established for. she country at large, the spirit of revivalism began to, appear in different parts of it. It was slow in reach- ing Killingly ; however, as early as 1788, under the. ministry of Rev. Israel Day, forty new members were. added to the church in South Killingly and many, more before the close of the century ., Altho the aren designated in 1785 as the Middle Society, was: recognized as still a parish, it contained ro church: after the one, at Killingly Genter ceased to be used for. a; house of worship, until the Westfield church became, a fixed entity on the Plainfield road.
In the Middle Society or parish where the people ware somewhat scattered, a renewed interest in relig- ious matters came by reason of reflex influences from without rather than from any direct revivalism ;; in, other words, thoughtful persona in the community: began to be influenced by what they heard and read ... The number of newspapers published were increasing in the larger towns and the pamphlet was not lack- ing. There were still a few in the middle parish who. waited and watched to see what the times might bring. forth. Towards the close of the century some of the influential men of the community, such as Dr. Penuel Hutchins and James Danielson, began discussing the project of building a church in the parish and having it stand in the "west field." No doubt but that the matter was ofton brosched in the lovees of those just.
IN, THE TIME OF THE OLD CHURCH
mentioned, and in others along the Plainfield road; jikewise within a circle or group of men when assem- Sled at the town meetings. The outcome of these deliberations finally found expression in this spirit: * The tabernacle of David among us is fallen, but let. as arise and build."
Altho the church when once built and completed as asisted in the closing part of the preceding chapter, had no regularly installed pastor for several years, it. fa taken for granted that there was occasional preach- ing in the building by ministers from other churches, by chance ministers visiting in that part of the county ar otherwise. In pleasant weather a timely notice to. the residents of the parish likely would result in the gathering of quite a congregation. Rev. Israel Day of the South Killingly church was not interdictee from holding at least transient services in the new meeting-house of the Middle Society, the people of. his parish declining to have him preach in it each, alternate Sabbath.
With the opening of a new century, the proprietors of the church in the middle parish began to consider that it would be fitting to reorganize a church society in place of the one that had been inactive for over twenty years. A conference was therefore beld at. the house of Dr. Penuol Hutchins, June 29, 1801 at which the Reverends Israel Day, Joel Benedict and Micaiah Porter were present; another meeting was held at the house of Zadock Hutchins July 18th; and then an ecclesiastical council of ministers was next called to meet at the house of D)r. Penuel Hutchins on August 25th. The ministers who came on that date were Rev. Josiah Whitney of Brooklyn; Rev. Joel
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