USA > Connecticut > New London County > Norwich > The Norwich jubilee. A report of the celebration at Norwich, Connecticut, on the two hundredth anniversary of the settlement of the town, September 7th and 8th, 1859. With an appendix, containing historical documents of local interest > Part 3
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
FIFTH DIVISION. Marshal, COL. JAMES M. NELSON. Assistant Marshals-Chas. M. Coit, Morton F. Hale. Selectmen and town clerks of Norwich, Preston, Lisbon, Griswold, Franklin, Bozrah and Lebanon. Mayor, Aldermen and Common Council of the city of Norwich. Other city officers. Non-resident natives of Norwich and their descendants.
SIXTH DIVISION. Marshal, PIERRE ST. M. ANDREWS.
Assistant Marshals-John B. Shaw, John Q. Cox, Alfred H. Vaughn, D. B. Hinckley, Rufus Sibley, John A. Sterry. Representatives of the trades ancient and modern.
Adams Express Co .- Large express wagon drawn by four horses, and laden with boxes duly marked for a variety of destinations.
S. Mowry's Manufactory, Greeneville .- Wagon drawn by four horses, and containing specimens of axles and springs. Also, a revolving display of the various styles of wood type manufactured by Wm. H. Page & Co., in that village.
Chelsea Manufacturing Co .- A paper cutting machine in operation, the produce of which was immediately transferred to a printing press of Messrs. Manning, Perry & Co., and Mrs. Sigourney's hymn of welcome printed and distributed to the crowd. This carriage, drawn by four horses, was followed by about 100 of the employees of the paper mill, headed by a Scotch piper. They bore several banners with the inscriptions, "Paper, the bridge uniting the past and present ;" "Humble we seem, yet science will clothe us with power," (referring to a display of rags at the top of the banner ;) " True heart;" "Labor conquers everything ;" "We welcome the returned ones home."
Norwich Boiler Works, Wm. Trolan .- Car bearing a section of a boiler, with workmen employed upon it, drawn by four horses.
Backus & Barstow .- A display of stoves, ranges, and farming implements ; car drawn by four horses.
Hakes Brothers, hoop skirt manufacturers .- Carriage drawn by four horses, bearing a bevy of girls at work on hoop skirts.
37
THE PROCESSION.
N. C. Brakenridge .- Two carriages; the first drawn by four horses, bearing a number of workmen engaged in the manufacture of cigars, specimens of tobacco leaf, and a monster cigar 63 feet long and 2 feet in circumference. The other, his traveling team with sale goods.
J. C. Tucker & Co., boot manufacturers .- Large wagon drawn by four horses, with a dozen or more workmen, and various specimens of the trade ; conspicuous among which was a mammoth boot.
H. Colton & Co .- Display of costly furniture; among which was a Rio Janeiro rosewood bedstead, valued at $300, and labeled " for the governor of Alabama." Also a miniature mahogany chamber set. Wagon drawn by four horses.
Bacon Manufacturing Co .- Car drawn by four horses, with machinery driven by a belt connected with one of the wheels, and about a dozen workmen engaged in the manufacture of pistols, cracking reports from which were heard at intervals. On the same car was mounted a card printing press, which dis- tributed the business cards of the company without partiality on the route. There were also three pieces of ancient fire arms, from the American Museum, New York.
C. B. Rogers & Co .- Latest improved wood working machinery-car drawn by two horses.
Central wharf sash and blind manufactory .- Car drawn by two horses, with several workmen, specimens of blinds and sashes, and machinery.
Pierce & Robertson, copper smiths .- Car drawn by two horses and bearing a variety of specimens of workmanship.
Sterry Faucet Co .- Wagon bearing a revolving cask covered with faucets; the manufacture of faucets in progress; cask and machinery turned by power communicated from the wheels of the wagon.
Another wagon of Adams Express Co., bearing boxes of Osgood's Cholagogue and Sweet's Liniment, drawn by three horses.
Shetucket Co .- Car drawn by two horses, conveying specimens of cloth, spools of cotton yarn, and a loom at work. Motto, " We clothe the naked."
Norwich Foundery Co., Alfred H. Vaughn and Peleg Rose .- Two cars, each drawn by two horses, one with specimens of iron fencing, and the other with a variety of castings and patterns.
L. & E. Edwards, blank book manufacturers .- Car drawn by two horses, conveying nearly a dozen girls and workmen, prosecuting the various branches of the trade, and specimens of work, the whole surmounted by an immense blank book.
S. Case & Sons, morocco dressers .- Specimens of dressed skins, rugs, &c., and workmen engaged in dressing and finishing skins, in a wagon drawn by two horses.
John W. Stedman, printer .- Printing press on a car drawn by two horses, and copies of "The way to wealth," by the author of "Poor Richard's Alma- nac," printed for free distribution.
Ansel Clark .- Car drawn by two horses, with a miniature building in process of being slate-roofed, bricks and other signs of mason work, and a cooking range.
38
THE NORWICH JUBILEE.
Elisha P. Potter, Lisbon .- A one horse wagon, made over fifty years ago, a harness equally as ancient, with an assortment of tools nearly a hundred years old, including a turning lathe rigged with a spring pole. This turn-out created great amusement, which was heightened by the serious appearance and un- flagging industry of the owner.
Corbett & Maguire .- Specimens of marble monuments in process of finishing. Car drawn by two horses.
Henry W. Birge .- Two teams with lumber.
John G. Huntington & Co .- Three teams with lumber and coal.
Norwich belt and hose manufacturing Co., C. N. Farnam .- Wagon with a pyramid of belting and coil of hose.
W. Huber, fresco, and I. H. Van Cott, house and sign painter .- Wagon lettered and decorated to illustrate the trade.
Sweet's Infallible Liniment .- Boxes conveyed in a pony team, and followed by a walking advertisement of this famous preparation.
Douglas & Co .- Wagon with a display of gas and steam fixtures.
Each car was handsomely decorated; some elaborately so, attracting much attention. The whole, as far as it went, was a worthy exhibition of the indus- trial trades of Norwich, and constituted a splendid feature of the procession.
SEVENTH DIVISION. Marshal, E. WINSLOW WILLIAMS. Assistant Marshals-Henry P. Harvey, Lemuel Tyler, Nehemiah Waterman. Citizens of the towns of Norwich, Preston, Lisbon, Griswold, Franklin, Bozrah, and Lebanon.
Conspicuous in this division was an immense covered and gaily decorated carriage, drawn by twelve horses, containing some 80 passengers, mostly females, and bearing at the top the words "New Concord." This was the name of an ecclesiastical society, set off from Norwich, before Bozrah, then a portion of Norwich, became an independent town. This fine turn-out was the result of the enterprise of Mr. Wm. F. Bailey. A stage, deeply loaded, carried a banner inscribed "Norwich West Farms."
EIGHTH DIVISION. Marshal, JAMES H. HYDE. Assistant Marshal, Charles Dyer. Colt's Armory Band, 18 pieces. Somerset Lodge, F. A. M., No. 34. Columbian Encampment, No. 4, of Knights Templars.
NINTH DIVISION. Marshal, HENRY BILL. Assistant Marshal, Col. D. W. Cook. Committee on schools. Teachers and pupils of the Free Academy, the Broadway Grammar School, and of the several District Schools.
39
THE PROCESSION.
TENTH DIVISION. Marshal, COL. ETHAN ALLEN. Assistant Marshal, I. V. B. Williams. Grand cavalcade of horsemen. Citizens and strangers in carriages.
Forming in the above order, the procession took up its line of march up Franklin street, at various points passing beneath lines of flags stretched across. the way. Opposite Brand's whaling gun factory, it passed under a high and tastily decorated arch, inscribed :
" A HEARTY GREETING. 1659-1859. BI-CENTENNIAL."
Passing through Broad street and down Broadway, and meeting with frequent displays of streamers and flags, it passed under another elegant arch, inscribed :
" NORWICH, THE ROSE OF NEW ENGLAND."
Thence past the Little Plain, the residences about which were finely decora- ted, the procession proceeded to the Central Grammar School building, where, as the division containing the Governor and other officials was passing, the assembled scholars sung to the tune of "St. Martins" the following
HYMN.
Let children hear the mighty deeds Which God performed of old, Which in your younger years you saw, And which your fathers told.
He bids you make his glories known; His works of power and grace; And we 'll convey his wonders down Through every rising race.
Our lips shall tell them to our sons, And they again to theirs,
That generations yet unborn May teach them to their heirs.
Thus shall they learn in God alone Their hope securely stands- That they may ne'er forget his works, But practice his commands.
The schoolhouse was very handsomely decorated, and bore the inscription " Temple of Liberty." In the yard in front was a mimic temple, in which the figure of "Liberty" was personated by Miss Emma Bulkeley, and that of " Justice" by Miss Helen Greenwood; while the thirteen original states were represented by the Misses Hattie and Lucy Prentice, Annie Rawson, Lucy Currier, Susie Allen, Annie Miner, Jennie Leavens, Susie Andrews, Annie Willoughby, Ella Burdick, Lizzie Bingham, Alice Goodwin and Delia Clark.
40
THE NORWICH JUBILEE.
At the junction of Main and Shetucket streets, the procession passed beneath another large arch, with a small arch on each side spanning the sidewalks. The main arch bore the inscription :
" WE REJOICE IN THINGS WAUREGAN."
The procession proceeded through Main to Water street. At Breed's corner, at the beginning of Washington street, it passed beneath another tall arch, finely set off with evergreens and the national flag, and bearing the inscription :
" WE REMEMBER THE MEN OF OLD."
The course was now direct up Washington street, to Norwich Town, the main road to which was gaily ornamented with flags at different localities. From Huntington's corner, the east route to the Town Meeting House was taken. The usual display of flags here again greeted the eye. Arrived at the green, a fine scene was to be witnessed; about the steps and vicinity of the church, the hotel building, the post office, and the spacious plain itself, were assembled crowds of interested spectators, while lines of flags extending from the academy to the opposite side of the road, and in other quarters, enlivened and beautified the prospect.
The procession now took the west route on its return. Through Mill Lane the route extended to Sachem street at the Falls, where, passing under an extensive arch, the procession turned, and made its way direct to Williams' Park. It arrived a little before one o'clock, having passed by thronged lines of eager spectators, and elicited the admiring gaze of the fair occupants of windows and porches all along its extended course.
Here was the center of attraction, and, as was proper, here was lavished the greatest display. The entire Park was surrounded with flags, while the resi- dences around were beautifully arrayed. At the head of the Park, just in front of the residence of William Williams, was erected a mammoth arch, of very beautiful design, and finely decorated. It bore the cordial inscription :
"NORWICH WELCOMES HOME HER CHILDREN."
In the center of the' Park was situated the great tent, 80 by 200 feet in dimensions, for the accommodation of the speakers and audience. Connected with this was another tent, to be used on the following evening as a refreshment and dressing room in connection with the ball ; while in a neighboring lot stood the great dinner tent, with tables and seats arranged for some 2,500 persons.
ORWICH WELCOMES HOME HER CHILDREN
T
Lithor J A. H.Hasbrouck, Norwich Conn.
AWICH WELCOMES HOME HER
EXERCISES AT THE TENT.
Arriving at the tent, the grand marshal of the procession called the meeting to order. He said :-
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN : The general committee of arrange- ments have appointed the following gentlemen as presiding offi- cers :-
PRESIDENT,
. His Excellency WILLIAM A. BUCKINGHAM.
VICE PRESIDENTS,
FRANCIS A. PERKINS,
WILLIAM KELLEY,
WILLIAM WILLIAMS,
JEREMIAH MASON,
JOHN BREED,
JAMES A. HOVEY,
JOSEPH WILLIAMS, OLIVER JOHNSON,
COMFORT D. FILLMORE, EZRA BINGHAM,
JEDEDIAH HUNTINGTON,
GEORGE SHERMAN.
I will now (continued the marshal) introduce to you his excel- lency William A. Buckingham, the president of the day.
The governor was loudly cheered on taking his seat. When the plaudits which greeted him had in some degree subsided, he rose and thus addressed the audience :-
SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF NORWICH :- In behalf of the com- mittee of arrangements for celebrating this, the bi-centennial of the settlement of the town, I greet you with a cordial welcome. Our citizens of to-day are not all lineal descendants of the first set- tlers. Some of us were born in other sections, and having heard of the foundations which your fathers laid for peace and prosperity and happiness; having examined for ourselves and
6
42
THE NORWICH JUBILEE.
seen that this was a land of beauty and of promise, we left our homes, entrusted our fortunes with those of your kindred, and proposed to share with them the labors and rewards incident to life. We were received with a generous sympathy, and encour- aged in every laudable enterprise; we married your daughters and your sisters, your sons and your brothers ; and now we find every pulsation of our hearts beating in unison with those around us who strive to promote the public welfare. We find ourselves ready to lay a heavy blow upon those who with vandal hands would deface the noble work of your fathers, or who with slander- ous tongues would defame their fair name; and we call upon you to witness any difference in feeling or interest or aim, between us and those who are to the manor born. In the name, then, of all our citizens, I bid you welcome.
As we contemplated celebrating this day, our minds went rap- idly back two hundred years, to the time when this now beautiful town was a wilderness, uncultivated by the hand of civilization or Christianity-to the first thirty-five settlers-and we recalled the names of Fitch, and Mason, and Hyde, and Backus, and the part they acted during our colonial history ; we recalled the name's of Huntington, and Leffingwell, and Tracy, and others of like spirit, who shunned no danger, avoided no hardship, and withheld no sacrifice, which their country demanded during the stormy and convulsive period of the revolution; we thought of their descend- ants who are living, scattered all over the world, and engaged in agriculture, in the varied branches of mechanical and manufactur- ing industry, in extensive commerce at our centers of business, and in gathering wealth from the polar sea and the mines of Cali- fornia ; we thought of the legal and medical professions, and of . the ministers of our common Master, who have extended their labors beyond our borders to the plains of India and within the walls of China; we thought of those who have imbibed the spirit of liberty, and who, under the influence of those fires burning in their hearts, have wisely laid foundations for free governments in our territories; of those who have wielded vigorous pens, and given life and power to principles of freedom in the valleys of the Wyoming and the Ohio; of those who have steadfastly and elo- quently defended and sustained those principles in our state and national councils; and of those who, upon seats of justice, have
43
ADDRESS OF WELCOME.
rightly adjudicated questions of vital importance to the perma- nency of our government.
With these thoughts crowding upon our minds, we felt as a mother who sympathizes with her children in their varied circum- stances of joy and sorrow, in their positions of influence and honor, and invited you to meet us at your ancestral homes on this anniversary, that we may hear from your own lips of the way in which God has guided your footsteps, made you an honor to your birthplace and a blessing to our race. We desire now to recall those thrilling incidents which are known by tradition, and which are interwoven with the lives and labors of your fathers, and while they are duly authenticated inscribe them upon the pages of our history.
We rejoice that in obedience to that invitation, you have turned aside from your household cares and domestic duties, from your farms and your merchandise, from the paths of literature and sci- ence, from seats of learning and courts of justice, from all those scenes where you have battled for riches and honor and suprem- acy; that you have come from the mountains and the valleys, from the prairie and the sea, and from every spot where your wan- derings had led you ; that you have returned to your native land, your rightful heritage, your own beloved home.
And now, as our kinsmen, we welcome you to these old hills and solid moss covered rocks; to our family circles and social gather- ings; to our workshops and our manufactories, where, since you left us, science and art have combined to increase the power and value of skillful labor ; to our schools, which are our pride, and we believe our honor and our glory ; to our places of religious wor- ship, where we reverently acknowledge our obligations to the God of your fathers, and listen to the faithful ministrations of His word.
We welcome you as you come around the graves of your sires, and your fathers' sires ; that while you remember the loved ones now gone to their rest, and shed a tear to their memory, and while your hearts throb with emotions excited by the reminiscences of the past, and you call to mind the sacrifices which they offered upon their altars of patriotism and religion, you may also confirm your purpose to imitate their virtues and to cherish their memo- ries with holier affection.
And now, on this pleasant day, with its pure air and sunny skies, we give you a cordial welcome to the hospitalities and de-
44
THE NORWICH JUBILEE.
lightful memories of your own cherished, never forgotten, pic- turesque, beloved Norwich.
At the conclusion of his address, the president requested the Rev. John A. Paddock to read a portion of the Holy Scriptures.
The reverend gentleman presented himself and said :-
Before opening this holy book, (producing and exhibiting to the audience a copy of the Bible,) I trust I may be permitted to state the following interesting fact : That this copy of the Holy Bible bears the imprint of the year 1605-more than 250 years since. It is a copy of that known as the "Bishops' Bible," printed in the old English text. It was brought to this country in September, 1634-225 years ago this very month-by the reverend John La- throp, the first pastor of the first puritan church in London. It was brought to Norwich by his son, Samuel Lathrop, about the year of our Lord 1664-five years from the first settlement made in this town. It passed into the possession in a line of his descendants to Charles Lathrop, of the fifth generation from the reverend John, by whom, in the year 1839, it was delivered into the custody of the American Bible society. I may, perhaps, be permitted to mention an additional interesting fact : On the passage to this country the original proprietor dropped on one of its pages a spark from the candle with which he was reading at his evening devotions. Una- ware of the accident, he partially closed the book in his berth, but the result was that a piece about the size of a shilling was burned through several of the sacred pages; and it is recorded of him that before the voyage was ended he had, from memory, filled up the missing words and letters on each page, and in the form of the type in which they were printed.
It is from this book, so interesting not only from its antiquity, but from the fact of its belonging to this venerable servant of Christ, and its long retention in that family from whom have de- scended so many of those, bearing different names, who have dwelt on the hills and plains of Norwich, or gone forth to various parts of our country and the world, that I am permitted to read of your and our fathers' God, of their dependency and our indebted- ness. I read from the 32d chapter of Deuteronomy.
The speaker then read the 32d chapter of Deuteronomy, com- mencing at the 7th verse.
He then read the 22d Psalm, commencing at the 4th verse.
He also read from the 1st of James, beginning at the 16th verse.
45
PRAYER.
The President .- The Rev. H. P. Arms will now offer prayer. The reverend gentleman offered the following :--
Eternal God, author of all being, and giver of all blessing, we, Thy unworthy children, humbly bow before Thec and implore Thy divine benediction. We call upon our souls and all that is within us, to praise Thy holy name for that kind providence of Thine which has gathered us from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south, here amid the graves of our fathers, to commemorate their virtues and their heroic deeds; to grasp the hand of friendship, and by the mutual interchange of kindly greet- ings to strengthen the ties of a common brotherhood. We recog- nize Thy mighty and Thy beneficent hand in all the history of the past. It was under Thy kind and fostering care, and under the guidance of Thy good spirit, that a little band of Christian pil- grims, 200 years ago chose this lovely spot, so beautiful for situa- tion, where to pitch their tents, and erect the standard of the cross, and in the time of their extremity, when a savage foe was ravaging the land, and threatening to exterminate the dwellers on these inhospitable shores, it was not in vain that they put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. Because they set their love upon Thee, therefore didst Thou deliver them. Thou didst give thine angels charge over them to keep them in all their ways. So that whilst destruction was wasting other settlements, it came not nigh them, for Thy protecting shield was over them. And in the conflict which followed with fatherland, Thou didst nerve the strong arms and inspire the noble hearts of the brave men who dwelt here, to repel the invaders, and achieve our na- tional independence. When we call to mind the trials, the toils, and the sufferings it cost our fathers to secure for us the rich inher- itance which they have bequeathed to us, we would learn to appre- ciate that inheritance, and thank God for giving us such an ances- try.
As we listen to-day to the annals of past generations, as we re- count Thy dealings towards our fathers, the frequent, and some- times marvelous, interpositions of Thy providence on their behalf, as we survey the foundations of our most cherished institutions, and the glorious superstructures which have risen, and are rising, upon them, we bow reverently, gratefully, before Thy throne, and acknowledge Thy hand in all these blessings. Thou art the au-
46
THE NORWICH JUBILEE.
thor and the finisher of them all. These industrial enterprises, the source of all our wealth, these schools, in which our children are trained for the conflicts of life, these churches, in which our souls are instructed and disciplined for heaven, these we recognize as the fruit of toil, not of our own. Other men labored and we are entered into their labors. They sowed the precious seed, we are permitted to gather in the sheaves with shoutings of joy. The lines have fallen to us in pleasant places, and we have a goodly heritage. These same lines have gone out through all the earth, carrying gladness and blessing to thousands. The light which our fathers kindled upon these altars, like the sun coming out of the chambers of the east, goeth forth from the end of the heaven, and its circuit is unto the ends of the world. The goodly vine which our fathers here planted, is not confined within the rocks and hills which bound our vision. Its branches run over the wall, and strangers share the clustering fruit.
God bless the children of Norwich, scattered abroad in all the land, and in other lands. Bless them in the city and in the field. Bless them in their basket and in their store. Bless them when they come in and when they go out. May they appreciate the vir- tues of their fathers, walk in their footsteps, and prove themselves worthy sons of a noble ancestry. Look in favor, we humbly be- seech Thee, upon our beloved country. Bless the president of these United States, the chief magistrate of our own common- wealth, and all that are in authority. Bless the citizen soldiery convened on this occasion, and inspire them with sentiments of true patriotism; may they ever stand ready to repel aggression and defend the right. Cause all our public affairs to be so admin- istered that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty. Merciful God, enlighten the nations of the earth with the gospel of Thy Son. Break the rod of the oppressor, and establish in all lands the rule of righteousness, and the reign of peace. Our Father who art in Heaven, we commend this joyful assemblage to Thy paternal favor. May Thy presence and Thy blessing be with us in all the festivities of this day and of the morrow, that our coming together may be for the better, and not for the worse, and prepare us, we humbly beseech Thee, O Lord, of Thy sovereign mercy in Jesus Christ, for that greater gathering where we must give account of all the deeds done in the body, so
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.