USA > Connecticut > Tolland County > Tolland > The early history of Tolland. An address delivered before the Tolland county historical society, at Tolland Conn., on the 22d day of August and the 27th day of September, 1861 > Part 2
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TOLLAND.
same land, and the early settlers not unfrequently received deeds of the same land from different sachems or Indian chiefs. That portion of Connecticut situated east of Con- necticut river was inhabited and owned by the following Indian tribes, to wit: The Pequots, who were located be- tween the Niantic and Paucatuc rivers, and extending from the shore back into the country. The Mohegans, supposed to be a branch of the Pequots, whose principal town was between New London and Norwich, but whose territory ex- tended north into the southern part of Tolland county. The Nehantics of Lyme, and the Podunks of East Windsor and East Hartford. The Nipmucs of Massachusetts had a few sparse settlements in the northern portion of Tolland and Windham counties. The town of Windsor, on the west side of the river, was subject to the Tunxis, a tribe that inhabited the valley of Farmington river. As I have said, it nowhere appears from which of these tribes the settlers at Windsor purchased lands on the east side of Windsor in 1636, for it is probable that the Mohegans, the Podunks, and the Nip- mucs might have each claimed the territory. Whatever may have been the claims of others, it is certain the Mohegans regarded a portion of the territory now included within the boundaries of Tolland as their own, and hence we find that one of their sachems named Joshua, as early as the year 1675, undertook to dispose of it by will,-as by the following extract from the record of it will appear.
" Item. I give and bequeath all that tract of land lying from the mountain in sight of Hartford northward to a pond called Shenups, east to Willimantic river, south by said river, west by Hartford bounds, (except three hundred acres already sold to Major John Talcott, and two hundred acres to Capt. Thomas Bull, and according to a draught or map drawn and subscribed with my own hand, bearing date with these pres- ents,) viz. : to Mr. James Richards, Mr. Samuel Wyllys, Capt. Thomas Bull, Mr. Joseph Haynes, Mr. Richard Lord, Major John Talcott, Mr. John Allyn, Mr. Ebenezer Way, Bartholo- mew Barrett, Nicholas Olmsted, Henry Hayward, Mr. Joseph Fitch, Thomas Burnham, and William Pitkin, to be equally divided amongst them, into so many parts as there are per- sons, and also Nathaniel Willett to have an equal proportion
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TOLLAND.
amongst them. Dated at Pettupaug 29 Feb. 1675. Com- pared Feb. 8, 1686. John Allyn, Secry."
This will describes that portion of the town of Tolland not included in the deed of Matthew Allyn and others, and is that part of the town where the first surveys were made by the proprietors' committee. I have no evidence that this tract of land was ever divided among the legatees according to the provisions of the will, and probably it never was. The Thomas Burnham named in this will, was doubtless the Thomas Burnham whose heirs united with the town of Wind- sor in releasing their claims to the territory of Tolland " unto such sober inhabitants as should orderly settle the same," and hence the first settlers had whatever right was vested in Windsor by virtue of their purchase of the Indians in 1636, and also the right Thomas Burnham acquired under the will of Joshua. But the legatees of Joshua were dissatisfied with the action of the first settlers, and prosecuted them for tres- passing upon their rights. The settlers resisted this claim of the legatees, and made it one common cause, defraying all necessary expenses. from the common treasury of the pro- prietors of the township. The first suit was commenced in April, 1724, by one Joseph Baker against one Shubael Stearns. In September, 1724, the proprietors, at a meeting held for that purpose, appointed Francis West, Daniel Eaton, and Shu- bael 'Stearns a committee to agree with the claimants, " with power to go to the General Court at New Haven." It ap- pears that this committee attended the General Court at New Haven, where a committee was appointed " to treat with the proprietors of Tolland." This controversy was of great im- portance to the proprietors, and no doubt very seriously affected the early settlement of the town. It extended to a very large portion of the land included in their charter and went to the validity of their title. After various conferences between the committee above named, the matter was finally compromised, and the General Assembly, at its session in October, 1724, passed an act that the proprietors of Tolland should pay to the legatees of Joshua at the rate of six pounds per allotment, or three shillings per acre for the land, and
A
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TOLLAND.
that the legatees should release all their title to said lands. This action of the General Court was not acceptable to the legatees and they seemed unwilling thus to give up their claims ;- and as late as October, 1728, or four years after the decision of the General Court above-mentioned, other_suits were commenced upon the same claims. The proprietors held a meeting, October 28, 1678, and chose a committee con- sisting of Dea. Francis West, Capt. Hope Lathrop, Lieut. John Huntington, Sergeant Samuel Benton, and Sergeant Samuel Chapman, " to go to the legatees of Joshua and in the name and behalf of the proprietors to take a quitclaim deed of all their claims to the lands in Tolland." They also solemnly obligated themselves " to pay all such sums as said committee should be compelled to pay in the business of their office." This committee promptly attended to the business assigned them, and in a few months obtained proper convey- ances from the legatees of Joshua which put an end to this expensive and important controversy.
It is a matter of some doubt at what precise time the first settlement was made in Tolland. The opinion generally pre- rails that the first permanent settlement was in 1715, but I am satisfied it was at an earlier date. It is certain that roads were laid out, and allotments of lands made to individuals in April, 1713. Tradition informs us that the persons who exe- cuted this work provided themselves with a temporary home, under a large shelving rock, now situated on the west side of the highway, leading to Bolton, near the north bank of the brook that runs across the road this side of the present resi- dence of Alden B. Crandall. The walls of the dwelling, as well as the roof, being of stone, it received the name of Stoney house ; and this gave name to the brook that runs by it, which is in the early records of the town called Stoney house brook. While it is probable that the residence of persons at this place was temporary, yet there are several facts tending to show that permanent settlements were commenced in about 1713. The petition to the General Assembly for an act of incorporation, dated May 9, 1713, alleges that many of the petitioners "have been out with the committee and have taken up lots in the same ;
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TOLLAND.
and shall with those that are desirous to settle with us speedily settle a fair town there," &c. The petition of the town of Windsor for the same object, alleges " that several families are already there, giving a fair prospect of a likely town," &c. This petition is dated March 21, 1714-15. The resolution of the General Assembly under date of May, 1715, speaks of the inhabitants thereon seated by the Windsor committee ;- from all which it is evident there must have been settlements in Tolland before May, 1715. And further, in the records of the marriages, births and deaths in the town, we find the records of several births in Tolland, prior to May, 1715. The earliest of them is that of Amy Hatch, a daughter of Joseph Hatch, who was born October 10, 1713. Margaret Pack, a daughter of Joseph Pack, was born January 7, 1715 ; Joseph Hatch, son of Joseph Hatch before mentioned, and as tradition says the first male child born in Tolland, was born Sept. 12, 1715. Joseph Pack had land assigned him in the early allotments, and his name and that of Joseph Hatch are among the earliest upon the records. From these facts I am confident the first settle- ment in Tolland must have been made in the year 1713.
There is no positive evidence that the territory within the limits of Tolland was ever occupied by the Indians, other than for hunting and fishing. Formerly our ponds and streams were stored with excellent fish, and our forests were filled with a great variety of wild game, which during certain por- tions of the year invited the attention of the savage inhabit- ants occupying the land near the sea-shore. I have myself heard some of the aged people say, they had seen shad and salmon caught in large quantities in Willimantic river, between Tolland and Willington, and so plentifully were salmon caught, that fishermen had a standing rule that they would not sell a certain number of shad to one person unless he would take a certain quantity of salmon. The Indians in their summer visits to this town, found it necessary or convenient to erect wigwams or Indian huts,-traces of which in the western part of the town, on lands lately owned by Mr. Ephraim West and Mr. Timothy Benton, were visible within the recollection of some of our oldest inhabitants. A few families may have
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TOLLAND.
occupied these huts, but they left the town before its first set- tlement and none of the red men have ever dwelt here since. We have but few objects to which any Indian name was ever known to be attached. The Indians gave the name of Wan- gombog to a large portion of country in the southern part of Tolland county, adjacent to the large pond known by this name, situated in the town. of Coventry. A portion of the town of Tolland was within the territory called Wangombog, and several of the early deeds recorded in Tolland, describe the land conveyed as situated in Wangombog. The same name is given to the locality of the land conveyed in the will of Joshua, before mentioned. The pond on the west side of Tolland, was by the Indians called Shenipset, which by an easy corruption is now pronounced Snipsic. This word is variously spelled in the old records-sometimes Shenipset, Shenaps, Shenips.
The small stream running east of the village was by the Indians called Skungamug-the corruption of which is Skunk- amug or Skunkermug-sometimes in the old records written Scungamuck. These Indian names, though less euphonious than some of our more modern ones, I hope will be perpetu- ated. Indeed, I entertain some doubt whether they will sound any more harsh in the ears of our posterity than Ball Hill, Sugar Hill, Buff Cap, Goose Lane, or Cedar Swamp-all of which are the recognized modern names of well-known local- ities.
As I have already intimated, there was early a difficulty about the true location of the north line of the town of Cov- entry. The Windsor proprietors, under date of May 14, 1716, petitioned for a "final settlement with the legatees of Joshua; for setting of bounds with the town of Coventry, concerning which there is much difficulty; " also, " that we may have privilege to choose a town clerk and other officers as the law directs." This petition purports to be the petition " of us the subscribers, inhabitants of Tolland," and was negatived by the Assembly. The following are the names of the petitioners, to wit:
3
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TOLLAND.
Baker, Joseph Ellis, Thomas
Stearns, Shubael
Benton, Joseph
Grant, Nathaniel
Willes, Joshua
Birge, Cornelius
Loomis, Joshua
Wolcott, Henry
Benton, Samuel
Mather, Joseph
Tavlor, Nathaniel.
Bradley, George
Porter, Hezekiah
16 in all.
Bissell, Ephraim
Porter, Joseph
In May, 1718, a petition was presented to the General Assembly, as follows, to wit: "A petition of us the subscri- bers, inhabitants of Tolland, relative to Coventry lands." Signed by the following persons :
Baker, Joseph
Loomis, Joshua
Slafter, Joseph
Birge, Cornelius
Loomis, Enoch
Slafter, Antony
Benton, Joseph
Nye, Ebenezer
Stimpson, James
Benton, Daniel
Pack, Joseph
Stoughton, Thomas
Cook, Daniel
Porter, Hezekiah
Taylor, Nathaniel
Drake, Joseph
Porter, Joseph
Willes, Joshua
Grant, Noah
Rockwell, Joseph
25 in all.
Hatch, Joseph
Stearns, Shubael
Eaton, William
Rice, Joseph
Woleott, Simon.
I am unable to ascertain at what time the line between Tol- land and Coventry was finally settled, but I have no doubt it was done before 1720, in which year a committee appointed by the General Assembly, located the town of Tolland and defined its boundaries. The following is a copy of their report :
"This may certify whom it may concern, that we, James Wadsworth and John Hall, on this day of October, A. D. 1720, being assisted by Thomas Kimberly, surveyor and in company with sundry men of the town of Tolland, did pur- suant to an act of the General Assembly of this colony, held at Hartford May 12, 1720, survey and lay out the north and west bounds of the town of Tolland ; and for that end we went to the north-east corner of the town of Coventry; and from thence due northi (by the needle of the instrument,) six miles, at the end whereof to wit, in an east line by the needle, at or on the west bank of Willimantic river, we erected a heap of stones for the north-east corner of the township of Tolland, and marked a red oak tree on the south side with the letter T; and from thence ran upon a point west (by the needle,) six miles seventeen rods and thirteen links to a white oak tree marked and a heap of stones about it, standing on the south- erly side of a hill, which tree is the north-west corner bound- ary of said Tolland ; and from the said tree to run south, five degrees west to Coventry north-west corner ;- the land con- tained within the said town lines, and the said river which is the east bounds of said town is of the contents of six miles square. The chainmen were under oath as the law directed.
A true copy of record. (Signed,) JAMES WADSWORTH. Examined by Hez. Wyllys, Sec'y. JOHN HALL."
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TOLLAND.
From this certificate it is very evident that the north line of Coventry was substantially settled before October, 1720, and became the basis of the action of the above-named com- mittee in locating the north and west lines of the town of Tolland. But there were subsequent negotiations between these towns upon this subject. The towns of Coventry and Tolland appointed a committee of three from each town to agree about the dividing line, and they were empowered to make a final issue and determination of the lines between the towns. This committee consisted of Samuel Parker, Joseph Strong and Thomas Root, of Coventry ; and Joseph Hatch, Daniel Eaton and Noah Grant, of Tolland, and met on the 6th day of February, 1722, and agreed that the dividing line be- tween the two towns should be the line run by Capt. James Wads- worth, Capt. John Hall, and Mr. Kimberly, and that the same should thereafter be perambulated according to law. They further agreed, " that Francis West and Joseph Benton, being in Coventry, might pay their public dues in Tolland, with three acres of land a-piece about their houses, and counted inhabitants of Tolland, as if Tolland had took them in; they and their heirs and assigns living on the three acres of land where their houses now stand." Francis West found it im- practicable to reside in one town and exercise town privileges in another, and he very soon removed his house from Coven- try to Tolland. This house is the one lately occupied by Bil- laky Snow, now deceased.
It would seem that the settlement with the legatees of Joshua, and the establishment of the line between the towns of Coventry and Tolland, might sufficiently quiet all conflict- ing claims and remove all doubts respecting the corporate powers of the town of Tolland and the title of its inhabitants to the territory within the limits of its charter. But lest there might be some defect in the previous proceedings, or some omission which might cause further difficulties, the town procured from the General Assembly, at its session in New Haven, October, 1728, the passage of a resolution confirming and establishing every thing that had been previously done. This resolution, after reciting the resolution of May 12, 1715,
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TOLLAND.
recognizes the survey made by Messrs. Wadsworth and Hall in 1720, and also the deed to the proprietors of Tolland, dated May 11, 1719, and then declares that the proprietors " held the lands of the said township as one entire propriety ; and that all the said proprietors shall have equal interest and benefit by force of the patent by the said assembly granted to be exe- cuted to the said proprietors in usual form."
In pursuance with this resolution a patent was issued by the Governor, countersigned by the Secretary of State, dated the 2d day of Nov., 1728, in and by which all the powers, privileges and franchises before granted to the Windsor men, were ratified and confirmed, and the title to the land within the boundaries of the town as described by the survey of Messrs. Wadsworth and Hall, was fully, clearly, absolutely given, granted, ratified and confirmed unto Henry Wolcott, Stephen Stoel, Francis West, together with the rest of the proprietors of the town ; and to their heirs and assigns, and such as should thereafter legally succeed to, and represent them forever in such proportion as they the said proprietors, partners and settlers, or any of them respectively had right in, or were lawfully possessed of the same. Also authorizing and empowering said proprietors and inhabitants of said town, from time to time, and at all times forever thereafter, to exercise and enjoy all such rights, pow- ers, privileges and franchises in and among themselves, as ` were given, granted, allowed and exercised and enjoyed by and amongst the proprietors of other towns of the colony, accord- ing to the common approved custom and observance ; and guaranteeing to said grantees, their heirs and assigns legally representing them, " a good, pure, perfect, absolute and inde- feasible estate of inheritance, in fee simple, in the lands described, to be holden of his majesty his heirs and successors, as of his majesty's manor of East Greenwich in the county of Kent in the Kingdom of England, in free and .common socage, and not in capite nor by knight service, yielding there- for and paying unto our sovereign lord king George, his heirs and successors forever, one fifth part of all ore of gold and silver, which from time to time and at all times forever there- after, shall be there gotten, had or obtained in lieu of all ser- vices, dutys and demands whatsoever."
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TOLLAND.
NOTE. Socage, is a tenure by any certain and determinate ser- vice. It is of two kinds-Free socage, and villein socage. Free socage is when the services are not only certain but honorable. Vil- lien socage is where the services, though certain, are of a degraded nature. The tenure by which the lands granted in the foregoing patent were holden, was one-fifth part of all ore of gold and silver found within the limits of the town. This was both certain and hon- orable, and in the absence of these precious metals will never be a great burden to the inhabitants of that town.
MEETING-HOUSES.
THE first settlers of Tolland exhibited a very strong attach- ment to religious institutions. Being lineal descendants of that band of pilgrims that left their native land, to seek across the trackless waters an asylum where they could worship the God of their fathers unmolested, according to the dictates of their own consciences, it is not strange that they should regard the social organization as entirely imperfect without a spirit- ual leader to break to them the bread of life. A minister and a house for public worship were not only regarded by them as essential to their happiness; but as indispensable to their worldly prosperity ; and hence all sacrifices necessary to the attainment of these objects were most cheerfully made. The early records of the town furnish conclusive evidence of their intense zeal upon this subject, and their great liberality in a cause so near their hearts. They were authorized by the General Assembly to choose town officers in the year 1717, and the first town clerk and selectmen were chosen in that year. In the year 1719, when probably there were not over twenty-five families in town, a vote was passed appropriating eighty acres of land for a minister lot, and offering a salary of seventy-five pounds, or two hundred and fifty dollars a year, making an average sum of ten dollars annually to each fam- ily. On the 19th day of November, 1719, the proprietors of the town voted to build a meeting-house, thirty feet square, and appointed Noah Grant, William Eaton, and Joseph Ben- ton, a committee " to order the affairs of the meeting-house."
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TOLLAND.
There was, as usual, some difficulty in locating this house ; and the records show that several meetings were held on the subject, which served to delay the building of the house for several months. The spot where it was finally erected was agreed upon February 5, 1721-22; which was on the hill a little east of the present residence of Mr. William West. At a previous meeting held on the 31st of January, 1720-1, the town voted to build a meeting-house thirty feet long and twenty- eight feet wide, with eighteen feet posts. They also voted that the frame of the building should be raised by the last day of the month of June next following, and that the sides should be covered, and the floors laid, and windows put in, by the last of the following November. It is not probable that any very serious effort was made to comply with these votes ; for I find the record of a town meeting held on the first of May of the same year, at which it was voted that the build- ing should be forty-five feet long, thirty-five feet wide, and twenty feet between joints. As this is the last vote upon the subject of dimensions, it is fair to presume that the house was finally built as last prescribed, and was probably raised in the spring of 1722. It does not appear when this house was dedicated to the worship of God, yet there can be no doubt public worship was held in it early in the year 1723.
October 4, 1725, a tax of four pence on the pound was laid to defray the expenses "arisen and arising about furnishing the meeting-house." February 28, 1726, it was voted to build pews upon that part of the floor that was raised above the rest. December, 1728, it was voted "to build a house about twenty feet by fourteen, near the meeting- house, to accommodate the inhabitants living remote from the meeting-house with a place to spend the intermission between services without troubling others." December 9, 1730, the town voted that "the selectmen should procure at the towns cost what is necessary for the pulpit." December 8, 1731, it was voted " to do something towards repairing and finishing the galleries." From 1744 to 1749, liberty was given divers persons to "erect pews in the galleries at their own expense and for their own accommodation."
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TOLLAND.
It would seem that this house did not answer the purpose for which it was designed ; for we find that before it had stood thirty years, to wit, on the 28th of January, 1751, the town, by a vote of nearly two to one, voted " that it was necessary to build a new meeting-house for public worship in said town." The question of building a new meeting-house at this time, must have been one of unusual interest, for at this meeting we find that no less than twenty-eight persons were admitted inhabitants of the town, and one hundred and ten votes were given upon the question, viz., seventy in the affirmative, and forty in the negative. Three unsuccessful attempts were made to rescind this vote, but the town adhered with increased majorities each time to its first decision. The location of this house was a matter of even more than usual interest. The inhabitants of the north-west and western portions of the town insisted upon a site at the north end of the street, while those of the southern and eastern portions were equally strenuous for its location at the south end of the street. The matter was at first submitted to the town, and a majority of votes decided in favor of the southern location. There was then no road leading into the street from the eastern part of the town, except the one leading from near where the old meeting-house stood, and of course all persons attending meetings from the eastern part of the town would have to come into the street at the south end, which doubtless had its influence in deter- mining the location of the house. Tradition says that the influence of the Hon. Zebulon West, whose residence was in the south part of the town, had great weight in the final set- tlement of this question. The minority did not readily sub- mit to the decision of the majority, and they appealed to the General Court and obtained a committee to review the pro- ceedings of the town, but after several public hearings, the location fixed by vote of the town was finally confirmed. On the 24th day of December, 1753, the town voted to build the new meeting-house fifty-six feet long and forty feet wide. This house was raised in the month of May, 1754, and was so far finished as to be used for public worship in the Spring of 1755. The house was erected without a steeple, and it was
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