USA > Connecticut > New London County > Old Lyme > The educational history of Old Lyme, Connecticut, 1635-1935 > Part 3
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42. Ernesty, Highways, Holdings and Land-Marks in the Ancient Town of Lyme. New London Historical Society Records and Papers, II, 463.
43. Saybrook Land Records, 1666.
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Educational History of Old Lyme.
included buildings, indicating a previous plan of settlement and its later abandonment through sale. Many estates were strengthened through the exchange of disconnected parcels of land or through the purchase of various parcels of land abut- ting on the original home lot. In such a manner John Com- stock assembled his estate on the east side of the river. Ten acres came to him with the meadow and commonage belong- ing to his fifty-pound estate. To this he added through pur- chase, first, his house with twenty acres of upland from Thomas Bliss and, then, three parcels of land allotted in the first division to William Beauman, Nicholas Jennings and John Lay.44
That these records cover only a portion of the contempo- raneous landholdings on the east side of the river is made certain by the absence of such names as the Lees, Marvins, Lords, De Wolfes, Elys and Brockways. The records do, how- ever, make clear the general period of the first and second di- visions of land, the concentration of the first settlement on the meadows and uplands surrounding Black Hall and the names of some of the men who worked with Mathew Gris- wold in claiming this new land for posterity.
The work of settlement on the east side of the river pro- ceeded rapidly during the years 1660 to 1667. On March 10, 1663, the deputies of Saybrook presented to the general court their "intendments" to set up a plantation on the east side of the "Great River" and also to maintain a plantation on the west side. With this they presented a request for the enlarge- ment of their bounds which upon due consideration was granted by the court with these stipulations: "fower miles on each side of the River northward provided they do make two plantations aforesaid within the space of three years from the date hereof. . . . »45
In 1664 a good number of persons were permanently set- tled on the east side of the river and on February 13, 1665,
44. Landholdings in Lyme taken from the Saybrook Land Records. James, "Education and Schooling in Old Lyme, Connecticut, 1635-1935," Appendix III, an unpublished doctoral dissertation presented to Yale University in 1935. 45. Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, I, 392.
2I
Early Settlements, 1635-1667.
the articles of agreement between Saybrook and Lyme, gen- erally known as "The Loving Parting," were formally exe- cuted. The settlement was then set off as a new plantation and given the name of East Saybrook.46
The Loving Parting.
Whereas there hath been several propositions betwixt the inhabitants of the east side and the inhabitants of the west side of the River of the towne of Saybrook towards a loving parting.
The inhabitants of the east side of the river desiring to be a planta- tion by themselves doe declare that they have a competency of lands to entertain their families.
They declare that they will pay all areas of Rates past and all rates Dew by the 2nd of May next ensuing that belongs unto the towne and ministry.
At the request of those on the east side of the River to abate them their proportion belonging to the ministry from the first of Maye to the latter end of January next ensuing, the town do consent thereunto and in case they have not a minister selected amongst them, then they are to pay Rates to the minister on the west side as formerly unless a minister be settled amongst them.
The above said articles being agreed upon by the cometes chosen on both sides of the River, the inhabitants east side have liberty to be a plantation to themselves. In witness whereof the committees chosen on both sides have set to their hands.
JOHN WALDO
MATHEW GRISWOLD
WILLIAM PRATT
WILLIAM WALLER
ROBERT LAYE
RENALD MARVIN
ZACHARIAH SANFORD
JOHN LAYE SR.
For the West Side
RICHARD SMITH
JOHN COMSTOCK
For the East Side.47
Under this agreement the inhabitants of the east side of the river declared that they had a competency of land to maintain their families and also that they were willing to pay all arrears
46. Lyme Land Records, 1672-1715, I, 39.
47. Ibid., I, 40 or photostatic copy in, James, "Education and Schooling in Old Lyme, Connecticut, 1635-1935," Appendix IV.
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Educational History of Old Lyme.
in the minister's rate and all the rates due by May 2 ensuing. They in turn welcomed the agreement from the inhabitants on the west side that their proportion of the minister's rate between May 2 and the latter end of the January next ensu- ing be abated to them if they had a minister settled amongst them. With these agreements provided for, the inhabitants on the west side gave liberty to the inhabitants on the east side to set up a plantation.
So it happened that during the year 1666 the Rev. Moses Noyes, a graduate of Harvard and one of the learned clergy of his day,48 moved with a group of followers to set up a per- manent church in East Saybrook. Soon after, a small tempo- rary meetinghouse was built on Meeting House Hill close to the homes of the first settlers. This migration provided both an established church and a sufficient number of settlers to fulfill certain requirements of the general court. Town incor- poration was thereupon applied for and granted, for at a court of election in Hartford on May 9, 1667, it was ordered "that the Plantation on the east side of the River over against Saybrooke for the future be named Lyme"49 and that the valua- tion of the land in Lyme be fixed as follows: "one fowerth part of their lands at 25s per acre, the other three parts at IOS per acre and impropriated lands at one shilling per acre."50
The patent or deed of conveyance for this land was for- mally issued by Governor Robert Treat to the town some years later on May 14, 1685. It appears in the archives of the state of Connecticut under the division of "Towns and Lands.">51 This patent gave in detail the boundaries of the town and es- tablished the legal right of the proprietors to the land so de- scribed, "said lands having been by purchase and other wise lawfully attained from the Indian native proprietors."
Lyme was in 1667 one of the largest towns in the colony. It included about eighty square miles of land purchased from
48. Roberts, Historic Towns of the Connecticut River Valley, p. 59.
49. Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, II, 60.
50. Ibid., II, 295.
51. Connecticut Archives, Towns and Lands, 1629-1790, series I, vol. 7, doc. 275, p. abcd.
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Early Settlements, 1635-1667.
the Indians in 1640 and embraced the present towns of Lyme, Old Lyme, East Lyme, parts of Hadlyme and the southern part of Salem. So it remained until 1786 when the territory now constituting the southeasterly portion of the present town of Salem was added to the then northern part of the present town of New London to make the new town of Montville. Then when Salem Parish was incorporated in 1819, that por- tion of Montville which came from Lyme and also that por- tion of Lyme lying between East Haddam and Montville to- gether with the southern part of Colchester were included in the new town of Salem. 52
Into the history of Lyme, and more especially into that of Old Lyme, we shall now weave our way. Through its records we shall attend its town meetings, build and rebuild its meet- inghouse, provide for its industries, participate in its group activities, build and administer its schools and, sharing with the on-moving generations all that the records permit, we shall come to a better understanding of the development of education and schooling in this ancient town.
In anticipation of this experience we have made certain preparation in order that we may travel with greater under- standing and appreciation. We have acquainted ourselves with the conditions of settlement, with the beginnings of govern- ment and with the character of the settlers. We have learned something of their social heritage, their political and religious leanings and their relative financial ratings.53
It is evident that certain permanent interests were estab- lished in this area as early as 1645, directly following the large gift of land by George Fenwick to Mathew Griswold. That Mathew Griswold was a young man of about twenty-six with a long future ahead of him is made clear in the family records.54 To his new situation he brought the education and experience of the landed gentry, coupled with the vision and drive of youth. He no doubt crossed the "Great River" very frequently with his black man and other helpers to work on his estate, to consider the extent of the salt marsh and meadows
52. Marvin, Historical Address, p. 6. £ 53. Saybrook Land Records, 1666.
54. Salisbury, Family Histories and Genealogies, II, 1-120.
24 Educational History of Old Lyme.
and generally to explore the shore line. We can see him and his companions rowing in their heavy homemade boat up the winding estuaries and around the many islands which in this section lie close to the shore. We can follow them in their first trip up the long course of the Lieutenant River through the marshes to the gently sloping banks that offered to them and to generations a safe landing. We can go with them up from the shore to see what the back land was like. Would that we might know which of Mathew Griswold's companions first tramped with him down the stretch he later marked out for Lyme Street. William Waller and Lieutenant Brownson were without doubt too young to be there, but Reinold Marvin, John Lay, Henry Champion or even young Thomas Lee, the second, might have been with him.
Certain it is that the final plans for the "drawing of lotts" on the east side of the river were made in connection with a carefully worked-out survey of the marsh and meadows around Black Hall55 and Duck River, extending as far west as the Lieutenant River where Moses Noyes settled, and east- ward to include the home and large estate of Thomas Lee.
In the two decades that elapsed between the establishment of the first holdings of Mathew Griswold on the east side of the river in 1645 and the settlement of East Saybrook in 1664, considerable work had been done by Saybrook planters who had acquired land and cleared it for cultivation. This suggests that there was considerable traffic across the river, both of men and supplies. Timberland no doubt was cleared and great bonfires in season were resorted to as a means of eliminating superfluous wood. Cultivation of the cleared areas was carried forward under a constant anxiety. Indians were numerous and unfriendly. Under these circumstances the existing necessity for cooperative enterprise became the basis of permanent family friendships. These pioneer cultivators planted their roots deep in the soil and out of their plantings grew the per- manent town of Lyme. They gave to it all they possessed in
55. Allyn, Griswolds, Traditions and Reminiscences of Black Hall, pp. 1-20. This describes the settlement and includes a map.
25
Early Settlements, 1635-1667.
knowledge, culture, strength and wealth and left to future generations its further cultivation and expansion.56
Education in this early colonial period was part of a condi- tion of active participation in group projects organized to meet the immediate needs of the community. All social experiences were intimate and vital. They were closely connected with ac- tual group survival. Specific abilities were developed as a by- product of these rugged life situations in which all ages did their part. It was a very real situation of "learning by doing." The young took their places early in an active program of building in which there was an immediate need for houses, food, roads and protection. An effective junior citizenship was the common experience of all, and land ownership, required for adult citizenship, was provided soon after through town legislation.51
The responsibility of instruction in reading, writing and arithmetic remained largely with the heads of families. The ability to read, being also considered an essential in religious life, was safeguarded by a learned clergy, while the cultural heritage of the settlers was transmitted in part to the second and third generations.
Education of the young during this early period was not left, however, entirely to the voluntary acts of the inhabitants of the several towns. In 1644 the general court enacted a law ordering every township within the jurisdiction, after it had increased to fifty householders, to appoint one within their town to teach all children to read and write. The wages of the teacher were to be paid either by the parents or masters of the children or by the inhabitants in general by way of supply. It was also enacted that the selectmen of each town should keep a vigilant eye over their brethren and neighbors and see to it that parents and neighbors did not neglect the children under their charge.
The absence of records for the town of Saybrook at this time precludes the possibility of knowing what effect, if any,
56. Salisbury, Family Histories and Genealogies, III, 1-76.
57. Lyme Records, Town Meeting Book, 1664-1724, May 28, 1679, P. 37.
58. Griffin, The Evolution of the Connecticut State School System, Chap. I.
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Educational History of Old Lyme.
this law may have had upon the early education of some of the first settlers of Lyme. Probably the number of house- holders in Saybrook was then less than fifty so that the law did not pertain. The law of 1648, requiring that every town of fifty families maintain a good school in which reading and writing should be taught and that every county town main- tain a good grammar school, was, no doubt for the same rea- son, equally inoperative.59 The whole subject of education under these circumstances was dealt with at the discretion of the magistrates and the clergy.
Similarly, in 1650, when Connecticut wrote its Code on Schools, in close keeping with the previous Massachusetts laws, it is very doubtful that there were fifty families in Say- brook. There may well have been, however, by 1657, when the court ordered that in every plantation, where a school was not already set up and maintained, endeavors should be made to procure a schoolmaster to attend to that work. The salary was to have been paid one-third by the town and two-thirds from tuition fees. With the exodus of the settlers to Norwich in 1660, however, and of those to East Saybrook in 1665 and 1666, Saybrook was again reduced in numbers and was left to her own voluntary pleasure regarding education.
Schools were established early in the more thickly settled towns of Connecticut, but Lyme was not affected by the early educational laws of the colony.6º Not until some years after incorporation when the population of the town had increased and the legislation of the colony was made more inclusive did Lyme make definite provision for schooling. As group needs became more extensive, general participation in community projects became less satisfactory. There was an increasing tendency to select special groups for special tasks. Also, as the influence of the educated settlers became less tangible within the family groups, a program of organized instruction for the young became a necessity. Schools were then established to meet this need. They provided instruction for four months in the rudiments of reading, writing and "casting accounts,"
59. Trumbull, History of Connecticut, p. 241.
60. Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, I, 20-25, 262, 520-521.
27
Early Settlements, 1635-1667.
leaving other learnings in manual skills, agriculture, stock raising, shipbuilding and social living to come through the broader and more extensive experience of family and commu- nity life. Even this limited provision for schooling in Lyme was, however, a development of the years after 168061 since no such provision is to be found in the Saybrook records for the periods between 1635 and 1665 or in the Lyme records for the years between 1665 and 1680. In this period education was provided entirely through active participation in group af- fairs. It was a period of experiential education in which vital needs influenced all achievement and everyone was challenged to give his best. With limited facilities, in situations of ur- gency and stern reality, these children of varying age and ability acquired the knowledge, skill and technique which fitted them for survival and progress.
In this manner Lyme wove its way into the warp and woof of the commonwealth; for as it was in the genesis of Connecti- cut, so was it to be in her future. Ministers were to lead their faithful flocks into new pastures and to lofty elevations. In fertile valleys churches were created about which sprang up the habitations of their members. The three river plantations formed the nucleus of settlements reaching to the limits of her boundaries. Her colonists were largely of the well-to-do English farming class who had left their native country at the time when Puritanism, strong and militant, was waxing ready to assert itself in civil warfare. These colonists were homoge- neous in blood, and eminent statesmen have claimed that 98 per cent of the original settlers of New England could trace their origin to the mother country. In the words of William Stoughton, "God sifted a whole nation that he might send choice grains into the wilderness."62 Significant among these were those first proprietors of Lyme.
61. Lyme Records, Town Meeting Book, 1664-1724, p. 43.
62. Morgan, Connecticut as a Colony and as a State, p. 109.
II.
Lyme during the Seventeenth Century. A Period of Town Control. The Beginnings of Public Schooling, 1667-1712.
D URING the same years, 1660 to 1667, in which the town of Lyme was busily establishing itself on the east side of the Connecticut River, the Connecticut and New Haven colonies were deeply concerned over their land rights. King Charles I was dead, Cromwell's era was ended and King Charles II had recently come to the throne of Eng- land. For these reasons the political rights of these two colo- nies needed to be clarified and restated.1
The Connecticut colony had operated during the period between 1639 and 1662 under the laws of self-government provided by the Fundamental Orders. Then, in 1644, with the union of the Saybrook settlement and the Connecticut colony, the town of Saybrook came under the same jurisdiction and was both molded and protected by it. This early Connecticut Puritan idea of political and religious organization was very different from our present democratic one. In the towns the individuals were constantly under restraint for the commu- nity's good and laws limiting individual freedom were fre- quently made. Furthermore, franchise rights were differenti- ated so as to allow "admitted inhabitants" to vote on local affairs and "freemen" to vote on colonial affairs.2 Only free- men could be deputies, vote for higher officials or fill the post of magistrate. These freemen constituted a kind of popular aristocracy. They included about one-third of the admitted
I. Andrews, The Colonial Period of American History, II, 128-136.
2. Ibid., pp. 104-105.
The Beginnings of Public Schooling. 29
inhabitants in the colony. Still higher than the freemen and the deputies were the magistrates. 3
Under a special order of October 10, 1639, the powers and duties of towns were defined4 and later the general court is- sued an abridgment of the laws already passed, which became known as the Code of 1650. Together these laws made provi- sion for a new people living a pastoral and agricultural life in a fertile, richly timbered and well watered wilderness. Mean- while settlements were pushing eastward into the Pequot country and westward toward the Dutch territory, gradually approaching the several boundaries and making easy, between 1650 and 1660, the increase of an undesirable element. Such were some of the conditions in the Connecticut colony when, in 1660, the disconcerting news arrived telling of the restora- tion of Charles II. Connecticut at that time had no certain standing as a colony and without the slight protection which the transfer of the Warwick deed would give she stood de- fenseless.
For this reason the New Haven colony joined the Con- necticut colony in sending John Winthrop Jr., the well edu- cated and widely traveled governor of the Connecticut colony, as their joint agent to present their cause to the king. The general court voted its allegiance on May 14, 1661, and pre- pared a letter to Lord Saye and Sele, the only remaining pat- entee of the Saybrook colony. In this letter the colonists re- viewed the history of the two previous agreements with Fenwick and emphasized their continuous trouble with the Dutch.5 Funds for the trip were provided and on September 6, 1661, Winthrop arrived in Holland en route to London. There he drafted an address in which he prayed for a "Re-
3. Belknap, History of New Hampshire (Farmer edition), pp. 140, 290, 351, 389.
4. Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, I, 36-40.
5. In 1643 alarm and distress from the Dutch and Indians greatly hindered the plowing and planting. There was general alarm along the western frontier followed by a long controversy with the Dutch. Morgan, Connecticut as a Colony and as a State, I, 238.
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Educational History of Old Lyme.
nual of the said [Warwick] Pattent under your majesties great Seale." He renewed his friendships with men of power, who might favor his cause, and was graciously received by the king. His request for all the territory named in the Warwick deed with enough more to carry the eastern boundary to the Plymouth line and the northern boundary to the Massachu- setts line was later granted in the charter dated May 10, 1662. These now became the permanent boundaries of Con- necticut and wiped out all previous claims within their limits. In return for this consideration Connecticut was to pay to the crown a one-fifth part of all the gold and silver found within the territory. Thus was Connecticut founded and thus was she secured.
Under the charter her colonists were granted the same le- gal rights as the king's subjects and corporations in England. They were to hold two sessions of the general assembly annu- ally and this assembly was to include the governor, the deputy governor, twelve assistants and two deputies from each town or city.
Winthrop dispatched the charter and its duplicate by Brad- street and Norton who arrived in Boston on September 3, 1662. The following day the charter was exhibited for the first time in America at the meeting of the commissioners of the New England Confederation in Boston. It was later brought to Hartford by the Connecticut representatives and publicly read on October 9, 1662. Under this charter Con- necticut became a corporate government and the people were given their first security. Also, in accordance with its provi- sions the territories of the Connecticut and New Haven colo- nies were united.7 On May 1I, 1665, through the efforts of a commission appointed for that purpose, the representatives of these two colonies met for the first time in one assembly.8 The acquirement of the charter made little difference in the actual machinery and routine of administration but it provided an
6. Morgan, Connecticut as a Colony and as a State, I, 250-251.
7. Trumbull, History of Connecticut, p. 250.
8. Winthrop, History of New England, I, 230.
The Beginnings of Public Schooling. 3I
instrument of government under which the two colonies func- tioned until long after the Revolution.9
At a meeting of the general court previously held on March 14, 1661, the four original counties, Hartford, New Haven, New London and Fairfield, were set off and county courts were requested. New towns sprang up on every side and gen- eral laws providing for their administration were soon au- thorized by the new colonial assembly.10
As to politics, the fathers of Connecticut were republicans. They believed that all civil power should be exercised by such of the people as were deemed competent to possess it. It was upon these principles that their civil constitutions were formed.11 The towns were like little republics of freemen and possessed under the legislature all the necessary powers to ad- just local and prudential concerns. The general court, how- ever, exercised the right of ownership and jurisdiction over all ungranted territory within its boundaries, so that when a company of persons wished to settle a town they made their wishes known to the court. A tract of land was then granted to them and if it were found that they were able to support a minister these persons were authorized to establish a planta- tion and a church. The general court then appointed a com- mittee to lay out the bounds of the land, which until divided was held by the proprietors as a quasi corporate body. From this time on they could assemble in town meeting and trans- act any matters connected with local affairs. The location, the size, and support of the ministry were the first important business.
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