USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Windsor > The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut, Vol. I > Part 94
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MCDERMOTT, JOHN, enl. (subsi.) Co. D, 11 Conn. Vols., 28 Mch., 1861; faken pris- oner 16 May, 1864; furloughed 26 Dec., 1864; failed to return.
McMAHON, PATRICK, enl. (subst.) 26 Feb., 1864, Co. 1, 7 Conn. Vols .; prisoner af Drewry's Bluff, 16 May, 1864.
MEEHAN, TIMOTHY, enl. 2d Light Batt., 5 Dec., 1863; taken prisoner 16 May, 1864; dise. 9 Aug., 1865.
MILLER, HIERMAN, enl. (subst.), Co. II, 5 Conn. Vols., 28 Aug., 1863; disc. 19 July, 1865.
MINER, JOHN G., cul. Co. A, 12 Conn. Vols., 27 Dec., 1861; dise. disab. 14 Jan., 1863.
MINER, JESSE L., enl. Co. A, 12 Conn. Vols., 20 Dec., 1861; d. 5 May, 1863, Brashear ('ity, La.
MOFFET, WILLIAM, enl. Co. G, 25 Conn. Vols., 26 Aug., 1862; disc. 26 Aug., 1863. MITCHELL, STEPHEN E., enl. (subst.) Co. C, 15 Conn. Vols., 4 Jan., 1864; dise. for disab. Sept., 1864.
MOULTON, HENRY B., ent. Co. K, 1st Conn. Cav., 4 Jan., 1864; disc. 2 Aug., 1865. MULLIGAN, THOMAS, enI. Co. 1, 20 Conn. Vols., 25 Aug., 1862; disc. 13 June, 1865.
MUNSELL, ELIZUR (Sgt.), ent. 5 Aug., 1862, Co. G. 16 Conn. Vols .; killed at Sharps- burg, Md., 17 Sept., 1862; was from East Windsor.
MUNSELL, EDWIN. enl. Co. A, 12 Conn. Vols., 27 Dec., 1861; disc. disab. 7 Apl., 1862: enl. Co. A, Ist lly. Art., 17 July, 1863; disc. 25 Apl., 1865.
MUNSELL, WILLIAM, enl. Co. E. 10 Conn. Vols., 30 Sept., 1861; d. 3 Apt., 1862, Newberne, N. C.
MURPHY, CHARLES, ent. (subst.) Co. B, 11 Conn. Vols., 5 Mch., 1864; disc. 19 June, 1865.
MURPHY, THOMAS (musician), enl. Co. A, 22 Conn. Vols., 23 Aug., 1862; disc. 7 July, 1863.
NEWBERRY, HORACE H., enl. Co. G, 21 Conn. Vols., 21 Aug., 1861 ; d. Mch. 1863, Baton Rouge, La.
O'HARA, JAMES, enl. (subst.) Co. 11, 11 Conn. Vols., 19 Mch., 1864; transf. to U. S. N., 1 July. 1864; deserted 3d quarter, 1864
PAGE, HENRY A., enl. Co. B, 11 Conn. Vols., Oct. 24, 1861; disc, disab. 31 Mch., 1863: taken prisoner while in a foraging party a few days after capture of New- berne, N. C .; confined at Salisbury and paroled carly in June, 1862; dise. dis. 31 Mch., 1863; afterward Asst. Surg. 10 Conn. Vols.
PARSONS, AARON, enl. Co. A, 12 Conn. Vols., 8 Jan., 1862 ; re enl. Vet., 22 Jan., 1861; shot through the lungs at Cedar Creek, Va., 19 Oct., 1861. must. out 12 Ang., 1865. - See, also, Justin L. Grun.
PEASE, EDMUND M. (2d Asst. Surgeon). 16 Conn. Vols., 16 Aug., 1862 ; disc. 9 Jan., 1864, to be Surg. 9th P. S. Vols.
PETTIBONE, GEORGE, enl. Co. 11, 12 Conn. Vols., 22 Nov., 1861; dise. disab. 17 Feb .. 1862.
PHIPPANY, DANIEL S., ent. (subst.) Co. F, 5 Conn. Vols., 27 Aug., 1863; wounded: disc. for disab. 31 June, 1865.
PIERCE, ALBERT P., enl. 19 ApI., 1861. Co. B, 1 Conn. Vols .; dise. 31 July, 1861; enl. 30 Jan., 1862, Co. L, 1st. Hy. Art .; disc. 13 Feb., 1865.
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805
SOUTH WINDSOR'S SOLDIERS IN THE CIVIL WAR.
PORTER, LEROY L., onl. Co. A, 22 Coun. Vols., 23 Aug., 1862; d. 2 Nov., 1862, Washington, D. C.
PRATT, REUBEN K., enl. 24 July, 1862, Co. G, 16 Conn. Vols .; disc. for disab. 31 Dec., 1862; from Stafford.
PRESTON, HENRY B., enl. 22 July, 1861. Co. G. 5 Conn. Vols .; disc. disab. 19 Apl .. 1862; from Vernon.
PROSSER, BENIAMIN, enl. Co. A. ? Con. Vols., 27 Feb., 1864 ; transf. to U. S Navy, 28 Apl., 1864; dise. 8 Jan., 1866.
REYNOLDS, GEORGE C., app. Asst. Surg. U. S. N., 1864; hon. dise. 1865.
RILEY, GEORGE, enl. (subst.) Co. F, 7 Conn. Vols., 27 Feb., 1864 ; deserted 22 Dec., 1864.
ROBERTSON, AUGUSTUS, cul. Co. HI, 16 Conn. Vols., 8 Aug., 1862; dise. 24 June, 1865.
ROBBINS, ORRIN, enl. (subst.) Co. K, 1 Hy. Art., 4 Jan., 18644 ; des. 14 Aug., 1865. ROCKWELL, EDWARD F., Jr., enl. Co. A, 21 Conn. Vols., 31 July, 1862; dise. 16 June, 1865.
ROCKWELL, ALPHIEUS, enl. Co. B, 16 Conn. Vols., 16 July, 1862; dise. disab. 14 Mch., 1863.
ROCKWELL, LESTER A., enl. 17 Sept., 1864, Co. G, 1 Coun. Cav .; prisoner, 11 Mch., 1865: deserted 30 Apl., 1865.
SADD, FRANKLIN A., enl. Co. G, 25 Conn. Vols., 23 Aug., 1862; disc. 26 Aug., 1863.
SCANLON, JOHN, enl. (subst.) 16 Nov., 1864, Co. F, 11 Conn. Vols .; disc. 21 Dec., 1865.
SHANLEY, THOMAS, enl. (subst.) Co. I. 6 Conn. Vols., 3 Dec., 1864 ; disc. 14 June, 1865.
SINCLAIR, WILLIAM (Sgt.), enl. Co. K. 29 Conn. Vols. (col'd), 8 Jan., 1864 ; disc. disab. 8 June, 1865.
SKINNER, CHARLES B. (musician), enl. 16 Conn. Vols., 8 Aug., 1862; disc. disah. 29 Dec., 1862.
SKINNER, WELLS G., enl. 3 Sept., 1862, Co. G, 25 Conn. Vols .; disc. 26 Ang., 1863. SMITH. JAMES, enl. (subst.) Co. HI, 22 Conn. Vols., 18 Sept., 1862 ; deserted 26 Sept., 1862.
SNOW, JOSEPHI M., enl. Co. A, 12 Conn. Vols., 20 Nov., 1861 ; re enl. Vet., 1 Jan., 1864; disc. 12 Ang , 1865, - See Justin L. Grun.
SPERRY, GILBERT D., served in Co. 0, 10 Ill. Cav .; enl Loda, II., Feb., 1862; d. from exposure on scout duty, at Forsyth, Mo., 12 May, 1862.
STARKS, GEORGE A., enl. 5 Sept., 1861, Co. A, 7 Conn. Vols .; pris, at assault on Ft. Wagner, 13 July, 1863; confined Charleston, S. C., jail a week; from thence to Libby Prison a month; from there to Belle Isle, until paroled 15 Mch., 1861. dise 4 Sept., 1864.
STEFFEN, HENRY, enl. (subst.) 3 Dec., 1861, Co. 1. 6 Conn. Vols .; disc. 21 Aug., STOUGHTON, FRANCIS, enl. Co. H, 12 Conn. Vols., 22 Nov., 1861 ; disc. for disab. 2 Dee., 1864.
STOUGHTON, ERWIN, ent. 15 July, 1862, Co. D. 14 Con. Vols .; disc. disab. 13 Jan .. 1863 STOUGHTON, FRANKLIN, enl. Co. A, 22 Conn. Vols., 23 Aug., 1862; dise. 7 July, 1563.
STOUGHTON, FRANK E. (Sgt.), enl. 15 July, 1862, Co. D. 14 Conn. Sols., b. So. W, 10 Jan., 1831 ; at time of opening of war was overseer of a weave-room in a Vernon mill, whence he enl .; was made First Sgt .; bore his part well at Antietam; at Fredericksburg, owing to illness of superior officer, he commanded his Co., and for his conduct here and a little later at Chancellorsville he was (May 16) prom. to
806
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WINDSOR.
be 2d Lieut, of Co. HI, which a month later he led in the battle of Gettysburg, where he ree'd several wounds, one passing through his body and affecting his lungs. During the winter of 1864 he was detailed on recruiting service, but in the summer campaign of that year was again at the front; prom. Ist Lieut. in Mch .; July I he was prom, to be Capt. of Co. G, which Co. he led at Hatch's Run, Reams Station, and all the contests that followed up to Dec. 30, when he resigned and was honora- bly discharged. He d. 1 Jan., 1866, and was buried at Wapping, 3 Jan., 1866, with Masonic honors.
STOUGHTON, NORMAN F., enl. 23 May, 1861, Co. I, Ist Conn. Heavy Art .; re enl. Vet., 16 Nov., 1863; disc. 25 Sept., 1865.
STOUGHTON, SANFORD (Corp'l), enl. Co. 11, 16 Conn. Vols .. 8 Aug., 1862; d. 28 Oct., 1862.
STOUGHTON, SAMUEL B., ent. Co. A, 22 Conn. Vols., 23 Aug., 1862 ; disc. ? July, 1863.
STOUGHTON, SIDNEY E., enl. U. S. N., 9 Sept., 1864 ; disc. June, 1865; served in Str. Isonoma in W. Gulf Blockading Squadron.
THOMPSON, SAMUEL H. (1st Lieut.), ent. Co. H, 16 Conn. Vols., 13 Aug., 1862 ; d. 21 Oct., 1862, at home.
THOMAS, JOIIN, ent. (subst.) Co. E, 11 Conn. Vols., 19 Mich., 1864; wd .; dise. 21 Dec., 1865.
THOMAS, ALEXANDER, enl. (subst.) 26 Nov., 1864, Co. A, 11 Conn. Vols .; deserted 11 May, 1865.
TWINING, GEORGE A., enl. Co. A, 7 Conn. Vols., 5 Sept., 1861 ; disc. disab. 1 Dec., 1862.
VINTON, CHIELSEA C. (20 Lient.), enl. 7 Aug., 1863, Co. D. 14 Conn. Vols .; re- signed 26 Dee., 1862.
VINTON, RANDOLPH J., enl. Co. A, 7 Conn. Vols., 5 Sept., 1861 ; d. 27 Oet., 1862, at Hilton Head, S. C.
WARD, MICHAEL, enl. Co. G, 25 Conn. Vols., 2 Sept., 1862 ; dise. 26 Ang , 1863.
WEBB, WM. H., enl. (subst.) Co. G, 11 Conn. Vols., 19 Mich., 1861; deserted 20 Aug., 1864.
WHEELER, WILLIAM C., enl. Co. 11, 12 Conn. Vols., 22 Nov., 1861 ; disc. disab. Feb., 1864.
WILCOX, JOIIN, enl. (subst.) 2d Light Batt., 4 Dec., 1863 ; disc. 9 Aug., 1865.
WILLEY, NATHAN (Corp'}), enl. Co. G, 25 Conn. Vols., 21 Aug., 1862 ; dise. in La .. 7 Aug., 1863.
WILLEY, NEWTON, enl. Co. A, 16 Conn. Vols., 17 July, 1862; was severely disab., wd. at Antietam, Sept., 1862; dise. disab. 6 Feb., 1863 ; was one of the enrolling officers of the '63 dft .; although then not wholly recovered from the effects of his wds. he applied and was exam. for app't as commissioned officer in colored reg't then being raised by the State ; disappointed, however, in this, he re-enlisted in the 12 Conn. Vols., 4 Jan., 1864, that reg't being then in the State on veteran furlough. lle was disc. from its roll, 5 July, 1864, to receive com. as 2d Lieut. in 30 (col'd) Conn. Vols .; took part in operations before Petersburg in the spring and summer of 1864 ; June 21 he was prom. Ist Lient .; carly in Aug. of that year he was suffer- ing in hospital from illness caused by exposure and fatigue. He returned home on leave of absence in Sept., but died 15 Oct., respected by all who knew him.
WILLIAMS, HENRY, enl. 17 Dec., 1861, Co. D, 10 Conn. Vols .; disc. 25 Aug., 1865. WOLCOTT, FREDERIC W., enl. Co. A, 7 Conn. Vols., 5 Sept., 1861; d. 31 Oct., 1861.
WRIGHT, RICHARD, enl. (subst.) Co. I, 29 Conn. Vols. (vol'd), 4 Mch., 1864 ; de- serted 14 Mch., 1864.
CHAPTER IX.
ELLINGTON PARISH AND TOWN. - FORMERLY A PART OF EAST WIND SOR, NOW BELONGING TO TOLLAND COUNTY.
BY REV. JOHN G. BAIRD' OF ELLINGTON.
I. Territory.
E LLINGTON was formerly included in the town of Windsor. Its territory was acquired by that town at two different times.
(1) In 1671, September 19th, Thomas and Nathaniel Bissell, as agents for Windsor, purchased of the Indians [see chapter on Indian Purchases, p. 130] an extensive tract of land "lying without the bounds of Windsor, on the east side of the Great River, bounded on the south by Potuneke River and land that was Tantonimo's, on the east by the hills beyond the pine plains [probably Ellington ], on the west by the Seantook as it runs till it comes to run due east from the mouth of the Fresh Water River till you come to the hills beyond the pine plains, which said line marks the north bonnds." This purchase included the east part of East Windsor, the northeast part of South Windsor, the southeast part of Enfield, the southwest part of Somers, and the west part of Ellington. The east line of it extended along the foot of the hills on the east side of the plain where the village of Ellington now stands .? The next year, 1672, the town of Windsor applied to the General Court to have this purchase included in that town. The record of the session for October, 1672, contains the following : " Whereas Mr. Joseph Fitch, Corporal Samnel Marshall, and Jacob Drake, by the appointment of the town of Windsor, September 9, 1672, moved this Court to grant them some enlargement on the east side of the river of Connecticut, by reason of a purchase they have made of the Indians, they having an eye that at a convenient time it may be fit for a planta- tion : This Court, upon the said motion for the encouragement of such as shall plant there, grant the bounds of Windsor shall extend eastward
'For portions of this chapter enclosed in brackets, thus [ ]. H. R. s. is responsible. ? " Voted, that Nathaniel Bissell's and Thomas Bissell's heirs have 200 acres of land on the north side of the land formerly purchased by the town, and within the purchase of said Bissells of Arowonuek the Indian, provided the said Bissells make over to the town all the right to the purchase made of Arowanuck or Will." Town Acts of Wind- xor, ii. 102. Dec .. 1708 .- H. R. S.
808
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WINDSOR.
five miles from their former bounds, provided all former grants made of any parts of those lands are excepted in this grant."' The eastern boundary of Windsor, as thus established, was about 200 rods east of the spot where the Ellington church now stands, and a short distance east of the highway leading from Vernon to Somers.
(2) The part of Ellington lying east of this line and known originally as " The Equivalent," was granted to Windsor by the General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut as an indemnity for certain lands of which that town had been deprived in the settlement of the disputed boundary between Connecticut and Massachusetts. The towns of Suffield, Enfield, and Somers were settled under the authority of Massachusetts and formed part of that colommy till 1749. In settling a question of boundary between the two colonies in 1713, a considerable part of the purchase made by Windsor in 1671 (as already described ) was conceded to Massachusetts, as was also a traet on the west side of the Connectient, now in Suffielt, which had been purchased by Windsor some time previous.
From papers in the State Archives the following facts have been collected : In September, 1715, the petition of Windsor by their select- men stated that by a recent arrangement of the bounding line with Massachusetts, several thousand aeres have been taken from that town and annexed to the other colony ; that the Assembly had agreed that a suitable equivalent in public lands elsewhere should be rendered to Windsor : they therefore requested the Assembly to assign to them forthwith an equivalent in some place convenient to the town and with due allowance for the distance. They feelingly reminded the Assembly of the extra hardships and expenses they had borne by being a frontier town : followed by a grievance of having such a quantity of land, pur- chased many years previously by that "ancient town," " taken out of the bosom of the town " and forced to receive an indemnity in " a remote place." The petition was signed by John Elliot, Israel Stoughton. Nathaniel Loomis. Jonathan Ellsworth, and Henry Wolcott. It was granted in the upper house and negatived in the lower. A committee of conference was appointed, but no result appears on record.
In May, 1716, Matthew Allyn and Roger Wolcott, agents for Wind- sor, in a petition reminded the Assembly of the loss to that town of 7,259 acres of land by the settlement of the north line of the colony, and requested the appointment of a committee to lay out an equivalent from the public lands. They said, "we beg leave to express our concernment
1 Trumbull's Col. Rec., ii. 185. A copy of this record among the papers in the Slate Archives, was endorsed by The person who arranged them, a few years ago, as relating lo Tolland. It undoubtedly, however, refers to Ellington, and the west part of Ver non, which Jast was also a part of the ancient town of Windsor.
809
ELLINGTON -- ITS TERRITORY.
to see this ancient town, which has cheerfully borne her part in the charge of this colony from the infancy thereof, a particular instance in thus suffering so great a loss, which we could not have expected from this Assembly." With this memorial was presented an affidavit of Thomas Stoughton, who testified that in about 1702 Caleb Stanley, county surveyor, was employed by Windsor to ascertain the east bounds of the town, " who began at the Great River and measured eastwardly eight miles, which eight miles extended half a mile east of the marsh known by the name of the Great Marsh " : also a statement from Wm. Thompson, New Haven county surveyor, who, under the employment of Matthew Allyn and Roger Wolcott, had ascertained that six thousand two hundred and forty acres from Windsor had been assigned to Enfiekl, and one thousand and nineteen to Suffield ; in all, seven thousand two hundred and fifty-nine acres.
Upon this application the Assembly appointed " Joseph Talcott, Esq., and Mr. Thomas Kimberly a committee to lay out to the town of Wind- sor lands equivalent for what is taken from them, lying between the towns of Windsor and Tolland, north of the claim of Joshua's legatees. And if in that place there shall not be found land sufficient to make the equivalent, consideration being had to the distance of the place and quality of the land, the remainder shall be laid out to the town of Wind- sor in the ungranted lands of this colony above Tolland."
In May, 1722, six years after the above-named committee was appointed, Mr. Israel Stoughton, selectman of Windsor, in the name of the town, reminded the Assembly of the above resolution ; and stated that the committee, though often requested, "have hitherto refused to lay out such equivalent lands to the town of Windsor," and petitioned for the appointment of a new committee of the addition of one to the former, and to give full power to any two of them. The Assembly granted the petition, and added William Pitkin, Esq., to the previous committee, " and any two of them are to act with full power in the mat- ter to them referred."
In October, 1722, - Upon the motion of the Windsor representatives, this Assembly do appoint James Wadsworth and John Hall, Esqrs., with the assistance of Mr. Thomas Kimberly, county surveyor, to lay out to said town their equivalent lands."
In May. 1723. James Wadsworth and John Hall made report that in April previous they had laid ont to Windsor about eight thousand aeres of land as an equivalent for the lands taken from that town. which report the Assembly adopted, ordered to be put on the public records of the colony, and that a patent be issued " under the seal of the colony, and signed by the governor and secretary, to the inhabitants, proprietors of said town" of Windsor. In this patent, signed by Governor Salton-
VOL. I .- 102
810
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WINDSOR.
stall, the bounds of the traet are described as follows: " Bounded west upon a right line drawn from the northeast to the southeast corner bound walks of said town ; and east partly by Willimantick River, partly by Stafford bounds, and partly by Tolland township; northwardly partly by Enfield' bounds, and partly by Stafford bounds; and southwardly partly by said Tolland bounds, and in part by Bolton bounds, which is a line drawn from the south end of Meshenups Pond to the afore-mentioned line from Windsor northeast to southeast corner."
Thus, after ten years, Windsor obtained reparation for the lands she had lost. [Twenty years, however, passed away before any division of this traet was made among the proprietors. During this interval, yearly meetings were held, at which the division of these and other com- mon lands was the principal subject of discussion : but the lapse of time had so complicated the claims of proprietors, and intensified their differ- ences of opinion, as to embarrass their proceedings and prevent them from coming to any mutual agreement. Finally, in 1743, as a desperate attempt to extricate themselves, they accepted the report of a committee appointed many years before, and under their direction the allotments were made. Beginning cast of where the present road from Rockville to Ellington Center leaves Vernon or Rockville, they laid out the lots in half mile ranges, to Somers and then back again. Beyond this second tier, the lots were laid north and south in two tiers; all the south range bounded south by Tolland, and all the north on the north by Stafford. Beyond this a number of lots were laid ont the whole breadth from Tolland to Stafford, and thus till the last lot was bounded by the Willimantic. In all these surveys and allotments, the pond be- tween Ellington and Tolland was uniformly written Messhanips ; for the north pond bordering upon Stafford no other name is known than Square Pond. " - H. R. S. ]
II. Settlement.
Nearly fifty years elapsed after the first purchase of lands now in- eluded in Ellington before any permanent settlement was made there. The earliest settlers considered the land upon the hills further eastward superior to that of the plain in the central and western parts of Elling- ton. The towns of Bolton ( which included Vernon ), Coventry, Hebron, Mansfield, Stafford, Tolland, and Willington, were settled and incorpo- rated before any settlement was made in this town. Churches had been organized in all these towns, also in Columbia and Somers, several years before Ellington had need of any such organization. All the other towns now ineInded in Tolland county were occupied earlier than Elling-
' Enfield included Somers till 1734.
Barber's Hist. Collect. Conn.
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811
SETTLEMENT OF ELLINGTON.
ton. Any one who is familiar with the present aspect of this town, and the evidences of its thrift and prosperity, cannot readily understand why it should have been considered in those earlier times so undesirable.
It seems probable that the earliest settler here was Samuel Piney, in 1717. For several years before that date he had been employed much of the time by the town of Windsor in surveying lands east of the Connecticut River. Hle thus had an excellent opportunity For selecting, and he probably purchased of that town the land on which he settled. This was in the southwestern part of Ellington, and contained about. 1.000 acres, being about one and a half miles in extent from vast to west, and one mile from north to south. Some portions of it are still owned by his descendants .? The village of Windermere is near its northeast corner. His first residence here was a log house, which stood about twenty rods southeast of the brick dwelling house lately occupied by Nelson Pinney. That log honse was probably the first building erected in Ellington.
The earliest known record of land surveyed within the present limits of Ellington reads thus :
" Land surveyed to Daniel and John Ellsworth, sons of Lieutenant John Ellsworth of Windsor, by Thomas Kimberly, Surveyor of land in the county of Hartford. 16th of March 1220, five hundred and forty acres of land between the mountains east of Wind- sor and Connectient River, at a place called by the English the Great Marsh, and by the Indians Wearskashuck -340 aeres bought of Capt. Joseph Wadsworth and two hundred acres bought of the Bissells, by said Lieut. John Ellsworth, began at a pine tree marked and having two mere stones hy it, standing on the plain, near the north west (Query, north east ?) corner of the said marsh, [then all the bounds are described ] Samuel Pinney and Daniel Grant, being under oath, assisted in carrying the chain." 3
Lient. John Ellsworth came from (East ) Windsor in the spring of 1720, made a clearing on the east side of the Great Marsh, and built a small house near the place where N. W. Charter now lives. Tradition says he and his two sons were accustomed to come from their home on Monday morning with their ox-team, and return Saturday afternoon. On the clearing that they had made they raised pease, eorn, and turnips.
1 [Corroborative evidence as to this date is found, we think, in an additional entry made by some person unknown, to the original Mss, of Matthew Grant's Old Church Record, in these words: " The year 1717, 1 set down all that have died in Ellenton [ El- lington] to the year 1740." The first name on the list is that of Lt. Ellsworth, and the second that of " Isabel (?) Pinye." - H. R. S. ]
2 [It was afterwards divided to his three sous: Samuel, Jr., having his share on the northern side of the fract, his house being near Mr. Henry Beche's dwelling. Joseph took his share on the south side, his house being fifteen rods cast of the William Pinney brick house, where the ancient well is still to be seen; and the center of the tract fell to Benjamin. - H. R. S. ]
3 Barber's Hixt. Coller. of Conn. p. 547.
812
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WINDSOR.
One Saturday afternoon in October, 1720, the father sent the boys to gather some turnips to carry home, while he went to fell a tree. As he did not return when they expected him, they went to look for him, and found that the tree had fallen upon and killed him. A stone, set up to mark the place where he was killed, is now standing by the roadside on the west side of the highway a short distance south of the house of Elgar Pease. I contains the following inscription : " Lieut. JJohn Ellsworth was killed here by the fall of a tree, Oct. 26th, 1720, aged 19 years and 15 days."'
The land bought by Lieut. Ellsworth is now or was recently owned by Egbert Tilden. Asaph Mckinney, Wellington Charter, the family of the late Lathrop Pease, and others. Like the tract bought by Sammel Pinney, it contains some of the best land in the town. Beside the Pin- ney and Ellsworth families, there were, before 1710, families named Booth, Burroughs, Chapin, Carter, Chapman, Davis, Dorman, Drake, Eaton. Gibbs, Grant, Graves, Griswold, Hallock. Hubbard, MeCray, Me- Kinstry, Pearson, Russell, Scott, Skinner, Strickland, Taylor, and Thompson.
11. Organization of Church and Society.
The first settlers of all the early Connectiont towns considered it one of their most urgent duties to provide for stated religions instruc- tion. The earliest settlers of Ellington, or Windsor Goshen, as it was at first called, for many years attended the ministry of Rev. Timothy Ed- wards, in East (now South) Windsor. But the distance, eight miles, was too great, and they very soon began to think of obtaining a minister of their own. Their first action in the matter seems to have been taken as early as 1725, for, in December of that year, the Second Society of Windsor (now South Windsor) voted "that the inhabitants of Great Marsh shall be freed from their part of Mr. Edwards' salary for the year past, provided they do on their own cost provide themselves a min- ister to preach the gospel to them from this present time till the first day of April next." In February following the town "considering there is likely to be a society on the land laid out on the East Side of the River," granted - 30 acres to be laid out for a home lot [for a minis- tor] in the ancient town patent. and 10 aeres in the equivalent."? Several years elapsed before the people at the Great Marsh were able to avail themselves of this grant, as they were few and poor, numbering in
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