USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Windsor > The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut : including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, and Ellington, 1635-1891 > Part 33
USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > East Windsor > The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut : including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, and Ellington, 1635-1891 > Part 33
USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > South Windsor > The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut : including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, and Ellington, 1635-1891 > Part 33
USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Bloomfield > The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut : including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, and Ellington, 1635-1891 > Part 33
USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Windsor Locks > The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut : including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, and Ellington, 1635-1891 > Part 33
USA > Connecticut > Tolland County > Ellington > The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut : including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, and Ellington, 1635-1891 > Part 33
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SIR after my Regards to I would Informe you that J am in good Helthe and hope that these Lines will find you so tow, and all the Rest of oure Company are well and J hope that we shall See Canaday before that J com home and plese to give my Regards to all our friends and J would not haue not fale of Righting to me and J will do the ame to and plese to giue my Come to mis E G and to all Rerest of the fameley and so I Remain youres to Sary and sofrth
GILES WOLCOTT.
To Mr William Grant att Windsor. XI.
CAMP ATT CROWN POUINT.
SIR after Due Regards to you wod Jest informe you that J am in good helth at Present ind that J Did irve at this plase ou the 15 of this Enst october & all my men with me saue Sargt. Fitch who ] left sicke at nomberfore and it is a genrel time of helth in our C'amp. there is not Bout teen or twel out of our Regm that have Died this yeare, J haue list three of my men sence J Left Camp-and these Desarters that Cap' Enos Tok up haue Resed there ponishment Rider of my company had 900 well put on. Conet had 600 as well put on and those that J tooke up ha'n't had there ponnesment yet - and no more at present Bo' J must Beg leaue to subscribe my Seleff your humble sarv'. GILES WOLCOTT.
P. S. plese to give my due Regards to your Honord father and mother Brothers & Sister & teel hur that J Do inJoy my seleff much Beter at present than when a mong the Damed Lying Crue for now J C'an seet long with a woman as Long as J plese and they onle sa that J Did it a boue fore or fife times
To M: William Grant At Windsor
G. W.
pr favor of m' Mather -
to Wright - J wold not Hav you faill of Wrighting all oppertunitys and Let us Know If you are Jn want of any thing y' J can supply you with - Jn Dew time I hope
268
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WINDSOR.
God in his Infinite Goodness will Return you to your friends Laden with the Experience. of his Goodness to you which y' it may be is the Constant Prayer of your Most Afr. tionate Father
THOMAS GRANT
Cast your C'are on him y' Cars for you.
Let the fear of God be always before
your Eys
P. S. Yon Nel not be Consernd about your bisness I'll see A Alien PA Your Mother, Brothers and Sister Remember their Love to you.
To William Grant at Clawverick in Major Pasons Company of Conecticut With Care.
XII.
June the 10 1757. After My Duty to my Parence I wold inform them that I am well and in good helth and fare as well as can be expected in a Campain, and as 1 Recev your Leter Dated May the forteuthe wich Informed me that you was all well 1 was very much Rejoys to hear of it and I hop the same and all other Mareys that you stand in nead of may be Granted to you as far as is fetest and Best for you and that you may mack a good Improvement of the same and I hope in Due time we may Se one another again and be Inabled to giue God thanks for his wonderful goodness toward- us and allthow the dangers of sin and of Life -some to be in more hazard yet god is Able to Preserve and to make all things work together for good to them that Love him, tharfor I would not have you be two much consarnd about me but put your trust in one that is able to Dwo for us in a far moer abundant way and maner than we are Able to do or Lay out for our selfe.
I have nothing Remarkable to wright to you of the Afares in the Camp But only that on the begining of May there was 4 men kild and 5 tacking within about half a mild of this Fort. Scout are sent out but mack no Descuneryes. Captin Putman set out with About 100 men for 18 days scout and was to be Joinde with two moor Company- when thay got to the Lack [Lake George ?] to go to the Norews [Narrows- Lake George] as was talked of when thay went away, the 5 day of June thur was two cap tiues came in too the fort one was tacken at Swago, and the other in eapt Rodgers Fight and they bring nuws that thar is a grat Scarety of Prouisons and that they are very much Deserrdged and I mad Inquries about Captin Noah Grant and he teld me that thar was no.hing heard of him after he set out with Capt'n Sheperd, thes men set out from Moryall 13 days befor thay came to this Fort
These Lines from your most Duteful Son
WILLIAM GRANT.
Caption to Thomas Grant at East Windsor in Connetecut These to Deliner with Cear and spead.
XIII.
FORT EDWARD, June the 12 1757 Honored father having writ a Leter June the 10 and Sent it and presently after I writ the Same Day thar was a soreful Acedent Hapened wich I had not opertunity to put in. A party of men went out with Leftenent Pilings
SOME FRENCH WAR SOLDIERS LETTERS. 269
about thre quarters of a mild from the Fort to work and there went a gard with them of abut 16 men and about nine a clock thay came in to Breakforst and went out at 10 and had but Jest set the Seatry Befuer the Enemy Fired upon them and kild 4 of them upon the spot and 5 or 6 moer are absent and witont Dont are killl or tacken. a number of our men run out from the fort and tired at them but Doat no that thay kill any, two of the men that was kild belonged to captain Witelsies company the names of them was Martin Hooker and thomas Buekels and the other two Belonged to Captain Slop, one of them was Ric. Edwards, the other was an Indyen felow. the names of two of the men that was tucken was John Wolcot and Paved Camel and the other three Belonged to Captain Fitch. a Sorrowful Sight to Behold Martin Hooker was a Live when they found him and thay Boomght him into the fort and he Lived a ine minits and did. he was Shot throw with two bolets, and stabed with thar knifs in two or three places and scalped and a hol cut in his neck with a hatchit nuws is come sence that 2 men was tacken at Lach gorge [Lake George] the day befor, but how true I cant tell we seme to be Exsposed to many danger but what is Determind for us God only knows.
WILLIAM GRANT.
thes lins ware Sent from fort Edward the 23 day of June, no opertunyti befor thar is Some things if I had time 1 shold have writ but cant now if thar is any opertunity to let me hear from you please to Improve it and let me hear how the Afares are at hom. thes lins leve me well.
Captian to
1
CHAPTER XIV.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. - THE FIRST, OR OLD SOCIETY IN WINDSOR.
1711-1776.
[THIS society was organized about 1703. The " Ecclesiastical So- 1 ciety " of New England was the necessary outgrowth of the division of a town, or of an extension of religious privileges in the formation of a new church congregation. Previously to this the town and the church were practically one as regarded their material interests, and the records of the town embraced the history of both. But, when new parishes he- gan to be formed and there were two or more in the same town, then the State established ecclesiastical societies, defined their boundaries. and gave into their hands all the powers relative to ecclesiastical affairs, schools, and the care of the " burying ground " which the towns had previously exer- cised. All property within the limits of a society was taxable, on vote of the society, for the support of the Gospel and for schools. Subsequently, under the pressure of an increasing desire for " liberty of conscience " in mat- ters of faith, this law was modified. The first to be exempted from the tax laid by the Congregational Society were members of an Episcopal Society, located in the southern part of the State. Later still, the ex- emption included all persons who belonged to any religious society and who, by certificate, notified the clerk of the Congregational Society in which they lived, of the fact ; whereupon such persons were taxed only for the support of such other society as they belonged to, and thus, directly or indirectly, all property was taxed for the maintenance of re- ligious institutions.' The Constitution of 1818 exempted every one from an ecclesiastical tax, unless they voluntarily assumed it ; but the old school system yet remains unchanged, and parties who maintain private
' It was not until near the beginning of the present century that men were allowed to "sign off " in order that they might support preaching of some other than the "es- tablished order." Numbers of these notes or "certificates" which are recorded, show how unwilling many were to be taxed for the support of a ministry in which they had no faith. One dated Nov., 1808, reads, "This may certify that MARTIN PALMER, DE Windsor, does not mean to uphold the idea of Religion being supported by the civil sword; therefore, by this he certifies that the Baptist order are according to the Apos- tolic plan, discarding the usurpation of the Pedo-Baptists, or Presbyterians, and will not support them, from this date."
.
271
ECCLESIASTICAL, 1711-1776.
schools must still pay their tax to support the State system of public instruction.
The separate parish records of Windsor begin Ang. 31, 1711 ; presi- ously to this, though, for some few years, the east and west sides of the river voted separately in parish matters, both for the support of preach- ing and for schools. Separate books of record were not kept.
1712-13. Feb. S. " Vated, To give the Rev. Samuel Mather this year, and also dur- ing his hfe for the future, the sum of $45 in pay, or two thirds in money, yearly, and so proportionately, for a lesser term of time."
1710-17. Jan. 30. " Voted, That the south and north sides of the Meeting-house, and the east end be changed into pews.
" Ited, It shall be determined in what manuer the said pews shall be built.
"Fotel, That the Society shall be at the charge of making the pews around the Meeting-house as above."
It will be remembered that, in the case of similar previous altera- tions in the first meeting-house, they had been made at the expense of the individuals who were to occupy them. This vote of 1717 marks a progress towards equality in the house of God, " a leveling up of the people, not by pulling down the pews of the dignitaries, but by building pews for the untitled-a venturing to relax a little the ontward defer- ence paid to official station, a process which has been carried so far in our day that the Governor of the Commonwealth sits among the peo- ple who elected him, with no outward sign of his rank " ; but for a long time after this, the dignitaries continued to sit in " the highest seats," and the common people were " seated" as shown in some of the follow_ ing records :
Twelve years later we have the items of expense paid by the society 1 for " seating the meeting-house."
"To Jonathan Gillett for warning pew men to meet the seaters to consider what to do
"To Dea. Thomas Marshall, 5 days at Ss .. seating the meeting house, .
153.
" To John Palmer, Sen., 5 days .
15.4.
"To Israel Stoughton, 15.x.
"To Capt. Moore, ..
"To Dr. Samuel Mather for part of a day seating the meeting-house, and a copy of the diguitication,
" The Soc'y is indebted to Eliakim Marshall for 19 dinners to seaters of the meeting-house, from Feb. 23, to March 18, 198.
for drink, 4x. 4/7."
1 Dr. Samuel Mather (who was also one of the committee to "dignify the seats,") was permitted, by special vote of the society, to " have room to ereet a pew from the Gallery stairs, going into the women's gallery, to extend to the Sonth Guard, including une casement."
The seaters were especially instructed in the performance of their duty, to have due regard to age and estate. ""'none to be degraded." i. e., none to be assigned to a seat less honorable than they had previously occupied. Also, " Voted, Those that have seats of their own granteri are not to be seated nowhere else, except they resign up their seats to the Society."
272
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WINDSOR.
Also voted. " That the seaters shall not seat the minister's pew "
" Voted to permit Isaac Skinner. Stephen Palner and Enoch Drake to have liberty to make a pew over the women's stairs, provided they fill the said pew, and don't binder the light.">
December 30th, 1218. "As to the middle pew in the gallery, the Society voted th ..: notwithstanding any former right, any person had, by building or being settled, in the aforesaid pew, the Society takes it into their own custody, to dispose of it as they shail think fit, allowing those persons what they shall think reasonable that built it."
" Voted, That the Society will give to the persons that built the pew in the gallery, 31x. for it."
The committee wer : ordered to seat it.
December 31, 1719. Voted " that the pew next to the pulpit shall be for the use of Mr. Marsh's family and no other."
In the year 1724, the inhabitants of the Poquonock distriet were sel off as a distinct parish, and the style of the " Society West of the River," is after this date changed, on the records, to the Old, or First, or Middle Society.
January 29, 1729. It was voted, that Deacon Thomas Marshall shall set the psalm on Sabbath day.
April 5. 1731. " Voted that this Meeting House shall be repaired, with new win. · dow frames. sash frame, and well glazed forthwith, and elab-boarded anew where it is needful ; also that the under pinning be well repaired and the dormant windows, so ealled, taken down and the space filled up with boards and shingles."
At a subsequent meeting this vote was reconsidered, and it was ordered that " the meeting-house windows shall be made in the same form as they now are, and that the dormer windows be unchanged."
February 4, 1734-5. The society committee were instructed to "purchase a good suitable black broadcloth, which may be creditable to cover corpses withall when buried, and that the same be left with Mr. Thomas Filer, so that any person may know where to take it when any person is buried ; and it is to be purchased on the society's eost, and the cloth to remain for the use aforesaid."
Also, " Voted, that the Society drum be fitted in good rig, and some person hired on the Society's cost to beat it on the Sabbath days."
About this time the meeting-house was seated anew, and it was ordered, " that each person is to be seated according to his age and rates.
' In the Town Records is a " Pewman's Bond," dated Dee. 19, 1718, which corre- sponds with the above. It was executed by Enoch Drake, John Stiles, Isaae Skinner. Nath. Allyn and Thus. Allyn, Jonathan Barber and Daniel Griswold, for the sum of 9) each. It bound "all and every one of them, their heirs and administrators, to well and truly pay, or cause to be paid, his or their ratable part of building a Pew, which we are now about to build in the gallery of the Meeting-House." None were to sell out their right, without the consent of all the rest; and none to sell it for more or less than its original cost. Matthew Allyn afterwards sold his right to his brother Thomas, and he to Simon Chapman.
278
ECCLESIASTICAL, 1711-1776.
and not to have any regard to anything else, but only no man to be seated lower than he is now seated."
In society expenses, the next year, are the following items : " John Wilson, for publ 98 15x. .. to turing a pair of drumsticks, 6d. Josiah Allen for heating drum. John
In 1736, or thereabouts. there seems to have been quite a commotion in various churches of the colony, occasioned by a new fangled method of singing, introduced by a certain Mr. Beal, and called Singing by Rule.' In the church of Windsor, its attempted introduction gave rise to much excitement, during which an amusing incident occurred, which is thus naïvely described on the Society Records by Henry Allyn, clerk :
.July 2d, 1736. At a society meeting at which Capt. Pelatiah Allyn was moderator.
" The business of the meeting proceeded in the following manner, viz., the Moder- ator proposed to the consideration of the meeting in the 1st place what should be done respecting that part of Public worship called singing, viz: whether in their Public meet- ings, as un Sabbath day-, Lectures, &c: they would sing the way that Deacon Marshall usually sang in his lifetime, commedy called the . old Way,' or whether they would sing the way taught by Mr. Beal, commonly called 'singing by Rule,' and when the Society had di-coursel the matter. the Moderator proposed to vote for said two ways as followeth, viz: that those that were for singing in public in the way practiced by Dea- von: Marshall, should hold up their hands and be counted, and then that those that were desirous to sing in Mr Beal's way, called " by Rule," would after show their minds by the same sign, which method was proceeded upon accordingly. But when the vote was passed, there being many voters, it was difficult to take the exact number of votes in order to determine ou which side the major vote was: whereupon the Moderator ordered all of the voters to go out of the seats and stand in the alleys. and then that those that were for Deacon Marshall's [ way ] should go into the men's seats, and those that
' Rev. Thomas Walter, a minister of Roxbury, Mass .. Irom 1718 to 1725, was one of the early movers toward thi- reform in church singing. The following is his testi- mony as to the condition of this part of public worship in his day.
"About the commenceuient of the eighteenth century, music had been so much neglected that few congregations could sing more than four or tive tunes, and these few lavl become so nn tilated, tortured. and twisted, that the psalm siuging had become a mere disorderly noise, left to the merey of every unskillful throat to chop and alter, twist and change, according to their odd fancy - sounding like tive hundred tune> scored out at the same time, and so little in time that they were often one or two wordsapart. so hideous as to be bad beyond expression, and so drawling that we sometimes had to pause twice on one word to take breath. aud the decline had been so gradual that the very confusion and discord seemed to have become grateful to their ears, while melody sung in tune and time was offensive; and when it was heard that tunes were sung by note, they argued that the new way, as it was called, was an unknown tongue, not melodious as the old - made disturbance in churches, was needless - a contrivauce of tite designing to get money, required too much time, and made the young disorderly; old way good enough."
A writer in the Verr Eugland Chronicle, about the same time (i. e., in 1723, said, "Truly I have a great jealousy that if we once begin to sing by note, the next thing will be to pray by rule, and preach by rule, and then comes Popery."
VOL. I. - 35
274
HISTORY OF ANCIENT WINDSOR.
we're for Mr. Beat's way should go into the women's seats, and after many objection- nrade against that way, which prevailed not with the Moderator, it was compdied with and then the Moderator desired that those that were of the mind that the Way to la practised for singing for the future on the & bath, &c. should be the way sang h, Dencon Marshall as atoresaid would signify the same by holling up their hands, and In counted, and then the Moderator and myself went and counted the voters, and the M. !- erator asked me how many there was. I answered 42 and he said there was 64 or 54 and then we both com fed again, and agreed in the number being 43. Then the Mod erator was about to count the number of votes for Mr. Beal's way of Singing called ".In Rule," but it was offered whether it would not be better to order the voters to pass out of the meeting-house door and there be counted, which method (though by many ah jected against, was ordered by the Moderator, and those that were for Deacon Marshall - way of singing, as aforesabl. were ordered to pass out of the Meeting House dont and there be counted, who did accordingly and their number was for 45. Then the Moder ator proceeded and desired that those that were for singing in Public the way that Mr. Beal taught, would draw out of their seats and pass out of the door and be counted they replied they were ready to show their minds in any proper way where they were. it they might be directed thereto, but would not go out of the door to do the satur. and desired that they might be led to a vote where they were, and they were ready to show their minds which the Moderator refused to do and thereupon declared that it was votul that Deacon Marshall's way of singing called the " Old Way," should be sung in Pur lie for the future, and ordered me to record the same as the vote of the said Society. which I refused to do under the circumstances thereof, and have recorded the facts atal proceedlings."
At the next meeting in Jatmary, 1736-7. Deacon Marshall's method was dropped, and it was seated, that the Society would sing in their publie meetings, for the year ensuing, one part of the day in the old way of singing, as it is called, and the other half of the day in the new way of singing, called singing by Rule. "
At last came the triumph of the reformers.
"Feb. 1738-40. Voto7, That the way of singing in public shall be by the way or method commonly called singing by rule, or the way Mr. Beal tanght this Society. " Tot. d. That Deacon John Wilson tune the Psalm.
"Tuted, That Deacon John Cook shall read the Psalm." 1
In the winter of 1740-1, occurred the famous revival of religion known as the Great Awakening. Commencing at Northampton nudler
Rev. Timothy Edwards, of the Second Parish (East Windsor), in his private account book, thus writes concerning Mr. Beale, and seems to have favored his style of singing - indeed, took an active part in the reform. During the five months in which Mr. Beal and his son made Mr. Edwards' house their home, off-and-on, they visited Hartford, Springfield, Willington, and the west side of the river, undoubtedly about their singing business.
" March 13, 1727. Mr. George Beale and his son Matthew came to my house at noon, and went that day to Dinner, both of them, and at night to supper, and Lay hete that night and went to breakfast and dinner the next day: in ye afternoon went to fart ford, viz. on Tuesday.
"March 17. Yy both came again on Friday and Supped and Lodged here, and continued bere until ye next Tuesday after dinner and ya went again in the afternoon to Hartford.
" March 24th. On Friday, in the evening yy came again, Supped and Lodged here
275
ECCLESIASTICAL, 1,11-1776.
the preaching of the Rev. Jonathan Edwards, it extended throughout the breadth and length of Joy England until almost every church had par- taken of its influences. The first parish in Windsor, under Mr. Marsh, was richly blest. as Mr. Edwards says, "about the same time as we in Northampton. while we had no knowledge of each other's circumstances; there has been a very great ingathering of souls to Christ in that place." 1 About this time the celebrated Whitfield preached, at least once in Windsor. The meeting-house, which at that time stood on the Palisado green, opposite Dr. Pierson's. was very large and had two galleries, yet it could not accommodate hundreds who came to listen to the burning elo- quence of the man of God.
In 1747, the Rev. Jonathan Marsh, third pastor of this society, rested from his labors. He possessed great amiability of temper, with strong powers of mind : and forvid piety was happily blended with sound judgment. Tradition relates that not unfrequently, when the sands of the pulpit hour-glass had quite run out, he would turn it over, and preach almost to the end of the second hour. His life was one of laborious effort, and his ministry was attended with great sueress.
His monument, in the old cemetery at Windsor, bears the following truthful epitaph :
" Here lies interred the body of the Rev! W. JONATHAN MARSH, a faithful and successful Pastor of the first church of Windsor, who died Sept y' 8, 1747 in the Buth year of his Ministry. . Etatis Sui 63. Sie Transit Gloria Mundi."
The love and respect with which he had inspired his people, and their tender care for his family, is evinced in the following society votes:
and continued with us till Tuesday after dinner, viz. sometime in ye afternoon went to Hartford.
". March 31. Yy came again on Friday evening and continued here till Tuesday after dinner as before.
"And so Mr. Beale hath been here after the satne manner ever sines, with his son, only y' weck our Singing Lecture was, his son was here from the Friday night of the wrek before all y" inte to y" next Thursday after dinner.
This was written May 9th.
July 12. Mr. Beale and his son went in ye forenoon to y" West side of y- River and came home in y" evening."
But it is to be noticed that Mr. Beal's way, commonly called " Singing by Rule," did not prevail in the Windsor Society until twelve years after he tabernacled with Rev. Mr. Edwards, showing the existence of a strong, conservative force in this ancient par- ish. Under the new style, congregational singing in New England was greatly improved. Then, just before the Revolutionary War. Mr. William Billings arose - born in Boston, 1746, and accounted a great musical genius - who wrought a wondrous revolution. U'nder hitu came church choirs, fuging tunes, singing schools, the bass-viol, etc., etc. His music went through the churches like a fresh breeze." Condensed from Rev. Increase N Tarbox's Address on Singing Customs in New England Churches, read at the Quarter- Millenial of Windsor Church, 1850.
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