USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > The memorial history of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1884, Vol. I > Part 50
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372
MEMORIAL HISTORY OF HARTFORD COUNTY.
during two centuries, to cause the loss of valuable records, which would now be greatly prized.1 In 1827 the subject of building a town-house, convenient for the town-meetings, and for the purpose of keeping the town records, was discussed. In November of that year William H. Imlay, Joseph Trumbull, and Enoch Perkins were appointed a com- mittee for the purpose of considering the proposition for the erection of a fire-proof building for the preservation of the public records. The next year it was proposed that a depository for the town records and an office for the town clerk should be obtained in the " new Market- House " (City Hall, on Market Street), by agreement with the city authorities ; but apparently this arrangement was not completed until 1831, when the Assessors and Board of Relief were also accommo- dated in the City Hall. Three or four years later the purchase of a lot on Pearl Street, for the purpose of erecting thereon a building for the town clerk's office and probate office was agitated. Dec. 31, 1835, the town purchased of Robert Watkinson a piece of land on the south side of Pearl Street, where the State Savings Bank now stands, and a small one-story building was erected the next year, containing two rooms for offices for the town clerk and court of probate. In October, 1839, the selectmen were authorized to lease to the city the rear por- tion of this land for the purpose of erecting a building for the Hook and Ladder and Sack and Bucket companies, and for a watch-house; and a quitclaim deed was given in 1844. The land is still used by the Fire Department. In 1843 the selectmen were instructed to erect a build- ing in the rear of the town clerk's and probate office, suitable for keeping fuel, in order to make the town building containing these offices fire-proof. Eight years later, in 1851, it was proposed to en- large the building on Pearl Street, by putting on a second story, - thus giving more room for offices, - and also to put in a furnace, gas- meters, and " a bin for antricite coal." Nothing about enlarging the building was done then; but on the 14th of September, 1852, Messrs. D. F. Robinson, Noah Wheaton, and Edson Fessenden were appointed a committee to make alterations in the town clerk's office, and to put in suitable safes for the books of the town and probate offices. The dis- cussion whether it was best to make alterations in the old or to build a new office still continued, and it was at first proposed that a new building should be erected on the same site, at an expense of $10,000. Finally it was decided that the lot on the corner of Pearl and Trumbull streets should be purchased, and the piece of land on which the Halls of Record now stands was conveyed to the town by George W. Corning and others, June 3, 1853, and in the same year the old lot was sold.
Messrs. Timothy M. Allyn, Alonzo W. Birge, and Edwin D. Tiffany were appointed, Feb. 15, 1853, a committee to build the new town
1 The town clerks of Hartford, with their tenure of office, have been as follows: -
1639. John Steele, 12 years. 1805. Thomas Chester, 9 years.
1651. William Andrews, 8 years.
1814. Elisha Colt, 13 years.
1659. John Allyn, 37 years. 1827. William Whitman, 12 years.
1696. Richard Lord, 9 years.
1839. Henry Francis, 23 years.
1705. Hezekiah Wyllys, 27 years.
1862. Levi Woodhouse, 3 years.
1732. George Wyllys, 50 years.
1865. George S. Burnham, 2 years.
1782. Jonathan Bull, 1 day.
1867. Levi Woodhouse, 5 years.
1782. George Wyllys, 14 years.
1872. Gurdon Robins, 4 years.
1796. Samuel Wyllys, 9 years.
1876. John E. Higgins.
373
THE TOWN SINCE 1784.
clerk's office, and the sum of $15,000 was appropriated for the purpose. Sept. 25, 1854, the committee reported that the work of building the Halls of Record was completed, and asked to be discharged. The total expense was $22,384.55. A substantial iron fence was constructed around the building during the next year.
It is well known that that part of the city now called Asylum Hill formerly bore the name of Lord's Hill, from the Lord family, who owned land there almost from the first settlement, but it is not so well known that the appellation of Tower Hill was also given to that locality. This latter title dates as far back as 1789, when it appears in a deed from the town of Hartford to Levi Kelsey, and from the bounda- ries it is evident that the land conveyed in the document was near the present Garden Street reservoir. In December, 1829, a vote was passed in town-meeting that " all that part of the Town lying west of the City line, extending to West Hartford Society, and between Talcott Moun- tain road and Little or Mill River, should be called Tower Hill District." In the By-laws of the City of Hartford, published by Hudson & Goodwin in 1812, mention is made of Tower Hill Street, extending as far west as the house of Thomas Chester ;1 and the deed conveying the prem- ises bought by the Hon. Julius Catlin in 1840 (the Sigourney place) describes them as situated on Tower Hill. The origin of this name is unknown, but it would seem to indicate that there may have been in ancient times a tower of observation on some part of that tract of land now known as Asylum Hill. In the early days of Hartford the hill just west of the railroad depot was called Brick Hill, the low land north and east of it, Brick Hill Swamp, and Gully Brook was Brick Hill Brook, and the last-named title continued until quite recent times.
Various subjects are mentioned in the town records, some of which -as the vote for raising money for the new State House, in 1788, and the vote, in 1824, authorizing the selectmen to offer $5,000 to the trustees of Washington College to induce them to locate that in- stitution here - belong to other divisions of this work. I will men- tion, however, that this latter sum was raised by conveying to William H. Imlay, Charles Sigourney, Samuel Tudor, and Cyprian Nichols, for the benefit of the college, all the lands belonging to the town on the banks of the Little River, leased to various individuals, and two small parcels in the Old Burying-Ground.
I stated in my chapter on the period between 1688 and 1784 that the last considerable portion of the Town Commons was parcelled out in 1754; nevertheless, there still remained some common and undivided land, as shown by deeds from agents chosen by the proprietors, laying out land to divers persons as legal heirs of the "ancient proprietors." These deeds bear date as far back as 1756, coming down to 1793, and in all of them the distribution is made at the rate of one acre to one pound on the list of some ancient proprietor, by descent from whom the grantor derived his claim. The greater portion of the land conveyed in these deeds was in the West Division. In 1806 Richard Goodman and Timothy Burr, in behalf of the Proprietors of the Common Lands, leased to Thomas Williams a tract of land on the east side of Front
1 This was afterward the residence of the late Bishop Brownell, and is on the corner of Asylum and Ann streets.
374
MEMORIAL HISTORY OF HARTFORD COUNTY.
Street, near the creek. The proprietors of the Common Field called the North Meadow held a meeting at the house of Charles Sanford, March 26, 1810, and voted to lease the " Little Lot" on the east side of Front Street to Hezekiah Bull for the term of nine hundred and ninety-nine years. Joseph Pratt and Samuel Trumbull, in behalf of the proprietors, quitclaimed the same lot to Henry L. Ellsworth, September, 1821, and this is the last appearance on the Land Records of the ancient proprie- tors of Hartford.
The subject of inoculation for the small-pox was considered a town affair, and on the 9th of April, 1792, Dr. Daniel Butler, Dr. Eliakim Fish, and Dr. Lemuel Hopkins were permitted to communicate the small-pox by inoculation, subject to such regulations as the selectmen may propose. In 1794 Starr Chester was allowed to practise inocula- tion at the house recently occupied by Colonel Samuel Talcott, in West Hartford. Three years later, Dec. 29, 1797, liberty was granted to Dr. Eliakim Elmer to erect an hospital, and carry on the business of inoculation. In 1816 Dr. Sylvanus Fancher was employed to inocu- late all the inhabitants who desired to be inoculated, at the expense of the town, and later the selectmen chose him to inoculate the children in the schools.
A wild hope appears to have arisen in the breasts of some specu- lators that mineral products might be found within the limits of Hart- ford ; and in December, 1818, the selectmen were authorized to lease to Sheldon W. Candee and his associates " such part of the Town lands as they may think expedient, and for such a term of time, for the purpose of searching for, and, if found, digging Coal and other Minerals." The next year an ineffectual war was waged against that pest of farmers, the Canada thistle, and a committee was appointed to search out meas- ures for preventing its spread, and towards rooting out and destroy- ing it.
During the earlier portion of this period some of the elections were held in the South Meeting-House, frequently in the evening, and the proceedings were lengthy and protracted, as each officer - governor, lieutenant-governor, etc. - was voted for singly, and the first officer must be elected before the next one could be named, instead of taking the whole ticket at once, so that our grandfathers were often detained until midnight considering the affairs of State. The town meetings were generally held at the court house, and only occasionally in the different meeting-houses. In 1836, according to my informant,1 who has voted in Hartford for nearly fifty years, the elections were held on the second floor in that building, in the space afterward occupied by the State Library. (According to another account, the voters passed up the stairways in single file, and as each man came up his name was taken, and if he were qualified he was allowed to deposit his vote in the ballot-box ; this may have been a little later.) The "moderator " would call the meeting to order, and after stating the object of the meeting would call for ballots for the officer to be voted for. If for rep- resentative, he would call for votes "for him whom you will have for first
1 N. Starkweather, Esq., to whom I am indebted for information on other topics in this article.
375
THE TOWN SINCE 1784.
representative," as they were elected singly, one name on a ballot, and to elect required a majority, not as now a plurality. The moderator would make frequent calls for votes, and if there was a lull he would announce that the polls would be closed in five minutes, and then again in two minutes ; and at the expiration of that time he would declare the box closed, and proceed with the count. If there had been no elec- tion he would call again for ballots for the same officer, and proceed as before. A second representative was elected in the same manner. The time allowed for voting and of closing the ballot-box was entirely con- trolled by the moderator. At that time there was no registry list, and there were no checks to fraudulent voting excepting the fact that the community was so much smaller than now that every voter was well known. Nevertheless, in 1838 a law was passed requiring that at an election for members of Congress the presiding officer should cause to be recorded the names of all persons voting, which was the first register- ing of votes we ever had. As early as 1840 the old City Hall on Market Street was adopted as the place of voting. A partition was placed nearly across the hall a little in front of the platform, with a narrow alley leading into the enclosure on the east side, and a like alley leading out on the west side ; and voters passed around in single file, deposit- ing their ballots in a box on one side. The elections were usually held at two o'clock in the afternoon, and the time for voting was limited, being announced beforehand by the moderator, and included, generally, but a small portion of the day. The town was divided into three voting districts in 1857. The voting-place for the first district was the Halls of Record; for the second district, the engine-house of Company No. 2, on North Main Street; for the third, the engine-house of Company No. 1, on Main Street.
Fortunately for Hartford the catalogue of serious accidents need not be a long one. The most striking catastrophe of the eighteenth cen- tury, and one long remembered by the relatives of the sufferers, was the explosion by which the brick school-house was destroyed, May 23, 1766, mentioned in a previous chapter. Apparently very few large fires took place during the carly part of this century. The conflagration on Exchange corner, extending from 16 State Street to 344 Main Street, Oct. 21, 1832, caused the greatest destruction of property by fire that had occurred up to that time. The Exchange buildings were four stories in height ; on the first floor there were five spacious and valuable stores ; 1 the upper stories were occupied by Messrs. Cooke & Co. and Barber & Robinson, booksellers and publishers, and also two book-binderies ; and the office of the "New England Review" was on the third floor. A painting representing this conflagration is now owned by the Hook and Ladder Company, and shows us five fire-engines at work, and a fire warden driving to service at the brakes several men who are unwilling to do their part, with his badge of office, a pole four or five feet long. Another picture is in existence representing a somewhat similar scene when the Eggleston block was burned, on the corner of Main and Trum- bull streets, Dec. 17, 1836. The American Hall in the American Hotel building was nearly destroyed by fire, Feb. 11, 1849, and Harrington's
1 Occupied by Messrs. Allyn & Marsh, wholesale dry-goods ; Wm. Jas. Hamersley, hard- ware ; J. O. & W. Pitkin, jewellers ; H. F. Sumner, bookstore ; Henry Benton, bookstore.
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MEMORIAL HISTORY OF HARTFORD COUNTY.
diorama of the Creation and Deluge, which had been exhibited in the hall for two weeks, was entirely consumed. An event much longer re- membered, however, was the destruction of Fales & Gray's Car Fac- tory, accompanied with the loss of twenty-one lives, by the explosion of a steam-boiler, March 2, 1854. The explosion was terrific, breaking the timbers and powerful machinery, shattering everything about the building in pieces, and throwing down the walls for the space of one hundred feet. The roof and walls fell in a huge mass over the men employed, burying them beneath the ruins. The firemen were called out, the mayor superintended the extrication of the bodies, and the crumbling, smoking mass was removed with all possible despatch. Nine men were killed instantly, twelve more died shortly after, and many others were badly injured. The loss was estimated to be from $20,000 to $30,000. The boiler was a new one of fifty-horse power, built of the best materials and with the greatest care ; but the inquest showed some carelessness on the part of the engineer. Subscription papers were cir- culated for the benefit of the families of those killed, and for the badly injured. The structure was rebuilt, and seven years later (March 15, 1861) while occupied by the Grove Car Works, it was again destroyed by a fire.
Probably the greatest loss of property caused by fire in this city oc- curred when Colt's Armory was burned, Feb. 5, 1864. The building destroyed was the original structure erected by Colonel Colt, immedi- ately after the great freshet in 1854, into which he removed his works from the Porter building between Grove and Potter streets. It was built of Portland stone, facing the river, five hundred feet long, sixty fect wide, and three stories high. A newer wing of the same dimen- sions, built of brick, was not destroyed. The loss was at least $1,200,000.
The recent history of the town has been uneventful, and where it touches on the great Civil War the facts will be found in another por- tion of this work.
The limits of the city are now coterminous with those of the town, and there was even some talk a few years since of giving up the ancient town government ; but the project was defeated, and the town of Hart- ford bids fair to flourish for many years longer.
Mary R. Talcott
377
THE CITY OF HARTFORD.
SECTION II.
THE CITY OF HARTFORD.
BY JAMES P. ANDREWS.
ITS INCORPORATION. - EARLY CITY GOVERNMENT. - THE STREETS. - CHANGES IN THE CITY LIMITS AND THE MANAGEMENT OF AFFAIRS.
FOR a period of nearly one hundred and fifty years after the first settlers came to Connecticut no city existed within its borders. Coun- ties, towns, and ecclesiastical societies composed all the subdivisions of the colony or State. There was, in fact, no reason for city government. The population of the towns was for the most part small, while the township limits were of considerable extent. Cultivation of the soil formed the chief industry of the people, and this naturally tended to prevent the formation and growth of thickly settled communities. Trade was in its infancy, manufacturing had scarcely begun, and the inhabitants of the town found little difficulty in coming together on an afternoon to discuss and settle matters of local interest. But shortly after the close of the Revolutionary War the towns of New Haven and New London petitioned the General Assembly for municipal rights and privileges. Up to this time there is no official record that Hartford had manifested any desire to become a city. Presumably the resi- dents of the town had talked the question over, as they must have been interested in the proposed legislation affecting the above-named towns. At all events, on the first Tuesday of January, 1784, a town- meeting was held, and a vote passed appointing Colonel Samuel Talcott, Captain Seth Collins, Mr. Thomas Goodwin, Mr. Chauncey Goodrich, Mr. John Trumbull, Colonel Thomas Seymour, Mr. Ebenezer Wells, Noah Webster, Esq., Captain John Cook, Mr. Caleb Bull, Mr. Barnabas Dean, Mr. Peter Colt, Captain Jonathan Bull, and Captain Israel Sey- mour, a committee " to consider and fix the limits of that part, or the whole of this Town, which is proposed to be incorporated into a city ; To draw a Memorial to the General Assembly, Praying for such incorpora- tion, and prepare a Bill in form accordingly." This committee either refused or neglected to act ; for on the 9th of January, at an adjourned meeting, Colonel Thomas Seymour and Mr. Chauncey Goodrich were instructed to prefer a memorial to the General Assembly, for the in- corporation of a part of the town as a city. The town then extended on the west to Farmington, so that the limitation of the territory to be affected by the charter was wise. The memorial (dated Jan. 8, 1784) presented to the General Assembly by Messrs. Seymour and Goodrich recited -
V
" That the lands in and near the Town Platt are so subdivided among indi- viduals, that the Inhabitants are generally turning their attention to extend that Commerce so necessary for them, so beneficial to a large interior Country. Yet
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MEMORIAL HISTORY OF HARTFORD COUNTY.
that many and great inconveniences do arise for want of a due regulation of the Internal police of sª Town which are sensibly felt, as well by strangers as the commercial part of sª Town ; that for the promotion of Trade it is needless to inform your Honors that a full Credit and a strict punctuality in performing Con- tracts are absolutely necessary ; and that it is a matter of no small importance, that wharves, Streets, & Highways be commodious for Business, & kept continu- ally in good Repair ;- that the abovesd regulations cannot take place unless a part of sd Town & its Inhabitants have a jurisdiction of their own, subordinate to that of the State, enabling them to make bye-Laws for their particular com- mercial welfare as occasion may require."
Favorable action was taken upon the memorial in the upper house ; but, owing to opposition by numerous residents, the lower house post- poned action until the next session, held at Hartford in May, 1784. During the interval each party worked diligently, -the one to secure, the other to defeat, the charter. On the assembling of the legislature, a remonstrance signed by more than seventy residents, among whom were Samuel Wadsworth, Caleb Spencer, Pantry Jones, Hezekiah Marsh, Jonathan Wells, John Haynes Lord, Joseph Sheldon, and Ilugh Ledlie, was presented. It averred that the signers
" Having lived under the constitution and government of this State, so well adapted to the genius, happiness, and freedom of its community, with power and laws to guard the rights, properties, and liberty of the individuals thereof, whether of the landed, mercantile or any other interests, and under that government the several towns in this State are fully authorized and invested with full and ample powers to make and inforce such laws and regulations for their internal police, which are necessary and beneficial for the common weal of the State (if not repug- nant to the laws thereof). That we conceive a change and alteration in creating and supporting a corporation with city privileges in this town or any part thereof can be productive of neither benefit or advantage to the public of this town ; but on the contrary by blending the power of incorporation for city privileges with the incorporation of towns and thereby altering and subverting the ancient cus- toms of the community, will be big with the greatest evils, and attended with the most dangerous consequences to the government of this State (which at this time there are too many willing to subvert), and much expense, trouble, and confusion will necessarily accrue."
Some of the remonstrants, while action upon the matter was pend- ing before the General Assembly, complained that Captain George Smith and others " have, by various arts and misrepresentations of the design and tending of said act of incorporation, prevailed on us to sign a remonstrance against the granting of said memorial, and upon appli- cation has refused to erase our names out of said remonstrance." May 6, 1784, a new petition in aid of the charter was presented, signed by two hundred and nine residents. It was granted by the General As- sembly on the 29th day of May, 1784, and the limits therein designated became the limits of the city. These limits were, by present bounds, substantially as follows : Beginning on the Connecticut River, a trifle north of Charter Oak Street, thence in a straight line to a point at or near the junction of Congress Street, Maple and Retreat avennes, thence nearly west to a point near the corner of Washington and Jefferson streets, thence. northwest to about the corner of Lafayette and Park streets, thence north a straight line, passing just west of the State Capi- tol to a point at or near the corner of Main and Belden streets, thence
379
THE CITY OF HARTFORD.
due east to the Connecticut River, which would bring the line at the river to a point slightly north of the present water-works. This was about one sixth of the territory of the town as it then existed.
The charter provided that all the inhabitants, being freemen of this state, and dwelling in said Hartford, within the above limits, should be a body politic by the name of "the Mayor, Aldermen, Common Coun- cil, and Freemen of the City of Hartford." The annual city-meeting was to be held in March for choosing all annual officers who should continue in office until the expiration of the following March. The city officers provided by the charter were a mayor, who held office dur- ing the pleasure of the General Assembly ; four aldermen ; not more than twenty common councilmen ; and two sheriffs, -all of whom were to be freemen of the city and chosen by ballot. A " reasonable time " was to be given for balloting, and then one of the sheriffs, or in their absence the junior alderman present, opened the box, and the votes were counted by the mayor and aldermen, or such of them as were present. With regard to taxation the charter provided that the city in legal meeting assembled might levy taxes on the polls and estate within the city limits for such purposes as the city deemed proper, agreeable to the charter ; but this power could not be exercised for the purpose of paving streets or highways, or of erecting wharves on the Connecticut River, without first obtaining authority from the General Assembly. The city treasurer was to hold office during the pleasure of the city, with powers similar to those possessed by town treasurers.
A city court was instituted having cognizance of all civil causes wherein the title to land was not concerned, with jurisdiction equal to that of the County Courts, provided the cause of action arose within the city limits and one or both parties live within the city. This juris- diction, with some additional powers, has continued to the present time. The court may now try cases involving title to land within the city, and its jurisdiction is not limited by the value of property or amount of claim involved. This court, composed of the mayor as chief judge and the two aldermen first chosen, as side or assistant judges, met on the second Tuesday of every month. From its judgment an appeal lay to the Superior Court wherever in similar cases an appeal would lie to the Superior Court from the County Court. The mayor and aldermen had severally the powers of a justice of the peace as to actions arising within the city limits, and an appeal lay to the city court. The city was also authorized to choose a clerk.
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