USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Waterbury > The town and city of Waterbury, Connecticut, from the aboriginal period to the year eighteen hundred and ninety-five. Volume III > Part 46
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Mr. Stocking published in 1879, in pamphlet form, an account of the organization of the Republican party, entitled "Under the Oaks." This was written on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first Republican state convention held at Jackson, Mich. In the same year he wrote several chapters of a collaborative work, undertaken by the members of the Post and Tribune staffs, devoted to the life of Zachariah Chandler. In 1892 he wrote a short history of ancient Detroit, with a sketch of the modern city, which was printed and illustrated as a souvenir of the Detroit International Fair and Exposition. From 1879 to 1891 inclusive, he compiled the "Michigan Almanac," a statistical and reference publication, largely treating of Michigan politics and its internal resources.
On May 19, 1869, he married Elizabeth Lyman of Hartford. Their children are Elizabeth Lyman, Margaret, and Frederick Newell, who was born August 22, 1875.
CHARLES T. BRONSON.
Charles Tracy Bronson, son of Charles and Rachel Ripley (Peck) Bronson, and grandson of Tracy Peck of Bristol, was born in Water- bury, May 21, 1851. He received his early education in the public schools of the city and at H. F. Bassett's private school. He was in the employ of the Waterbury American as apprentice and after-
IOOI
THE AMERICAN AND OTHER NEWSPAPERS.
ward as a reporter from 1868 to 1872. He then removed to Hart- ford and became connected with the Hartford Post, of which he was city editor from 1875 to 1877. He was also, during 1875 and 1876, editor of the Hartford Sunday Globe. From 1877 to 1881 he was con- nected with the New Haven Register, after which he removed to New York city to accept a position on the New York Times. He was first a general reporter, then a writer on special topics, and since 1887 has been in charge of reports of races and a descriptive writer on all sporting matters, such as yacht racing, college athletics, football and rowing matches, horse shows and international sports. During the period between 1885 and 1889 he wrote a number of special articles for Harper's Weekly. He has been characterized by a prom- inent newspaper manager as " the best all-round newspaper man in New York city." During his residence in Connecticut, Mr. Bronson took much interest in military matters, having been connected while in Waterbury with the Chatfield Guard, in Hartford with the City Guard, and in New Haven with the "Grays."
CHAPTER XLVII.
EARLY COLLECTIONS OF BOOKS-EXTINCT LIBRARIES-THE BRONSON LI- BRARY-ITS ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT-THE BUILDING-DEPART- MENTS AND MANAGEMENT-SILAS BRONSON, H. F. BASSETT AND OTHERS-THE BOOK TRADE-WILLIAM PATTON-LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES-MEN OF SCIENCE-LECTURE COURSES-STEN- OGRAPHY.
T HE planters of Mattatuck, when they came here, must have brought with them very few books. For many years there could not have been a collection anywhere in the town which could with any propriety have been called a library. There were Bibles in a few households, and perhaps copies of the Shorter Catechism, and Dr. Porter, the bonesetter, may have had a medical treatise or two on his shelf. But probably the closest approxima- tion to a library was the little collection of religious books in the possession of the Rev. Jeremiah Peck, the first pastor of the church and the town, and by good fortune a list of most of these has been preserved in a copy of Mr. Peck's last will and testament in the Land records. We give the titles of fourteen of them as they occur in the body of the will :
First, I give to my son Samuel Peck, beside what I have already given him, Mr. Caryl's first book of Exposition on Job; another book of Exposition on Job* that is now in the hands [of] Mr. Eliphalet Jones on Long Island ; to my son Samuel's eldest son one book, called "The Perpetuity of a Regenerate Man's Estate; " to his second son, Byfield on the Creed; to his third son one book entitled " The Right Manner of Hearing God's Word;" to his fourth son one called the " Treatise on the Promises."
Secondly, to my daughter Ruth Atwater I give, beside what I have formerly given her, one book, "An Explication on the Canticles," and one entitled "The Life and Death of Mr. Nathaniel Mather;" one, " Sion in Distress," one, " The Life of Gelasius," one, "The Confession of Faith ;" one, " The Articles of the
* A copy of the second edition of this voluminous work, belonging to the present pastor of the First church, is on the shelves of the church study. It is in two folio volumes, measuring 16 by 101/2 inches each, and numbering together 2420 pages. The title-page reads as follows : " An Exposition with Practical Obser- vations upon the Book of Job. By Joseph Caryl, sometime preacher to the Honorable Society of Lincolns- Inn, and more lately of St. Magnus near London-Bridge. . London : 1676 (1677)." The first edi- tion, in twelve quarto volumes, was published in 1644-66. As Mr. Caryl died in 1673, the second edition was posthumous. Whether Mr. Peck's two "books" were volumes of the first edition or the complete second edition, it is impossible to say. Mr. Caryl was a member of the celebrated Westminster Assembly of Divines in 1643. He was cast out of his church (St. Magnus') by the act of uniformity in 1662.
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LIBRARIES, BOOK-STORES, LITERARY SOCIETIES.
Church of England;" the five last given to my daughter Ruth for her to give to her children-a token from me.
Thirdly, to my son Caleb Peck, beside what I have formerly given him, one book of Mr. Perkins's works, in the keeping of his brother Samuel Peck ; a book called " Moses' Choice," and a book of Husbandry.
Fourthly, I give to my daughter Anna Standly, beside what I have formerly given her, a book called "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment," and that book called Dr. Sibbs's; and it is to be understood that these my children are not to come to the possession of what I have herein given them till after my decease.
From a clause occurring further on, in which Mr. Peck refers to ' the remainder of the books, which he has not herein given away and are yet at his disposal," we learn that these were but a part of his collection ; but the extent of this solitary "library" of the town, and the character of it, may readily be inferred from the itles herein recorded. For three-quarters of a century after this, t was such books as these that found a place in New England homes, and constituted the chief part of the reading of the people.
After the war of the Revolution more attention was given to iterature (as distinguished from theology), and town and parish ibraries began to be formed. The first President Dwight spoke f them in 1812 as follows:
In a great part of the towns and parishes there are social libraries established. n some places they are considerable, and in all are of material use to the little ircles in which they exist. The information which they spread is of importance. They also excite a disposition to read, and this employment naturally becomes a ubstitute for trifling, vicious and gross amusements. It also contributes to render ociety and its intercourse in a good degree intelligent and refined, while thought akes place of sense and passion, civility of coarseness, and information of scandal.
Noah Webster also speaks of the establishment of parish libraries, nd adds that "they are procured by subscription, but are numer- us, the expense not being considerable and the desire of reading niversal." "I am acquainted," he says, "with parishes where Imost every householder has read the works of Addison, Sherlock, Atterbury, Watts, Young and other similar writings, and will con- erse well on the subjects of which they treat."
We have evidence that each of the several parishes or societies hat constituted the town in the latter part of the eighteenth cen- iry had such a collection of books as is here referred to, acces- ble on easy terms to all who wished to read. But of the extent of ese collections and the individual books which they contained, ir knowledge is, with a single exception, very limited. Fortu- ately the record book of one of these parish libraries has been reserved, so that we can in a manner trace its history from its ganization in 1783 to 1830.
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HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
THE SALEM LIBRARY.
On the fly leaf of a copy of the Life of the Rev. Samuel Hopkins, found in a junk shop a few years ago, appears the following mem- orandum: "This book belongs to the library in Salem, founded in 1783. No. 163." The Salem here referred to was the ecclesiastical society of that name, now embraced in Naugatuck. Research brought to light several other volumes that had formed a part of this library and (what was of far greater interest) the record book itself. This book-a few leaves of letter paper of good quality bound by a cobbler in flexible leather-contains the constitution and rules that governed the association ("proprietors " they called themselves), a list of the members, several times revised; a record of all the meetings held; lists of the officers appointed from year to year, of shares or rights sold or transferred, of volumes purchased and the prices paid therefor; and a catalogue of all the books. The catalogue contains 130 titles, covering 199 volumes, and gives the cost of each book.
At a meeting of the proprietors of the Salem library in 1828 a committee was appointed to arrange for its consolidation with the " Juvenile library," and at a subsequent meeting Josiah Culver was appointed librarian of the Juvenile library. This is probably the only record extant of the Salem Juvenile library .*
THE UNION LIBRARY.
Diligent search has brought to light very little information con- cerning the several libraries that are known to have existed within the present limits of Waterbury in early times. The oldest of which any trace has been found is the Union library, but about all we know of it is that it was in existence in 1797 and that a few books once belonging to it have drifted into the Bronson library. Among the papers left by Nathan Cooke, his son, W. H. Cooke, found a bill for books purchased for this library in 1799, and a promissory note for dues, dated 1797, both of which are of some historical interest aside from their connection with this library. The note is as follows :
Waterbury, January 22d, 1797.
I promise for value rec'd to pay unto the Committee of the Union Library the sum of ten shillings Lawfull money by the first of December next with the Lawfull interest untill paid
Witness my Hand,
BENJ'M BALDWIN.
* It does not belong to us to write the history of libraries in Naugatuck since it became a town, but it may not be out of place to say that through the generosity of one of its public spirited citizens it has had the use of a well selected library for many years, and that in 1893 he erected a beautiful and costly library building as a memorial of a son.
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LIBRARIES, BOOK-STORES, LITERARY SOCIETIES.
The bill for books is as follows:
UNION LIBRARY, Bought of Isaac Beers & Co.
42
S.
d.
I Trumbull's Connecticut,
14
I Zimmerman on Pride,
9
6
I Cecilia, 3 vols.,
18
I Volney's Ruins,
6
6
I Anecdotes of Founders of French Republic, 2 vols., I
I Embassy to China,
I Radcliffe's Journey,
I3
6
4
I6 .
Deduct 10 per cent,
9
7
New Haven, 12th Oct., 1799. 4 6
Lyman Welton presented to the Bronson library the second volume of Ferguson's "History of the Roman Republic," which had belonged to this library. The fly leaf bears the following memo- randum:
No. 138. This book belongs to the Union Library; to be returned and drawn on every second Monday of every second month from the third Monday in December. Price, 8s. Iod.
This rule seems rather obscure in reference to the months when the drawings took place, but it is plain that there were only six drawings in a year.
J. S. Thorpe presented to the Bronson library a copy of Ramsey's Life of Washington which once belonged to the Union library. In addition to the record on the fly leaf, just given, the date of the purchase of the volume is mentioned: "December, 3d Monday, 1807." This was the year Ramsey's Life of Washington was first published.
The facts recorded show that the library was in existence for ten years at least. The number of the last named book is 180, and this may have been one of the latest purchases, for Dr. Henry Bronson stated to the writer of this that the "Waterbury library " was probably organized about 1820.
THE WATERBURY AND OTHER LIBRARIES.
The late C. D. Kingsbury once told the writer that there was in iis boyhood (say in 1810) a library in Waterbury known as the Minor's library, but no further trace of it has been discovered. There is a small library in Middlebury which was probably organ- zed before the town was set off from Waterbury in 1807 .*
* The first library in Wolcott of which a record has been discovered was founded in 1799, three years fter it was set off from Waterbury. No trace of early libraries have been found in Watertown or Plymouth.
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HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
The following memorandum, found on the fly leaf of a copy of Law's "Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life," explains itself:
No. 15. To be returned in eight weeks from the time of drawing. Presented to the First Congregational church in Waterbury, by the Hon. Samuel Phillips, late Lieut .- Governor of Massachusetts, and designed to be kept in constant circulation, under the direction of the minister or of the deacons in his absence.
The Hon. Samuel Phillips was the founder of Phillips academy at Andover, and the title page of this book states that it was printed for the trustees of the academy. Mr. Phillips died in 1802, and among other bequests he left $5000 in the care of the trustees, with instructions that the income should be expended, a part for the better education of the female teachers of the town of Andover, and the rest for the publishing and distributing "of certain good books," named in his will, "among poor and pious Christians." The piety of Waterbury Christians a hundred years ago will never be questioned, but the records do not show that their poverty was extreme. The First church has a considerable collection of books known as the Pastor's library. It is, however, of recent date, and the book numbered 15-the "Serious Call "-must have belonged to some earlier collection.
S. M. Buckingham presented to the Bronson library several volumes that once belonged to the "Waterbury library," and Miss Kendrick gave a copy of an early edition of Walter Scott's "Heart of Mid-Lothian" which had once belonged to the same collection of books. As already stated, Dr. Bronson thinks this library was organized about 1820. A memorandum discovered in 1894 by the editor of this history, inside of the cover of a copy of the Poetical Works of John Trumbull, apparently refers to this library, and seems to place the date of its origin two years later than Dr. Bron- son supposed. It reads as follows:
No. 203. This book belongs to the Waterbury Centre library; to be returned to the librarian on the first Tuesday of every second month, beginning with the first Tuesday of July, 1822, by sundown, on penalty of ten cents, and six cents for each week's delay thereafter.
Israel Holmes had a distinct recollection of this library, and from his description it must have contained at least 600 volumes, all of them excellent books. Mr. Holmes said that when his uncle, Israel Holmes, went to England in 1829 (see page 322) he became much interested in the circulating libraries of English manufacturing towns, that on his return he awakened a new and deep interest in libraries here, and that through his influence very considerable additions were made to the Waterbury library and its usefulness
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LIBRARIES, BOOK-STORES, LITERARY SOCIETIES.
was greatly increased. This is probably the "public library " referred to on page 646, in which the Rev. William Barlow took so deep an interest, some of the volumes of which went into the Young Men's institute. In its later years it was kept in the house of George Warner on East Main street .* Mrs. Warner was the librarian and had the reading of the books for her services. After the library was transferred to the Young Men's institute, in 1852, Mrs. Warner was elected an honorary member of that institution, receiving its books and other privileges free as long as she lived.
In the history of the Masonic order, in a subsequent chapter, reference is made to a library belonging to Harmony lodge, about the beginning of the century, which "contained probably the argest collection of books in Waterbury."
LIBRARY OF THE YOUNG MEN'S INSTITUTE.
In the original constitution of the Young Men's institute, where he work it proposes to do is set forth, no mention of the formation of a library is made; but in the first annual report (1853) it is stated hat the library contained 318 volumes. Were these all that emained of the Waterbury library ? Seven years later it had 1500 olumes in its possession, and at the opening of the Bronson library had a little over 3000, and these by a vote of its officers were laced at the disposal of the trustees of the new organization. The ooks received from the institute were the first that were entered the accession catalogue of the Bronson library, where they umber 1684 titles and 2423 volumes; the remainder are supposed have been too much worn to be of use.
THE SILAS BRONSON LIBRARY.
When the late Silas Bronson was on his death-bed, and only a w days before his death, a life-long friend called to see him, and und him engaged with his lawyer in making some alterations in s will. He told this friend that he had thought of giving a sum money to the city of Waterbury for the founding and support of free public library. "How much," inquired the friend, "do you opose to give ? $100,000 ?" "Yes," he answered, and after a short use added, "Make it $200,000." This was the sum named in a licil attached at that time to his will, and this, less a succession 1 x of $12,000, was the amount paid to the city of Waterbury after ; death. 1
* This building is still standing and forms the rear portion of Camp's block, the brick portion of the k standing on the former site of the wooden building.
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HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
Silas Bronson died November 24, 1867, and in February, 1868, the Common Council of Waterbury appointed a committee of twenty- one to " recommend to them some course of action in regard to the receipt and use of this bequest." This committee's report named as those who should constitute the first "board of agents," for the management of the library fund and the control of the library, the following gentlemen: Green Kendrick, Willard Spencer, William Brown, J. W. Webster, N. J. Welton, F. J. Kingsbury, S. W. Kellogg, Nathan Dikeman, T. I. Driggs, D. F. Maltby, L. S. Bronson, T. D. Dougherty. The report was adopted and finally by legislative act was made part of the city charter. The charter provided that two members should be elected biennially by the freemen of the city at the city election, to take the places of two whose term of office should expire on July 4 next following this election. On August 31, 1868, the above named gentlemen met and drew lots for their respective terms of office with the following result:
TERM EXPIRING.
William Brown and D. F. Maltby, 1870
Willard Spencer and S. W. Kellogg, 1872
J. W. Webster and L. S. Bronson, I874
N. J. Welton and Nathan Dikeman, 1876
Green Kendrick and T. I. Driggs, I878
F. J. Kingsbury and T. D. Dougherty, I880
Since 1880, members of the board have been elected as follows:
J. H. Bronson and D. F. Maltby, . I882 Willard Spencer and S. W. Kellogg, 1884
John Kendrick and L. S. Bronson, I886 William Brown and Charles Benedict, 1888
C. H. Carter and T. I. Driggs, 1890
F. J. Kingsbury and E. W. McDonald, 1892 John O'Neill and D. F. Maltby, 1894
S. W. Kellogg and John F. Fitzpatrick,
E. L. Bronson and Thomas Donahue, 1896
1898
A. S. Chase and James Horigan, 1900
T. I. Driggs and Emmet Reardon, 1902
F. J. Kingsbury and Joseph Weiss, 1904
To fill vacancies produced by death or resignation the Common Council has made appointments as follows:
C. H. Carter in place of Green Kendrick, deceased. E. W. McDonald in place of T. D. Dougherty, deceased. G. S. Parsons in place of William Brown, deceased. Nathan Dikeman, in place of John Kendrick, deceased. A. S. Chase in place of Charles Benedict, deceased. E. L. Frisbie in place of C. H. Carter, deceased. Nathan Dikeman in place of John F. Fitzpatrick, resigned.
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LIBRARIES, BOOK-STORES, LITERARY SOCIETIES ..
C. R. Baldwin in place of Nathan Dikeman, deceased.
J. W. Webster in place of C. R. Baldwin, resigned.
B. H. Fitzpatrick in place of Thomas Donahue, deceased.
L. A. Platt in place of E. L. Bronson, deceased.
D. F. Webster in place of T. I. Driggs, deceased.
The presidents of the board have been Green Kendrick, Willard Spencer, Nathan Dikeman, and John O'Neill. T. I. Driggs held the office of secretary from the first until his death; he was succeeded by L. A. Platt. F. J. Kingsbury has held the office of treasurer from the organization of the board until the present time.
Immediately after organization the board of agents proceeded to establish a library. To facilitate this work and to preserve as much as possible of the fund, the erection of a new building was deferred, and the building on the corner of Leavenworth street and Centre square (see page 41) was purchased and fitted up for library pur- poses. Dr. W. F. Poole was engaged for one year to select, classify and catalogue the books. He was assisted in the work of cata- loguing by W. I. Fletcher, who at the opening of the library was appointed librarian. The circulation for the first year, beginning with June (the date when it was first fully ready for work), was 76,769 volumes-a number not equalled in any year since.
On the resignation of Mr. Fletcher, September 1, 1872, H. F. Bassett was appointed librarian and has filled the office from that time until now. As already mentioned (page 813) Charles G. Root was assistant librarian for five years. His successor was John F. Fitzpatrick, who remained until 1883, when he entered the Yale Law school. He was succeeded by Helen Sperry. Cora F. Laird page 142; now Mrs. Dayton Lasher) became an assistant in the ibrary in June, 1884, and still holds the position. Almira C. Twin- ng has been an assistant since January, 1886. Susan C. O'Neill was connected with the library in 1894 and 1895. Alice M. Gibby was n assistant during 1888 and was reappointed in 1893, and Jennie P. Peck, an experienced cataloguer, was appointed in 1895.
For fifteen years or more the question of a permanent site for he library was persistently and somewhat acrimoniously agitated. n Thanksgiving evening (November 29), 1878, the board of agents prang a surprise upon the town by a vote, of eight against two, ) purchase of Israel Holmes a lot on West Main street, with a contage of 100 feet on Central avenue, as a permanent site for a brary building. So strong was the protest against this (it went ren to the extent of suing out an injunction) that the vote was tickly rescinded. At a meeting of the board of agents on Decem- er 7, following, this resolution was passed unanimously:
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HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
WHEREAS, The court of common council of this city have adopted a resolution requesting this board to reconsider their vote authorizing the committee to make the purchase of the Holmes property as a location for the library; and whereas a peti- tion signed by a large number of citizens has been presented to us with the same request; and whereas it is represented to this board that a majority of the citizens are not in favor of said site, therefore,
Resolved, That while this board knows of no other site so desirable in all respects, which can be purchased at a price within our means, yet out of deference to the expressed wish of the city government, and with the view of avoiding any action or feeling which may be detrimental to the continued usefulness of the library, and in the hope that means may be provided by the city or by individuals for a more satisfactory location, the vote passed at our meeting of November 27, approving said location and authorizing its purchase, be and the same is hereby reconsidered and rescinded.
Resolved, That the committee on the subject of a new site be discharged.
Even at this time there was more or less talk of utilizing the old Grand street cemetery, where the library building now stands, but so strong was the popular feeling against this that, in a published letter on the subject, Frederick J. Kingsbury declared that site to be "out of the question." The discussion of the subject continued at intervals from that time until March 29, 1890, when the board of agents voted (eight to two) to purchase the A. C. Burritt property on Church street for $23,000 for the permanent site. This decision was largely the result of a compromise, some members of the board favoring the Philo Brown property on West Main street, where the Young Men's Christian Association building now stands, and others favoring the use of the Grand street cemetery. No sooner had the decision been announced than an agitation was started to persuade - the board to reconsider it in favor of the cemetery site. Under the lead of Charles R. Baldwin, then mayor of the city, steps were taken to see what could be done in the matter by the city, the question of a title being an important one. This question had been brought before the board by the report of a special committee of investiga- tion, consisting of the Hon. S. W. Kellogg and John O'Neill. They held that the ownership of the cemetery was vested in four differ- ent titles, but that the city could be authorized by an act of the leg- islature to give a good title. Two acts had already been passed to! enable the city to present a site for the library to the board of agents. By the first of these, passed in 1881, the city was empow ered to purchase and convey "a suitable lot of land not exceeding one acre in amount," and "conveniently near the centre." The second, that of 1882, provided:
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