'^.#- 1 V o •'■-i. 1^ - aV -s- -y- .x^ .s^^' %. v-^^ .^" -""< ■^-> .x^ xV •/-. .^^ "^ V- >" >.,,.,...^._ X' ,^^ -^^ '-JV v-» .\\^' -/j. 'oo^ ,^-^ ^> "-=> V :^% ,\ .r. ^ ^ -<,. >^^ - x^^. x^-^ ''* .^ -s-.. '^v. o^^ ..s^^ ^^^ •% ,-,■?■ .■?■ ;<-' .O"^ v''* "* "%, A'i''' . ^^^^ o- ..^ O 0' -. .v^ ^^-\.y %,# -^- ' ^>'^'%, ^^ '''^. . cK V ■*>. •i ., > % /- ..x^^^' ''■f. * u : , >.*\'\ '% A^ "^ '■ u ■' .# ", -. ^ %. V^' \\ -oo'^ N^' ^.. v^^ ^'-h.. ^V, .<^ ^,c .xN^- % ,i\^- ■'/• ^c^. .^:^^•^, .0 &, "^^ >^ .-^^ ^ <^ .-^■^ % <^^ .^x^' .'^ .-O' , .-.s^"^. '>U V xO°^ ,0 o. ■'^^. .^^'^ 'X^~ ':. * ,'\ .Oo^ .. ,i#r' s° .0- ^^^ •% .0 o. 0^ o5 -/-^ ,-> 5<<, ■<^- % ^'^" >. ■X^ '^^■4 %> "^^^ 'V- v "bo'* "^:/- >* X"^^ ■i' •V '^o. h^L <^' "^.. V*' ■>'^.r.\ HISTORY OK Hew Kaven (|ounty, CONNECTICUT. Edited "by J. L. ROCKEY, Assisted lay a corps of writers. h) bwo Yolui7)es, Illu^brabed. VOLUNIK I. AS^"^' Press of J. Henry Probst, 36 VESEY ST. , NEW YORK. PREFACE. The preparation of this History of New Haven County was begun more than Iwo years ago, work on it having been assiduously prose cuted since October, 1889. The magnitude of the undertaking has been much greater than was contemplated, and the vo ume of matter has far exceeded the limit originally set by the publishers. It has been found necessary, after the book had been sold, m order to prop- erly embrace these hundreds of additional P^S^s, t« W it m two handsome volumes instead of one, as purposed and ^^re©ifVi74 Burleigh, Cecil A 324 Butler, Eli '. ... 578 Capewell, George J 717 Coe. Andrew J oSO Coe, Levi E .■",84 Cornwall, 'Edward A 718 Curtis, Lemuel J ^>S(i Davis, Charles H. S .■",90 Downes, William E "'OG Francis, William 418 Goodyear, Robert B 378 Hall, 'Seth J rm Hallenbeck. George M 424 Harrison. Benjamin F 426 Horton, Sanford J 722 Howe, George E •■")!t4 Hubbard, Leverett M 428 Humiston, Daniel 72.', Ives. Titus B 736 Judd. Morton 434 Lanyon, Janres 728 Leonard, Emily J ■'iiHi Little, vSaxton B 600 Lyman, William W 603 McGaughey, James D 438 Manning, Edward B 603 Miller, Edward 604 Mix, Norris B 3:iO Paddock, Samuel C 608 Parker, Charles 611 Reynolds, William T 2.'^0 Rogers, Cephas B 612 Simpson, Samuel 446 Stiles, Ezra 282 Stiles, Isaac L ' 284 Sutliff. John 61.-) Swift, Edwin D :i:« Tait, John (>16 Todd, F. Hayden 286 Townsend, James M 212 Tuttle, Henry ;i:56 Wallace, Robert 4.50 White, Henry K (il8 Wilcox, Horace C 621 Wilson, Grove H 622 Yale, Bertrand L ' 624 Yale. Charles D 4.52 MAP. Map of New I laven County 1 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY CHAPTER I. GENERAL HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Location and Description.— Natural Features. Topography. Geology, etc.— Discovery.— Claims of the Dutch and English.— Settlements at Windsor, Hartford and Wethers- field.— Settlement of Quinnipiac— Treaties with the Indians.— Organization of Church and Civil Government.— The Jurisdiction of New Haven.— Union of the New England Colonies.— Governor Eaton and his Successors.— The Regicide Judges. —Charter of 1662.— Union of New Haven and Connecticut Colonies.— New Haven County Formed.— Town Organizations.— Cities and Boroughs.— Statistics.— State and County Buildings.— County Commissioners.— The Courts of the County.— In- ternal Improvements.— General Jlilitary Matters.— General Civil List. NEW HAVEN county was one of the four original counties of the state, created by the general court at Hartford, in May, 1666, the others being the counties of New London, Fairfield and Hartford. It comprised, originally, the towns of Guilford, Bran- ford, New Haven and Milford, the bounds being described as extend- ing from the east side of the former to the west side of the latter. On the south was then, as now, a limit fixed b)^ the waters of Long Island sound, but the northern bounds were vague and undefined. The county included, properly, all the lands ceded by the Indians to the foregoing towns, in the New Haven colony, the remainder of the present area being at that time included in Hartford county. In 1891 New Haven county embraced 26 towns, and was bounded as follows : On the north by the towns of Roxbury, Woodbury, Watertown and Plymouth, in the county of Litchfield; Bristol, Southington and Ber- lin, in the county of Hartford; on the east by the towns of Middle- town, Middlefield, Durham, Killingworth and Clinton, in the county of Middlesex; and on the west by the county of Fairfield, the Housa- toni; river forming the dividing line. The contiguous western towns, from the south and lying opposite the towns in New Haven, are : Stratford, Huntington, Monroe and Newtown. The shape of the county is irregular, but it is about 26 miles from east to west, and 21 from north to south. From the extreme southea.st corner, in Madi- son, to the extreme northwest point, in Southbury, the distance is 1 2 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. about :!.-) miles. The area in square miles and acres has never been accurately determined. The coast line of the county presents many forms of marine as- spects, but the principal projections and indentures, from the west, are Milford Point, Milford Harbor, Merwin Point, vSavin Rock, New Haven Harbor, ]\Iile Point, Branford Point and Harbor, Stony Creek Harbor, Sachem's Head, Guilford Point and Harbor, and Plammon- assett Point. In the same order are small islands, belonging to the county, bearing the names of Charles, off the Milford coast; the Thimble islands, along the East Branford coast: Faulkner's or Falcon i.sland, off the Guilford coast. With but little exception the New Haven shores of the sound are low, and a considerable area is in salt marshes, about three thousand acres being thus classed. The only harbor admitting vessels of large draught is the one at New Haven. The general slope of the county is toward the sound, into which all the principal streams drop their waters directly or through the agency of larger streams. None of the streams are large, but several are important by reason of the water privileges t'ney afford. These are, mainly, the Ouinnipiac* and the Mill rivers, in the central part, and the Naugatuck in the northwestern section. The former is the longest stream. It rises near New Britain, and after flowing south into New Haven county, bends abruptly to the east, below the high lands of the Hanging hills, and thence again flows south into New Haven harbor. For a considerable distance it is a tidal stream, and it has been claimed that the term means "the long water place " — a very proper conception when one looks at the expanse produced on the lower meadows of the Ouinnipiac by the tidal flow. Splendid water powers are afforded in the county by this stream at Walling- ford, Yalesville and South Meriden. Mill river has a convergent flow toward the Uuinnipiac from the north part of Cheshire, draining the second of the upper north and south valleys of the county. In con- junction with the above river it forms the well-known neck of land at the city of New Haven. Its name was derived from the fact that the first mill in the count}' was erected on it, in the lower part of the present town of Flatnden. Higher up, in the same town, are numer- ous other good mill privileges. The stream is small, but from the nature of the ground it drains is constant. Flowing around the base of West Rock ridge, much as the Mill river does around East Rock, is a smaller stream, flowing from Woodbridge into New Haven and thence into the harbor below Oyster Point. From its course, relative to the first settlement, it was called the West river. ^ Farther west and flowing from the same town, through Orange into Milford, is the Wepowaug, another small mill stream which was very serviceable to the Milford planters. The Naugatuck is perhaps the most important mill stream in the * Also spelled Quinnipiack. HISTORY OF NEW IIAVF.X COUNTY. 3 county. It flows from Litchfield county, through the towns of Water- bury, Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Ansonia and Derby, in which it empties into the Housatonic. In each of these towns it has been utilized to operate vast manufacturing establishments. Its course is also characterized by its picturesque surroundings. The affluent streams have precipitous courses from the hillv lands of the valley, and have also been useful factors in the industrial develop- ment of that section. The Pomperaug is a small stream flowing out of Woodburv into Southbury, where its waters fall into the Housatonic. It is distin- guished by the beauty and fertility of the valley through which it courses. The Housatonic is, next to the Connecticut, the longest stream in the state, and drains a large area of country. At the head of tide water, at Birmingham, a little more than a mile above the junction of the Naugatuck, it has been dammed to afford an immense reservoir, from which is obtained power to operate a score of manu- facturing establishments. Below this dam the stream is navigable for vessels of considerable burden. East of the Ouinnipiac the principal streams are the Farm or Stony river of North Branford and East Haven; the Branford river and Stony creek of the town of Branford; and the Menuncatuc* and East rivers of Guilford, all small but not being without use in their respective localities. The Hammonassett river drains the eastern part of Madison, and is part of the eastern boundary between this and Middlesex county. The county has a large number of brooks and small streams, and several lakes of considerable size. Of these Lake Saltonstall, on the line between East Haven and Branford, is one of the most attractive and best known. Pistapaug lake, at the corner of the towns of Wal- lingford, North Branford, Guilford and Dtirham, is a large and attrac- tive sheet of water; and Ouassipaug lake, on the Middlebury and Woodbur}' line, covers many acres, and has picturesque surroundings. Other small lakes and ponds, in various parts of the county, add to the beauty of a landscape greatly diversified by streams, hills and dales, in addition to the larger areas of valleys and lands of a moun- tainous nature above noted. The general topography of the county is varied. With some ex- ception the surface along the coast for several miles inland is level and not elevated more than about forty feet above tide water. But passing northward, a marked increase in the altitude is seen. The country is broken by well defined ridges and high hills, whose trend is generally from the northeast to the southwest. In several towns these hills terminate abruptly and with precipitous faces toward the sea, giving them a striking appearance. The elevation of the prin- cipal peaks has been ascertained. The highest point is West Peak of * Also called West river. 4 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. the Hanging hills, at Meriden, which is 1,020 feet, or 886.5 feet higher than the lowest point on Main street. The latter is 133.5 feet above .sea level. The altitude of the lower parts of the city of Meriden are thus found to be in the neighborhood of one hundred feet higher than the principal part of New Haven city. ^It. Carmel range terminates in a peak 80() feet high; and still farther south is West Rock, 405 feet high. Two miles to the eastward is the companion. East Rock, 360 feet high. These are the most southerly of the lands whose altitude exceeds several hundred feet, and their bare, trap-rock faces cause them to be marked objects. It is the theory of geologists that in re- mote ages a mighty upheaval of a volcanic nature forced the red sand- stone surface of this section into these ridges and hills.'- Where the crust was thinnest or the upheaval more intense, the melted trap rock was forced well to the surface. vSubsequently, by glacial action, parts of the sandstone were ground or polished away and carried out into the sea, leaving the harder rock exposed, and giving evidence of the planing action, and leaving some rocks with the abrupt forms we now behold. In this state this range of secondary country extends as far as Middletown, in that direction, where it breaks toward the south- west, and extends in ridges to the places indicated at New Haven and Meriden. In North Branford ends the highest of the Totoket range, smaller spurs continuing into East Haven, and rounding off with Beacon hill and the hills nearer the .sound. East the Branford hills encroach well upon the sea. Geologists also think that these inter- sections by secondary ridges caused the Connecticut river to seek its present channel, and that prior to this upheaval its course from Hart- ford was down the valley to New Haven city, where, undoubtedly, was the mouth of that stream. The formation of the trap-dikes and ridges, of which the elevations named are a part, formed a barrier which made its further passage impossible, and, in the language of Professor Dana: " In this extremity the river finding a way to the southeastward open before it, made a rush through the narrows at Middletown, and was off for Saybrook, leaving New Haven in the lurch." Doubtless the same agency also modified the course of other streams. It is al.so owing to that intersection of the primitive forma- tion, by a secondary ridge, that traces of so many different kinds of minerals may be found, and that the conditions of the soil have been so much modified. Nearly all the precious minerals have been found, but few only were so abundant that mining operations paid when an attempt was made to develop them. The only mineral whose develop- ment formed an important industry was barytes. That mineral was * Evidences of an extinct crater in the form of an ash botl uf clearly defined outlines appear in a spot several miles north of Meriden, near Mount Lamentation, which may be taken as a strong presumption of the correctness of the theory. It is said that this ash bed is the only one of the kind now found in New England, and is an object of great curiosity to the student of nature. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 5 extensively and profitably mined a number of years in the town of Cheshire. The county has a large variety of building stones, the red sand- stone being the most abundant and most widely distributed. In some localities its qualities are very superior. Limestone Is also -found; and flag stones are distributed over many parts of the count)'. In Milford are quarries of green marble, and in Branford, Guilford and Madison superior granite abounds. The Stony Creek granite is also adapted for monumental work. The soil of North Haven, Hamden and some other towns yields material for first-class brick, and the county was rich in other building material. Much of the area was covered with timber, and nearly every variety of deciduous and ever- green growth, common to the eastern section of the Union, was found here. In some localities lumbering was long an important occupation, but the most valuable forests have been cut down, and but little tim- ber land remains. A considerable area is still in woodland, and some of the sandy plains are covered with a barren growth. The county has a great variety of soil, adapting it for the numer- ous products of the farmer, gardener and orchardist, and for many years these occupations were the ones which chiefly engaged the at- tention of the people. In recent years these pursuits have been sub- ordinated to the avocations of the workshop and the factory, and the urban population has far exceeded, in its increase, that of the rural sections. Many farms in the hilly and sandy .sections have been al- lowed to go to waste, and the population of the exclusively farming towns has steadily decreased. The increase of the city population in the past two decades has been very great, causing New Haven county to become, in the number of its inhabitants, in the variety of its inter- ests, and in its accumulated wealth, the leading county in the state. The first white man to discover the territory now embraced in the county was the Dutch navigator. Captain Adrian Block. In 1G14 he made a voyage from New Netherland up the sound and visited the spot where is now New Haven city, to which he gave the name of "Rodenberg" (Red Mount), from the reddish appearance of East Rock, or the Red Rock on the east of the Quinnipiac. He passed on, ascended the Connecticut as high as Hartford, and returning con- tinued his voyage to the upper end of the sound, where Block Island still perpetuates his name. Soon after, the Dutch several times stopped at Quinnipiac or " Rodenberg," with a view of establishing a trading post, but found little to encourage them in taking such a step. The natives were poor and indolent, and there was no prospect for trade. In Branford, however, a Dutch trading house was built in after years. In the main there was nothing in the New Haven section to cause the Dutch to plant a .settlement, but upon these early discoveries they later based their claims of the ownership of Connecticut. 6 mSTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. In inso James I. granted a general patent of New England, which embraced this section. Ten years later the Plymouth colony con- veyed the Connecticut region to Robert, Earl of Warwick, and the same year it was confirmed to him by a patent from Charles I. The earl, on March 19th, 1631, in turn executed a patent for a part of this section to Viscount Say and Seal, Lord Robert Brooke, Sir Richard Saltonstall and their associates, among whom were John Hampden and others — all being noble, honorable men. In the same year the land was spied out by Governor Winslow of the Plymouth colony, who named himself the discoverer of the river and the valley of Con- necticut. And it was decided to make a settlement at Windsor. Thus there were two rival claimants to the same territory — the Dutch as discoverers, the English as patentees. In 1638 each effected a lodgment in the state, the Dutch building a fort at Hartford; the English, through William Holmes, of the Plymouth colony, putting up a house at Windsor, a point on the river seven miles north. Nat- ttrally there was contention between the two nationalities, each as- serting its claim, but in the course of a few years the Dutch yielded, sold their interests to the English, and withdrew from this soil. In the meantime the English had carried out their plans to occupy the country more completely than their rivals, and hurried on to the scenes of their new homes, undeterred by the hostility of some In- dians, who had in 1634 murdered Captains Stone and Norton, with eight men, while they were on the Connecticut river. In 1635 they made preparations to establish settlements at Windsor, Hartford and Wethersfield, and in the furtherance of this purpose some sixty per- sons left Massachusetts to take up their abode in those localities. In- stead of sailing up the river, they went thither on foot, driving their cattle before them, in the wilderness. The following winter was very severe, and there being a scarcity of food, many suffered from famine. (3thers, at the risk of losing their lives in the snow and storms, re- turned to the Plymouth colonists. But the purpose to found a new state assumed encouraging forms, in spite of these obstacles. In the fall of 1635 John Winthrop, jr., was appointed governor of the " river Connecticut," by the owners of the Warwick patent, to hold his office for one year, after his arrival at that i^lace. He came to the mouth of the Connecticut, where he built a small fort and named it for his patrons, Say-Brook. The settlers were now assured of greater safety from the Dutch and the Indians, and the subsequent events soon justified the wisdom of such a move, for, in 1636, the Indians besieged the fort. On the 20th of April, 1636, the colonists on the Connecticut held their first court, or general coun- cil, at Newtown (Hartford), the meeting being composed of the three settlements named: Windsor, Hartford and Wethersfield, which was another step toward permanent organization. And when, in the month of June, the .same year, Reverend Thomas Hooker and his HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 7 assistant, Samuel Stone, with about one hundred people, joined the settlers at Hartford, the force of numbers and the added weight of the character of the settlers were bound to carry it to success. Nothing now appeared to obscure its future but the wily Pequot -Indians. They again committed depredations the latter part of 1636, and were so hostile in the spring of 1637 that the court at Hartford deterinined on war against them May 1st, 16.37. Twenty-five days later, under the leadership of the intrepid Captain John Mason, the Indians were attacked at their fort at Mystic (New London), which was destroyed. Six hundred savages were slain, and the remainder were dispersed. Their flight along the coast westward followed. A sachem and a few followers were overtaken in Guilford and beheaded, the act giving name to that point on the sound shore. The rest of the Pequots were brought to a stand in a swamp in Fairfield county. A fierce fight ensued, and July 13th, 1637, the Pequots were so completely defeated that they were thereafter powerless. The pursuit of these fugitive Indians was the means of introducing the English into the New Haven country. Upon the return home of the whites they gave such glowing accounts of the Quinnipiac region that it was determined to further explore it with a view to its settlement by some of the newly arrived emigrants from England at Massachusetts Bay. Accordingly, early in the month of September, 1637, an exploring party of twenty men, led by Theophilus Eaton, after viewing the Connecticut coast from Rhode Island west, sailed into the harbor of Quinnipiac. The advantages of the situation pleased them, and they determined to secure the country, and on this harbor found a com- mercial city, in which they could carry out the principles which led them into the New World. Eaton and most of his associates belonged to the company of Puritans which followed Reverend John Daven- port to x\merica in the " Hector" and her consort, landing in Boston June 26th, 1637. This company was coinposed of men of wealth, edu- cation and influence, most of them being the old parishioners of Mr. Davenport's St. Stephen's church, Coleman street, London. When he was persecuted on account of his religious belief, they stood by him and resolved to cast their lots with him, even though it involved the sacrifice of position and invited persecution upon themselves. At Boston they were warmly welcomed, and every effort was made to persuade them to settle in the Bay colony. The report of the " famous Mr, Davenport and the opulence of the merchants who accompanied him, gave to this company, in the estimation of the colonists, an un- usual value." So strong was the desire that they should remain that the "General Court offered them any place which they should choose." It appears, however, that all these persuasions were in vain, as most of the Davenport party were not content to become a part of an established community. " It is probable that the motive which had 8 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. the greatest influence with the principal men was the desire of being at the head of a new government, modeled both in civil and religious matters agreeably to their own apprehensions. In laj'ing the founda- tions of a new colony there was a fair probability that they might accommodate all matters of church and commonwealth to their own feelings and sentiments. But in Massachusetts the principal men were fixed in the chief seats of government, which they were likely to keep, and their civil and religious polity was alread}^ formed."* It may be, al.so, that they had some sort of an agreement or compact which prevented them from becoming a part of an established com- munity which, together with other considerations, made them very anxious to become a separate colony. It was determined to make a wise selection of territory, removed from all external influences, but enjoying all natural advantages. The task of selecting it was entrusted to Eaton, who was one of their most experienced and practi- cal business men. After examining the possibilities of the Ouinnip- iac region Eaton and thirteen of his men set sail for Boston to make their report to the expectant company. The other seven men were first assisted in building a hut, in which they could subsist during the winter and retain possession of the land. It is believed that this humble first habitation in the county stood near a spring which w-as in the locality of where are now Church and George streets, and was perhaps, quite rude in its appointments. It was tenanted by Joshua Atwater, Francis Brown, Robert Pigg, Thomas Hogg, John Beecher and two others, who.se names have not been preserved. It has very properly been supposed that a part of the time of these .seven men was occupied in cutting and hewing timbers to build houses the fol- lowing spring, when they should be joined by the other members of the projected colony. They probably suffered but little hardship during the winter, as there was an abundance of game, and fish and oysters could also be obtained. One of their number, supposed to have been John Beecher, died and was buried at a point about fifty rods east of their hut. In IToO, v\'hile the cellar for the stone house at the corner of George and Meadow streets was being dug, his bones were found, after being forgotten many years. It is believed that this John Beecher was the ancestor of the celebrated Beecher family in this country.f The other members of the Davenport company re- mained in Boston all winter, living in such places as they could find shelter, but presumably keeping up their organization as a company, and perfecting their plans to occupy their new houses, as soon as the season would permit. Those coming from London in the "Hector" and her consort numbered about fifty adult males and the entire company comprised * Trumbull. •I- What lends color to this belief is the fact that among the company landing at New Haven in April, l(i3,s, was the widow Beecher, with several sons. HISTORY OF XEW HAVEN COUXTV. 9 about 25() persons. But when, on the 8()th of ^March, 1638, the com- pany left for the Quinnipiac it received many accessions from the Massachusetts colonies, so that there may have been near three hun- dred persons, and having property aggregating- in value about £'SQ,- 000. After skirting along the coast leisurely for a fortnight the ves- sel in which they sailed from Boston reached the Quinnipiac harbor, and passed up a small stream, called West creek, long since filled up and now extinct. A landing was effected near a large oak tree which stood where are now George and College streets, when they offered prayer and thanksgiving to God for his mercy in bringing them .safe- ly to these shores. A few days later, April 15th, 1638, they ob.served their first Sabbath here by holding a meeting under this tree. This was also attended by some Indians who had become acquainted with the six men remaining here and were on friendh* terms with them. Mr. Davenport preached upon the "Temptations of the wilderness." basing his remarks upon Matthew iv: 1. The occasion was most solemn and impressive, as one can readily imagine. In the afternoon Rever- end Peter Prudden preached. He was the leader of the Hereford county people, who had come to Boston in the vessel "James," sail- ing from Bristol. They came to Quinnipiac with the London com- pany and remained here with them until the}' could occupy their own plantations at Milford, a year later. Thus was founded the religious commonwealth which became known as the New Haven colony, and from that Sabbath until the present time religious meetings have been regularly held in this county, no circumstances of season or place being allowed to interrupt them. Not long after this the settlers at Quinnipiac observed a day of fasting and prayer, to prepare them to enter into a solemn compact which they called the "Plantation covenant" and which should provisionally govern them until they should be further incor- porated as a church and a state. The terms of the covenant were as follows: "That, as in matters which concern the gathering and ordering of a church, so also in all public offices which con- cern civil honor — as the choice of magistrates and officers, making and repealing laws, dividing allotments of inheritance, and all things of like nature— they would all of them be ordered by the rules which the Scripture held forth to them." Under this initial government, with the Bible as the sole guide, the affairs of the settle- ment were administered more than a year and a half. In the mean time, the site for their future town had been selected and the work of building houses had been pushed actively forward. The plain north of West creek, where lay their pinnace still affording them temporary shelter, was chosen as the place for the home lots. George street was laid out half a mile long parallel with the creek and taken as a base line upon which was described a square, also half a mile long. This was divided by two parallel streets running east 10 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. and west, and by two parallel streets running north and south, into- nine equal squares. The one in the centerwas sequestered as a market place and became the celebrated New Haven Green. The other eight squares or quarters, as they were called, were fenced and assigned to settlers for house lots, a number being grouped together, and the size varying according to the number of persons in a family or in propor- tion to the amount the family had invested in the common stock of the company. Usually these quarters were known by the names of their principal occupants or the principal men to whom they were assigned. The northeast one became known as Governor Eaton's quarter. The north center one was assigned to Robert Newman; the east center to John Davenport; the southeast to George Lamberton; the south cen- ter to Thomas Gregson, etc. Around this half mile square were sub- urban quarters, those on the west side being temporarily occupied by the Yorkshire and Herefordshire people. The half mile square not being sufficient for house lots, two additions were surveyed, the one being southeast of the main plot and extending to the harbor. It was. enclosed by the present George, Water, INIeadow and State streets. The other addition was on the west side of West creek. All of them were laid out by John Brockett, who apparently was a skillful survey- or, as his angles were nicely made. Many of the colonists put up large houses, a number of them being two stories high, and "tradition reports that the house of Theophilus Eaton was .so large as to have nineteen fire places and that it was lofty as well as large. Davenport's house on the opposite side of the street, is said to have had thirteen fire places."* In this matter of building these colonists laid them.selves liable to criticism by the other colonies, and Hubbard, the historian, .said : "They laid out too much of their stocks and estates in building of fair and stately houses wherein they at the first outdid the rest of the country." It is sup- posed that some of these buildings were not completed for several years and as labor and material were cheap the expen.se may, after all, not have been so great. As an excuse or explanation wh}^ this style of building was so general, it may be .said that the founders of New Haven were mainly gentlemen and merchants, used to living in superior houses in London and in other parts of England, and hav- ing the means at their command, it was (|uite the proper thing for them to here build "stately" houses, especially when it was their am- bition to make this a great commercial town. The failure of this pur- pose and the necessity which forced them to accept the conditions of a planter's life were after considerations. And it does not appear that the actual farm buildings, later put up, were superior to those in other parts of the state. It should be noted, too, that not all of New Haven's first settlers lived in " stately " houses. Some of those in more moderate circumstances, or those who came later in the sea.son,. * Stiles' History of the Judges. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 11 spent the winter of 1G3S--9 in huts or habitations which, in these later days, have become popularly known as " dug-outs" — being an excava- tion on a side hill, covei^ed over with grass upon which a la^^er of earth has been placed. They insured warmth and a fair degree of comfort, but were not, in any way, "fair and stately." The settlement received an addition to its numbers, in October, 1638, when .some Yorkshire people under the leadership of Ezekiel Rogers, a non-conformist minister of hio-h standino-, came to America with a view of becoming a part of the Ouinnipiac plantation. After arriving in Massachusetts, and after some of the party had already come to New Haven, Mr. Rogers changed his mind and established himself at Rowley, Mass., to which place, subsequently, some of the Yorkshire people returned. The principal settlers at Ouinnipiac were now John Davenport, Samuel Eaton, Theophilus Eaton, David Yale, Thomas Gregson, Matthew Gilbert, John Evance, Stephen Goodyear, William Peck, Robert Newman, Francis Newman, Thomas Fugill, George Lamberton and Ezekiel Cheever. Most of them were reputed wealthy, and had been honored in the old country in social positions to an unusual degree, and were, all in all, in character, greater than those who had previously come to the New World. In all this period the English lived on the most friendly terms with the Indians, who appeared to be glad to have them in their midst. As has been stated, they were few in number, peaceful and unambitious. Whatever native spirit they may have had was crushed by their fears of the Mohawks and the Pequots, who had completely subjugated the feeble tribes living in the New Haven country, and by exacting frequent tribute had kept them very poor. If they refused or neglected to honor their demands, the Mohawks would sweep down upon them, plundering them at will, and, at times, carried them into captivity. The very cry of " A Mohawk! a Mohawk!" would " cause them to fly like sheep before wolves, without attempting the least resistance."* The Mohawks thereupon would taunt them, cry- ing out in the most terrible manner, in their language: " We are come! we are come to suck your blood!" The presence of the English relieved them of their fears, and did not interfere with their avoca- tions. But Eaton and his associates were too good business men not to know that they ought to have some title to the soil, and, accord- ingly, made a treaty with the Quinnipiac Indians, whereby they, as original owners, conferred their rights upon the whites — represented by Theophilus Eaton and John Davenport. The Indian representa- tives were the Ouinnipiac sachem, Momaugin, and his sister, Shaump- ishuh, and four of his chief men. The conveyance was as follows: " First. That Jslomaugin is the sole sachem of Ouinnipiac, and hath absolute and independent power to give, alien, dispose or sell all or any part of the lands of Ouinnipiac, and that whatsoever he and his * Atwater's New Haven Colony. 12 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN" COUXTV. companions shall now do and conclude shall stand firm and inviolable against all claims and persons whatsoever. " Second. The said sachem and his company, among which there was a squaw sachem called Shaumpishuh, sister to the sachem, re- membering and acknowledging the heavy taxes and imminent dan- gers which they lately felt and feared from the Pequots, Mohawks and other Indians, and observing the safety and ease that other Indians enjoy near the English — of which benefit the}' have had a comfortable taste alreadv, since the English began to build and to plant at Ouinnipiac, which with all thankfulness they now acknowl- edge — jointly and freely gave and yielded up all their rights, title, and interest to all the lands, rivers, ponds and trees, with all the liberty and appurtenances belonging unto the same in Ouinnipiac. to the utmost of their bounds, east, west, north, south, unto Theophilus Eaton, John Davenport and others, the present English planters there, and to their heirs and assigns forever: stipulating only that the said English planters should grant them such portions of ground on the east side of the harbor, towards the fort at the mouth of the river of Connecticut, as might be sufficient for them, being but few in num- ber, to plant in; and that this be under the entire control of the English, subject to such limitations as they might deem fit: and the Indians, moreover, promising not to remove to another part of Ouin- nipiac without the consent of the English. ■' Third. The said sachem and company, desiring to hunt and fish within the bounds of Ouinnipiac, do hereby covenant and bind them- .selves not to set traps so as to injure the animals belonging to the English, nor in any way inconvenience them by their hunting. " Fourth. The said sachem and company do hereb}' covenant and bind themselves that none of them henceforth shall hanker about any of the Engli.sh houses at the time when they meet for public worship of God; nor on the Lord's day, henceforward, to be seen within the compass of the English town carrying on an}- manner of business; nor, henceforward, without leave open any latch belonging to any Englishman's door; nor stay in any Englishman's house after due warning to leave; nor do any violence or injury to the person of the English, whether man, woman or child, — and if the English do any wrong to the Indians, upon complaint, just recompense shall be made; nor shall any of them henceforward use any Englishman's boat with- out leave; nor come into the English town with bows and arrows, or any other weapons whatsoever, in number above six Indians so armed at a time. •• Fifth. The parties above named do truly bind and covenant to pay the full value of any cattle whatsoever of the English which they shall kill or hurt casually or negligently; to pay double the value for anv they shall kill or hurt wilfullv; and to bring back home anv strav- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUXTV. 13 ing cattle of the English which they shall find, receiving a moderate price in recompense for the same. " Sixt/i. The number of the men and youths of Quinnipiac Indians being forty-seven at present, they do covenant not to receive or admit any other Indians among them without leave from the Engli.sh; nor to harbor any that are enemies to the English, but to apprehend such and deliver them up; also to inform the English of any plots which they are aware are being formed against them by the Indians or others. "Lastly. The said sachem and company do hereby promise truly and carefully to observe and keep all and ever}^ one of these articles of agreement, and to deliver up all of their number who shall break them to the English magistrate. In consideration of all which, they desire from the English, that, in any time of danger, they may repair to the English plantation for shelter, and that the English will defend them from all unjust injuries. But in anj- quarrels or wars with other Indians for which they are to blame, they shall not expect aid from the English. And the English planters, aforementioned, accepting and granting according to the tenor of the premises, do further of their own accord, by way of free and thankfirl retribution, give unto said sachem and Company of Quinnipiac Indians, tivclvc coats of English tucking cloth, tzcclvc achcuiy spoo)is, tivclvc hatchets, tivclvc hoes, tioo dozen of knives, twelve porringers, and four cases French knives and scissors." It will be seen that this treaty practically put the Indians upon their good behavior not only with the whites, but with one another, and that the Oitinnipiacs were pledged the protection which they so much needed in case the}' deported themselves properly. It should also be borne in mind that while the consideration of purchase was small, the Indians really had n/orc than before, namely: all the priv- ileges of a " place to sit down," i.e., a home, and the right to hunt and fish, unharrassed by fears of the Mohawks or the Pequots. Hence the English should not be blamed for any act of injustice in getting this land apparently very cheap. Thomas vStanton served as an interpre- ter in negotiating this treaty. North of the Quinnipiacs was a large tract of land claimed by a sachem named Montowese, a son of the Indian chieftain, Sowheag, who lived at Middletown. This was also purchased by the whites — Eaton and his associates — December 11th, 1638, on much the same basis as the foregoing, the consideration being " eleven coats of truck- ing cloth and one coat of English cloth, made up after the English manner." The tract of land thus alienated by Montowese and his as- sociate Indian, Sauseunck, was described as " extending about ten miles in length from north to south, eight miles easterly from the river of Quinnipiac toward the river of Connecticut, and five miles westerly toward Hudson's river." Montowese reserved a piece of land where he lived, where is now the present village of Montowese^ 14 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. in North Haven, " for his men which are ten and many sqna\vs, to plant in.'" The territory thu.s acquired b}- the two purchases embraced all of the old town of New Haven and most of the Branfords — an area which is now occupied by nine towns, which, as we have seen, was at that time controlled by about sixty warriors. After these treaties most of these Indians dwelt on the reservations named until the already small tribes became extinct. Of the Ouinnipiacs. Barber in his Historical Collections, of IS'56, said, " They dwelt in the summer on the shore for the convenience of fishing; and in the winter in the forests, for the convenience of fuel." " They had a place for powwowing in East Haven, about three- quarters of a mile east of the Harbor bridge. The spot was formerly a swamp, and is now a meadow." " Charles, the last sachem of this tribe, died about one hundred years ago. He was frozen to death near a .spring, about one mile north of the Congregational church in East Haven." "They caught round clams with their feet, and taught the English to catch them in this manner." " The Indian arrow-heads, frequently found here, are exactly like some which have been brought from Cape Horn." " At Fort Hill, or, as it is now called. Beacon Hill, there was for- merly an Indian fort and an Indian burying ground, on the eastern side of the hill. The name of this spot was formerly Indian Hill. The above is about all the account we have of the original inhabitants." So far as known the relations of these Indians to the whites were entirely peaceable, and while there may have been some apprehen- sions that the settlers might be attacked by predatory bands of In- dians, who sometimes visited this section, it does not appear that there was occasion for serious alarm. With the possible exception of some little annoyance in consequence of petty thefts, the planters were not ■discommoded by these Indians, but learned from them some of the arts which made life in this new country more agreeable. A band of the Ouinnipiacs, over whom was the squaw sachem Shaumpishuh, the sister of Momaugin, lived in the Menuncatuc part of Guilford. On the 29th of September, 1039. she deeded her interests there to the whites, represented by Henry Whitfield, Robert Kitchell, William Leete and others, and came to reside with her brother at East Haven, She brought with her 34 of her people. Some of the rest of the Menuncatucs took up their abode on Indian Point, in Branford, where they were allowed to remain by the Totoket settlers, and were •encouraged in the ways of civilization. Thirty-three more persons were allowed to "sit down " in Guilford, .so that her entire clan may not have embraced more than one hundred persons. Along the Hammonassett the land was claimed by Uncas, chief of the Mohegans, having become possessor of the same by marriage. HISTORY OF NEW IIAVEX COUNTY. 15 He sold his interests there to Mr. Fenwick, of Saybrook. froin whom it passed to the Guilford planters. In January, 1068, he and his son, Ahaddon, sold their remaining interests on the north to the settlers •of that part of the county. In the southwestern part of the county, the Wepowaugs were a numerous and rather important tribe, but also without warlike pro- clivities. They deeded their interests, February 12th, 1639, to the Milford planters— William Fowler, Zachariah Whitman, Edmund Tapp and others, and a number were permitted to remain on the reservations on the coast and on Turkey hill. They were properly •clans of the Pootatucks, and occupied five different settlements. At Derby was another clan, called the Paugassetts, and the Indians higher up the valley, sometimes called the Naugatucks, sustained a •similar relation. ^lany of them removed to state reservations, but a number remained in their respective localities until their death.* It seems that in all New Haven county the aborigines were only ■about a thousand in number at the coming of the whites, and declined from year to year, notwithstanding the honorable treatment they re- ceived at the hands of their pale-faced brethren. In all their dealings wath them they were humanely treated, the agreements were faith- fully observed, and there does not appear one act of grievous wrong or bloodshed charged against the first white settlers of New Haven. In this period of the acquisition of territory the settlers at Ouinnip- iac were governed by the terms of the " Plantation Covenant," all the civil business being transacted by the officers of the joint stock company, chief among whom were Davenport and Eaton. But the time had now come, when in the furtherance of the purpose to estab- lish a religious commonwealth, a more comprehensive instrument should be adopted. Hence on the 4th of June, 1639, all the free plant- ers convened in the large barn of Robert Newman, to deliberate upon the plan for laying the foundations of their religious and civil polity. Mr. Davenport preached an appropriate sermon, when he propounded a series of six queries to the assembled freemen, which in his mind ■embodied the proper basis upon which the church and state should be erected. Lest there should be anj' misapprehension as to the mean- ing of these propositions, Robert Newman wrote them out, and after reading them distinctly, each query was acted on separately, after its merits had been freely discussed, and all received a unanimous assent. The articles of " Fundamental Agreement " thus adopted have been summarized as follows : ''First. That the Scriptures are a perfect guide in the government of families and commonwealths, as well as in matters of the church. "Sixoiid. That all the free planters hold themselves bound by the ■* plantation covenant," made soon after their arrival, and covenant to *See town histories for accounts of these Indians. 16 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. submit themselves to be ordered, in all the business specified in that covenant, by the rules held forth in the Scriptures. " Tliird. That all the free planters purpose and desire to be admitted into church fellow.ship as soon as it shall be possible for them. ■•Fourth. That all the free planters hold themselves bound to establish such civil order as shall best conduce to the securing of the purity and peace of the ordinances to themselves and their po.sterity according to God. " Fiftli. That free burge.s.ses shall be chosen out of church mem- bers ; and the power of choosing magistrates and officers from among themselves, of making and repealing laws, of dividing inheritances, of deciding differences which may arise, and like business, should be held by these burgesses. ''Sixth. That twelve men, fitted for the work of founding the church, shall be chosen, who shall choo.se out of their number the seven best fitted, and these shall begin the church."- One hundred and eleven persons subscribed to these articles of agreement. In accordance with the sixth provision, in the " Fundamental Agree- ment," the following were chosen to lay the foundation of the church, /,(■., to .select the seven pillars upon which it was to be builded : Theophilus Eaton, John Davenport, Robert Newman, Matthew Gilbert, Thomas Fugill, John Punderson, Jeremiah Di.xon, Richard Melbou, Nathaniel Turner, Ezekiel Cheever, William Andrews.+ The seven finst named in this list were in due time selected and designated as the "Seven Pillars" or free burge.sses, whose duty it was to organize the church and the state. The former, as the " First Church of Christ," was gathered and constituted August 22d, 16:}9, and was composed solely of free and accepted burgesses. On the 2oth of October, 1639, the " Seven Pillars " completed their work, by forming the civil government. A court was organized, which was composed of all those who had been received into the fellowship of the church, or who as .such church members elsewhere might be admitted upon taking the oath of allegiance " to the civil government here settled." They thus became citizens of this little commonwealth, owning no allegiance to any other government what- soever. To this court or civil form of government was now entrusted the management of affairs, it having been ordained that " all former power, or trust, for-management of any public affairs in this planta- tion, into who.se hands .soever formerly committed is now abrogated and is henceforward utterly to cea.se." After proper exhortation by Mr. Davenport upon the importance of selecting worthy men as their rulers, Theophilus Eaton was chosen the first magistrate of the infant *Wm. H. Beckford. tEleven names only appear in the records. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 17 republic. Four deputies \vere chosen to assist him. " It was decreed by the freemen that there should be a general court annually, in the plantation, on the last week in October. This was ordained a court of election, in which all the officers of the colony were to be chosen. This court determined that the word of God should be the only rule for ordering the affairs of government in that commonwealth. " This was the original, fundamental constitution of the govern- ment of New Haven. All government was originally in the church and the members of the church elected the governor, magistrates and all other officers. " ''^ * As the plantation was enlarged and new towns were settled, new orders were given ; the general court received a new form, laws were enacted and the civil polity of this jurisdiction gradually advanced, in its essential parts, to a near resemblance of the government of Connecticut."* This model and scriptural foundation for the civil state was also adopted by the planters of Milford, when their little republic was established in the fall of 1639, and by the planters of Guilford, a few months later in the same year. Both of these plantations were essen- tially distinct from the Ouinnipiac plantation, but had from the begin- ning a common interest in the success of the Christian commonwealth idea, their forms of church organization and civil polity being the same as that of New Haven. But all their affairs were exclusively managed within their own plantations until the jurisdiction of New Haven was formed in 1048. In August or September, 1639, the Milford planters, to the number of 54, left Quinnipiac, and soon after. Air. Whitfield and his followers, from Kent and Essex, who had come to Quinnipiac the previous summer — 48 planters in all — went in the opposite direction to found Guilford. f In September, 1640, the Ouinnipiac freemen held a general court, when the name of the plantation was changed to New Haven. In this year Stamford was purchased cf the Indians by Captain Turner and was settled in November of that year under the direction of New Haven. About the same time the town of Southold, on Long Island, was settled by a colony from Hingham, England, which had tarried at New Haven a short period, and in both colonies the New Haven idea found lodgement. In 1640 an attempt was also made, by New Haven, to plant a colony on the Delaware river, but that venture proved unsuccessful, and was abandoned in a few years. After all these changes, in 1639-40, it was computed that the populationof New Haven proper was about 460. Soon after these colonies became apprehensive of Indian attack and realizing their defenceless condition as single or independent communities, a plan for the consolidation under one jurisdiction was perfected in 1643. New Haven being the oldest and most influential *Trumbuirs History of Conn. tSee accounts of Milford and Guilford. 18 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN" COUNTY. town (as those plantations ^vere now soon called) it was agreed that the jurisdiction or general colony should be kncnvn by its name. The towns of New Haven. Milford, Guilford and Stamford sent delegates to the general court at New Haven, and on October 27th, 164:1 the articles of confederation for the jurisdiction were adopted. This court was composed of the following : Magistrates: Theophilus Eaton, Governor; vStephen Goodyear, Deputy: Thomas Gregson, William Fowler, Edmund Tapp. Depu- ties: George Lamberton, New Haven ; John Astwood. John Sherman, Milford ; William Leete, .Samuel Di.sbrough, Guilford : Richard Gilder- sleeve, John Whitmore, Stamford. In 1644 Branford was settled under the New Haven jurisdiction and was joined to the colony under the same terms of this fundamental agreement of October, 1648, so that the colony as long as it existed embraced all the settled parts of the county. Its authority was thus acknowledged by the towns of New Haven, Milford, Branford and Guilford, the only organized communities, until this colony was absorbed by Connecticut in 1665. In the same year that the New Haven jurisdiction was established, a combination was formed between the then four colonies of New England: Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut and New Haven, under the title of " United Colonies of New England." The alliance was for the purpose of mutual defense against the Indians and the Dutch, and was found especially serviceable in King Philip's war, which seriously threatened some of the English settlements. In many respects this union resembled the confederation of the thirteen colonies, which carried the war of the revolution to a successful issue. The first representatives from New Haven to its general meeting were Theophilus Eaton and Thomas Gregson. In several important particulars the New Haven colony differed very much from other colonies in this country. In the articles of con- federation " It was agreed and concluded as a fundamental order, not to be disputed or questioned hereafter, that none shall be admitted to be free burgesses in any of the plantations within this jurisdiction for the future, but such planters as are members of some or other of the approved churches in New England." It will be seen that the design was to make this fundamental agreement unchangeable and unalter- able for all time, thus throwing a safeguard around the " Church- State " which would protect it against attempted changes. This theory was very dear to the founders of New Haven and although strange it now appears to us, proved successful in its application in this colony. In no other community was there a greater degree of civil order and a better exemplification of public morality than in New Haven under her colonial jurisdiction. Another marked point of difference, aside from the limitation of the right of suffrage, was the absence of the jury system. That HISTDRV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 19 method was here given no place whatsoever. It was left for the jndges to determine all questions of fact, evidence and law, and their powers in trials were scarcely limited. But it does not appear that there was any miscarriage of justice in consequence, for the judges were righteous men. No doubt, though, with a less exalted standard of morality, this system would have become a disturbing factor. Indeed, as it was, in some degree it helped to mould opinion favorable to a union with Connecticut, where the right of trial by jury was given an important place. Soon after the union of the New England colonies difficulties arose between New Haven colony and the Dutch, which continued several years. The latter harassed the colony to a considerable extent, their onslaughts being more particularly directed against the settlements planted on the Delaware, which eventuated in their abandonment, and leaving the Dutch in possession of that territory. A warm dis- pute concerning the territorj^ lying between New Haven and New Netherland was also carried on, with but little interruption until 1(364, when the dominion of the English over it was recognized. Pending the consideration of these matters and in consequence of them, the New Haven colony had a misunderstanding with the colony of Mas.sachusetts, which marred the harmonious feeling which should properly have existed between them : but. in the main, the colony history for the first twenty years was without any extraordinary features. Under the wise direction of Governor Theophilus Eaton and his judicious associates in the general court, the colony advanced in a degree proportionate with the efforts made to extend its pros- perity. Churches and schools especially were in this period placed tipon secure footings. Theidea of a Christian commonwealth was also, from year to year, more clearly developed, and as has been stated, as long as the several towns selected their best, most prudent men to administer their affairs, as directed by usage and the now accepted written and definite system of laws, perfected by Eaton, order and morality held supreme sway. This code of laws was adopted in 1655, five hundred copies being printed in England, at the expense of Mr. Hopkins, for the use of the colony. It is said that there are now but four copies of this issue known to be in existence, and so rare is the little book esteemed that it is held to be worth twenty-fold its weight in o-old.* This little digest became famous as the " Blue Laws," which have been much criticised and held up to ridicule in these modern times. It is possible that the scriptural rules upon which these laws were based may have been too literally applied for the conditions which existed in that age, and which, of course, are farther removed from their primitive simplicity in the.se times; but there can be no doubt that Eaton and his coadjutors .sincerely believed that *A copy purchased for the State Library, a few years ago, cost §431). 20 HISTORY OF XEW HAVEN COUNTY. this code would advance the i-eal good of their community and that they were for that purpose framed. Governor Eaton undoubtedly had clear ideas of civil government, and very decided and positive opinions of the divine nature of human government as built on the word of God. He had a strong love of justice and as a magistrate exercised the greatest impartiality. His honor was inflexible and his public spirit was liberal and of the most comprehensive kind. His conscientious efforts for the real good of the colony prevented much frivolous and extravagant legislation, and through his influence, largely, New Haven early became so zealous in the cause of education that it led the other towns in the state. Theophilus Eaton was the son of a clergyman, and was born at Stratford, England, in inoi. He was bred as a inerchant, was a busi- ness man in London. At one time he was the agent of the king of England at the court of Denmark. He accompanied Mr. Davenport to America in 1637, and to Quinnipiac in 1088, sharing with him the honor of founding the colony. He was the first magistrate of the plantation, and in 1643 was elected the first governor of the colony, to which office he was chosen yearly until his death in January, 1658. This was a severe loss to the colonists, whose esteem of him is best shown by the words they had engraved on his monument : " Eaton, — so famed, so wise, so just. The Phoeni.x of our world, — here hides his dust ; This name forget, New England never must." John Davenport, the other master spirit of the colony, was born in Coventry, England, in 1597. After being educated at Oxford, he became vicar of St. Stephen's church, Coleman street, London- Becoming a non-conformist he resigned his pastoral office and to escape persecution fled to Amsterdam, Holland, and later came to America. He became the pastor of the " First church " in the colony and was to the church what Eaton was to the state, although he also exercised a controlling influence in the latter. He and Eaton built their hou.ses opposite each other on the same street and were kindred spirits in every movement for the benefit of the colony. After the termination of the New Haven jurisdiction he lost hope in the success of the New Haven enterprise. Believing that " Christ's interests in New Haven colony were miserably lost, his roots were loosened and he was ready to leave his home and the child he had done so much to rear." Just at this time there came a call to the pastorate of the Boston church and he determined to remove to that city, where he apprehended he might better serve the cause for which he had so long contended. After thirty years' re.sidence at New Haven he removed to Boston in 1068, but after two years his earthly labors were ended by his death in that city. " He was a fine scholar, an able preacher, a clear-headed, far-seeing man, his views and opinions found HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 21 an ample vindication in subsequent experience. The measures he maintained were ju.st ; those he opposed proved disastrous in the extreme."" In all the period that Theophilus Eaton was governor of^the New Haven colony, Stephen Goodyear was chosen and served as deputy governor. He was one of the most active of New Haven's business men and was engaged in many enterprises which proved of service to the colony. After Eaton's death it was proposed to elect him gover- nor, but his absence from the colony on business, in London, prevented. Before his retiarn he died in that city, in June, 1658. In May, 165S, Francis Newman, of New Haven, was elected gover- nor, and William Leete, of Guilford, deputy governor. The former had for some years been secretary of the New Haven jurisdiction and was well qualified from his training and association with Eaton to discharge his new duties. The latter was trained to the law and was one of the ablest of the Guilford planters. Both were reelected to their several offices in 1659 and 1660. On the ISth of November of the latter year Governor Newman died. In 1661 William Leete was elected governor of the colony, and Matthew Gilbert deputy governor, and both were reelected in 1662 and 1663. In 1664 William Leete was aeain chosen governor, and served until the end of the jurisdic- tion. At the same time William Jones was chosen the last deputy governor. Early in the administration of Governor Leete the colony was excited by the visits of two of the regicide judges, Edward Whalley and William Goff, who found shelter and an asylum in New Haven. Upon the accession to the throne of Charles the Second, son of the executed king, they fled for their lives and arrived in Boston July 27th, 1660. " Edward Whalley came of an old and honored family. He was a first cousin of the lord-protector. During and after the civil war he held many important offices. He was the keeper of Charles the First, during the king's imprisonment, and his signature appears as the fourth upon the death warrant of the king. " William Goff was the son of Reverend Stephen Goff, a Puritan divine of Sussex, and pursued a military course similar to that of his friend. General Whalley. Like his friend, he rose from a private soldier to a major-general, and was also the trusty friend and associate of Cromwell. He gave valuable aid in purging the 'Long' and ' Rump ' parliaments, and was one of the strongest advocates of the king's death." For some time they lived openly at Cambridge, but being warned by a royal proclamation fled toward New Haven March 7th, 1601. En route they stopped at Guilford and were fed and sheltered by Governor Leete, but soon proceeded to New Haven where Mr. Daven- *\Vebb's Historical Conn., p. 122. 22 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. port first befriended them and concealed them in his house. Their pursuers under the royal proclamation were soon at their heels and in order to mislead them they made frequent excursions into the country. " Fearino^ lest they should bring trouble upon those who had aided them, they offered to surrender themselves to Governor Leete, but he claiming he had no proper warrant, was in no haste to do so. The judges now showed themselves publicly on the streets of New Haven, so as to clear their friends from any complicity with their conceal- ment, then disappeared from view. " When the officers of the crown visited New Haven, the magistrate and people showed them every civility, and were officious in aiding their search, while at the same time they did their best to secrete the refugees. They well said, ' We honor his Majesty, but we have tender consciences.' ' Their ' honor ' of his Majesty was not very deep, and was bounded only by their fears. Any open disobedience would have cost them dear, so they tendered the regicides the best aid they could in secret."* The judges fled to a cave formed by several large rocks, on the western stimmit of West Rock, which is still known as the Judges' Cave, where they remained for a while, and also occupied several places in Wood bridge, called the Lodge and Hatchet harbor, each place affording them temporary shelter where they were fed by friendly hands. On the 19th of August, 1661, they went to Milford, where they abode several years, but in 1064 they went to Hadley, Mass., where they remained until their death. There is a tradition, which appears to lack proper foundation, that their bones were sub- sequently brought to New Haven and buried on the green near where is now the monument to the memory of Colonel John Dixwell, the third of the regicide judges. He came to New Haven about 1670, and lived here in a very quiet manner as James Davids, until his death in 1688. In the later years of his life he disclosed himself to the minister, the Reverend Pierpont, and a strong friendship sprang up between them. At his death he requested that a plain stone should mark his grave, with his initials, J. D., Esq., and date of his death and age, " lest his enemies might dishonor his ashes." His fears appear to have been well founded. President Stiles says, in his "Histoiy of the Judges": " Some officers, as late as 1775, visited and treated the graves with marks of indignity too indecent to be mentioned." The plain stone slab still stands near the Dixwell monument, in the rear of Center church at New Haven. The latter was erected over the bones of Colonel Dixwell in November, 1840, at the expense of a Mr. Dixwell, of Boston, who was a descendant. The incidents and traditions connected with the sojourn of the judges in New Haven county would form material for an interesting romance. Three fine avenues in the northwestern part of the citv of New Haven perpetuate the memory of these regicides. *Beckfiircl. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 23 The residence of the regicides in New Haven colony and the mani- fest sympathy of many of her citizens with them, influenced in no small degree the future events of the jurisdiction. Under these cir- cumstances the colony could not reasonably hope for mucl> favorable consideration at the hands of the new king, Charles the Second. Governor Leete himself, who at heart countenanced the presence of the judges, was one of the first in public authority to entertain " fears that evil consequences might result to the colony and to him per- sonally from the neglect to apprehend the regicides,"* and was will- ing to enter into negotiations to avert the evil, "and to purchase his own peace." He assented to a proposition of Governor Winthrop, of the Connecticut colony, to obtain a royal patent which should embrace all the territory of the two colonies, and which would eventually unite them. It was plain to both of these statesmen, that such a union must prove advantageous. Governor Leete probably realized, too, that under royal rule the tenure of the colony would be very uncertain. While it was a fully organized body, so far as its own affairs were con- cerned, being in fact an independent little republic, its sole right to the soil upon which it existed was based upon Indian treaties and the sufferance of those who had not yet chosen to assert their claims under the warrant of former kings. A prudent policy of estate would demand a more explicit basis, which it was purposed to secure in a liberal and comprehensive charter. The work of procuring this was very properly undertaken by Governor Winthrop. His experience as governor of Connecticut since 1658, had impressed on him the needs of the colonists, which were further revealed to him by his many busi- ness affairs. He was, moreover, a man of education and large experi- ence as a traveler, which fitted him for the work of a diplomat. " In 1661, Governor Winthrop made a visit to England in the interests of the colony. He found in Lord Say and Seal, the only survivor of the original patentees, a warm friend, through whose in- fluence he was enabled to gain audience with Charles II. At this interview, Winthrop, with his wonted tact, first presented the king a ring that had been given by Charles I. to his grandfather, and then presented a petition from the colony of Connecticut for a royal charter. This charter, freely granted by the king, can still be seen in the office of the secretary of state at Hartford, framed with wood from the Charter Oak. Based, as this instrument was, upon the colonial consti- tution of 1639, it was indeed a royal gift, and proved of great value to the young colony, as evidenced by the many subsequent attempts to revoke it on the part of the succes.sors of Charles II. "f The jurisdiction of the charter extended over a territory including New Haven, and being nearly what is now the present state. It was a most liberal document. " It conferred upon the colonists unqualified *Atwater. tW. S. ^Vebb. 24 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. power to govern themselves. They were allowed to elect all their own officers, to enact their own laws, to administer justice without appeals to England, to inflict puni.sliirients, to confer pardons and in a word, to exercise every jDower, deliberative and active. The king, far from reserving a negative on the acts of the colony, did not even require that the laws should be transmitted for his inspection ; and no provision was made for the interference of the English govern- ment, in any event whatever. Connecticut was independent, except in name.""'- The charter bore date April •22d, 1062. but it did not reach this country until some months later. At the general a.ssembly held at Hartford October 9th, 1662, " the Patent or Charter was this day pub- licly read in audience of the freemen and declared to belong to them and their successors." In November, 1662, Connecticut made overtures of union to the New Haven colony, but inasmuch as the charter did not limit the right of suffrage to accepted church members, that question became the " great bone of contention," and a bitter controversy ensued which kept the colonists apart more than two years. Davenport and his adherents were very loth to surrender the principle of a " church- state " for which they had so long labored, earnestly maintaining that there was no safety in entrusting the civil affairs into the hands of "an orderly citizen," posse.ssed of a certain amount of property, as was the Connecticut requirement. But this liberal provision in the royal charter especially commended the union to disaffected citizens of the New Haven jurisdiction who made individual application for citizen- ship in Connecticut. Some of them, after being received as freemen, no longer recognized the New Haven authority, which had, as ma}' easily be imagined, a demoralizing effect. This plan was contrary to the purposes of Governors Winthrop and Leete, who had an under- standing that the freemen of New Haven should not be brought under the authority established by the charter unless by their own consent, "f meaning, probably, their collective consent, which had not been obtained. However, this unexpected issue had the effect of hastening the union. Conservative men in every town recognized the claims of Connecticut and the advantages which would result from having a united colony and coun.seled to that end, as the only way to terminate the unfortunate strife and contention, awakened by this matter, pre- vailing in almost every town. The exponents of the "church-state" idea made a la.st vigorous protest, which was well considered and plausible, but did not secure the relief the colony needed and wanted. New Haven was overborne in all the matters for which she had especially contended and was at last, by a variety of circumstances, forced to make an unconditional acceptance of the terms of the charter, ♦Bancroft. tAtwatcr. HISTiiRV 0¥ NEW HAVEN COUNTV. 26 whereas if she had been less obstinate she might have secured some concessions to her advantage in the matter of suffrage. The last general court of the jurisdiction was held December 18th, 1664, when it was voted : " 1. That by this act or vote we be not understood to justif}' Con- necticut's former actings, nor anything disorderly done by our own people upon such accounts. "2. That by it we be not apprehended to have any hand in break- ing: or dissolving the confederation. '• Yet, in testimony of our loyalty to the king's majesty, when an authentic copy of the determination of his commissioners is published to be recorded with us, if thereby it shall appear to our committee, that we are by his majesty's authority now put under our Connecticut patent, we shall submit, as from a necessity brought upon us by their means of Connecticut aforesaid, but with a salvo jure of our former right and claim, as a people who have not yet been heard in every point of plea." The action of the royal commissioners in assigning Long Island to New York and giving Connecticut jurisdiction to the Westchester line fully determined the matter and the union was completed in January, 1665.* Mr. Davenport remained in the colony three years before his removal to Boston, but did not, in that period, become a freeman in Connecticut. Abraham Pierson and a number of his parishioners at Branford would not accept the result, but removed to Newark, N. J., rather than become citizens of a state where the divine law was not given a fundamental place. Others, too, in consequence of the methods employed to bring about the union, cherished feelings of resentment, but these soon gave place to praise of the better results obtained in the affairs of the united colonies. The administration of Governor Winthrop was judicious and conciliating and confidence was further increased and friendship cemented when the two next governors, leading citizens of New Haven, William Leete, of Guilford, and Robert Treat, of Milford, were chosen. The New Haven jurisdiction was reluctantly given up, but was soon forgotten by those who enjoyed the liberal provisions of the state which displaced it. And in these times a few only remember the fact m history that for the first twenty- six years after the settlement of the county its affairs were managed by a distinct colony, in which was exemplified the highest form of " church-state " yet attempted. New Haven county was named and some provision for its manage- ment was made at the general court, held in the fall of 1665. But the following May, the bounds of thfe four original counties of the state were defined. New Haven county was made to embrace the four towns of the old jurisdiction east of the Housatonic : Milford, New *Want of space precludes giving much interesting matter in connection with the closing days of the jurisdiction. 26 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Haven, Branford and Guilford, which are properly the original towns of the county. They took up the entire coast line and their northern bounds were not given, an unorganized section intervening between them and the settled parts of Hartford county. In May, 1722, all the lands west of Farmington, not organized, were annexed to New Haven county : and in ISIay, 1728, the large town of Waterbury, which from the time of its settlement was in Hartford county, was also, on the petition of its inhabitants, annexed to New Haven county. The northwestern bounds of the county were still further extended in 1807, when vSouthbury was annexed to New Haven county. Up to that time it was a part of Litchfield county. Several towns in the state were settled under the auspices of towns in New Haven and when in- corporated were annexed to this county for convenience of legislation. New Alilford, incorporated in 1712, was thus for a number of years a part of New Haven count}', becoming later apart of Litchfield county, formed in 1751. The town of Durham, incorporated in May, 170S, was annexed to New Haven county, of which it remained apart until 1799, when it was detached and annexed to Middlesex county, which was formed in 1785. A number of efforts were made to embody this town (Durham i and Saybrook and Killingworth, in ^Middlesex ; Guilford and Branford, in New Haven, into a new county, with the name of Guilford. Bills to that effect were introduced and passed the lower house in 1718, 1728. 17:36, 1744 and 1758. In each case the more conservative upper house negatived these aspirations. Movements were also made to create a new county, with additions from Litchfield, of some of the northwestern towns, with Waterbury or Woodbury as county seat. Some minor changes in the county limits have been made, but they remain essentially as above noted. The 26 towns of the county are the following, which were created in the order named : 1. New Haven. — Settled as Ouinnipiac, in 1687-8, by Puritans from London, headed by John Davenport. Named New Haven by the town court, September, 1640. Originally the area was about thirteen miles square, embracing territor\' out of which have been formed Wallingford (including Cheshire and Meriden), East Haven, North Haven, Hamden and parts of Orange and Woodbridge. It is pre- eminently the mother town of the county. 2. Milford. — Settled as Wepawaug, in 1689, by Peter Prudden, and non-conformist adherents from Yorkshire and other points in England. Named Milford m November, 1640. From the original town have been formed, in part, Derby (including Ansonia, Seymour and Oxford) Orange and Woodbridge, the latter including Bethany. 8. Guilford. — .Settled in the latter part of 1639, as Menunkatuc, by Henry Whitfield and his company of Puritans from Kent and Surrey,. HISTORY 01' NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 27 England. Named Guilford in October, 1643. Originally the town embraced ^ladison. 4. Branford. — Settled under Xew Haven jurisdiction in 1644, as- the "plantation at Totoke.t," by non-conformists from Wethersfield and Abraham Pierson and some of his adherents from Southampton, Long Island. Embraced North Branford. 5. Wallingford. — Settlement projected in 1609, as New Haven village. Named Wallingford in May, 1670. Became a separate town in 1672. Subdivided into Cheshire and Meriden. 6. Derby. — Settled as Paugasset by traders from New Haven, 1654, and planters from Milford, 1659. Town privileges were granted in 1675, and the name of Derby applied to the locality. 7. Waterbury. — Settled as Mattatuck by inhabitants from Far- mington in 1677. In 1686 it was incorporated as a town with the present name and became a part of Hartford county. In 1728 Water- bury was annexed to New Haven county. The original area has been reduced by the formation of the towns of Wolcott, Prospect, Middlebury and Xaugatuck, to each of which she contributed terri- tory. 8. Cheshire. — Settled under the direction of Wallingford as " West Farms." (Organized as the parish of New Cheshire and incor- porated as a town with the present name in May, 1780. A part of the western portion was taken off to form Prospect. 9. Woodbridge. — Settled by New Haven and Milford planters. Organized as the Society of Amity and incorporated in 1784, as the town of Woodbridge. From the original town was set off Bethany. 10. East Haven. — Settled by the inhabitants of New Haven as " East Farms." Village privileges in New Haven granted in 1701. In- corporated as a town in 1785. 11. Hamden. — Settled by New Haven and for many years was a parish in that town. In May, 1786, incorporated a town. 12. North Haven. — Settled as " North Farms " of New Haven, Incorporated a town, October,- 1786. 18. Southbury. — Settled about 1672, by the pioneers of Woodbury. Incorporated as a town in May, 1787, and was in Litchfield county until 1807. Parts of the original town were taken off to form Oxford and Middlebury. 14. Wolcott. — Settled as a part of the original town of Farmington. Formed as a parish out of parts of that town and Waterbury, and was first known as Farmingbury. Incorporated a town in 17U6. 15. Oxford. — Settled by planters from Derby and Southbury, from which the town was taken and incorporated in 1798. Its area has been diminished by annexation to Naugatuck, Seymour and Beacon Falls. 16. Meriden. — Settled by Wallingford as " North Farms." Taken from that town and incorporated a separate town in ISDfi. 28 HISTORY OF NEW II.WEX COUNTY. 17. Middlebui-}-. — Settled by inhabitants from Woodbury, Water- bury and vSouthbury, and taken from those towns and incorporated in 1807. 18. Orange. — Settled early by planters from New Haven as " West Farms," and by planters from Milford as "North Farms" or " Bryan's Farms." The former, organized as West Haven parish, the latter as North Milford parish, were united and incorporated as the town of Orange in May, 1822. 19. Madison. — Settled as East Guilford by the planters of Guilford, from which it was taken and incorporated as Madison, in 1826. 20. Prospect. — Settled as parts of Waterbury and Cheshire. Organized as the parish of Columbia. Incorporated a town, with name of Prospect, in 1827. 21. North Branford. — Settled as the northern part of Totoket or Branford, and set off from that town and incorporated in 1831. 22. Bethany. — Settled by planters of Milford and New Haven. Was a part of Woodbridge until Alay, 1832, when it was incorporated a separate town. From the west have been taken parts to add to the towns of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls. 23. Naugatuck. — Incorporated in May, 1844 ; taken from Water- bury, Bethany and Oxford. In 1871, its southern part was taken off to form Beacon Falls. The Watei^bury part was long known as Salem parish. 24. Seymour. — Settled as the northern part of Derby, and long known as Rimmon Falls and Humphreysville. Incorporated as a town with the present name in May, 1850. A small part of Oxford was later added. 25. Beacon Falls. — Incorporated in May, 1871, and taken from Seymour, Oxford, Naugatuck and Bethany. 26. Ansonia. — Settled as the central part of Old Derby. Taken from that town and became a separate town corporation in April, 1889, thus being the youngest town in the coimt}-. The county has within its limits three thriving cities, namely : New Haven. — Incorporated January 21st, 1784, the fifth city in the Union and the first one to be chartered after the declaration of inde- pendence. The older cities in the United States are New York, Philadelphia, Albany and Richmond. Waterbury. — Incorporated in 1853. Population in 1890, 28.n4('). Meriden. — Incorporated in July, 1867. Population in 1890, 21,652. There are, also, in the county the following boroughs: Ansonia, Birmingham, Fair Haven East, Guilford (incorporated in 1815), Wal- lingford and West Haven, a full account of which appears in the towns where they are located. The growth or decline of the above towns, in the past ninety years, is shown in the following statistics of pojnilation : HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 29 TOWNS. 1810. 1830. 1850. 1870. 1880. 1890. New Haven - - 6,967 10,678 22,529 50,840 62,883 86,045 Bethany - - - 914 1,135 637* 550 Beacon Falls - - 379 505 Bran ford - - - 1,932 3,333 1.425* 2.488 3,047 4,460 Cheshire - - - 2,2SS 1,764* 1,627 3,344 2,384 1,929 Ansonia - - - - 10,343 Derby - - - - 3,051 2,353 3,824 8,030 11,650 5,969 East Hayen - - 1,209 1,229 1.673 2,714 3,057 955 Gnilford - - - 3,845 2,344* 2,650 2,576 2,782 3,780 Hamden - - - 1,716 1,669 2,168 3,028 3,408 3,883 Madison - - - - 1,809 2,063 1.814 1,672 1,439 Meriden - - - - 1,249 1.708 3,525 10.495 18,340 25.423 Middleburv - - 847 816 763 69li 687 566 Milford - - - - 2,674 2,356* 2,465 3,405 3,347 3.811 Naugatuck - - - 1,730 2,832 4,374 6.218 North Branford - 1,013 1,035 1,025 825 North Haven - - 1,239 1,282 1.338 1,771 1,763 1,863 Orana;e - - - - 1,341 1,466 2,634 3,341 4,537 Oxford - - - - 1,453 1,763 1,564* 1,338 1,120 903 Prospect - - - 651 674 .551 492 445 Seymour - - - 1,677 2,131 3,318 3,300 Southbury - - - 1.413 1.557 1.484 1,318 1,740 1,089 ^Vallingford - - 2,325 2,419 3,639 3,676 4,686 6,. 584 Waterbury - - - 2,874 3,070 5,137 13,106 30,270 33,303 Wolcott - - - - 953 844 603 491 493 522 Woodbridge - - 2,030 2,049 913* 830 829 156, .523 936 Totals - - - 37,064 43,848 65,841 131,257 209,058 ^Diminished by the formation of new towns. The increase of the wealth of the towns is shown in the following comparative Grand Lists of 1885 and 1890 : 188.5. ISdO. New Haven ------ $49,473,946 $.50,739,536 2,879,478 Beacon Falls ------ 372,357 192,6.55 Bethany ------- 287,586 279.637 Branford ------- 1,5.50,705 1,677,213 Cheshire ------- 1,337,685 1.077,638 Derby 4,516,.547 1,798,727* East Haven ------ 019, S60 618,609 Guilford ------- 1.414,886 1,359,959 Hamden ------- 1,679,090 1,713,311 Madison ------- 744,329 706,521 Meriden ------- 10,206,193 10,940,919 ^Middlebury ------ 250,406 351,498 :\Iilford ------- 1.183,244 1,259,898 Naugatuck ------- 1,793,888 2,004,578 North Branford ------ 487,410 471,315 North Haven ------ 770,381 735,194 Orange ------- 2, .502, 903 2,593,108 Oxford ------- 365,901 333,496 Prospect ------- 170.670 154,621 Seymour -.-.--- 1,14S,705 1,220,678 Southbury ------- 611,046 616,284 Wallingford - 2,584,234 2,514,129 Waterbury ------- 9,530.386 10,368.393 Wolcott ------- 226,092 223,905 Woodbridge ------ 413,114 401,807 *Ansnnia set off in 1880. 130 HISTORY OF NEW II.W'EX COIIXTV. In the year last given (1890) the Grand Lists of the Cities and Boroughs, included in the foregoing towns, were as follows : New Haven, $49,.565,988 ; Meriden, $9,(577,129: Waterbury, $8,783,923: Ansonia, $2,15o,C96 ; Birmingham, $1,230,498: Fair Haven East, $983,827; Guilford, 69r),099 ; Wallingford, $1,745,935: West Haven (Orange), $1,641 ,57n. From the latest available data on this matter (the cen.sus of 1880), it appears that New Haven county was the first in the state in the amount of capital invested in manufactures — $3i),275,(i92 ; being about $3,000,000 more than the next highest, Hartford, and about $13,000,000 more than the third on the list, Fairfield count}-. In manufactured products New Haven county led by $15,000,000, the value of the prod- ucts being $59,530,504. In amounts invested in agriculture New Haven stood yiv/;-///, being -exceeded hy Hartford, Fairfield and Litchfield. The capital invested was $17,647,923, and the products were only $2,410,763. In the com- bined value of capital invested in manufactures and agriculture Hartford had $57,559,868 ; and New Haven had but $47,923,615. After the union of the New Haven and the Connecticut colonies, in 1665, the meetings of the general courts and the courts of the assistants (or, in other words, the colonial legislature) were held in Hartford only, convening in May and (Jctober of each year. This ■order was followed until ^lay, 1701, when it was voted that after the next October session, which was to be held in Hartford, the May sessions only should be held in the latter place, and the October meet- ings should thereafter be held at New Haven. This arrangement was continued until the constitution of 1818 abolished the October sessions, and the annual sessions thei-eafter alternated between Hart- ford and New Haven as semi-capitals of the state. In 1873 Hartford was selected as the sole capital of Connecticut and the state house at New Haven was relinquished to the citizens of the town. At the time (1701) that New Haven was designated as one of the ■capitals, there were no public buildings in the town except the meet- ing house, where were held most of the public assemblages. The particular courts were probably held at public inns, or at the houses of the magistrates. It is probable that the lower branch of the legis- lature held its meetings at the meeting house until a state house was provided, and the upper branch appears to have been convened at various rooms in the town, among them being the inn of Captain John Miles. In October, 1718, it convened in the library room of the new college building. In 1717, the state made provision to enable the counties to erect court hou.ses, and that year also was authorized the building of the first state hou.se at Hartford. For the court house at New Haven, the state appropriated i;'300. The county court at its January, 1718, session resolved : " That it is nece.ssary for the service of his Majesty that there be HISIi.iRV l>F NEW HAVEN CUUNTV. 31 ■adjoined to the present prison-house a timber house of forty-five feet in length and twenty-two in breadth, two stones high, with chimnies at each end ; and agreed that there be such a building erected on this condition : that the town of New Haven provide a suitable place of land to set it upon." The town voted the necessar\' site February 2d, 1710. granting an •eighth of an acre of land, in the market place, at the old prison house, to be laid out as should best accommodate the building. This lot was upon the public green and near its northwest corner. Warham Mather. Samuel Bishop and Joseph Whiting were appointed the com- mittee in charge of the building. It was completed for occupation in the fall of 1719, but was more properly furnished later. Chairs and other furniture were supplied in 1727, and subsequently. This house appears to have been used for the meetings of the legis- lature and the courts of the county until 1763, when the colony and New Haven united in erecting a fine new brick state house, each con- tributing ;^907. 9s., 3d. to defray the expense of the edifice. It also stood on the green, facing east on Temple street, on a lot a little north of the site which was afterward voted to Trinity church. Jared Ingersoll was one of the building committee, and through his influence a bell, which had been used in the meeting house, where its place was taken by a new one, was secured and placed in the turret of the state building. Originally this state and county hotise was gambrel-roofed. About 1800 it was much enlarged and a roof of two planes, meeting at the ridge pole, placed on it. Midway on the ridge was the cupola, with ihe bell. The upper stor}' was used by the state ; the lower gave the necessary rooms for the count}' and the town. In 1827 the general assembly resolved " that it is expedient and necessary that a new state house for the accommodation of the general assembly ,should be built in the city of New Haven," and as the county and the town would derive some benefit from it, the state asked that they bear one-third of the expense. To this proposition the county judges and representatives of the county assented at a meeting held Jujy oth, 1827, and measures were taken to build. William Moseley, Charles H. Pond and John Q. Wilson were appointed to superintend the con- struction of this house, which was well located, on the northwestern quarter of the green, a short distance from College street. The length was placed north and south and was 160 feet. The width was 90 feet. At each end was a pediment supported by six massive columns. The general style of the architecture was of the Doric order and the walls were of .stone. The basement, which was high above the ground, was encrusted with Sing Sing marble. The other two stories were stuc- ■coed. The legislature halls were in the upper story. In the .story below were the governor's parlor, committee rooms, jury rooms, and the entire east side was ttsed for court rooms. It was first occupied in the spring of 1830, and for sixty years was one of the most conspicuous 32 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. objects on the green. It was surrendered to the people of New Haven in 1874, and soon showed marks of decay, which, since it was not kept m repair, made it unsightly, and as it was no longer demanded for public use it was razed to the ground in the summer of 1890. Its site has been sodded over and hardly a trace remains to show its former location. It will be remembered that when the first .state house was located at New Haven, there was already on the green an insecure prison- house or jail. In 1720 the general as.sembly ordered this to be strengthened, and the county court concurring, directed that it be enlarged and a keeper's house be built thereto. Warham :\Iather, John^Hall and Joseph Whiting were charged with the.se improve- ments, which were also on the the northwest part of the green. The first, or wooden state hou.se, after it was vacated by the courts in 1708, was allowed to remain and part of it was used as an office for the Coniuxticut Journal Axom 1767 until 1772, and later as a shop for the manufacture of metal buttons. About the time of the revolution, these buildings were removed from that part of the green and the jail or county house, as it was now called, was removed to the other side of College street, where it was enclosed with strong timbers, set up as a stockade, which seem to have afforded the necessary security. In the keeper's house proper the hospitalities of an inn were dispensed to such as desired those accommodations. In 1801 it was determined to build a new county jail, on the east side of Church street, where a lot belonging to the Hopkins Grammar School was leased for a term of 999 years. At fir.st it was purposed to erect a structure only two stories high, but at the solicitation of James Hillhouse and other public-spirited citizens, the plan was changed to three stories. The prison proper was in the rear and was at first also three stories high, but was rebuilt when the cell system was adopted, two tiers of cells being constructed. Over the keeper's house, in front, and in the third story was the debtors' prison, where those confined were treated with considerable attention, notwithstanding the windows were grated with iron bars. Here, also, the prison keeper was privil- eged to act as the entertainer of the public. In 1856 the county began the building of a new jail, on Whalley avenue, when the lease for the lot on Church street was sold to the city of New Haven for $2o,000, upon which its fine hall was completed in 1862. The county jail now in u.se was occupied in 1857. It is built on a desirable site of four acres of land, on Whalley avenue, which have been well improved for this use. About two acres are covered with buildings, which have been arranged to accommodate three hundred prisoners. The pri.son is under the general care of the county com- missioners and is well maintained. The commitments during a year are many but a large proportion are sent there for drunkenness or crimes allied with that habit. In 1873 the prisoners committed were HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 33 1,890, and the jail expenses $16,417. In 1878, prisoners committed, 1,922: expenses, $23,931.25. In 1883, prisoners sent up, 2,224; expenses, $20,] 03. In 1888 the commitments reached 2,910, but two years later under the restraining influence of the license law the number committed was only 2,60;"). In the latter year the commit- ments for drunkenness were about 200 less than in 1888. The cost to the county, including some extraordinary expenses, was that year more than $49,000. In 1890 it was about one-fifth less. The New Haven County Temporary Home for Dependent and Neglected Children, was established i:nder the provisions of an act passed creating these institutions. This home was opened January 1st, 1884, in a building leased for that purpose, at Tyler Station, in the town of Orange, [n the spring of 1880, a permanent home was founded on Sheldon avenue, where a spacious lot is occupied. The house has at various times been improved to adapt it to the wants and comforts of the inmates. It is now capacitated to accom- modate 75 children. From fifty to sixty have there found refuge at one time, and since the institution was opened 360 have been received under its care. About one-half of that number were from New Haven, the remainder being from 18 other towns in the county, which availed themselves of the shelter here afforded to children in distress until other provision could be made for them. About one-half of those yearly admitted are provided with homes in proper families. The home is maintained at an outlay of about $7,000 per year, and is managed by the county commissioners and a member each of the state boards of health and charities. We have seen that the county united with the town and the state in building state houses on the public green, the last one being erected in 1830. This was occupied for court purposes until December, 1862, when the county secured a ten years' lease of rooms in the new city hall for court chambers and offices. In 1870 the city authorities noti- fied the county commissioners that their lease could not be renewed, which necessitated action to secure new quarters. The commissioners were authorized June 2d, 1871, to purchase a lot and build a court hotise in the city of New Haven. The Doctor Jonathan Knight lot, directly north of the city hall, was purcha.sed for $48,000, upon which the main edifice was erected in 1872-3. at a cost of $120,000. About $14,000 more was expended in furnishing the building, the aggregate cost being about $182,000. It fronts 60 feet on Church street and extends to the rear 120 feet. The house is three stories high, and its front, which is ornate, is built of Nova Scotia stone. The large door- way is in the gothic style and is flanked by very fine pillars of vScotch granite. In the third storv of this house is the Yale Law School, which is here furnished quarters in consideration of the free u.se of its valuable law library by the courts and members of the bar of New Haven county. Its collections are very extensive and are being con- 3 34 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. stantly enlarged, the sio.doo fund donated by Governor James E. English in 187;>, being used for that purpose. The two other floors of the building contain the chambers of the superior and common pleas courts, commissioners' rooms, well-appointed ofifices, and the adjuncts of modern halls of justice. In the course of two years additional accommodations were required, when the George Hoadley property, on the north of the court house, was purchased, in 1883, and on the rear of the .same, but connected with the main edifice, an addition was built, chiefly to accommodate the criminal courts of the county. Its interior is admirably arranged to that end. The entire cost of this improvement was about $100,000. The building was finst occupied by the October term of the court, in 1S84, and it has been found to well serve its purpose. The lot in front will permit the still further enlargement of the court house, which is not only one of the most valuable, but in its arrangements is surpassed by but few others in the eastern part of the Union. In 1838 the general a.ssembly enacted a law that the county court should thereafter consist of one judge and two associate members of the qtiorum, to be called county commissioners. Some of the specific duties of the latter were to take care of the county property and to regulate or assist in the regulation of the sale of liquor. These duties have always been attached to the office. In other capacities they were sort of associate judges. In 1841 another act constituted the board of county commissioners much as it now is, the powers and duties since that time having been increased or curtailed at the fancy of the several legislatures. By bestowing enlarged powers the office is now rela- tively more important than former!}'. The commissioners appointed by the general assembly, when the board was composed of two members only, are named in the list of county judges. Under the act of 1841 and those of a subsequent date, the commissioners have been the following: 1842, Selah Strong, De Grosse Maltby, James D. Woo.ster ; 1843-4, William H. Ellis, George Loudon, Malachi Cook ; 1845-6, Edward A. Cornwall, Greene Kendrick, Hoadley Bray: 1847, James S. Brooks, Loyal F. Todd, .Samuel Wise ; 1848-9, Philemon Hoadley, Samuel C. Johnson, Leonard Bronson : 18.50, Leonard Bronson, Reynold Webb, Philo Pratt; 18ol, David S. Fowler, Timothy V. ]^Ieigs, Millard Spencer; 1852, Fitch .Smith, Timothy V. Aleigs, Perry Averill ; 1853-4, Augustus Hall, Orrin Plumb, Franklin C. Phillips; 1855, John Durrie. Archibald E. Rice, Selah Lee ; 1850, Benjamin F. Libby, Joshua Kendall, William C. Bushnell ; 1857, Albert B. Wildman. Joshua Kendall. Archibald E. Rice; 18.58 60, Albert B. Wildman, Edwin B. Munson, Archibald E. Rice; 18G1, Alfred Daggett, Josiah M. Colburn, Hoadley Bray; 1862, Edmund Parker, Arciifbald'E. Rice, George Rose; 1863-6, Parker, Rice and Charles Ball : 1868-71, Archibald E. Rice, Richard Dibble, Charles P. Brockett ; 1872, Rice, Brockett and Nathan Andrews ; 1873, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUXTV. 35 Rice, Andrews and Carlos Smith : 1874, Andrews, Smith and Jesse Cooper; 1875, Cooper, Smith and John W. Bassett ; 1876, Cooper, Bassett and Linus Birdse}' ; 1877, Birdsey, John W. Lake and Charles A. Tomlinson; 1878, Lake, Hiram Jacobs, Marcus E. Baldwin ; 1879, Lewis B. Perkins, Jacobs and Baldwin; 1880-1, the same; 1882-3, Jacobs, Baldwin and George F. Perry; 1884, Jacobs, Perry and Albert B. Dunham ; 1885-91, Jacobs, Dunham and Cecil A. Burleieh. The first civil organization in the county was the Court of Twelve Free Burgesses, selected by the planters of Quinnipiac, June 4th, 1639, which was empowered to select or appoint the proper magis- trates. That duty was performed October 25th, 1639, when Theophilus Eaton was chosen the magistrate of the plantation court, with Robert Newman, Matthew Gilbert, Nathaniel Turner and Thomas Fugill, as deputy magistrates. The last named was appointed clerk of the court and Robert Seeley was selected as the marshal. Scarcely was this court organized before its attention was engaged in an important trial, which resulted in the conviction of the Indian Nepaupuck, accused of the murder of Abraham Finch, of Wethersfield. Nepaupuck having been so charged, came into the town voluntarily, but on being taken into custody by the new marshal, managed to escape. He was recaptured on the 26th of October, 1639, and the trial proceeded. Testimony against him was given by some of his fellow Indians, but the evidence of his guilt was more clearly con- firmed by the confession which he himself made. October 28th. The following day he was sentenced to death. The penalty was not long delayed for, (3ctober 30th, 1639, the Indian's head was cut off, and, in order to make his fate serve as an example to the other Indians, it was placed on a pole and exposed on the market place, on the present New Haven green. The effect was salutary. For many years the colony was spared the pain of carrying out another capital punish- ment. The market places in the several towns were utilized for jail sites and there, also, were put the instruments for inflicting minor punishment — the pillory and the whipping post. In most instances they were continued until after the first quarter of the present century. The one on New Haven green was not removed until 1831. Each of the other plantations, Milford and Guilford, also had its courts organized in a manner similar to that of New Haven ; and after the New Haven jurisdiction was formed, in 1643, these planta- tion or particular courts were continued and were allowed to take cognizance of certain matters. From them appeal could be taken to the general court, composed of the deputies and magistrates of the jurisdiction, which convened semi-annually at New Haven. This colonial court consisted of two branches, viz. : that of the deputies elected by the several towns semi-annually or annually, and whose functions were mainly legislative ; and the branch composed of the governor, deputy governor and three or more magistrates, all of 36 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. whom were distinguislied for their sound judgment, probity and patriotism. This was the judicial part of the court. It was presided over by the governor or deputy governor, sitting with the magistrates from the several plantations, five members constituting a quorum. It was, from the nature of the constitution, the last court of redress. In all these courts, particular and colonial, there was no jury and the principles of action and ju.stice were based upon the Mosaic law of the Bible. Especially were the laws relating to the observance of the Lord's day strictly enforced. In 1655 the code of laws prepared by Governor Theophilus Eaton was adopted as the first general statutes of the colony. Most of the laws were very stringent and .some of them arbitrary. After the restoration of Charles II. they became derisively known as the " Blue Laws," and have been held up to ridicule as unnatural and unreason- able, when in fact they were just about such laws as any crude govern- ment would u.se if it attempted to exercise a paternal care over its subjects. They were, in the main, the Mosaic laws, expressed in different words, in some instances, and while they may have been based upon righteous principles they were, undoubtedly, better adapted for a patriarchal form of government, in a semi-civilized country, than for a republic whose people have been trained to enjoy enlarged liberties and increased freedom of thought and action. In 1673 a new code of laws was approved and printed for the use of the courts in tlie united colonies. The laws in this digest were less stern than in the former ones, many of the harsh features having been eliminated. In May, 1666. the general court of Connecticut colony ordered that the court of magistrates of the jurisdiction should be abolished and that a county court .should take its place. It was directed that this court should hold sessions in June and November of each year, and that it should be presided over by no less than two assistants of the general court (members of the upper house of the general assembly) and two or more commissioners, five persons, as before, forming a ciuorum. The commissioners were legislative appointees and took the place of the magistrates first elected by the burgesses. The office was filled annually until 1698, when justices of the peace were first appointed, ivom which were selected or appointed the ju.stices of the quorum. The first justices of the peace for New Haven county were, as reported in the state records: " Air. Tho. Trowbridge, Sen'' of the Quorum; Capl. Tho. Clarke, Mr. Josiah Rossiter, of the Quorum : Air. Will Malbie, of the Quorum: Capt. Tho. Yale, Mr. Jeremiah (Xsborn, Mr. John Ailing, Capt. Ebcnezer Johnson." The number of ju.stices apjDointed in subsequent years varied, and at first they were appointed for the county as an entire body, and not by towns, as became the later practice. The assistants from New Haven, i.e., members of the upper house HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN" COUNTY. 37 of the general assembly, from the time of the union in 1665 until 1698, when they ceased to preside over the county court, were as follows : William Leete, Guilford, 1665-76 ; William Jones, New Haven, 1665- 98; Benjamin Fenn, Milford, 1665-73 ; Jasper Crane, Branford, 1665- 68; Alexander Bryan, Milford, 1668-79 ; James Bishop, New Haven, 1668-92 : Robert Treat, Milford, 1675-98 ; Thomas Topping, Branford, 1674-85; Matthew Gilbert, New Haven, 1677-78; Andrew Leete, Guilford, 1678-98 ; Moses Mansfield, New Haven, 1692-98. The last named was, in 1698, appointed the first county jtidge. That office was filled by yearly appointments until 1855, when the county court was abolished. The judge had the assistance, in presid- ing over the county court, of justices of the quorum, selected from the list of from four to eight yearl}' ajDpointed, until 1838, when the office of ji:stice of the quorum was abolished, and two commissioners were appointed to act with the judge in holding the county courts. In 1841 the office of commissioner was divorced from the county court and established as a separate office. The county judge was now the sole presiding officer until the court ceased to exist in 1855. The county court transacted all judicial business, including the probating of wills, until 1714, when the New Haven county probate court was established, John Ailing being the first judge. In 1719 the division of the county into other probate districts began. In the county court were first practiced the usages of the English courts, and the trial by jury was first given a proper place, not only in this court but in other courts in the county, held by justices. In 1869 the New Haven court of common pleas was established with powers much like those which had pertained to the old county court, and enlarged jurisdiction^ Its business increased very rapidly and it has been found necessary to divide the court into two branches, viz.: the civil side and the criminal side, and to appoint two judges for the same. Another relief for the overtaxed condition of the busi- ness was found in the creation of the Waterbury district, which embraces parts of this county and some of the adjoining county, and sessions of the common pleas courts and superior courts are held there. In addition to the superior court of the state another court of appeal, the supreme court of errors, has been created, and New Haven county and Fairfield county are embraced in the Third judicial dis- trict, courts being alternately held at Bridgeport and New Haven. In most of the towns justices courts have been continued, but in 1784 a city court was established in New Haven ; and, later, city and police courts were created for Waterbury and Meriden. Borough and town courts have been established in Wallingford, Derby and Ansonia.* , The following have been the judges of the county court and the *See accounts of those towns. 38 ' HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. justices of the quorum, as appointed by tlie general assembly, the first name after each date being that of the judge: 1698-1703. Major Moses Mansfield, Jeremiah Osborn, John Ailing, Thos. Clark, William Maltby, Ebenezer Johnson, Eleazer Stent ; 1704-6, John Ailing, Nathan Andrews ; 1707-8, John Ailing, William Maltby, Thos. Clark, Ebenezer Johnson, Samuel Eells, Abraham Fowler, Nathan Andrews; 1709-12, ■ — -, Nathan Andrews, William Maltby, Abraham Brad- ley, Abraham Fowler, Thomas Yale, Joseph Treat, Jonathan Law; 1713- 17, Jonathan Law, Joseph Treat, Abraham Bradley, Warham Mather, Samuel Bishop, James Wadsworth, Ebenezer Johnson ; 1718, Jona- than Law, Ebenezer Johnson, Joseph Treat, Warham Mather, Abraham Bradley, Samuel Bishop : 1719, James Wadsworth, John Hall ; 1720-4, James Wadsworth, Abraham Fowler, Warham Mather, John Hall, Samuel Bishop, Ebenezer Johnson, Samuel Clarke ; 172.5-9, John Hall, Warham Mather, James Hooker, Samuel Bishop, Andrew Ward, John Riggs ; 1730-5, Samuel Eells, Samuel Bishop, James Hooker, Roger Newton, John Riggs; 1736-7, Samuel Eells, Samuel Bishop, James Hooker, John Riggs, John Russell, Samuel Hill'; 1738-9, Roger Newton, Samuel Bishop, James Hooker, John Riggs, John Russell, Samuel Hill ; 1740-1, Roger Newton, Samuel Eells, Lsaac Dickerman, John Riggs, John Russell, Samuel Hill; 1742-6, Roger Newton, Benjamin Hall, John Fowler, John Southmaid, Samuel Hill ; 1747-50, Roger Newton, Benjamin Hall, John Fowler, John Hubbard, Samuel Hill ; 1751-3, Roger Newton, John Russell, John Fowler, John Hubbard, Samuel Hill ; 1754-6, Roger Newton, Benjamin Hall, John Hubbard, John Fowler, Elihu Chauncey : 1757-60, Roger Newton, Benjamin Hall, Timothy Stone, John Hubbard, Elihu Chauncey; 1761-5, Roger Newton, Thomas Darling, Timothy Stone, John Hubbard, Elihu Chauncey ; 1766, Roger Newton, John Hubbard. Thomas Darling, Elihu Chauncey, Roger Sherman : 1767-70, Roger Newton, Nathaniel Hill, John Hubbard, Thomas Darling, Elihu Chauncey; 1771-2, Benjamin Hall, John Hubbard, Elihu Chauncey, Thomas Darling, John Fowler, Nathaniel Hill : 1773, James Abraham Hillhouse, Thomas Darling; 1774-6, Elihu Chauncey, John Fowler, vSamuel BLshop, Jr., James Wadsworth, Jr.; 1777, Elihu Chauncey, Samuel Bishop, Jr., James Wadsworth, Jr., Samuel Barker, Joseph Hopkins; 1778 81, James Wadsworth, Samuel Bishop, Andrew Ward, vSamuel Barker, Jo.seph Hopkins ; 1782 6, James Wadsworth, Samuel Bishop, Joseph Hopkins, Andrew Ward, James Beard ; 1787-9, James Wads- worth, vSamuel Bishop, Joseph Hopkins, Andrew Ward, Gideon Buck- ingham : 1790-9, Samuel Bishop, Joseph Hopkins, Andrew Ward, Gideon Buckingham, Simeon Bri.stol ; 1800 1, Samuel BLshop, Jo.seph Hopkins, Gideon Buckingham, .Simeon Bri.stol, Nathaniel Ro.ssiter ; 1802-5, Simeon Bristol, Gideon Buckingham, Nathaniel Rossiter, Dwyer White, John Kingsbury : 1806. Elizur Goodrich, Gideon Buck- HISTORY OK NEW HAVEX COUNTY. 39 ingham, John Kingsbur\-. Dwyer White, George W. Stanley; 1807-10, Elizur Goodrich, Gideon Buckingham, John Kingsbury, Dwver White, Noah Webster ; 1811, Elizur Goodrich, Nathaniel Griffing. JMm Kings- bury, Dwyer White, Noah Webster ; 1812-14, Elizur Goodrich, Nath- aniel Griffing, John Kingsbury, Dwyer White, Bennet Bronson ; 1815- 16, Elizur Goodrich, John Kingsbury, Nathaniel Griffing, Dwyer White, Burrage Beach ; 1817-18, Elizur Goodrich, John Kingsbury, Dwyer White, Nathaniel Griffing, Isaac Mills; 1819, John Kingsbury, Chas. H. Pond,* Isaac Mills; 1820-2, Isaac Mills, Abel Wheeler, John Humphreys ; 1823-4, Isaac Mills, John Humphreys, Noyes Darling ; 1825-7, Bennet Bronson, John Humphreys, Jr., Noyes Darling ; 1828- 30, Bennett Bronson, Jared Bassett, Noyes Darling ; 1831-4, Noyes Darling, William Hiriman, Jared Bas.sett ; 1835, Noyes Darling, Walter Booth, Sanuiel Meigs; 1836, Noyes Darling, Jared Bassett, WMlliam Hinman ; 1837-8, Noyes Darling, Charles H. Pond, Malachi Cook; ^839, Samuel J. Hitchcock.f Joseph Barber, Abijah Carrington; 1840-1, Samuel J. Hitchcock, Selah Strong, DeGrosse Maltby. County judges only : 1842, Samuel J. Hitchcock ; 1843-4, Noyes Darling; 1845-6, Joseph Wood; 1847," John C. Palmer;:}; 1848-9, Edward Hinman ; 1850, Henry Dutton ; 1851, Alfred Blackman ; 1852, Samuel Ingham (acting judge) ; 1853-4, Harris B. Munson ; 1855, Stephen W. Kellogg. The following have been the judges of the common pleas court, since its establishment: 1870-1, Samuel L. Bronson; 1872-3, Henry E. Pardee: 1874, Henry Stoddard; 1875-6, William C. Robinson; 1877, William B. Stoddard; 1878-81, Lynde Harrison; 1882-5, David Torrance; 1885, John P. Studley, Lucius P. Deming. In addition to the assistants named, as presiding over the cot;nty court, 1665 to 1698, they were, also, the superior court in those times, and later. The assistants, from 1698 to 1818, credited to New Haven county were : Robert Treat, Milford, 1698-1708 ; Andrew Leete, Guil- ford, 1698-1703: Moses Mansfield, New Haven, 1698-1704; Josiah Rossiter, Guilford, 1701-11; John Ailing, New Haven, 1704-17; Samuel Eells, Milford, 1709-40; Abraham Fowler, Guilford, 1712-29 ; Jonathan Law,§ Milford, 1717-50 ; John Hall, Wallingford, 1722-30 ; Joseph Whiting, New Haven, 1733-45 ; Roger Newton, Milford, 1736- 40 ; Benjamin Hall, Wallingford, 1751-66 ; Roger Sherman, New Haven, 1766-89 ; James A. Hillhouse, New Haven, 1773-5 ; James Hillhouse, New Haven, 1789-91 ; Charles Chauncey, New Haven, 1789-93; Jonathan Ingersoll, New Haven, 1792-8; David Daggett, New Haven, 1797-1814: Elizur Goodrich, New Haven, 1803-18; Isaac Beers. New Haven, 1808-9: Jonathan Ingersoll, New Haven, 1811-19 ; *Two Justices of the Quorum only by Constitutional Amendment. +Designated County Commissioners. JOf Middletown, acting Judge. §Chief Judge 1725-41. 40 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. William Bristol, New Haven, 1818; Peter ^Vebb, New Haven, ISIS: David Tomlinson, Oxford, 1818; Simeon Baldwin, New Haven, 1806-18. Other judges of the superior court have been the following: Asa Chapman, New Haven, 1818-25: William Bristol, New Haven, 1819- 26; David Daggett,* New Haven, 1826-34; Joel Hinman,+ New Haven, 1842-70; Henry Dutton,+ New Haven, 1861-6; Edward I. Sanford,^ New Haven, 1867: David Torrance, Derby, 1885-90, when he was elected a judge of the supreme court of errors for eight years. The marshals of New Haven colony and the jurisdiction were appointed as follows ; October 25th, 1639, Robert Seeley; November 7th, 1642, Thomas Kimberley; May 2Sth, 1662, Abraham Doolittle, who served until the end of the jurisdiction. The term marshal was now dropped and that of sheriff taken, to designate those serving as such officials. The sheriffs of the county and the years of their elec- tion or appointment have been as follows: November, 1()67, John Ailing; June, 1675, Samuel Miles; June, 1679, John Cooper; November, 16S7, John Hudson; |! May, 1689, Joshua Hotchkiss; October, 1722, John Trowbridge; — , Moses Mansfield; — , Jonathan Fitch; (October, 1796, Jehu Brainerd; October, 1804, Nathaniel Rossiter; June, 1819, Charles H. Pond; June, 1834, Erau.stus Osborn; June, 1837, Samuel Cooke;" June, 1839, Charles W. Curtis; June, 1842, Norris Willcox; June, 1857, David S. Fowler; June, 1863, Gideon O. Hotchkiss; October, 1871, Charles S. Scott vice Hotchkiss, deceased ; June, 1875, John C. Byxbee; June, 1884, Robert O. Gates : June, 1891, Charles A. Tomlinson. The following have been the king's or state's attorneys of New Haven county: 1720, William Adams; 1744, Elihu Hall; 1757, Jared Ingersoll; 1765, James A. Hillhouse:"''"" 1776, Charles Chauncey; 1789, Jonathan Ingersoll: 1798, Pierpont Edwards; 18o2, Naphtali Daggett; 1805, Jonathan Ingersoll; 1811, David Daggett; 1816, Nathan Smith: 1835, Ralph I. Ingersoll; 1845, Dennis Kimberley: 1849, Charles A. Ingersoll; 1853, Jonathan Stoddard: 1854, Eleazer K. Foster; 1877, Orville H. Piatt; 1879, Tilton E. Doolittle. The clerks of the courts for New Haven county have been: 1798, Abraham Bishop; 1801, Dwyer White; 1806, John Lynde; 1807, Dwyer White; 1821. Cornelius Tuthill; 1825, John Beach; 1835, Robin.son S. Hinman: 1839, John Beach: 1842, Robert H. Osborn; 1844, John S. Rice; 1847, Henry J. Lewis; 1850, Robert H. O-sborn; 1854, Alfred H. *Chicf Judge Supreme Comt i)f Errors ls:i:i— 1. ijudije of Supreme Court of Errors 1801-70. |\Vas also a Judge of the Supreme Court of Errors. ((Has since served as Judge of the Superior Court. IjAppointcd by Sir Edmund Andros, and hi.s Council. ^Office vacated on account of amendment to constitution, and Sheriff there- after elected by freemen. **Died December, 177.5, Henianiin I Jouglass appointed. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. 41 Terry; 1860, Arthur D. Osborn; 1882. Jonathan Ingersoll; 1890, Edward A. Anketell. In the earliest period of the civil government of the colony, the powers relative to the settlement of estates were vested in the partictilar cotirts. In May, 160G, they were transferred to the several county courts, and in 16!.)S to the respective judges, with two ju.stices of the quorum. In May, 1714, it was provided that the courts of pro- bate should be holdenbj'bne judge, with a clerk in each county. The first probate districts, less than a county, were formed in October, 1719. The districts which were co-extensive with the several counties have never been re-established; but their limits have been reduced by forming new districts from them. The following are the probate dis- tricts in New Haven county, with the dates of their organization: The New Haven or original district is composed of New Haven, North Haven. East Haven, Hamden, Orange, Seymour and Wood- bridge. The town of Orange (incorporated in 1822) was, up to that period, as parts of Milford and New Haven, included in tho.se districts, but when it becamie a town the whole was placed wholly in the New Haven district. In IS.'iO Seymour was incorporated and annexed to the New Haven district. Up to that time the territory was included in the Derby district. East Haven remained in the New Haven dis- trict until 1868, when the town was created a separate district and so continued until 1888. when it again became a part of the New Haven district. The Guilford district was established in 1719, to embrace Guilford, including" the present towns of ]Madison. Branford and North Bran- ford, after the latter town was formed in 1881, except the society of Northford, which became a part of the Wallingford district. It also embraced some towns in what is now Middlesex countj-.- The juris- diction was reduced further by the formation of the Madison district, in 1834, and the Branford district in 1850. Wallingford district was established in 1776, and included at that time, Wallingford (embracing Cheshire and Meriden) and the society of Northford. This district has been reduced by the formation of the Cheshire district in 1829, and the Meriden district in 1836. It is now composed of Wallingford and the Northford society, in North Branford. Waterbury district was next formed, in the order of time. It was established in 1779, to include the then towns of Waterbury, Water- town and Plymouth. The latter was set off in 1833, and Watertown in 1834. When Wolcott was incorporated a town, in 1796. it was annexed to this district, and ]\Iiddlebury has always been in this juris- diction. Naugatuck was created a town in 1844. out of parts of Water- bury, Bethany and Oxford, and the whole was annexed to the Water- bury district; but in 1862 this town (Naugatuck) became a separate '■'■ See sketch of Guilford. 42 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. district, leaving Waterbury to include itself, Middlebury and Wolcott as the present district. Cheshire district was established in 1829, to include Cheshire and Pro-spect. The former was taken from the Wallingford district, the latter from Wallingford and Waterbury districts. It remains as con- stituted. Milford district was established in 1832, and was taken from the New Haven district. It is confined to the town of Milford. Madison district was established in 18H4, to include the town of AladLson. Until that time the town was in the Guilford district. Meriden district, compcsed of that town, was established in 188r), and was taken out of the Wallingford district. Oxford district was established in 1846. Its jurisdiction is confined to that town, organized in 1798, and until the date of establishment, it was in the New Haven district. Branford district was established in 1850, to include the town of Branford, and was taken from the Guilford district. Until 1719, Branford and all the eastern section of the county were in the New Haven district. Bethany district was established in isr)4, with bounds confined to the town of Bethany, whicli up to that time was in the New Haven district. A small part was attached to Naugatuck district in 1871 , when Beacon Falls was formed. Derby district was established in 1858, to embrace the town as it was at that time, including the present town of Ansonia. A part of Huntington was later added. The office for the records is at Birming- ham, and the district is now composed of Derby and Ansonia. Naugatuck district was established in 1862, and embraced, at that time, the town of Naugatuck, which was taken from the Waterbury district. When Beacon Falls was incorporated, in 1871, that town was annexed to this district. Its territory was previously in the districts of Oxford and Bethany. The town of Southbury has been in the probate district of Wood- bury, in Litchfield county, since 1719. The town itself was a part of Litchfield county until 1807, when it became a part of New Haven county. Durham, in Middlesex county, was a part of New Haven county until 179i). It was in the Guilford probate district until 17.-»2, when it was assigned to the Middletown district. The judges of the New Haven probate district, from its organiza- tion have been the following: 1714 17, John Ailing: 1717-27, Warham thither; 1727 48, Joseph Whiting: I748-7H, John Hubbard; 1778-86, John \Vhiting: 1786-1802, Samuel Bishop: 1802-19, IClizur (Goodrich: 1819 24, Isaac Mills: 1824-9, William W. Boordman: 1829-34, Charles A. IngersoU, 1st term; 1834 5, Nathaniel R. Clark, 1st term; 183,'5-8, Charles A. IngersoU, 2d term; 1838-42, Nathaniel R. Clark, 2d term; HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTV. 43 1842-3, Robinson S. Hinman (died in office and Alfred Blackman, of Waterbui-y district, filled the term of office, 1843-4); 1844-6, Eleazer K. Foster, 1st term: 1846-7, Ezra Stiles; 1847-50, Eleazer K. Foster, 2d term; 1850-4. Frederick Croswell; 1854-7, Cyprian Wilcox; 1857-63, Luzon B. Morris: 1863-4, Levi B. Bradley; 1864-6, Francis Way- land, Jr.: 1866-76, Levi B. Bradley, 2d term; 1876-87, Samuel A. York; • 1887 — , A. Heaton Robertson. In the early settlement of the county but little attention was paid to the location and construction of highways. The settlers along the coast were long content with the means of communication by water way, which were largely used the first one hundred years, especially in the transportation of goods or commodities used in the trade between the different towns. The interior towns found no trouble in reaching the centers on the sound shore by means of the paths over the common lands, which often had the same general course as the Indian trails, leading to those localities. Even in the settled parts of the towns, commons were left for these main paths (for such they were, no wagons being used for a long time), and when one became unfit for use, another was made on the twenty or forty rods wide of land available for that purpose. Gradually the.se commons were narrowed by encroachments, and the records of some of the towns show that a few planters were so unmindful of the interests of the public that they extended fences across some of these paths, and public action was necessary to have them restored to their original use. From nearly every village the.se paths radiated to the outlying- farms or to other villages, and in course of time some were accepted and improved as highways. In other cases new and better roads were located, when once localities became more distinct, and were maintained by the sanction of the colony or by the different counties. Of the former class one of the best known was the road which con- nected New Haven and Hartford and whose name is still perpetuated in the upper part of the county, as is shown by the titles of principal streets in Wallingford and Meriden. But even this highway was obstructed and, in 1759, the general assembly directed that a com- mittee should be appointed " with all care and diligence to view and observe said road now used in the various crooks and notable turns thereof, and them duly to note, and also with all care to find out how and where it may be practicable to shorten or better said way in whole or in part."* A view of the committee resulted in an order to the towns to have the evils corrected, and the course of the road was some- what modified. At other times the courses of these early roads were also changed to conform to the existing order of things, as the changes of localities, etc.; and, no doubt, a better knowledge of road building 'also had much to do in brmging about the modification of some of the early county roads. * Colony Records, 1759. 44 HISTORY OF NEW HAY EX COUNTY. It should be stated that in the neighborhood of the villages these early roads were often called lanes from the fact that they there passed between the enclosed lots of the planters. Thus at New Haven the names of " Long lane " applied to the lower part of the highway leading to Hamden, Cheshire and northward ; " Neck lane " to the road on the Neck* to Wallingford and Meriden, or to Middletown. The latter is now the well known upper part of State street. The road to Guilford and the east was first called and long known by the name of Totoket path. It first entered the village of New Haven by means of a ferry at Red Rock, whence was a way to " Neck lane," and thence by its bridge across Mill river. A cartway bridge was there built .soon after 1642, and such a structure has there since been maintained. Its site became historic as being the place where the regicides, Goffe and Whalley, lay concealed while excited constables, .sent to apprehend them, rode with loud clamor across the bridge under- neath which lay hidden the men they vainly sought. On the evening of July nth, 1779, this spot was also made the point of rendezvous for the militia, called hither by the invasion of the British, but whose service in battle the next day was not needed in consequence of the peaceful evacuation of the enemy. Neck lane has remained one of the most important thoroughfares in the lower part of the county, notwithstanding some of the travel over it, from the east, was given more direct entrance by the bridges at Dragon Point and below, across the Quinnipiac. The former was completed in 1793, and was first a toll bridge, owned by Henry Daggett, James Prescott and Thomas Punderson. The state sanc- tioned the aid of a lottery and, in 182."), the proprietors having been disbursed, the bridge became free. A handsome iron bridge now occupies the site. But an earlier bridge across the Quinnipiac was on the road to Middletown, which was called the Long bridge, and in 1784, when New Haven was incorporated a city, it was made the initial point in its bounds. In 1814 it became the property of the iSIiddle- town turnpike, whose highways cro.ssed the meadows at this point. It is still in use. The longest and most important bridge across the Quinnipiac in the county is below the confluence of Mill river with that stream, which is here quite wide. It was built by a company organized for that pur- pose and wlVich was encouraged in this enterprise by a grant of wharf privileges by the proprietors of New Haven, in the belief that these improvements would advance the commercial interests of the towm. The bridge was begun in 179(3, and was completed two years later. Its length, including the causeway on the east side, was about half a mile and the width was 27 feet. A draw in the bridge permitted the ascent, * The point of land between Mill and Ouinnipiac rivers was earlj- called the "Neck." The lower part of the "Neck" received the name of " drape \'ine Point." These terms have been perpetuated. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 45- of vessels to Fair Haven, more than a mile above. Below the west end valuable wharves were constructed, which were made the terminus' of the Hartford & New Haven railroad, in 1831), and ultimately the franchises of the bridge company became the property of the rail- road company, which after 1852, used the wharves for freight pur- poses only. The bridge became of minor importance and was allowed to become dilapitated and insecure. In 1885, the railway company replaced it with the fine iron bridge which had been in use at Stratford. The following year the town of New Haven pur- chased the bridge, and the right of way to it of the railway company, and since that time it has also been a free bridge. A fine draw, eighty feet wide, jDermits large .schooners to pass through. Near the same time a fourth bridge was built across the Quinnipiac, about midway between the above two bridges. It is an expensive wrought iron structure, extending from Red Rock, on the east, to the foot of Ferry street, on the west, and was built by the towns of New Haven and East Haven. It is also provided with a large draw and has from the beginning been free to the public. Near the beginning of the present century, the ferries across the Housatonic, at Derby, and on the old New York post road, were dis- placed by toll bridges, which were freed to the public within the last few decades. These bridges, after being owned by the adjoining towns, became the joint property of New Haven and Fairfield counties in 1889. The lower, or the old Washington bridge, which is a long wooden structure, has been placed in good repair by the county com- missioners. The bridge between Shelton and Birmingham, an old covered wooden structure, was replaced by a fine iron bridge in the summer of 1891. The contract was awarded by the commissioners April 1st, 1891, to the East Berlin Bridge Company for $54,000. The structure is 50() feet long, 27 feet roadway with walks on each side 7" feet wide, and makes a fine appearance. One of the oldest and best known bridge sites in the county is on the West river, where the old Milford path crossed that stream. It is probable that a foot bridge was placed there in 1639, and as early as 1642 and since that time the bridge at that point has afforded passage for vehicles. With the growth of New Haven came the demand for new streets southwestward, but they were laid out convergent to that point, and this was the only bridge on that part of the stream until the Kimberley avenue and bridge were built in 1848. The latter affords a far more direct route to West Haven and is also used by the street railway line between Savin Rock and the city. But the old West bridge, as it has been called from the beginning, retains much of its importance and has been carefully kept up. In 1876 a substan- tial iron structure was there placed in position. A notable improve- ment at that place, a hundred years ago, was the West Meadow dyke, which was built in 1769. by the elder Nathan Beers, who was killed 46 HISTORY OF XEW IIAVEX COUNTY. by the British when they invaded New Haven ten years later. He was a man of wealth and owned a large tract of land in the meadows which were of the nature of salt marshes. By constructing the dyke and placing tide gates at the bridge he reclaimed many acres of land above the bridge, which became valuable as fresh water meadows, after the tidal water was by those means kept out. When the British landed at West Haven, in 1779, they attempted to enter New Haven by this road, but were prevented by a small battery placed at the bridge, which covered the catiseway across the meadows. They then bore to the left and crossed the river on Thompson's bridge, on the old Derby road, at the present village of Westville. A bridge at that point was first built in 17o2, for the use of footmen and soon after was changed to a cart bridge. It is probable that those using the Derby path earlier than this were obliged to ford the stream, and that means of crossing was used many years later, at other points on the stream. We have seen how the main roads of the county developed from foot and bridle paths until some of them were accepted post roads, and as such received more care than others. In 1767 the general assembly ordered the selectmen to set up milestones on these colonial roads, showing the distance from the county towns and in other ways directed their improvement, but withotit securing many beneficial results. Many of the roads through the country towns remained neglected on account of the lack of means to improve them, and the work of placing them in a better condition or of creating a better class of new thoroughfares, was left for the turnpike companies, of which a number were incorporated to build in this county, between the years 179;") and 1825. The movement in favor of these improved thorough- fares was especiall}- strong in Litchfield county, wliicli. unlike Xew Haven did not have the advantage of communication by water and found it difficult to transport its products. The second turnpike com- pany in the state was chartered in niM, to build a toll roatl from Woodbury to Jc^hn Wooster"s house at Rimmon Falls, at that time in Derby, but now Seymour. It was located through Southbur}- Main street, thence across the hills to Southford and Oxford village and down the Little river to the point named. The road was not fully completed until 1800, and was popularly known in the section as the Oxford turnpike. It was maintained as a toll road about half a century; but the eastern section, in later years, became a plank road on which toll was charged until within a few years ago. On account of the relation of this road to a scope of country long without railroads, it remained for a long time the principal highway in that part of the county. Near the same time (ISOl) the Rimmon Falls Turnpike Com- pany built a road six miles in length, through the then upper part of Derby and the southern part of Woodbridge to Thompson's bridge, at Hotciikisstown. now Westville, by means of which entrance was secured into New Haven, after joining the "Straits" turnpike. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. 47 The latter turnpike was built by a company chartered in October, 1797, to build from New Haven court house to Litchfield court house, a distance of 36 miles. It passed through the eastern part of Wood- bridge, along Mill river, thence northwest through Bethany to the waters of Beacon brook and through the defile of that stream, bet-ween the present towns of Beacon Falls and Naugatuck, commonly called the "Strait.s,"* from which the road took its name. At that place a hamlet now sprung up which was called Straitsville. From the latter place the turnpike followed the old county road until near Xaugatuck village, when a more direct line was taken to Salem Bridge, where the river was crossed and the road passed upon the west side of the river, through Middlebury into Watertown and points beyond. A futile effort was made to have the road built upon the ea.st side of the river, from Salem Bridge to Waterbury, but the influence of Water- town was too strong to permit the change of route. Subsequently a turnpike was built from Waterbury to Naugatuck, where a junction was made with the "Straits" turnpike: and still later another turn- pike was built from the .Salem bridge to Humphreysville, also on the east side of the river, where connection was made with the Oxford and Rimmon Falls turnpikes. The " Straits " turnpike and its lateral branches were very much used until the completion of the Naugatuck Valley railway, in 1849. It was the first road of that nature built into the city of New Haven, and its course northwest continues one of the main public highways. The Derby Turnpike was another of these improved highways, from the northwest. The company was chartered in 1798, to build from Derby Landing to New Haven, a distance of eight miles, and there is a well accepted tradition that one of the hopes of the builders was that by this means traffic from the east might be diverted to Derby Landing, which at that time smartly rivaled New Haven as a shipping point. Instead, however, of this being the case its projectors had the mortification of seeing long lines of teams pa.ss by their ware- houses to New Haven, which under the stimulus of the turnpike system was now greatly prospering.^ The building of the Derby turnpike through the northern part of Milford mow Orange) was strongly opposed by the inhabitants of that town, who protested that it was not just to use their highways for that purpose. The main part of the road, however, has been maintained since 1802, when it was completed, and it now enjoys the distinction of being the only turn- pike in the state. Since the completion of the Derby railroad in 1871, its^ use has been greatly abridged. Although having only a small mileage, it still serves a useful purpose. In the same period the Milford turnpike was completed. It entered *Also spelled in some records Streights and Straights, but, no doubt, in- accurately. + See History of Derby. 48 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN" COUNTY. the city of New Haven b\' way of the West bridge and West lane, which course was confirmed to it by tlie general assembly in 1804. Forming as it did a part of the great post line to New York it was for many years a very important improvement. In this county it passed through the present towns of Orange and Milford, after leaving New Haven, and passed out of the county over Washington bridge, across the Housatonic. It declined soon after the completion of the New York & New Haven railway. The Cheshire Turnpike Company was also chartered in ]8(K), and liberty was granted to build from New Haven through the present towns of Hamden and Cheshire to Southington. At Whitney lake an intersection was made with the Hartford turnpike, the road to that place being kept up at the joint expense of the two companies. The Cheshire pike was much u.sed until 1848, forming a part of a main line of travel north and east, after passing into Hartford county, and now constitutes one of the best public highways in the central part of this county. But perhaps the most important turnpike was the one built by the Hartford Sc New Haven Turnpike Company, which received its charter in 1798. Among its projectors were men of wealth, influence and enterprise, James Hillhou.se becoming the president of the com- pany soon after its organization. The length of this road was nearly 35 miles and originally it extended north through Mill lane (now Orange street) to the old grist mill, at \Vhitneyville. thence northeast toward the Ouinnipiac, passing up the west side of that .stream and leaving Wallingford well to the right, but passing through Yalesville and Meriden center, and thence into Hartford county. For a number of years it was a great stage route but rapidly lost its importance after the completion of the railroad, in 1889, whose course is almost parallel. The success of these turnpikes encouraged the formation of other companies to build to points on the east. In 1818 was chartered the 2vIiddletown, Durham & New Haven Turnpike Company, and the following year the road was completed. It entered the city of New Haven by means of the long causeway across the Ouinnipiac meadows and the bridge there (called at this time Lewis') and was a very desir- able road to the localities named. At an intermediate point it was intersected by the (luilford & Durham turnpike, and travel from the Pettipaug turnpike was also poured into it. But it never attained the importance of some of the other roads. Several companies were chartered to build turnpikes east, near the shore, but they were never successfully organized. And, indeed, it was hardly necessary as the nature of the soil in that locality made the construction of good roads an easy matter. In later years a turn- pike was con.structed from Aliddletown to Watcrbury, by way of HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 49 Meriden, but it failed to meet the expectations of those interested and was not maintained many years. The effect of these roads upon some parts of the county, however, was very marked and beneficial, and they may be credited with intro- ducing the era of increased travel and business activity in all of the principal towns to which they were built. By uniting with other systems comparatively easy communication was established with nearly all the chief points in the county. How extensive were these ramifications is shown from an extract from President Dwight's writings, in 1814, when the foregoing six turnpikes were in use ; "One through Berlin, and by a branch through Middletown, also to Hartford, and thence in four different ways to Boston, &c.; another to Farmington, and thence through Litchfield to Albany, and thence to Niagara, and by branch to Hudson and Catskill, and thence to the Susquehannah River, &c.; by another branch up Naugatuc River through Waterbury and Norfolk to Stockbridge and Albany; the fourth through Humphreysville to Southbury, and thence to Cornwall; the fifth through Derby to New Milford; the sixth to Stratford Ferry and thence to New York."* The introduction of the steamboat in 1815, and the establishment of many lines of stages in connection aided largely in the develop- ment of the county. New Haven and the coast towns especially were quickened by these influences, which attracted population and many industries. Meantime, the resources of the interior of the state and the hill towns of this county demanded other methods of transporta- tion than the limited capacity of the freight wagon; and as the canal was at that time in great favor elsewhere, it was strongly urged as an improvement which would prove equally useful in this county. The discussion of the matter, several years, led to the incorporation of the Farmington Canal Company, in 1822, which was authorized to build a water way for boats from the state line, through Farmington to New Haven. The sub.scription books were opened the following year and many of New Haven's business men were active in the sup- port of the measure; James Hillhouse, Henry Farnam and Joseph E. Sheffield, three of the leading men of New Haven, being especially active in its promotion and served as officers of the company. In 1825 a final survey of the route to be taken was made by Judge Benjamin Wright, of New York, when it was determined to come down the valley of Mill river rather than along the Quinnipiac, where some had projected the line. On the 4th of July, 1825, the work of construction was commenced and was vigorously pushed forward under the superintendence of James Hillhouse. But progress was slow and the canal was not completed to Farmington until three years later. Two years earlier, in 1820, with a view of making the canal a more important thoroughfare the stocks of the Farmington Company * Dwight's Travels, Vol. I., p. 197. 4 50 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. and those of the Hampshire & Hampden Company, in Massachusetts, had been blended, and Xorthampton on the Connecticut river was selected as the northern terminus. To that point the canal was com- pleted after mtich trouble and many vicissitudes of fortune in 1835, Henry F'arnam last serving as chief engineer, and James Goodrich being the president of the company. The canal fairly served the purposes of the buildei'S, but at be.st was never a paying enterprise, when extraordinary losses, caused by freshets, practically bankrupted the foregoing companies. With a depleted treasury and an impaired credit, nothing could save the property but the reorganization of the companies. This was done in 1886, when the management passed to the New Haven & Nor- thampton Company, which liquidated the debts of the old companies and had left, on the basis of the new organization, about §120,000 as a working capital. But even this was soon e.xhausted in repairing other damages by freshets and the new company soon found itself in financial straits. In this emergency the credit of the company was sustained by the city of New Haven, which in 1840 relinquished its claims for loans made, and agreed to pay $8,000 per year for a term of years, for so much of the water as it would need for domestic use. With this assistance the cost of operation was met by the receipts until 1848, when another freshet inflicted damages to the extent of $20,000 and the company again found itself in a crippled condition, notwithstanding the increase of patronage consequent upon the establishment of business communication between New York city, Vermont and New Hampshire, by means of this canal, had greatly augmented its trafific. Another impetu.s to the use of the canal had been given in 1838, when a line of packet boats was placed on it by Nathaniel A. Bacon and others. They were gayly painted and com- fortable in their arrangements, which permitted the trip from New Haven to Northampton to be made with considerable ease and in 2G hours time. But the success of the railroad had doomed the future of the canal, and as early as 1845, the stockholders contemplated the abandonment of the water way and the change to a railway. At the instance of Superintendent Farnam, Alexander C. Twining made a survey along the route for a railway, which was found to be so feasible that in February, 1846, the directt)rs of the canal were instructed to petition for a charter. This was .secured and, in January, 1847, the work of building a railroad was commenced. The canal was soon after abandoned, e.xccpt a portion in the town of Hamden, which was kept up longer on account of its water supply. From first to la.st this enterprise caused a loss to those who had become interested of more than a million of dollars. Its princii^al compensating effects were the creation of several new water powers, in Hamden and in New Haven. In the latter place the channel of a sluggish little creek was improved for a canal bed and where is now the citv market house, a large brick HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 51 grist mill was erected in 1836, which obtained its power from the canal. This spot was later selected for the depot of the railway com- panies and was used until the consolidation of interests and increased traffic demanded larger facilities in new buildings. In New Haven county the canal passed almost centrally, from .south to north, through New Haven, Hamden and Cheshire, and those towns most directly shared its benefits. After discussing the propriety of building a railway to connect Hartford and New Haven from 1830 for several years, in which a number of absurd propositions were considered, a practical result was obtained in May, 1833, when the general assembly chartered the Hartford & New Haven Railroad Company. James Brewster pre- sented the memorial and was named as one of the corporators. He was also one of the early mainstays of the company. The capital stock was fixed at but $.500,000, with privilege to increase to $1,000,000, and was to be exempt from taxation until the profits of the company should permit the payment of a dividend of five per cent, per annum. Several years were consumed in effecting an organization and in making surveys, under the direction of A. C. Twining; and it was not until April, 1836, that a section was located for construction — the block of eighteen miles from New Haven to Meriden. In locating its route the company had some difficulty in selecting what was deemed the proper course. Three main routes were' considered: the eastern, by way of Middletown; the western, through New Britain, and the middle, through Wallingford and Meriden Center. The latter was selected to the great di.sgust of the competing towns, but even then some obstacles were encountered. Some non-progressive citizens interposed such serious objections that the .survey was finally located through West Meriden.-" In a general way the course is along the old Colony road to the Hartford line. The Meriden section was completed in 1838, under the direction of engineer E. H. Brodhead, and for a year that village was the northern terminus. In this period the second section was built, the first train running into Hartford December 14th, 1839. By the terms of the charter the New Haven terminus was fixed at the west end of Tomlinson bridge, which property and franchises had been purchased by those interested in the railway company. A wharf was completed before 1839, for the landing of steamboats, by which means direct communication to New York was established. For a number of years that arrangement was maintained, the pas.sen- ger station being at that point; and to this day a con.siderable freight traffic is transacted at the warehouses of the company on Tomlinson's wharves and at other slips on New Haven harbor, in connection with vessels sailing to all parts of the Atlantic coast. A very large pro- portion of the coal and lumber trade is thus handled. *See sketch of Meriden. 52 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The Hartford & New Haven Company acquired a number of extensions and lateral lines, by purchase or by consolidation. In 1847 it absorbed the Springfield & Hartford road and subsequently the Middletown, New Britain and Windsor Locks extensions, which much increased its usefulness and importance. Through its influence the northeastern part of the county was rapidly developed and much business created at Wallingford and at Meriden, where fine stations are maintained. We have stated that the success of the Hartford railway induced the proprietors of the canal to decide to convert their property into a railway, to be built on or near the tow path. Accordingly an amend- atory act was secured in 1840, to incorporate the Farmington Canal Railroad, under which the road was built by the old company. It was completed to Plainville in January, 1S48. A purpose to build an extension to Waterbury from some point in Cheshire was defeated, it was suppo.sed, in the interests of rival railway companies, projected about the same time. Soon after it was built it was leased for a term of years to the New York & New Haven Company, and under that management, it was forced into a subordinate position, in which there was no development and the property became much dilapitated. Through the sale of stock the company passed under the present con- trol in 1881, and as the Northampton division of the consolidated roads, the old Canal railway has been greatly improved and its useful- ness extended. Cheshire and Mt. Carmel are the principal stations in the county outside of New Haven city. The New York & New Haven Railroad Company was chartered by the general a.ssembly of Connecticut, in 1844, to build a railway be- tween the points named. The New York legislature failed to grant a sanctioning charter, but after some effort an agreement was reached with the Harlem railroad, which secured the right to enter into New York city by that line. In May, 1846, the New Haven company was authorized to form a connection with the Harlem road, in the locality of Williams Bridge. The whole of the capital stock was subscribed in 1840, and the location of the route was approved the following spring. The work of construction was now actively begun by Alfred Bishop and S. G. Miller, who had a number of sub-contractors working at different points simultaneously. A small army of Irishmen was employed as workmen, and a large proportion remained and became citizens of the county. On the -iSth of December, 1848, the road was so far completed that cars began running into New Haven and soon after a regular train service was established. Ground was leased of the canal company, below Chapel street, upon which (for those times) an elaborate depot was erected, in 1849. In May, the same year, the Hartford & New Haven railroad also began running its trains into ' this depot and a through service was now established. This building was used until 1874, when the present commodious and well arranged HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 53 Station, at the foot of Meadow street, was occupied. It stands on ground which has been reclaimed out of New Haven harbor, and the yards on one side extend to that body of water. Here more than seventy trains from all parts of the East, North and West, arrive and depart daily, and fourteen trains per day will quickly bear the pas- sengers to New York city, distant 73 miles. It is said that business increa.'ied so rapidly, on the completion of the New York road, that the managers found it difficult to supply cars fast enough and that there were soon four trains each way. A great impetus was also given to all kinds of business and many new enterprises were begun along the railroad. Soon after occurred two events in the history of the road which checked its prosperity and which brought sorrow and distress to many a home. The first was the " Norwalk Disaster," May 6th, 1853. An express train from New York heavily laden with passengers, many being distinguished ph3-si- cians returning from a medical convention held in New York, passed the station without stopping and plunged through an open draw into the Norwalk river. Car followed car, in the fearful leap, piling on or crashing into each other, killing 44 persons outright and injuring others so seriously that death soon ensued or left them crippled for life. It was a dreadful scene and produced great excitement, as many of the men killed were widely known and their less was greatly mourned. The company was put to great expense to settle the claims arising from this calamity, which involved in one form or another nearly half a million of dollars. Naturally a suspension of dividends followed which gave the opportunity for the second calamity — the perpetration of the great "Schuyler Fraud." From the time the company was organized Robert Schuyler was the trusted president and agent of the company and was ranked among the foremost of New York's capitalists. His great credit and honorable position gave him the opportunity to carry out his selfish scheme, which was the overissue of the stock of the company to the amount of §1,000,000 and selling the same, as a pledge of collateral security, through the bank- ing house of R. & G. L. Schuyler. Hundreds of persons bought these stocks in good faith and the settlement with those holding them in- volved long and tedious litigation. In most cases a satisfactory settle- ment was made by giving the holders one good for two spurious shares of .stock, thus making the holders and the company equal losers in this unfortunate affair. On the discovery of this swindle, Schuyler wrote a letter to the company, July 3d, 1854, exonerating his brother and then, it is supposed, fled from the country, and it is believed that he soon after died abroad. . Under these adverse circumstances the company labored many years, but under the presidency of William D. Bishop, which began in 1867 and continued twelve years, the present consolidated system was begun and carried to completion by his successor, George H. Watrous, 54 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. until this has become one of the greatest and most successful railway corporations in the Union. By the action of both companies the New York & New Haven and the Hartford & New Haven companies were, on the 6th of August, 1872, merged as a body corporate under the name of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company, by which title the consolidated roads have since been known. Since November 1st, 1870. the Shore Line railway has been a part of the system, by lease; the Canal road since 1881, by purchase: and the Boston & New York Air Line, by lea.se since 1879, and by purchase since 1882. A few years ago the Naugatuck railroad also passed under the management of this system, which thus includes all the rail- ways of the county except a few named in the following pages. In 1890 the president of the corporation was Charles P. Clark, and the general offices were maintained at New Haven, which is the center of the system. The Naugatuck Railroad Company was chartered in 184."), to build a railroad in the Naugatuck valley " from some suitable point in the town of Plymouth, or in the town of Waterbury, to Derby and thence to the city of New Haven, or to the town of Milford,or to the town of Bridgeport." The road, as is elsewhere"'^ related, was completed to Waterbury, June 11th, 1849, and to Winsted September 24th, 1849. The southern terminus is practically at Bridgeport, but instead of building a line from Derby on the west side of the river, to that place, as was at one time contemplated, a junction was made with the New York & New Haven railroad on the east side of the Housatonic bridge, and its lines are used to Bridgeport. The Naugatuck road more than any other one agent has been the means of making the valley what it now is, a bustling, thriving hive of industry. In this county well patronized stations are maintained at Derby, Ansonia, Seymour, Beacon Falls, Naugatuck, Union City and Waterbury. The road has the distinction of passing through the most picturesque part of the county, and its High Rock Park, in the town of Beacon Falls, has become a popular resort. The Shore Line Divi-sion of the Consolidated Sj^stem is the out- growth of the New Haven & New London Railroad Company, char- tered in 1848, to construct a road between the points named, and by viniting with an eastern road to New London produce a shore line to Boston. After some delay in organizing the company proceeded to build and the road was opened to the Connecticut river July 22d, 1852. In 1850 the above lines were consolidated under the name of the New Haven, New London & Stonington Railroad Company, under which title operations were carried on until June, 1804, when the com- pany was re-organized tinder the name of the Shore Line Railway. The road never had proper terminal facilities at New Haven and failed to meet the expectations of its builders. Hence it was leased, Novem- *See accounts of the Naugatuck \'alley towns. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. fio ber 1st, 1870, to the Xe\v York, New Haven & Hartford Company, at an annual rental of $1 ()(),( K)0, and has since become a pleasant and important thoroughfare to Boston. This line has also aided in the development of the southeastern part of the county and stations are maintained in all the towns through which it passes: East Haven, Madison, Guilford and Branford. In Branford village one of the finest stations in all southern Connecticut has lately been erected to accommodate the heavy travel, consequent upon visits to the summer resorts along the coast. The other road of the Consolidated System is known as the Boston & NewYork Air Line. It is, in New Haven county, located through the towns of North Haven and Wallingford and has a direct north- easterly course to Middletown. It was partially completed in Augu.st, 1870, but was not in thorough running order until 1873. Its construc- tion, owing to the opposition of rival roads, was attended with much difficulty, the project having been under way since 1846, when a com- panj- was chartered to build a road in that course. A charter to an- other company in 18o5 was also unproductive of the desired results, although considerable work was done. Under a third charter, granted in 1867, the road was completed by the New Haven, Middletown & Willimantic Railroad Company, whose franchises were sold under foreclosure in 187.i, when the Air Line company succeeded to the ownership. As has been stated it was leased in 1879, for 99 years, to the Consolidated road and as part of that great system has greatly in- creased in importance. The towns named have been provided with shipping facilities, two stations being maintained in North Haven and one in Wallingford. The railroads in the count}' not managed by the foregoing corpora- tion are the Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River, the New Haven & Derby, and the New England roads. The first is largely a Meriden enterprise and is fully noted in a sketch of that town in this book. It extends from Cromwell, on the Connecticut river, through Meriden to Waterbury. At the former place facilities are afforded for transporting freight by water. It has been but recently built but has already become a valuable link between two of the most thriving cities in the county, and will add to the prosperity ot the northern section of New Haven. Its route in New Haven is through Meriden, Cheshire, Prospect and Waterbury. In each town shipping facilities are provided. The New England railroad extends through the northwestern part of the county, after passing through the city of Waterbury, having a general southwesterly course. It thus passes through the towns of Naugatuck, Middlebury, Oxford and Southbury, affording railway communications to towns long deprived of them. The extension from Waterbury west to the Hudson river was completed in 1881. The New Haven & Derby railroad, as completed in July, 1871, 56 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. seven years after the company was incorporated, was but thirteen miles in length. It extended from New Haven through the town of Orange, to Ansonia. In the past few years, however, this road has become a part of the Housatonic system and has been extended by that corporation to its main line at Botsford and forms part of their through line to the West. Its importance to the county has thus been greatly increased and New Haven, which liberally subsidized the company, has in a measure been compensated by an outlet independent of the associated roads in the other system. Of the 2G towns in the county all have railways within their bounds except Bethany, North Branford, Wolcott and Woodbridge. But the center of any of these towns is within six miles of a railway station and no section of the county is cut off from the rest of the world by lack of proper communication. Military training was one of the features of the social life of the colonists. From the beginning they were apprehensive of a possible Indian attack, which induced them to take all the precaution at their command. Every male citizen, between the ages of IG and 60, who was capable of bearing arms, except such as were excused, was required to train for military service. For many years soldiers were on duty every night and every Sunday one-fourth of those in the " train band " were paraded before the meeting house, thus passing each soldier in review once a month. Thrice in the spring and the same number of times in the fall every arms-bearing man was required to turn out at the general training. These were occasions of great interest and the training was witnessed b}- nearly the entire popula- tion of each plantation. In consequence of this general military ser- vice many of the early planters bore the titles of officers, which con- veyed the idea of honorable distinction and were almost invariably used in speaking of them, or in recording their names in public or church affairs. At New Haven, Nathaniel Turner was the first captain of the " trained band," and Robert Seeley was the lieutenant. There were usually four sergeants, each of whom commanded a squadron. The market place or green was generally the appointed place for the training. The arms at first were muskets, pistols and swords. The ammunition was carried in bandoleers — a sort of leather belt, with pockets, which was slung acro.ss the .shoulder. In 1644, liberty was granted to begin an artillery company, which was completely organized in March, 1645, when it was accepted into service. Richard Malbon was the first captain. Since that day these two arms of the .service have been maintained in the county. Guil- ford, also, very early, had a company toman " the great guns." About this time the available force of the towns in the county was less than 200 men. In Ki.'i^, when there was prospect of war with the Dutch, two pieces of artillery were placed on the New Haven green and two more were mounted at the harbor so as to command the inlet. Later HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 57 the former guns were placed on a frigate, which was to cruise along the coast from Stamford to the Connecticut river. This was the •county's first naval service. The first attempt at the organization of the cavalr}' service was made in 1653, when it was ordered by the jurisdiction that sixteen horses should be provided for the five towns in the colony. The first actual service of any troops from the county was in King Philip's war, commencing in the fall of 1675, and ending with the ■defeat of that noted chieftain, August 12th, 1676. Major Robert Treat, ■of Milford, was in command of the Connecticut forces, which rendez- voused at New London. In the movement against the Indians, Gov- ernor Winslow, of Plymouth colony, was at the head, with Treat second in command of t'ne limited forces. In the fight at Narragansett Fort, Connecticut had 300 men in the engagement, SO of whom were killed or wounded. The loss included four of the five captains, commanding the colony troops. The meri- torious conduct of Major Treat in this campaign no doubt secured for him his election as governor, some yeans later. In 1680 New Haven county reported 623 trained soldiers. Seven- teen years later a company was equipped and placed under command of Captain Ebenezer Johnson, of Derby, m response to a call of Gov- ernor Fletcher, of New York, where an attack by the French was feared. The organization of " train bands " was continued, with the increase of population, a troop of honses being authorized for New Haven in 1702. In 1781) the aggregate number of trained men in the county was 2,302, comprising several regiments. The county fur- nished men in the French and Indian wars — 17.")5 to 1760 — her quota always being promptly supplied. In 1774 the first company in the county, independent of the colonial militia, was formed. It was called the "Second Company. Governor's Guard," the first having been formed at Hartford some three years earlier. The New Haven com- pany soon became very efficient and was an important factor in the early history of the revolution. The action of the British parliament, in passing the stamp act in 1765, greatly excited the people of the county. This feeling was aggravated, no doubt, by the action of one of her citizens, Jared Inger- soll, a worthy and honorable man, who accepted the office of " starnp distributor" for the colony. A meeting was held at New Haven, Sep- tember 17th, 1765, when Mr. IngensoU was requested to resign his office. But he declined to do so, until he had first learned what were the wishes of the general assembl}' on this matter. To properly ascer- tain them, he at once left for Hartford, on this mission, but in passing through Wethersfield he was subjected to so many indignities that he very prudently resigned, no doubt preventing personal violence which was threatened. From this time on sentiment against British 58 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. oppression was steadily cultivated and at the outbreak of the war the preponderance of feeling was against the royalist cause. At this time there was living at New Haven an apothecary who became an important figure in the struggle for American independ- ence which followed, and had he been less avaricious and more honor- able he would to-day be revered as a distinguished patriot instead of being execrated as a base traitor. Benedict Arnold, this important personage in American history, was born at Norwich, January 3d, 1740. Coming to New Haven soon after he had attained his age, he married Margaret Mansfield at her father's house, on Crown street. As early as 1765 he had a drug and general trader's store at New Haven, first on George street and later on Water street. The sign which indicated his place of business is .still preserved, and may be seen in the rooms of the New Haven Colony Historical vSociety. He was shrewd and energetic and reached out in trade in various lines, being part owner, also, of three small vessels — " The Fortune," " Three Brothers," and "Charming Sally," which were in the West Indies trade. The scope of his business may be seen from the following advertisement, which he inserted in the Connecticut Gazette: "Benedict Arnold wants to buy a number of large, genteel, fat horses, pork, oats and hay. And has to sell choice cotton and salt, by quantity or retail: and other goods as usual. New Haven, January 24, 1766." About this time Arnold got into trouble with one of the crew of the ves.sel in which he himself had sailed as a supercargo. He was accused by Peter Boole, the seaman, of bringing in contraband goods, whereupon he chastised the sailor and secured a retraction by force, with a promise that the seaman was at once to leave town. As he did not do this, Arnold made up a party and. in his own words: "Took him to the Whipping Post, where he received near forty lashes with a small cord and was conducted out of town: since which, on his return, the aiTair was submitted to Colonel David Wooster and Mr. Enos Allen (gentlemen of reputed good judgment and understanding) who were of opinion that the fellow was not whipped too much and gave him nos. damages only." This action on the part of Arnold way censured by many, so that he was impelled to write a letter to the public, January 29th, 1706, m which he endeavored to justify his conduct, and from which the above extract has been taken. It reveals the unscrupulous, bold and audacious nature of the man. However, by reason of his energy he was, in the course of the next ten years recognized as one of the lead- ing men of the town of New Haven, and was placed in command of the Governor's Guard. No doubt, he was, at the outbreak of the war an impulsive, enthusia.stic patriot, but would not brook any re.straint. The battle of Lexington was fought Wednesday, April 19th, 1775. The news of it reached New Haven Friday noon, April 21st, and ere- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. 59 ated intense excitement. Captain Benedict Arnold immediately called out his company, the Governor's Guard, and proposed that they should at once start for Lexington to join the American forces as volunteers. About forty of the men consented to march with him. He requested the town authorities to furnish them the desired ammunition, but they refused to do so. The next morning he paraded his men before the council chamber and forming them in front of the building demanded the ammunition or the keys of the powder house, or he would order the company to break it open and help themselves. This threat was heeded and the required ammunition was supplied, after Colonel David Wooster, of the colony militia, had vainly endeavored to restrain the impetuosity of the young man, advising him to wait for orders from the proper authority before starting for the scene of conflict. Arnold answered the veteran of three score and four years: "None but Almighty God shall prevent my marching." * The company marched immediately and, stopping at Wethersfield the second night, received many attentions from the inhabitants of that place. The guards reached the headquarters of the Massachu- setts forces, at Cambridge, April 29th, and took up their quarters in the deserted mansion of Lieutenant Governor Oliver, who had been obliged to flee on account of his attachment to the cause of the British. The Guards were uniformed and equipped like the British Life Guard and the company had the most soldierly appearance of all the Amer- ican forces. On one occasion the men were complimented by a British officer, who said " thej- were not excelled by any of his Majesty's troops." After remaining at Cambridge about three weeks most of the Guards returned to New Haven, but Captain Arnold having been sent by General Washington with a force of 1,000 men to penetrate into Canada, about a dozen of the New Haven men accompanied him and shared with him the privations and perils of that hazardous and fruitless campaign. In the repulse at Quebec Arnold was with Montgomery and had his leg shattered. Two years later, in April, 1777, he aided in driving the British from Panbury, so much harras- sing the retreating forces of Governor Tryon that the British lost 170 men killed and wounded. The .same year Arnold was made a major general and, at the battle of Saratoga, performed splendid and succes.s- ful service. In the fall of 1780, Arnold turned traitor to his country, and the following year added to his baseness by leading a British expedition against New London, September 6th, which he captured and burned, at a loss of half a million dollars, and stormed Forts Trumbull and GrLswold. The Americans lost in all 85 men, killed in the assault. As all this was done in his native county, the memory of Arnold is very properly execrated by all loyal sons of Connecticut. When the people of New Haven heard of his treason they held a public demonstration, in October, 1780, in which they expressed their * History of City of New Haven, p. ii. ■60 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. disapproval, by caricaturing Arnold in many base ways, hanging him in effigy and consigning him to the lowest depths of infamy.* Naturally, in view of these ceremonies. New Haven was very appre- hensive that his revenge would fall upon it and that his expedition would be directed against this county rather than against other points in the colony. He never returned to New Haven.t Another character of the county, in that revolutionary period, but who was the very opposite of Arnold, was the first major general of the Connectictit troops, David Wooster. He was born at Stratford, March 2d, 1710, soon after the removal of his parents to that town from the old town of Derby. In 1738 he graduated from Yale and the following year entered the provincial army. In 1745 he was a captain under Colonel Burr at the capture of Louisburg. Subsequently, in the French war, he was commissioned colonel and later brigadier of the colonial militia. After the war he located at New Haven, where he and one of his classmates, Aaron Day, engaged in merchandising, in which avocation he was when the revolution began. In the spring of 1775, he was commissioned major general and commander-in-chief of the six regiments of Connecticut, raised for the patriot cause. In June, 1775, Colonel Wooster marched with his New Haven regiment for New York, and afterward led it to Lake Champlain and Canada, where, after General Montgomery's death, he was chief in command. Returning to Connecticut in the summer of 1776, he was commissioned the first major general of the militia of the colony, and devoted him- self to the protection of the coast, which was threatened by the British in the winter of 1776-7. In the latter part of April, 1777, he received word that the British had landed in Fairfield, the object of the invasion being the destruction of the military stores at Danbury. In the engagements which followed, in that locality, he was wounded fatally at Ridgefield, April 27th, 1777, and died at Daribury May 2d. He was buried at the latter place and in 1854 his grave was marked by a fine monument, erected by the Masonic fraternity, of which he was an exemplary member. In these battles a number of New Haven troops were engaged and another merchant of that town, David Atwater, Jr., was killed when the British embarked at Conipo Hill, April 28th, 1777. While the county was active in furnishing men and means to carry on the war against the British foe, in other parts, the defenceless con- dition of its shores occasioned no little anxiety. In 1775 a number of cannons were loaned the town of New Haven by patriotic citizens of New "\'ork, a powder mill was built at Westville and other prepara- * See Conn. Jmnnal, Oct. 19, 17S(). t Major General Arnold visited his home at New Haven in May, 1778, when his bravery was properly recog-nized by a triumphal greeting. After his treachery his property here was disposed of by two commissioners appointed for that pur- pose by the Countj- Court. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 61 tions were made to meet the exigencies occasioned by a state of war. On the 14th of November, 177;"), a beacon was erected on Indian hill in East Haven and a system of alarms was established, whereby the news of an attack could be conveyed to the towns of the interior. Cannons were also placed in position along the Milford and Guilford coast and a watch was kept over all places where a landing might be effected. As long as the British were in possession of New York and Long Island, their predatory excursions were frequent and but little feeling of safety could be entertained. In the spring of 1777, the British collected a large quantity of stores at Sag Harbor, on Long Island, and May 21st, 1777, an expedition of 200 men under Lieutenant Colonel Meigs, left Sachem's Head, in Guilford, to destroy them. This plan was well carried out. the expedition having accomplished its object within 24 hours without loss of life to the Americans but inflicting much damage to the enemy. Vast quantities of hay and a number of vessels were burned, five of the enemy were killed and 90 taken prisoners. It was doubtful, though, whether this was a wise movement, as the enemy soon retaliated. In less than a month the British landed at Leete's Island, in Guilford, where they burned some buildings and in the skirmish which followed two Americans were killed and three wounded. Later the British also invaded the east part of Guilford (now Madison i, but were repulsed after a brief skirmish. * All through 1777-8, it was feared that the British would land at New Haven and pillage or destroy the town. Great precautions were taken to prevent such an occurrence, and the town rested reasonably secure until the summer of 1779, when, unexpectedly, the British appeared, invaded the town and pillaged it, these acts forming the most stirring events, on the soil of the county, in the history of the revolution. A brief account of them only can here find place.f About one o'clock on the morning of July .')th,1779, a British fleet, consisting of the men of war " Camilla" and " Scorpion," with tenders, transports, etc., 48 vessels in all, commanded by Commodore Sir George Collier, appeared off New Haven harbor. On board were about 3,000 soldiers, under the command of Major General Tryon and Brigadier General Garth. The purpose of the expedition was soon apparent, as narrated by President Stiles : " Alarm guns were fired and Lieut. Col. Sabin ordered to beat to arms. With a telescope on the top of the tower of the college steeple, we plainly saw the boats putting off from the shipping for shore a little after sunrise. All then knew our fate. Perhaps one-third of the adult male inhabitants flew to arms and went out to meet them. A quarter moved out of town, doing nothing; the rest remained unmoved, *See History of Guilford. t Compiled from Cc>n?n'iticut Journal. President Stiles' Diary, Barber's Collec- tions, Howe's Narratives, At water's New Haven History, etc., etc. 62 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. partly Tories, partly timid Whigs. Sundry of the Tories armed and went forth to fight the foe. About ninety or one hundred men finally stayed in town. " At five in the morning General Garth's division landed at West Haven and marched to the meeting-house, one mile, and formed upon the Green, where they halted two hours. About nine or ten, General Tryon landed his division at Five-Mile Point. Both divisions were engaged in their respective operations: Tryon approaching the town on the east side of the harbor and Garth on the west. Colonel Sabin with two pieces of artillery went to West Bridge. Captain James Hillhouse, with twenty or thirty brave young men, together with many others, crossed West Bridge, went over Milford Hill, and thence with- in a quarter of a mile of the Green where the enemy were paraded. Upon their beginning the march, Captain James Hillhouse fired upon the advance-guard so as to drive them in to the main body. But coming in force, the enemy perceived others besides Hillhouse's party had by this time passed the bridge and reached the hill, perhaps to the number of 150 men. These kept up a galling fire, especially on their outguards or skirmishers, extending perhaps to about forty rods each side of the column; and yet the column marched vigorously, but in a huddled confusion — about thirty comipanies, in three divisions. "On Milford Hill their Adjutant, Colonel Campbell, was slain. Sundry more were wounded. Rev. Dr. Napthali Daggett (ex-President of Yale College) was captured. Our artillery at the bridge (Ailing- town), was well .served by Captain Phineas Bradley, and prevented the enemy passing the causeway and so into town that way. vSo the}' turned off and continued their route round to Derby Bridge (now Westville Bridge). As they came along our people divided: some crossed the bridge; others kept to the enemy's left, and under com- mand of Col. Aaron Burr (afterwards Vice-President U. S.), harassed the enemy's march. When it was seen that they were aiming for the bridge (Westville), Captains Hillhouse and Bradley, with the artillery, crossed the fields to meet them. The main body crossed the bridge, the rest fording the river. Then, on the enemy rising the hill on this side and taking the road to town, we gave them a hearty fire and took a number of prisoners: also, on the other side we took a number. • " The northern militia and those from Derby by this time pressed in and passed on all sides, and .some behaved with amazing intrepidity. One captain drew up and threw his whole company ithe Derby com- pany, probably) directly before the enemy's column, and gave and received their fire. We fought upon a retreat into the town. Just at the northwest Ditch Corner entrance to town the battle became very .severe and bloody for a short time, when a number were killed on both sides. |This was just beyond Broadway, where the fire alarm tower now stands, on Goffe street.] The enemy, however, passed on HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 63 in force and entered town a little past noon. From that time the town was given up to ravage and plunder, from which onlj^ a few houses were protected. " While these things were transacting on this side of the harbor General Tryon was pursuing his desolation on the East Haven side. Upon landing he set fire to Mr. Morris's elegant seat. He was molested by the fort on Black Rock, three miles from town, under the command of Lieut. Bishop, and by a field-piece under the command of the gallant Lieut. Pierpont. [This was where Fort Hale was later built.] The fort was at length evacuated and the enemy reached Beacon Hill in the afternoon. The militia collected from every part, and at Ditch Corner there was incessant firing all the afternoon." These were of the nature of skirmishes with the outposts. The last stand the patriots made was at the corner of Chapel and York streets, when, after the British had brought on a cannon and fired down the street, the small band of resisting patriots dispersed. General Garth now marched his men unmolested to the green where "he awaited the appearance of General Tryon. In the meantime the advance of the latter up the east side of the harbor had been several hours delayed by the small garrison at the earth work at Black Rock — where its force of 19 men and three pieces of artillery had success- fully held the enemy back "'as long as reason or valor dictated, and then the men made good their retreat." About the middle of the afternoon General Tryon crossed the river to counsel with General Garth in regard to future movements. The latter's men having now possession of the town had freely helped themselves to every species of property and finding large quantities of liquor in the cellars and stores of the traders were becoming very drunk and unmanageable. General Garth feared that it would be unsafe to remain, but General Tryon ordered that the troops should not embark until the next day. The stubborn resistance to the advance of General Garth had almost persuaded that general to burn the town, but from that purpose he was turned by several circumstances. The means of retreat were too uncertain, and the primary intent of the expedition was not rapine and pillage. The real purpose appears to have been to overawe the inhabitants by the exhibition of superior force and thus command allegiance to the King.* This object would have been entirely defeated by such extreme measures. There is also a tradition that soon after resting on the green General Garth ascended the belfry of the state house to take an observation of the place, which impressed him so favorably that he exclaimed: " It is too beautiful to burn." and that he then resolved to spare it, after having de.stroyed the public "Stores. This purpose was carried out in the main, although in the ♦Address to the Inhabitants of Connecticut, by Commodore Collier and General William Tryon. on board of the '• Camilla." on Long Island sound, July 4th, 1779. 64 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. retreat some private dwellings were also burned. " In New Haven and East Haven together eight dwellings, six stores, five barns and eight vessels were burned." " The public buildings, as those of Yale College,, the State House, the places of public worship were injured little if at all."* But owing to the drunken condition of the British soldiery a num- ber of houses were plundered and many pathetic incidents of brutality are recorded, especially " towards feeble old men and helpless females,"^ which were not justifiable acts of war. The revelry of the British soldiers continued until next morning and probably hastened their departure. About sunrise the march to their vessels in the harbor began and some of the soldiers were still so druniien that they had to be pushed forward at the point of the bayonet, or be urged on by the oiBcer's swords. Not a shot was fired by the patriots to check their retreat out of the town, but in East Haven where most of the enemy embarked, having crossed on the ferry (at Tomlinson's bridge) the militia annoyed them until they had set sail on Tuesday evening, July 6th. On the morning of the Sth the fleet anchored off the village of Fairfield. " At the departure of the British, thousands of the country people flocked into New Haven. Some of them, in the confusion, were ba.se enough to add to the general loss by robbing the citizens of what was left. The soldiers already had taken, with a few exceptions, all the money, jewelry, clothing, and provisions which the}' could find, besides destroying a great amount of household furniture and other things. Many of the families lost everything their houses contained. Most of the tories, who were protected by the British, were obliged to leave New Haven with them, so even they lost much of their property. "f Among the Tory families which left with the British was that of Joshua Chandler, whose son, William, piloted General Garth's division from West Haven. Another son, Thomas, piloted General Tryon to- Beacon hill. In all, about fort}' inhabitants were carried away. The loss of the British in killed, wounded and missing was 74 men. Among their killed was Adjutant Campbell, a young man of noble qualities, who was greatly beloved by his command. He was with General (iarth's division and had breakfasted at the village tavern, at West Haven, before beeinningthe advance on New Haven. At West JIaven lived, as the pastor of the Congregational church, the Reverend Mr. Williston, an outspoken patriot. When the I:!ritish appeared some Tory neighbors directed them to the house of the minister. While attempting to escape to the woods, near his place, be broke his leg jumping over the fence around the lot. Some urged that he b;j killed, but when the aft'air came to the ears of Campbell he ordered that Mr. Willi.ston be carried into the house and directed * Pros. Stiles. fBeckford. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 65 his own surgeon to set the fractured limb, and set a guard so that no one would molest the minister. Campbell was a true soldier, humane and just, even in the heat of a conflict. When the British began their march up Milford hill, north of West Haven village, a sharp skirmish took place, but Campbell, tall and erect of person, elegant and conspicuous in appearance, continued riding in the advance of the column. A young man named Johnson, who was among the .skirmishers, hidden behind a stone wall, singled him out for his aim, raised his musket and shot him through the breast. He was carried into a house by the roadside, where he soon after died, attended by his .servant, who afterward carried his effects into the town and sold them. It is said that when the people of the neighborhood returned, after the troops had pa.ssed, they found his body stripped of his clothing; but they gave him a decent burial near the house in which he lay. His grave was unmarked until October, 1831, when J. W. Barber, with his own hands set up a stone at the spot, near the present village of Allington, marked Campbell, 1779. The lapse of years has increased rather than diminished the estimate of the fine qualities of Adjutant Campbell, and on the oth of July, 1891, a new and more expressive monument was placed over the same spot by citizens of New Haven and other points in the Union. Although he fell as an enemy, his worth as a man merited this tender and grateful recognition, and henceforth we preserve his grave as friends. Near this same spot, the eccentric Professor Napthali Daggett was taken prisoner by the British, who carried him into New Haven, where he was released. The part he took in this engagement was thus related by Honorable Elizur Goodrich, who was at that time a college student and had accompanied Captain James Hillhouse to meet the advancing enemy. "I well remember the surprise we felt, as we were marching over West Bridge, towards the enemy, to see Dr. Daggett riding furiously by us on his old black mare, with his fowling piece in his hand ready for action. We knew the old gentleman had studied the matter thor- oughly, and had settled in his own mind as to the right and propriety of fighting it out, but we were not quite prepared to see him come forth in so gallant a style to carry his principles into practice. Giving him a hearty cheer as we passed, we turned at the foot of Milford Hill towards West Haven, while he ascended a little to the west, and took his station in a copse of wood, where he appeared to bereconnoitering the enemy like one who was determined to bide his time. As we passed on toward the south, we met an advance guard of the enemy, and from our stand at a line of fence, we fired on them several times, and then chased them the length of three or four fields as they retreated, until we found ourselves involved with the main body, and 5 66 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. in danger of being surrounded. It was now our turn to run, which we did for our lives. " Passing by Dr. Daggett, in his station on the hill, we retreated rapidly across West Bridge, which was instantly taken down by per- sons who stood ready for that purpose, to prevent the enemy from entering the town from that road. In the meantime, Dr. Daggett, as we heard afterwards, stood his ground manfully while the British column advanced to the foot of the hill, determined to have the battle to himself, as we had left him in the lurch, and using his fowling- piece now and then to excellent effect, as occasion offered, under cover of the bushes. But this could not last long. A detachment was sent up the .hillside to look into the matter, and then the commanding officer coming suddenly, to his great surprise, on a single individual in a black coat blazing away in this style, cried out : "'What are you doing there, you old fool, firing on his Majesty's troops 1' ■' ' E.xercising the rights of war,' reioined the old gentleman. " The very audacity of this reply, and the mixture of drollery it contained, seemed to amuse the officer, and he said : " ' If I let you go this time, will yoti ever fire again on the troops of his Majesty?' •• 'Nothing more likel}-,' rejoined the old gentleman in his dry way. " This was too much for flesh and blood to bear, and it is a wonder they did not put a bullet through him on the spot." Dr. Daggett was thereupon taken into custody and subjected to many indignities by the brutal soldiers, who beat him over the head, kicked him in his bowels and insulted him in many ways. After stripping him of his shoes he was forcibly marched along and reached the green more dead than alive. On the 26th of July, 1779, he wro;e an account of his cruel treatment which has been preserved among the state papers, and is a very interesting document. He died in 1780, his death being hastened b}- the injuries he received on this occasion. The Coiniccticut Journal oi July 7th, 1779, published the following as the loss of the Americans at the invasion of New Haven : " Killed — John Hotchkiss, Caleb Hotchkiss, Jun., lizekiel Holchkiss, Captain John Gilbert, Michael Gilbert, John Kennedy, Joseph Dorman, Asa Todd, vSamuel Wooden, Silas Wooden, Benjamin English. Isaac Pardis, Jcduthan Thompson, Aaron Russel (a lad), Jacob Thorp, and Pomp la negroi. all of New Haven ; Eldad Parker, Wallingford; Bradley, Derby: Timothy Ludlenton, Guilford: John Baldwin, Gideon Goodrich, Branford: and one person whose name is unknown. " ]Voniidcd — Rev. Dr. Daggett, Nathan Beers (since died of his wounds), David Austin, Jun., Elizur Goodrich, Jun., Joseph Bassett, Captain Caleb ^Nlix, Thomas Mix, and Israel Wooden. Taken — John Austin, Abraham Pinto, Jeremiah Austin, Nathan Drummer, Edmund HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 67 Smith, and Elisha Tuttle (since dead of his wounds, whose tongue was cut out by the enemy), all of New Haven: Atwater and a negro, of Wallingford; and Benjamin Howd, of Branford. The total number of the 'martyrs' was twenty-four killed, fifteen wounded, and nine captured." Many of the above were in Captain John Gilbert's company and lost their lives at " Ditch Corner," as is related elsewhere.* The Hotchkisses were among the first killed. They lived at Westville (then called Hotchkisstownt, and early hastened to check the advance of the Briti.sh. Benjamin English, an aged and infirm man, was killed in his own house, in the town. Nathan Beers was also shot without provocation, in his own dwelling, and was too feeble to offer resist- ance. Elisha Tuttle was a "distracted" man and was probably mal- treated in so base a manner by the English when they were crazed with drink. Among those carried away as prisoners were John Whiting, judge of the probate court and county clerk. Captain John Mix, Captain Elijah Foster, Hezekiah Sabin, Sr., Thomas Barrett, Jerre Townsend and Adonijah Sherman. The British destroyed the defenses at Black Rock Fort, which Colonel Thompson had built in 1775-6, and carried with them as public propert}' six field pieces and an armed privateer. It was esti- mated that the total value of the property destroyed in the raid was ^24,893, 7s., 6d. The largest individual loss was sustained by Amos Morris, of Morris Cove, whose farm buildings were destroyed. Early in September. 1781, three of the enemy's vessels again appeared off the coast at West Haven and landed loO men, who cap- tured the sentinels maintained at that point, and made a short raid in so quiet a manner that but a few people were aware of their presence. " They took off four of the inhabitants and about thirty head of cattle and horses." The remaining events of the war were so far removed that they but little affected the county. Some of her citizens, however, .served in the southern campaigns and Colonel David Humphreys, of Derby, had the honor of receiving the colors of the British, at the surrender at Yorktown. At this time he was an aid-de-camp, on the staff of General Washington. Other citizens of Derby, the Hulls, Thompsons, Tomlinsons, etc.. rendered fitting service in the revolution, as did also the citizens of other towns in the county. Besides at the points indi- cated in the foregoing pages, there were no maneuvers of the enemy on the soil of the county, but in the progress of the early campaigns, the troops of the continental army moved east or west through New Haven. La Fayette, while thus marching, encamped in Southbury and Middlebury, and it is claimed that General Washington also visited the former town during the war. * See History of Hamden. 68 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The declaration of peace, with the acknowledgment of the inde pendence of the colonies, was everywhere hailed with delight and appropriately celebrated. An account of the affair at New Haven has been taken from the Connecticut Journal of May 1st, 1783, as follows: " Thursday last was observed as a day of festivity and rejoicing in this town, on receipt of indubitable testimony of the most important, grand, .and ever memorable event — the total cessation of hostilities between Great Britain and these United States, and thp full acknowl- edginent of their sovereignty and independence. Accordingly, the day, with the rising sun, was ushered in by the discharge of thirteen cannon, paraded on the 'green' for that purpose, under elegant silk colors, with the Coat-of-Arms of the United States most ingeniously represented thereon, which was generously contributed upon the occa- sion by the ladies of the town. At nine o'clock in the forenoon, the inhabitants met in the brick Meeting-House for divine service, where was convened a very crowded assembly. The service was opened with an anthem; then a very pertinent prayer, together with thanks- giving, was made by the Rev. Dr. Stiles, President of Yale College; after was sung some lines, purposely composed for the occasion, by the singers of all the congregations in concert. Then followed a very ingenious oration, spoken by Mr. Elizur Goodrich, one of the Tutors of the College; after which a very liberal collection was made for the poor of the town, to elevate their hearts for rejoicing. The service was concluded with an anthem. " A number of respectable gentlemen of the town dmed together at the Coffee-Hou,se. After dinner several patriotic toasts were drank. " At three o'clock were discharged thirteen cannon — at four, twenty-one ditto — at five, seven ditto — at six, thirteen ditto — at seven were displayed the fire-works, with rockets, serpents, &c. — at nine o'clock, a bonfire on the Green concluded the diversions of the day. The whole affair was conducted with a decorum and decency uncom- mon for such occasions, without any unfortunate accident; a most pacific disposition and heartfelt joy was universally conspicuous, and most emphatically expressed by the features of every countenance." Soon after the war the city of New Haven became noted for her commercial enterprise and her trade at the beginning of the present century was very considerable. The embargo act, of December 22d, 1807. greatly affected this commerce and the occupation of hundreds of men in all parts of the county, and especially along the coast, so that the measures wliich brought on the war of 181 2 were unpopular and poorly supported. Soon after the war was declared Colonel David Humphreys rai.sed a company of cavalry and offered its service to the governor. The company was accepted and Colonel Humphreys was not long after appointed major general of the state militia, which he commanded during the war. He took measures for the defense of the coast of the -State and various points were fortified. In 1814 the HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 69 defenses at New Haven harbor were strengthened and in addition to Fort Hale" new earthworks were built on Beacon hill, which received the name of Fort Wooster. Concerning this fortification the Connec- ticut Journal oi October 4th, 1814, said : " This work has progressed with great rapidity and is now nearly- completed. The inhabitants of the neighboring towns deserve and receive the thanks of the public, for volunteering their aid in this patriotic labor. On Wednesday and Thursday last, one hundred men from Cheshire, under the direction of Andrew Hull, Esq., labored with great industry and effect at the fortifications for two days. On their return through the city, in wagons, with music playing, they were saluted with a discharge of artillery and cheered by the citizens, who had collected in great numbers on the public square. On Thurs- day one hundred men from the town of North Haven, under the direction of their reverend pastor, Dr. Trumbull, the venerable historian of Connecticut, eight)' j'ears of age, volunteered their ser- vices and spent the da}' in the same patriotic work. This aged minister addressed the throne of grace and implored the Divine blessing on their undertaking. On Friday the same number from Hamden, irnder the command of Captain Jacob Whiting, with great industry labored at the same work, and were saluted and cheered on their return. The inhabitants of the town of Meriden, with a patriotism not exceeded by their neighbors, have volunteered their aid for Wednesday next. It is confidently hoped that our fellow citizens of other towns in this vicinity will, in the course of the present week, complete the works which are now nearly finished. Parties who are willmg to give their assistance in this preparation for the common defense are desired to give notice to the committee of the time when it will be agreeable to them tagive their attendance. The enemy is hovering on the coast. Where the next blow will be attempted no one can tell. Preparation to repel invasion cannot too speedily be made." The second war with Great Britain, so far as it affected New Haven, was almost wholly maritime. The commerce of the city, already greatly impaired by the embargo act, was now almost wholly .sus- pended, leaving, as a natural result, many seamen unemployed. Some of thesfe were adventurous and freely engaged in privateering, little * After the revolution Black Rock Fort received this name in honor of Cap- tain Nathan Hale, the "Martyr Spy" of the revolution. He graduated from Yale in 1773. Joining the patriots early in the struggle, he commanded a com- pany in Colonel Knowlton's regiment, of Ashford. After the retreat of the Americans from Long Island, in August, 1776, he was sent by General Washing- ton to ascertain the enemy's future plans. Having obtained this information, and just as he was leaving the Island he was recognized by a Tory relative, and betrayed. He was taken before Sir William Howe, who, without a trial ordered him to be hanged the next morning, September 23d, 1776. He met his fate calmly, saying : " I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." His statue has been placed on the capitol grounds at Hartford. 70 HISTORY (IF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. reckoning about the perils of such an undertaking. Their adventures, in some instances, read like a romance. Air. T. R. Trowbridge, of New Haven, has given the following interesting account of one of them : " The ' Actress ' was a fine, fast-sailing sloop of sixty tons, and had for a crew forty-two young, able-bodied. New Haven county men, every one of whom was anxious to make his fortune by privateering. For an armament, the sloop carried eight small guns, with the usual assortment of small arms, cutlasses, boarding-pikes, etc. " The commander of the ' Actress ' was John Lumsden.an English- man by birth, but a naturalized American. He was an able seaman, and had commanded several of the best New Haven ships; his officers were experienced sailors. Thus appointed, she sailed from Long Wharf on the evening of the llth of July. 1812, 'on a cruise.' Reach- ing the open sea. early next morning, everything" on board the privateer was put in ship-shape order, and a six weeks' cruise agreed upon. Sharp and anxious eyes scanned the horizon ; for a reward of fifty dollars was promised to the man who should first descry a vessel that should prove to be a ' Britisher.' •■ Nothing, however, was seen for several days, and the ship's com- pany began to think privateering slow work, and to long for their farms; when, to the joy of all, at daybreak, July 19th, on the northern edge of the Gulf Stream, a man on the foretopmast rigging cried out, ' Sail, ho?' with the singular prolongation of sound that no landsman can imitate. " • Where away ?' bawled the officer in charge of the deck. " ' A mile to the lu'ard,' was the reply, and then came the welcome words, 'and a Britisher, too.' " True it was. In a few moments the mist lifted, and less than a mile to the leeward of the privateer lay a huge British ship, to all appearances a merchantman. There she lay with all the three top- sails mast-headed, waiting for the morning breeze to spring up. From the fact that the topsails were ' mast-headed ' (hauled up to the head of the topmast), the privateersman accepted it as a sure sign that the stranger was a merchant-vessel, and her capture was certain. There was on board the sloop a great contrast to the dullness of the previous days. Muskets, cutlasses, and boarding-pikes were brought on deck, and put in order; the little eight pounders were swabbed out, loaded, and a .supply of powder and shot placed near them. Aboard the ' Actress,' excitement and bustle were everywhere from stem to stern. " I am told when the commander first saw the ship, he was m the ordinary costume of a New Haven privateersman, namely, a tarpaulin hat, red shirt, and a pair of blue trousers ' cat-harpinned at the knee.' When he was satisfied that a prize was soon to fall into his hands, he retired to the cabin to array himself in a becoming manner, and shortly HISTORY OF XEW HAVEN COUNTY. 71 afterwards appeared on his quarter-deck, clad in a blue suit with red facings, and a cocked hat, all of which were loaned him bv a Foxon militia captain, Jeduthan Bradley by name. "Sword by his side and speaking trumpet under his arm, the doughty sailor trod his weather deck, and after feasting his ej-es for several minutes upon the Britisher, he gave his helmsman orders to put up the wheel. Forthwith the ' Actre.ss,' with her two .score valiant New Haveners, bore down upon the stranger; and so certain was commander Lum.sden and his crew of securing the prize, that a crew of eighteen men were immediately told off to carry the ship into New London, if possible, — but into Boston, at all hazards. " All hands judged the helpless Englishman to be a London tea- ship from Canton, bound for Boston, and, of course, ignorant that war had been declared. They considered, therefore, that their for- tirnes were made, and that lives of ease and luxury awaited them at home. "Just before the ' Actress' left Long Wharf, a friend of the com- mander, and a part owner of the vessel, had put on board a quarter cusk of Jamaica rum, requesting that it should be drunk when the first prize should be captured. The captain and crew reckoning to a cer- tainty that the Englishman was as good as captured, it was now pro- posed to drink the rum without further delay. The captain was at first opposed to it; but after the prize crew had explained to him, that if f/icf were sent aboard the ship //uy would lose t//ci>- share, he gave his consent. The cask was accordingly hoisted on deck and broached. The libations were heavy and frequent. " L: the meantime, the privateer had been gradually nearing the ship, apparently unnoticed by the leviathan; and when within speak- ing distance. Captain Lumsden, in a voice tremulous with patriotic pride, hailed the ship. " In a moment the answer came back: ' The Spartan, of London.' " At the mention of this name, a peculiar expression, we are told, was visible in the faces of many of the privateersmen; several pairs of jaws chattered, many knees knocked feelingly one again.st another, and cans half emptied were laid upon the deck (a rare proceeding in those days), because the ' Spartan ' was the well-known name of one of the fleet blockading New London. It was the name of one that had caused a wholesome dread to be entertained all along our shores, from the Vineyard to Sandy Hook. She had for .several months harried our coast, her vigilant commander boa.sting that nothing had escaped him. Only two weeks previous to Captain Lumsden's experi- ence with her, she had chased, captured, and sent in to Halifax, the splended American ship ' Melancthon,' bound from "Valparai.so to Boston, with a cargo of copper ore valued at $350,000. "Our privateersmen, however, soon recovered their courage and coolness, and reasoned:— The ' Spartan ' is a frigate; this is a helpless 72 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Indiaman hailing from London. Captain Lumsden now drew him- self to his full height, [n a manner as im;iosing as he could assume, he roared out; — " ' Consider your ship a prize to the United States privateer " Actress." Send your papers aboard.' " The commander of the ' Spartan,' who afterwards attained the highest jDost in the British navy, was in his way a wag, and he made answer: — " ' Really now, captain, would you ask that I, the commander of such a great ship as this, should strike my flag to such a little fellow as you ?' "The reply from the New Haven Nelson, liberally garnished with his country's oath, was: — " ' vStrike ! or I'll fire into you.' "A moment thereafter, the shrill .sound of the boatswain's whistle was heard, and suddenl}-, as if by magic, the ports on each side of the ship were triced up, exposing to view about sixt}^ heavy guns. At the same time, a cheery, wholesome "voice said: — " ' Come to our gangway, and we'll hoist you in.' " Never was an order obeyed with more alacrity; and amid the laughter of derision and scorn, the ' Actress ' was swept alongside. At eight, A. M., with a prize crew of ten men, she was on her course to Halifax. Her valiant crew were divided. Half were transferred to the frigate, and half left on board of the privateer. They all returned to New Haven some weeks afterward, but without their cruiser." Not long after this the packet "Susan," Captain John Miles, master, laden with a cargo valued at $1.'5,UOO, attempted to run the blockade from New York to New Haven. vShe had great hopes of succeeding, when, near Stratford point, she was pursued b}^ a British cruiser, captured and taken to New London. This news greatly excited some of the warlike citizens of New Haven and it was deter- mined to have revenge. A vessel was immediately manned by about fifty persons who hastily started in pursuit of the bold cruiser. After a short sail, they, too, ran into the " Lion's" mouth, being taken in by the vessel they sought to capture. Their release was secured by ransom and in the course of a few days they returned to their families with greatly enlarged ideas of naval warfare. In pleasing contrast with these reverses, is the .story of the bril- liant success of another New Haven county man. Commodore Isaac Hull, who by his heroic deeds on the frigate "Constitution," became the naval hero of the war. His celebrated sea fight took place Aug-ust I'Jih, 1812, when the "Constitution," carrying 44 guns, fell in with his majesty's ship, the " Gueniere," Captain J. R. Dacres, com- mander, and carrying OO gims. As the vessels ncared each other Dacres began to fire at long range. Hull calmly stood on the quarter HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. 73 deck determined that no shot should be fired until the enemy was close at hand. Every man on the " Constitution " stood at his post calmly waiting for the momentous word of command, or as Captain Hull himself reported: " From the smallest boy in the ship to the oldest seaman not a look of fear was .seen. They all went into action giving three cheers and requesting to be laid alongside of the enemy." At the auspicious moment when the " Constitution " was alongside and within pistol shot of the " Guerriere," Hull shouted the command, ■"Fire !" and with guns double shotted soon silenced the foe. In the words of a song of that period: " Isaac did so maul and rake her That the decks of Captain Dacres Were in such a woeful pickle As if death with scythe and sickle With his shng and with his shaft Had cut his harvest fore and aft. " Thus in thirt)- minutes ended Mischief that could never be mended. Masts and \-ards and ship descended All to David Jones' locker, Such a ship in such a pucker." Although the British several times threatened to invade the county no serious attempt was made. A few soldiers were landed at Stony Creek in Branford, in September, 1814, but beyond carrying off some property, no damage was done. The shore towns, however, were thoroughly alarmed, and that event very materially hastened the building of Fort Woo.ster, on Beacon hill, which, fortunately was never called on to defend the harbor of New Haven against the entrance of an enemy. One of the incidents connected with the blockade of the sound ports by the British fleet was the following: During the war the three houses of worship on New Haven green were built. The lumber used was brought down the Connecticut river in boats, whose passage into New Haven harbor was obstructed until the British Commodore Hardy learned for what purpose the lumber was wanted, when he §aid that he was "not making war on religion," and authorized the vessels to be passed. After this vessels after vessels, laden with lumber were entered, as bringing material for the meeting houses, until the buildings were completed and the lumber yards stocked as they never were before. The news of peace was received about the middle of February, 1S15, and caused much rejoicing in the county, especially in New Haven, where commerce had so long .suffered. One hundred vessels owned here, manned by more than six hundred American .seamen, and scores of vessels in Derby, Milford, Branford and Guilford were soon basking in tropical sunshine, and the unplea.sant feelings occa- 74 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. sioned by the war were soon foro^otten in the enjoyment of the pros- perity now visible on every hand. When the war of the rebellion broke out in 1861, William A. Buck- ingham, of Norwich, was in the gubernatorial office. He was a zealous, energetic unionist, a man of large wealth and had extensive business relations. This well fitted him to direct affairs in such perilous times, and it was largely owing to his influence and action, that Connecticut gave the general government .such a strong and active support, so early in the struggle. The zeal manifested at the beginning was con- tinued unabated, during the war. and as a consequence the state had an excess of more than 7,(100 men over its quota. The entire number of men enlLsted in the .state (the terms being reduced to a basis of three years) was 48,181, of whom only 263 were drafted. It is said of Governor Buckingham that he stood in the same relation to the Union, in the rebellion, that Governor Trumbull (the famous Brother Jona- than) did toward the colonies in the revolution. The latter was the friend and adviser of General Washington; the former was one of President Lincoln's mo.st tried and trusted friends. " The Connecticut troops raised during the war of the rebellion consisted of twenty-eight regiments of infantry (two colored^), two of heavy artillery, a regiment and squadron of cavalry, and three light batteries. These were so distributed among the different Union armies, that there was hardly a battle of moment during the war in which Connecticut troops were not engaged, and some of the infantry regiments, notably the 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 14th, 16th and 21st, had a list of battles to show at its close rarely ever equaled in the same space of time. To enumerate these battles, or to specify instances where Connecticut men distinguished themselves therein, would be to write a history of the war. In the navy, too, which was presided over during the whole contest by a Connecticut man, Gideon Welles, who was throughout Mr. Lincoln's administration secretary of the navy. Con- necticut won new glory and renown." * One of the naval heroes of this war was, also, a New Haven county man. Rear Admiral Andrew Hull Foote was born in New Haven in 1806, and was a son of Hon. Samuel Foote. In 1822 he entered the navy and served under Commodore Hull, the hero of 1812. In the rebellion his achievements at Forts Henry and Donnelson, won for him grateful admiration ; and his brilliant movements at Island Number Ten opened the upper gateway of the Mississippi to the LTnion forces and .secured for him the honorable title he bore at the time of his death, at New York, June 26th, 1863. He had received a dangerous wound, while operating on the Missi.ssippi, to which he succumbed while yet near the prime of life. He was a man of many noble qualities, sincere and honorable at all times, his life being one of the best types of the Christian soldier and .sailor this country has * W. S. Webb. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 75 ever afforded. Hi.s mortal remains rest at Grove Street Cemetery, in New Haven city. New Haven county, also, was the means of giving to the govern- ment an instrument of naval warfare which entirely revolutionized the methods before employed. In the early part of 1862, Cornelius Scranton Bushnell, a native of Madison, but at that time living in New Haven city as an active business man and ship builder, entered into a contract with Captain John Ericsson for the construction of the famous " Monitor." " Owing to lack of funds, Ericsson had not and would not have been able to construct this wonderful craft. Mr. Bushnell told Erics- son that he was willing to risk his entire fortune in the undertaking, and proved it by making a contract with the inventor, by means of which the ' ^Monitor ' was constructed. The story of the amazement its appearance created, of the reluctance of the Naval Board to accept it — doubting if it would succeed, — of its grand victory over the ' Merrimack,' and of the revolution in the mode of naval warfare it produced the world over, has become one of the great facts of history, too well known to be repeated. But the essential part taken by a citizen of New Haven in this event of world-wide importance, not only for the immediate time but for many future ages, is not so generally known or appreciated." * It is doubtful whether any other agency disheartened the con- federates to a greater extent than their inability to cope with the "Monitors," which practically destroyed their navy, and cut off the hope which had sustained the Confederacy at this period of the war. After two days bombardment Fort Sumter surrendered April 14th, 1861. Five days later the First Connecticut regiment rendezvoused at New Haven. On the 6th of May, it was joined in camp by the Second regiment, a part of which was also made up of men from this county. It was commanded by Colonel Alfred Howe Terry, who later attained great eminence of position as a soldier. In many engage- ments he distinguished himself, but his bravery and skill were pre- eminent at the capture of Fort Fisher. In that terrible onslaught he was in the front of the advance, directing and leading his men, among which were the Sixth and Seventh Connecticut regiments, to a victory which resulted in the unconditional surrender of the fort, which had been declared impregnable by General Butler, after he and Admiral Porter had failed to capture it. For this service General Terry and his men received the thanks of congress, in a special resolution to that effect. At this time Terry was a major general of volunteers, but at tlje close of the war, in consideration of his skill and valuable- service, he was brevetted a major general in the regular army. This was an unprecedented honor and the only one .so bestowed upon a civilian officer in the war. In 1888 General Terry retired from the * '■ New Haven, Past and Present." 76 HISTORY OF XEW HAVEN COUNTY. army and lived quietly at New Haven until his death, in that city, December 16th, 1890. On the 17th of :SIay, 1801, the First regiment. Colonel Chatfield commander, left New Haven for the war and was followed by the Second regiment on the IDth. It broke camp at Hamilton Fork, at 6 p. M. and marched to the green, where it received the benediction of a large crowd of people. On the 20th of May, the Third regiment, Colonel Arnold commanding, left Hailford, and it is said that these three regiments were the first thoroughly equipped and disciplined volunteer troops to arrive at Washington. They were soon in active service and participated in all the early engagements of the war. At the end of their enlistment the First and Second regiments were mustered out at New Haven, in July and August, 1861. The three regiments had suffered a loss of 68 men. Most of the men in the dis- banded regiments reenlisted for three years, and it is said that so closely did they apply themselves to the duties of the soldier that, before " the end of the war, five hundred of their number were holding commissions in the army." The first martyr of New Haven in the war of the rebellion was Major Theodore Winthrop, the military secretary of General Butler, who fell in a charge on the enemy's line at Big Bethel, June 10th, 1801. He had enlisted in New York as a member of the Seventh regiment, but was soon after assigned to the position he held at the time of his death. Major Theodore Winthrop " was the direct descendant of John Winthrop, the first governor of Connecticut, and was born at New Haven in 1828. Graduating from Yale at the age of twenty, he spent several years in visiting all parts of the world. He was admitted to the bar in 1855, but devoted most of his time during the next five years to Uterary pursuits. Many brilliant magazine articles, and several volumes, published posthumously, remain as the result of this period of work, to bear witness of his genius. He was one of the first to enlist, being very active and influential during the early days of the war. His funeral at New Haven, June 21st, 1861, was attended by many celebrated men from different sections of the country, .Sacrificing his life in a gallant attempt to redeem a reverse of the Union troops, and falling among the earliest mart3-rs to the cause, the name of Winthrop was .soon joined with that of Ellsworth, and cherished throughout the country as an emblem of heroism and patriotic devotion." •■ Later in the war. many noble sons of the county were called upon to offer up the sacrifice of their lives for the cause of the Union. Among the.se were Lieutenant Henry M. Dutton, Colonel .Arthur Dutton of the Twenty-first Conn. Vols.. iSIajor Edward F. Blake, Cap- tain Bernard E.,Schweizer, Captain Addison L. Taylor, Captain Julius Hassett, Chaplain Jacob Eaton and many others elsewhere named. * "New Haven, Past and Present," HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 77 In the long-term service many of the First regiment enlisted under Colonel Chatfield as the Sixth regiment which was recruited at Oyster Point and left for service at Washington September 17th, 1861. The Seventh regiment of three years men, was organized at the same place^ under Colonel Terry. It broke camp September ISth, ISOl, and after being at Washington some time, was sent to South Carolina. About the same time the Ninth regiment was being formed at Camp English, at New Haven. It was composed almost wholly of men of Irish birth, most of them being from New Haven county. Its colonel was Thomas W. Cahill, of New Haven, and the organization achieved a fine reputa- tion. Later in the fall of 1861, the Thirteenth regiment redezvoused. at New Haven and prepared for active service under Colonel Birge, who was a very strict disciplinarian. When this organization left for the field, in March, 1862, its fine appearance, in every particular, won for it the appellation of the " Dandy regiment." Although so cleanly and orderly, it was very valiant in battle, rendering distinguished service. Under the call of President Lincoln for 300,000 men, July l.st, 1862, the Fifteenth regiment was organized at its camp, on Oyster Point. Dexter R. Wright was appointed colonel, and Samuel ToUes, lieuten- ant colonel. It mioved to the seat of war August 2Sth, 1862. In the meantime, Colonel Ro.ss' Twentieth regiment was forming in the same camp. William B.Wooster, of Derby, was appointed lieutenant colonel. The regiment moved to the front in the South, September 11th. 1862. In October, 1862, Colonel C. E. L. Holmes, of Waterbury, formed the Twenty-third regiment at Grape Vine Point, at New Haven, at which place were soon after organized the Twenty-seventh and the Twenty-eighth regiments. The first and the last named moved to the scenes of battle November 17th, 1862. The Twenty-seventh departed earlier, leaving October 22d, 1862. This body and the Twentieth suf- fered very much in the campaigns of the army of the Potomac. At Chancellorsville, May 2d and 3d, the latter regiment lost 27 officers and 170 men, about one-third the number they had in service. All of the Twenty-seventh, except 160 men, were captured and sent to Libby Prison. The same bodies were at the terrible battles at Gettysburg, being engaged in the thickest of the fights. On the .second of July, Lieutenant Colonel Henry C. Merwin of the Twenty-.seventh was killed while his command was charging upon the enemy. The regiment went into the engagements with 74 men, of whom 39 were lo.st, among whom was, also. Captain Jedediah Chapman. In the latter part of the war the Fifteenth regiment, serving along the coast of North Carolina suffered from yellow fever. The Ninth and the Thirteenth were in the battles of Cedar Creek and Winchester, where Colonel Frank Peck lost his life. At Cedar Creek Captain John P. Lowell, of New Haven, was killed. The loss of officers, especially, was very heavy in the engagements of 1863-4, embracing besides the 78 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. foregoing, Captain George S. Benton, Isaac A. Bronson, E. vS. Hitch- cock, Charles Smith, Edward Lines, Major E. Walton Osborn and many other commissioned officers. Of the dead in the rank and file an approximately correct list has been given in the exhaustive volumes prepared under state direction, to which the reader is referred for many facts concerning all the wars and those who participated in them. It would be a rare pleasure to here record the names of all the patriotic citizens of the county who aided in saving the Union of states, or at least to give the roll of honor, of the brave, fallen and departed heroes, but the limits of .space will not permit. In most of the towns fine monuments have been erected to the memory of these brave men. Many of the officers of the regiments which went out from New Haven county were promoted to higher ranks. The county had as major generals, Alfred H. Terry and Henry W. Benham; as brigadier generals, Luther P. Bradley, Benjamin S. Roberts and A. Van Stein- wehr; as brevet brigadier generals, Henrv B. Carrington, E. D. S. Goodyear, Edwin S. Greeley, Brayton Ives, Edward M. Lee and Erastus Blakesley. The following statistical table shows the aggregate amounts of means raised by the several towns for the preservation of the L'nion. A comparison with the Grand List shows the proportion to the means of the town. Fractional parts of a dollar are omitted : •■ Name of Towns. New Haven - Bethany Bran ford Cheshire Derby - East Haven - Guilford Hamden Madison Meriden Middlebury - Milford Naugatuck North Branford North Haven Orange O.xford - Prospect Seymour South bury Wallingford - AVaterbury Woodliridge - Wolcott ' - Grand List of 1804. S2'M) votes; Phelan, Democrat, 67,734 votes. For Comp- troller: Staub, Democrat, received 68,271 votes, being a clear majority of the 1:33,- 502 votes cast at that election. HISTORY i)F NEW HAVEN COUxNTV. 81 Comptrollers: James Wadsworth, 1786-8; Oliver Wolcott, 1788- 90; Ralph Pomeroy, 1790-1; Andrew Kingsbury, 1791-3; John Porter, 1793-1806: Elisha Colt, 1806-19; James Thomas, 1819^30; Elisha Phelps. 1830-4; Roger Huntington, 1834-."); Gideon Welles, 183i")-6; William Field, 1836-8; Henry Kilbourn, 1838-42; Gideon Welles, 1842-4; Abijah Carrington, 1844-6; Mason Cleveland, 1846-7; Abijah Catlin, 1847-50; Rufus G. Pinney, 1850-4; John Dunham, 1854-5: Alexander Merrell, 1855-6; Edward Prentis, 1856-7; Joseph G. Lamb, 1857-8; William H. Buell, 1858-61; Leman W. Cutler, 1861-6; Robbins Battell. 1866-7; Jesse Olney, 1867-9; James W. Manning, 1869-70; Seth S. Logan, 1870-1; James W. Manning, 1871-3; Alfred R. Good- rich, 1873-7: Charles C. Hubbard, 1877-9; Chauncey Howard, 1879-81; Wheelock T. Batcheller, 1881-3; Frank D. Sloat, 1883-5; Luzerne I. Munson, 1885-7; Thomas Clark, 1887-9; John B. Wright, 1889-91; Nicholas Staub, 1891. The following United States Senators from the state of Connecticut were from New Haven county, the years of service being given ; Roger Sherman, 1791-3; James Hillhouse, 1796-1810; David Daggett, 1813-19; Henry W. Edwards, 1823-7; vSamuel A. Foot, 1827-33; Nathan Smith, 1833-5; Roger S. Baldwin. 1847-51; James E. English, 1875-6; Orville H. Piatt, 1879 to the present time. Prior to 1837 the representatives of the state in the United States congress were elected at large. From 1837 to 1843 there were six dis- tricts -and each one elected a congressman. vSince 1843 there have been but four districts, the counties of Middlesex and New Haven constituting District No. 2. The following congressmen were from New Haven connty: Roger Sherman, 1789-91; James Hillhouse, 1791-6; Elizur Goodrich, 1799-1801; Simeon Baldwin, 1803-1805; Samuel A. Foot, 1819-21; Henry W. Edwards, 1819-23; vSamuel A. Foot, 1823-5; Ralph L Ingersoll, 1825-33; Samuel A. Foot, 1833-5; William W. Eoardman, 1841-3; Walter Booth, 1849-51; Colin M. Ingersoll, 1851-5: John Woodruff, 1855-7; John W^oodruff, 1859-61; James E. English, 1861-5; Stephen W. Kellogg, 1869-75; Charles I. Mitchell, 1883-7; Carlos French, 1887-9. The present member of the Second district is Washington F. Willcox, of Deep River, in Middle- sex county, who has served since 1889. The following have been the State Senators of the county the past sixty years : 1830, 4th District, William W. Boardman; 5th, Noyes Darling; 6th, John D. Reynolds. 1831, 4th District, William W. Boardman; 5th, Noyes Darling; 6th, Reuben Elliott. 1832, 4th District, William W. Boardman; 5th, John Pierce; 6th, Charles Shelton. 1833, 4th District, Jared Bassett; 5th, John Pierce; 6th, A.shbel Griswold. 82 HISTUKV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 1835. 4th District, Henry C. Flagg; 5th, Joel Hinman; Gth, Friend Cook. 1830, 4th i:)i,strict, Abijah Carrington; 5th, Joel Hinman; Gth, Anson Foote. 1837, 4th District, Roger S. Baldwin; 5th, James D. Wooster; Gth, Noah Pomeroy. 1838, 4th District, Roger S. Baldwin; 5th, William C. De Forest; Gth, Edward A. Cornwall. ]83!;), 4th District, Abijah Carrington; 5th, Orrin Plumb; Gth, Joel Tuttle. 1840, 4th District, Eleazer Warner; 5th. Orrin Plumb; Gth, Edgar Atwater. 1841, 4th District, Aaron X. Skinner; 5th, David W. Plumb; Gth. James Blackstone. 1842, 4th Di-strict, Aaron N. Skinner; 5th, Alfred Blackman; Gth. Benajah Ives. 1843,4th District, Griswold I.Gilbert; 5th. Edward Hinman; Gth. Levi S. Parsons. 1844, 4th District, Nelson Newton; 5th, Norton I. Buel; Gth, Samuel Spencer. 1845, 4th District, Aaron N. Skinner; 5th, Selah Strong; Gth, John R. Wilcox. 184G, 4th District, Marcus Merriman, Jr.; 5th, Green Kendrick; Gth, Ezra Stiles. 1847, 4th District, Marcus Merriman, Jr.; 5th, Jason W. Bradley; Gth, Rufus Rogers. 1848, 4th District, Philip S. Galpin; Gth, Leonard Bronson; Gth, Fenner Bush. 1849, 4th District, Henry Dutton; 5th, Thomas Burlock; Gth, Dexter R. Wright. 185(1, 4th District, John S. Rice; oth, George P. Shelton; Gth, George Landon. 1851, 4th District, Joel White; 5th, Ira Tuttle; Gth, Nathan G. Fish. 1852, 4th District, (iriswold I. Gilbert; 5th, A.sa M. Train; Gth, David S. Fowler. 1853, 4th Di.strict, Hawley Olmstead; 5th, Stephen W. Kellogg; Gth, vStephen H. Payne. 1854, 4th District, Henry B. Harri.scm; 5th, George W. Carter; Gth, Julius Pratt. 1855, 4th District, James F. Babcock; 5th, P. P.. Buckingham; (Uh, William M. Hall. 185G, 4th District, James E. English; 5th, Henry Aiwater; Gth, Edward R. Landon. 1857, 4th District, James K. English; 5th, Willard Spencer; Gth, William T. Peters. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 83 1858, 4th District, James E. English; 5th, Aaron Benedict; 6th, George Rose. 1859, 4th District, Wilson H. Clark; 5th, William B. Wooster; 6th, Abel Scranton. 1860, 4th District, Wilson H. Clark; 5th, Nathan A. Baldwin; 6th, Erastus C. Scranton. 1861, 4th District, Joel Ives; 5th, James Brown; 6th, Orville H. Piatt. 1862, 4th District, Chas. Atwater, Jr.; 5th, Lvman W. Coe; 6th. Orville H. Piatt. 1863, 4th District, James J. Webb; 5th, Elisha Wheeler; 6th, Franklin C. Phelps. 1864, 4th District, Edward I. Sanford; 5th, Green Kendrick; 6th, James M. Townsend. 1865, 4th District, Edward I. Sanford; 5th, Sylve.ster vSmith; 6th, H. Lynde Harrison. 1866, 4th District, Thomas H. Bond; 5th, Isaac T. Rogers; 6th, H. Lynde Harrison. 1867, 4th District, James Gallagher; 5th, Isaac T. Rogers; 6th, Whitney Elliott. 1868, 4th District, James Gallagher; 5th, Isaac T. Rogers; 6th, Garry I. Alix. 1869, 4th District, Lucien W. Sperry; 5th, Edward N. Shelton; 6th, Samuel W. Dudley. 1870, 4th District, Lucien W. .Sperry; 5th, William Brown; 6th, S. H. vScranton. 1871, 4th District, Henry Tuttle; 5th, Thomas Elmes; 6th, George A. Fay. 1872, 4th District, Henry Stoddard; 5th, Thomas Elmes; 6th, Howard C. Ives. 1873, 4th District, Henry Stoddard; 5th, Hial S. Stevens; 6th, Augustus C. Wilcox. 1874, 4th District, Luzon B. Morris; 5th, Hial S. Stevens; 6th, H. C. Wilcox. 1875, 4th District, Caleb B. Bowers; 5th, Benjamin Nichols; 6th, Charles D. Yale. 1876, 4th District, Samuel E. Merwin, Jr.; 5th, Benjamin Nichols; 6th, Joel H. Guy. 1877, 4th District, Caleb B. Bowers; 5th, Royal M. Bas.sett; 6th, Charles A. Bray. 1878, 4th District, Caleb B. Bowers; 5th, Samuel W. Post; 6th, Charles A. Bray. 1879, 4th District, Carlos Smith; 5th, Samuel W. Po.st; 6th, H. Wales Lines. 1880, 4th District, Carlos Smith; 5th, William Brown; 6th, H.Wales Lines. 84 HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 1881, 4th District, William J. Mills; nth, William Brown; Cth, Edward F. Jones. 1882, 5t"h District, James .S. Elton; 6th, Edward F. Jones; 7th, George M. Gunn; 8th, William J. Mills. 1883, m-i District, James vS. Elton; Gth, Charles D.Yale; 7th, George M. (nmn; 8th, Joseph D. Plunkett. 1884, .'ith District, Edward T. Turner; Hth, Charles D. Yale; 7th, Edmund Day; 8th, Joseph D. Plunkett. 1885, 5th District, Edward T. Turner; Gth, William H. Golden; 7th. Edmund Day; 8th, A. Heaton Robertson. 188fi, 5th District, B. B. Tuttle; (ith, William H. Golden; 7th, Edward A. Bradley; 8th, A. Heaton Robert.son. 1887,5th District, H. A. Matthews; Gth, Edgar J. Doolittle; 7th, James Graham; 8th, James Gallagher. 1888-9, 5th District, Homer A. Twitched; Gth, George \. Morse: 7th, James Graham; 8th, James N. States. 189tH, 5th Di-strict, Homer A. Twitchell; (;th, Seth J. Hall; 7th, Frederick W. Holden; 8th, Timothy J. Fox. The Representatives in the state legislature, of the different towns for the same period have been as follows : New Haven.— 1830, Henry W. Edwards, Joseph N. Clark; 1831, William Mix, ,Samuel Wadsworth; 1832, Dennis Kimberly, Silas Mix; 1833, Joseph N. Clark, Silas Mix; 1834, Isaac H. Town.send, Philip S. Galpin; 1835, Dennis Kimberly, Philip S. Galpin; 183G, William W. Boardman, Levi Gilbert. 2d; 1837-8, William W. Boardman, James Donaghe; 1839, William W. Boardman, Leverett Candee; 1840, Roger vS. Baldwin, John B. Robertson; 1841, Roger S. Baldwin, James F. Babcock; 1842, Thomas G. Woodward, Henry Peck; 1843, Philip S. Galpin, Eleazer K. Foster; 1844, Eleazer K. Foster. Marcus Merriman, Jr.; 1845, William W. Boardman. Levi Gilbert, 2d; 184G, William W. Boardman, William H, Russell: 1847, William H. Ru.ssell, Henry E. Peck; 1848, Henry E. Peck, Philos Blake; 1849, William W. Boardman. Aaron N. Skinner: 1850, Henry E. Peck. Henry Dutton; 1851, William W. Boardman, Chauncey Jerome, Jr.; 1852, Stephen D. l^ardee, Timothy Lester; 1853, Charles B. Lines, Charles Ives; 1854, Henry E. Peck, John Woodruff, 2d; 1855, Alfred Blackman, James E. English; 185G, Charles R. Ingcr.soll, Charles L. English; 1857, Charles R. Inger- soll, Ira Merwin; 18.58, Charles R. IngersoU. llinim C;uii]): 1859-60, Harmanus M. Welch, [ohn W. Mansfield; 18(il, James Gallagher, Charles Atwatcr, Jr.; 1862, Cornelius S. Bu.shnell, David J. Peck; 1863, James Gallagher, Thomas H. Bond; 18G4, John S. Farren, George H. Watrous; 1865, Eleazer K. Foster. Henry B. Harrison; 186(>, Charles R. Ingcr.soll, Tilton E. Doolittle; 1867, Tilton Iv Doolittle. Alfred W. Phelps: 1868, Henry G. Lewis, Alfred W. Phelps; 18()9, Samuel L. Bronson, Michael Williams; 1870, Tilton K. Doolittle, Luzon B. Morris; 1871, Charles R. IngersoU, Henry Stoddard; 1872, James E. English, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 85 James F. Babcock; 1873, James F. Babcock, Henry B. Harrison; 1874, Tilton E. Doolittle, William C. Robinson; 1875, Hobart B. Bigelow, Thomas D. Kennedy; 1876, Samuel L. Bronson, Luzon B. Morris; 1877, Samuel L. Bronson, Thomas F. McGrail; 1878, James Gallagher, Wil- liam J. Mills; 1879, Dexter R. Wright, John H. Leeds; 1880, Luzon B. Morris, A. Heaton Robertson; 1881, Luzon B. Morris, Cornelius T. Driscoll; 1882, A. Heaton Robertson, Timothy J. Fox; 1883, Alexander Troup, William H. Law; 1884, Henry B. Harrison, William. H. Law; 188.5, Alexander Troup, James P. Pigott; J 886, James P. Pigott, Ezekiel G. Stoddard; 1887, Adolphus F. Hunie, James E. Connor; 1888-9, Isaac Wolfe, A. Frederick Hume; 1890-1, David Callahan, Hobart E. Hotchkiss. Waterbury.— 1830, Elias Clark. Joel Hinman; 1831, Joel Hinman, Francis Spencer; 1832, Elias Cook, Edmund Austin; 1833, Obadiah Warner, Elisha S. Abernathy; 1834, Willard Spencer, William H. Hine; 1835-6, Timothy Ball, Marshall Hoadley; 1837, Joel Hinman, Ransom Culver; 1838, William H. Hine, Samuel J. Holmes; 1839, Richard Hine, Samuel J. Holmes; 1840, John P. Elton. Francis Spencer; 1841, Aaron Benedict, Richard Hine; 1842, Joel Hinman, John Peck; 1843, George L. Smith, (no choice); 1844, Scoville M. Buck- ingham; 1845, Green Kendrick, David W. Austin; 1846, James M. L. Scoville, Norton L Buell; 1847, Greene Kendrick, George W. Benedict; 1848, Greene Kendrick, John P. Elton; 1849, Larmon W\ Abbott, James M. L. Scoville; 1850, John P. Elton, Frederick j'. Kingsbury; 1851, Edward S. Clarke, Julius Hotchkiss; 1852, Edward S. Clarke, Hobart V. Welton; 1853, Joseph Smith, Hobart V. Welton; 1854, Greene Kendrick, Edward L. Frisbie; 1855, Edward S. Clarke, Leonard Pritchard; 1856, Greene Kendrick, Stephen W. Kellogg; 1857, John Buckingham, William Lamb; 1858, L. W. Coe, Frederick J. Kingsbury; 1859, John Buckingham, James Brown; 1S60, James Brown, Russell A. Coe; 1861, Greene Kendrick, Nelson J. Welton; 1862. John P. Elton, B. P. Chatfield; 1863-4, E. Leavenworth, Henry A. Matthews; 1865, Frederick J. Kingsbury, A. S. Cha.se; 1866. Greene Kendrick, Isaac E. Newton; 1867-8, John Kendrick, E. Leavenworth; 1869, Amos S. Blake, Israel Holmes; 1870-1, George W. Beach, George Pritchard; 1872, Greene Kendrick, William Brown; 1873, Isaac E. Newton, Edward L. Frisbie; 1874-5, William Brown, Amos S. Blake; 1876, Greene Kendrick, Charles B. Merrill; 1877, Greene Kendrick, David S. Plume; 1878, Greene Kendrick, Henry I. Boughton; 1879, David S. Plume, Israel Holmes; 1880-1, Chauncey B. Webster, Henry A. Mat- thews; 1882, Charles W. Gillette, Henry C. Griggs; 1883, Calvin H. Carter, Frederick J. Brown; 1884, Edward C. Lewis, J. Richard Smith; 1885. Calvin H. Carter, Frederick J. Brown; 1886, Henry C. Griggs, Henry H. Peck; 1887, Edward T. Root, Cornelius Maloney; 1888-9, Henry L. Welch, John O'Neill, Jr.; 1890-1, Charles G. Root, John L. Saxe. 86 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Ansonia.— 189l)-l, George O. vSchneller, Hobart Sperry. Beacon Falls.— 1872, John Wolfe; 1873, Patrick Eagan; 1874-5, John A. Coe: 1876, Herbert C. Baldwin: 1877, Julius C. Coe; 1878, Charles H. Lounsbury; 1879, John A. Coe: 1880, Herbert C. Baldwin; 1881, David T. Sanford; 1882," A. W. Culver; 1883-4. H. C. Baldwin; 1885, Homer D. Bronson; 1886-7, Cornelius W. Munson: 1888-9, Emer- .son J. Terrell: 1890-1, Herbert C. Baldwin. Bethany.— 1838-4, David Beecher; 1835, Andrew Beecher; 1836-7, Harry French; 1838, Leverett Thomas; 1839, John Russell; 1840, Anthony F. Stoddard: 1841, Job Andrew; 1842, Abel Prince; 1843, Burton Sperry; 1844, Guy Perkins; 1845, Joseph N. Stoddard: 1846, Miles Hitchcock; 1847-8, Miles French; 1849-50, Charles French; 1851-2, Edwin Pardee: 1853, Miles Hitchcock; 1854-5, Robert Clark; 1856, Wales F. Perkins; 1857, Ezra S. Sperry; 1858, Adna Hotchkiss; 1859-60, Dwight N. Clark: 1861, George Hotchkiss: 1862. Ezra S. Sperry; 1863-4, Andrew Beecher; 1865, W. B. Dickerman; 1866, W. Dickerman; 1867-8, Andrew T. Hotchkiss; 1869-70, Asa C. Woodward; 1871, Buel Buckingham: 1872, IMiles Hitchcock; 1873-4, Garry B. John.son; 1875, Allen Lounsbury: 1876, S. G. Davidson; 1877, George W. Woodward: 1878, Henry E. Loun.sbury; 1879, Edward Beecher; 1880, Street B. Todd; 1881, Denzel B. Hoadley; 1882, Samuel R. Wood- ward; 1883, Charles C. Perkins; 1884, E. O. Pardee; 1885, Dwight L. L. Johnson; 1886, David F. Smith: 1887, Theron E. Allen: 1888-9, Andrew J. Doolittle; 1890-1, Ransom Chatfield. Branford. — 1830, James Blackstone. Samuel Maltby; 1831, William Rogers, William A. Reynolds; 1832, James Blackstone: 1833-4, Levi Bradley: 1835, Malachi Lmsley; 1836, Levi Bradley; 1837, Samuel Gould; 1838, Levi S. Parsons; 1839, William Tyler; 1840, Orrin Hoadley: 1841, Levi S. Par.sons: 1842, Levi Bradley: 1843, Calvin Frisbie: 1844, William Rogers: 1845-6. Levi Bradley; 1847-8, Orrin D. Squire: 1849, Wyllis Beach; 1850, James Barker: 1851-2, William Blackstone: 1853, Henry Grant: 1854, Samuel E. Linsley: 1855-6, William Blackstone; 18.57, F. A. Holcomb; 1858-9, Charles J. Harrison; 1860, H. V. C. Holcomb; 1861, Richard Dibble: 18(*)2-3, Bradley Chidsey; 18(i4, J. J. Bartholomew; 1865, William Rus.sell; 1866, Wil- liam Russell; 1867, John H. Robin.son; 1868-9. W. D. Hendrick; 1870, Eli F. Rogers; 1871, Charles L Harrison; 1872-3. John Spencer; 1874-5, Henry B. Fowler; 1876, Michael Harding: 1877, Henry Rogers; 1878, Edward F. Jones; 1879, Henry B. Fowler; 1880, Charles B. Hill; 1881, William Reagan; 1882-3. William A. Wright; 1884, James E. Mat- thews: 1885, Henry D. Linsley; 188(5, Willis T. Robmson; 1887, Emer- son E. Barker; 1888-9, Alfred E. Hammer; 1890-1, Henry D. Linsley. Cheshire. — 1830, Charles Shelton, Benajah Ives; 1831, Benajah Ives, Edward A. Cornwall; 1832, Edward A. Cornwall, Titus L. Gay- lord; 1833, Edward A. Cornwall, John A. Foote; 1834-5. Titus L. Gay- lord, Chauncey Peck; 1836. Benajah Ives. Alfred Doolittle: 1837, HISTORY OK NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 87 Benajah Ives, John ^Jiles•, 1838, John Potter, Ambrose E. Doolittle;^ 1839, Benajah Ives, William L. Foote; 1840-1, Daniel Humiston, Alfred Doolittle; 1842-3, Julius Brooks, Thomas H. Brooks; 1844, Edward A. Cornwall, Ambrose E. Doolirtle; 1845, Ransom Johnson, Benjamin A. Jarvis; 1840, Ambrose R. Barnes, Charles Hurd; 1847, Julius Brooks, William Mix; 1848, Alfred Doolittle, Warren Doolittle; 1849, Charles Hurd, Arad A. Welton; 1850, Ransom Johnson, Ethel- bert Cooke; 1851, Benjamin A. Jarvis, Calvin Doolittle; 1852, John Barnes, Norman Beach; 1853, James B. Fields, Bradley Miles; 1854,. Charles Hurd, George Bristol; 1855, A. E. Doolittle, Norman Beach;, 1856, Loyal Smith, Elam Cook; 1857, Albert Sperry, Levi Doolittle; 1858, James B. Field, Isaac Mix; 1859, Warner Doolittle, William S. Bailey: 1860, Charles Hurd, William L. Hinman; 1861, William T. Peters, John E. Law; 1862, John E. Law, William Spencer; 1863, Benjamin A. Jarvis, Charles Ives; 1864. Heman A. Thomas, Albert vSperry; 1865-6, Benjamin A. Jarvis, Burritt Bradley; 1867, Loyal Smith, Granville T. Pierce; 1868, Benjamin A. Jarvis, Bradley Miles; 1869, Burritt Bradley, Mark Bishop; 1870, Warren Doolittle, Titus B. Ives; 1871, P. S. Beers, Levi Doolittle; 1872, John Mix, Alonzo E. Smith; 1873, William T. Peters, Ed. A. Cornwall; 1874, Nathan Booth, Augustus C. Peck; 1875, James Lanyon, Ed. A. Cornwall; 1876, Titus B. Ives, Henry T. Holcomb; 1877, Benjamin A. Jarvis, Daniel Judd; 1878, Horatio D. Smith, Titus B. Ives; 1879, Isaac Mix, George R. Ives; 1880, Alfred S. Baldwin, Elizur P. Atwater; 1881, John E. Law, George C. F. Williams; 1882, Benjamin A. Jarvis, Charles B. Terrell; 1883, Truman Bristol, John W. Mix; 1884, Henry Beadle, Fred. A. Granniss; 1885, Henry E. Howe, Ed. T. Cornwall; 1886, George L. Hotchkiss, George F. Pardee; 1887, Jesse H. Rice, Edward R. Brown; 1888-9, George VV. Baker. Porter E. Andrews; 1890-1, Julius Mo.ss, Milton C. Doolittle. Derby.— 1830, Ezekiel Gilbert; 1831, William Lum; 1832, Robert Gates; 1833, Josiah Nettleton; 1834, William Humphreys; 1835, John B. Davis; 1836, Daniel S. Holbrook; 1837, Nehemiah C. Sanford; 1838, David W. Plumb; 1839, Sheldon Smith; 1840, William Humphreys; 1841, Leman Chatfield; 1842, Luther Fowler; 1843, Samuel French; 1844, David Bassett; 1845, Albert I. Steele; 1846, George Blackman; 1847-8, Thomas Burlock; 1849, Joshua Kendall; 1850, Sylvester Smith; 1851, Sidney A. Downes; 1852, David W. Plumb; 1853, Thomas Wal- lace; 1854, Edwin Eells; 1855, William E. Downes; 1850, Lucas H. Carter; 1857, Henry Hubbard; 1858, William B. Wooster; 1859, Josiah Clark; 1860, David W. Plumb; 1861, William B. Wooster; 1862, David W. Plumb; 1863, Robert N. Bassett; 1864, David W Plumb; 1865, Amos H. Ailing; 1866, Egbert Bartlett; 1867, Joseph Moore; 1868, Egbert Bartlett; 1869, J. H. Bartholomew; 1870, Jo.siah H. Whiting; 1871-2, David Torrance; 1873, George H. Peck; 1874, Charles FXirand; 1875, Charles Durand, Thomas Elmes; 1876, Thomas Elmes, Chester A. 88 HISTORY OK NEW IIAVKN (.'OUNTV. Hawley; 1877, Henry Atwater, Thomas Wallace: 1878-9. Thomas Wallace, Samuel M. Crardner; ISSO, Samuel M. Gardner, Dana Bartholomew; 1881, X. C. Treat, John Cowell; 1882-3, William E. Downes, Charles H. Pine; 1884-5, Franklin D. Jackson, Jonah C. Piatt; 1886, A. H. Bartholomew, Charles vS. Chaffee; 18S7,Sanford E.Chaffee, A. H. Bartholomew; 1888-9, Charles S. Chaffee, Frederick W. Holden; 1890-1, George H. Peck, Patrick Gorman. East Haven.— 1830, Eleazer Hemingway; 1831-2, Philemon Holt: 1833, De Grosse Maltby; 1834-5-6, James Thompson; 1837-8, William K. Townsend; 1839 40, Hoadley Bray; 1841-2, William K. Townsend; 1843, Harvey Rowe, 2d; 1844, Daniel Smith; 1845, Wyllys Hemingway; 1846-7, James Thompson; 1848, Harvey Rowe, 2d; 1849, Stephen Dodd; 1850, J. B. Davidson; 1851, Wyllys Hemingway: 1852, James P. Smith; 1853, Willis Mallory; 1854, Stephen Smith. 2d: 18.-)5. Samuel T. x\ndrews: 1856, William H. Hunt; 1857, James Thompson; 1858, Charles H. P'owler; 1859, James Thompson; 18r)(), Charles A. Bray: 1861, Nathan Andrews: 1862, William Farren; 1863. Alex. W. Forbes; 1864. Charles Ives; 1865. S-.Chid.sey; 1806. William E. Goodyear; 1867-8,' Charles Ives; 1869, Joseph I. Hotchki.ss: 1870, J. R. Bradley: 1871. Lyman A. Granniss; 1872. D. William Havens; 1873, Leonard R. Andrews; 1874. H. Jacobs; 1875, J. Woodward Thompson; 1876. Asa L. Fabrique; 1877, Horace H. Strong; 1878, Charles L. Mitchell; 1879, Grove J. Tuttle; 1880, Le.ster P. Mallory; 1881,Dwight W. Tuttle;1882, Orlando B. Thompson; 1883-4. Alexander W. Forbes: 1885. Justin Bradley; 1886. Grove J. Tuttle; 1887. James S. Thompson; 1888-9, Dwight W. Tuttle: 1890-1, Dwight W. Tuttle. Guilford. — 1830, Nathaniel (^riffing, George Landon; 1831, Nath- aniel Griffing, Abel Rossiter; 1832, Nathaniel Grifting, Joel Tuttle; 1833, Nathaniel Griffing, Abel Rossiter; 1834, Joel Tuttle, Abraham S. Fowler; 1835, Nathaniel Griffing, Abel Rossiter; 1836. Nathaniel Griffing. George Landon; 1837; Henry Elliott, George Landon: 1838, Joel Tuttle, John H. Bartlett; 1839. (George A. Foote. Marcus B. Bart- lett; 1840. (yeorge A. Foote, Samuel C. John.son; 1841. George A. Foote, Samuel W. Dudley; 1842-5, no representatives chosen; 1846-7, Reuben .Stone, William Hale; 1848, Reuben Stone, Jasper Monroe; 1849, Reuben vStone, Franklin C. Phelps; 1850, Julius A. Dowd, Lewis Griswold; 1851, Russell Benton, James A.Norton; 1852, Henry Fowler, 2d, Lewis Griswold; 1853, vSamuel W. Dudley, Henry Fowler; 1854, Edward L. Leete, Leverett Ciriswold; 1855, George A. Foote, Amos Fowler; 1856, John Hale, Calvin M. Leete: 1857. George A. Foote, Samuel W. Dudley; 1858. Albert B. Wildman, Benjamin Corbin; 1859, Ralph 1). Smith, T. Rcssiter; 1860, Sherman Graves, John Hall; 1861, Richard Bartlett, Stephen R. Bartlett; 1802, Calvin M. Leete, John Griswold; 1863, John II. Bartlett, Henry E. Norton; 1865. Samuel W. Dudley, lulward L. Leete; 1866, Henry l'\)wler. (yen. Edward M. Lee; 1807, David B. Rossiter, Gen. ICdward M. Lee; 1868. Rev. E. llISrORV OK XEW HAVEN COUNTY. 89 Edwin Hall, Eli Parmalee: 1869, Julius A. Dowd, .Stephen R. Bartlett; 1870, Edward R. Landon, Hethcote G. Landon; 1871, Henry Benton, 2d, John R. Rossiter; 1872, Albert B. Wildman, Charles F. Leete; 1873, Henry Fowler, John R. Rossiter; 1874, H. Lynde Harrison, George B. vSpencer; 187.1, H. Lynde Harrison, John R. Rossiter; 1876, H. Lynde Harrison, John W. Norton; 1877, H. Lynde Harrison, '■•• David Bartlett; 187S. Calvin M. Leete, Andrew W. Foote; 1879, John Graves, David Bartlett; 188(1. Wallace G. Fowler, James A. Dudley; 1881, H. Lynde Harrison, John R. Rossiter; 1882, Elisha C. Bishop, Edward Griswold; 18S3, Edward Griswold, Henry M. Rossiter; 1884, Otis J. Range, John W. Norton; 188."), Wallace G. Fowler, Edgar P. Rossiter; 1886, Harris Pendleton, Jr., William H. Lee; 1887, Charles Griswold, Henry M. Rossiter; 1888-9, George S. Davis, Henry E. Parmalee; 1890-1, George S. Davis, Benjamin Rossiter. Hamden.— 1830, Alfred Bassett; 1881-2, Jared Bas.sett; 1833-4, Elam Warner; 1835, Alfred Bassett; 1836, Jared Bassett; 1837-8, James M. Ford; 1839, Leverett Hitchcock; 1840, Leverett Tuttle; 1841, Horace Potter; 1842, Allen Dickerman; 1843, Loyal F. Todd; 1844, Abial Leonard; 1845, Ezra Ailing-, 2d; 1846, Horace Potter; 1847, Henry Mun.son; 1848, Leverett Tuttle; 1849, Lewis Warner; 1850. Abial Leonard; 18.51, Horace Potter; 18.V2, Eli B. .Smith; ISrVS, Russell H. Cooper; 1854, Henry Munson; 1855, Loyal F. Todd; 1856, Horace Todd: 1857, Merrit Ford; 1858, Henry Tuttle; 1859-60, James M. Ford; 1861, Merrit Ford; 1862, Eli B. Smith; 1863-4, Elias Warner; 1865, Andrew J. Doolittle; 1866, Henry Tuttle; 1867-8, Augustus Dicker- man; 1869-70, Gilbert L. Benham; 1871, Silas Benham; 1872, Philos Dickerman; 1873, Jesse Cooper; 1874, Edwin W. Potter; 1875-6, Riley R. Palmiter; 1877,'Andrew J. Doolittle: 1878-9, Norris B. Mix; 1880, Cecil A. Burleigh; 1881, Leverett A. Dickerman; 1882-3, Bela A. Mann; 1884, Frederick E. Tuttle; 1885, Henry W. Munson; 1886, Hubert E. Warner; 1887, Benjamin C. Woodin: 1888 9, George L. Clark; 1890-1, Dwight W'. Mix. Madison.— 1830, Frederick Lee; 1831-2, Phineas Meigs: 1833, Wil- liam Blatchley; 1834, Samuel Robinson, Jr.; 1835, Phineas Meigs; 1836, Frederick S. Field; 1887, Jesse Crampton; 1838, Galen Dowd; 1839, Sherman Munger; 1840-1, Learning Evarts; 1842, Nathan W. Hopson; 1843, Charles M. Miner; 1844, Frederick Foster; 1845-6, Erastus C. Scranton: 1847, William C. Bushnell; 1848, Heman Stojie; 1849-50, Jonathan F. Todd; 1851, Erastus C. Scranton; 1852, Truman Harrison; 1853, Abel .Scranton; 18.")4, .Samuel R. Crampton; 18.55, Frederick Dowd; 1S56, Erastus C. Scranton; 18.57, Luman H. Whedon; 1858, John P. Hopson; 1859-60, Sereno H. Scranton: 1861, Joseph William Dudley; 1862, Erastus C. .Scranton; 18(i3-4, Baldwin Hart: 1865, Edward S. Scranton; 1866, Elias S. Ely; 1867, Sereno H. Scranton; 1868, J. C. Hopson; 1869, Jonathan Willard; 1870, J. (t. Dickinson; * Elected speaker this year. 90 HISTORY OK np:\v haven county. 1S71, Augustus C. Wilcox; 1872, Sereno H. Scranton; 1873, William B" Crampton; 1874, Heman C. Stone; 187"), John N, Chittenden; 1876, Samuel Griswold; 1877, John N. Chittenden; 1878, Washington Bristol; 1879, C. Henry Whedon; 1880, I. Lee Scranton, Jr.; 1881, Horace N. Coe; 1882, Horace O. Hill; 1883, William C. Miner; 1884, P. M. Gris- wold; 188o, Harvey E.Cruttenden; 1886, James R, Dowd; 1887, Charles Smith; 1888-9, George B. Munger; 1890-1, James R. Aleigs. Meriden.— 1830, Titus Ives; 1831, Ashbel Griswold; 1832, Xoah Pomeroy; 1833, Enos H. Curtis; 1834, Eli C. Birdsey; 1835, Hezekiah Rice; 1836, Asahel Curtis; 1837, Horace B. Redfield; 1838, Walter Booth; 1839, James S. Brooks; 1840, Eli C. Bird.sey; 1842, Ira Couch; 1843, Henry Stedman; 1844, James S. Brooks;* 184(), Elias Howell; 1847, A.shbel Griswold; 1848, Isaac C. Lewis; 1849, James A. Tracy; 1850, William S. Ives; 18/51, Hiram Hall; 18r)2, Julius Pratt; 1853, Lsaac C, Lewis; 1854, Albert Foster; 18r),'i, James S. Brooks; 1856. Levi Yale; 1857, James S. Brooks; 1858, Asahel H. Curtiss; 1859, William W. Lyman; 1860, Andrew J. Coe; 1861, Owen B. Arnold: 1862, Isaac C. Lewis; 1863, Dexter R. Wright; 1864, Orville H. Piatt; 1865, Oliver S, Williams; 1866, Isaac C. Lewis; 1867, Andrew J, Coe; 1868, William A. Hall; 1869, Orville H. Piatt; 1870, John Parker; 1871, Joseph J. Woodley; 1872, H, Wales Lines; 1873, Charles H. S. Davis; 1874, 6. B. Arnold; 1875-6. Wallace A. Miles. Asahel H. Curtiss; 1877, Abram Chamberlain, Jr., Wallace A. Miles; 1878, James P. Piatt, George R. Willmot; 1879, James P. Piatt, Samuel Dodd; 1880. Emerson A. Merri- man, Grove H.Wilson; 1881, E. A. Merriman, W. W. Lyman; 1882, W. W. Lyman, Grove H. Wilson; 1883, John Morse, Reuben T. Cook; 1884, George O. Higby, William H, Golden; 1885-6, William Wallace Lee, Charles H. S. Davis; 1887, Louis H. Hart, William H. Barbour; 1888-9, James H. Chapm. Elijah D. Costelow; 1890-1, Elijah D. Costlelow, Joseph H. Potts. Middlebury. — 1830, Larmon Townsend; 1831-2, Marcus Bronson; 1833, Leonard Bron.son; 1834-5, Josiah Hine; 1836, Marcus Bronson; 1837, Daniel Tyler; 1838-9, William H, Smith; 1840, Daniel Clark; 1841, Daniel Clark, 2d; 1842, Leonard Bronson; 1843, Ebenezer Smith; 1844, Charles Town.send; 1845, Joseph P. Piatt; 1846, Leonard Bronson; J847, Jacob Linsley; 1848-9, Asa Fenn; 1850, Charles B, Stone; 1851, Robert Crane; 1852, Joseph P. Piatt; 1853, David M. Beardsley; 1854, vSylvester Bron.son; 1855, Josiah Hine; 1856, Ebenezer Smith; 1857, Gould S. Clarke; 1858, Julius Bronson; 1859, Warren H.Taylor; 1860, Leonard Bronson; 18(;L Luther S. Piatt; 1862, H. W. Munson; 1863, Harrison W. Crosby; 18(i4. Israel J. Curtiss; 1865, Gilman E, Hill; 1866-7, Benjamin Stone; 1868, Luther S, Piatt; 1869, Clinton Clark; 1870, James Smith: 1871 2, Gould S. Clark; 1873 4, Levings Abbott: 1875, Silas Tuttlc; 1876, Roswell B. Wheaton; 1877, Frank Wheeler; 1878, Hawkins W. Mun.son; 1879 80, Marcus De Forest, Jr.; 1881, Eli * 184.5, no choice. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 9T Bronson; 1882, George O. Ellis; 1883, Eli Brouson; 1884, David M. Fenn; 1885-6, Edmund B. Hoyt; 1887, Eli Bronson; 1888-9, George Dews; 1890-1, William H. Dibble. Milford.— 1830-1, Jonathan Clark, William Durand, Jr.; 183x>,. Abijah Carrington, Adolphus Baldwin; 1833, Abijah Carrington, Wil- liam H. Fowler; 1834, Abijah Carrington, Jeremiah French; 1835, Abijah Carrington, Treat Clark; lS36,Selah Strong, Treat Clark; 1837, Abijah Carrington, Isaac Tibbals; 1838-40, Selah .Strong, Isaac Tibbals; 1841, Dennis Beach, John Burns, Jr.; 1842, David L. Baldwin, Isaac Tibbals; 1843, Selah Strong, Isaac Tibbals; 1844, Selah Strong, John Burns, Jr.; 1845, William Glenny, John Burns. Jr.; 1846, Andrew French, Anon Clark; 1847, Samuel Beach, Elias Clark; 1848, David L. Baldwin, John K. Bristol; 1849, Samuel Beach, John K. Bristol; 18.')0, Samuel Beach, Asa M. Train; 1851, David L. Baldwin, Asa M. Tram; 1852, Samuel B. Gunn, J. K. Bristol; 1853, Selah Strong, Asa M. Train; 18.54. Selah Strong, J. K. Bristol; 1855-6, David L. Bsildwin, Asa M. Train; 1857, John Burns, Caleb T. Merwin; 1858, Asa M. Train, Caleb T. Merwin; 1859-60, David L. Baldwin, Anon Clark; 1861-2, Abner L. Train, Nathan Merwin; 1863, John H. Wingfield, William S. Pond; 1864, William S. Pond, Isaac T. Rogers: 1865, Elias Clark, Isaac T. Rogers; 1866, William S. Pond, D. H. Durand; 1867, F. E. Burns, Nathan Smith; 1868, Nathan Bottsford, Henry Stoddard; 1869, Selah Strong, James Sweet; 1870, Henry C. Miles, William Brotherton; 1871,. Phineas S. Bristol, Fowler Sperry; 1872, Samuel A. Blake, William H. Pond; 1873, Johnson Bristol. Alonzo W. Burns; 1874, Henry C. Miles,. Isaac T. Rogers; 1875, Henry C. Miles, William H. Pond; 1876, James- T. Burns. Charles A. Tomlinson; 1877, Daniel Buckingham, Charles A. Tomlin.son; 1878, Isaac T. Rogers, Alexander T. Peck; 1879, Lsaac T. Rogers, Harris C. Hyatt; lSSO-1. James S. Tibbals, George M. Gunn; 1882, Charles A. Tomlin.son, Thomas W. Stow; 1883, Nathan P. Merwin, William C. Durand; 1884, John C. Connor, William C. Durand; 1885, George M. Gunn, Henry C. Miller; 1886, Charles A. Tomlinson, George Clark; 1887, George M. Gunn, George W.Clark; 1888-9, Charles W. Beardsley, William Cecil Durand; 1890-1, Charles W. Beardsley, Alonzo W. Burns. Naugatuck.— 1845, George L. Smith; 1846-7, Thomas Spencer; 1848, Francis Spencer; 1849, James Spencer; 1850, Miles Smith; 1851, Francis Spencer; 1852, Gustavus .Spencer; 1853, Franklin Howard; 1854, Samuel Hopkins; 1855, Nathan C. Peters; 1856, John A. Peck; 1857, Gideon O. Hotchkiss; 1858, Hial S. Steven.s; 1859, David Smith; 1860, S. C. Warner; 1861, Henry Lane; 1862, Eli Smith; 1863, Jo.siah Culver: 1864, Homer Twitchell; 1865, Marshal Baldwin: 1866, C. A. HotchkLss; 1867, Eldridge Smith; 1868, Martin Kinney; 1869, John A. Peck; 1870, Hial S. Stevens; 1871, J. H. Whittemore; 1872, Hial S- Stevens: 1873, Charles A. Ensign; 1874, Edson L. Judd; 1875, John H. Hawkins; 1876, Charles L. Baldwin; 1877. Hubert H. Thompson; 1878, !)2 HISTORY OF NKW HAVP:N COUNTY. Rollin S. Woodford; 1.^71), Rollin S. Woodford; 1880, Charles A. Ensign; 1881, Joseph Brennan; 1889. Franklin B. Tattle; 1883, Fremont W. Tolles; 1884, Edward H. Carrington; 188."), George L. Andrews; 1886-7, Frederick H. King; 1888-!). Edward H Carrington; 1800 -1. William H. McCarthy. North Branford. — 1885. Jonathan Rose, 2d; 1888, Samuel Bartholo- mew, 2d; 1884, Jonathan Rose, 2d; 188."), Ebenezer H. Fowler; 1886, Rufus Rogers, 2d; 1887, Harmon N. Williams; 1888, Jasper Mnnroe; 1889, Thelus Todd; 1840-1, Samuel A. Rogers; 1842-8, Ebenezer H. Fowler; 1844, Alfred Rose; 184.'), William M. Fowler; 1846, Jonathan Ro.se; 1847, Clswin H. Doolittle; 1848, Jonathan Rose; 1840, Nathaniel S. Smith; 18.")0, Jonathan Rose; 1851, Daniel Jones; 18.52, Jonathan Rose; 18.")8, Thomas A. Smith; 18.'J4, Russell Clarke; 1800, Thelus Todd; IS.V), George Ro.se; 1837, William M. Fowler; 18.-)8, A. A. Hemingway; 18:)0, Reuben N. Augur; 1800, E. E. Bishop; 1801, Henry Maltby, Jr.; 1862, William Wheedom; 1868, Wareham W. Foote; 1864, George Rose; 186."i, Maltbv Fowler; 1866, Seth Ru.s.sell; 1867, Tames H. Linsley; 1868, Samuel Rose; 1869, T. Andrew Smith; 1870, Martin C, Bi.shop; 1871, W. H. Maltby; 1872, Noah Foot; 1878, Henry M. Pardee; 1874, Charges Page; 187."), F. C. Bartholomew; 1876, William D. Ford; 1877, F. C. Bartholomew; 1878, Alden H. Hill; 1879, Guernsey B. Smith; 1880, Eaton Stent; 1881, William Maltby; 1882, William B. Curtis; 1888, Charles Foote; 1884, Jerome Harrison; 188.-), Josiah A. Smith; 1886, Herbert O. Page; 1887, Theodore F. Barnes; 1888-9, J. Henry Gates; 1890-1, Dwight M. Foote. North Haven.— 1880, Jesse Brockett; 1831-2, Lsaac Stiles; 1888-4, Hubbard Barnes; 188.'i-6, Amasa Thorpe; 1887-S, Florace Stiles; 1889, Jesse Brockett; 1840 1, John Beach; 1842, Obed S. Squires; 1848, Everlin Blakeslee; 1844, Merrit Barnes; 184.-), Ezra Stiles; 1846, Elizur C. Tuttle; 1847, Oswin H. Doolittle; 1848, Zophar Blakeslee; 1849-.-)0. Oswin H. Doolittle; 1851, Evelyn Blakeslee; 1852, Merrit Barnes; 1853, Burritt Brockett; 18.-)4, Lsaac L. Stiles; 18.-)5, Henry McNeil; 18.-){), Henry H. Stiles; 18.57, Hervey Stiles; 1858 9, N, J. Beach; 1860, Nelson J. Beach: 1861-2, H. T. Dayton; 1868, Elizur C. Tuttle; 1864, John E. Brockett; 1865, James M. Payne; 1866-7, W. B. Hemingway; 1868, E. D. vS. Goodyear; "1809-70, D. A. Patten: 1871, William B.John- son; 1872, Nelson J. Beach; 1873, Daniel A. Patten; JS74, Cyrus Cheney; 1875-6, vStephen C. (Gilbert; 1877-8, Alfred Ives; 1879, Truman O. Judd; 1880, Nelson J. P.each; 1881, Sheldon B. Thorpe; 1882, Andrew F. Au.stin; 1888, F. Hayden Todd; 1884 5, Lsaac L. Stiles; 1886. Cyrus Cheney; 1S87, Edwai'd L. Goodyear; 1888 9, ^J'heopbilus Eaton: 189(1 1, Theophilus ICaton. Orange.- -1880, Llliakim Kimberly; 1881 2, Luke Clark; 1833, liliakim Kimberly; 1884, Nchemiah Kimberly; 1885-6, Nathan Merwin; 1887-8, l^>Iiakim Kimberly: 1839 4(i. Nathan Merwin; 1841-2. Nehemiah Kimberly; 1843, Aaron Clark, Jr.; 1844, William T. Grant; 1845-6, HISTORY OF XEW HAVEN COUNTY. 9S Lucius Stevens; 1847-8, Benjamin F. Clark; 1849-.o0, Sidney Pardee; I80I, David Smith; 1852, Sidney Pardee; 18n3, David Smith; ]8.-)4, Edgar M. Smith; ISr^, William A. Bronson; 18.")6, Benjamin I. Clark; 1857, Henry W. Painter: I808, George R. Kelsey; 18o9, Alpheus N. Merwin; 1860, Alpheus N. Merwin; 1861, Elisha Dickerman; 1862, R. Ouincy Brown; 186:?, Benjamin T. Clark; 1864, Bryan Clark; 186n, A. F. Wood; 1866, A. F. Wood; 1867-8, Leonidas W. Ailing; 1869, George A. Bryan; 1870, Israel K.Ward; 1871, William E.Ru.ssell; 1872, Elias T. Main; 1878, James H. Reynolds; 1874, D. S. Thompson; 187.")-6, Charles F. Smith; 1877, Samuel L. Smith; 1878, James Graham; 1879-80, Stiles D. Woodruff; 1881, W^illiam Wallace" Ward; 1882-3, Edward E. Bradley; 1884, James R. Ayres; 188.")-6, James Graham; 1887, William L. Andrew; 1888-9, Samuel J. Bryant; 1890-1, Everett B. Clark. Oxford.— 1830, .Samuel Meigs; 1831, Horace Candee; 1832, Samuel Wire; 1833, Nathan B. Fairchild; 1834, Samuel Meigs; 1835, Sheldon Clark; 1836, Hiram O.sborne; 1837, Chauncey M. Hatch; 1838, Aufelius Buckingham; 1839, Hiram Osborne; 1840, Sheldon Church; 1841, David M. Clark; 1842, Nathan J. Wilcoxson; 1843, no choice; 1844, Sheldon Church; 1845, no choice; 1846, Joel White; 1847, Everett Booth; 1848, Alfred Harger; 1849, Joel Osborne; 1850, Clark Botsford; 1851. Nath- aniel Walker; 1852, Garry Riggs; 1853, Lewis Davis; 1854, Lucius Fuller; 1855, Ransom Hudson; 1856, Hiram Osborne; 1857, Josiah Nettleton; 1858, Burritt Davis: 1859, William H. Clark; 1860, James A. Buckingham; 1861, David R. Lum; 1862, Benjamin Nichols; 1863, Robert Wheeler; 1864, Abiram Ward; 1865, George Lum; 1866, B.J. Davis; 1867, C. D. R. Perkins; 1868, B. J. Davis; 1869-70, Egbert L. Warner; 1871, Burr J. Beecher; 1872, Robert B. Limburuer; 1873-4, Ebeuezer Riggs: 1875, Smith C. Wheeler; 1876-7, Gideon A. John.son; 1878, Harvey W. Chatfield; 1879, James H. Bartlett; 1880-1, John B. Pope; 1882, James H. Bartlett; 1883, Orlando C. 0.sborn: 1884. Smith C. Wheeler: 1885, Charles H. Butler: 1886, Nicholas French: 1887, Glover W. Cable; 1888-9, Orlando C. Osborn; 1890-1, Charles H. Butler. Pro-spect.— 1830, Lauren Preston; 1831, Joseph J. Doolittle; 1832, William Mix; 1883, Samuel Peck; 1834, Lauren Preston; 1835, William Mix; 1836, Joseph Paine: 1837, Libeus Sanford: 1838, Benjamin Piatt; 1839, David R. Williams; 1840, Ransom R. Ru.ssell; 1841, David M. Clark; 1842, no choice: 1843, no choice: 1844, Luther Morse; 1845, Ransom R. Russell; 1846, Benjamin Doolittle; 1847, Ransom R. Russell: 1848. George C. Piatt; 1849, Reuben B. Hughes; 1850, Wil- liam J. Wilcox; 1851-2, James Street; 1853, no choice; 1854, Asa M. Train; 1855-6, John Gillette: 1757-8, David M. Hotchki.ss; 1859, Samuel C. Bronson; 1860, John Gillette; 1861, Merritt Clark, Jr.; 1862, Edwin R. Tyler; 1863, Henry D. Russell: 1864, Benjamin B. Brown; 1865-6, Richard Tyler; 1867, Charles E. Hine; 1868, Richard Tyler; 1869, John R. Piatt; 1870, George F. Tyler; 1871, Merritt Clark: 1872, •94 HISTORY DF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. Horace A. Nettleton; 1873, William Berkeley; 1874, John Gillette: 1870, Henry Judd; 1876, Willis Ives; 1877, William Berkeley; 1878, Harry Hotchkiss; 1879, William W. Phipps; 1880, Harris Piatt; 1881, James Bottomley; 1882, George F. Tyler; 1883, R. M. Gillette; 1884, John R. Piatt; 1885, George R. Morse; 1886, Edgar G. Wallace; 1887, Halsey S. Clark; 1888-9, Byron L. Morse; 1890-1, William A. Purdy. Seymour. — 1851 , Bennett Wooster; 18.o2, vSylvester Smith; 1853-4, Harris B. Munson; 1855-6, Luzon B. ]\Iorris; 1857, Henry C. Johnson; 1858, Charles B. Wooster; 1859, Samuel L. Bron.son; 1860. Carlos French; 1801, Clark Wooster; 1862, Abel Holbrook; 1863-7, Harris B. Munson; 1868, Carlos French; 1869, Philo Holbrook: 1870, Virgil H. -McEwen; 1871, Smith Botsford; 1872, James Swan; 1873, Horatio N. Eggleston; 1874, lidmund Day: 1875, Lewis A. Camp: 1876, Henry P. Day; 1877, Samuel A.' Beach: 1878, Albert B. Dunham; 1879, George W. Devine; J880, Henry D. Northrop; 1881, John W. Smith; 1882, John W\ Rogers; 1883, Norman Sperry; 18S4, Thomas L. James: 1885, Horace O. Judd; 1886-7, Samuel R. Dean; 1888-9, Robert Healey; 1890-1, Robert Healey. Southbury.— 1830, John Pierce; 1831, Edward Hinman; 1832, Henry Downs; 1833, Charles C. Hinman; 1834, Henry Downs: 1835, Charles •C. Hinman: 1836, Daniel Hinman; 1837, John Peck; 1838, Elijah French: 1839, John Peck; 1840, William Guthrie; 1841, Samuel Candee; 1842, Erastus Pierce; 1843. Charles B. Hicock; 1844. no choice; 1845, Titus Pierce; 1846, W^alter Johnson; 1847, George P. Shelton: 1848, •George Smith; 1849, Titus Pierce; 1850, Oliver Mitchell; 1851, Henry D. Munson: 1852, Edwin Pierce; 1853, Truman B. Wheeler; 1854, Eli Pierce; 1855, Elisha Wheeler; 1856, William Guthrie; 1857, Charles Hicock; 1858, Almon B. Downs; 1859, Anthony B. Burritt; 1860, Eli Pierce: 1861, Nathan C. Mon.son; 1862, Almon B. Downs; 1863, Anthony B. Burritt: 1864, Reuben Pierce; 1865, Henry W. Scott; 1866, S. J. Stoddard; 1867, William T. Gilbert; 1868. Eli Pierce: 1869, John C. Wooster: 1870, S. W. Post; 1871, Charles S. Brown; 1872, Ezra Pierce; 1873, John J. Hinman; 1874, Abel Bronson; 1875, Gidney A. vStiles; 1876, Reuben Pierce; 1877, David F. Pierce; 1878. Henry S. Wheeler; 1879, John Pierce: 1880, George F. Shelton; 1881, John Pierce: 1882, A.sahel F. Mitchell: 1883, Nelson W. Mitchell: 1884, Henry S. Wheeler; 1885, George N. Piatt; 1886, Henry B. Russell; 1887, George W. Mitchell; 1888-9, Myron L. Cooley; 1890-1, George W. Mitchell. Wallingford. — 1830, LiveriusCarrington, John Barker; 1831, George B. Kirtland, .Sedgwick Rice; 1832, Charles Yale, Aimer Hall; 1833, John I). Reynolds, Lyman Miller: 1834, George B. Kirtland, Aimer Hall; IS35, Samuel Cook, Lyman Miller; 1836, Ransom Johnson, Nathan Hall; 1837, Chester Cook, Giles Hall; 1838, Jared K. Ford, Wooster Martin; 1839, Ran.som John.son, Augustus Hall, 2d: 1840, Malachi Cook, Randall Cook; 1841, Liverius Carrington, Ira Tuttle; 1842, George Cook, Orrin Andrews: 1843, William Hill, Almon HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. 95 Doolittle: 1844, Malachi Cook, Philo Parker: 184o, William Todd, Israel Harrison; 1846, Samuel Simpson, Samuel C. Ford; 1847, John D. Reynolds, William W. Ives; 1848, Lyman Miller, John Cook; 1849, Ira Tuttle, Friend Johnson; 18S0, William Francis, Rufus Doolittle; 1851. Nathan Thomas, Jr., William W. Stow; 1852, Samuel C. Ford. Lorenzo Lewis; 1853, Franklin Johnson, John Munson; 1854, Franklin Johnson, William Mix; 1855, John Munson, Samuel Peck; 1856, Ira Tuttle, Alonzo Miller: 1857, Eli S. Ives, Hezekiah Hall; 1858, Augustus Hall, Dwight Hall; 1859, Samuel Simpson, William W. Stow; 1860, Street Jones, H. L. Hall; ]86],Orrin Andrews,©. I. Martin; 1862, John L. Ives, Samuel C. Ford; 1863, Henry Hull, Phineas T. Ives; 1864, H. L. Hall, J. C. Mansfield; 1865, Samuel Simpson, Franklin Johnson; 1866. B. Trumbull Jones, Hiram Cook; 1867, Turhand Cook, James A. F. Northrop; 1868,"h. L. Hall, J. L. Ives; 1869, Hezekiah Hall, John •C. Roche; 1870, Franklin Piatt, E. A. Doolittle; 1871, Thaddeus C. Banks, Henry C. Wooding; 1872, H. L. Hall. G. N. Andrews; 1873, Willis J. Goodsell, Henry ^Davis; 1874, C. D. Yale, H. B. Todd; 1875, Joel Hall, Clarence H. Brown; 1876, Gurdon W. Hull, James N. Pier- pont; 1877, H. Lewis Dudley, George S. Allen; 1878, Charles D. Yale, Ebenezer H. Ives; 1879, Samuel Simpson, Thomas Daily; 1880, James D. McGaughey, Henry L. Hall; 1881, Hezekiah Hall, James Wrinn; 1882, P. T. Ives, John W. Blakeslee; 1883, Mercur E. Cook, Patrick Moonev; 1884, William S. Russell, (jcorge A. Hopson; 1885, George M. Wallace, Thomas Kennedy; 1886, Charles A. Harrison, Charles E. Yale; 1887, John B. Kendrick, John B. Mix; 1888-9, Bryant A. Treat, Michael O'Callaghan; 1890-1, Linus H. Hall, Patrick Concannon. Wolcott.— 1830, Archibald Minor; 1831, Luther Hotchkiss; 1832, ■Orrin Plumb; 1833-4. Archibald Minor; 1835, Orrin Plumb; 1836, Daniel Hall; 1837, Moses Pond: 1838, Salmon Up.son; 1839, Noah H. Byington; 1840, Ira Hough; 1841, Ira Frisbie; 1842, Levi Mouthrop 1843-4, Moses Pond; LS45, Sheldon Welton; 1846, Willard Plumb 1847-8, Henry Minor; 1849, Marvin Minor; 1850. Dennis Pritchard 185L Willis ]\ierrill; 1852, Lsaac Hough; 1853, Joseph N. Sperry; 1854, Lyman Manvil; 1855, Moses Pond; 1856, Erastus W. Warner; 1857, George W. Winchell; 1858, Henry Minor; l'S59, Shelton T. Hitchcock; 1860, Erastus W. Warner; 1861. William McNeill; 18()2, E. W. Warner; 1863. Seth Wiard; 1864, James Alcott; 1805, Orrin Plumb; 1866, Henry Minor; 1867, Augustus Minor; 1868, Elihu ;\Ioulthrop; 1869, Isaac Hough; 1870, Berlin J. Pritchard; 1871-2. Shelton T. Hitchcock; 1873, George W. Carter; 1874, Shelton T. Hitchcock; 1875, Era.stus W. Warner: 1876, Benjamin F. French: 1877, Lucien Upson; 1878-9, Shelton T. Hitchcock; 1880, Frederick L. Nichols; 1881-2. Samuel M. Bailey; 1883-4. Henry B. Carter; 1885. Charles S. Tuttle; 1886. Benja- min L. Bronson; 1887, E. M. Up.son; 1888-9, J. Henry Garrigus; 1890-], Evelyn M. Upson. gg HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Woodbridge.— 11S30, Truman Hotchkiss, Archibald A. Perkins; 18;-51 lohn Lines, Joseph Bradley; 1882. James A. Darling. Joseph Bradley isHH, James A. Darling; 1834-5, Ephraim Baldwin; 1836, Levi Peck 1837-9, Thomas Darling; 1840-2, Samuel Peck; 1843, Nathan P. Thomas 1844, Bevil P. Smith; 1845, James J. Baldwin; 1846, James A. Darling 184?' Newton Baldwin; 1848, James J. Baldwin; 1849, Samuel F. Perkins; bSfiO, Nathan P. Thomas; 1851-3, Treat Clark; 1854, Willis Merrill; 1855, Thomas Sanford; 1856, Joseph Hale; 1857, Lewis Russell; 1858, Treat Clark; 1859-60, James J. Baldwin; 1861, Lewis Russell- 1862, Marcus E. Baldwin; 1863-4, William Peck; 1865-6, William A. Clark; 1867-8, John M. Merwin; 1869-70, William A. W^arner; 1871-2, Amos S. Treat; 1873, Amos S. Treat; 1874-5, John Peck- 1876-7, Stephen P. Perkins; 1878-80, Marcus E. Baldwin; 1881, William Wales Peck; 1882-3, Charles T. Walker; 1884, John M. Lines: 1885-6, Elias T. Clark; 1887, Frederick P. Finney; 1888-9, Rollin C. Newton; 1890-1, Stephen P. Bradley. CHAPTER II. TOWN AND CITY OF NEW HAVEN. Location and Natural Features. — General Description. — Settlement and Development. — Condition at the Beginning of the Present Centurj-. — Statistics. — Municipal Organ- ization. — Town Clerks. — City Government. — City Police. — Fire Department. — Water Supply. — Public Sewerage. — City Buildings. — Street Illumination. — Trees and Parks. — General Business Interests. — Monetary Institutions. — Lawyers and Phy- sicians. — Post Office. — Street Railways. — Philantln-opic and Social Institutions. NEW HiWEN is the oldest settled part and subdivision of the county. It lies west of a center line from north to south, upon New Haven harbor and Long Island sound, the latter being here twenty miles wide. The town embraces a little more than nine square miles and the city about seven. The town's bounds are, on the north, the towns of Hamden and North Haven; on the east, the town of East Haven; and on the westare the towns of Orange and Woodbridge. The larger part of the stirface of the town is a slightly elevated sandy plain, but on the west are wooded slopes and on the north are the high, abrupt terminations of the trap rock ranges, whose craggy faces are familiar objects in the landscape of the county. The principal hills are East Rock, 860 feet high; Mill Rock, a spur from it, 225 feet high; Pine Rock, a spur of the west range, 271 feet high; and West Rock, the highest elevation, having an altitude of 4()o feet. Between these ranges the plain from the sea shore opens into a valley terminating at Northampton, 76 miles distant. East of East Rock, and west of the trap rock range of East Haven the plain extends into another valley, only about half as long, and terminating at Wethersfield, on the Connecticut. In the latter range Beacon hill is 100 feet high. All these hills show the effects of the glacial move- ments coming down the afore.said valleys and which here pas.sed out into the sea. In many places the softer sandstone has been worn away, leaving the harder trap rock exposed. These rocks being dis- colored, have a reddish appearance, which caused the early Dutch dis- coverers to call this locality " Rodeberg" — Red Alountain. By the Indians this locality was called Quinnipiac, after the prin- cipal stream in the town and which flows through the east valley from Farmington. It has also been called the Wallingford river, from its flowing through that town. Mill river, the next largest stream, flows through the west valley, and West river, after sweeping around the 98 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. base of West Rock, also bends to the eastward, the three streams unit- ing to form New Haven harbor. Between Mill and West rivers lies the plain on which the city was begun. The tract east of the former stream and the (Juinnipiac was long known as the " New Township," and the extreme end of the peninsula was called Grape Vine Point. The end of the peninsula formed by the West river and harbor is called Oyster Point. New Haven Harbor is one of the most spacious and picturesque on the coast of New England. It is ^i) miles east of Fort Schuyler, on the western part of the sound, and 39 miles from the eastern end of the sound. From Boston it is 184 miles, 76 from New York, and 84 from Hartford. The harbor sets back four miles from Long Island sound, and is about a mile in width at its mouth. Its channel is from 7| feet to 24 feet deep, at low water, and at high tide vessels drawing 22 feet of water can reach the docks at the upper end of the harbor. The national government has lately designated this as a port of refuge for vessels on Long Island sound. By building a breakwater 3,800 feet long, irom the eastern side of the mouth of the harbor, and one 5,200 feet long from the western side, four square miles of shelter harbor will be afforded, in which the largest ocean steamers could float. Several millions of dollars will be spent in these improvements which, when fully completed, will give this harbor a national importance. " At the time when the first settlers arrived in this town there was, in the mirthwestern region of this harbor, a sufficient depth of water for all the ordinary purposes of commerce. vShips were built and launched where now there are meadows, gardens and shops. Sloops loaded and unloaded where the market now stands. So late as the year 17G.5, Long Wharf extended only twenty rods from the shore. It extends now three thousand nine hundred and forty-three feet. ■••■ * The substance which here accumulates so rapidly is what in this country is called marsh mud."- The pleasing appearance of the harbor and its adaptation for the purposes of a commercial city, was the main reason why this section was first selected for a settlement. The plain on which the city was located was also very attractive, and the environments, then as now, were of the most pleasing nature. Mountains, plains, fresh and tidal waters, are here happily blended, making a combination which has permitted the creation of a city which has been called the " Pearl of New England." " The plain on which the city of New Haven is built is not improb- ably a congeries of particles, floated down to this place in early times from the interior. Its surface is sand, mixed with loam and gravel; beneath this is usually found a stratum of yellow loam. vStill lower, at the depth of fifteen or eighteen inches, a ma.ss of coarse .sand extends about six feet. * ■■■'■ "' Formerly the surface was covered *J. W. Barber, 1835. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 99 ■with shrub oaks, and wild turkeys and partridges were found in great numbers. The soil of this plain is dry, warm and naturally unproduc- tive, but by cultivation is capable of producing every vegetable suited to the climate, and in any quantity." * These conditions of location and soil have been very beneficial to the continued prosperity and healthfulnessof the community. " New Haven has the lowest death-rate of any seaport of its size in the world. The natural features of soil, climate and topography are conducive to health. Bordering on Long Island sound, the city is swept b}^ an abundance of fresh air from over the sea, while the semi-circular range of surrounding hills protect it from the severe storms of other •directions. Situated within the influence of the Gulf Stream the climate is tempered thereby and is mild and salubrious, the mercury seldom rising above 85° or falling below 10°. The city is built on a 'deep and stratified sand and gravel plain, which gives dry streets and building sites and the purest water at a moderate depth. The city is being well sewered as fast as any locality becomes populated, and public improvements and regulations are constantly lowering the mortality while the population increases, in defiance of the ordinary rule of nature. Typhoid fever, one of the direst enemies of large cities, is practically unknown here, and with a population of 80,000 the present death-rate is but seventeen and four-tenths to the thousand." t The same writer continues: "The location of New Haven, aside from its advantages in a business point of view, is one of many attrac- tions. The stranger needs to remain in New Haven but a very short time to discover that he is in a very lively, bright and wide-awake New England city. New Haven to-day is unquestionably one of the most beautiful cities in America, if not in the world, and one which the stranger always remembers with pleasure. Nowhere else can be found the wealth of broad-spreading, shadow-casting elms possessed by New Haven. Its appellation, the City of Elms, is well applied. vStreet after street, avenue after avenue, is arched with these noble trees. As to beauty and variety of architecture displayed in the dwell- ings, nothing anywhere excels it. A vast majority of the houses are of wood, while no two, scarcely, are alike. Every style and shape seem to have been brought into requisition. As a rule, the residences have more or less yard and lawn room, the habit of crowding the buildings thickly together, .so often seen in a large city, being con.spicuous by its absence. The streets as a general thing, are broad and straight, and in most cases cross one another at right angles. In this respect New Haven clearly resembles Philadelphia, which, however, it much preceded in the use of this method, inasmuch as the original nine squares of which New Haven was composed, were laid out years before William Penn founded the ' City of Brotherly Love." Like Philadel- * J. W. Barber and Doctor Dwight. t James P. McKinney, 1889. 100 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. phia, too, New Haven has several beautiful public parks scattered about the city. The pride and glory of all New Haveners is the ' green." It occupies the exact center of the city as originally laid out. Noble shade trees extend in rows around every side of the enclosure, those just outside the fence at the angles having unusual age and size, and casting shade accordingly. Broad walks extend diagonally through and from side to side of the grounds, and nearly every walk has an arch of overhanging trees. The portion of the green left un- shaded — less than one-fourth — serves as a play and parade ground, and, in summer, possesses all the beauty of a well-kept lawn. The loveliness of the spot, doubtless, had much to do with the choice of the place as the site of the church edifices of three of the oldest relig- ious organizations in New Haven, viz.: Trinity church, Center church, and North church, which side by side stand like true guardians of the welfare of the city. Temple street, running through the center of the green, is probably one of the most symmetrically shaded avenues in the world. The arch of elms above it, changing from one manifes- tation of beauty to another as the seasons pass, makes a most beautiful nature-temple." " As a place of residence. New Haven is unsurpassed, if equalled, by any other in New England or America. Its velvety lawns, its fine drives, its contiguity to the sea shore, its healthfulness, the prevalent air of thrift and comfort, apparent even in the dwellings of the middle classes, and the numerous, spacious and costly mansions of the rich — together with its unsurpassed religious privileges and educational facilities — all combine to make this city one of the few spots on earth nearly akin to paradise." Willis' description of the city's appearance, though written a num- ber of years ago, will bear reproduction at this time: " If you were to set a poet to make a town, with carte blaiicJic as to trees, gardens and green blinds, he would probably turn out very much such a place as New Haven. The first thought of the inventor of New Haven was to lay out the streets in parallelograms; the second was to plant them from suburb to waterside wnth the magnificent elms of the country. The result is that at the end of fifty years, the town is buried in leaves. If it were not for the spires of churches, a bird flying over on his autumn voyage to the Floridas, would never mention having .seen it in his travels. The houses are something between an Italian palace and an Ivnglish cottage — built of wood, but in the dim light of the overshadowing trees, as fair to the eye as marble, with their triennial coats of paint; and each stands in the midst of its own encircling grass-plot, half buried in vines and flowers, and facing outward from a cluster of gardens divided by slender palings and filling up with fruit trees and summer liouses the scjuare on whose limit it stands. Then, like the vari-colored parallelograms upon a chess board, green openings are left throughout the town, fringed with triple and inter- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 101 weaving elm rows, the long, weeping branches sweeping downward to the grass, and with their enclosing shadows keeping moist and cool the road they overhang." The public buildings of the city are also numerous and very fine. Aside from the magnificent structures of Yale University, on the campus west of the green, there are, on the opposite side of that public place, the handsome city hall, erected in 1861, and still one of the best municipal buildings in the state: the county court house, erected in 1873 and later, at a cost of several hundred thousand dol- lars; the city police building, completed in 1874, and costing $75,000; the substantial Free Library, but recently opened, and worth more than $100,000. In this locality is also the Tontine Hotel, which has a most inter- esting history. " It was erected about 1825 by a joint stock company, each of whose shares bore the name of a person, and were forfeited by the holder to the company upon the death of that person, who was called the nominee. It is, in fact, nothing else than a lottery founded on human life. There were originally 243 nominees; now after sixty years, the number has dwindled down to about 100. When it reaches seven, the whole property will be divided among the fortunate holders of those shares." ■■ On the same street, farther south, is the fine post office and custom house, built by the United States, in 1860. Nearly opposite is the Hoadley Building, one of the finest private business blocks in the city. Other buildings of the same nature, which are fine and co.stly, are the large Insitrance Building, the Boardman and Masonic Blocks and the buildings of the leading banks and newspapers. No city of its size has a greater number or finer public school buildings than those of New Haven, the Hillhou.se High School stand- ing as a noteworthy example. But the pride and glory of the city is Yale University, which has become one of the noblest institutions of learning in the entire world. In this country it ranks third in age, and is the first in the number of its under-graduates, who are now found in all nations. The original college grounds occupy much of the western central part of the town plat made by the first settlers. Here are many fine collegiate edifices and others are well located near by, on principal streets. A few are quaint, being more than a hundred years old. But the edifices which most frequently attract attention and admiration are of recent construction. Among the most notable are the new Chittenden Library Building; the Street Art School, built in 1866, at a cost of $175,000; Battell Chapel, built in 1876, at a cost of $200,000, and claimed to be the finest college chapel in existence; Peabody Museum, comjjleted the same year, at a cost of $175,000, and now being enlarged; Alumni Hall; East Divinity Hall, completed in 1870, at a cost of $180,000; West Divinity Hall, erected in 1874, and * Wm. H. Beckford. 102 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. costing $]G0,(K)O; Sloane Laboratory, erected in 1884, being the most thoroughly appointed of any physical laboratory in the Union; Dwight Hall, built in 1880, at a cost of $60,()0(), as a home for the University Young Men's Christian Association: and a number of fine and costly dormitories, of whicli Farnam Hall, built in 1870, was the first of those put up in the new system. Of these interests of Yale, a con- temporary writer* says: " The Librar}', in all its departments, contains more than a hundred thousand volumes, and is rapidly becoming one of the largest and most valuable in the country. The Art Gallery, in addition to its other attractions, contains the original paintings of Col. Trumbull, commemorative of leading events in our Revolutionary histor}'. The Alumni Hall is used for examinations, and once a year as the dining hall of the college, when it dispenses its hospitality to all its alumni. The Peabody Museum contains, in a noble edifice, one of the finest collections of minerals in the world. At the beginning of this century the late Professor .Silliman carried to Philadelphia in a candle box all the minerals then belonging to the college, to be designated and classified. The buildings occupied by the Sheffield Scientific School, as the scientific department of the college is called, are at the upper end of College street, and are the gift of the late Joseph E. Sheffield, Esq., who also largely contributed to the endowment of the institution. The Yale School of Fine Arts occupies a noble building on the college grounds, the gift of the late Augustus R. Street, Esq. The Medical College on York street, the Law School on Church street, and the new Memorial Recitation Hall on Chapel street, are each worthy the atten- tion of the intelligent stranger. As a source of actual money profit to New Haven Yale University is a marked factor, since at a low esti- mate the aggregate disbursements of the l,oO() students for rooms,, board, clothing, books, merchandise and other necessaries and luxuries amount to upwards of SLOOO.OOO annually, and this divided into forty weeks, the college term, makes weekly receipts for the community from this source of about $25,000." Of the private residences in this old yet modernized town, it is- claimed that a large wooden building, on Meadow street, a few rods south of Church street, was built in 1642, or four years after the set- tlement of the town. In colonial times it was painted blue, many other buildings being painted red, and these two colors were the pre- vailing ones. The Benedict Arnold house, on Water street, completed in 1772, and occupied by that notorious character before the revolu- tion, was long a marked object. Nearly all the historic landmarks have been swept away by the hand of improvement. Of the more modern mansions the Noah Webster house, on the corner of Grove and Temple streets, attracts much attention, as being the place where the great lexicographer wrote much of his standard * James 1'. McKinney. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 103 dictionary. Many other well-conditioned houses of that period remain. Numerous examples of the modern residence are found on Hillhouse avenue, which, for its length, is one of the most beautiful residence .streets in this country. Here are the homes of a number of members of the university faculty. Stately elms overarch this street and standing on lawn-like borders, the fine mansions in the back- ground form a most pleasing picture. Some of the other streets are beautiful to a less degree and tha avenues leading to the suburbs add to the attractions of the city. Charming drives extend to the rocky shores of Morris Cove, and the pleasant resorts of West Rock and East Rock Park. From the sum- mits of these mountains extended views of land and sea may be had within a few miles of the center of the city. At the latter place New Haven's magnificent soldiers' monument towers high above surround- ing objects, a noble tribute to the valor and patriotism of the defend- ers of the Union. On the east side of the harbor are several scenes of historic interest, the one nearest the city being Beacon hill, with traces of Fort Wooster, built in the war of 1812. A mile below on the site of the revolutionary Black Rock Fort, Fort Hale was built in 1809, and was garrisoned in the war of 1812. In the civil war it was rebuilt and again occupied. It has a commanding position. Below are the two lighthouses, the new one being at the extreme end of the cove. These objects add to the beauty of the harbor, which even in its pristine condition caused the first settlers to exclaim, "This is, indeed, a Fair Haven;" and as they here began anew their business ventures as a commercial people, the Indian name of Quinnipiac was soon properly changed to New Haven. The original settlers of Quinnipiac were families of wealth, intel- ligence and influence, and these traits have ever characterized the inhabitants of New Haven. The leaders were Reverend John Daven- port and Theophilus Eaton, who was elected the first governor. Other principal men were Samuel Eaton, John Evance, Edward Hopkins, David Yale, Stephen Goodyear, William Peck, Ezekiel Cheever, Robert Newman, Thomas Gregson, Richard Malbon, Nathaniel Turner, Richard Perry, Thomas Kimberley, Thomas Benham, Matthew Gilbert, Jasper Crane, George Lamberton, Roger Ailing, John Brockett, Robert Seeley, Thomas Fugill, John Punderson, Jeremiah Dixon, Joshua Atwater, Edward Wigglesworth, Francis Newman, David Atwater, John Cooper, John Moss and Thomas Trowbridge. A number of these had been trained to commercial pursuits and many of them possessed large estates which permitted them to make costly improvements and to supply their homes here with some of the com- forts they were accustomed to enjoy in London, from which city most of them had emigrated. A greater portion of this company had come to Boston in 1637, remaining there until a place for the colony had 104 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. been selected by Theophilus Eaton and others deputed for that purpose. The main company of more than 250 souls sailed from Boston for this destination March 30th, 1638, and in a fortnight they were at the mouth of the Ouinnipiac.-- The vessel passed up the harbor, as it then was, entered West creek and landed its passengers in a locality now indicated by George and College streets. Here a town plat half a mile square was surveyed and divided into nine equal parts, the central section being reserved for a market place and meeting house green. Uponthe.se quarters, around the green, as a radiating point from which the .settlement sought its circumference, the building of the city was begun. But to accommodate all with lots two additions, nearer the harbor, had to be surveyed, that work also being done by John Brockett; and after this out-lots and larger farms were surveyed for such as were entitled to them. Some of the wealthier settlers built very spacious hou.ses. Governor Eaton's, at the corner of Elm and Orange streets was so large that the use of 19 fire places was necessary; and in Reverend John Davenport's house, opposite, on the south side of Elm street, were 13 fire places. Many of the first houses on George street and on the oppo.site hill were two stories high. After adopting their church and civil polity, the settlers of New Haven endeavored to establish trade with various points, as Boston, New York, Virginia, Barbadoes, England and Delaware bay. At the latter place trading posts were established on lands which had been purchased for the colony in 1640, by Captain Turner. Unfortunately this venture not only proved unsuccessful, but was also a costly experiment to the colony which had, in 1640, less than 500 inhabitants. Other commercial ventures also failed and more attention was paid to agriculture. Lands were allotted, and in the list of 1643 appeared the names of the planters in New Haven. Four hundred and fi.fteen per- sons were enumerated, the taxables being 122 in number. Theophilus Eaton had the largest estate, its value being put at ;{:3,000. Mr. Davenport's was valued at /:i,00(), and there were eight others having estates of the same value, among them being George Lamberton and .Stephen Goodyear. Captain Turner's family numbered seven persons and his estate was rated at ;^800. Thomas Gregson had six persons in his family and an estate of i;600. Lamberton's family also number- ed six persons. A con.siderable number of taxables were newly mar- ried or single men. About this time an effort was made to create an interest in agricul- ture. But the people of New Haven were little inclined to its arts, and having no .skill for this avocation, failed to reap profitable crops. Their commerce, also, further declined and their large estates were wasting away. An uncommon effort was now made, in the fall of 1640, to retrieve these broken fortunes, by gathering up whatever was * .See also Chapter I, for account of settlement. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 105 merchantable and shipping it to England. A ve.ssel of 150 tons burden was brought from Rhode Island and fitted up for this voyage, upon which such high expectations were based. That her mission might be the more properly fulfilled Captain Turner, Mr. Gregson, and several more of their principal men decided to accompany Captain Lamberton, the master of the vessel. The fate of this ship has been graphically portrayed by Longfellow, in his poem, the " Phantom Ship." Another account of this ill-fated vessel is concisely given by Henry Howe: "Captain Lamberton and about seventy others embarked in her, among whom were six or eight of their most valued citizens. They sailed from New Haven in January, 1647. She was so 'walty,' i.e. rolling, that Lamberton, her master, said she would prove their grave; and she did. They cut their way out through the ice of the harbor for three miles, and with many prayers and tears and heart-sinkings set sail. Mr. Davenport, in prayer, used these words: ' Lord, if it be th}' pleasure to bury these, our friends, in the bottom of the sea, they are thine, save them.' Months of weary waiting passed over and no tidings from Europe of ' the great shippe.' vShe was never heard of — foundered at sea. The next June, just after a great thunder storm, the air being serene, there appeared about an hour before sunset, though the wind was northerly — there appeared in the air, coming up the harbor's mouth, a ship just like their ' great shippe,' with her sails all set as filled under a fresh gale, and continued sailing against the wind for half an hour, coming near to the people standing on the shore, when suddenly all her sails and masts seemed blown overboard; quickly after her hulk brought to a careen and she overset and vanished in a smoky cloud. The people declared this was the mold of their ship and this her tragic end; and said Mr. Davenport, ' God has condescended for the quieting of our afflicted spirits, this extra- ordinary account of his sovereign disposal of those for whom so many prayers had been made continually.' " The loss of this ship was most disastrous to the hopes of the people of New Haven, and as the sea had now swallowed up most of their estates, they became greatly discouraged. In this state of affairs they were led to think of abandoning the country and settling themselves elsewhere; but all these purposes came to naught. For years they struggled on, a poor people. But the uses of adversity were not in vain. Their posterity learned to adapt themselves to the conditions which prevailed in this country and many of them having learned to become respectable farmers. New Haven flourished no less than her neighbors. In 1669 the value of the estates here was ^15,402 and the names of the freemen, as returned by the con.stables were as follows: Mr. William Jones, John Ailing, Mr. James Bishop, William Payne, Mr. Matthew Gilbert, John Jackson, Captain John Nash, Nathaniel Merri- 106 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. man, Mr. vSamuel vStreet, Ralph Lines, William Andrews, Ephraim How, Mr. Thomas Yale, Sen , Abraham Dickerman, William Peck, Jeremiah Osborne, Roger Ailing, John Gilbert, John Gibbs, Mr. Wil- liam Tuttle, Lieutenant Thomas Munson, Mr. Benjamin Ling, John Mosse, Thomas Mix, John Cooper, .Sen., John Hall, Sen., Nicholas Elsey, William Holt, William Thorpe, James Heaton, Samuel White- head, Isaac Beecher, John Brockett, William Wooden, James Russell, John Johnson, Henry Glover, John Clark, Jeremiah Whitnell, William Wilmot, William Bradley, Joseph ^Lansfield, Philip Leek, Richard Sperry, John Harriman, Sen., Ailing Ball, David Atwater, Thomas Kimberley, Thomas Morris, Moses Mansfield, William Basset, Jonathan Tuttle, John Winston, Jeremiah How, Henry Bristow, Daniel Sher- man, Joseph Alsup, John Cooper, Jr., Abraham Doolittle, John Thomas, Sen., John Chid.sey, John Miles, Edward Perkins, Mr. John Hodshow, Samuel Miles, Mr. Thomas Trowbridge, Isaac Turner, Thomas Barnes, James Clark, George Ross, Matthew Moulthrop, Timothy Ford, Ellis Mew, John Peck, John Potter, Joseph Peck, James Dennison, Samuel Ailing, John Osbill, Thomas Yale, Jr., vSamuel Hemingway, Thomas vSanford, Joseph Bradley. The following year Wallingford was formed out of this town, which decreased its population and wealth, and until 17(i(t the progress was slow. In that year there were 807 taxables and the estates were valued at /'17,844. In 1720 the property was valued at /'2S,316, much of the increase having come in consequence of the location of Yale College, which brought people of wealth to the town. " The first Commencement exercises in New Haven were held September 10, 1718, when ten students were graduated. The first college edifice was of wood, 170 feet long, 22 wide, 3 stories high, con- tained about 5() studies, was painted 'blue,' really a slate-color, formed by mixing lamp-black and white paint. It was taken down m 1782. It stood on the corner of College and Chapel streets, on the identical spot on the campus where the Yale students now, of Summer evenings, sit on the fence in long lines and make the air vocal with song and chorus — ' rah I' ' rah !' ' rah.' " •'■ This institution was named for Elihu Yale, its fir.st principal bene- factor. He wa« a son of David Yale, one of the first settlers, but who had returned to Boston, where Elihu was born about 1648. Later David Yale and his family and many others of the New Haven mer- chants returned to England. When a young man Elihu went to India as a merchant, where he became a governor of the East India Company and accumulated great wealth. Some of his means were dispensed in charity. It is said that his benefaction to the Collegiate Institute of New Haven colony was prompted by the following shrewd appeal to his benevolence, in a letter to him by Cotton Mather: ".Sir," said he, "though you have felicities in your family, which ♦ Henry Howe. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 107 I pray God continue and multiply, yet, certainly, if what is forming at New Haven, might wear the name of Yale College, it would be a name better than a name of sons and daughters." Then he adds: "And your munificence might easily obtain for you a commemoration and perpetuation of your valuable name which indeed would be much- better than an Egyptian pyramid." Yale died in 1721, and on his tomb at Wrexham, Wales, are the following singular lines: " Born in America, in Europe bred, In Afric traveled and in Asia wed, Whei'e long he lived and thrived : in London dead. Much good, some ill he did, so hope's all's even, And that his soul through mercy's gone to heaven. You that survive, and read this tale, take care For this most certain exit to prepare, Where blest in peace the actions of the just Smell sweet and blossom in the silent dust," In 1748 there were, according to Wadsworth's map, in the village of New Haven, 180 dwellings, of which IBS were unpainted. On the green were the meeting house, built in 1688, the county house, built in 1717, and near by the jail and Hopkins' Grammar vSchool, which had been founded in IBS/). West of the green was Yale College and east of it the Blue meeting house. From this time on the increase in population and wealth was- encouraging until it was interrupted by the revolution. After the- war, under the lead of new elements, derisively called interlopers, who overcame the conservatism of some of the native born people, hitherto at the head of affairs, the place took on new life, and in 1784 it was incorporated as a city. Three years later, when a cen.sus was taken, the city had 614 families living in 466 houses, and, including 176 Yale students, 3,540 souls. Doctor Dana, in his Century Sermon. 1801, gives the population at 4,000, of whom 85 were slaves, 11,5 free blacks, 48 Indians and mulattoes, 142 foreigners. There were 471 Congregationalist families, 226 Episcopalian, 7 Catholic, 1 ^Moravian, 1 Baptist, 7 Methodist, 1 Quaker, 4 Priestlian, and 16 Nothingarian. There were 110 stores and 61 vessels: tonnage 5,436. In 1811, there were, according to Doctor Dwight, 29 hou.ses con- cerned in commerce; 41 dry goods stores; 43 grocery stores; 10 apothecaries' stores; 1 ship yard: 4 ships' stores; 9 tanners; 2 brass founders; 3 comb makers; 2 paper makers; 1 bell founder; 6 clergy- men; 16 lawyers; 9 practising physicians; and 1 surgeon. But a better idea of the condition of the city and the town, about the beginning of the present century, may be obtained from the fol- lowing very interesting reminiscences of that period, by James Brewster, as prepared by him in 1866, and which are here given per- manent place: 108 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. "At this period, the population consisted of from H.OOO to 6,000 inhabitants, composed, for the most part, of native 'Americans. It is believed that the first Irish family was brought to this city in a vessel owned by Messrs. Prescott & Sherman: and these gentlemen were threatened with prosecution, for fear the emigrants might become an expense to the town; but the man being a mechanic, he with his family were provided for by charitable persons. " At this time, the Grand List of taxable property, as .shown by the records, was but $356,:?72. However, the plan of assessment in those days was on a different basis from that of the present time — lands being valued by the acre, and houses by the stories they con- tained. The Grand List for 1865 showed the valuation to be $29,651,- 409. The vast difference is accounted for by the great increase of population and wealth. Real estate in Chapel .street could have been purchased then for thirty to forty dollars per front foot, and in Orange and other contiguous streets at from three to five dollars. Common laborers received from fifty to seventy-five cents a day, and journey- men mechanics from four to six dollars per week, and board them- selves. The choice of beef could be obtained for six or seven cents per pound: butter for eight or ten cents: and potatoes delivered for sixteen cents per bushel. Good board, with washing could be had for two dollars and two dollars and fifty cents to five dollars per week: transient customers one dollar a day, or even less. " Money was very scarce, the resources of this country not having yet been developed: consequently a general credit system was adopted as a matter of dire neces.sity, business men usually settling their accounts once a year by notes, and paying them by installments of 25 per cent, each quarter in the year succeeding. IMechanics usually paid from two-thirds to three-quarters of their workmen's wages by orders on stores. " Near the close of the first decade, the New Haven Bank was in- corporated, with a capital of $80,000. The sub.scription to the stock was acquired only by persevering labor. The first President was Mr. David Austin. He was succeeded by j\Ir. Isaac Beers — and he by Dr. ^5ineas Munson. Colonel Lyon was the first cashier. There were then but three banks in the state. The New Haven Bank was located first in the chambers of a wooden building on Chapel street, owned by the Cashier, and for the use of whicli he charged $5() per annum. The bank was subsequently removed to a room in a brick building on the same street, also owned by the Casliier. In the year 180!), the building on the corner of Chapel and Orange streets was erected, and was then considered a very elegant structtire. Although this Bank had a Board of Directors, yet the general management was conceded to the Cashier, Colonel Lyon. The Bank was then almost exclusively avail- able for the accommodation of merchants engaged in shipping, and in the sale of dry goods and groceries. There were but few mechanics HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. lOD engaged in business at that day who had attained to any prominence in means and influence. A young mechanic, having just started for himself, offered his note for $400 at the New Haven Bank. The President informed him that the note was discounted; but on going to the Bank, Colonel Lyon remarked to him: ' Four hundred dollars is a good deal of money for a young man; and, in view of this circum- stance, I have concluded to make the amount $200.' The Colonel dis- criminated very closely in regard to the customers of the Bank. A showily-dressed man was sure to receive a negative answer to his application ; and mechanics, who understood the secret, often exchanged their coats for jackets before going to the Bank for favors. " These incidents, though trivial, will .serve to illustrate the subject of financial'development, in comparing the present with the ' olden time.' " Our commerce was principally with the West Indies, though successful voj-ages had also been made to the East Indies, and else- where. Among those who were prominently engaged in it were Elias Shipman. Frederick Hunt & Sons, Gad Peck, Jehiel Forbes, Prescott & Sherman, and others. "The next most important business was that of merchandise. In this were engaged Abram Bradley, Titus Street, Samuel Hughes, of the firm of Street & Son, Timothy Dwight & Co., Reuben Rice, Thaddeus Beecher, Isaac Beers, David Austin, Abel Burritt, and others. " The principal apothecaries were Doctor Darling, Doctor Hotch- kiss, and Doctor Lewis. Druggists in those days usually sold oils, paints, and other similar articles. " The most prominent physicians were Doctors Monson, (Deacon) Ives (grandfather of Drs. N. B. and Levi Ives), Hubbard, and a few others just beginning to practice. " Mr. Eli Whitney, then engaged in the construction of arms for the government, was the onl}' manufacturer of prominence. " There were many enterprising young men at that day just com- mencing business life, who have since become men of wealth and influence, among whom may be mentioned Abram Heaton, Hervey Sanford, Charles and James Atwater, Ezra and Elias Hotchkiss, Abel Burritt, Henry Trowbridge, Timothy Bishop, William H. Elliott, William Lyon, Elihu Sanford, &c. Some of these have filled their missions, and passed away from earth. " As has been before remarked, at the close of the first decade the mechanical interests of the city were very limited in amount. Those most actively employed in these pursuits were Isaac and Kneeland Townsend, tailors; James Bradley, joiner; Messrs. Merriman, Wilmot, Zebul Bradley, and Sibley & Marble, goldsmiths and jewelers; Beriah Bradley and Major Grannis, and others, boot and shoe makers; John Cooke, Luther Bradley, Isaac Mix and Eli Bradley, carriage makers; Elias Gilbert, tanner: Hezekiah Hotchkiss and Glover Mansfield, hatters. 1110 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. " It is proper to mention here, that a practical lesson may be derived from a statement of the fact that many of the most prominent citizens of all professions in New Haven at the close of the first decade (as well as those who succeeded them), attained to their eminent positions (under Providence) by their own industry, economy and -integrity: thus showing that inherited wealth or position is no sure passport to success or usefulness: but rather a negative. " At the commencement of the second decade, carriages for pleasure were considered a great superfluity. There was then but ■ one public hack (and that a very indifferent one), owned by a Mr. Crane; and but one or two private carriages drawn by two horses in the city. Those in want of the best carriages tisually went to Hart- ford or Newark. The whole annual product of carriages did not then exceed §40, ()()<>. The same business in ISHO amounted to over f'2,()00,()(lO. " In regard" to the moral aspect of the inhabitants, and especially of what was termed the masses, it may be stated that they were gener- ally intellectually and socially low, and of small means. Intemper- ance prevailed to an alarming extent. Public lectures were then unknown, and it is believed that no College Professor or Tutor had ever gone outside the walls of Yale to address the people. At the ■ commencement of the second decade, those reverend gentlemen, Drs. Beecher and Hewett, gave public lectures on the subject of Temper- ance, and of entire abstinence from all intoxicating drinks: and although they met much opposition as " fanatics " and '• invaders of private rights," yet they exercised a most healthy and elevating influ- ence upon the whole community. "About the same time the master mechanics formed and incorpor- ated the ' Mechanic's Society of New Haven.' Practical lectures were delivered by the members before the .Society and elsewhere, and many of the employers instituted evening schools for their apprentices. A vast improvement was soon manifest in the moral tone of society. At this juncture Professor Benjainin vSilliman, assisted by Profes.sor Olmsted, gave their united public influence in favor of temperance, and the dift'usion of the elements of mechanical science — a detail of which, particularly in regard to Professor Silliman's agency in insti- tuting the Scientific Lectures at Franklin Hall, would be beyond the scope and limit of these ' Reminiscences.' Suffice it to say. that the moral power thus exerted has been the great conservative element in enhancing the material prosperity, and elevating the social position ■ of the business men in New Haven. "There were then but four buildings used as churches, viz.: a wooden structure on the east side of Church street, near Chapel, occu- pied by the Episcopalians, whose pastor was Dr. Hubbard; the so- called ' First Church,' located about where the Center Church now stands, presided over by Dr. Dana, assisted by the Reverend Moses HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Ill Stewart: a frame building, standing about where the North Church -now does, known as the ' Old White Meeting House;' and another on the east side of Church street, near Ehn, designated the ' Old Blue Meeting House.' The members of the two latter places of worship, uniting as one Society, met alternately in each church. The Reverend Samuel Mervin was their minister. There were no other denomina- tions, except a few Methodists who occupied a small room in Gregson street. Bishop Jarvis, the then Bishop of Connecticut, resided in Elm street. " The most prominent members of the legal profession were Pier- pont Edwards, James Hillhouse, Charles Chauncey, Simeon Baldwin, David Daggett, William Bristol, Judge Mills, Nathan Smith, Seth P. Staples, Jonathan [ngersoll, Eleazer Foster, Leonard Wales, Dyer White and Hart Lynde. All of these have since died. Their imme- diate successors were then either in school, college, or engaged in the study of their professions, and many of these have attained to high distinction. "The public buildings were of little account. The old brick state house was located about midway between where the Center and Trinity Churches now stand. The college buildings did not possess one-half of their present magnitude. The old college chapel, where Dr. Dwight preached, is now the observatory. And here the writer "would pause to pay his tribute to the memory of that great and good "man. His dignity and yet suavity of manner were so marked as to have a perceptible effect not only upon the members of college, but upon the community at large. No person of fair standing in society, whether rich or poor, occupying a public or private position, failed to receive his polite recognition. In all his intercourse with the public or with individuals, he strove to enforce the importance of integrity. In his general prayer, was incorporated this petition: 'Oh, Lord ! give us just men to rule over us, who fear God, do justly, love mercy, walk humbly, and who will shake their hands from holding bribes.' He took a deep interest in the young. His coun.sel to the writer, when commencing business, has ever been remembered. ' Young man,' said he, ' recollect that anything which is contrary to strict integrit}^ is against a person's interest.' Dr. Dwight died in the year 1817, universally lamented. He was succeeded in the Presidency of the College by Professor Day, now the venerable Dr. Day. " There were but few public places of amusement. The principal one was ' Mix's Museum,' on the east side of Olive street, fronting Court street, which for the time, was a very creditable institution, having a fine and well cultivated garden, laid out with much taste. In the building were many curiosities and works of art — prominent among which were wax figures of notable persons. Everything about the establishment was characterized by neatness and order, and reflected credit upon the past generation. 112 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. " Of hotels, the most noted was that kept by Mr. Justus Butler, on the corner of Church and Crown streets, now the • Franklin Building.' From the front steps of this house. General Lafayette was introduced to, and shook hands with, the citizens of New Haven. The next m importance was located near where the 'Tontine' now stands,_and called • Ogden's Coffee Hou.se.' Another was known as ' Nichols' Stage House,' and was situated in George street near State. And still another, called ' Miles' Tavern,' in the wooden building now occupied in part by Mr. Pease as a book store. " Singular as it may seem, although the beginning of the war with Englancf in 1812 was embarrassing in many respects, yet public and private enterprise seemed to be quickened by it. Previous to this period, everything had assumed a .stereotyped shape, and any change excited surprise. A stranger walking our streets created consider- able astonishment, and an immediate inquiry as to his name, residence and probable business, ensued. '• At that time, our coast was blockaded by the British, and all means of travel and transportation by water were considered extremely hazardous. A packet venturing to leave 'Long Wharf for New York, with some of our prominent business men aboard, was.captured m the Sound by an English cruiser. Great alarm and excitement prevailed in town, which subsided only when both vessel and pas- sengers were ransomed bv the payment of what was then considered a large sum in specie. Still, at no period in our history, was there ever evinced so much public spirit. The three churches of our beautiful 'Green- were erected at a cost of nearly $100,000. Especially is this remarkable when we remember the limited means and resources of the inhabitants. A man worth $40,000 was considered very wealthy; and it is said that no estate exceeding $100,000 in value had then ever been administered upon. A salary of $500 or $1,000 per annum found many earnest applicants. Let us award all due honor to those enter- prising citizens, who have left us so worthy an example ! Let us often Took at those churches as a powerful incentive to public enter- prise, and moral and physical development ! "As an important element of pro.sperity, in diffu.sing information, and building up society, mention must be made of the public press. The Conuciticut Journal and Connecticut Herald (weeklies) were then the onlv jmpers published. "As an instance of how a supposed calamity eventuated m a great benefit, it may be well to state that business enterprise was consider- ably enhanced during hostilities by the issuing on the part of the government of a large amount of money for circulation, and the in- creasing of the circulation of the local banks. (_)n the face of bills was inscribed, ' Pavable in two years after the war.' " A negative and depressing effect upon credit was the existence of what was termed the 'Grab Law,' by which an attachment upon HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 113 property could be made available for the benefit of the attaching creditor. Upon mere suspicion, maliciously, and without notice, the reputation and hopes of many a deserving young- man were destroyed. This law was repealed, and another substituted, making a pro-rata rule for the benefit of creditors. " Before concluding, it will be deemed not inappropriate to allude to a subject which, at the time, was fraught with great interest to all of the citizens of New Haven. About the commencement of the second decade our public burial ground was situated in the rear of the Center Church. It was enclosed by a dilapidated board fence, and was considered by strangers and others as discreditable to the city. In the year 1796, the Honorable James Hillhouse conceived the proj- ect of establishing a new cemetery. Associating with himself thirty- one of our prominent citizens, a lot was .secured for that purpose. Additions to this were made from time to time, both by purchase and by the aid and co-operation of the city, till in 1822 it had attained to its present dimensions. Public opinion having been averse to build- ing a new fence around the old cemetery, an arrangement was made with the city to remove the monuments to the new grounds. The whole subject caused great anxiety and excitement at the time. How- ever, this was consummated; and on the morning of the 26th of June, 182] , a great concourse of people assembled at the Center church to engage in appropriate exercises, and to listen to an address prepared by Abraham Bishop, Esq. It was replete with eloquent and impres- sive sentiments. The clergy of the various denominations were present; and the occasion was long to be remembered. Mr. James Hillhouse acted as chairman and chief manager, and superintended the transfer of the monuments. In the year 1845, the corner-stone of the beautiful gateway was laid with proper ceremonies. The project of a new cemetery was conceived by Honorable James Hillhouse, and finally consummated by the Honorable Aaron N. Skinner, whose public spirit and good taste and good judgment were for so long a period at the service of the city of his adoption. " How few of those among us remember the space between the Center Church and the present State House, covered with the monu- ments of our forefathers! What a moral does it teach of the brevity of human life ! Let us who survive cherish this lesson with reverence and submission ! Let us give our influence and agency in perpetuating the institutions founded by our fathers to promote morals and religion, law and government. "'-^ * In November, 1866, James Brewster, the author of the foregoing, died in New Haven at the age of 78 years. He was one of the most useful men that ever lived in the city, his'public spirit always seeking some opportunity to benefit his fellow men. He was thus prompted to found and maintain several benevolent institutions. He came to New Haven in ISO!) and was one of the pioneer carriage manufacturers of the city, aiding to develop that industry until it was the principal one in the city. His sons, James B. and Henry, removed to New York where they became the principal carriage manufacturers in the United States. 114 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Under the stimulus of steamboat navigation, begun in I8I0, the operation of the Farmington canal in 1829 and the development of the railway system since 1839, until there are now six important lines, New Haven has grown and prospered, becoming the largest city in the state. The following statistics indicate the general increase: Population: 1787, 3,.54(); 1790, 4,448; 1800, ri,157; 1810, 6,967; 1820, 8,327; 1830, 10,678; 1840, 1.5,820; 1850, 22,529; 1860, 39,277; 1870, 50,840; 1880, 62,880; 1890, 86,095. The valuation of the building improvements the past twenty years has been as follows: 1871, $1,653,910; 1872, $1,739,030; 1873, $1,317,2.")0; 1874, $968,105; 1875, $1,086,6.50; 1876, $590,075; 1877, $946,470; 1878, $417,.500; 1879, $624,000; 1880, $415,.59i); 1881, $694..5.-)0; 1882, $1,035,850; 1883, $958,3.")0; 1884, $1,015,310; 1885, 1,088,375; 1886,1,078,131; 1887, $1,253,8.50; 1888, $1,481,625; 1889, $1,.513,()75; 1890, $1,455,685; total, $21 ,339,606. The following was prepared for the Chamber of Commerce, in 1889, as a summar}- of the property valuation of the city; Dwelling houses, $28,672,503; lands, $3,485,663; stores, $4,247,364; factories, $3,791,638; horses, $228,435; carriages, $193,3.38; time-pieces, $53,295; pianos and mt:sical instruments, $86,060; furniture and libraries, $189,426; amount invested in business, $2,967,987; amount invested in manufacturing, $2,198,796; amount invested in vessels and commerce, $592,777; bank stock, $2,156,367; insurance stocks, $399,100; state stocks. $43,460: bridge stocks, $1,790; western farm loans, $83,650; railroad bonds, $490,623; city bonds, .§98,931; amount at interest, $376,408; amount on deposit, $310,391; other taxable property, $161,947. On a fair valua- tion the real value of the real estate and buildings is at least double the amount credited them, or $80,000,000, making the real value of the city in the close neighborhood of $100,000,000. vSoon after landing at New Haven the settlers adopted a plantation covenant, under which they were governed until after the meeting of June 4th, 1639, when the civil polity was more clearly defined under the terms of the fundamental agreement, which was at that time solemnly adopted. Conforming to its provisions, the church was organized August 22d, 1639, and the civil government October 25th, 1639. At this meeting it was decided that the annual elections should be held in the last week of October. At the meeting held the following month, the first tax was levied to raise means to build a meeting house which should be used for all the public purposes of the community. The rate of the levy was 30 shillings on .{^100 of valuation. At the November, 1()39, meeting arrangements were also made for the proper disposition of the public lands, and a proprietor's com- mittee was appointed which was entrusted with those matters. This corporation has been continued ever since. Six divisions of land were made between 1675 and 1722. Besides the distribution of the land HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 115 among the settlers, much of the town's business was devoted to the regulation of matters pertaining to live stock. The proper care or restraint of animals gave the town much concern. Military matters, also, received a large share of attention. Orders for the formation of a company were promulgated in November, 1639, and the following year the .system was completed by the establishment of a regular watch. Closely connected with the military, but also acting independent of that service was the town drummer, who was among the first ■official appointees and for whose support the town was taxed £o per year. Robert Bassett first served in that capacity, and besides beating his drum to announce the usual town and religious meetings, he was required to beat the drum at sunset and every morning half an hour before the break of day. Being a bold, rolicking fellow, he was prob- ably well fitted for this work. This office, in the course of years, became obsolete, in consequence of the use of church bells. Many other offices were created and filled, as the town grew in population, until the officials numbered several .score. Tithingmen have been elected for congregational societies almost from the beofinninsf, few other societies continuing this office after 1866. Such officers were first elected for the Baptists and the Metho- dists in 1821; the Episcopalians in 1883; the Catholics in 1836: and the Hebrews in 1849. The office of townsman or selectman was created by the town •court, November 17th, 1651, when the following action was taken: ■' Itt was propounded that there might be some men chosen to con- sider and carry on the towne affaires, that these meetings, which spend the towne much time may not be so often. The court approved the motion and chose one out of each Quarter to this work, viz.: Fi'ancis Newman, John Cooper, Jarvise Boykin, Mr. Atwater, William Fowler, Richard Miles. Henry Lindon, Thomas Kimberley and Matthew Canfield, which are to stand in this Trust until the Towne Election in May come twelve month; and they are by this court authorized to be Townesmen to order all matters about Fences, Swine and all other things in the generall occasions of the Towne, except extraordinary charges, matters of Election in May yearly, and the disposeing of the Towne's land." It will be seen that originally the business of the townsmen was to look after the interests of the agricultural classes, a townsman being appointed for every section. In le.lS the number in this office was reduced to seven — the number still elected — but in the time of the revolution it was increased to thirteen. In 1660 the powers of the townsmen were first enlarged and since that time they have been much increased. The office of town agent has been distinct since 1848. The affairs of the town have become very important, requiring an outlay of more than $400,000 per year to properly carry them on. 116 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Much of this expense arises from the care of the poor and those dependent on the town's support. In 1788 the town followed the custom then and later so prevalent, of selling the poor to the lowest responsible keepers, but soon adopted other measures to maintain them. Among other means at present used is the almshouse, but recently occupied, and which was erected at a cost of $210,00i). It stands on the Springside Farm of 257 acres, lying east of West Rock, in the town of Hamden, but which by special act was annexed to New Haven. The entire inventory of the farm and the buildings on it, with the attendant property is $252,727. The construction of a town workhouse is contemplated and an appropriation to begin such a building has been made. The first deed in the land records in the town is dated February 3d, 1G78, and is attested by John Nash, recorder. His signature was last affixed April 22d, 1687. In August, that year, William Jones became the recorder, and served until May, 1695. John Ailing was his successor from July, 1695, until September, 1697, when the title of the office was changed to clerk. Ailing continued to serve in the latter capacity until 1716, when Samuel Bishop was appointed. The subsequent clerks were elected: 1747, Samuel Bishop, Jr.; 1801, Elisha Munson; 18S2, John Scarritt; 1843, Alfred Terry; 1856, Sylvanus Butler; 1863, Milton S. Leonard; 1864, Frank D. Sloat; 1865, M. S. Leonard; 1868, John Cunningham; 1873, Frederick Bottsford; 1876, Truman S. Foote; 1877, Frederick Bottsford; 1880, Edwin W. Cooper; 1883, William M. Geary; 1884, Philip Hugo; 1887, John J. Clerkin; 1888, Theodore H. McDonald; 1889, Frederick H. Brethauer. Of the territory in the town of New Haven, only the Westville section and that part of the town lying east of the Ouinnipiac, which was annexed from East Haven in 1881, are solely under the town government. The other parts have a dual government, being also subject to the rule of the city authorities. The town of New Haven long maintained its large area, which embraced all the present adjacent towns. The rural population did not increa.se in the same ratio as that of the village of New Haven, nevertheless, they still held the controlling vote, and the villagers found it difficult to secure the improvements they wanted and needed. Hence, soon after the French and Indian wars, when an impetus was given to the business of the place, an effort was made to secure the incorporation of the village as a city. The town did not oppose this step, but, at a meeting held December 9th, 1771, sanctioned it, and a large committee, headed by Roger Sherman, was appointed to investi- gate the matter and report on the propriety. But no record of definite action has been preserved and probably none was reached. Nothing further was done until after the revolution. In October, 1783, a peti- tion to the general as.scmbly, signed by 214 persons, prayed for a city charter, but that body postponed action. At the urgent solicitation of HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 117 the town, in January, 1784, the matter was at once taken up and on the 8th day of that month a charter was duly granted to " The Mayor, Aldermen, Common Council and Freemen of the City of New Haven." The first election was held January 21st, 1784, those chosen being the following: Mayor, Roger Sherman; sheriffs, Elias Stillwell, Parsons Clarke; collector of taxes, Joseph Peck; treasurer, Hezekiah Sabin; city clerk, Joseph Meigs; aldermen, David Austin, Isaac Beers, Samuel Bishop, Thomas Howell; councilmen, James Hillhouse, Pierpont Edwards, Jeremiah Atwater, Abraham Augur, Henry Daggett, Stephen Ball, Ebenezer Beardsley, Joseph Bradley, Abel Burritt, Joel Gilbert, Joseph Howell, Jonathan Ingersoll, Timothy Jones, Eneas Monson, James Rice, Elias Shipman, Joseph Thomson, MichaelTodd, Ebenezer Townsend, John Whiting. " Though many honorable and talented individuals have been connected with the city government since then, there has, probably, never been a time when so many remarkable men were united in its various offices and boards, as was the case in the first year of its operation."* They will be recognized as the prin- cipal men of New Haven at that period. The city government was organized on the 18th of February following, and since that time its organic existence, with many modifications, has been maintained. New Haven was the fifth incorporated city in the United vStates, only New York, Philadelphia, Albany and Richmond having charters granted earlier, and this was the first incorporated city after the in- dependence of the colonies was recognized. It was earlier under corporate rule than Boston or the other bay towns, older than New Haven. The territory comprised within the limits of the city was desig- nated as that " lying between the Ouinnipiac and the West Rivers and between the Mill River Meadows and the Harbor." The line was described from a point at Lewis' bridge. The territory outlying was the town of New Haven proper, yet the entire area was, to a certain extent, subject to town rule. This form of dual government has been maintained to the present time, perhaps to the disadvantage of the community, since the area of the town outside of the city is so small, that nothing but respect for the traditions of the past seems to demand this arrangement. In the course of years the eastern part of the " Neck," lying between the Quinnipiac and Mill rivers was taken out of the city limits and set to the town. But in 1870 it was re-united to the city. Up to 1853 the city had no division into wards, but that year four wards were created. In 1857 the number was made six; in 1874 ten; and in 1877 twelve, the present number. Each ward is entitled to elect two aldermen and three councilmen, which collectively constitute the court of common council. At first the city government assumed but few functions, limiting * William H. Beckford. • lis HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. its efforts to the better care of the public property, the regulation of the markets, and in a feeble way the improvement of the streets, and the due regulation of the internal police. In the exercise of the first prerogative the city soon assumed the control of the public green and in 1799 passed laws restraining the running of geese on those grounds and also restricted unruly Yale College students. In 1809 it indicated to the proprietors of the town, that the right to grant the erection of buildings on the green was vested in it only, and granted liberty to the Methodists to set up a church on the northwest corner, and by a subsequent act confirmed that grant. But the city long bore a village- like appearance; indeed, it was not until about 1860 that the place began to be regulated as a city. Many improvements were then made or projected and an earnest endeavor was made to improve every department of the service. With the enlarged powers granted by the charter of 1807 that was made possible. A still more comprehensive charter was secured in 1869; and the present liberal one in 1881. It is the fifth since the incorporation of the city and has been amended to keep it apace with the growing demands of the city. One of the most important amendments was that of 188(:) authorizing the issue of bonds to the amount of $100,000 for a free library and permitting the yearly appropriation of $10,000 for its maintenance. In 1889 an amendment was secured permitting an expenditure of $200,000 on the extension of the public park system. Under the first charter the mayor was chosen by the freemen, but he held his office at the pleasure of the legislature. His duty, among other things, was to preside over the city coui-ts, having two of the senior aldermen as assistants, and having powers somewhat similar to the court of common pleas. In 1842 the charter was amended to create a new judicial office, called the recorder's court, and that arrangement was continued until 1869, when the new charter abolished the recorder's court and created the present city court. The judges and assistants of this court are appointed by the legislature of the state. In this connection it may be noted that in 1791, the city began the building of a workhouse, to which were consigned criminals of every species and al.so insane persons; but after fifty years the latter found separate provision for them in the state asylums. In September, 1784, the streets of the city were first officially named, many of them up to that time bearing only local designations. The improvement of the streets and sidewalks progressed slowly. Many of the ordinances on that matter were disregarded. In 1834 a super- intendent of sidewalks was appointed, whose efforts aided to bring about a better condition in that respect. In more recent years, there have been vast outlays on the streets, the expenditures for building, repairing and cleaning being more than $100,000 per year. Much of the credit for the improved condition of the city is due to those who have served as mayors. In most instances they have been leading HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 119 citizens and filled the office from a desire to serve or advance the best interests of the city. The following- have been the mayors of New Haven: Honorable Roger Sljerman, from February 10th, 1784 to 1793: Samuel Bishop, from August 19th, 1793 to 1803; Elizur Goodrich, from September 1st, 1803 to 1822; George Hoadly, from June 4th, 1822 to 1826; Simeon Baldwin, from June 6th, 1826 to 1827; William Bristol, from June 5th, 1827 to 1828; David Daggett, from June 2d, 1828 to 1880; Ralph I. Ingersoll, from June 1st, 1830 to 183l"; Dennis Kimberley, from June 7th, 1831 to 1832; Ebenezer Seeley, from June 5th, 1832 to 1833; Dennis Kimberley, from June 4th, 1833 [Decl.]; Noyes Darling, from June 10th, 1833 to 1834; Henry C. Flagg, from June 3d, 1834 to 1839; Samuel J. Hitchcock, from June 3d, 1839 to 1842; Philip S. Galpin. from June 6th, 1842 to 1846; Henry Peck, from June 1st, 1846 to 1850; Aaron N. Skinner, from June 3d, 1850 to 1854; Chauncey Jerome, from June 5th, 1854 to 1855; Alfred Blackman,from June 4th, 1855 to 1856; Philip S. Galpin, from June 2d, 1856 to 1860; Harmanus M. Welch, from June 4th, 1860 to 1863; Morris Tyler, from June 2d, 1863 to 1865; Erastus Scranton, from June 6th, 1865 to 1866; Lucien W. Sperry, from June 5th, 1866 to 1869; William Fitch, from June 1st, 1869 to ]870; Henry G. Lewis, from June 7th, 1870 to 1877; William R. Shelton, from January 1st, 1877 to 1879; Hobart B. Bigelow, from January 1st, 1879 to 1881; John B. Robertson, from January 1st, 1881 to 1883; Henr}' G. Lewis, from January 1st, 1883 to 1885; George F. Holcomb, from January 1st, 1885 to 1887; Samuel A. York, from January 1st. 1887 to 1889; Henry F. Peck, from January 1st, 1889 to 1891; Joseph B. Sargent, from January 1st, 1891 . The city clerks have been: 1784-9, Josiah Meigs; 1789-1800, Simeon Baldwin; 1800-5, John Skinner; 1805-41, Elisha Munson; 1841-4, Edward C. Herrick; 1844-50, Joseph Wood; 1850-4, Alfred H. Terry; 1855, James M. Woodward; 18.")6-7. James D. Keese; 1858-9, Samuel C. Blackman; 1860-4. William Downes; 1865-6, DeWitt C. Sprague; 1866-9, William Downes; 1870, Gideon H. Welch; 1871-2, Timothy J. Fox; 1873, James L Hoyes; 1874-7, John S. Fowler; 1878-9, Seth T. Seeley; 1880-1, Charles T. Morse; 1882-4, James P. Pickett; 1886-7, Timothy J. Crowley; 1888-9, Leonard J. Shanley; 1890-91. Edward Downes. The office of city auditor was established in 1835 and since 1883 John W. Lake has filled that position. For many years Harmanus Welch was the treasurer, filling that office at the time of his death in 1889. Since the first of 1890 the treasurer has been Ezekiel G. Stoddard. One of the reasons urged for the incorporation of the city was the desire to better regulate "the internal police." But it does not appear that this laudable purpose was realized. Regular, special and night " watches " were appointed, but in many years their employment was almost discontinued. The constables and special constables appointed 120 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. for unusual occasions, were the main reliance to preserve the peace. In the period of railway building, when there was a great influx of foreign elements, a regular watch was established. In 1848 it con- sisted of ten men and Jobamah Gunn was the captain. A few j^ears later Major Lyman Bissell, a retired ofiicer of the Mexican war, was in command of the watch, numbering in all but eight men. In his administration, March 17th, 1854, occurred a celebrated riot between the town element and Yale students, which at one time seriously threatened the peace of the city. For a number of years previous there had been occasional encounters between the rowdy elements of the city and Yale. The former found many willing recruits among the sailors and roustabouts of Long Wharf, who relished nothing better than a free fight. On the night named, a body of some fifty students were in attendance at Homan's theatre, the only place of amusement of the kind in the city. As they issued from the hall in a bodv, for mutual protection, they were jeered by a howling mob of more than a thousand town boys, who would have violently treated them, if they had not been held in check by the small force of police. By the advice of Bissell the students kept together on the south pave- ment of Chapel street, walking, two by two, up toward the college. When opposite Trinity church they started singing their great college song; " Gaiidcauiits;' i. c. " Let us rejoice while we're young," when the mob, which had rolled up against them, filling Chapel street, gave them a volley of brickbats, which knocked down some of the students and injured others. Picking up their comrades they proceeded on their way, when another attack was made, but as before the students kept on their way, and had nearly reached the top of the hill when the ringleaders of the mob left the street and rushed upon them. Now for the first time the students acted in defense, iiring several pistol shots into the ranks of the town mob. " Several of the rabble were wounded, and the chief leader, Patrick O'Neil, fell, stabbed to the heart with a dagger by one of the students, who, it was supposed, struck in self defence. The mystery of his death and the murderer was never cleared up, but it was generally considered that he provoked and deserved his sad fate. During the ensuing confusion the students reached the campus and dispersed to their rooms. When it was known that their leader was killed, the mob became uncontrollable. With terrific bowlings they surrounded South College, and drew up an old cannon, filled to the muzzle with ball, grape-shot, stones, bricks, etc., to batter down the walls. But through the masterly skill of Major Bissell, the gun had been spiked on the way up. This alone saved old South from destruction: on the second and third stories of which the students were silently gathered, behind thick barricades, and heavily armed with every weapon obtainable, ready to give their assailants a warm reception. After they had hooted and bombarded the windows with brickbats for HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 121 hours, the rabble were finally dispersed by Major Bissell and his men. This was the most unprovoked and cowardly of all the assaults, but none of the offenders were ever arrested, though it was barely stopped in time to prevent New Haven from witne.ssing mob-rule of the most lawless description." * In Jul}-, 1861, the police system of the city was reconstructed and the present department properly formed. Jonathan W. Pond was appointed the chief; Wales French, captain; and O. A. Monson, lieu- tenant. There were at that time twelve patrolmen. In September, that year, the police were for the first time properly uniformed. Charles W. Allen was the chief of police 1S77-9, and first instituted regular drills, by means of which he brought the force to a high state of efficiency. Since July, 1885, the chief of police has been Charles F. Bollman, and under his direction the police compares favorably with that of any other city of the same size in this country. More than a hundred patrolmen are on the force, whose annual pay roll is about $12.-), 000. The entire expenses of the department are about $138,000. The police courts were held in the city hall imtil 1873, since when they have been held in a chamber of the new police building, on Court street. A " Black Maria " for the use of the department was procured in the latter year. The Grand street police building was erected in 1883 for the use of the precincts in that part of the city; and the following year the Gamewell system of police signal and tele- phone was introduced, and a number of station boxes erected in dif- ferent parts of the city and one in East Park. The Fire Department of the city of New Haven dates its existence from 1789. On the last day of that year, the corporation appointed James Hillhouse, Jeremiah Atwater, Josiah Burr, Colonel Joseph Drake, Benjamin Sanford and Joseph Howell, fire wardens. It also purchased two fire engines, made by Ebenezer Chittenden of New Haven, and companies were that year formed to man them. Each company had 17 men. The machines used were simple affairs and the service of the department was very limited. In 1810 its capacity was increased by the formation of a hook and ladder company; and four years later a company of sackmen was formed, which included among its members the most trusty and influential men of the city. It was a sort of salvage corps, its object being to sack up property at fires and carry it to a place of safety. Six years later, October 27th, 1820, occurred the first great fire of New Haven. In its extent and the amount of property destroyed it was a great calamity to the city. On the night of that day, a building on Long Wharf took fire and before the flames could be stayed the entire wharf was fire swept. In the language of a local poet : " The wharf was four rods wide, The fire did rage from side to side." * Beckford's New Haven, Past and Present. 122 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Thirty buildings, many of them stores filled with molasses, rum and other goods from the West Indies, warehouses and four lumber yards- were destroyed. The losses have been variou.sly estimated from $70,000 to a quarter of a million dollars. The catastrophe had the effect of stimulating the improvement of the fire department, as well as increasing its working force. In 1833 six companies were reported, having 214 men and with those belong- ing to the hook and ladder company and the sackmen, the department was three hundred men strong. In ISSaanother company was formed in Fair Haven, whose engine subsequently became No. 8 in the city department. A hook and ladder company was formed in the same place in 1837. On the 22d of March, 1839, the splendid steamboat " New York " was burned to the water's edge while lying at the dock at New Haven. An effort to save her proved in vain. On the 30th of October, 1841, the unfriendly feeling which had long existed between Yale students and the firemen of the city culminated in a quarrel, which led to the arrest of several of the students and the subsequent attempt of other students to seek revenge by the destruction of firemen's property. A large company of students stormed the engine house in the neighborhood of the college, demolished the engine, cut the hose in pieces, etc., etc. The firemen .sought to retaliate by gathering in a great crowd and threat- ening to storm the college. But they were dissuaded from their pur- pose, and the college authorities settled the matter by paying $700 for the damages done. Unfortunately this did not end the matter, and feelings of resentment were cherished until they ended in a tragedy February 9th, 1858. On that day occurred a wordy altercation between some students, members of the "Crocodile Club," of the junior class, and the firemen of Engine Company No. 2, which termin- ated in a fierce fight. All sorts of weapons were used, and in the excitement which followed Assistant Foreman William Miles was shot and killed. Several of the students were arrested and placed under bonds, but, through the mediation of the faculty, this case was also settled. They ordered the club to disband and purchased the engine house, so that the company removed to another locality. In the more stirring and patriotic events of the civil war, which .soon followed, these bitter feelings were forgotten, and have not since been revived. These troublesome events came in the last days of the volunteer system. In ISOO the city began the u.se of steam fire engines, and m 1801-2 the fire department was thoroughly remodeled and placed under the control of a board of six commissioners. Since that time its efficiency has been steadily increased. Albert C. Kendrick has been the chief engineer since 1805, and the present department has been practically created in his administration. As now organized it had its first review September 27th, 1805. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 123 The following year was characterized by many destructive fires, among them being: January 10th, 1866, the carriage factory of George T. Newhall, loss $30,00(1: the New Haven Clock Factory, April 30th, 1866, loss $131,724; the Plant Manufacturing Company, December 7th, 1866, loss §190,079. About one-half of the aggregate loss was covered by insurance. In October, 1868, the city began the use of the Game well Fire Alarm vSystem, which was introduced at a cost of §10,000. It has aided in reducing the losses by fire very considerably. Among the more recent disastrous fires have been the following: N. Y.. X. H. & H. R. R. machine shop, January 1st, 1869, loss $157,550: fire at L. Candee Rubber Company's works, November 19th, 1877, loss $520,905; Edward Malley's store, spring of 1882, loss $189,873. Prob- ably the above were insured for two-thirds of the amounts named, which still left a large loss for the years named. The city expends yearly from $75,000 to $90,000 on this depart- ment, whose present condition, compared with what it was a quarter of a century ago, is thus shown by Chief Kendrick: 186.5. 1890. Population of the city 4:3,000 86,000 Number of steam fire engines 3 ^ Number of horse hose tenders 3 8 Number of hand hose carriages 2 Number of hook and ladder trucks 1 2 Number of feet of hose 9.000 17,000 Number of engine company houses -j ''' Number of hose company houses 2 1 Number of hook and ladder company houses 1 3 Number of horses 9 35 Number of fire hydrants 237 754 Number of permanent men 7 67 Number of substitutes — 30 Number of fire alarm boxes — 104 Number of reserve or spare apparatus — 4 Number of fires 38 159 Losses during the year §74,301 860,753 76 Insurance paid 31.800 57,803 54 Loss over insurance '■ 42,4!15 2,800 00 Valuation of fire department property 80,130 292,994 00 The nature of the soil at New Haven permitted wells to be easily dug, and there was a copious supply of water by that means for more than two hundred years. These wells were from five to twenty feet deep and the quality of the water, when the city was small, was good. Several thousand are still in use. When the city was founded there were several springs near the center, one of them being in the lower part of the green, around which, for many years, was an alder swamp. It is supposed that this abundance of water and the ease of digging wells was one of the reasons why this plain was selected as the site 124 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. for the homes of the first settlers instead of Oyster Point, whose topog- raphy would more naturally commend it for a sea-coast town. At the latter place it was found difficult to dig wells. The question of an exterior water supply was long agitated as a sanitary measure, necessitated by the rapidly increasing population, and in 1849 the New Haven Water Company was chartered to serve this need. The company failing to build works, the charter was amended to permit the city to construct thein, and from 18.52 to 1854 the project was before the public for its approval. The propositions were defeated, and in 1856 the old company a.ssigned its charter to Eli Whitney and others, who reorganized the company, and, largely through Mr. Whitney's efforts, the work of construction was begun in the spring of 1860. The old dam at WhitneyYille was made the base for the works, and was raised to afford an immense reservoir." The works were completed at a cost of several hundred thou.sand dollars, and water was first introduced into the 18 miles of mains laid January 1st, 1862. That year the city made a contract with the company for its water supply for twenty years for the tise of the fire department, with privilege to purchase the works at the close of that time. But a proposition to that end was defeated by the citizens of New Haven, and the city has .since procured its water supply from the above com- pany at an outlay of $16,000 per year. The company has added to its original .source of supply at Mill river, the waters of Maltby lake, in the northwestern part of the city, Saltonstall lake, in the town of East Haven, and the West river above We.stville, m the town of Woodbridge. The -summer resouixes of these four places of supply are 1,530,000,000 gallons daily. Over one hundred miles of mains are now in use, and the daily consumption of water is more than 9,000,000 gallons. The pumping capacity of the works is nearly double that daily, and the water in the various reserve reservoirs measure 6,000,000 gallons. In the extent of supply and the quality of the water used but few places in the country surpass this city. The location of the city is not the mo.st advantageous for natural surface drainege. It is mainly on a sandy plain, elevated from 20 to 45 feet above tide water, the latter height being on the summit between the Mill and West rivers. The college campus is somewhat ie,ss in elevation, and the lower part of the green is but little more than twenty feet above .sea level. A small .sewer was laid in Chapel .street near the beginning of the pre.sent century, but in the main the poro.sity of the soil afforded the principal drainage until the canal was built in 1828, when the .sewerage in that section was improved by that means. But it became apparent, many years ago, that nature unaided would not absorb or remove the refu.se of a large and constantly * See sketcli nf Hamden. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 125 increasing population. It was thought, too, a difficult matter to estab- lish a system of sewerage which would prove satisfactory. But it was attempted and successfully accomplished in the administration of Mayor Henry G. Lewis, 1870-7, and has been extended by his succes- sors. The first surveys for this system were made by E. S.-Ches- brough, at that time chief engineer of the city of Chicago, whose loca- tion, but little above the level of water, has many points of resemblance to New Haven. His success there aided him here, and his reports, made, first, March, 1871, and, finally, December, 1872, indicated the possibility of such a system. He divided the corporate area of 3,8(10 acres (of which 200 acres were salt marshes) into three general sections; the eastern, about 800 acres, to drain into Mill river; the central section of about 1,200 acres, to drain into the harbor, and the western section of 1.600 acres into the West river. Subsequently, by the addition of Fair Haven, that section was drained into the Quinnipiac river. The sewers have been built of brick or vitrified stone ware, and the con- struction has been steadily carried on until the city has more than sixty miles of sewers, and yearly expends about $125,000 on the exten- sion and perfection of that .system of promoting the cleanliness and health of the place. As a beneficial result of this superior drainage, the city has been remarkably exempt from contagious or epidemic diseases. The death rate in 1889 was seventeen and four-tenths to the thousand. This low rate has also been in consequence of other causes, as the influence of .sea breezes, pure water and the shelter afforded by the hills on the northwest and east of the city. The first city buildings of any importance are the ones at present in use. Previous to their occupancy many of the offices, courts, etc., were in the state and county buildings or in rooms rented in different parts of the city. The City Hall, or Hall of Records, was built by the joint efforts of the city and the town upon the site of the old county house and jail, east of the green, on Church street, which was secured in 1856. The plans for the edifice were prepared by Henry Austin, and the building was begun in 1860. It was completed for use Octo- ber 1st, 1862, when it was occupied by the town and city officers, the probate and other courts. It is an imposing edifice of Nova Scotia stone and brick, with a very attractive front, and is four stories high. In its arrangement and elegance of appointments it was, when com- pleted, the finest hall of the kind in the East. Rising from the north- west corner is a high tower, in which are the city clock and bells. A passenger elevator was supplied in the spring of 1891. The property is valued at $150,000. On the north side of this hall are the county buildings, adjoined by a corridor, which were erected in 1871-3. Their fronts have the same general appearance as the city hall. East from the latter, on Court street, is the City Police Building, also erected in 1873. Its front is 76 126 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. feet, and it is three stories high. The material is Philadelphia pressed brick, trimmed with Nova .Scotia and Portland sandstone. The "building extends to the rear to afford quarters for the police force, a drilling room, the various offices connected with the department and other offices of the city not accommodated in the main hall, wi-th which this is also connected. The value of this property, which has been pronounced " the most handsome and best constructed of the kind in the country," is more than $100,000. The entire value of the city property of whatever kind is more than $2,000,000. There was but little illumination of the streets of the city prior to the use of gas lamps. A few persons, at their own expense, pro- vided whale oil lamps in front of their stores or residences, but there was no general plan of lighting. The New Haven Gas Company was chartered in 1847, and was organized with W. W. Boardman as the first president. The following year some private houses were first illuminated by gas, and its use in the street lamps began in the spring of 1849. New Haven was thus next to Trenton, N. J., the second small city in the Union to light its streets by gas. Its introduction was quite rapid, there being at the end of the next six years more than 1,000 private consumers and 189 public lamps. The use has been constantly extended until more than 1,200 public lamps were in use, and the other consumers numbered between 5,000 and 6,000 families. As a street illurainant its use since 1881 has, to some extent, been superseded by electricity. In the year named a com- pany was organized to light by the Weston system, but, after more than a year's trial, the effort was abandoned as unsatisfactory. The corporation was now re-organized as the' New Haven Electric Light Company, and by using the Thompson-Houston system better results have been obtained. Several hundred arc lamps have been placed on the streets and public grounds of the city since December, 1883, result- ing in brilliant illumination. The yearly expenditure by the city for electric lights, gas and naptha lamps is about $68,000. In addition to the illuminants furnished by the above corporations, a number of the large manufacturing establishments have their own electric plants, and the use of that agent has become very general in the past few years, many firms also employing it to more thoroughly light the approaches to their places of business. The fame of New Haven's elms is world wide ; and no place better deserves the title of the " Elm City." That noble tree is here found in the greatest perfection, and has been cherished as a part of the city's life for more than two hundred years. Said Henry Howe: '■ The first of the elms known in the histoiy of our city, two in number, were planted in l(i86. They stood on Elm street before the P)ristol mansion, the la.st one remaining until 18:59, It was then 146 years from its setting out. Reverend James Pierpont was settled in 108r), the succes.sor of John Davenpoi-t. when the people built for him HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUiNTV. 127 a new house on that site, furnished it and brought free-will offerino-g of various kinds. One poor man, William Cooper by name, having nothing else to give, brought these elms and put them before the good man s door. • Under their shade, some forty years after (1726) Jona- than Edwards spoke words of mingled love and piety in the ears of Sarah Pierpont. Under their shade, when some sixty summers had passed over (1746). Whitefield stood on a platform and lifted up that voice.^the tones of which lingered so long in thousands of hearts.' " The planting of our elms appears to have had its origin in a paper drawn up by James Hillhouse, dated in the spring of" 1787 to which various citizens subscribed, stating what each would pav for beautifying the green, by planting elms and preventing the washing •of the sand. It was at this time that Hillhouse laid out Temple street, m conformity with a vote passed at a city meeting on the 5th of June of that year. He planted the streets with elms, and also, in 1792, through Hillhouse avenue, then a part of his farm and unopened. He set out the elms around the green, all but the inner rows, which were .set out by David Austin. Hillhouse was the most enterprising, pub- lic-spirited man the city ever had, and an untiring worker, laboring in •elm-planting with his own hands. The green, up to the beginning of this century, was a rough spot, all an open common, when, through the public spirit of James Hillhouse, David Austin, Pierpont Edwards and Isaac Beers, it was improved, and a wood fence put around it; it was then divided into two parts by fencing through Temple street. In 1845 the present iron fence was erected at an expense of about §7,000, by a faithful builder, Nathan Hayward." The most noted elms of the present time are known as the Frank- lin elm and the Nathan Beers elm. The former was planted on the •day of the death of Benjamin Franklin, April 17th, 1790, at the corner of Church and Chapel streets. It was carried to New Haven on the back of Jerry Alling.-the poet of Hamden, who brought it from the plains of that town for Thaddeus Beecher, a grocer of the city. The tree is now more than SO feet high, and two feet above the ground its girth is 16 feet. The Nathan Beers elm is at the entrance of Hill- house avenue, and is somewhat larger than the foregoing. It com- memorates the memory of this distinguished patriot, who was born February 14th, 1753, and died February 11th, 1849, having rounded out nearly a century of years. He was a paymaster in the revolution- ary army from March, 1777, until the troops were disbanded, and was a son of the Nathan Beers who was murdered in cold blood at the time the British invaded New Haven. For 45 years he was a deacon of the North church. The elms on Broadway were set out about 1830. The parks of New Haven are, large and small, some twenty in number, embracing about 400 acres of land. The oldest park in the present sy.stem is, of course, the famous New Haven Green, in the 128 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. central part of the old city. Around it are clustered associations of every phase of life of the city and the town. Originally it was set aside as a market place and for all sorts of public uses. Its improve- ment as a park began soon after the city was incorporated, but it was many years before the condition of its present beauty was attained. The entire area of the tract, including its bounding streets, is about 21 acres. What is enclosed as the green proper is a little more than 16 acres. The maples in the upper part of the green were planted about 1852. The next largest park in the city proper is Wooster Square, con- taining 41 acres. It was bought in 182.-, for $6,()()(), and was first enclosed with a wooden fence. Individuals planted the trees at a cost of $1,.500, and in 1853 the ground was enclosed with an iron rail- ing, costing $4,000. The park is densely shaded, and is surrounded by fine mansions, making a quiet and attractive spot. Clinton Park contains nearly four acres; Jocelyn Square, 2.61 acres, donated to the city in 1836; and York Square, a little more than an acre, and was set aside for public use about the same time as the latter. A num- ber of smaller parks contain less than an acre and are mere breath- ing spots. East Rock Park is the newest of the principal public places, and will soon be by far the most important. Its improvement was begun soon after the East Rock Park Commission was chartered by the legislature in 1880. The park embraces about 353 acres on the East Rock ridcre, of which 50 acres were donated by John W. Bi.shop. One hundred and forty-four acres lie in the town of New Haven, the remainder m Hamden. The park is about two miles from the center of the city, and is approached on both sides by lines of street railways and by fine avenues. The plans "for the harmonious development" of the park were prepared by Donald G. Mitchell in 1882. The following year Farnam Drive was constructed to the northern summit, 2^ miles, at an expen.se of $15 000, defrayed by the estate of Henry Farnam. The use of this revealed the beauties of the place, and its fitness for a park became apparent The English Drive on the west side was begun m 188.), havino- as a basis for its construction the $10,000 donated lor that pur- pose by James E. English. It was completed the following year, and there are now more than five miles of good carriage drives, making all parts of this rugged piece of natural beauty easily accessible. Numerous other improvements have been made, more than $100,000 having been expended on this park, which has already become very popular. One of the most striking features of the park is the hne new Soldiers Monument, which occupies a commanding position near the south face of the Rock. It was formally dedicated June 17th. 1887, the ceremonies being witnessed by 75,000 people. Among the di.s- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 129 tinguished guests present were Generals Sherman and Sheridan, and a fleet of United States war vessels was in the harbor. A great parade was one of the features of the day. Twenty thousand men were in line, and it took three hours to pass a given point. Doctor Newman vSmyth delivered the oration. The movement to build a memorial to the soldiers of the late war had its origin in the action of Admiral Foote Post, No. 17, Grand Army of the Republic, which, in April, 1879, asked permission of the city to place a memoiial on the green, in the shape of a large granite drinking fountain. Consent having been obtained, the site near the liberty pole was dedicated on Decoration Day, that year, but that plan was not carried out. The project now rested until the latter part of 1883, when the Post urged the matter of a suitable inonument upon the town, which appropriated $50,000 to build a monument. The foregoing site on East Rock was selected, and a design by Moffatt & Doyle of New York was chosen for the memorial, by the following committee: S. E. Merwin, Jr., chairman: vS. J. Fox, .secretary: Gov. H. B. Harrison, Prof. John F. Weir, Col. John Healey, John Reynolds, Hon. H. B. Bigelow, Gen. Frank D. Sloat, Col. J. D. Plunkett, John McCarthy, Hon. James E. English, Col. Samuel Tolles, Theo. A. Tuttle, Conrad Hofacker. The monument was built under the direction of vS. E. Merwin, Jr., James E. Engli.sh and Philo Chatfield. It has been described as follows : * " The height of this tribute to the heroes of America's battle fields, from the base to the apex of the statue of the Angel of Peace, which .surmounts it, is 110 feet: the height of the Angel of Peace is 11 feet. The pedestal of the monument is a series of five steps of granite, the lowest course of which is 40 feet square. The.se steps, with the excep- tion of the top one, are 18 inches wide; the top step is made 4 feet wide, forming a promenade around the monument. The base is 17 feet in height, and constructed of uniform blocks of split or rough- faced granite. In each .side of this masonry casements are built, but the only entrance is through the front one, which is supplied with heavy folding doors, and approached by three granite steps. The other casements are imitation entrances, but are also approached by steps. " Between the base and the foot of the shaft there are 8 feet of ornamental masonry, on the four corners of which statues of Pros- perity, History, Victory and Patriotism are placed in a sitting position. They are 9 feet in height, and made of bronze. The Genius of His- tory is seated in a graceful attitude, perusing a book, which she holds in her lap: Victory holds the u.sual laurel wreath and trumpet in her hands: Prosperity has the familiar horn of plenty on her .shoulder, and Patriotism is a bare-armed and bare-necked warrior in the attitude of * New Haven, Past and Present. 9 130 IlLSTOKV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. drawing a sword. Between the .statues and on each face of the masonry are four historical bas-reliefs, commemorating the four great wars in which this country has been engaged since the first blow for liberty was struck at Lexington. Over the entrance the scene depicted in this way is the surrender of Cieneral Lee to General Grant at Appomattox. Figures of Grant and Lee occupy the foreground, and between them stands a little table on which the terms of uncon- ditional surrender were made. On the topmost portion of the base and under the bas-relief are the words, m raised letters of granite: 'Shiloh, Gettysburg and Antietam,' and below these words and over the top of the casement, ' 18G1-1S65.' " A bas-relief of General Scott entering the conquered city of Mexico occupies one of the other faces. ' Palo Alto, Monterey and Chapultepec,' and the dates ' 1846-1848' are on the stone below. " On the back of the monument the scene depicted is that of Coin- modore Perry on Lake Erie. The great commander is in the act of writing his famous despatch: ' We have met the enemy and they are ours.' This picture also represents the dismantled British fleet. On the base, under this picture, are inscribed the words: ' Lake Erie. Bridgew.vter and New Orleans.' The dates over the casement are 1812 181.^). " The fourth bas-relief is a picture of the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown. A figure of Washington stands in the fore- ground, receiving the British generals' swords. ' Bunker Hill, Ben- nington AND Yorktown,' and the dates ]77r)~178H are below it. " The shaft proper of the monument is 75 feet high, circular, and slightly tapering, and 10 feet in diameter at the base, which rests on a sculptured wreath. Above this wreath appears a few feet of orna- mental masonry, and then a band of thirteen chiseled stars, represent- ing the thirteen original states. Above this are uniform unorna- mented blocks of granite until the look-out windows are reached. The casements of the.se windows stand out prominently, and the ornamen- tations below them are very beautiful in design. The windows are about five feet high by two feet wide, and are at the termination of a spiral stairca.se, which winds its way up through the column from the base. The apex of the monument is very nearly cone-shaped, and is surmounted by the pedestal on which the Angel of Peace stands." vSo conspicuous is the position of the monument that it has become one of the most noteworthy objects in the southern part of the county, and is seen from far out at sea, standing like a beacon of liberty, as well as a memorial to those who died in the cause of freedom. The commerce and shipping of New Haven have, from the begin- ning, as has already been related, been important elements of its busi- ness life. Many of the early settlers were seafaring men, and sought opportunities to engage in that pursuit here. The disastrous loss of the " Fellowship," with Captain Lamberton and many others on HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 1:^1 t)oard, in the early part of 1G47, cast a gloom upon the hopes which had been so fondly cherished, that New Haven would speedily have a profitable commerce, and several years elapsed before other ventures were made. In 1646 Isaac Allerton, who has been called the " father of New England commerce," came to New Haven from Plymouth colony, whose business agent he had been many years. He here engaged in trade, having a large warehouse and owning a num'ber of small vessels which were in the coastwise trade. He was the leader of commerce, and before his death, in 1659, the shipping business at this port had been much revived. After his decease the maritime business fell off, what little trade there was being confined to near-by points. Sometime about 1680 another attempt was made to encourage com- merce, and soon after the work of building a wharf into the harbor was begun. This has been extended to meet the wants of trade, and has long been known by the name of Long Wharf. In 1748 it was lengthened about twenty rods, and thirty rods more in 1765. About the same time the pier on the west side of the channel was com- menced, but was not completed until 1770. Soon after a fruitless attempt was made to connect the pier and Long Wharf, the aid of a lottery being sought to raise means. In 1810 a new wharf company was formed, which extended the wharf to nearly its present length, ;^,943 feet. The wharf was widened on the west side, and stores and warehouses built on it. On the night of October 28th, 1820, a fire broke out, which, before it was checked, burned 26 stores and ware- houses, many of them filled with West India produce. The loss was about a quarter of a million dollars, and the blow to the shipping interest was very severe. About 1750 foreign commerce was revived and vessels began to arrive from various European ports. In 1764 the brig " Derby," from Dublin, brought the first cargo of coal. Since that time New Haven has become one of the greatest coal depots in New England. The same vessel brought 38 Irish peasants, as servants. The exports at this time were mainly flax and lime, whose manufacture had become one of the interests of the town. In 1774 the exports amounted to more than §140,000. In 1776 the town had thirty vessels, in three of which Benedict Arnold, at that time a merchant and trader at New Haven, was interested. The revolution interrupted this commercial activity, but after the war it speedily revived. In 1787 there were 61 vessels and 110 stores, and for twenty 3-ears the business was very prosperous. Much of the trade was with Barbadoes, and rich cargoes were brought into the city. " Again, in 1798, the disturbances in France brought great disaster on our shipping, through privateer depredations. vSeveral score of ships and many hundred thousand dollars worth of property were lo.st about this time— New Haven losing more in proportion than any other 132 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. city in the Union. In spite of these great losses, however, New Haven's commerce continued to rapidly increase. In 18(.)1 over 11,000 tons of shipping were registered at this port. Though her ships were searched, pillaged and confiscated by the vessels of both the great naval powers of the world, England and France, the end of her com- mercial importance was not yet. •' A fleet of some twenty ships, called the New Haven South Sea Fleet, was manned and set out about this time. They were mainly engaged in the seal fishery. After obtaining a cargo of seals these were sold in Canton, and a load of silks and teas was taken in, after which they circumnavigated the globe on their way home, through the Indian and Atlantic Oceans."* "The most successful, perhaps, of all American voyages was that of the ' Neptune,' twenty guns, manned by forty-five active, bright New Haven county young men from our solid families. She was owned by Ebenezer Townsend, called ' The Merchant Prince ' of New Haven; commanded by Captain David Greene, a complete seaman, who lived in tire 'Old Cottage' on Water street, near Sargent's fac- tory. She returned from her three years' voyage around the world July, 1709. Her voyage gave a profit of §260,000, nearly ecjual to a million now. Her custom-house duties were $75,000, which was a quarter more than the civil-list tax of the whole state of Connecticut at that time. Her arrival filled the town with joy. The military marched down to the Cedars, on the west shore, drums beating, colors flying, and fired guns in welcome; and in the balmy air of the sum- mer evening the boys met on the street corners and sang patriotic songs." f In ]S()7the cu.stom duties paid at this port were more than $ir)O,00O, and great prosperity prevailed, in spite of the annoyance to trade and the despoiling of ves.sels by the French and the English, and which finally brought on the war of 1812. But the embargo act which was passed December 7th, ] 807, and which was intended to injure Great Britain, affected New Haven so seriously that it practically ruined trade, and great distress prevailed, as for more than a year not a ve.ssel was allowed to leave this harbor. Trowbridge, in his " Maritime Hi.story," says: "There were but few of our citizens who were not, directly or indirectly, dependent upon foreign commerce. About 100 ship- wrights were living in the place, 32 commercial houses, 82 ships were engaged in foreign trade, and hundreds of .seamen here had their homes. On the anniversary of its passage, ne.xt year, there was a day of mourning for the death of American commerce. The flags on the shipping hung at half-mast; a procession was formed on Fleet street, compn.sing all cla.sscs and grades of society. It was led by a young man clad in mourning, and mounted on a black horse. He carried in *Nt:\v liavL'ii. Past and Present. I Henry Plowe. HISTORY OF NEW HA\EN COUNTY. 133 his hand a banner, on which was inscribed: ' Bonaparte — 0-grab-me!' which last word the reader will find spells ' Embargo,' if read from the right. Following the leader was a company of seamen, neatly dressed, with crape attached to their left arms. Six of them bore a boat, the flag of which was at half-mast, shrouded in mourning, being emblematical of the Constitution of the United States. Throngs of people joined in the procession as it passed through State and Chapel streets; and when it reached the Green, where an address was deliv- ered, it was estimated there were 1,400 people in the procession, nearly one quarter of the entire population of the cit}-. When, early in 1809, President Jefferson, by proclamation, ended the embargo, great joy prevailed, and a splendid dinner was given at Butler's famous tavern." When the war of 1812 broke out six hundred American seamen had their homes in New Haven, and that conflict of arms was very unpopular here. Through its influence the merchant marine was so much affected that it never again was restored to its former prestige. The foreign trade was diverted to New York, whose rapid growth, after the war, injured all near-by seaports. All the channels of trade were diverted to the metropolis, and have since flown thither. In the past flfty years the foreign commerce of New Haven has been com- paratively light, the shipping trade being done principally through New York. After the war steamboat service between New York and New Haven was established. The first steamboat to enter New Haven harbor was the " Fulton," Captain Bunker, which arrived here " from New York, March 21, ISlo, with thirty passengers: passage \\\ hours. Previous to that time it had been considered doubtful if a steamboat could navigate the Sound. She then began making two trips per week — fare, $5.00. Previously passengers and goods had been trans- ported by packets, which were sometimes a week on the way. Land passage by .stages occupied parts of two days."- vSince 1815 one or more lines of steamboats have plied regularly between these ports; and from 1839, when the Hartford railroad was built, until 1848, when the New York & New Haven railroad was completed, they carried many passengers. The present steamboat facilities are first class, two companies supplying a service which embraces three boats, to and from New York daily. Excellent oppor- tunities for the shipment of heavy freights are thus afforded. Foreign commerce has also increa.sed, and the commercial importance of this port is again conceded. From 1872 to 1888 there were collected in customs duties $5,500,000, placing the port of New Haven seventh in a column of seaports arranged according to the amount paid into the treasury of the United States for duties on imports. In the customs district there were owned in this year 318 vessels. * Henry Howe. 134 HI.STdRV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The manufacturing interests have done much to increase the com- merce in recent years. Of their effect upon the city, the Reverend Thomas R. Bacon said, in his '• Century Oration," in 1884, in speaking of the purposes of the framers of the city government: ■' They hoped for a great commercial center sending out its mer- chant fleets to the ends of the earth; they did not expect a great manu- facturing city, as New Haven has become. In 1784 the manufactories of New Haven were apparently a paper mill and a blacksmith shop, and now our manufactured products in vast variety are found through- out the civilized world. And to the use of the manufacturing interests, more than any one agenc}', nay, more tlian to all the rest put together, has been due the growth of the city from 3,.-)()i» to some 70,()()() inhabit- ants. These vast industries of to-day, which have sprung from the mechanical inventions and discoveries of the century, have given to American civilization an unexpected aspect and development. In the history of its manufacturing industries New Haven has been peculiarly happy. This great variety has saved us from those pro- longed and extensive periods of depression and paraly.sis which have fallen iipon towns devoted to a single industry. The same cause has prevented such great struggles between labor and capital, culminat- ing in wholesale strikes and lockouts, and entailing much variety of suffering, whi::li have been so frequent elsewhere. This growth of manufactures in the state of Connecticut has had the effect of drawing the population away from the barren farm lands to the villages and cities, and then to change the whole character of its life. And in this great change New Haven has taken the lead, until by the census of 1880 our gross manufactured products were valued at §24,040,22."); our net products at $9,r)58,062. The number of hands employed was ir),l.")0, and the amount paid in wages $5,761,375. Surely here is some- thing that helps to account for the century's growth." And said another writer: " The first quarter of the century had not passed away before the manufacturing and mercantile interests of the city had attained extensive dimensions. The manufacturing of carriages — in which line New Haven has since been one of the leading cities of the world — had been inaugurated by James Brewster, in 1827. The manufac- ture of firearms had already become an important industry, having been founded in 1798, by Eli Whitney, the famous inventor of the cotton-gin. Charles Goodyear, a native of New Haven, was perfect- ing the great discovery which soon made his name famous through- out the world, and a few years later the first India-rubber clothing ever manufactured was turned out in this city. The chief houses which represent these three branches of indu.stry in New Haven to-day, as well as those repre.senting the production of clocks, locks, pianos, cor.sets, chairs, paper boxes and hardware, rank among the largest and best of their kind in existence, and have sent their goods HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 135 and made the name of our city known and honored throughout the civilized world."* In all, there are in the city more than .seven hundred manufactur- ing establishments, including more than a hundred and thirty incorporated companies, one having a capital stock of $1,500,000. There were in 1888 more than 3,300 business and mechanical occupa- tions, and the valuation of buildings and stock employed in the manu- facturing and commercial interests of the city was about 828,000,000. Almost all conceivable articles of manufactures are produced by work- men as skillful as are found in any civilized community. Considering the indifference to mechanic pursuits, so long prevalent in New Haven — an indifference which prevented them for many years from having even a blacksmith — this is, indeed, a striking transition of occupations. Most likely, the blacksmith shop alluded to by Doctor Bacon, in the paragraph above, was the one conducted by Captain Ezekiel Hayes, the ancestor of President Hayes, who was in his time a famous axe and scythe maker. But so poorly was his work compensated that in 1775 he announced in a newspaper card that he would be necessi- tated to return to his old place in Branford, unless the New Haven public would " allow me 75 per cent, on my work and the first cost of my .stock, or I must infallibly heave up my trade." Grain and paper mills were early operated at Whitneyville and at Westville. where water power could easil}' be used. In 1785 a small mint for the coining of copper coins was started by a company organized for that purpose, which had among its members Samuel Bishop, James Hillhou.se and Abel Buell, the latter being the practical man of the concern. He produced a machine capable of coining 120 coppers per minute. In the course of a few years this " New Haven Mint " was authorized to make copper coins for con- gre.ss. In 1787 James Jarvis was the owner of the establishment, which was continued a number of years. In 1789 a cotton mill was established on West river, which was deemed so important that the state granted it a subsidy of $3,000. The following year calico printing was begun by John Mix, who also made metal buttons. That article was also made by Phineas Bradley. Jotham Fenton made telescopes, etc., about the same time; and other small manufacturing interests were begun about the beginning of the present century. Soon after leather tanning became an important business, and in 1840 five tanneries, with capital aggregating more than $100,000, had an output of $380,000. The manufacture of carriages was the next important industry established, there being in 1840 twelve shops, whose product amounted to $234,000. This business and the manufacture of carriage parts is now carried on in about forty establishments, in which more than " \Yilliatn H. Beckford. 136 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTV. 2,000 men are employed, and the output amounts to $2,000,00() per year. It is claimed that G. T. Newhall of this city was the first in America to adopt machinery in the manufacture of carriages — a method which is now almost universally used. For many years Henry Hooker & Co. had here the largest carriage manufacturing establish- ment in the world. Closely allied with the carriage business is the industry of manu- facturing hardware specialties, several dozen firms being at present engaged in that intere.st. J. B. Sargent & Co. were among the pioneers in that line, and their establishment has become the greatest in the world. Acres of land are covered with large buildings, in which about 2,000 people are employed, and so many kinds of hard- ware goods are made that a volume of more than 1,100 pages is required to catalogue them. In their extent, equipments and variety of products these works have no equal in this or any other country. O. B. North & Co. rank among the oldest manufacturers of saddlery hardware. The wholesale hardware business has had a place in the city since 1784, before the era of manufacturing. The Mallory- Wheeler Company are representative lockmakers. Their interest was founded in 1834, and has grown to such proportions that 25 buildings are occupied, and 500 workmen are employed. Immense quantities of all kinds of locks are produced. The manufacture of firearms has been carried on at New Haven the greater part of a century, being here begun on a large scale b}- Eli Whitney, and has, through the Winchester and other companies, been developed into one of the largest industries of the kind in this country. The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was organized in 18.")8. Most of the buildings at present occupied were erected in 1870 and cover the area of two city squares. The floor area is nine acres: 3,000 different machines are operated by 1,000-horse power steam and 150-horse power water motors, and 15,000 workmen are employed. Tlieir firearms and ammunition are sold in all parts of the world. This corporation has ab.sorbed the old Whitney armory. The Marlin Fire Arms Company has had a more recent origin, but is a prosperous and growing industry. Excellent arms are produced, and more than 200 men are employed. In the manufacture of machinery there are about three dozen con- cerns engaged. The oldest iron foundry is that of vS. H. Barnum, which was e.stablished in 1832. Of these concerns one is engaged in the manufacture of flour mill machinery, and is noted for the .superi- ority of its products, which are shipped all over the globe; six estab- lishments build engines, .several being extensive; three make drop forgings, two are safe works and two make cutlery. The brass goods manufacturing establishment of A. B. Hendryx & Co. is one of the most exten.sive of its kind in the Union, a position occupied in other products of brass goods by Peck Brothers & Co. A dozen concerns HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 137 are devoted to brass goods manufactures, and many skillful workmen are employed. In the manufacture of clocks New Haven is also in the lead. The New Haven Clock Company has one of the largest works in this country. The company began to make movements in 1853, but since 1856 have produced finished clocks of many different kinds. A num- ber of large buildings, covering nearly two city squares, are occupied, and more than 700 men are employed by this thrifty company, of which Hiram Camp has long been the head. In the manufacture of rubber goods but few places surpass this city. The largest establishment is that of L. Candee & Co., founded in 1842, and one of the first to manufacture under the Goodyear patents. The works cover more than 2^ acres, and are very complete in their equipments. Fifteen hundred men are employed in the various departments, and the products have a most excellent reputa- tion in every state in the Union, and since 1871 have been sold direct to the trade. •' Another important industry of New Haven, and one which is of quite recent origin in this country, is the manufacture of corsets. This city is the birthplace and home of this industry in America, and there are at present eight considerable corset factories devoted to it. The first consets made in a factory in America were produced in this city in 1860 by Isaac Straus, who is still in the business here, and now one factory alone employs upwards of l,o()0 operatives. Concerning the productions of these factories, it may be said that the}^ are full}- equal to the imported articles, and have been placed on the market at such low prices as to have almost entirelj- driven the foreign goods out of American consumption." The manufacture of musical instruments forms a considerable part of the business of New Haven. One of the oldest firms in that industry is B. Shoninger & Co., who began in a small way in 1850 as organ builders. The manufacture of pianos was added in 1876, only about 100 per year being made. This output has been increased until now 1,800 are made yearly, and their works have become so extensive that they rank among the first in the world. New Haven has also become an important wholesale center, sup- plying many of the adjoining towns with the products of trade. In 1889 there were in the city " five wholesale grocery houses (the first was established in 1825), two wholesale drug houses, three wholesale hardware houses, four wholesale paper houses, two wholesale boot and shoe hou.ses, three wholesale china and glassware houses, two whole- sale paint and oil houses, three coffee and spice mills, three wholesale cigar houses, besides a number of others smaller in size and repre- senting other lines of merchandise." The commercial prosperity uf New Haven has been greatly pro- moted and conserved bv the Chamber of Commerce, which was organ- 138 HISTORY OF NEW HAVKN COUNTY. ized A])ril 0th, 1794, and which has continuously existed since that time. It is thus one of the oldest associations of the kind in America. At present it has several hundred members, including the principal business men of the city, and the following officers: President, J. D. Dewell; vice-presidents, Samuel E. Merwin, Nathan Easterbrook, Jr.; treasurer, Wilbur F. Day; corresponding and recording secretary, T. Attwater Barnes; directors, N. D. Sperry, Joel A. Sperry, John H. Leeds, Charles H. Townsend, George H. Ford. Smce the city has so many diverse interests it requires large bank- mg facilities, which are supplied bj^ fourteen monetary institutions, commanding capital to the amount of §12,000,000. Seven of these banks are organized under the national banking laws and four are savings banks, which have a local deposit of nearly $12,000,000 and a surplus approximating §4(K),000. The volume of business done by these banks is shown by the returns of the Clearing House, which indicate that the exchanges of the local banks in 1888 amounted to §60,782,206. The first bank in the city was organized December 22d, 179o, as the New Haven Bank, with a capital of §50,000. It had been chartered in October, 17U2, with a capital of §100,000, which amoiint c?uld not be raised, as contemplated, and an amendment reducing the minimum capital was found necessary. David Austin was the first president and William Lyon the cashier. In 186.") this bank was reorganized under the national banking laws, and is now one of the oldest and most substantial monetary institutions in the state. It is known as the National New Haven Bank, and Wilbur F. Day has been the president since 1869. In this period more than §1,000,000 have been paid to the stockholders as net profits. Mr. Day is also the president of the New Haven Clearing House. The city has tnore than six hundred professional men, and every generation has had, in all of the leading professions, some of the brightest minds in the country — men greatly honored at home and abroad for their learning and success as practitioners. Among those in the legal profession who left their impress upon affairs which have come down to the present generation, none was greater than Roger Sherman. He was admitted to the bar in 1754, and removed to New Haven in 1 701, where he died in 1793. He was not only one of the foremost men in the city and state, but al.so of the nation. As a member of the continental congress, he was one of the committee of five to draft the declaration of American independence, and Jefferson said of him that he had the best common .sense of any man in that body. He was known as a Christian statesman, whose life was a benediction at home and abroad. He lived in the house on Chapel street next west of the opera hou.se, and was, perhaps, one of the greatest men the county had ever adopted as a citizen. Jared Inger- ,sol and James A. Hill'house were also able lawyers before the revolu- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 130 tion. Since that time, among the principal lawyers have been: Pierre- pont Edwards, Nathaniel Smith, David Daggett, Dyer White, Jona- than Ingersoll, Simeon Baldwin, Eleazer Foster, John Hart Lynde, Seth Staples, Samuel Hitchcock, Isaac H. Townsend, William W. Boardman, Dennis Kimberley, Roger S. Baldwin, Alfred Blackman. Ralph I. Ingersoll. Charles Ingersoll, Clark Bi.ssell, Henry Dutton, Jonathan Stoddard, Henry White, Eleazer K. Foster, William Bristol, John Beach, Charles Ives, Thomas B. Osborne, Dexter R. Wrieht and some others, named in the preceding pages, all deceased. The attorneys in 1889-90, according to the list furnished the secre- tary of state, were the following: John W. Ailing, S. W. F. Andrews, Edward A. Anketell, George L. Armstrong, E. P. Arvine, Harry W. Asher, Ward Bailey, Frederick W. Babcock. vSimeon E. Baldwin, Francis G. Beach, John K. Beach, Rodman V. Beach, George E. Beers, William L. Bennett, Herbert E. Benton, Stuart Bidwell, James Bishop, Henry T. Blake, Levi X. Blydenburgh, Charles F. Bollmann, John W. Bristol, Louis H. Bristol, Samuel L. Bronson, Edward G. Buckland, James J. Buchanan, Charles K. Bush, Julius C. Cable, David Callahan, William C. Case, William Scoville Case, Jonathan W. Chapin, Prentice W. Chase, James G. Clark, L. W. Cleaveland, George R. Cooley, Leonard M. Daggett, Hugh Dailey, Lucius P. Deming, George L. Dickerman, T. E. Doo- little. Edwin C. Dow, Edward Downes, Cornelius T. Driscoll, D. Cady Eaton, William H. Ely, Jacob E. Emery, John T. Fitzgerald, Charles H. Fowler, John S. Fowler, O. H. D. Fowler, Timothy J. Fox, John C. Gallagher, Jacob P. Goodhart, William L. Green, George M. Gi:nn, E. Edwin Hall, Charles S. Hamilton, Henry B. Harrison, Lynde Harri- son, Charles A. Harrison, Charles B. Hawkes, Charles H. Hayden, Carlton E. Hoadley, J. C. Hollister, H. L. Hotchkiss, Leverett AI. Hubbard, Savilian R. Hull,- C. R. Ingersoll. Francis G. Ingersoll, George P. Ingersoll, Jonathan Inger.soll, Frank H. Kelly, Jr., William H. Kenyon, P. F. Kiernan, Charles Kleiner, William H. Law, Edward L. Lindsley, Seymour C. Loomis, Burton Mansfield, A. McC. Mathew- son, Charles B. Mathewman, Kojiro Matsugata, Eli Mix, James T. Moran, John L. Morehouse, Samuel C. Morehouse, Luzon B. Morris, Joseph B. Morse, Albert H. Moulton, Lyman E. Munson, Henry G. Newton, William P. Niles, Arthur D. Osborne, Arthur S. Osborne, William S. Pardee, Albert D. Penney, L. L. Phelps, John P. Phillips, Rufus S. Pickett, James P. Pigott, Henry C. Piatt, Johnson T. Piatt, Joseph D. Plunkett, Walter Pond, Edwin Purrington, A. Heaton Robertson, George W. Robinson, William C. Robinson, John A. Robinson, Edward H. Rogers, Henry D. Russell, Talcott H. Russell, George D. Seymour, Bernard J. Shanley, Joseph Sheldon, Edwin A. Smith, Siegwart Spier, Henry Stoddard, William B. Stoddard, David Strouse, John P. Studley, Charles L. Swan, Jr., James S. Thompson, Jason P. Thomson, William K. Townsend, Dwight W. Tuttle, Grove 140 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. J. Tuttle, Julius Twiss, Morris F. Tj^Ier, George A. Tyler, Charles L. Ullman, .S. Harrison Wagner. John B. Ward, Willard D. Warren, George D. Watrous, Francis Wayland, James H. Webb, Alfred N. Wheeler, Cyrus B. Whitcomb. Charles A. White, Henry C. White, Henry D. White, Roger S. White, ( )liver vS. White, John H. Whiting, Isaac Wolfe, James A. Wood, Arthur B. Wright, William A. Wright, Samuel A. York, Edmund Zacher, Fair Haven, Curtis S. Bushnell. In the same year the physicians and surgeons of the town of New Haven were as given in the appended list, taken from the " Register of the .State: " Allopathists; Francis Bacon, F. E. Beckwith, Frederick Bellosa, E. H. Bishop, Louis B. Bishop, Timothy H. Bishop, Evelyn L. Bissell. W. L. Bradley, Charles H. Brockett, Henry Bronson, T. M. Cahill, W. H. Carmalt, H. A. Carrington, S. H. Chapman. George F. Converse, C. V. R. Creed, Lucy M. Creemer, M. A. Cremin, D. L. Daggett, William G. Daggett, Louis S. DeForest, Charles F. Dibble, F. L. Dibble, Gus- tavus Eliot, C. L. Fitch, H. Fleischner, C. J. Foote, J. P. C. Foster, L. M. Gilbert, S. D. Gilbert, William W. Hawkes, C. H. Howland, Stephen CJ. Hubbard, Levi Ives, Robert S. Ives, Walter Jud.son, B. L. Lambert, D. C. Leavenworth, Thomas G. Lee, A. W. Leighton. B. S. Lewis, Charles A. Lindsley, C. P. Lindsley, William E. Lockwood, John F. Luby, Edward G. Madden. Stephen J. Maher, Max Mailhouse, "Mary B. Moody, John Nicoll, M. C. O'Connor, Oliver T. O.sborn, Charles E. Park, Henrv Pierpont, Edward K. Roberts, Arthur Ruickoldt, Thomas H. Russell, L. J. Sanford, J. W. Seaver, H. E. Smith, Marvin Smith, J. E. .Stetson, W. H. Stowe. Henry L. Swam, James K. Thacher, W^ H. Thomson, J. H. Town.send, R. B. West. Frank H. Wheeler, C. S. White, F. O. White, Moses C. White, F. H. Whittemore, S. W. Williston, A. E. Winchell, F. W. Wright, Willis (t. Ailing. Arthur O. Baribault, A. Brown, George M. Bush, John J. Crane, Robert Crane, V. M. Dow, Aaron Ignal. Rollin McNeil, Alphon.se Oulman, Jo.seph Reed, James M. Reilly. William .Sprenger, Henry A. Street, E. L. R. Thomson, E. L. Washburne, William J. Whiting. Homoeopathists: C. B. Adams, M. J. Adams, William D. Anderson, P.. H. Cheney, C. A. Dorman, Edwin "c. M. Hall, John A. Hutchin.son, J. W. Jewett, Mrs. Adelaide Lambert, William H. .Sage. P. C. Skiff. A. L. Talmadge, Charles Vishno, C. W. N'ishno, \l. J. Walker. I. .S. Miller, Fsadore L. Murray, Charles Rawling. W. W. Rodman, Walter C. .Skiff. Eclectics: H. J. IJradley, M. Y. Linquist, M. F. Linciuist, Jr., Jaines C. Che.sley, C. F. Edson, John L. Lyon, Wcstvillc, H. B. Smith. The New Haven post office was established in April, l?.")."), by order of Benjamin Franklin, postmaster general of the King for the British colonies in America. John Holt, of the firm of James Parker & Co., jirinters and publishers of the Connecticut (Jascttc. was appointed HISTORY OK NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 141 postmaster, and the office was kept at their printing house in the lower part of the city. The first mail service in this part of the country was limited, and was primarily for the benefit of the troops engaged in the French and Indian wars, the soldiers being thus enabled to communicate with their friends at home and in the colonies, to which the system had been extended. Gradually the convenience of the system was recognized, more offices were estab- lished in the county, and the service was improved. In 1760 Postmaster John Holt was succeeded by Thomas Green, another of the Gazette partners, who was followed by Benjamin Mecom, who had become the publisher of the Gazette. In 1768 Luke Babcock, the publisher of a rival paper, took charge of the office, but served only about a year. In 1769 Christopher Kilby became the postmaster, and continued until his death in March, 1774. Near the end of the same year Elias Beers was appointed to the charge of the New Haven office, which he removed to his shop, which stood on the .'^ite of the present New Haven House. Under his admini.stration the busine-ss of the office developed, the number of mails being increased to four per week (two from the East and two from the West) in 1780. After a long .service Jesse Atwater succeeded Beers, in ]\Iarch, 1802, and was the po.stma.ster until his death, in 1814. Then came William H. Jones, who also served a long term of years. His appointment by the postmaster general continued until July 9th, 1836, when he was commissioned as the first presidential appointee. In 1842 he gave place to Henry Huggins, whose administration was short, continuing only two years. Edward A. Mitchell succeeded him, in October, 1844, and while he was postmaster he introduced the use of stamped envelopes, anticipating their use by the general government a number of years. It is said that Mr. Mitchell's method of using stainps was the first in the Union, and was at the time con- sidered a remarkable innovation. John B. Robertson became the postmaster June 14th, 1849, keeping the office in the Brewster Block. Lucius x\. Thomas succeeded him in 1853, and in his administration the present post office building, on Church street, was erected in 1860, at a cost of more than igSOO.OOO. It was, at that period, one of the be.st buildings of the kind in the East. In April, 1861, Nehemiah D. Sperry was appointed postmaster by President Lincoln, and served with great acceptance for 24 years. Under the administration of President Cleveland he gave room for Benjamin R. English, as his successor, who, after four years, was him- self succeeded by his predecessor, Nehemiah D. Sperry, the present postmaster. The office ranks as the first in the state, and is near the head of the foremost ones in the Union. In 1888 8,000,000 pieces of mail matter were handled. The city has been much benefitted by its system of street rail- 142 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ways, some of which have been successfully operated for 25 years. The oldest company was chartered in 1860, to build from Fair Haven East to Westville, and given franchises to build lateral lines. Many of the principal streets have been occupied, and all the main points of the city can be reached by it. Five other lines were subsequently chartered, namely: the New Haven and West Haven Company, to Savm Rock, in 1865: New Haven and Centerville, the same year, I'ln Broadway; «State Street, in 1868: New Haven and Allingtown, in 1872, and the Whitney Avenue, more recently. The latter companies were authorized, after the eranting- of their first charters, to modifv their lines, so as to build to the corner of Chapel and Church streets, which has become the point where all the lines now center, and from which place any part of the city or any of its suburbs can be speedily reached. The city is well .supplied with charitable and philanthropic institu- tions, the oldest and most extensive being the General Hospital of Connecticut. In May, 1826, the legislature chartered the General Hospital ^Society of the state, and appropriated $5,(i()() toward the erection of .such an institution. In the course of a few j'ears indi- vidual contributions were made to supplement that sum, and the first building of the kind was begun in New Haven. It was completed in July, 1832, and was of sandstone stuccoed, having an extreme length of lis feet. There were twenty rooms, and the whole expense of the building was about $12,()0(). In 1861 the hospital offered accommoda- tions for sick and wounded Union soldiers, and gradually its use for that purpose was extended until, in April, 186:5. a militaiy hospital was here established, with the name of the Knight General Hospital, in compliment to Doctor Jonathan Knight; $10,000 was expended upon temporary extensions, which increased the capacity to 1,500 beds. In the spring of 1865 the u.se of the hospital by the national government ceased, and it again reverted to its original use. In 1875 the hospital was enlarged, the new buildings being supplied with modern appli- ances, and the wards were so arranged that each patient could be given 1,600 cubic feet of air. These improvements cost 8^^8,000. The hospital grounds are at the corner of Howard and Congress avenues, and occupy an entire block. It is now well etjuipped, and is most efficient in its work. The New Haven Dispensary was organized in 1872, and has an office on York street, near the Yale Medical College, where its chosen work is well carried on, to the great benefit of those who need its help. The New Haven Orphan Asylum was begun in a very humble way in February, 1838. In 18.-)4 the late James Brewster offered to build a new asylum, on condition that the town would provide a proper site. His offer being accepted, he built a part of the present as3-lum soon after, and. in the course of eight yeai's, added a wing. His gifts to this object amounted to §20,000. The asylum has a good location on Elm street, and has become a noble charit\-. HISTORY OF NEW HA\'EX COUNTY. 143 St. Francis Orphan Asylum, on Highland street, is maintained by the Roman Catholic parishes of the city. It was incorporated in May, 1865, and commodious buildings have been erected for its use. In its chosen sphere this asylum has done good service, furnishing a home for about l.")() children. The New Haven Home for the Friendless was placed upon a permanent basis by a number of benevolent people .some time after its incorporation, in 1867. A comfortable place on Clinton avenue is occupied, and the home enlists the support of many charitable people. Its benefits have been extended to more than a thousand persons. The New Haven Aid Society had its origin in the fall of 1864, as a work and aid society, taking its present name in 1867. Its collections and disbursements in aid of those who need this assistance have been more than S2,(ino per year. There are numerous other charities in the city, and since 1878 their work has been much systematized through the agency of the Board of Associated Charities. That body was organized June 1st, 1878, and nearly all other bodies now cooperate with it to the mani- fest advantage of the community at large. In addition to the foregoing there are several Christian associa- tions, whose work is, to a large extent, philanthropic. The Young Men's Christian A.ssociation was organized a number of years ago, but interest in its work had greatly declined. In the past few years its usefulness has been extended, and fine quarters have been secured for it at a generous outlay of means. There are attractive parlors, reading and recreation rooms maintained both at New Haven and Fair Haven, and at the former place is also a large and well equipped gymnasium. Its work among young men has been revived, and its influence is again increasing. The Yoimg Women's Christian Association was organized in 1880, and became a corporate body two years later. A home in the interest of young ladies has been opened; gratuitous instruction has also been imparted. The mission of the as.sociation is a noble one, and good work has been done. There are 26 Masonic lodges, 28 Odd Fellows lodges and 37 other secret organizations, besides 27 temperance secret societies, making in all 118 secret organizations. There are also 114 societies for charit- able, benevolent and other purposes, aside from a number of mutual benefit, mutual aid and mutual insurance societies. There are five permanent political societies and eight military organizations. Twenty-five societies support or maintain rooms for social visiting and as places of amusement. Few cities excel New Haven in provisions of this nature. The oldest secret society is Hiram Lodge, No. 1, F. & A. M., which was instituted in 1750: and Franklin Chapter, No. 2, R. A. M., was instituted in 1795. All the other lodges were organized in the present century. CHAPTER III. TOWN AND CITY OF NEW HAVEN. Early School Teachers.-Hopkius Grammar School.-Other Early Schools. -Later Select Schools.-The Lancasterian School.-Graded Schools Established.-Present Condi- tion of Public Schools.-Yale University.-The Periodical Press. -First Congrega- tional Chiirch.-North Church.-Yale College Church.-Third Congregational Chiirch.-Dixwell Avenue Church.-College Street Church.- Church of the Redeemer.— Davenport Church.-Howard Avenue Church.-Humphrey Street Church.— Taylor Church.-Dwight Place Church.-Ferry Street Church.-Eman- uel Church.— First Presbyterian Church.— Trinity Church.— St. Paul's Church.— St. John's Church.— Church of the Ascension.- St. Thomas' Church.— Christ Chin-ch.— Grace Church.— St. Luke's Church.— All Saints' Chapel.-Trinity Chapel. —Methodist Churches.— Baptist Churches.— Lutherans.— Second Adventists.— Uui- versalists.— Hebrews.— Roman Catholics.— Cemeteries.— Fair Haven.— WestviUe.— Biographical Sketches. THE planters of Ouinnipiac brought a schoolmaster with them, in the person of Ezekiel Cheever, at that time but 23 years old. As soon as his house could be prepared for that purpose the school was opened, for the early settlers believed in education, and this matter from the beginning received their most careful attention. One of his pupils, in 1639, Michael Wigglesworth, bears testitnony to the proficiency of Mr. Cheever, when he says, "In a year or two I profited so much, through the blessing of God, that I began to make Latin and to get on apace." His salary was about $150 per year, and he taught here about twelve years, when he removed to Ipswnch. He was also an author, and his book called " Accidence, or Short Intro- duction to the Latin Tongue," was one of the first text books in this country, and was used in schools for 150 years. Cotton Mather thus spoke of this book: " A mighty tribe of well-instructed youth Tell what they owe to him, and tell with trutli. All the eight parts of speech he taught to them, They now employ to trumpet his esteem. M(l^istcr pleas'd them well because 'twas he; They say that bo^ii/s did with it agree. While they said ai/n>, they the hint improve, llim for to make the olijecl of their love. No concord so inviolate they knew As to pay honor to their master due. With interjections they break off at last. But ah is all they use, oh and alas! HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 145 "He lived, and to vast age no illness knew; Till Time's scythe, waiting for him, rusty grew. He lived a.n&. luroiight: his labors were immense; But ne'er declined to praeter perfect tense." He died in Boston in 1708, in the 94th year of his age, having, in all these years, borne the reputation of being one of the most successful teachers of his time. The town secured the services of other teachers as instructors of its boys, there being at that time but little attention paid to the edu- cation of girls, many of them not being able, even, to write their own names. In 1657 ex-Governor Edward Hopkins died in England, leaving large legacies to executors in the colonies, " for the breeding up of hopeful 3'ouths both at the grammar school and college, for the public service of the country in future times." This fund made it possible to carry out what Mr. Davenport had designed from the beginning: " that a small college should be settled at New Haven." In 1660 a small collegiate school was established by New Haven colony, and four years later this was absorbed into the Hopkins Grammar School, which has almost uninterruptedly been con- tinued since that time. It has justly become celebrated, and is one of the oldest schools of this kind in America. It is controlled by a board of trustees, most of whom are connected with Yale University. It is now mainly a preparatory school for that institution, and contains students from all parts of the country. The excellent high schools in various parts of the county have, in a large mea.sure, relieved it of local patronage. After 1716 this school and Yale afforded the young men all the privileges they wanted to acquire a higher education, but schools for the co-education of the sexes, or for young ladies alone, were also early established. Among the schools of that nature, a century and a half ago, were those of Samuel Mix and Moses Mans- field. Abel Moses had a select school for young ladies as early as 1783, and was as.sisted by Jedediah Morse, who .subsequently became known as the " father of American geography." The American and Orleans Academies were in existence in 1790; and in 1799 Jared Mans- field, LL. D., was at the head of a select school. In 1806 the New Haven Union School, for both sexes, was ably maintained and largely patronized. About 1810 the New Township Academy was erected in the eastern part of the city, and was kept up until 1831. Contemporary with this, in the western part of the city, was the school for young ladies, kept by Reverend Claudius Herrick. Other reputable schools were kept by Reverend John M. Garfield and Miss S. Hotchkiss. Dwight's Gymnasium, by Sereno E. and Henry Dwight, brothers, was very popular for a time, but did not long continue. Of the later private schools, the most important are the West End Institute, for young ladies, established in 1870, by Mrs. Sarah L.Cady; 10 146 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. the Collegiate and Commercial Institute, for boys, founded b\' General William H. Ru.s.sell in lS3fi, and the Business College, in the Insur- ance Building. In 1790 an effort was made to elevate the standard of the city schools, but apparently without much success, and several scores of years elapsed before the schools were placed upon an effective basis. " A Lirz/nrs/irin// Sf/wo/ was opened, with '240 .scholars, on the 22d of April, IS22, in the basement of the Methodi,st church on the green, by John E. Lovell, a pupil of Lancaster, in England, Hundreds of pupils were simultaneously taught by a classified system of monitors among the boys; the younger were taught by the older, and they in turn were taught by the head of the school. Beside the ordinary monitors, there were six monitor generals, all bearina: badges. The school was highly popular, and some of our strong men received there their only schooling. In 1,S27 the city built a new .school building, near the site of the high school, on Orange street, which Mr. Lovell conducted on the Lancaster plan. Prior to this the town did not own a single school building, excepting a slight structure in Fair Haven, of no special value,"* After about thirty years, in which Mr. Lovell diligently devoted himself to teaching, he retired from the .schoolroom, but lived at New Haven until he was more than 90 years old, and was universally respected. The Lancasterian system gave place to graded schools, which were established in the city in 1854. Two years thereafter the city board of education was organized, and that body has since con- trolled and managed the schools, the city district at present embrac- ing all of the town of New Haven, except the Westville section, which forms a separate di.strict. The city district has a number of sub-districts, each of which has its own buildings and, in a certain sense, its own management, conforming to the general plan, and being under the direction of a city supeiintendent. There are twelve grades in the course of instruction, and the standard of graduation is very high. It ends in the completion of the course in the Hillhouse High vSchool, which was established in LS.")'.). The present elegant building on Orange street was erected in 1S72, at a cost of $125,000. It has a seating capacity for 400 students. The buildings of the town accommodate more than 15,000 pupils, and more than a dozen of the thirty-odd structures seat GOO each. The schools are maintained at a yearly outlay of nearly $400,000, and are reputed among the best in New England. The following account of Yale University was prepared for this work by Reverend Frank Countryman. Sixtj'-five years after the colonization of Connecticut was begun, and sixty-three after that of New Haven, a serious attempt was made toward the founding of what is now Vale University. Harvard Col- * Henry Howe. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 147 lege, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, was already in existence, having been founded in 1636, by graduates of Engli.sh universities. The col- lege of William and Mary, in Virginia, had been chartered in 1693. The two institutions supplied means for the higher education of the infant colonies. But the jseople of Connecticut and New Haven, friendly toward learning, desired a collegiate institution in their own midst. So, in 1701, we begin to find traces of a movement to estab- lish a college. Foremost among the promoters of the new enterprise was the Reverend James Pierpont, pastor of the New Haven church, and a graduate of Harvard, in the year 1681. Equally interested was the Reverend Abraham Pierson, a graduate of Harvard, in the year 1668, of Killingworth, now Clinton. These two clergymen met together, with their brother ministers, to consult as to the expediency of founding a college. They sought the advice of leading laymen and ministers in Boston and Cambridge and elsewhere, and finally, if tradition be correct, a few of the Connecticut pastors met together in Branford, about the last of September, 1701. They then gave, it is stated, a collection of books as a foundation for a college in the . colony. It is evident that nothing more than a general line of policy had been adopted at this meeting in Branford, to be developed later. No details as to the government of the proposed college had as yet teen worked out. In the meanwhile, Pierpont and others had sent on to Boston a paper of suggestions for a draft of a charter to be procured from the legislature, which was to meet in New Haven October 9th. Such a charter was framed, probably on October 16th, as follows: •' An act for Liberty to erect a Collegiate School: Whereas several well disposed, and Publick spirited Persons of their sincere Regard to & Zeal for upholding & Propagating of the Christian Protestant Religion by a succession of Learned & Orthodox men have expressed by Petition their earnest desires that full Liberty & Priveledge be granted unto certain Undertakers for the founding, suitably endow- ing & ordering a Collegiate School within his Maj"'"^ Colony of Con- necticot wherein Youth may be instructed in the Arts & Sciences who thorough the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church & Civil State. To the intent therefore that all due incouragement be Given to such Pious Resolutions and that so necessary & Religious an undertaking may be sett forward, supported & well managed: — " Be it Enacted by the Govern'' & Company of the s'l Colony of Connecticot, in General Court now Assembled, And it is enacted & ordained by the Authority of the .same that there be & hereby is full Liberty, Right and Priveledge Granted unto the Reverend M'' James Noyes of Stonnington, M*- Israel Chauncey of Stratford, M-- Thomas Buckingham of Saybrook, M"- Abraham Pierson of Kennelworth, M' Samuel Mather of Windsor, M'' Samuel Andrew of Millford, 148 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. M'' Timothy Woodbridge of Hartford, !M'' James Pierpout of New Haven, M'' Noadiah Russell of Middletown, M'' Joseph Webb of Fair- field, being Rev'' ministers of the Gospel, & inhabitants within ye s^ Colony, proposed to stand as Trustees, Partners, or Undertakers for the s'' School, to them & their successors. To Erect, form, direct, order, establish, improve and att all times in all suitable wayes for the future to encourage the s'' vSchool in such convenient place or Places, & in such form & manner, & under such order & Rules as to them shall seem meet & most conducive to the afores'' end thereof, so as such Rules or Orders be not Repugnant to the Laws of the Civil Governm^ as also to imploy the moneys or any other estate which shall be Granted by this Court or otherwise Contributed to that use according to their discretion for the benefit of the s'' Collegiate vSchool from time to time & att all times henceforward. " And be it further Enacted by the Authority afores'' that the before named Trustees, Partners or Undertakers together with such others as they shall associate to themselves (not exceeding the num- ber of Eleven, or att any time being less than Seven, Provided also that Persons nominated or associated from time to time to fill up s'' number be ministers of the gospel inhabiting within this Colony & above the Age of forty years) or the major Part of them, the s'' M'' James Noyes [etc] undertakers, & of such Persons so chosen & associated as aboves'' att any time hereafter. Have and shall have henceforward the oversight, full & compleat Right, Liberty, power, & Priveledge to furnish, direct, manage, order, improve & encourage from time to time & in all times hereafter the s'' Collegiate School so Erected & formed by them in such ways, orders & manner, & by such Persons, Rector or master and officers appointed b\f them, as shall according to their best discretion be most conducible to attaine the afores'^' mentioned end thereof. "And Moreover it is Enacted & ordered by the Governor, Council & Representatives of y'^ Colony afores'' met in General Assembly — "That the s'' M"' James Noyes [etc] Undertakers, Trustees or Part- ners, & ye s'2 HISTOKV OF XEW HAVEN COUNTY. Yale College was first known by that name in 1718. The influence of Cotton Mather had led Governor Yale to send a cargo of gifts to the new institution. Besides a large box of books and a portrait of the king, which is still in existence, there were sent East India goods inventoried at i'20(.), from which was realized, in the Boston market, £5Q2. 12 shillings, sterling. These gifts were sent for the benefit of the new Collegiate School at New Haven. The commencement of 1718 was a joyful one, and, in gratitude to the donor, the name Yale College was applied to the institution in its new home. The man thus commemorated was of New Haven stock. His father, David Yale, as a youth, had taken part in the founding of the new town, but had soon migrated to Boston, where Elihu Yale is sup- posed to have been born, in 1648. From there the family returned to England. The son, in 1670, went to India to seek his fortune. He found employment there, rose rapidly to the position of governor or president of the settlement at Madras, and in 1699 came back to Eng- land enormously rich, but without a son to inherit his wealth. He died in 1721. The college now being on a good foundation, the next thing to be done was to find a resident rector, in whom all could put confidence. The jjerson chosen was Reverend Timothy Cutler, a son-in-law of Rector Andrew. He was a graduate of Harvard, and had, for nine years, been settled over the Congregational church in Stratford, Con- necticut. He had made a favorable impression as to ability, and at once accepted the position of rector. He entered upon his duties in the year 1719. A house for his occupation was built in 1722, near the site of the present College Street church. It was used by sticcessive presidents to the close of the century. Funds for its erection were given by Governor Yale, by private subscription, and by the churches in the colony, which took necessary collections. The balance needed was furnished by the assembly from the proceeds of a tax upon rum. In 1722 the new rector's career came to a sudden end. At the commencement of that year it was made known that the rector, the tutor and five neighboring clergymen had under consideration the cjuestion of declaring for Episcopacy. At that date the Church of England had few avowed members in Connecticut, and not one gath- ered congregation. The minds of men were filled with apprehension and alarm. A formal deposition of the rector took place, the resigna- tion of the tutor was accepted, and an act passed imposing a test of theological soundness, by which the faith and church theories of the Puritans should be maintained. To this test all officers of instruction were asked to .subscribe. This provision was retained until 1823. Two new tutors, on this new basis, were immediately cho.sen and inducted into office. It was not, however, till after a wide search that a new rector was cho.sen. He was the Reverend Elisha Williams, the same who had been connected with the school at Wethersfield. He HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ].~):1 came into office in 172.-). He was a man well known for his success in teaching, his wide acquaintance among civilians and clergy, and by the prominence of his family. For fourteen years he gave himself up to the work of teaching in the college, with fidelity and success. Under his wise administration there was a steady enlargement of resources. An additional tutor was appointed in 1728. The trustees appointed a standing committee, out of which has grown the pru- dential committee, the working body of the corporation for the last ninety years. The most notable incident of Rector Williams's time was the suc- cession of valuable gifts received in 1731-3 from the generous George Berkeley, dean of Deny, afterward bishop of Cloyne. He came to Rhode Island in 1729, in the hope of founding a college in Bermuda. Having been disappointed in this hope, he returned to England. He then gave to Yale College, as a foundation for graduate scholarships, and undergraduate prizes, his estate of " White Hall," near Newport.' He also sent about- nine hundred volumes to the library. This act of generosity on the part of Bishop Berkeley, a member of the Church of England, may be accounted for on the grounds of his acquaintance and friend.ship with Reverend Samuel Seabury, a graduate of Yale <1714) and a former tutor, who had gone over to Episcopacy with Rector Cutler. The Berkeley scholarships and prizes are still offered, while some of the books have long since disappeared. A painting of Bishop Berkeley and his family is in possession of the university. In October, 1739, Rector Williams resigned his office on account of impaired health, and Reverend Thomas Clap succeeded, in April, 1740. The new rector was a native of Scituate, in Massachusetts, and a Harvard graduate (as usual ). He had been for thirteen years pastor of the church in Windham, Connecticut. His administration lasted until September, 1766, and was thus one of the longest which the col- lege has known. It was also most eventful. Having already been con.spicuous among the younger ministry of the colony, it was expected that he would bring abundant energy and practical sense to the service of the 'college, as well as exact scholarship. He justified these expectations. New impulse was given to college interests at every point. He was felt as an administrator outside, for he secured an extension of the chartered powers of the college. He resisted successfully an attempt at visitorial interference. He withdrew the college congregation in the face of violent opposition, from the New Haven church to a position within the college walls. Within the col- lege his administrative powers were quickly and strongly shown. He systematized the laws for the students. He broadened the course of study, so that it might be abrea.st of the age. He developed the tutorial, and introduced the professorial system, so that the college might be raised to the highest state of efficiency. He made a new arrangement of books in the librar}^ and prepared a catalogue, that 154 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. the library might be of more practical value. He secured an increase of funds for the college, and during his term of office additional buildings were erected. The earlier years of his administration were marked with religious ao-itations. New England, throughout its length and breadth, was divided into the hostile camps of the "New Lights ana -'Old Lio-hts." President Clap espoused the cau.se of the " (31d Lights, and stored as a champion of orthodoxy. Consequently, he was an ardent supporter of the government policy of repression of all - ^ew Light revival movements. The evidences of his vigor and orthodoxy were, at first, generally acceptable. The legislature, under his influence, o ranted an increase of the colony grant in 1743, by means of which he was able to secure an additional tutor for the .staff of instruction. More than this he secured for the college. In 1745 the legislature passed a new charter, drafted by President Clap, without a single chano-e This charter is noteworthy, among other things, that it made" legal the name "Yale College," which, before this, had been applied to the single building .standing upon the college grounds, it now chent was later kn^own and used as a chemical laboratory The " ^"^ ^^ ^^^^^ erected in 1717-18, m front of the present ^ff^ College lad fa^^^^^^^ into decav and was removed in the winter of 17 /;.-(.. ^Mth the excep t"on of the hall and kitchen at the south end. These were retained until the erection of the new building mentioned above. Toward the close of Doctor Stiles' presidency the do er t^n on between college and .state was at last realized. He had hoped foi and worked fo^r it all these years. His labors had been -"-^ - - the face of much opposition. Outside sentiment had not glo^ n fa orlble to the colleg'e. It was occa,sionally the subject o maliciou^ comment in the press, of pamphlet attack of -^-^^^^^^^ ^^^f^'u^' lature. as in President Clap's time. Unally. m ' '^^''^^llj'^^^^^^ adopted a plan suggested by the Honorable James H^l^h;;;^' ™ -of the coUege.by which, in return for a grant of -^^ ^^^^^^^^^ state treasury, the governor, lieutenant governor and the six senior mtblrTof^he U^^per House, for the time ^eing became ..-.#.. members of the corporation. The new arrangemnt took effect b> the ratification of the old corporation m June, 1/92. Its wisdom was vindicated by the advantages experienced. It met the outside demand lor state oversight, and was not distasteful to the president and .clerical fellows ^^_^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^,^^^ of betJer accommodations for the student. This building is now known as South College. ,^,-nfpssor In October, 1794. after a vacancy of thirteen years the piofes.sor- ship of mathematics and natural philosophy was filled by the appoint- m nt of Josiah Meigs, a graduate of 1778, who had just re u ned Lm Bermuda, and who, as tutor in the college some years befoie, .had shown special aptitude for these studies. 'just at thl time, when signs of returning ^^o^^^^T'^!^^ Doctor Stiles died after a brief attack of fever. May 12th ^^^^''^^^l «Sth vear of his a^e. He had devoted all his powers, for seventeen vt^-s' tTthe in er^sts of the college, and had seen it advance steadily n opular reputation and in solid usefulness. President Stiles was a an of creat versatility, and was interested in almost every branch of taming. He kept voluminous journals which have been o^ great assistance to the historians of the period m which he^-;^; J^^^the also a broad minded and generous man, clinging it is tiue, to the 'rm and usages of cadier generations, but withal humble and charitable in hi^ religious character. No president ever labored with more zeal for the prosperity of Yale College. Thouo-h the death of Doctor Stiles was sudden, it was not ong before th^e corporation agreed upon his successor. The friends of the .Llc'e instinc\ivelv turned toward Doctor Timothy Dwight. Accord- HISTURV OF NEW HAVEN COUXTV. 159 ingly. he was inducted into office in 1795. He had been a tutor at the college, laboring with remarkable success in that office, but at the time of his election was pastor of the church at Greenfield Hill, where he had also conducted a flourishing academy. The advent of Doctor Dwight into the presidency was received with satisfaction. At the outset of his administration the action of the faculty, /. f., of the pro- fessors and tutors, sitting in consultation with the president, came to be a vital part of the college government. This was in 1795. Later, in 1804, the ancient system of fagging was given up, and a little later the system of pecuniary fines was abolished. Doctor Dwight had a direct personal influence upon the students. He was a man of striking personality, eloquent as a preacher, stimu- lating as an instructor. At first he was not called to the office of col- lege preacher and the professorship of divinity, now vacant. Some of the fellows did not like his position as an ardent exponent of the theology of his grandfather, Jonathan Edwards. But. in the mean- time, he temporarily as.sumed the duties of the vacant professorship, and thus was brought into closer contact with the students. It was during this period that he met and vanquished the popular infidelity of the day, and built up the feeble life of the college church. In 1S05 he was formally invited to the chair of divinity, and held it, with the presidency, till his death. Besides these duties, he gave the full attention expected from the president to the studies of the senior year, in philosophy, and did much to create a new department of instruction, tha; of rhetoric and English literature, for which he had shown special adaptation as a tutor. Doctor Dwight was quite successful in perpetuating his influence by a rare insight into the capacities and promise of those he invited to permanent positions in the faculty. He called to his side such men as Benjamin Silliman, profes.sor of chemistry in 1802; Jeremiah Day, appointed professor of mathematics in 1801: James L. Kingsley, pro- fes.sor of languages in 1805. These men soon became eminent in the various departments to which they belonged. Doctor Dwight also interested himself in the formation of professional schools in connec- tion with the college. In 18()6 the first steps were taken by the corpo- ration toward founding a medical school to be under their control, together with the academical department, as it now came to be called. The new department was eventually established under the auspices of Yale College and the State Medical Society. In 1813 Doctors Nathan Smith, Eli Ives and Jonathan Knight were appointed pro- fessors. Professor Silliman filled the chair of chemistry in the school. It started in 1813 with 37 students, in the building at the head of Col- lege street, which was at first leased, and then purchased with a sum of money granted by the state in 1814. The first class was gradu- ated with the degree of M. D. in 1814. Before this Doctor Dwight had taken deep interest in the formation of a theological school at IQQ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Andover (this being the earliest in the country), and had begun to entertain the idea of developing a similar school in connection with Yale College. His plan for this, however, had not matured at the time of his'death. In addition, he had in mmd, also, the formation of a law department, but this also failed to be realized. Mention may be made of the appointments to new chairs of pro- fes'^orial instruction. Professor Jeremiah Day succeeded Josiah !\Ieigs m the chair of mathematics in 1801. Profes.sor Benjamin Silhman, Sr , was appointed to the new chair of chemistry, mineralogy and o-eoloo-y. Professor James L. Kingsley took charge of the new pro- fessoi^ship of ancient'languages and eccle.siastical history. Professor Elizur Goodrich was the incumbent of the new professorship of law. These new professorships were a great addition to the scheme of in.struction. The results were soon manifest in an increase of stu- dents. In 1800 217 students were on the rolls, as against llo four years earlier. To meet this increase new buildings were required. Accordino-ly in 1801, a new dormitory, now known as North ^Middle Collecre was begun and completed in 1803. At the same time the Lvceum building, containing recitation rooms, a library and a chemi- cal laboratory, was completed. The legislative grant of 1792, increased by a supplementarv vote in 1790, supplied the means for the erection of these buildings. The president's house (built m 1/22* having fallen into partial decay, a new house was built 1797-9, on the present .site of Farnam College. The land for all these buildings, together with the larger part of the College square, had been acquired by Doctor Dwight in 1796. President Dwight died m January, 1817. Under his management Yale College made rapid progress, beginning to acquire a national reputation.^ Doctor Dwight was a man of acknowledged power and ability He exercised a remarkable influence over the young men ot the colleo-e, and this contributed, together with his great learning and ability, to make him known over the whole country. Under him certain principles were set in operation which, long afterward, bore their fruits for the well being of the college. When he died the insti- tution was no longer a mere collegiate .school, but was moving toward what it afterward became, a university. After his death Professor Jeremiah Day was elected president. His inauguration took place in 1817. The new president was not a clerovman, but, having .studied theology, was ordained at the time ot his fnduction into office. The professorship of mathematics he had hitherto held was filled bv the appointment of Mr. Alexander M. Fisher President Dwight's place in the chair of divinity was sup- plied by the appointment of Reverend Eleazar T. Fitch. A new pro- fessor-siiip of rhetoric was established, to which Reverend Chaunccy A Goodrich was appointed. In addition to these, in 1831 Mr. Theo- dore D Woolsey was appointed professor of Greek, and Mr. Thomas HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ] 61 A. Thatcher as assistant professor of Latin, in 1842. Reverend Matthew Button, in 1822, .succeeded to the chair of mathematics left vacant by the death of Alexander M. Fisher, who was lost on a voyage to Europe in 1822. Professor Button died in 1825. Professor Benison Olmsted then followed, but in 1836 the chair was divided, Profe.ssor Olmsted devoting himself to natural philosophy and astronomy, while Mr. Anthony B. Stanley was appointed professor of mathematics. In 1839 Professor Goodrich was transferred to the divinity school, and Reverend William A. Larned followed him as professor of rhetoric and English literature. Great improvements were made in the course of instruction. Some elementary subjects were discarded, as English grammar and geography in 1826 and arithmetic in 1830. New sub- jects were introduced. There was greater thoroughness in examina- tions. The enlargement of the academical faculty resulted in the exercise of greater power by the faculty, and developed the idea that in grave matters affecting the college the corporation should not take action until the faculty had been consulted. This principle has become a fixed one in the college. The need of additional accommodations for the students was again felt. In 1818-19 a large dining hall was built near the center of the College square. It was three stories in height, with the kitchen in the basement. The upper floor was devoted to the exhibition of the mineralogical cabinet acquired previously through the efforts of Professor Silliman. The former dining hall was, in 1820, used for the chemical department. In 1842, however, the system of a common dining hall was abandoned, and the rooms hitherto used for this purpose were devoted to the uses of the depart- ment of natural philosophy. In 1820-1 North College was built in line with the other brick colleges. It contained 32 rooms. In 1823-4 a new chapel was erected between North and North Middle colleges. The upper story contained rooms for students, and the attic contained the library, which had been removed from the Lyceum. In 1831-2 the Trumbull Gallery, now known as the Treasury Building, was built to contain the college collection of paintings, especially those by Colonel John Trumbull, which, at lirst deposited by the artist, after- ward became the property of the college. In 1842 a library building was begun, and finished in 1846, at a cost of $34,000. The library funds were materially increased by gifts from various sources. Addi- tions also were made to the general funds of the college, by means of which separate chairs of Greek and mathematics were established and provision made for the employment of an instructor in elocution. In 1832 Reverend Wyllys Warner succeeded the Honorable James Hillhou,se as treasurer of the college, at his death. The year 1822 saw the beginning of a theological department. Reverend Nathaniel W. Taylor was inducted into the professorship of didactic theology in this department. He was aided by Profes,sor Chauncey Goodrich, n 16-2 HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. who, in 18:59, resigned liis chair in the academical department to take the professorship of the pastoral charge. Mr. Josiah Gibbs was appointed lecturer on sacred literature in 1824. In 1826 the lecture- ship became a full professorship. The theological department thus formed attracted many students, so that, m 1S35-6, a building was erected in Ime with the others for its u.ses. Doctor Taylor was a tower of strength to this department, and his name was early noi.sed abroad as an instructor and theologian. The advance in other departments was also marked. A law school was established in 1824. In 1841 a system of graduate instruction, outside of the three learned professions, was devised. The medical school was ably conducted, and, until the establish- ment of other medical schools, had a growing number of students. In 184G President Day resigned at the age of 73. He had tried twice before to lay down the burdens of his office, but had been pre- vailed upon to remain. His health had always been delicate, yet he served the college with ability and faithfulness in various capac- ities for a great many years. He died in 1867, leaving behind him, as one has said, "a memory for universal veneration." We now come to the administration of President Woolsey, which is still fresh in the minds of the graduates of the colleo-e. He en- tered on his office in October, 1846, and, like his predecessor, received ordination when inducted into the presidency. His administration lasted 25 years, and was an era of unprecedented prosperity for the college. A great advance was made in the quality of instruction and the number of new professorships which were established. In 1847 Reverend Noah Porter entered upon the duties of the new professor- ship of moral philosophy and metaphysics, made possible by the accumulation of a fund given in 182:^ b}- Mr. Sheldon Clark, of Oxford, Connecticut. President Woolsey himself gave instruction in history, political science and international law. Mr. James Hadley took charge of the Greek department, over which President Woolsey had formerly presided, in 1848. Mr. Lewis R. Packard was promoted from a tutorship in 1863 to a second chair in this department. In I860 a professorship of history was created, to which Mr. Arthur M. Wheeler was called. Geology was, in 1850, assigned to a distinct pro- fessorship, to which Mr. James D. Dana (now of wide fame as a geolo- gist) was appointed. M*ineralogy was added in 1864. Doctor Fitch resigned the pastorate in 1852, and was followed by Reverend George P. Fisher in 1854. He held the office till he was transferred, in 1861, to the divinity .school. He was succeeded, 1863 to 1866, by Reverend William B. Clarke, who in turn was followed by Reverend Doctor Oliver E. Daggett, until his retirement in 1870. In 1855 Mr. Hubert A. Newton siicceeded to the chair of mathematics, made vacant by the death of Profes.sor Stanley in 1853. Professor Elias Loomis succeeded Professor Olmsted in the chair of natural HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 163 philosophy and astronomy in 1860. Mr. Cyrus Northrop was appointed successor to Professor Larned in the professorship of rhetoric and English literature in 1862, the year in which Professor Larned died. The new professorship of modern languages, endowed by Mr. Augustus R. Street, of New Haven, was filled by Mr. Edward B. Coe, who began his instructions in 1867. In 1846-8 four freshman scholarships were endowed by President Woolsey, and in 1848 a scholarship was established by Charles Astor Bristed, of New York city. With the increase in professorships and improvements in instruction came new buildings. A stone build- ing, called Alumni Hall, was erected in 1S52-3, on the northwest corner of the College Square. The lower floor was finished as one room, in which were to be held alumni meetings, examinations and general meetings. On the walls were afterward hung portraits of officers and benefactors of the college. The upper floor was divided into three halls for the use of the large literary societies of the col- lege. In 1869-71 two new dormitories, with accommodations for 169 persons, were built by the generous gifts of Mr. Henry Farnam, of New Haven, and Mr. Bradford M. C. Durfee, of Fall River, Massa- chusetts. These two new buildings were called, respectively, Farnam and Durfee colleges. The old Divinity College, in line with the old brick row, was removed. The president's house, on the site of which Farnam College was built, had been removed in 1860. About the time of the erection of these new buildings a steam boiler house was constructed, from which most of the buildings on the college grounds and in the vicinity are heated. In 1864-6 a fine building, to be devoted to the School of Fine Arts, was erected by Islv. iVugustus R. Street, on the southwest corner of the square. Two of the professorships in this school were endowed by Mr. and Mrs. Street. To one, the professorship of paint- ing, Mr. John F. Weir, N. A., was appointed. He was also director of the school which was opened to students in 1869. To the other professorship, that of the history of art, D. Cady Eaton was appointed. The paintings deposited in the Trumbull Gallery by Colonel John Trumbull were transferred to the art school. Not far from the square on the west a gymnasium was erected in 1859. Under President Woolsey's administration funds for the general use of the college and for the library increased. But prosperity was not confined to the academical department. In other departments great progress was manifest. The divinity school entered i:pon a new era. The old professors who had given it a great reputation had died or resigned by the year 1861, and new ones were appointed. Such men as Timothy Dwight, George P. Fisher, George E. Day, Leonard Bacon, Samuel Harris and others were, in due time, called to professorships. Funds were, through the generosity of friends, 164 HISTORY OK NEW HAVEN COUNTY. provided for the school. In 18G9-70 a fine building was erected on the .square next north of the college. This building is known as East Divinity Hall. Then followed the erection of a chapel adjoining this building, given by Mr. Frederick Marquand in 1871. A lectureship on preaching was established the same year by Mr. Henry W. Sage, of Brooklyn, N. Y. Other important additions were made to the scholarship and general funds. The number of students increased, and the school began its career of steady growth and prosperity, which it still pursues. , The medical school underwent an entire reconstruction of its faculty. The old professors, as in the divinity school, died or resigned, and new ones came in to take their places. In 16^^Q the old building and grounds belonging to the school were sold, and a new medical college built in 1860 on York street. Since that time efforts have been made to put it upon a good basis, but the lack of pecuniary endowments has interfered with all plans. The law school did not participate in the general prosperity at this time. The students fell off, and it was not until the time of President Porter that the school was put upon a prosperous basis, through the gifts of generous friends. The school was at that time entirely recon- structed, and is now in a high state of efficiency. Before 1846 plans were laid for the establishment of a department of graduate instruction. This, in time, grew partly into what is now known as the vSheffield Scientific School. At first the Scientific School had poor accommodations in the old president's house and the attic of the chapel. In 18o9, however, Mr. Joseph E. Sheffield, of New Haven, purchased and enlarged for the use of the school the old medical college. He stocked it with necessary apparatus, and gave a fund of $r)(),(lO() for the endowment of professorships. In 1860 the school came to be known, by vote of the corporation, as the Sheffield Scientific School. This .school has grown rapidly in facilities for instruction and in the number of students eager to take advantage of these opportunities. In the meantime, the other courses of graduate study not provided for by the scientific school, were steadily main- tained by Professor Whitney and others. Mr. O. C. ISIarsh, whose name and reputation are well known, was added in 1866 as professor of paleontology. The important event that marked the close of President Woolsey's administration was the change in the composition of the corporation. In response to a general sentiment among the alumni, which Doctor Woolsey favored, an act was passed by the general assembly, in Con- necticut, July, 1871. consenting that six of the graduates of the college should be substituted for the six senior senators of the .state in the membership of the corporation. This change gave the graduates a more direct interest in the college, and was widely welcomed. Presi- dent WooLsey resigned in 1871, at the age of 70, but continued till HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 165 within a few years of his death (in 1889) to give valuable assistance to the college. He was a man of preeminent scholarship, and has made the fruits of that scholarship of great service to the world. To all who came under his instruction he was the beloved and revered instructor, the scholar and the Christian gentleman. As an adminis- trator his influence was strongly felt in the marked prosperity which attended the college during the 25 years of his presidency. After the resignation of President Woolse3% in 1871, his place was filled without delay by Professor Noah Porter, who was called to the presidency from the chair of moral philosophy and metaphysics, which he had held since 1846. The fifteen years of his administration was a period of stead}- growth and prosperity. The early years of his presidency were notable, from the fact that a permanent fund, raised by subscription and called by the name of President Woolsey, was established. This action Was followed by a continued increase in facilities for instruction. All the graduate and undergraduate courses not included in the departments of theology, medicine and law were in 1872 consolidated under the name of the department of philosophy and the arts. There was also an extension of the elective system, by means of which nearl}' one-half of the work of the last two years was left to be determined by the student himself from a large number of elective courses left open to him. To keep pace with new demands new professorships were established. vSome changes also occurred in the faculty from death and resignation. Additional buildings were also erected. In 1874-6 a new chapel was built on the northeast corner of the college square, and received the name of Battell Chapel, in honor of Mr. Joseph Battell, of New York city, from whose gifts the chief part of the expense was defrayed. The old chapel was rearranged at this time, so as to provide much needed recitation rooms. In 1882-3 a physical laboratory was erected on the south side of Library street. The expense of building and the necessary equip- ment for use were provided by Messrs. Henry T. and Thomas C. Sloane, of New York city, as a memorial to their father. In 1885-6 another dormitory was built, next to Farnam College, on the south, containing 42 suites of rooms, and of five stories in height. This was called Lawrance College, in memory of Thomas Garner Lawrance, of New York city, who died in 1884, while in his senior year. In these same years was erected Dwight Hall, so called in memory of President Dwight. The funds for this building were provided by Mr. Elbert B. Munroe, of New York city. The building is a beautiful one, and furnishes an attractive center for the religious life of the col- lege, with its reading room, its select library, its rooms for class meet- ings and general meetings. In 1876 the initial portion of the Peabody Museum of Natural History was built on High street, facing Alumni Hall, at a cost of 100 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. $U)U,(H)0. The expense was defrayed from a portion of the fine endowment provided by Mr. George Peabody, of London, in 1866. Another addition was the Observatory, for astronomical and physical researches, which was erected in 1882. In 1871-2 the libraries belonging to the Linonian Society and the Brothers in Unity were consolidated. The various schools connected with the college prospered during this period as perhaps never before. The vSheffiield Scientific School, the Art School, the Law .School, the Medical School attracted a large number of students and offered great advantages. The law school, in particular, received great impetus, and for the first time became worthy of the university. The divinity school also received import- ant additions to its funds, its professorships and its buildings. In 1873-4 West Divinity Hall was built, and a building (called the Bacon Memorial Library, in honor of Reverend Doctor Bacon) was erected in 1S81, to contain the reference library provided for by Mr. Henry Trowbridge, of New Haven. Just at the close of President Porter's administration Doctor William R. Harper was appointed professor of Semitic languages, while Mr. Arthur T. Hadley was called to the chair of political science. Both of these men have a wide reputation in their respec- tive departments. The continued progress so manifest under the administration of President Porter still continues under his successor, Timothy Dwight. In 1886 President Porter resigned, and was followed by Professor Timothy Dwight, a grandson of the former President Dwight, and who had hitherto been professor of sacred literattire in the divinity school. Soon after his accession an act of the legislature, in March, 1887, made legal the term university as applied to the corporation. From this time Yale became in name, what she had been for some years in fact, a university. The first official use of the name " Yale University " was in connection with the annual catalogue, published in 1886. During the period of President Dwight's administration up to this time (1891) there has been a marked progress of the university idea. All departments have been most closely linked together, and have, to a greater or less extent, participated in a common university life. There have been some changes in the faculty. Professor Barbour, called to the pastorate of the College church, in connection with the duties of the Chittenden profes.sorship of divinity in the year IS77, resigned in December, 1886, but did not leave until the close of the college 5-ear. Professor Elias Loomis died in 1889, having served the vmivensity 29 years. New men were called to new professorships. Notable mention may be made of the establishment of a professorship of music, to which Doctor Gu.stave J. Stoeckel was appointed in 1889. In 1888 a new building, called the Kent Laboratory, was completed, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 167 and named after the donor, Mr. Albert E. Kent, of Chicago, [t is located on the corner of High and Library streets. In 1889 a new building for the university librai-y was erected. This building is called the Chittenden Library, in honor of the Hon. Simeon B. Chit- tenden, of Brooklyn, N. Y., who generously gave the funds necessary for its erection. The year 1889 witnessed the completion of the Osborn Memorial Hall, on the southeast corner of the college grounds. This fine build- ing contains about twenty recitation and lecture rooms. It was the gift of Mrs. Miriam Osborn, of New York city, as a memorial of her husband, the late Charles J. Osborn. The old cabinet building was taken down in the summer of 1890. The removal of this building and the old chemical laboratory, in 1888, has greatly improved the college grounds. There is left but one of the old buildings in the line back of the old Brick Row, and that is the Treasury Building, formerly known as the Trumbull Gallery. With the completion of the Chittenden Library building the books belonging to the university library were removed into the new build- ing in 1890. The books belonging to the consolidated Linonian vSociety and Brothers in LTnity were at the same time removed from the north wing of the old library building to the south wing. On the east side of the college grounds a new dormitory is now ('1891) in process of erection. When it is completed one side of the proposed college quadrangle will be for the most part finished. It is hoped that the quadrangle will in a few years be completed. The old " Brick Row " will then come down and Yale will have as fine a quad- rangle or interior as any university in the world. Even now the beautiful elms still remaining, together with statues of Rector Pierson and Professor Benjamin Silliman, Sr., and fine buildings make the college campus an attractive spot, especially to the graduate who returns to renew the memories of the past. A new gymnasium on Elm street is being built and will probably, when finished, .supply the needs of the university in this direction for many years to come. By the death of Mr. and Mrs. Sheffield further benefactions have been received by the scientific school. Mr. Sheffield's house and grounds on Hillhouse avenue have been generously given for the uses of the school. Yale University is thus prospering externally. In breadth of instruction and in number of students it .stands among the first in the country. It has to-day (1891) 1,645 students, as against 1,076 five years ago. Its graduates have made their mark upon the public life of our country. As President Dwight well says in his last report, " It is a matter of much satisfaction to the authorities of the institution, and it may well be to all the graduates, that as the student community grows in its numbers and changes of various kinds necessarily occur 168 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. in its daily life and workings, the Yale spirit abides always the same — breathing itself into the mind and heart of every worthy student who enters the gates of the University and inspiring for their career ever afterwards all who go forth with its gifts into the activities of the world. It is this spirit which more than all things else makes the University what it is." The Yale of the future will be undoubtedly true to the spirit of its past, and under the administration of the second President Dwight, be blessed with further growth and prosperity. Her graduates, in whose hearts Yale University has a warm place, will ever wish for this result. The Connecticut Gazette \v^'A\\\ft first newspaper issued in New Haven. Its publication was begun in April, 175o, by James Parker, and soon thereafter was carried on by James Parker & Co., John Holt and others being associated with him. The size was small, the sheet being but lOj by l,5i inches, which was folded to make four pages; each page had two wide columns. The matter was largely local and there was but little resemblance to the newspaper of to-day. Other particulars in regard to it can best be learned from an announcement in the paper itself, as follows: " New Havex: " Printed by J. Parker & Company, at the Pest Office, near Captain Peck's, at the Long Wharf, where this paper may be had at 2s. 6d. Laivful Money, per quarter, if sent by the special post; or Is. lOd. Half Penny without Postage; the first Quarter to be paid at Entrance. "Note. — Thirteen papers go to a quarter, none to stop but at the end of the Ouarter. "Saturday, October l.st, 17.57." The i.ssue was suspended April 14lh, 1764, but July 5th, 1765, it was revived by Benjamin Mecom. In his announcement of the resumption of publication he stated that the price would l)e " two pence for each paper," and that no increase would take place in consequence of the stamp act. "All kinds of Provisions, Fire Wood and other suitable Country Produce will be taken as pay of those who cannot spare money." Mr. Mecom invited "the benevolent of all parties to send him an account of whatever novelties they think may be useful to their coun- trymen," and promised, on his part, the following: " Besides the help he hopes to receive from different Correspondents in this Colony and elsewhere, the Printer has sent for three sorts of English magazines, the Monthly Review of New Books, and one of the best London News- papers; these, together with the American Intelligence from Nova Scotia to (ieorgia, inclusive, and also from Canada, cannot fail to fur- nish him a con.stant stock of Momentous materials and fresh advices to fill this (lazette. " Benjamin Meco.m, at the " July 5, 1765. Post office, New Haven." HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 169 The paper, as published by Mecom, was permanently suspended after the issue of No. 596. February 19th, 1768, having in its last year to contend with a rival paper, the Connecticiit Journal and Nciv Haven Post Boy, which was begun October 23d, 1767, by Thomas and Samuel Green. Some notices and items extracted from these early papers reveal strange practices and quaint ideas. Both poor whites and blacks were treated as chattels, and the rudest kind of punishment was meted out to law breakers. As examples: " New Haven, March 5, 1762. " Last Saturday afternoon, David Slusher and James Daley were cropt, branded with the letter Bon their Fore-heads, and received each of them Fifteen .Stripes on their naked Bodies, pursuant to their sen- tences, for sometime since breaking open and robbing the shop of Mr. Philo Mills, of Derby." " A likely Negro ]Veneh and Child to be sold. " Inquire of the Printer. " To be sold by the Subscriber of Branford, a likely Negro Wench, 18 years of age, is acquainted with all sorts of House Work, is sold for no fault. " June 15, 1763. "Just Imported from Dublin, in the brig Darby. •■ A parcel of Irish Servants, both Men and Women, to be sold cheap, by Israel Boardman, at Stamford, 5th January, 176-1." " The subscribers having erected a Powder Mill near this town, would hereby inform the public that they are ready to receive any quantity of Salt Petre for Manufacturing into Powder. " is.aac doolittle. " Jeremiah Atw.\ter. "Who want to purchase a quantity of Sulphur, for which they will give a generous price. " July 10th, 1776." " Any Gentlemen, Farmer or others, that may have any juice extracted fromi Corn Stalks, which they are desirous of having distilled into Rum, are hereby notified that the subscribers, Distilleres in the town of New Haven, will distill the same on shares, or otherwise, as they can agree. And those who please to favor them with their employ, may depend on having the strictest justice done them, and their liquor distilled to the fullest proof. Or any person that would rather dispose of said juice or Corn Stalks, on delivering it at the Distillery, will receive the Market Price: and every favor will be most gratefully acknowledged by the Public's very obedient servants, "Jacobs & Israel. " September 24, 1777. " N. B. — Private Families may have Cider distilled for their own use by Jacobs & Israel." 170 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The /(wr«(?/, from which the two last extracts are taken, did rot find it smooth sailing altogether, as the following notice will show: " '■' .;■. ■" We are very sorry that we cannot procure a sufficiency of paper to publish a whole sheet; but as there is now a paper mill erected in this town, we expect, after a few weeks, to be supplied with such a quantity as to publish the Journal regularly on a uniform sized paper, and to be able to make ample amends for past deficiencies. " July 3, 1776." The usual size of the paper was a sheet 14 by 16 inches, with three columns to a page. It was printed in an office near the college. After having many publishers and a varied career extending through more than half a centtirv, the publication of this paper was suspended with No. 3,517, April 7th, 183.5. In addition to the foregoing there have since been so many ventures in journalism that the names of some of the most important ones only can here be given. The facts pertaining to them were arranged by a former librarian of Yale. In 181)1 the principal papers published m New Haven were the following: Morning Journal and Courier, Evening Register, Palladium, Union, Morning News, Yale Neivs and Connecticut Rcpubliekaner, all dailies. The weeklies were the Colinnbian Register, Connecticut Herald and Journal, Palladium, Union, Connecticut Frcie Presse, Connecticut Republi- kancr, Connecticut I'olksblatt, Nutmegs, Standard, Workmen's Advocate, ]Vcekly Record s.r\A Shore Line Times. Less frequently are issued the old and popular American Journal of Science, a bi-monthly, established in 1818 by Professor Silliman; the Ncii' Eiiglander, also a bi-monthly, established in 1843; Looniis Musical and Masonic Journal, a monthly, published since 1867; the Yale Literary Maoazine, established in 1836; the Yale G'wr^r;//, established in 1865, all of which have well merited reputations. A number of other publications were established more recently, some of which have been successfully continued, as the Household Pilot and Modern Queen, while others suspended after a short existence. Among the dailies the [Palladium is the oldest, dating from 1841. The Weekly Palladium was founded in 1829. It is a large, well edited sheet, strongly republican in politics. A fine printing house is occupied. The Neiv Morning Journal and Courier is the largest daily in the city, and its weekly issue the oldest, its history dating from October, 1767, when Samuel and Thomas Green first issued their Connecticut Journal. The paper has seen many changes, but under the Carring- tons has become a staid, conservative and reliable paper, who.se poli- tics are also republican. The weekly Columbian Register was founded in 1812, and has since HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 171 been uninterruptedly issued. Since 1842 the Reoistci- has been issued daily, and its circulation has become greater than that of any other paper m the state. Minott A. Osborn was for many years the con- trolling spirit of the paper, and since his death, in 1877, the editor has been Colonel Norris G. Osborn. It is the representative democratic paper, not only of the county but of the state, and wields a large influence. vSince 1884 a fine printing house on Crown street has been occupied. The Union was first issued as a Sunday paper, July 2Bd, 1871, and was devoted to the interests of the workingmen of the county. On the 1st of July, 1873, the Union became a daily and has since been so continued. Its politics in recent years have been democratic, and the paper is prosperous. The Nezu Haven lilornino Netvs is the youngest of the five dailies of the city devoted to general news. It was first issued December 4th, 1882, and it has steadily grown in public favor ever since. It is^ aggressively independent and very outspoken on all public questions, being the first paper in the city to distinctively occupy this position. The paper is very popular among the laboring classes of the county, " At different times book publishing has been very active. Durrie & Peck published Lovell's Readers, and several hymn books and other valuable works. Babcock & Co. published readers, school books, story books, etc. Horace Mansfield published Whitfield's Life and Sermons,, and sold 6,000 copies. Voyage Round the World 20,000, History of the Mexican War 30,000, Life and Voyages of Americus Vespucius 10,000, Bunyan's Life and Times 10,000, also Rus.sian War, Indian Wars, Livingstone's Travels, Life of Kossuth, Remarkable Events. Henry Howe, Esq., has also been a diligent book-maker and publisher- George S. Lester and William Gay have also done much to make New Haven a center of book publishing. H. B. Hubbard's newspaper directories, and Price & Lee's city directories have become well known everywhere."" The library privileges of New Haven are unu.sually fine and extensive, even aside from the great Yale Library and those of the several departments of that institution. The main Yale Library was founded at the same time the college was established, in 1701, when its projectors came together, each bearing his gift of books, which they placed in care of Reverend Samuel Russell, of Branford, for the benefit of the college, which they then and there founded. The library was removed from Saybrook to New Haven in 1718, and has had various quarters on the college campus, but recently occupying the fine building erected through the munificence of the Plon. S. B. Chit- tenden, a native of Guilford. A part also remains in the old library building, completed in 1844. Since 1807 a reading room has been maintained in connection with it. This library has practically *Elijah C. Baldwin's " Home World." p. 7ii2. 1~2 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. absorbed the principal society libraries of the college, such as the Linonian and Brothers of Unity libraries, the former established in 1769. In its keeping is also the Medical Library of the university. Of the department libraries that of the law school is the most extensive. It was commenced in 'lS■i^^, but was first placed upon a permanent basis in 1S73, through the efforts of the Hon. James E. English and others. It is kept in the upper story of the county court house and embraces nearly 10,000 volumes of law and reference books. The library of the Sheffield vScientific School, embracing more than 6,000 volumes, was begun in 1866. It received its largest and most valuable addition in 1869, when Joseph E. Sheffield added §4,000 worth of books to his former generous gifts to the school. It contains many valuable books. The librar}' of the divinity school is less extensive, but in its chosen field is very valuable. Henry Trowbridge was one of its most generous benefactors, his gifts beginning in 1870. A new building was ■erected in 1881 for the accommodation of the library. The other special libraries are filled with rare books and collections gathered in the course of many years, affording the patrons of the university unusual facilities for study and investigation. The aggre- gate number of books in all these libraries greatly exceeds one hun- dred thousand and is increasing more rapidly at present than in former years. This abundance of books in the university libraries long prevented the growth and proper encouragement of the other libraries in the city. One of the oldest of these was the Mechanics' Library, main- tained b3'a society of the same name from about 1795 until 1815, when it was merged with the Social Library, incorporated in 1810. It had succeeded in gathering together about 900 books, at the time of the union, and the latter had about the same number of books. The decline of the Social Library commenced in 1833, and seven years later its active existence ceased. That year its books were transferred to the " Young Mechanics' Institute." The latter body was organized in 1828 and had in 1840 426 members. It was, as its name implies, limited to certain classes. In August, 1840, its purposes were placed upon a broader foundation, and in May, 1841, the society was incorporated as " The New Haven Young Men's Institute," whose organization has been continued until the pre.sent time. In recent years, however, the institute has become less a lyceum and more exclusively a library. In the fifty years of its existence it has been a useful agent in the city, for many years maintaining class instruction and courses of lectures, by eminent and noted men. In this period its fortunes varied very much. In October, 1856, the institute occupied its new building (the present Palladium Block), which it sold in 1864, in consequence ■of a debt of $22,000. The pre.sent building was occupied in 1878. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 173 The library of the institute now has more than 12,000 volumes, and enjoys a fair degree of prosperity. The Free Public Library of New Haven* was established by the city government in 1886. It is the first of the kind in the state created by municipal action, without any previous library as a foundation. For some years prior to the founding of this library a fruitless effort was made to establish a free library by the joint action of the Young Men's Institute and the city of New Haven. That purpose having failed, the city in the year named decided to act independently, and appro- priated for that object $6,000 in 1886, and a like sum for 1887. An organization was effected by choosing a board of directors, which is to include the mayor of the city as an cx-officio member. The first board was composed of James N. States, C. T. DriscoU, C. S. Mersick, Benton Mansfield, Joseph Porter, C. S. Hastings, Charles Kleiner, F. J. Bigelow, John H. Leeds and the mayor, Samuel A. York. Later Willis K. Stetson was chosen librarian. Rooms for the use of the library were leased at 739 Chapel street, where its reading room was opened, February 2d, 1887. On the 7th of June following the library proper was opened with about 2,n00 volumes. The demands upon it were soon so great that the supply of reading matter was found insufficient. The court of common council was now asked for an additional appropriation of $3,000, which was granted, and more books were purchased. The demand for more room also became very urgent. The success of the library encouraged the city to secure the pas- sage of a special act, by the general assembly, which authorized it to issue bonds to the amount of $100,000, to provide a suitable building. From the sale of these bonds a fund of $110,000 was realized, $70,000 of which was used in 1889 in the purchase of the Third church prop- erty, oppo-site the east end of the green. In 1890 $35,000 more was expended on the present library building, which was ready for use January 2d, 1891. These changes, under C. H. Stilson, supervising architect, resulted in an edifice capacious, attractive and substantial, both in its interior and exterior. Besides the library room proper, which has a capacity for more than 75,000 volumes, there are free reading rooms for ladies and gentlemen, distinct and separate, a reference library room, offices and a lecture room, with .sittings for 200 persons. Since 1888 the common council has appropriated $10,000 yearly for the support of the library, that being the maximum amount allowed by the act authorizing the library. By a decision of the superior court, in January, 1891, the library is entitled to the use of the Philip Marett fund, of about $65,000, the income of which will hereafter be devoted to the purchase of books. The library has more than 13,000 volumes of well selected books, *Frorn data by Willis K. Stetson. 174 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. and it is purposed to add to it at the rate of 3,000 volumes per year. The patronage of the library shows a circulation equaling ] '25,000 books per year, which is steadily increasing. This has already become a favorite and most potent educational factor, and has a large field of usefulness before it, since its benefits extend to every class of citizens. In addition to the foregoing, the New Haven County Bar Associa- tion has a library of more than a thousand volumes, mo-st of which have been gathered since 1877, but some of the volumes were collected for this purpose as early as 1848. In 1880 the law library of Alfred Blackman was added by bequest. This library is kept in the county court house. Since the organization of the New Haven Colony Historical vSociety, November 14th, 1862, that body has gathered a valuable library of about two thousand volumes and more than six thousand pamphlets, most of them treating on historical subjects. Its collection of cuYios and antique objects embraces a niimber of rare and valuable articles. In 1871 the Hillhouse High School building, now in use, was erected, after which the collection of a library was begun. About $.500 is expended annually for books of a reference and miscellaneous nature, and the library now has about 3,000 volumes. The first church of New Haven and the town are almost coeval, and for many years they were so intimately blended that the history of one was the history of the other. The planters of Quinnipiac, as has already been .stated, came here with a purpo.se to found a religious community. They were, with few exceptions, Puritans or Dissenters from the Church of England. Their leader was Reverend Jolin r)avenport, an ordained clergyman, who had been the vicar of St. vStephen's church, Coleman street, London, but who had become a non-conformist, and being persecuted, had sought the larger liberty of the New World. He was followed by many of his former parish- ioners and others in sympathy with him, so that, to some extent, he simply continued as the minister, with those changed conditions. Hence, their religious worship was scarcely interrupted from the time they left their old homes. Arriving at their new ones, in the middle of April, 1638, the first Sabbath was observed by holding a religious meeting under the branches of a large oak tree, which stood near the corner of George and College streets. Mr. Davenport preached on the temptations of the wilderne.ss, from Matthew iv:l. He left the recorded testimony that he " had a good day." Soon thereafter they observed a day of fasting and prayer, which prepared them to enter a covenant, the gist of which was that " they would all of them be ordered by the rules which the .Scripture held forth to them." Under this covenant they were enabled to live for a period without having a regular church organization, and thus learn each other's HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTV. ' 175 views and become acquainted witti each other's characters before formally uniting in a church state. It also enabled them to properly attend to their temporal affairs as a community having a common pur- pose but no prescribed forms to direct them. This probationary period was ended June 4th, 1639, when all the free planters (those properly qualified to become church members) were assembled in the large barn of Mr. Newman, where they solemnly proceeded to lay the foundation of their civil and religious polity. Mr. Davenport intro- duced the affairs of this occasion by preaching a sermon from the text: " Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars." A plan of procedure was now adopted by the 111 persons participating in this meeting. The sixth section of the agreement pertained especially to the church and was as follows: " Whether are you all willing and do agree in this, that twelve men be chosen that their fitness for the foundation work may be tried, however there may be more named, yet it may be in their power who are chosen to reduce them to twelve, and it be in the power of those twelve to chuse out of themselves 7 that shall be most approved of, the major part to begin the church." In accordance with this provision the following twelve men were then chosen for the foundation work of the church: Theophilus Eaton, John Davenport, Robert Newman, Matthew Gilbert, Richard Melbon, Nathaniel Turner, Ezekiel Cheever, Thomas Fugill, John Punderson, William Andrews and Jeremiah Dixon. In the course of a little more than two months and a half, after the matter had received proper consideration the major part, or the seven of the " foundation men," most approved of, were selected for the pil- lars of the church, viz.: Theophilus Eaton, John Davenport, Robert Newman, Matthew Gilbert, Thomas Fugill, John Punderson and Jere- miah Dixon. " By these seven persons covenanting together and then receiving others into their fellowship, the First Church of Christ in New Haven was gathered and constituted on the 21st of Augu.st, 1639."* The church thus formed was in its order Congregational, and in due course of time became known as the First Congregational Church in New Haven. Not long after the church was organized Mr. Davenport was properly inducted into the pastoral office, the elders of the Hart- ford church being present to assist in the ceremonies. The other officials were soon after elected. " It was held in tho.se days that there should be in every church, if possible, a pastor, a teacher, a ruling elder and one or more deacons. "f Robert Newman and Matthew Gil- bert were early elected deacons, and about 1644 the former was ordained a ruling elder. About the same time Reverend William Hooke was ordained teacher. The latter was practically an assistant minister. In 1656 he returned to England, where he became chaplain *Bacon's Discourses. tAtwater's New Haven Colony, p. 238. 176 HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. to Oliver Cromwell. Reverend Nicholas Street was ordained to fill the office of teacher, caused by his retirement, and was the colleague of Mr. Davenport as long as the latter remained, when, until his death in 1674, he was the only elder of the church, Robert Newman having also returned to England. In 1668 Mr. Davenport removed to Boston, where he died March 11th, 1670, 72 years of age. He was buried in the Stone Chapel burial ground at Boston, in the .same tomb with his friend, John Cotton. The first meeting house was built agreeably to an order passed by the general court, November 25th, 1639, and cost about £m). It was completed the following spring. The hou.se stood near the center of the market square or meeting house green, and was of wood, 50 feet square. In appearance it was like a truncated pyramid, surmounted by a •• tower and turret." There were also " banisters and rails on the- meeting house top." " The congregation was called together by the beat of a drum. A military guard was stationed in the house, which was surmounted by a tower, in which was a sentinel to give an alarm in case of any incur- sion of hostile Indians. Around the church were three pieces of artillery ready for use. It stood only about thirty years. In the meeting house the men and women were seated separately, and, according to the custom of the time, with regard to rank. The first drum was beaten about eight o'clock, in the tower of the meeting house, and through the streets of the town. At the second drum beat- ing, families came forth from their dwellings and walked in orderly procession to the house of God, children following their parents to the door, though not allowed to sit with them. The ministers in the pul- pit wore gowns and bands, as they had done in England. The children were placed by themselves. The place for the armed men, or soldiers, was near the door."* In 1662 the upper turret was taken down. This house was used for all the meetings of the planters. Being poorly built it gave place to a new one, which was ready for use in October, 1670. The following month the old one was ordered to be sold " to the town's best advant- age." This .second meeting house also had a pyramidal roof, with a bell- frv, in which, in the spring of 1682, a bell costing /:i7 was hung. In the fall of the same year the townsmen (selectmen) who controlled the house reported " that they had agreed with George Pardee for his son Joseph to ring the bell for the lown's occasion on the Sabbath and other meetings, as it was wont to be by the drum; and also to ring the bell at nine of the clock every night." This practice, with some .slight modification, has continued ever since. The second meeting house was enlarged, and the internal arrangement changed in 1699-1700. In that condition it was used until the winter of 1756, when the third, or brick, meeting house was erected. The two former hou.ses had been 'Henry Howe. HISTORY OF NEW H.WEN COUNTY. 177 built by the town, but this one was erected by the church itself It was a plain structure, oO by 72A- feet. The tower was at the north end, through which was an entrance, another was at the south end and a third from the east side, upon Temple street. The pulpit was on the west .side. It was demolished in 1813 to make place for the present Center church building, which stands a little west of the old site. The present edifice is the only one erected by the First Ecclesias- tical Society of New Haven. It cost about $34,000 and was dedicated December 27th, 1814. The house has been kept m good repair and is m an attractive and inviting condition, and has large accommodations. After the death of Reverend Nicholas Street, in 1674, the min- isterial and teacher's oflices were .supplied, for about ten' years, by Reverends John Harriman and Jo.seph Taylor. In August, 1684, Mr. James Pierpont became a candidate for the pastoral office, and ' July 2d, 1685, his ordination took place, and he was the pastor until Novem- ber, 1714. He was an able man and zealously worked for the estab- lishment of Yale College. He was also a leading member of the synod which formulated the famous •• Saybrook Platform." July 4th, 1716, Mr. Joseph Noyes, who had for three years been .. tutor in Yale, at Saybrook, was ordained as the successor of Reverend Pierpont, and for a score of years his ministry was peaceful and suc- cessful, when it was characterized by a troublesome period, in conse- quence of the controversy between the adherents of the .Saybrook Platform and those who dissented from it. As a result the church was divided and new organizations were formed in opposition to it, after it had been the sole religious body more than one hundred years. Mr. Noyes died in the pastoral office in June, 1761. Before his death, in March, 1758, Reverend Chauncey Whittlesey had been ordained as his colleague pastor, and succeeded him as pastor, serving the church until hi.'i death, in 1787. " The church and congregation were per- fectly united in him, and during the whole period of his ministry there appear to have been no division among them, and no alienation of this affection for him."-- Reverend James Dana, who had been pa.stor of the Wallingford church, became the next pastor of the First church, in April, 1789, and was dismissed in 1805. Doctor Dana was one of the ablest ministers of his time, but had become unfitted by age for the active duties of the pastorate. He was succeeded, m 1806, by Professor Moses Stuart, who remained four years, when he resigned to connect himself with the Andover Seminary. His short ministry gave a new impulse to the religious life of the church. Reverend Nathaniel W. Taylor became the pastor April Sth, 1812, and after a little more than ten years he also left to fill a professorship in a theological seminary. a *Dr. Bacon. 13 178 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Reverend Leonard Bacon was installed as the pastor March 9tlv 1825 and was in active service until September, 1866, but remained pastor aucntus until his death, December 24th, 1881. aged more than 79 years How well his able services were appreciated and how highly he was esteemed is shown by the tablet placed by the society m the south wall of the church, on the center of New Haven green: " By the Grace of God. Lf.ox.^RD Bacon a servant of Jesus Christ, and of all men for His sake, here preached the Gospel for fifty seven years. Fearing God, and having no fear beside lovmg righteous- ness and hating iniquity, friend of liberty and law. helper of Christian mission., teacher of teafhers' promoter of every good, he blessed the city and nation b ceaseless labors and a holy life, and departed peacefully into rest December 24th, lt<81. leaving the worid better for his having lived m it. Reverend George Leon Walker was the pastor from 1868 until 1872: Reverend Alphonso Noble, D.D., from November, 1875, until April, 1879; and the present pastor. Reverend Newman Smyth, D.D., ^^as installed September 20th, 1882. The parish of the First Society has 300 families, who turnish olJ members. The aggregate membership has been very large and has been reduced by the formation of many other churches, this body beino- truly the mother of all the churches m the county. The North Church, or Church m the United Society, is the oldest of the churches m the city formed out of the First church. It was oro-anized May 7th, 1742, of 18 male and 25 female members. In a few weeks the number was about 80. With few exceptions these had been " New Light - members of the First church, or such as had been brought to a consciousness of the need of a holier life, by the preaching in the "Great awakening '• by Whitefield, Tennent and James Davenport from 173.-. until 1743. The latter was a great-grand- son of the first minister of the town, and was emotional and zealous to an unusual degree. His inten.se earnestness secured him a hearing, and havino- a certain kind of eloquence he powerfully swayed the masses, many of whom began to lead reformed lives. The " awaken- in- " aroused great opposition and divided many churches into factions, cafled, popularly, "Old Lights," or believers in the principles of he "Savbrook Platform," and "New Lights," or those who dissented from that creed and gave countenance to the methods of the revival- ists in order to arouse a greater intere.st in church work. In New Haven the feeling was so strong that tho.se who withdrew from he Finst church were called " Seceders," and were treated with but little consideration. The " Old Lights " controlled the Ecclesiastical Society, and while under the Act of Toleration, the "New Lights mioht set up their own worship, they were not relieved from paying rates for the support of Mr. Noyes. The " Old Lights ' being m HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 179 po^ver. also passed oppressive laws to embarrass and suppress, if possi- ble, the " New Lights." In these matters there was so much feeling manifested that when Wathan Beers, a prominent man and a " New Light," removed by water from Stratford, in order that he might enjoy the services of Mr. Bird, " he could not find any willing to bring his effects from the vessel, and was obliged to go out of town and hire a farmer for that purpose."-- And after the •' New Lights " had made their arrano-e- ments to build a meeting house they were hindered in many peUy ways. Their building timber was cut into pieces, and it was found necessary to provide a guard to protect their property. An effort was also made by the society to suppress the work of building by making It appear as a nuisance. However, a lot on the corner of Elm and Court streets was secured, upon which the building of a meeting house was begun m 1744, and in the course of a few years it was completed. It was painted a lead color, and from this circumstance it was called the " Blue Meeting House." In the course of a few years it was enlaro-ed and a large steeple added to it. In 1748 a stated preacher was secured in the Reverend John Curtiss, but he was not installed as pastor. The first to serve in that capacity was Reverend Samuel Bird, who was installed October, 1751. He was a man of much ability, a popular preacher, '• whose form and manner were commanding, his voice powerful, his elocution handsome and impressive, his sentiments evangelical." The church rapidly increased in numbers and influence under his preaching, in spite of all oppressive measures, so that, in 17.j7, there were more members of the First Ecclesiastical Society (still the only one in the town) who favored Mr. Bird than those who favored Mr. Noyes, and they proceeded to vote the minister's salary to Mr. Bird. At this time the " Old Lights " had 111 votes, and "New Lights" 212. The old society was now very willing to consent to a division of the parish interests and to consent to the formation of a new society. Accord- ingly, in October, 1759, the " New Lights " were incorporated by the name of the " White Haven Society." For some time the feeling between the two societies was not of the most friendly nature, but a^t the end of fifty years the societies were altogether harmonious. .Mr. Bird's health failing, he was dismissed in 1767, and Reverend Jonathan Edwards was called as pastor. He agreed to accept upon condition that the Half Way Covenant, which the new church had adopted, and to which he was strongly opposed, .should be repealed. A major part agreed to do this, but 68 persons declined and protested against xVIr. Edwards' settlement. He was ordained January 5th, 176!), and at once, by his evangelical preaching, convinced those who had opposed him that their opinions were very diverse. Before the end of the year they withdrew and set up their own worship in the state *Henry Howe. 180 TIISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. house. They secured permission to build a meeting house north of the First church and put up one, which was ready for use in Decem- ber, 1770. In this building, June 20th, 1771, was organized, in due form, a .society with the name of the " Church of Christ in Fair Haven," which, as a matter of course, adopted the half way covenant. From the time of secession from the White Haven church, Septem- ber, 1769, tmtil a regular pastor was secured, in 1778, Mr. Bird fre- quently preached to them, and his connection gave the new church a standing which it might not otherwise have had. In February, 1773, Allyn Mather was ordained as the first pastor, and was dismissed in 1784 on account of sickness. In November, 1786, Samuel Austin was ordained as the second pastor, and the feeling between the two new societies had so far subsided that Doctor Edwards preached the ordi- nation sermon. He resigned in June, 1790, and was the last settled minister. In the White Haven parish Doctor Edwards continued until ^lay, 179.'), when he was dismissed, and that church was now also without a pastor. This made the way for a union possible, and November 27th, 1796, that object was accomi^lished, the merged bodies taking the name of the " Church of Christ in the United Societies of White Haven and Fair Haven." In 1815 the legislattire passed an act abbre- viating the name to " United Society," and since that time the church is known by the name at the head of this article. The United Society now having two houses of worship held meet- ings in each of them in alternate months, continuing this custom about 16 years, until the Fair Haven house was taken down to make room for the present North church. This was erected m 1818-14 by twenty members of the United Society who engaged to btiild it, receiving as their pay the old property of the society. This house is larger and cost about $38,000. It has been kept in good repair. Since the above union the pastors have been: Reverends John Gemmill, D.D., 1798-1801; vSamuel Merwin, 1805-31; Leicester A. Sawyer, 1835-7; Samuel W. S. Dutton, 1838-66;* Edward L. Clark, 1867-72: Edward Hawes, 1873 84; Theodore T. Munger, 1885. luirly in 1884 the church was strengthened by the absorbtion of the Third Congregational church, there being now nearly 700 mem- bers. The growth of Yale College and the difficulty in finding services adapted to the desires of many students induced the formation of Yale College Church, June 30th, 1757. President Clap encouraged the movement, and the church was inclined to the " New Light " doctrine. The pastors have been as follows: Reverends Naphtali Daggett, Samuel Wales, Timothy Dwight, Eleazer Thompson Fitch, George Park Fisher. At present there is no pastor. Forty-five families belong to the church, and there are several hundred members. 'Diorl lanuarv \liith. MGH, much lamented. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 181 The Third Congreo-atiorial Church was organized September 6th, 1826, and first worshipped in a lecture room of the First Society, on Orange street. In 1829 a meeting house m the eastern part of the city, on Chapel and Union streets, was occupied and used until 1839. Saund- er's Hall, on Chapel and Orange streets, was the next place of worship for two years. In 1841 and until 1846 a meeting house on Court street, now a Jewish synagogue, was used. The third meeting house was on Church street, opposite the east end of the green, which has been remodelled for the use of the New Haven Free Library. The congre- gation vacated it in 1884, when it was merged with the United or North church, on the green. This change was brought about by the movement of population toward the outskirts of the city and the too clo.se proximity of three Congregational churches in the center of the city. The Dixwell Avenue Church was organized in September, 1829, and was long known as the Temple Street church. The members are colored people, numbering 140. The present meeting house has only been occupied half a dozen years, since the house on Temple street was sold. Prior to this church many of the members were in full communion with the members of the First and Second churches. The College Street Church was formed August 31st, 1831, but did not have its own meeting house on this street until 1848. From 1836 until the removal the church occupied a meeting house on Church street. It has 368 members. The Church of the Redeemer was organized November 4th, 1838, as the Chapel Street church, the old building of the Third church, on Union street, being occupied. A new meeting house was afterward erected on Orange and Wall streets, when the present name was taken by the church. The Reverend John E. Todd has been the pastor since 1869. The church has more than 500 members. Mission ser- vices on Oak street are maintained by this church. The Davenport Chirrch began as a mission of the First church, the first chapel being on Franklin street. The church was organized April 22d, 1862. The chapel occupied was destroyed May 1st, 1864. In the course of ten years the new chapel on Greene street was given up and the present edifice occupied. The pastor since 1874 has been Reverend I. C. Meserve, and the chi:rch has nearly 600 members. The Howard Avenue Church was organized December 27th, 1865, and had as its first pastor the Reverend Orlando H. White. In his ministry the church edifice was erected. The membership, at first not large, has increased to more than 30t.). A number of the constituent members were formerly connected with the South Congregational church on Columbus avenue. The house occupied was completed in ]8o2, mainly by Gerard Hallock of New York, and for a time the church prospered. During the war the congregation was disrupted and as a consequence the Howard Avenue church was formed. The 182 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. building, after being occupied some time, was sold to the Roman Catholics in ISTn, and is now their Church of the vSacred Heart. The Humphrey Street Church had its beginning in a mission of the First church, which built a chapel in a section of the city not before supplied with church privileges. The church was organized June 23d, 1869, and has greatly prospered. There are nearly 350 mem- bers. The present fine church edifice was erected in 1882 and dedi- cated January 18th, 1883. The Taylor Church was also fostered as a mission of the First church. It was organized February 6th, 1871. The membership is small but increasing. The Dwight Place Church was organized with this name Decem- ber .'5th, 1872. It IS the successor of the Howe vStreet Church, and the latter properly followed as the successor of the Park Street Church, gathered about 1840. The church edifice at Dwight place was com- pleted in 1870, and is the third one occupied by the above bodies. The church is large and prosperous, the members numbering more than OOO. The Ferry Street Church, in the eastern part of the city, was organized April 28th, 1887. Two years later 58 members were reported. The Emanuel Church was organized of Swedish members Decem- ber 13th, 1888. The following 3'ear there were 44 members. The organization of a conoregation of Danes, as a free church, was still more recent. In addition to these some of the above churches are active in the work of extension and support missions in various parts of the town. There are also two flourishing Cono-regational churches at Fair Haven- and one at Westville. During the war for the Union, when the South Congregational church divided in consequence of political affiliations of the members, an effort was made to form a Presbyterian church out of some of the discordant elements and others. The attempt did not succeed. In 1885, however, another opportunity was offered to form such a .society after the dissolution of the Third Congregational church, and the First Presbyterian church was organized. The lecture room of the Third church was first used as a place of worship, but recently a chtirch building was erected on Elm street, west of State, which is now occupied. The church has a small membership, but is a growing body. In the order of time the Episcopalians rank second as a religious body in the town of New Haven. As early as the latter part of the Seventeenth century there were some churchmen here, and later much attention was directed to that belief, when, in 1722, the rector of Yale College and others declared in its favor. Nevertheless, thirty more *See account of Fair Haven. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 183 years elapsed before a church society was successfully established. Earlier efforts in this direction proved futile on account of the deter- mined opposition to any other organization than those of the Puritan church. Hence, the purpose of Reverend Jonathan Arnold, in 1736-8, to form a society and build a church upon a tract of land devised for that object by a churchman in London, proved unsuccessful. Nothing effective was done until 1752, when Enos Ailing and Isaac Doolittle purchased a lot for a church, which was properly the beginning of Trinity Parish, which is the oldest Episcopal organization in the town. In 1753 Reverend Ebenezer Punderson, a missionary of the " Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," took up his resi- dence here as the first settled minister. He was succeeded by Rever- end Solomon Palmer, and the latter in turn by Reverend Bela Hirb- bard, whose ministry here began in 1767. Both were missionaries of the London Society, but after 1785 the parish solely supported Mr. Hubbard. Like his predecessors, he was a native of this county, and had also graduated from Yale. His record of parish work reveals the fact that in 1772, " the souls, white and black, belonging to the church in New Haven are 503, and in my church in West Haven there are 220." This was an increase of about one-third over the number belonging when he became the minister. In 1770 the officers of Trinity parish were, as recorded in Mr. Hub- bard's "Notitia": " Mr. Isaac Doolittle and Capt. Stephen Mansfield, Church Wardens; ]Mr. Enos Ailing, Clerk: Capt. Christopher Kilby, Capt. Abiathar Camp and Mr. John I\Iiles, Vestrymen; James Powers, Sexton." The small church built in 1753 was enlarged in 1788, and a bell hung in the belfry in 1793. The following year the building was painted. Side galleries were projected in 1797, and a stove was sup- plied in 1806. Gn the 6th of December, 1812, Doctor Hubbard died, after having been for nearly 45 years the minister of the parish, as missionary and rector. He was an able man and much beloved by the entire com- munity. In 1812 the parish received the consent of the town to erect a new church on the green, and a site on the south central part was set aside for its use. The corner stone was laid May 17th, 1814, and when the church was consecrated, February 22d, 1816, it was claimed for it to have been the finest Gothic church building in New England. In 1884 it was much enlarged and improved, and now has 1,400 .sittings. The first minister in this new Trinity church was Reverend Harry Crosswell, who was the rector of the parish from January 1st, 1815, until his death, March 13th, 1858. The following year the Reverend Edwin Harwood was elected rector and still so serves. The parish has been very active in the extension of church work, and the rectors have had the service of many colleague ministers. In_1890 there were 184 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COTNTV. in the parish 470 families, 039 registered communicants, and a total expenditure of S]8,()Ul> for church and charu.ible purposes. St. Paul's Church had its origin as a chapel for Trinity parish. The chapel was occupied in lS3t),and the services were mamtained by Trinity until the spring of IS4.i, when St. Patxl's parish was created, with Rever- end Samuel Cooke as the rector. The church was improved in 184."), and enlarged and renovated in 1873. This parish is also very prosperous, having 500 families, 1,600 individual members and more than 7,000 communicants. Since October, 1870, the rector has been Reverend Edward S. Lines. In 188!) a parish house was built, at an outlay of $27.0011, and more than S'>8,0(t0 was raised to carry on the church work. St. John's Church had its origin in ]8r)l as a mission of St. Paul's parish. It prospered so much that it became a separate parish in 18.')7. It has llf) families and 205 registered communicants. The Church of the Ascension also originated as a mission chapel of St. Paul's, and in the same year as the above. It became a separate parish on Ascension day, 1868, hence the name. For its use a new edifice of stone was con.secrated July 12th, 1883. The families in the parish number 229 and the communicants 288. St. Thomas' Church was organized in 1848. A temporary brick chapel was occupied in August, 184U.and the present stone edifice was built in 1854, and was consecrated on Easter, 1855. Reverend E. E. Beardsley, D.D., LL.D., has been the only rector of the parish, which has 162 families and 256 communicants. The work of the church is carried on at a yearly outlay of about $10,000. Christ Church was organized in 1856, in a chapel at the corner of Elm and Park streets. A new edifice was occupied in 1860, which has (ioo sittings. There are 280 communicant members. Grace Church was organized in 1871 in the Fair Haven section of the city. The church building has 400 sittings. In the parish are 145 families and 222 registered communicants. .St. Luke's Church and parish were organized under the direction of Trinity parish, in 1844, for persons of color. For a considerable time Trinity chapel was used as a place of worsliip. The parish reports SO families, 106 registered communicants and a house of worship hav- ing 197 sittings. All Saints' Chapel has the support, of 120 f.amilics. and there are ()8 persons enrolled as communicant members. To Trinity Chapel belong (51 families and 80 registered communi- cants. In addition tlicre arc in the town .St. James' parishes, at both Westville and Fair Haven East, noted in the accounts of these villages. Methodism was established in New Haven in the latter part of the last centttry, in spite of much indifference and strong opposition. In 1789 Reverend Jesse Lee visited this part of New England, and HISTURV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 185 preaching in the various towns several classes were formed. These were constituted the Middletown Circuit, of which Reverend John Lee was the preacher in charge in 1790. The class in New Haven county numbered nine members. In 1792 Samuel Pool and his wife Martha removed to the city from Farmington, and were the first resident Methodists, and their house became the preaching place. Later preaching was held at the house of William Thatcher, on York street, who came to New Haven in 1793. His wife, Anna Munson, became the first convert to Methodism in 1794. The following year the above four and Anna Mix were constituted the first Methodi.st class in New Haven by Reverend Daniel Ostrander, the circuit preacher. In 1795 the class bought the old Sandemanian meeting house, on Gregson street, which was their first public preaching place. Here they were much annoyed by the rowdy element of the city and their meetings were often broken up. They even attempted to destroy the meeting house, and on one occasion hewed the pulpit to pieces. Yet the church increased in numbers and a new house of worship was required to accommodate those who wished to attend. In-18n7 a frame building was put up, which was used fifteen years. In July, 1820, the society received liberty to build a meeting house on the northwest corner of the green. The corner stone for such a house was laid May 15th, 1821, and by September it was nearly completed when, on the 3d day of that month, a great gale demolished it. By proper effort the hou.se was rebuilt at once, so that it was ready for dedication ^lay 23d, 1822. It was erected largely by the means collected by Reverend William Thatcher, one of the original members of the church, who had, in the meantime, become a minister. The house was very large, but plain, and in its locality unsightly, hence in 1848 a successful effort was made to secure its removal from the green. A fine and cen trally located lot, on the opposite side of Elm street, was secured, upon which was erected in 1849, the present First Methodist church. The property is valued at $00,000, and the members belonging number more than 500. Methodism has secured a strong foothold in the town, there being now a dozen churches, more than ^300,000 worth of property and over 3,000 members. The Ea.st Pearl or Fair Haven Church was organized about 1830. It is very prosperous. The St. John Street Church was organized in 1840. Its church edifice was erected in 1845. It is valued at $30,000. The membership is large and increasing. The George Street Church worships in a hou.se erected in 1853 and since enlarged. There are more than 200 members. It has lately become known as Grace church. The Dixwell Avenue or Summerfield Church had its origin as a mi.ssion started in a carriage shop in 1871. Its church edifice was erected in 1875. 186 HISTORY OF NEW H.WEN COUNTY. The Howard Avenue Church was organized in 1S72, and the Haven Memorial Church later. The Trinity Church wa.s formed in 1SS2, when several societies united to constitute this body. On a fine lot on the corner of Dwight place and George street a large edifice was erected at a cost of $50,000, which was dedicated February 18th, 18S3. It has been remarkably prosperous, having nearly 900 members. There are also a German Methodist Episcopal church on George street, and three societies of persons of color, entertaining Methodistic belief. These are the Bethel A. M. E. church, on Sperry street; the Zion A. M. E. church, on Foote street ; and the Union American church, on Webster street. In none of these is the membership large, but is slowly increasing. The Baptists have in the city the following organizations: The First Baptist Church was formed in October, 181(3, with twelve mem- bers. In 1889 about 700 members were reported. Their first house of worship was dedicated July 27th, 1824. In the course of ten years It was enlarged and subsequently improved. In 1842 a number of members left to form the Second Baptist church, whose organization was kept up a score of years. In 180,5 its members and interests were united with the First church, and soon after a larger edifice was provided. It was dedicated in November, 1871. In March, 1882, it was damaged by fire to the amount of $25,- 000, but was thoroughly repaired. It is now valued at §60,000. It is generally called the Wooster Place church. Immanuel Baptist Church was organized in 1856, and is composed of persons of color. The congregation secured its building on Day street in 1882. There are IGo members. The German Baptist Church was organized in 1868, of 24 persons, who withdrew from the First church for that purpose. Its house of worship on George street is valued at ><16,000. There are about 150 members. The Calvary Baptist Church, organized in 1871, has become a very prosperous body. The church edifice has 1,500 sittings, and is valued at §110,000. In the neighborhood of 700 members belong to this active body. The Grand Avenue Baptist Church, organized in 1872, has over 200 members. Hope Baptist church was recently organized in a chapel where Sunday schools had previously been maintained. A vSwedish Baptist church was organized in 1882, and a Danish one in 188(5. Both are small. German Lutheran congregations were organized in 1865 and in 1885. The Swedish Bethe.sda Lutheran church was more recently organized. Congregations of members professing the faith of the Second Aventists have been organized, one, on Beers street, being at present in existence. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 187 The Universalists have had several societies, the Church of the Messiah, on Orang^e street, continuing- its existence. It dates from 1850. The Second Universalist church was organized more recently. In the city are four congregations of Hebrews, and this sect has been steadily increasing. They became a fixed part of the population about 1840. Two years later their place of burial at Westville was opened. The first Hebrews here were Germans, and in 1849 a rabbi was secured. In 1856 the first regular synagogue was opened. In 1881 a congregation of Russian Jews was gathered, and one of other nationalities later. The introduction of Catholicism was comparatively recent. But few members of that faith lived in the state before the beginning of the present century, and the church in the county has had its principal growth in the past fifty years. The first general account of this denomination appeared in the Connecticut Journal, January 28th, 17'.)6, and is as follows: " The Roman Catholics of Connecticut are informed that a priest is now in New Haven, where he will reside for some time. Those who wish to make use of his ministry will find him by inquiring at Mr. Azel Kimberley's, Chapel street." The Catholics of that period were most of them French refugees, and for their especial benefit this ministry was provided. But not until the advent of the Irishmen as laborers upon the public works was it deemed advisable to set up the forms of the church and to administer its rites regularly. Reverend James Fitton is accredited with being the first permanent priest, and a parish in the diocese of Boston was organized. In May, 1834, the first Catholic edifice was consecrated as Christ church. The congregation in attendance on that occasion crowded the church so that the organ gallery fell down, killing two persons. In 1848 the church was burned, when a new edifice was purchased and consecrated as St. Mary's church, which was used until the commodious and elegant St. Mary's church, on Hill- house avenue, was occupied. It was erected in 1875, at a cost of $150,- 000, and is the finest and most valuable church property in the city. It is a fit evidence of the vigor and zeal of the congregation which occupies it. The parish has aided in planting a number of churches of its faith in the city and the suburban towns. St. Patrick's parish was organized in 1850, and the church build- ing occupied, on Grand street, was consecrated in 1853. Where stood the first Catholic church (Christ's) St. John's church was built and consecrated in 1858. Its church and school property is extensive and valuable, and the membership is very large. St. Francis' Church, in Fair Haven, was occupied in 1868. The Church of the Sacred Heart was occupied as a Catholic place of worship in 1875. Prior to this time, in 1808, a German Catholic church was organ- l<"^y HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. ized as St. Boniface. Worship was held in a hall until 1873, when the church edifice was consecrated. St. Michael's Church was the last organized. Its membership is composed mainly of Italians. The aggregate membership of the Catholic church in this city is very large, and at the rate it lias been increasing in the past .score of years, will soon equal that of all the Protestant churches combined. The cemeteries of New Haven are, as a rule, well kept and attractive. We learn from an inscribed marble slab affixed to the west end of the Center church, on New Haven green, that: " F'rom the set- tlement of New Haven, 16:^8, to 1796, the adjoining ground was occupied as a common place of burial. Then a new burying ground was opened and divided into family lots and city squares. In 1813 this church was placed over the monuments of several whose names are engraved on tablets in the vestibule. In 1821 the remaining monuments were, by the consent of survivors, and under the direction of the city, removed to the new ground." On that occasion appropriate ceremonies were observed, the Reverend Mr. Hill, the Baptist pastor, delivering an address. The old burial place was set aside, in conformity with the English custom, to inter the dead on ground' contiguous to ihe church. It was never attractive, and for many years it was surrounded by a board fence, painted a dingy red color. After the new place of burial was opened its u.se was gradually discontinued, the last interment there being made in October, 1812, being the remains of Mrs. Martha Whittlesey, who was buried by the side of her husband, the Reverend Chauncey Whittlesey. Both lie in the crypt of the church, which was properly improved by the society. In the sEime place lie the remains of Jared IngersoU, wdio died August 25th, 1781, at the age of GO years. He was a judge of the court of vice-admiralty, in the I\liddle district of America. Reverends James Pierpont and Josep'h Noyes rest at the same place. The Center church covers the tombstones of about 140 persons, whose names have been inscribed on the tablets placed in the vestibule. In the rear of the church the tombstone of the regicide Judge Dixwell has been preserved, and a monument has been placed over his grave in more recent years. Aside from these, more than eight hundred tombstones were removed to the Grove Street cemetery, where they have been arranged in alphabetical order, against the north and the west enclosures. The oldest one is that of Samuel Hod- shon, died August 2Gth, 1G73, aged nine years. He was a son of John Hodshon, whose estate after his deatli, in KIOO, was one wris, from Trinity College, of Hartford. Henry Baldwin Harrison, governor of the state of Connecticut from 1885 to 1887, was born in the city of New Haven September 11th, 1821, and received his elementary education in the famous Lancaste- rian school of John E. Lovell, whose assistant he was for several years. Entering Yale, he graduated at the head of the class of 1846, and then began the study of law and its practice with Lucius G. Peck, Esq. Mr. Harrison allied himself with the fortunes of the whig party, which elected him state senator in 1854, and from that time he has been more or less active in political matters, as he subsequently became an ardent republican, and was called a number of times to lead the forces of that party. He served his town with distinction and usefulness in the state legislature, and after being once defeated for governor was elected and was the governor two years, very creditably filling that office. His ability as an attorney gave him a reputation not excelled by any other in the state, and his fairness, smcerity and unimpeacha- ble honesty, whether in politics or m business, secured for him great esteem. In public and private affairs he has been progres.sive, always aiding where it would promote the greatest good. Since 1872 he has been a member of the corporation of Yale College, in whose welfare he has always taken a warm interest. In addition to Governor HarrLson, three more of New Haven's attorneys have filled that office: Roger S.' Balwin. 1844-6; Henry Button, 1854-6; and Charles R. Ingersoll 1873-7. Roger Sherman Baldwin was born in New Haven, January 4th, 1793, and was the second son of Judge Simeon Baldwin. He grad- uated from Yale College m 1811, was admitted to the bar in 1814, and practiced law until his death, February 19th. 1863, except when en- gaged in public capacities. His reputation as a lawyer was not con- fined to the limits of his state, and he was for many years one of the best known men in Connecticut. He was early a pronounced anti- slavery man, and when occasion offered, ably defended the cause of the oppressed Africans. After serving two years as governor he was 210 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. elected United States senator, in 1847, serving a term in that body. In 1860 he was a Lincoln presidential elector, and one of his last public actions was his service on the •' Peace Congress," in 18C1. He was a man of very earnest convictions, and everywhere devoted his great powers to to the cause of truth and humanity, being thus a most valu- able citizen. „ K.„o,-,, Henry Button, LL. D., was born in Plymouth, Conn., Febiuar> 12th 1796, and died at New Haven, April 26th, 1869. In 1818 he grad- uated from Yale, where he became a tutor in 1821 After teaching m the college two years he commenced to practice law at Newtown where he remained until 1837, then removed to Bridgeport. Inl847 he was appointed professor of law at Yale, and then took up his resi- dence at New Haven. He served in both houses of the general as- sembly of the state, and filled the office of governor one term, in 1861 he was elected judge of the supreme court of errors, and served until 1866, when he was unfitted by the constitutional limit of age tor lon-er service. He had a keen, discriminating intellect, and was an able and sound expounder of the law. In all his life he was pure and upright, and was highly esteemed by all who knew mm. Charles Roberts Ingersoi.i. was born in New Haven, September 16th, 1821, and is a .son of Ralph I. Ingersoll. He was educated at the Hopkins Grammar School and at Yale, graduating m 1840. In 1845 he was admitted to the bar of New Haven county, and has been a aw- ver ever since. He represented New Haven in the state legislature four terms In 1873 he was elected bv the democrats as the governor, and was reelected, serving until January, 1877. He declined a re- nomination, although strongly urged to again allow the suffrage of the state to be cast for him. He is able and popular m public and private life. _ ■ 4.1 ^„ ^f Tames Mulford Townsend, New Haven. Conn., is the son ot William Kneeland and Eliza Ann (Mulford) Townsend. and was born in New Haven, January 20th, 1825, and is seventh in descent from Thomas Townsend, or Townshend, who settled m Lynn, Mas.s in 1683 He descended from good revolutionary stock, his grandtather, Isaac Townsend, having enlisted at the age of 16 years, and .served until the close of the war for independence. On the east side of New Haven harbor runs north and south for a considerable distance a ridge of elevated land, sloping down westward to the water's edge. It is called " Bay Ridge.'' There are beautiful and picturesque landscapes along its western sides, and one ot he most beautiful of these is situated about three miles southeast of he New Haven Green, on Townsend avenue. Here is " Raynham tne estate of the late William Kneeland Townsend. and the family home of his .sons. Here reside James M. and George H. Townsend, the second and third sons of the family, who are living on the land their ancestors bought of the Indians, in addition to the original grant to their ancestors made over 200 years ago. HISTOKY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY, 211 " Raynham " is an imported name. It is in England the ancient family seat of the Townsends, and comprises 22,000 acres. The old moated Hall, located in the park, near the church by the river side, and builded of Roman brick, A. D., 1200, is a picturesque ruin. The family mansion is in the center of the 22,000 acres, and on either side of the same is a lawn of 400 acres. It was builded by Sir Roger Towns- hend, the Puritan baronet, early in the seventeenth century (1630). Sir Roger died January 1st, 1637, aged 41 years. " Raynham " in England had at that date been the residence of the Townsend surname nearly 400 years, for as early as February 16th, 1466, a Townsend will directs that the body of the testator be buried in "the church of St. Mary's, Raynham." But the present mansion, which has sheltered so many generations .since, was builded by Sir Roger Townshend, the Puritan baronet, in 1630. When in England in 1891, the subject of this sketch, together with his grandson, Winston Trowbridge Townsend, visited the old family mansion at " Raynham " upon invitation of the present owner (the most Noble The Marquis Townsend, whom Mr. Townsend met in Paris, and received from the Marquis a most cordial reception). The parties in charge of Raynham Hall entertained Mr. Townsend and his grandson most hospitably, and upon leaving gave them a large hamper filled with most delicious hot house grapes (and other fruits), some of them lasting until their arrival home in New Haven, Conn., and on the day of sailing a basket of most beautiful flowers Mr. Townsend received from the Raynham Hall garden. In family loyalty the ancient name has been given to the beautiful estate, " Raynham," on the east side of the New Haven harbor. This " Raynham " was purchased by William Kneelaud Townsend, father of James M., from his father and uncle some years before retiring from mercantile pursuits in 1830. It was part of the original grant of the New Haven colony to William Tuttle, the maternal ancestor of his wife. At the same time it included land purchased from the In- dians. There William K. Townsend passed the remainder of his life, occupying his time in scientific agriculture, and bringing up his family in enterprising American fashion. When the school days of James M. were over, he became clerk in an importing house in New York. Then for three years he carried on the clothing trade in New Haven, the firm being Knevals, Hull, Townsend & Maltby. But retiring from mercantile life, he became secretary and treasurer, and afterward president of the City Savings Bank of New Haven. He has served in several prominent financial positions besides. He has been a director of the Quinnipiac (now Yale National) Bank, and also for 16 years a director of the New Haven Bank, in which his father, grandfather and great-grandfather served as directors. He has also been director, vice-president and president of the Shore Line Railroad Company, a director of the 212 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. New Haven & Derby Railroad Company, a director of the New Haven Clock Company, and also a director and treasurer of the Gettysburg- Railroad Company, Pennsylvania, besides being a life director of a number of public societies of New Haven, executor and trustee of large estates in Connecticut and western states, also director in rail- road and other corporations in other states. These meager outlines of business relations are only .suggestive of many others, and of Mr. Townsend's prominence in the financial world. The positions of trust he has refused far outnumber those he has accepted. In all these relations he exhibited untarnished honesty -and integrity, adorned by careful attention to business trusts. There is one enterprise of his business life which cannot be passed over without a more particular notice. It concerns the development of the petroleum industry in this country- (See Atwater's " History of the City of New Haven," McCarthy's '• History of Petroleum," and Pro- fessor I. L. Newburry, LL. D., of Columbia College, New York, article in Harper's Magazine for October, 1890). The presence of '• rock oil " in the earth has been known for a very long period, but how to obtain it in large quantities so as to make it a commercial product was a puzzle to both capital and labor waiting for employment. The Penn. Rock Oil Company had been organized in 1856, and had purchased some 1,200 acres of land, together with a leasehold right to all the rights and values lying below the surface of the ground on the prop- ■er'ty adjoining the purchase, if evidence of oil should appear there, ■or upon which it was suppo.sed oil could be found, which lease ex- tended to a large area of Oil creek. Mr. James M. Townsend, of New Haven, was one of the chief stockholders. It was the company's policy to sublet rights to lessees for working on the oil district, and to receive a royalty on the product. But m October, 1857, a le.ssee m New York discovered what he regarded as a serious defect in the title by which the Penn. Rock Oil Company held its Oil Creek property, and grasped at the discovery as an excuse for throwing up his lease. The prospects of the company became greatly clouded, but one man, Mr. Townsend, did not lose faith in ihe venture. Mr. E. L. Drake was at that time a conductor on the New York & New Haven railroad, and like Mr. Town.send, boarded at the Tontine Hotel in New Haven. Weary and sick, Mr. Drake inquired of Mr. Townsend what topics of special interest were filling his thoughts, -and conversation drifted to the condition in which the Penn. Rock •Oil Company found itself. As Mr. Drake needed recreation, since he was just recovering from a severe fever, Mr. Town.send pro- posed that he should go to the company's property in Pennsylvania, examine it, perfect the title, and report what he might find. Mr. Townsend furnished Mr. Drake with the essential equipment in money, and he visited the oil regions. He reported that the oil, pos- sessing medicinal properties confirmed by the Seneca Indians as a cure ^* '^^^^^'if--^^^<^C£yU-'^^^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 213 for rheumatism, could be collected in paying quantities, and sold by the bottle or the gallon. Upon the strength of this report, Mr. Town- send at once organized " The Seneca Oil Company," putting Mr. Drake forward in the organization in place of himself, and furnishing nearly all the capital. Immediately after the organization of the company the bulk of the stock, taken in Mr. Drake's name, was transferred to Mr. Town.send, who had furnished the money, and Mr. Drake was appointed manager on the field, voted a salary of $100 a month and entrusted with $1,000 to proceed to Oil Creek and begin operations. But progress was slow and discouraging. It was proposed at last to bore a well after the manner of the salt wells of New York. The salt works at Syracuse, N. Y., were visited and a well borer secured, but the process of boring rock was slow in those days, and as the months passed by several of the stockholders lost faith in the plan of boring and fell out of the company. At last only two were left and Mr. Townsend, who was the principal capitalist and had been the most enthusiastic, was one of them. He sent forward as a last installment of money $500, with instructions to Mr. Drake that if he had not "struck oil" by the time the money reached him, to settle all bills, pack up and come home. But on the day before the money arrived — the memorable 29th of August, 1859 — the auger, now down 68 feet, fell through into the oil reservoir, and the oil flowed up to within a few feet of the surface. This was the opening of the great industry in "Rock Oil," which has since grown to such enormous proportions in the market quotations of the world. Mr. Townsend gave his brother, Captain Chas. H. Town- send (who commanded the steamships "Fulton" and "Ontarion" to Havre), a small bottle of the oil, which was probabh^ the first petroleum ever taken to Europe. Captain Townsend had an analysis made by a celebrated French chemist, who reported "the lubricating, illuminat- ing and other qualities are such if there is much of it in your country it will revolutionize the world." The I'^euaugo Spectator, published in the very heart of the oil cotin- try, says of ]\lr. Townsend: "Drake was in fact his foreman. It is no more than right that Mr. Townsend should have at least a full share of the honors of a pioneer in developing the great product which has revolutionized the world. If General Grant captured Vicksburg, Mr.. Townsend bored the first successful oil well in Venango county." But other phases of character in Mr. Townsend appear as conspicu- ous as the very honorable part he has borne in business, and a sketch of him would be very incomplete without a view of them. From boy- hood days he has been greatly interested in military organization and military movements. The peculiar manners of the military chieftain are natural to him and the liking for military life drew him into membership of the New Haven Grays, of which company he is now the living .senior captain. The "Grays" is a military organization dating from 1816- 214 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. or the close of the war of 1812, and is proud of its history. Young Mr. Townsend entered with all ardor into the life of the company and when only 31 years of age, became captain. Though from fail- ing health he was obliged soon to retire from his position, his en- thusiasm remained at its height. Later he was again called to the captaincy and was always one of the most popular commanders. But the country was advancing to the war of the rebellion. Mr. Townsend deprecated the drift of events and favored at the begin- ning .some compromise that would save the slaughter of America's sons, but when the first gun of the rebels emptied its terrible charge upon Fort Stimter, all hesitancy and compromise as a policy to be followed passed out of his thoughts, and Mr. Townsend's ardor to vindicate the authority of the old flag kindled to a white heat. The "Grays"' went to the front, and Mr. Townsend out of his private purse did much for the equipment and comfort of the company in re- spects not provided by the government. He afterward visited the company on the battle field, gave each member a silver souvenir, on which the members had engraved oc- currence, name and date. Some of those given are preserved to this day and carried about in the "Gray's" pockets. When the first three months of service were over a new organization was decided upon, formed out of the "Grays," and Mr. Townsend was appealed to to al- low his name to be given to the company. It was named the "Town- send Rifles." The Union flag he presented to the company was the first of Its kind raised in Georgia after the rebellion began (see Neii' Novell PalladiKiii, May 8th, 1802), and it floated in the van in more than one victory. Mr. Town.send watched the fortunes of the "Rifles" with intense interest, was the patron of the "boys" on the field and of their families at home, adding constantly to the comfort of both and bear- ing a heavy load from his private funds. He showed his fondness for the "Rifles" by sending out monthly during the entire three years boxes filled with clothing, or other comforts, and the families of the soldiers had only to fill smaller boxes with their gifts and tokens of love and send them to him. They were enclosed in his larger boxes and went without any expense to the soldier or his family. Major General Eaton, of the commissary department of the army, had all confidence in Mr. Townsend that nothing contraband would be en- closed. Accordingly he directed that no box sent by him should be opened for inspection, and no box was opened, and not one of all those sent during the entire three years was lost. Never did .soldiers have a kinder, more thoughtful patron. He was also enthusiastic in recruiting the army from other sources. When volunteering began to lag and it was desired to fill up the quota of his town. East Haven, he offered every East Havener, who would enlist, five dollars, and on mu.ster-day paid the amount to the volun- teers. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 216 Mr. Townsend was the warm personal friend of Governor W. A. Buckingham, and Governor Buckingham was accustomed to seek con- fidential counsel of him in the conduct of the affairs of state, when the war was at its height and much money to be paid for supplies, the soldiers and other things. Governor Buckingham appointed him pay- master general of the state of Connecticut, but owing to press of other business, Mr. Townsend declined the honorable position. When the "Townsend Rifles" came home he invited them to a ban- quet in the New Haven House. "The Connecticut War Record," speaking of the soldiers separating that night, .says: "Each paused and grasped the hand of their liberal patron with that deep and fer- vent gratitude which is best expressed by quivering lips and moistened eyes." The generous impulses of Mr. Townsend here displayed only make it seem natural that the poor and suffering have an excellent friend in him. Hence in both public and private ways he has during all his adult life helped the needy. The New Haven Hospital enrolls him as a life director. Mr. Townsend has denied to himself the political preferments which his neighborhood and his friends have desired to confer upon him, and it is not too much to .say that he has himself only to blame for not wearing the highest state honors. Besides the smaller trusts thrust upon him in town and city, he was secretary of the whig con- vention, in Baltimore, which nominated Mr. Fillmore for the presi- dency. He has frequently been delegate to state, congressional and national conventions. In his absence from the state he was nominated to the state senate, and although the majority in his district had been large against the party Mr. Townsend represented, he was tri- umphantly elected, running nearly one hundred ahead of his ticket in his own town of East Haven, and many were the felicitations. (See Neiu Haven Palladium, April 7th, 1864.) Mr. Townsend was appointed chairman of the military committee, and introduced the bill to the sen- ate formulating the present military law of the state of Connecticut, and with some subsequent amendments it is now the military law of the commonwealth. He declined a renomination to the senate, and also, later, when Marshall Jewell was elected governor, refused to be placed in nomi- nation for lieutenant-governor. And again, when urged to stand as a candidate for the governorship, refused to become the rival of a dear friend or to prejudice the chances of placing the name of Hon. (subse- quently Governor) Henry B. Harrison at the head of the party ticket (see New Haven Courier, December 10th, 1872). Mr. Townsend, like conspicuous members of the Townsend family, has been the warm friend of education. He has served on the board of education of the city of New Haven. In recognition of his efforts to improve the educational equipment of the school district in which he lives, his" neighbors in the same district presented him with a peti- 216 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. tion signed by nearly every voter in the district, requesting him to allow the district school to be called in honor of him "The Townsend Public School," but with characteristic modesty he declined the com- pliment and honor. Mr. Townsend has been active in Sunday school work; while a resident of the city of New Haven he was a teacher in the First Congregational church, of which Reverend Leonard Bacon, D. D., was pastor (and of which church he is still a member). After his removal to "Raynham" (then in East Haven) he organized a Sunday school in the immediate neighborhood, of which for some years he was superintendent, the outcome of which Sunday school is now the flourishing East vSide Methodist Episcopal church, Reverend Doctor Smith, pastor. "The Townsend Prize Fund," amounting annually to one hundred dollars, was his gift to the Yale Law School, and is offered to the stu- dent who shall write and deliver the best English oration in the best manner on graduation day. His own pen also often graces pages of the New Haven press. His letters of foreign travel and on topics of antiquarian lore, or legend or narrative, are as pleasing as the intellectual eye which sees is bright. His proclivities for good learning are inherited by his sons, and have come to their ripe attainment in them. His eldest son, William Kneeland, is professor in the Yale Law School, called Edward J. Phelps Professor of " Contracts, Admiralty, Jurisprudence and Torts." His other son, James Mulford, Jr., an eminent lawyer of New York, and a winner of the Townsend prizes of the academical department of Yale, and of the De Forre.st " Gold Medal," awarded to that scholar of the senior class who shall write and pronounce an English oration in the best manner, and considered the highest honor in the Yale Uni- versity, is also lecturer in the Law School on the " Transfer of Mone- tary Securities." Mr. Townsend is eminently a public-spirited citizen. He is now a member of the Park Commission of the city of New Haven, an office he consented to hold if unattended by remuneration. It is his ambi- tion to secure for the city the most eligible and capacious lots for parks, and at the same time provide ample and economical means of conveyance, so that for a few cents any person can visit ample and beautiful public parks in the city along the water front. On September Lst, 1847, Mr. Townsend married Miss Maria Theresa Clark, of Middletown, Conn., a lady of very amiable niiture and of many accomplishments of mind and heart. The family life was a close resemblance to ideal perfectncss, but she died April K>th, 1884. The two .sons already referred to were born to them— William Knee- land and James Mulford, Jr. Mr. Town.send is now living quite free from all care at " Rayn- ham," or traveling as he shall choo.se, or visiting his .sons. Besides the welcome which love gives, his social qualities are so agreeable a.s to make him a favorite among all acquaintances. CHAPTER IV. THE TOWN OF EAST HAVEN. Location and Natural Feature;..— The Pioneer Settlers.— Civil Organization.— Bridget^, Ferries, Roads, Etc.— Industrial Pursuits.— East Haven Village.— Religious and Educational Matters.— Cemeteries.— Military Affairs.— Biographical Sketches. THE original town of Ea.st Haven, as set off from New Haven, in 1785, was about six miles long and three miles wide, and was boitnded north by North Haven, east by Branford, south bj' Long Island sound, and west by New Haven, the Ouinnipiac river being the dividing line. Since the division, in 1881, the town retains its length, but is only a little more than half as wide, the New Haven line being moved east of the river to embrace the borough of Fair Haven East and contiguous territory. The old town embraced about 9,0(10 acres of land. Along the coast and the lower parts of the streams the lands were low and in some places marshy, but have been drained to some extent. In other parts the soil is light and in some places sandy, but much of it is well suited for truck farming. Many parts of the town are covered with rocky ledges, and sandstone and granite for building purposes abound. In some parts green stone also exists, but has not been utilized on account of the poor quality. These formations are in the hills, which trend to the south, and have in some parts an altitude. so great that their surface is unfitted for cul- tivation. In the central jDart of the town one of the most distinct elevations was called "Fort Hill," the Indians having used it as a place of defense. The north part being used for burial purposes was called •' Grave Hill." For many years Indian skeletons were there found, some of them being of large size. Another place of burial was on the old Ferry road; and evidences of Indian villages could be seen many years after the .settlement of the whites, at South End and other parts of the town. It appears that the town was a favorite resort of the Indians, who came here statedly to procure a supply of sea food and fish in the fresh water streams. The principal body of water in the town is Saltonstall lake, for- merly called Furnace pond. It lies on the eastern border and is about three miles long and from 100 to 400 yards wide. Its waters are clear and very deep. High hills hem in the lake, narrowing it to a point at its outlet, which is but a small stream. The attractive sur- 218 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. roundings have caused the lake to become a pleasure resort, and a steamboat has lately been placed on it for the accommodation of visitors. Stony creek or river is the longest stream. Its source is Pistapaug lake, in the northern part of North Branford, through which town it flows as the Farm river. Nearer its mouth it has a rocky bed, hence the name. Its supply of water is constant and it has some mill seats. The other streams of the town are small. The shore line and the Quinnipiac river afforded fishing privileges which were formerly very valuable. Large quantities of oysters were taken and their cultivation became an important industry. The first land purchased of the Indians by the projectors of the New Haven colony, November 2-lth, 1038, included a part of East Haven, for planting purposes. The second purchase, December 11th, 1638 — a tract eight miles east of the Ouinnipiac, five miles west of that stream and ten miles north of the sound — of course included East Haven. The constitution of the colony was signed June 11th, 1639, and soon thereafter, by 113 persons, many of whom ultimately settled m East Haven. Among the first signers were William Andrews, Jasper Crayne, Thomas Gregson, William Tuttle, John Potter, Matthew Moulthrop, Matthias Hitchcock, Edward Pattenson, Thomas Morris and John Thompson. Others were admitted to the colony, in the course of a few j'ears, who also located in the East Haven section, viz.: In 1644, Matthew Rowe, Ailing Ball, Edward Tooley, Thomas Robinson, Sr., Thomas Robin,son, Jr., William Holt, Thomas Barnes, Edward Hitchcock, Peter Mallory, Nicholas Augur; in 1648, Thomas Morris; in 1654, George Pardee, John Potter. Jr., Matthew Moulthrop; m 16.")7, John Davenport, Jr., Jonathan Tuthill, John Thompson: in 16.')S, John Chidsey (also spelled Ched.sey); in 1660, Thomas Tuttle and Nathaniel Boykim. The first divisions of lands made were within the town plot of New Haven and the home lots connected therewith, but the well located lands of East Haven early attracted the attention of the foregoing, who eagerly sought the privilege of settling on them. In 1639 Thomas Gregson petitioned for his second division at Soli- tary Cove,* but received no allotment until August 5th, 1644, when 133 acres were assigned him. On this he .soon after settled his family, the first in East Haven. Gregson was one of the leading men of the colony, but .soon after met his death. In 1647, in company with others of the principal planters of New Haven, he sailed for England with Captain Lambertson, and was lost on his ill-fated vessel, it is supposed in a storm at sea. His widow, Jane, .survived him until 1702, when she died, 80 years old. In 1678 and in 1716 the above tract of land became the property of George Pardee and George Pardee. Jr. *Now called Morris Cove. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 219" In 1640 Reverend vSamuel Eaton had fifty acres granted in the first meadow toward Totoket, at which place lands were also given to Will- iam Tuttle, who settled at Stony River about 1645; to Jasper Crayne and Benjamin Lingo. The former had his house on the east side of the green, but in 1652 sold to Matthew Moulthrop and removed to Branford. All of Tuttle's five .sons also removed, except Joseph. In 1649 Reverend John Davenport, pastor of the New Haven church, had a farm of fiOO acres laid out for him at Dragon Point, to- which Ailing Ball moved as his farmer, in 1650, and for a hundred years the place was known as the Davenport farm. In 1662 John Potter received a grant of land on which to build a blacksmith shop, and near by he bought the house of John Tuttle. The same year Samuel Heminway was granted land where is now the village of East Haven. That year he was also married to Sarah Cooper. They reared a large family and descendants remain in the town. Thomas Barnes settled in the northern part of the town, on land south of Muddy river. In 1667 William Fowler, of jNIilford, sold some of his land at the cove and on the creek which still bears his name, to John Austin, The latter was in East Haven as early as 1673, and in 1679 obtained land at the Forge dam. He lived on the road west of the " green." The neck of land beyond Solitary cove was granted in 1651 to William Andrews, Richard Berkeley, Matthias Hitchcock, Edward Patterson and Edward Hitchcock. The Andrews land passed to the Dennisons before 1664; Patterson's passed to his sonin-law, Thomas Smith; and Berkeley's to John Thompson, who came as one of the first of the New Haven colony. The Hitchcocks retained their land. In 169() Sarah Hitchcock married Jacob Robinson. The Little Neck was bought in 1671 by Thomas Morris, a ship- builder of New Haven, who died in 1673. The cove in that part of the town took its name from him. Between Dragon point and the ferry lived, very early, Matthew Rowe, who came to New Haven about 1650; Ailing Ball, on the farm north of Davenport's, and Eleazer Morris on the hill east. In the locality called Foxon's Farms Tnamed for the Indian Saga- more, Foxon), the village of East Haven granted lands, in 1683, to Robert Dawson, Thomas Pinion and James Taitor, who were the first settlers in that part of the town. In the same locality were, later, Matthew Moulthrop, the third, Benjamin and Ashur Moulthrop and Samuel Thompson, Jr. Edward Rus.sell, Isaac and Samuel Chidsey were pioneers in the same neighborhood, but in a later period of time. On Stony river and where is now East Haven village there were, besides those already noted, John Cooper, who moved here from New Haven about 1655, as the agent of the iron works. Deacon John Chidsey, a tanner and a shoemaker, who signed the New Haven 220 HISTORY Of~ XCW HAVEN COUNTY. colony constitution in 1644, settled here in 1681, having a house on the north side of the green, between John Potter and John Austin. Isaac Bradley came from Branford in 1674, and also lived near John Potter. Thomas Goodsell came from the same town in April, 1692, and soon after built the house which was long occupied by Azariah Bradley. William Luddington died at the Iron Works in 1662, but his sons, John and William, built houses in the village, and lived there, as also did Thomas Smith, Jr. Edward Tooley built south of Sergeant John Potter: Samuel Thompson's house was west of the meeting house; Thomas Robinson's was opposite; Captain John Russell was west of Mullen hill. Both he and his brother, Ralph, were employed at the Iron Works. The latter died in 1G79. Between the village and the river and northward lived Samuel Hotchkiss, Peter Mallory, Joseph Granniss and others of those before named. The descendants of some of these planters located in other parts, and in 1702 the following were taxed as living in the, at that time, village of East Haven: Joseph Abbott, David Austin, Joshua Austin, Captain Ailing Ball. Lsaac Bradley, Ebenezer Chidsey, Caleb Chidsey, Daniel Collins, James Dennison, Robert Dawson, Thomas Goodsell, Eliakim Hitchcock, Samuel Hitchcock, John Howe, Joseph Holt, Samuel Heminway, John Heminway, Widow Priscilla Thompson, Samuel Thompson, William Luddington, Henry Luddington, John Moulthrop, Samuel Moulthrop, Matthew Moulthrop, Eleazer Morris, Joseph Mallory, John Potter, Sr., John Potter, Jr., George Pardee, William Roberts, John Russell, Thomas Smith, Thomas Smith, Jr., John Thompson, John Luddington, Thomas Pinion, Joseph Granniss and William Bradley. In all there were 32 families and about 20(t persons. This was an increase of twelve families over ]()8!5, when the individuals numbered 121. In 1754 there were 61 families, nOO population and the following freemen: Theophilus Ailing, Joshua Austin, Daniel Augur, Samuel Bradley, Isaac Blakeslee, Zebulon Bradley, Daniel Bradley, Joseph Bishop, Jonathan Barnes, Nathaniel Barnes, Isaac Bradley, Stephen Bradley, Dan Bradley, Caleb Chidsey, Abraham Chidsey, John Chid- sey, Deodate Davenport, James Dennison, Daniel Finch, Daniel Finch, Jr., Samuel Forbes, Daniel Granger, Isaac Goodsell, Reverend Jacob Heminway, Isaac Holt, Caleb Hitchcock, Abraham Heminway, vSamuel Heminway, Daniel Hitchcock, John Heminway, vStephen Hitchcock, Daniel Holt, Nathaniel Luddington, Eliphalet Luddington, John Moulthrop, Dan Moulthrop, Amos Morris, Stephen Morris, Gideon Potter, Lsaac Penfield, Mo.ses Page. Eliakim Robin.son, Thomas Rob- in.son, Thomas Robinson, Jr., John Russell, William Rogers, Thomas Smith, Samuel Smith, Pattenson Smith, James vSmith, John Shepard, Benjamin Smith. Abel Smith, Daniel Smith, Jo.seph Tuttle, Captain HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 221 Joseph Tuttle, Samuel Thompson, Jr., Stephen Thompson, Joel Tuttle, John Woodward and Russell Woodward. In 1820 there were about 2(10 families and a population of 1,237. The town had ISfi houses, H mills, 1 store and a grand list of $15,661 ..-)S. The inhabitants sought parish or village privileges as early as 1677, when the general court was petitioned for that right, but did not grant it until 1680. Before this New Haven had consented to the arrangement in the following manner: " At a Towne meeting held in New Haven 24 December, 1678, and for the village on the East .Side, those inhabitants gave in their propositions to the committee, which they desired might be granted, which was: " 1. That they might have liberty to get a minister among them, for their minister, and keep the Sabbath in the way they ought. " 2. That boundary might be granted to them as high — i.e., north — as Muddy River. " 3. That they have liberty of admitting inhabitants among them for their help in the work and maintenance of a minister. " 4. That they may have liberty to purchase some lands of the Indians, near Mr. Gregson's — /. c, at the Cove — if the Indians are willing to part with it. "5. That what land of the Ouinnipiae is within Branford stated bounds the right of the purchase may be given them. " 6. Lastly. That thev may be freed from rates to the Towne when they shall have procured a minister." Thus being constituted a village, the inhabitants proceeded to do business practically as a separate corporation, but still being under the jurisdiction of New Haven. They elected officers, laid out and granted lands, etc., as they assumed they had a right to do, but which privilege was disputed, and the matter caused much trouble and expense, as all the village grants were not honored b}^ the authorities of the town of New Haven. The village granted lands in 1683 to John Chidsey and Joseph Russell, both on the north side of the present green. In the same year an allotment of lands was made, after the New Haven method, viz.: 20 acres to each family; 4 acres to each child of the family; and 20 acres for each ^100 in the list. One-half of the lands were laid off on the Stony river, joining upon those of the five men at Foxon, viz.: Joseph Abbott, Robert Dawson, Thomas Pinion, William Roberts and James Taylor. The persons to whom lands were allotted were: John Austin, Ailing Ball, Ailing Ball, Jr., Thomas Corner, John Chidsey, James Dennison, Joseph Dickerson, Samtiel Heminway, Eliakim Hitchcock, Nathaniel Hitchcock, John Liiddington, William Ludding- ton, Matthew Moulthrop, George Pardee, John Potter, John Rose, "222 HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Thomas Smith, John Thompson, Edmund Tooley and Edward Vickers. At the meeting March 2!»th, 1684, nineteen inhabitants were present when, on the question, " Shall we go forward in building a village?" all voted to proceed. Accordingly, they chose John Thompson, Matthew Moulthrop and vSamuel Heminway, selectmen: Samuel Hem- in way, clerk; and George Pardee, constable. But for some cause the village privileges were relinquished in lQSr>, and business was now transacted directly by the town of New Haven. This order prevailed until December, 1703, when the inhabitants voted to again take up their village grant, and "to that end cho.se Capt. Ailing Ball, Lt. Samuel Hotchkiss. vSamuel Heminway, Serg. John Potter, William Luddington, Esq., John Rus.sell and George Pardee a committee to manage the concerns of the village, in order to a settlement, accord- ing to the General Court's grant, and informed New Haven of their design." But they soon again came into conflict with New Haven on account of the division of lands, when they obtained from the general assembly a renewal of the grant of 1680. This led to the further movement to organize a distinct and separate village, which was practically accom- plished by the act of May, 1707, which bestowed upon East Haven .certain immunities enjoyed by other townsof the state. This carried with lit the privilege of having a church and schools separate from those of New Haven, and exempted the inhabitants from paying taxes to New Haven. Construing the act in the sense of a town charter, the inhabitants proceeded to elect town officers, laid rates, took charge of their own poor, and again assumed the right of dividing the common lands without the consent or approbation of New Haven. This claim of power was disputed by New Haven, which found a warm ally in Gur- don Saltonstall, who was elected governor of the colony in 1708. He had married the only child of William Rosewell, the owner of the old furnace farm, and was living at that place, unfortunately on unfriendly terms with his East Haven neighbors, whose geese had crossed over the lake and molested him by injuring his property. He killed some of the geese and in other ways so much aroused the ire of the people of this community that not a vote was here polled for him for gov- ernor. This slight irritated the governor, who, m 1710, influenced the a.ssembly to interpret the act of 1707 to mean the enjoyment of parish privileges only. East Haven protested, and the controversy as to the proper construction of the act continiied for some time. For many years the inhabitants continued under the jurisdiction of New Haven, excepting as they managed their own parish afl'airs. But ill the cour.sc of time the influence of the governor having pa.ssed away, a new generation made an effort to revive the powers conferred b}' the act of 1707 and memorialized the town of New HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN" COUNTY. 223 Haven and the general assembly to that effect in 17.-)H. For the East Haven people the petition was signed by Rosewell Woodward, Isaac Blakeslee, Daniel Holt and vSamuel Heminway, as selectmen, v.-hich would indicate that they probably had the organized machinerj' of a town at that time. The assembly again decided that East Haven was a parish only, and ordered the inhabitants to pay the general New Haven rates. After several more futile efforts to secure town rights the matter was allowed to rest until 1780, when the village became more urgent in its demands for the confirmation of the privileges granted by the act of 1707; and in line with that purpose they voted, January 1st, 1782, •' That Levi Pardee go around to the people to know whether they are willing to be a Town or not." The sentiment being in favor of such a movement, the object was prosecuted with renewed zeal, and after about eighty years of unavailing effort the town was at last properl}- incorporated. East Haven village or parish became a town by virtue of an act of the general assembly, May, 17So, and the meeting for organization was held in July of that year at the East Haven meeting house. After prayer and a sermon by Reverend Nicholas Street upon the inrport- ance of union and harmony in the new town. Captain Samuel Forbes, Captain Isaac Chidsey, Azariah Bradley, Joseph Holt and Amos Morris, |r., were elected selectmen; Joshua Austin, town clerk; Abra- ham Barnes, John Morris and John Wooler, tything men. A com- mittee was appointed to settle with New Haven, and it was voted that the warning of the town meetings should be the beating of the drum on Barnes" hill and at the old meeting house hill. The freemen who voted at this meeting were the following 38 per- sons: Reverend Nicholas Street, Amos Morris, Esq., Josiah Bradley, E.sq., Captain Lsaac Chidsey, Joshua Austin, Timothy Thompson, Caleb Smith, Daniel Brown, Samuel Heminway, Levi Cooper, Dan Holt, Samuel Forbes, Abraham Chid.sey, Jared Robinson, John Hunt, Dan Goodsell, John Dennison, Captain Stephen Smith, John Woodward, Captain Samuel Barnes, Joseph Holt, Daniel Tuttle, Daniel Augur, Samuel Townsend, Gurdon Bradley, Isaac Parker, Azariah Bradley, William Easton, Joseph Hotchkiss, John Robin.son, Edward Bradley, Stephen Thompson and Elisha Andrews. Under the villaofe grant clerks were elected and served as follows: First, Samuel Heminway; next, Ebenezer Chidsey, 1702 until 1726; Samuel Hotchkiss in 1727; Gideon Potter until 17.")7; followed by Isaac Holt and Timothy Andrews for short periods; Simeon Bradley, from 1763 to 1778, except 1768, when the clerk was Abraham Heminway; Joshua Austin, 1779, and was also the first town clerk; 1786 to 1806, josiah Bradley; 1800 to 1846, Bela Farnham; 1846 to 1864, Reuel Andrews; 1864 to 1878, Charles A. Bray; 1879-80, Asa L. Chamberlain; 1881 to 1891, Charles T. Hemingway. When the town was first settled New Haven claimed the country 224 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. east as far as Branford hills. This boundary line later became a matterfor dispute, as Branford claimed the country west to the Furnace pond, and made demand to that effect in 1649. New Haven ignored this claim, and in IGSG made grant of the Furnace farm to the iron company and 12 acres to the collier, both in the limits claimed by Branford. The matter was finally settled in 168.") by giving New Haven a .strip of land half a mile wide and extending to the northern limits of New Haven, from the point of beginning, half a mile east of the northern end of Saltonstall lake or Furnace pond. In 1789 these bounds were fully described, and the water bounds between New Haven and East Haven were also that year fixed, the line as finally agreed upon being the middle of the river. The East Haven Probate District was authorized at the session of the general assembly. May, 1868, and Charles A. Bray was elected the judge. The district was discontinued in January, 1888, by the terms of the act annexing a part of the town to New Haven. East Haven is now, as before, a part of the New Haven Probate District. East Haven was divided by an act of the general assembly, pas.sed January, 1881, and the part west of the division line was annexed to New Haven. A special town meeting was held May 2d, 1881, to ratify or reject the terms of the act. Those living in the part to be annexed voted in the engine house of the borough of Fair Haven East — for, 301; against, 85; votes polled, 886. Those in the remaining part of the town voted in the town hall, in East Haven village — for, 128; against, 9. So it was decided by a majority of 380 that the act should become operative. As a condition of the annexation New Haven assumed the bonded indebtedness of East Haven, amounting to about $100,000. Of this sum $60,000 was on account of the Quinnipiac bridge, whose construction, in 1877, was of more benefit to New Haven than to East Haven, the debt resting upon the town like a heavy burden, and which was the principal cause of the division. The other funds and interests of the town were equitably divided, the committeee on the part of East Haven being A. L. Chamberlain, Hiram Jacobs and L. F. Richmond. The .schools in the annexed part were placed in the care of the New Haven city school board, and the charter of Fair Haven Borough East was unaffected, except that the town of New Haven assumed the care of the streets and sidewalks of the borough. The annexation has in the main been beneficial to the town of East Haven, except that it has been left with a very small area and a greatly reduced population. In 1880, before the division, the inhabitants numbered 3,057; m 1890 there were in the present East Haven but 958 inhabitants. The grand list is but a little more than $800,000. In 1644 a bridge was built over Stony creek, on the road to Totoket, by William Andrews, for which he charged the colony i,'3, 8s., 9d. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 225 This was the first bridge on that stream. In 1782 the bridge at the lowest dam on that stream was authorized. The bridge at Dragon point was built in 1791 and toll charged. The following j^ear a new road was located to it. In 1796 a bridge at the so-called new ferry- was authorized to be built; and the privilege to build wharves at the same place was granted in 1797. The first ferry in which the inhabitants of the town were interested was established at Red Rock prior to 1650, and was first kept by Francis Brown. In 1650 George Pardee took the ferry and was granted the privilege of building a house there, at his own expense. In 1670 a ferr}' farm was granted him. It was kept up many years, being for a long time the only means of crossing the river. In 1782 the general assembly granted the parish of East Haven the right to establish a ferry at what was afterward called Ferry Point; but before many years it was superseded by a bridge. The latter structures were put up at heav}' and almost ruinous expense to the town, but the bridge is much used and is a great public necessity. Since 1881 it has been wholly the property of New Haven. The Totoket path was the earliest road through the town, and where it crossed the Siony creek a bridge was erected in 1644. The bearings of the road were full}' described in 1686. It has ever remained the principal highway in the town, and has been well improved. In 1671 the road from Morris cove to Fowler's creek was reserved. In 1672 the road from the cove to the county road was secured from the Indians, and the right confirmed by another purchase in 1692. Other roads were located as the country was settled up. The town has the Shore Line railroad, which was completed for operation in 1852. The first settlers were mainly agriculturi.sts, and farming and gardening have continued leading occupations. The soil is especially adapted for the latter interest. But the mill privilege at Salton.stall lake early attracted attention, and it was selected as the site for the first iron works m the state. Liberty for this purpose was asked of the town of New Haven, November 12th, 16.55, by Stephen Goodyear and John Winthrop, Jr. The former was a shipper and active busi- ness man of New Haven; the latter lived in Boston, but was interested in mining in this part of the country. The project was looked upon with favor by the town, which granted the desired liberty November 29th, 1655, on condition that Branford would unite in making a simi- lar grant. This "vas done, and the people of these towns assi.sted in building the dam and putting up a furnace and a bloomary, as they considered that it would greatly benefit them. In May, 1656, the town granted twelve acres of land to the collier, " at a point betweeti the Great Pond and Beaver Meadow,'." about two miles above the works, on condition that he would remain in the ser- vice of the company three years. A large furnace farm, on the east 14 226 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. side of the lake, was also granted to the proprietors. Asa further inducement, the works were exempt from taxation seven years, and it was agreed that Branford should supply three-eighths and New Haven five-eighths of the wood used in making charcoal for the furnaces. John Cooper was the agent of the iron works, and lived on Stony creek; Captain Thomas Clark, the master, and later was one of the owners; Jasper Crayne was one of the overseers; Richard Post was a founder; John Russell and Ralph Russell were among the workmen. It appears that others of the employees were lawless, and that the fur- nace had gathered some disorderly persons, so that complaint was made to the town, December 1st, 1657. on that score. It was then agreed that those working there in the future should bring certificates of character, and later Matthew Moulthrop, 2d, was appointed con- servator of the morals of the people at the iron works. In 1679 there was an epidemic sickness among the workmen, which caused the death of Ralph Ru.ssell and a number of others. It is said that this circumstance led to the suspension of work soon after. In September, 1657, John Winthrop, Jr., disposed of his interest to Captain Clark and a Mr. Payne, also of Boston, and the former later became the chief owner and last operated it. The furnace was sup- plied with bog ore from North Haven, most of which was carted here, but some of the ore was taken by boat down the Ouinnipiac and up .Stony creek to a place below the furnace, which is to this day called " Bog mine." It is probable that this enterprise did not meet with the expecta- tions of the owners, and it was discontinued about 1680. In that year Thomas Clark sold the furnace farm of 300 acres upland and 60 acres meadow to William Rosewell, whose daughter married GurdonSalton- stall, afterward the governor of the colony, and who lived there for a number of years. A later attempt to manufacture iron was made in 1692, when John Potter was given permission to set up a forge near the first spring we.st of Stony river. This was not long operated, but the place was called for many years the "old forge." In 1686 the furnace site was sequestered for a grist mill, to be put up by vSanmel Heminway, the village of East Haven granting him certain priv-ileges, which the town of New Haven refused to ratify. After 25 years, in 1706, the sons of vSamuel Heminway, John and Abraham, secured from the town of Branford additional priv- ileges, which enabled them to control the ground on both sides of the outlet. This mill was long carried on, and was known as the town mill. The Chidseys, father, son and grandson, in .succession, were for many years the millers. The mill is but little u.sed at this time. Just below this place was a mill for making writing paper, etc., in which a number of hands were employed, and which was operated by James Donoghue, James Harper and others. This became the prop- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 227 erty of the Saltonstall Milling Company, whose name was changed in 1871, to the Saltonstall Manufacturing Company. It had a capital of $40,000, and was engaged in the manufacture of heavy carriage and portable engine wheels. Stephen Bradley was the president of the company. On the decline of the interest at that place, a part of it was transferred to a shop in the village where steam power is employed, and work is still done by Stephen Bradley & Co. In the old building, on the lake outlet, Charles L. Fabrique manufactured brushes until the building was burned, when the interest was taken to Westville. The waters of the lake are now almost wholly used by the city of New Haven, which here obtains a part of its supply. Pumping works have been erected on the west side of the lake. The privilege where stood the forge was granted in 1706 to John and Abraham Heminway and John Marsh, who erected a fulling mill at that place in 1709. This was operated many years, when the build- ing was used for the manufacture of horn buttons. Later a grist mill was here established and is now carried on b)' Hawkins & Forbes. On the western border of the old town, along the Ouinnipiac,near what was in early times known as Dragon point, the village of Fair Haven sprang up, after the war of 1812. It has grown steadily until it is a place of considerable importance, containing all the adjuncts of a progressive village. The part in East Haven was incorporated as a borough, with the title of Fair Haven East, which permitted the reg- ulation of their local affairs, independent of the town, and which aided materially in the improvement of the place; and the population increased to about two thousand. Since 1881 this has been a part of New Haven. In the early history of the village commerce with the West Indies and coastwise trading gave employment to many of the inhabitants. Later the oyster trade at this place assumed large proportions, as many as several score vessels being thus engaged, during the oyster season. In the summer and fall the quarrying of building stone, near the village, was a leading occupation, and this interest is still carried on. After 1860 many of the East Haven oyster men transferred their base of operations to the Chesapeake bay, and at Baltimore and other points, became leading dealers and packers. Among these were the Mallorys, Augurs, Hemingways, Luddingtons, Rowes, Landfairs, Footes, Millers, Farrans. Chidseys, Holts and Maltbys. Their removal cau.sed the decline of this'industryat East Haven, but since 1872, when the .systematic cultivation of oysters in the waters of this locality was begun, it has been somewhat revived and again engages considerable attention. Several manufacturing plants of parties from other localities have been placed in the town, as the copper mill of the Humphreysville Manufacturing Company, about forty years ago; the works of the 228 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. American Chemical Company, in 1866; the New Haven Wire Com- pany, in 1871; the Bushnell Lumber Company, in 1866; and the New England Acid Company, in 1881. Fair Haven East has also a num- ber of stores and shops in the ordinary mechanic pursuits. The village of East Haven, below Lake Saltonstall, is pleasantly located on an elevated plain, the oldest part being around the green, in the southern part of the present village. It presents a straggling but well kept appearance of about one hundred buildings, some of them antedating the present century, but still giving evidence of com- fort. Many of the better residences are occupied by business people of New Haven, with which the place is connected by railway and several lines of stages. There are Congregational and Episcopal houses of worship, a town hall, several stores and the East Haven post office, besides the usual mechanic shops. The post office has been kept by, among others, Isaac Hagerman, D. M. Church, Stephen Hemingway for nineteen years, and, since August 19th, 1889, by C. E. Kirkham. It has commodious and attrac- tive quarters in the new Kirkham building, in which are also a fine reading room and a society hall. In the latter meet a Grange of Patrons of Husbandry, East Haven, No. 106, organized December 3d, 1889; and Fidelity Division, No. 26, Sons of Temperance, which was organized January 24th, 188;"), with thirty charter members. Both societies are very prosperous. Doctor Bela Farnham, who died in 18.57, at the extreme age of 89 years, was, for a long period of time, the settled physician of the town. He was a skillful practitioner, and was much respected as a citizen. Doctor James Casey, a later physician, after being actively engaged in his profession a number of years, moved to Passaic, N. J. Subse- quently Doctor Brainerd located here, coming from Naugatuck, but moved to Branford. Doctor Marvin D. Smith is the present physician. As properly accredited attorneys there were in East Haven, m 1890, S. W. F. Andrews, James S. Thompson, Dwight W. Tuttle and Grove J. Tuttle, whose legal business is in New Haven. The first inhabitants of East Haven attended religious meetings at New Haven, which necessitated a long and tiresome journey. The way was by " Red Rock," through forests and swamps, and the river must be crossed by means of a ferry, none too .safe or reliable. Hence, as soon as the population warranted such a step, the " East Side Farmers " asked for their own place of worship in the midst of their new homes. A petition for .such a privilege, in 1677, was not granted until 1679, and two more vears elapsed before the necessary arrange- ments could be made for holding meetings. In 1681 Reverend James Ailing was engaged as a minister, and preached two years, when, not having received permission to organize a church, he left for a field HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 229 where he could become a settled pastor. Reverend John Harriman, of New Haven, now preached to them for two years, when, owing to the removal of many inhabitants, who had been connected with the iron works, the meetings could no longer be continued, and for eighteen years the services were intermitted. In 1704 the matter of establishing public worship in the village of East Haven was again taken up, and the end attained by securing Jacob Heminway as a minister. He was the youngest son of Samuel Heminway, Esq., one of the leading men of the village, and was one of the three young men who, in 1701, first entered the newly-founded school at Saybrook, and which in time became Yale College. In the summer of 1704 he graduated from Mr. Pierson's institution, being at that time in the twenty-first year of his age. Returning to his home, he was in so much favor with his neighbors that he was desired to become their minister. Hence, at the meeting of the villagers, November, 1704, "Voted, To seek Sir Heminway, that he would give us a taste of his gifts in order to a settlement in the work of the min- istry, and " 2. Voted, To desire John Potter, Sen., Caleb Chidsey and Eben- ezer Chidsej- to treat with Sir Heminway to get him, if they could, to give them a taste of his gifts in preaching the word." The " taste of his gifts," was so pleasing to the villagers that they voted, December 19th, 1704, to engage him as a minister at i^50 per year. Thus he continued two years, when he was more formally engaged, the villagers promising, on their part, a salary of ^J.OO per year, to furnish him his firewood, and to build him a house. In 1707 they built him a house, 20 by 40 feet, on a five-acre lot, on the south-, east corner of the green. In 1709 54 more acres of land, in three tracts, were settled upon him. In the meantime, in 1706, a small plain meeting house, barely 16 by 20 feet, had been built on the opposite side of the green. These buildings provided and a minister secured, they voted. May 3d, 1709, to petition the general assembly to be embodied into a church state. This was done October 8th, 1711, when the East Haven Con- gregational Church was formally organized. On the same day Rev- erend Jacob Heminway was ordained to the pastorate, in which he continued until his death, in 1754, preaching for the people more than half a century, which is evidence of his proper service in his chosen field of labor. The first meeting house becoming too small, a new one was built on the knoll, on the northwest corner of the green, which was long known as the Meeting House hill. The building committee were: Captain Ailing Ball, Sergeant John Thorap.son, Samuel Rus.sell, Ser- geant Joseph Granniss, Samuel Hotchkiss, Nathaniel Hitchcock and Samuel Goodsell. The house was a high frame, 30 by 40 feet, having a straight roof and jutted ends. It was ready for occupancy in the 230 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. fall of 1719, when it was properly seated, after the manner of those times, according to the rates paid in 1717. Although a rude and barn- like structure, it was made to do duty more than fifty years, longer perhaps than if there had not been difficulty as to the site for a pro- posed new house. This was a matter for a heated controversy between the people of the vSouth End and the Center, who preferred the green as a site, and those of Woodward town and Foxon Farms, who had selected Mullen hill as their site. After the matter had been more or le.ss agitated, from 1769 to 1772, Thompson's corner, between the two proposed sites, was selected as a compromise site. Upon this the con- struction of the now famous " Stone Meeting House " was begun the same year by a building committee composed of Captain Amos Mor- ris, John Woodward, Joel Tuttle, vStephen Morris, Lsaac Chid.sey, Stephen Thompson, Dan Bradley and Stephen .Smith. It was finally determined to build the house, ,")() by 73 feet, " and to build a steeple to be carried up with stone." The plan was at that time in the advanced style of architecture, and it is possible that the old .South church of Boston may have been taken as a pattern. The material was gathered in the town, and the greater part of the work was done by those who expected to occupy it. The walls were finished and the roof put on in August, 1774, and it was so far completed that it was dedicated in the fall of that year. Up to this time its cost was about $12,()()0, or nearly three-fifths of the grand list, which shows to what extent the people went in their endeavor to have a suitable and endur- ing house of worship. How well they succeeded in that laudable, though sacrificing purpose is attested by the fact that this is now one of the oldest meeting houses in the state, and the oldest stone meet- ing house standing in all New England. Its walls are to-day as firm as when put up, and will probably stand a century longer. The house was not fully completed until 1796, after an expenditure of $2,500 had been made mainly in finishing the interior and in build- ing a spire. The following year, October 8th, 1797, the " great tor- nado/' which passed over the center of the town, threw^ down the spire, unroofed the house, and damaged it to the extent of $1,000. The repairs were immediately made, and m 1798 the spire was first supplied with a bell. It was cast in New Haven that year, when nine- teen Spanish milled dollars were added to the other metal, by Doctor Bela Farnham, who was present when the bell was cast. In conse- quence the bell has a peculiar silvery, pleasing tone. Soon after per- mission was given to Edmond Bradley and others to place a clock in the spire which, like the bell, has done faithful service through a long course of years. In 1850 the meeting house was so extensively remodelled that it was deemed proper to re-dedicate it, October 16th, 1850. About $0,000 was expended. In 1859 the steeple was rebuilt and given a more HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 231 modern appearance, having- now most gracefnl proportions and a height of 196 feet from the ground. This work cost $2,000. The interior of the house was renovated in 1868, at an expenditure of $3,000, and about the same time the property was enclosed with an iron railing and the grounds beautified, at an outlay of $],300. Wood stoves were first placed in the meeting hou.se in 1825, coal stoves in 1840, and steam heating apparatus in 1868. A commodious chapel was built in 1874, which, was con.se- crated as the Centennial chapel; and the .same year the one hun- dredth anniversary of the occupancy of the " Stone Meeting House" was appropriately celebrated on the 16th of September. The society purchased a parsonage in 1853, and a more commodious one in 1873, which has been enlarged and beautified. All the church property, which is very valuable, has recently been placed in good repair, and the parish is not encumbered by a debt. Reverend Nicholas Street was ordained as the second pastor, Octo- ber 8th, 1755, and "acquitted himself a workman thoroughly fur- nished into every good work," until his death, on the 51st anniver- sary of his ordination, October 8th, 1806, aged 76 years. He was a man of superior ability, kindly disposed, yet of dignified appearance, and well fitted to inspire reverence, confidence and affection. In theology he was an " Old Light," and was opposed or indifferent to the more advanced methods of awakening interest in religious work. Reverend Saul Clark, ordained the third pastor January 13th, 1808, was the opposite of Mr. Street in his methods and pastoral work, He was aggressive, zealous in his calling, and his ministry was char- acterized by a series of revivals, which greatly augmented the mem- bership, in spite of the fact that some of the older members took exception to his methods and withdrew from the church. In many things Mr. Clark was in advance of the times, taking positions which are now occupied by the religious world, but which at that time aroused so much opposition that for the sake of harmony he was dis- missed, at his own request. May 19th, 1817. He died in Meriden in 1849, but is interred at East Haven, where his memory is still respected. Reverend Stephen Dodd was installed as the fourth pastor, Decem- ber nth, 1817, and resigned April 20th, 1847. He continued to reside in the town until his death in 1856, at the age of 77 years. He was an earnest and successful pastor, and an able and at times eloquent preacher. His long pastorate was quiet, yet one of steady growth, in spite of the fact that in 1830 many members withdrew to form the First church in Fair Haven. In 1824 Mr. Dodd published his " East Haven Register," which is a valuable historical work, and from which have been gleaned many facts for this sketch. The succes.sor of Mr. Dodd was Reverend Daniel W. Havens, who was installed June 16th, 1847, and resigned July 2d, 1877. Under his 232 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ministry the church prospered materially and spiritually. Many of the most important changes and additions to the church propert)- were made in this period, which placed the parish among the fore- most in the county. In this time, also, several revivals of unusual interest took place, the fruits of the one in the spring of 1852 being an addition of So persons to the membership of the church. In Sep- tember, ]S74, Mr. Havens preached the historical sermon, on the occa- sion of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the occupancy of the " Old Stone Meeting House." This has been published. Reverend Joseph Tomlinson was the acting pastor from 1877 to 1879. On the 7th of July, 1880, Reverend Daniel J. Clark, who had just graduated from the Hartford Seminary, was here ordained to the ministry and installed as the pastor of the church. In that capacity he has since successfully continued. In October, 1890, the parish contained 130 families, and there were 24/5 communicant members. The clerk of the church was A. L. Fabrique. The Sabbath school had more than 200 members, and F. B. Street was the superintendent. In 1880 a mission Sabbath school was established at Morris cove, which is in charge of deacon J. H. Morris, and which is prosperous. The deaconry of the church embraced the following: Caleb Chid- sey, died in 1713; Joshua Austin, died in 1700; Thomas Smith, died in 1702; Daniel Hitchcock, died in 1701; Deodate Davenport, died in 1701; vSamuel Heminwav, chosen 17.38, died 1777; Abraham Hemin- way, chosen 1701, removed; Amos Morris, chosen 1770, died 1801; Stephen vSmith, chosen 1778, died 1810; Samuel Davenport, chosen 1797, died ISIO; John ^lorris, chosen 1800, removed ]80(); Levi Par- dee, chosen 1800, died 1813; Enos Heminway, chosen 18O0, removed 1830; Amos Morris, chcsen 1810, resigned 1818; Bela Farnham, chosen 1832, resigned 1852; Amos Morris, chosen 1832, resigned 1852; Samuel H. Heminway, chosen 1832, died 1849; Reuel Andrews, chosen 1852, died 1864; Alfred Morris, chosen 1852, died 1876; A. L.Curtiss, chosen 1864, died 1872; Edwin Street, chosen 1868, resigned 1878; Asa L. Fabrique, chosen 1868, still serves; Samuel T. Andrews, chosen 1872, deceased; Thaddeus Street, chosen 1872, deceased; Julius H. Morris. Fred. B. Street and Collis B. Granniss, still in office. Christ Church (Protestant Episcopal) had its origin in a move- ment to unite the churchmen of the town, set on foot March 17th, 1788. Previous to that time these worshipped in Trinity church. New Haven. The meeting for organization was held at the house of vSamuel Tuttle, who acted as chairman, and John Bird as clerk, when the following signed an agreement to form a parish: Plenry F. Hicks, John Bird, Samuel Tuttle, James Pardee, Stephen Pardee, Mabel Bishop, Samuel Barnes, John Hunt, Stephen Thompson, Jr.. David Goodsell, jchiel Forbes and Levi Forbes. Two weeks later another meeting was held to elect officers, when Samuel Tuttle and HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 238 James Pardee were chosen wardens: Jehiel Forbes, Captain Samuel Barnes, Samuel Thompson, Captain Stephen Thompson, Jr., Ichabod Bishop, vestrymen. The new parish was now placed in care of Trinity church. Early in 1789 the work of building a chapel was begun, the frame work being raised April 23d, 1789, when some of the timbers fell down, killing Jeremiah Bradley and injuring several others. The building was only partially completed and was not finished for con- secration until July 25th, 1810. It was not painted until 1817. In the fall of 1828 it was supplied with a stove. On Easter, 1789, Reverend Edward Blakeslee became thefir.st rector ■of the parish, continuing about a year, but before that time Doctor Hubbard, of Trinity church, had preached here. In 1843 and 1845 the chapel was enlarged and a tower built, in which a bell was placed in 1847. The following year Reverend Edward Warren gave an altar for the church. In 1859 the building was again repaired and a font placed in it, by the Todd brothers — Edward, Henry and Charles— of Brooklyn, N.Y. In 1866 the rectory was purchased at a cost of $2,400, $500 of which was a bequest by Mrs. Sarah A. Barnes. Ten years later it was remodelled and enlarged. In the summer of 1867 the church building was transformed to its present shape under the direction of a committee compo.sed of O. B. Thompson, C. E. Kirkham and Ralph Wright. Later a memorial window was placed in it, in honor of Rector O. Evans Shannon, who died September 20th, 1877. In 1881 all the remaining debt of the parish was paid off under the rectorship of Reverend Clayton Eddy, who also presented the church with a cabinet organ. Improvements since that time have placed the parish property in good condition. The ministers and rectors of the parish have been: 1788-9, Doc- tor Hubbard; 1790, Reverend Edward Blakeslee; 1791, Reverend Hull: 1796, Doctor Hubbard; 1796-9, Reverend Smith Miles: 1800-1, Doctor Hubbard: 1801-5, Reverend Ami Rogers; 1805-10, Doctor Hubbard: 1810-11, Reverend Samuel P. Jarvis; 1812-17, Elijah G. Plumb; 1819- 26, Perry: 1827, Peter G. Clark; 1834-9, Henry Ives; 1840-5, Henry Townsend; 1846, George W. Nichols: 1847, Henry Townsend; 1848, Henry Edwards: 1849, N. S. Richardson; 1850-63, Henry Town- send; 1864, Alonzo G. Shearer; 1865, Henry Townsend; 1866-77, O. Evans Shannon; 1878-80, John Gray; 1880, Henry Tarrant: 1881-6, Clayton Eddy; 1887, Charles Westerman. In 1890 the parish was without a rector, and services were only occasionally held. The senior wardens have been the following: 1788-94, Samuel Tuttle; 1794-5, Samuel Barnes: 1795-1803, Samuel Tuttle; 1803-17, Samuel Barnes; 1818, Samuel Tuttle; 1819-36, Truman Cole; 1837-45, Leverett Bradley; 1846-53, John Bishop; 1854-73, Fred- erick W. Tuttle; 1874-89, Orlando B. Thomp.son; 1890, Dwight W. Tuttle. 234 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. At the same time William H. Shannon was the junior warden. Many of the foregoing served in the same office, and others were: 1790-1, Jehiel Forbes; 1794-1812, Ichabod Bishop; 1810, Joseph Par- dee; 185.3-9, Jesse Tuttle; 18fi0-6, J. H. Todd; 1878-8.'), Jesse Tuttle; 1887-9, Charles L. Mitchell. It is said that the first settlers of East Haven were not as mindful of the benefits of schools as those of some other towns, and even after the lapse of a century of years the cause of education was said to be in a backward condition. In more recent years better schools were established, especially in the part which became Fair Haven borough. The first school house was at the town's market place, or the village green, near where the first meeting house stood. It stood there as early as the beginning of the last century, and in 1707 Mr. Heminway was the teacher. In 1728 the village was divided into four districts; in 1769 six districts are mentioned, with a new school house north of Bloomary brook. In 1823 there were but five districts, which contained 388 children. About that time more interest was manifested in educational matters, and a library company was formed. The library was maintained with good results some years. The later statistics of schools, on account of the division of the town, are here omitted. But a considerable number of the young men of the town availed' themselves of the benefits of Yale College. The East Haven gradu- ates of that institution prior to 1800 were: 1704, Jacob Heminway; 1724, Thomas Good.sell; 1724, John Goodsell; 1760, Jared Potter; 1780, Asahel Morris; 1793, Amos Pardee. The first public place of burial was sequestered in 1707, but before that time a few persons had been buried in the town on the west side of the green. Most of those who died at an early day were buried in New Haven. The cemetery was enlarged in 1797 and subsequently. It is still used, but the new East Haven cemetery, opened and con- trolled by .Samuel Forbes, appears to meet the present requirements better than the old one. The latter consists of about five acres and is well conditioned. It is also at the center. In the western part of the town a Jewish cemetery of small area has lately been opened. The first death of a citizen of the town was Thomas Gregson, who was lost at sea in 1047. He was also the first white settler in East Haven. Other early deaths were: 1659, Edward Hitchcock, one of the South End men. 1662, Matthew Rowe and William Luddington. each being the first of those names. 1668, Francis Brown and .Matthew Moulthrop, the latter being the father of that family. 1609, Edward Patterson and Matthias Hitchcock of the South End. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 23^ 1673, Benjamin Lingo, an early settler of Stony creek; Thomas Morris, the ancestor of the Morris family in the town. 1674, Reverend Nicholas Street, the father of the Street family; John Thompson, father of the East Haven Thompsons. 1679, Ralph Russell. 1688, Deacon John Chidsey, father of the Chidseys, at one time so numerous in the town. 1690, John Austin, father of the East Haven Austins. 1700, George Pardee, the ancestor of the Pardees of this part of the county. 1702, Jane, the widow of Thomas Gregson, the first settler, and who was also the first to lose his life. He was above eighty years of age. 1707, Sergeant John Potter, the head of the Potter family in the town. 1713, Isaac Bradley, aged sixty-two years. He was the father of the East Haven Bradleys. 1724, Captain Thomas Smith, the father of thcvSmith family, which was in the town in the early part of its history. The town was much exposed to Indian attack after the termination of King Philips war, and in 1689 a patrol of four horsemen was kept scanning the woods[,in search of hostile Indians. But there is no record to show that the Indians ventured upon an attack. The resident Indians were always friendly, but when in liquor a trifle annoying. In the French and Indian war of 1755 and the years following the town furnished about fifteen men. Benjamin Russell, of Ea.st Haven, was captured at sea in that period. The war for Independence affected this town more than some of the others in the county. A number of men lost their lives in the service, and considerable property was also destroyed. Elijah Smith was killed at Long Island in 1776, Thomas Smith died the same year at Rye, Nathan Andrews and Isaac Potter died as prisoners about the same time. July 5th, 1779, Isaac Pardee was killed at Fort hill by a cannon ball fired by the enemy at that time in this town. The British landed at Morris neck and South End, July 4th, 1779, while making their movement upon New Haven. They encamped for the night and burned eleven houses and nine barns, among them being those of Amos Morris, John Woodward, John Luddington, Jr., Elam Lud- dington, Joseph Tuttle, Jacob and Abijah Pardee, Jehiel Forbes, Mary Pardee and Noah Tucker. They also destroyed Gurdon Bradley's sloop " and plundered as much as they could lay hold of." They left the next day, having inflicted much damage upon this section. In 1779 Zebulon Bradley was killed, and Richard Paul, Jacob Par- dee, Jr., Asa Bradley, Abijah Bradley and Elijah Bradley were made prisoners and were placed on shipboard in New York, where all except the latter died. 236 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. In 1781 John Howe was killed by tories at the surprise of Fort Hale. John Walker was killed at Long Island; and Edward Goodsell, Isaac Luddington and Jared Heminway died later from the effects of exposure in the service.^ lUOCRAPHICAl. SKETCHES. Leonard R. Andrews, born in East Haven in 1838, is a son of Samuel T., he a son of Jared, he a son of Elisha, born 1746, whose father was Timothy Andrews, who married for his first wife Rachel Adkins and for his second Mrs. Anna Holt. They were all farmers. Elisha married Sarah Moulthrop in 1769. Jared married Dorothy Phelps in 1792. Their children were: Eliza, vSylvia, Polly, Susan and Samuel T. vSamuel T. Andrews represented the town in the legisla- ture about 18r)8. He married vSally Davidson. Their children were: Jared, Timothy, Leonard R.. Elizabeth C. and John D. Jared mar- ried Harriet vSmith. Timothy married Maria Benaway. Elizabeth C. married Lucius Smith. John D. married vSusan A. Rus.sell. Leonard R. Andrews has held the office of selectman several j'ears and was elected to the legislature in 1873. He married Lydia vS., daughter of Elijah Bradley in 1807. Willis Bailey, born in Branford in 18'21, is a son of Nathaniel, born 1780, and grandson of Elisha, who was a ship carpenter and a resident of Haddam, Conn. His children were; Lticy, Sarah, Nathaniel, Jonathan and Elijah. Nathaniel Bailey was a farmer. He settled in Branford and about 1828 became a resident of East Haven. He mar- ried Desire, daughter of John Robinson of Branford, and their child- ren were: Eliza, Sarah, Sylvanus, Lucinda, Oliver, Willis, Lucy, Elizabeth and Merwin. Nathaniel Bailey died in 1808. Desire, his wife, died in 1806, aged 79 years. The only children of Nathaniel living are Willis and Merwin. Merwin is a farmer. He married in 1859, Elizabeth, daughter of George Augur. They have one son, Walter, born 1800. Willis Bailey carried on a .saw and grist mill for many years, and for eighteen years ran a stage line between East Haven and New Haven. He held the office of selectman three years. In 1845 he married Anna L., daughter of William Ward, from Lee, N. H., who died in East Haven at the age of 82. Their children were: .Sophia L., born 1847, and Eleanor W., born 1849, and mar- ried in 1873 to James D. Ashbce. He was born in Kent, England, in 1839, and is a son of Joseph and Jane i Faith i Ashbee. He came to America with his parents about 184(). and settled in Madison. Joseph Ashbee had three children: Joseph R., James D. and Emma S. Joseph R. married Eliza Dowd. Emma S. married Lucius Howe of New Haven and for her second husband Henry Merriman of Hamden. Jo.seph Ashbee died September 22d, 1878. Jane, his wife, died Sep- tember 23d, 1878. The children of James D. and Eleanor W. A.shbee *From Doctor Dodd's account. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 237 are: Willie R., born 1874; Edward J., born 1877, and Burton W., born 1878. Charles W. Bradley, born in East Haven in December, 1834, i.s a son of Samuel H., born 1808, and grandson of Samuel, who was a carpenter by trade, and accidentally met his death in the peat bog near where now is located the vShore Line railroad in Ea.st Haven. His grandmother on his father's side, was Sarah Bradley, and his great- grandmother, Elizabeth Woodward. Samuel H. Bradley was an ' apprentice to his brother-in-law, Roswell Chidsey, and succeeded him in business, as the village blacksmith; their place of business was the north side of the green. He was one of the prominent men of East Haven sixty years ago, and accumulated a large property for those times. East Haven was a rendezvous for mules from Kentucky, pre- vious to shipment to West Indies, and a feature of Mr. Bradley's busi- ness was pulling off the shoes preparatory to the sea voyage. Samuel H. married Sarah Louisa, employed in the family of James Thompson. At that time there was no foreign help. She was a daughter of Jacob Tyler of North Branford. Her mother was Huldah Stannard of Westbrook. Samuel H. died in 1843, and his wife in 1848, at the early ages of 35 and 33 years. They had but one child, Charles W., who was educated in the public schools, Branford Academy, the select school of vSamuel M. Brown, of Fair Haven, and St. Matthew's Hall, at Port Colden, N. J. John Hemingway was his guardian for twelve vears. He eneaeed in the mercantile trade with his cousin Stephen Hemingway in the fall of 1851, buying out the business of Horace R. Chidsey. This store was originally established by Charles Lindsley. The firm continued until 1855, when Mr. Bradley bought his partner's interest, and continued the business alone, having one of the largest country stores in the county, Naugatuck valley excepted. The same year he sold this business to Mr. Hemingway. In this con- nection it may be interesting to note the fact, that during the time Messrs. Hemingway & Bradley were in business, the post ofBce was removed from the house of Ruel Andrews, where it had been for nearly a half century, to their store. They also contracted to carry the mails between New Haven and East Haven, with horse and wagon. The cars on the N. H. & N. L. road, when it was built in 1851, were inclined not to give much accommodation to East Haven. After selling out his business as previously stated, he then engaged in farming and trade; was also a teacher in the public schools in Branford and Guilford, and a correspondent for various newspapers. In politics Mr. Bradley is a democrat, and has been selectman in his native town. In 1867 he was appointed keeper of the New Haven Light House, during the national administration of Andrew Johnson, and at the time James F. Babcock was collector of the port of New Haven, which position he held for two years and two months, until President Grant's appointees in 1869, took possession of the offices. •238 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. He was then appointed superintendent of the New Haven almshouse from January 1st, 1870, remaining there one year. During the three years following he resided in East Haven, and built the first dwelling house which was erected primarily for the purpose of renting in East Haven, the village of Fair Haven possibly •excepted. In 1873 he was re-appointed superintendent of the New Haven almshouse, which office he held from January 1st, 1874, to March 1st, 1878. From that time until May 1st, 1890, he resided in Westville, where he erected a genteel residence, at which date he again became a resident of East Haven. In 1854 he married Sarah Amelia, eldest daughter of Horace Leete, of Guilford, a descendant of Governor Leete, one of the colonial chief magistrates of Connecticut. Their children are: Annetta Adeline, born IS.'iG: Harriett Louisa, born 1857, died 1882; and Seymour Percy, born 1859. The last named was appointed a cadet to the United States Military Academy from the Second congressional district of Connecticut in a competitive examination in 1878; an honor never before conferred upon an East Haven man. Mr. Bradley is a life long member of the East Haven Episcopal church, always taking an active interest in its affairs. He was a member of the -Second Com- pany, Governor's Horse Guards, and was honorably discharged. Justin Bradley was born m East Haven in 1815, and is a son of Samuel, whose father Azariah, born in 17S4, was a son of Samuel, who married Sarah Robinson in 1715, and whose father Isaac Bradley, was a resident of the county as early as 1074, and settled in East Haven in 1683. He was a native of England. Azariah Bradley was a farmer and joiner. He married Elizabeth Woodward. Their children were: Elizabeth, Samuel, Esther, Roswell and Lydia. Samuel Bradley was also a farmer and joiner. He built the house in which Justin Bradley now lives, in 1792. He held the office of selectman several years, and was prominent in town affairs. He mar- ried Sarah, daughter of Jared Bradley. Governor Saltonstalls son resided on the governor's large farm by the lake; and having become wasteful in its management, the town of Branford appointed Jared Bradley his overseer, and he resided there manyj^ears. The children of Samuel and Sarah Bradley were: William, Laura, George, Lue, Esther, Azariah, Sarah Adeline, Samuel H., Lydia and Justin, who is the only one living. He learned the joiner's trade, and made that his principal business for many years. He has since been engaged in farming. He is a member of the Episcopal church of East Haven. In 1885 he was elected representative to the Connecticut legislature. In 1839 he married Esther S., daughter of John Tyler. They had three children; Marietta, who married Willet Forbes; George, who at the age of 46 is unmarried; and Louisa C, who died in 1851, aged two years. Mrs. Bradley died in 1882. In 1883 he married Frances E., ■ daughter of Charles L. Paddock of Meriden. Many items of interest HISIORV OF XEW HAVEN COUNTY. 239 might be mentioned respecting Mr. Bradley's long and active life. The late ex-governor, James E. English, who had a national reputa- tion, learned the joiner's trade, and he and Mr. Bradley worked at that occupation at the same time, in New Haven. Stephen Bradley, born in 1836, is a son of Stephen, born 1795, he a .son of Stephen, and he a son of Stephen Bradley, who married Thankful Smith. Stephen, their .son, married Mehitable Luddington. Stephen, their son. married Lydia Foote and their children were: Mary, Amanda. Baldwin, Samuel, Lydia and Stephen. Mr. Bradley engaged in carriage and wagon making in East Haven about 1856, and has carried on that business continuously • since that time. He has been twice married; first in 1858 to Sarah B. Wheeler They had one son, Stephen, born January 12th, 1867, .died November 2d, 1888. Mrs. Bradley died April 15th', 1870. Mr. Bradley married for his second wife Susan B., daughter of Samuel and Silah Clark of Woodbury, Conn., in 1872. They had one daughter, -Grace, born January lOth, 1873. Mrs. Susan B. Bradley died Decem- ber 21st, 1888. Mr. Bradley is a member of Lodge No. 66, F. & A. M., .of New Haven. Samuel Chidsey, born in East Haven in 1810, was a son of Samuel, he a son of Isaac, born 1731, he a son of Caleb, born 1697, he a .son of Deacon Caleb, born 1661, and he a .son of John Chidsey, who was a .deacon of the first church of New Haven. He came from England and signed the colony constitution in 1644. Deacon Caleb Chid.sey married Anna Thompson. Caleb, their son, married Mrs. Abigail Smith. Isaac, their son, married Sarah Bradley in 1752. Samuel, .their son, married Betsey Holt. He was a captain in the old militia. Their children were: vSally, Russell, Harriett, Lorinda, Annie, Samuel, A-ltnira, Betsy, Lydia, Abbie, Hannah, and two that died in infancy. .Samuel Chidsey, son of Samuel, was a farmer and was also exten- .sively engaged in stock speculations for many years. He always took .a deep interest in the affairs of the town, holding various town offices, and served one term in the general assembly. He married for his iirst wife Esther Bradley. They had four children: Jane, John, Josephine and Hattie. He married for his second wife Maria A., daughter of William Ford of North Branford. They had one son, Samuel R. Chidsey. Mr. Chidsey died in 1886. Reuben H. Coe, born in Durham, Conn., in 1837, is a .son of Mer- rick and grandson of Abraham Coe, who was a soldier in the war of 1812. He married Rebecca Ehvell. Merrick Coe married Aseneth Harrison. Reuben H. Coe settled in East Haven in 1860, and has been engaged in farming. He has held the office of selectman and was assessor for two years. He married in 1857 Marietta San ford. Their children are: Hattie R. (deceased), born 1861. and Herbert W., ,born 1863, married in 1887, Emogene Hall. Their children are: .^Herbert E^irJ and Ethel May. 240 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Charles L. Davis, born in New Haven in 1855, is a son of Samuel^ whose father Avery, was a son of Aver}-. The two Avcrys were resi- dents of Stafford, Conn. Avery, the father of Samuel, married Hannah, daughter of Deacon Samuel Lyon. Samuel, their son, was superintendent of the New Haven almshouse from 1851 to 1864. He married Emily, daughter of Captain Ebenezer Mansfield. Their children were: Elihu S., Avery, Charles L., Martha E., Elizabeth L., Susan I^., Benjamin J. and John H., all living. Charles L. Davis for fourteen years was in the employ of the New York Central Railroad Company. In 1887 he settled in East Haven and is extensively engaged in market gardening. He was elected, assessor in 1888, '89 and '90. He was married in 1877, and has one daughter, Emily N. Frederick A. Forbes, born in East Haven in 1860, is a son of Alexander, he a son of William, he a son of John, born 1770, he a son of Isaac, born 1742, and he a son of Samuel, who married Mary Thompson. Isaac, their son, married Hannah Hemingway in 1776. John, their .son, married for his first wife Anna Holt and for his second wife Amey Holt. William C. carried on a general merchandise busi- ness in New Haven for many years. He married Abigail Wilmot. Their children were Alexander and Loui.se. Alexander was a farmer and carried on a grain and milling business in East Ha\'en for many years. He represented the town in the legislature several years. He inarried for his first wife Sarah E.. daughter of Chester Bradley. Their children were: Frank B., Frederick A. and William C. Mr. Forbes married for his second wife Jane Tuttle. They had one daughter, Lelia M. Frank B. married Matilda C. Barnard. Frederick A. Forbes is in the milling business. Charles W. Granni.ss, born in East Haven in 1844, is a son of Frederick, born 1813, he a son of Jared. born 1756, he a .son of Isaac, born 1716, he a son of Joseph, born 1677, and he a son of Edward Granniss, who came from England in 1644. and settled in North Haven, where during the next hundred years more than one hundred of the name were born. Joseph Granniss married Hannah, daughter of John Ru.ssell. Isaac married Keziah Moulthrop. Jared was a soldier in the revolutionary war. He married Eunice Munson. Their children were: Horace, born 1805: John, born 1811; Frederick, born 1818; and Lsaac, born 1815. Frederick Granniss married Emily Bailey. Their children are: George F., born 1835; Andrew J., born 1841, and Charles W., born 1844. George F. married Matilda Burge.ss. Andrew J. married Honoria Irwin. Charles W. Granni.ss is engaged in farming and the milk business. He enli.stcd in the Tenth Connec- ticut Regiment in 1861, and served four years. He was sergeant in Company A. He is a member of Admiral Foote Post, G. A. R., of New Haven. He married Annie C. Irwin. Their children are Irwin and Lincoln. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 241 Charles T. Hemingway, born in East Haven in 1857, is a son of Stephen, he a son of John, he a son of Stephen, he a son of Samuel, he a son of Samuel, he a son of John and he a son of Samuel, who is supposed to have come from England, and who settled in East Haven and in 1662 married Sarah Cooper. John, their son, born 1675, married Mary Morris in 1703. Samuel, their son, born 1713, married Mehitable Denison. Samuel, their son, born 1739, married Hannah Morris. Stephen, their son, married Esther Bradley in 1791. John, their son, married Adeline Bradley. Their children were Stephen and Jared. Stephen, born 1827, married Ann A., daughter of Merwin Tuttle. Their children were Charles T. and Charlotte A. Stephen Heming- way engaged in the mercantile trade about 1857 in East Haven and continued until his death in 1889. He was postmaster for over thirty years. Charles T. Hemingway became a partner of his father in 1881, and continues the business. He was elected town clerk in 1881 and held the office continuously until 1892; also justice of the peace since 1881. He is a member of the Episcopal church, a vestryman and treasurer of the parish, also clerk of the board of health several years. William H. Hosley, born in Branford in 1863, is a son of Benjamin A., born 1823, and grandson of Loring D. and Anne A. (Beach) Hosley. Benjamin A. Hosley married in 1849 Lois W., daughter of William Ward of Vermont. Their children are: Benjamin F., Anna M., John H., M. Carrie, William H., Edward K. and Judith E. (deceased). Benjamin F. married Idella Pond. Anna M. married George W. Dory. John H. married Jane Van Wie. M. Carrie married Gains W. McClunie. William H. married in 1885 Amelia L., daughter of Charles W. Farnam of Norwich, Conn. They have one son, Charles F. Mr. Hosley became a' resident of East Haven in 1885, and has been engaged in the milk business. Joseph Ives Hotchkiss, born in East Haven in 1814, is a son of Lyman, he a son of Joseph, born 1756, he a son of Joseph, born 1725, he a son of Samuel, born 1683, and he a son of Samuel Hotchkiss, who married vSarah Talmadge in 1678. Samuel, their sou, married for his first wife Sarah Bradley in 1705, and for his second wife he married Hannah Russell. Joseph, their son, married Esther Russell. He served in the revolutionary war. Joseph, his son, married Temper- ance, daughter of Timothy Andrews. Their children were: Annie, Lyman, Orrilla, Esther, Polly and Huldah. Lyman Hotchkiss mar- ried Sybil, daughter of Captain Daniel Bradley. Their children were: Grace A., Sophronia, Joseph Ives, Lyman, Samuel, Daniel, Elizabeth (died in infancy) and Elizabeth A. Joseph Ives Hotchkiss was clerk in a store at Fair Haven for a time, then spent a year in the West. Returning he followed the sea for six years, since which time he has been engaged in farming. He has held the offices of assessor, selectman, etc., and in 1869 was elected to the legislature. 15 242 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. He was captain of the East Haven militia four years. He married in 1886 Sarah A., daughter of Roswell Bradley. Their children were: Ellen E., Sarah E., Theron B., Joseph I. and Cornelia M.; all living except Theron B. Mrs. Hotchkiss died in 1889. William S. Jones, born in Northford, Conn., in 1889, is a son of Edwin L., whose father John, was a son of Morris Jones, who was in the revolutionary war. They were farmers and residents of North Madison. John Jones married Marian Webber. Edwin L. married Emily, daughter of Luman Johnson. They had one son, William S. Jones. He resided in New Haven from 1864 to 1876, then came to East Haven. Augu.st 8th, 1862, he enlisted in the 14th Connecticut Regiment. He married in 1862 Ellen C, daughter of Richard and Lucretia (Moulthrop) Ru.ssell. Archibald A. Perkins was born in Bethany, Conn., in 1819. His father's name was Jesse, and he was a son of Archibald, who was a resident of Woodbridge (now included in Bethany) and kept a tavern on the New Haven and Waterbury Turnpike for over sixty years. He was a deacon in the Episcopal church of Bethany for many years. He was twice married, his first wife being a Miss Wooding and the second a Miss French. Their children were: Lybias, Archibald A., Jesse, Guy, James, Burr, Charles, Rebecca and Sarah. Archibald A., .son of Archibald, was a shoemaker and tanner by trade and was one of Bethany's prominent men. representing the town in the legislature several terms and was justice of the peace for many years. He was also prominent in the Masonic Order. Jesse Perkins was a joiner by trade. He married Charlotte Hotchkiss and their children were; Hiram, Maria, Celestia, Jesse D., Nancy, Noah H. and Archibald A. Archibald A. Perkins is a- brass and iron moulder by trade and for fourteen years was superintendent of the W. & B. Douglass Manufacturing Company of Middletown, Conn., after which he was superintendent of the brass foundry of J. B. Sargent & Co., of Xew Haven for nine years. He enlisted in Co. B., 2.")th Connecticut Infantry in 1862, and served thirteen months. He became a resident of East Haven about 18(;7. He married Malvina Andrews of Bristol in 1840. Their children were: Martha M.. born 1844, and Noah H., born 18.50. Martha M. married Lovell Jones. Their children are: Helen M., Jesse and Bertha. Mr. Perkins married for his .second wife Barbara Patrick. Jonathan N. Rowe was born in East Haven in 18r)9, and is a son of Robert, who was born in Lands End, England, and came to America about 182.5. He followed the sea for many years and for thirty years he ran between New Haven and New York as first mate on a steamer. He married Abbie A. Story. They had five sons and nine daughters. Jonathan N. engaged in the grocery trade in 1888. He was elected selectman of New Haven in 1890. He married Margary M. Kenty in 1888. They have one daughter, Margary S. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 243 Frank M. Sperry, born in New Haven in 1850, is a son of Hosmer and grandson of Marcus, whose father Jacob was a .son of Lemuel Sperry. Jacob Sperry was a soldier in the revolutionary war. He married Sarah Perkins of Woodbridge. They went to Waterbury when young and six children were born to them there. Huldah, the eldest, married Noah Bronson. The next two, Marcus and vSally, were twins. Sally married Daniel Cook. Lydia married Gideon Piatt. Anson married Lois Upson. Charity married Clark Sperry. Anson vSperry was a cooper by trade and carried on that business in Waterbury for over forty years. He was a soldier in the war of 1812 and was captain of the First Flank Company of the 22d Regi- ment Connecticut militia several years. Marcus Sperry married Rebekah, daughter of Samuel Carrington of Woodbridge. They had two sons: Edwin, born 1808, and Hosmer, born 1810. Jacob Sperry died in 1834, aged 80 years. Marcus, his son, died in 1811, aged 33 years. Lemuel, the father of Jacob, was a soldier in the English army during the French war in Canada and died there at that time. Hosmer Sperry learned the joiner's trade and for forty years was engaged in stair building. He mai-ried Desire Smith, daughter of Captain Caleb and Elizabeth Chidsey of East Haven. Their children were: Minot, who died in infancy; Elbert H., born in 1843; Mary, Tjorn 1845; Frank M., born 1850, and Charles E., born 1852. The sons learned their father's business, Elbert H. becoming a partner of his father. In 1887 he engaged in the same business for himself. He married in 1871 Martha Jane Leavenworth. They had one child, Fannie G., born August 14th, J 876. Charles E. married in 1881 Mary E. Robinson. Their children are: Mary E., born 1882; Lulu F., born 1884. Frank M. Sperry became a resident of East Haven in 1881, held the office of constable from 1885 to 1889, selectman in 1889 and 1890, and in 1891 he was appointed deputy sheriff under C. A. Tom- linson. He is a member of Polar Star Lodge, I. O. O. F., of New Haven, and is secretary of the Foxon Grange. He married in 1871 Nellie A., daughter of Albert Palmer of North Branford. They have ■one son, Arthur Sperry. Asahel H. Thompson, born in East Haven in 1840, is a son of Samuel C, born 1806, he a son of Abraham, born 1772, he a son of Timothy, born 1727, he a son of John, born 1692, he a son of John, born 1667, he a son of John, who was a son of John, who was one of the signers of the colony constitution of New Haven in 1039. Timothy Thompson married Esther Perkins. John, his father, married Sarah Pardee. Abraham Thompson, son of Timothy, was a sea captain. He married Mary Smith in 1797. Their children were: Julia A., born 1798; William, born 1801; Desire, born 1804; Samuel C, born 1806; Mary A., born 1808; Abraham, born 1810; Asahel, born 1813; Joseph, born 1816, and Sally, born 1820. Abraham died May 6th, 1848. Mary, his wife, born 1778, died 1855. Samuel C. Thompson was a seafaring 244 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. man. For many years he ran a packet between New Haven and New York. He married Grace A. Hotchkiss in 1832. Tlieir children were: Samuel, Asahel H., Lyman and Theodore. Samuel married Eveline F. Andrews for his first wife. They had a daughter, Olive A. For his second wife he married Susan O. Russell. They have one daughter, Julia E. Asahel H. was married in 1865 to Mary A. M. Woodward. Their children are: Grace E., born in 1867; Charles W., born 1868, died 1869; William W., born 1874. Lyman C. married Julia L. Morris. They have one son, Morris L. Theodore Thompson married Ella S., daughter of Elizur Thomp.son. They have one daughter, Florence S. Elizur Thomp.son, born in East Haven in 1809, is a son of James, and grandson of Stephen, born 1723. He was a stone mason by trade, and was one of the building commitiee who built the stone church at East Haven; was one of the builders, fell, had his skull fractured, was trepanned and got well. He married Hannah Rowe. Stephen had a second wife, widow Mary Baldwin. She was the mother of James. The father of Stephen was John, born 1692, son of John, born 1667, he a son of John and he a son of John. James, the father of Elizur, married Lydia Chidsey. Their children were: Stephen, Hilary, Leonard, Nathaniel, Henry, Elizur, James, Abraham C, Abraham, Edward E. and Haynes H. Elizur Thompson learned the tailor's trade but soon after engaged in the grocery business in New Haven, with his brother vStephen, which they carried on for several years; afterward was so engaged in East Haven. In 1861 he was appointed , superintendent of the New Haven Light, and with the exception of two years was in charge of the same until 1877, when he resigned and his son Henry C. Thompson was appointed in his place and has since held the position. Since 1877 Mr. Thompson has had charge of the signal station at Morris Cove. He married in 1830 Elizabeth M., daughter of Leverett Bradley of East Haven. Their children were: Leonard, born 183]; Henry C, born 1833; Hemingway H., born 1835; Antoinette, born 1839; Jason D., born 1841; Sidney, born 1844; George, 1846; Stephen E., born 1849; and Ella S., born 1851. Leonard mar- ried vSusan, daughter of Daniel Thompson. He was in New Orleans at the openmg of the war and was never heard of after that time. Henry C. married Lucretia Buttrick. Hemingway H. is supposed to have been lost at sea. Antoinette married Lyman Granniss. Jason D. married Harriett Arison. Sidney married Emily Craig. George married Fannie Hunt. Ella S. married Theodore, son of Samuel Thompson. Elizabeth M. Thompson died December 9th, 1871, and in 1877 Mr. Thomp.son married Mrs. Ellen Pierce. Three of his children .served in the Union Army through the rebellion and were honorably discharged, viz.: Jason, enlisted for three months, reenlisted in Connecticut Cavalry, was captam, served under General Custer; Sidney and George, served as privates. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 245 s a Henry J. H. Thompson, born in East Haven July 5th, 1832. i_ son of Albert I., he a son of Joel, born 17G4, he a son of Samuel, born 1737, he a son of Samuel, born 1704, he a son of John, born 1667, he a son of John, and he a son of John. John second, married Pri'scilla Powel in 1666. Samuel, son of John third, married Hannah Heming- way. Samuel, their son, married Desire Moulthrop in 1759. Joel, their son, married Lois Chidsey in 1782. Albert I., their son, married Jane B., daughter of Harmon Byington in 1831. They had one son, Henry J. H. Thompson. He is a joiner by trade and was a contractor and builder for many years. He enlisted in the 9th Regiment Con- necticut Infantry as drum major, but being taken sick did not serve in that regiment. He enlisted in 1862 in the 15th Connecticut Infantry and served until the close of the war. He was promoted to corporal. He is a member of Admiral Foote Po.st, G. A. R.; Polar Star Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Fair Haven; Golden Rule Encampment, No. 24, of New Haven; the Veteran Firemen of New Haven and the Foxon Grange and Pomona Grange. He married in 1856 Lucretia E., daughter of David Cooper of North Haven. They have one son, Ellsworth H. Thompson, born July 4th, 1866. John Woodward Thompson, born in East Haven in 1833, is a son of James and Laura Woodward Thompson. His grandfather, James Thompson, was a son of Stephen, who was a descendant of John Thompson, who came from England at an early date and settled in East Haven in 1647. James Thompson, son of Stephen, was one of the prominent men of the town, and represented East Haven in the legislature eleven terms. He was also a captain in the Old Militia. James, his son, was in the legislature in 1857 and 1859, and was selectman several years. John Woodward Thompson was elected to the legislature in 1875. The children of James and Laura Woodward Thompson were: John Woodward, Eliza C, Emeline A. and James. John W. began life as an entry clerk in a New York dry goods house and later was engaged in the grocery trade in New Haven, retiring in 1871. He is a descendant of Reverend John Davenport, the founder of New Haven; of Reverend John Woodward, pastor of the church at Norwich, 1699; of Deacon John Chidsey and John Thompson. Ruel S. Thomp.son, born in New Haven in 1831, is a son of Ruel, he a son of Joel, born 1764, he a son of Samuel, born 1737, he a son of Samuel, born 1704, he a son of John, born 1667, he a son of John and he a son of John. John second married Priscilla Powel. Their son Samuel married Hannah Hemingway. Samuel, their son, mar- ried Desire Moulthrop, and Joel, their son, married Lois Chidsey. Their children were: Sarah, born 1783; Huldah, born 1785; Polly, 1789; Anson, 1792; Horace, 1794; Nancy, 1796; Ruel, 1798; Lucy, 1800; Linda, 1802; William, 1805; Almira D., 1808; and Albert, 1811. Ruel Thompson married Lucy Sanford of North Haven. Their children were: Clarrissa, Nancy, Ruel S., Reumah A. and Lucy. Ruel S. 246 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Thompson was assessor several years and with the exception of two- years has held the ofSce of selectman since 1879. He married in 1855 Martha Noble of Portland, Maine. Their children are: Ruel N., born 1858, and Eugene ,S., 1863. Ruel X. married Eva J. Schappa. He died in 1887. Eugene S. married in 1882, Eva J. Weisbarth. John Smith Tyler, born in East Haven December 2d, 1834, is a son of William, and grandson of John, who was a native of Branford.and a shoemaker by trade, carrying on an extensive business in that town. John Tyler was in the government service during the war of 1812. He settled in East Haven, and married there Mabel Bradley. Their children were: John, Ami, William and Jerusha Louisa. William was a shoemaker, having a shop just east of his residence on the main street, and also engaged in farming. He married Julia A., daughter of Abraham Thompson, who resided at South End, town of East Haven. The dwelling house in which William Tyler was born has always been the residence of John S., and is probably the oldest in the town. It has a leanto roof, which was common one hundred and fifty years ago, and is in good repair at the present time. Simeon Bradley was great-grandfather to John S.. and also lived in this house. The children of William Tyler were John S. and Harriet A., who died in 1852. John vS. was educated in the public schools, and in the select school, which was in the town hall, the instructor of which was a Mr. Potter, also at one time a Mr. Woolcott. He has always been engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was elected selectman on the republican ticket in 188(), and was reelected in 1SS7, '88, '89 and '90. In 1866 he married Jane E., daughter of Joseph Thompson. The children of this marriage were Willie J. and J. Alexis D., both deceased. (Gilbert Van Sickles was born in Milton, N. J., in 1845, and is a son of Augustus Van Sickles, who with his family settled in East Haven nearly forty years ago and was superintendent of the New Haven Chemical Company's works for many years. He married Hannah Ayres, and their children were: Margaret ()., Elizabeth, Gilbert, Alex- ander, Euphemia and Frederick. Margaret O. married David Ben- nett. Elizabeth married George Ward, Euphemia married Luke Haviland, Frederick married Lillian Forbes and Alexander married Ella Talmage. Gilbert Van Sickles enlisted in the 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery in 1864, and served until the close of the war. He is a member of Admiral Foote Post, G. A. R., of New Haven. He married in 18G6 Alice E. Thompson. Their children are: Fannie H., Augustus, Theodore, Irving and Ra_\'mond. Edmund B. Woodward was born in 1859. The first of the family to settle in New Haven county was Reverend John Woodward, who graduated from Cambridge College in 1693. He a.ssisted in the council that compiled the Saybrook platform in 1708, and was admitted an inhabitant of New Haven in 1716. He married Sarah Ro.swell, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 247 and had a son John, who married Mary Denison. They had a son Stephen, born 1758, who married Elizabeth Morris. William Wood- ward, born 1781, son of Stephen, was thrice married: first to Sarah Bradley, second to a Mrs. Davis and third to Nancy Thomp.son. Charles Woodward, son of William, married for his first wife Maria, daughter of Morris Hemingway. Their children were: William A., born 1841, married 1861, Lois Thompson; Anna M., who married Asahel H. Thompson; Charles E., born 1848, married Flora Hull, and John E. (deceased). Charles Woodward married for his second wife Laura A., daughter of William and Mehitable Richards. They had two children: Edmund B. and Lulu E. (decea.sed). Edmund B. mar- ried in 1883 Hattie S. Brigham. CHAPTER V. THE TOWN OF NORTH HAVEN. Bv Sheldon- B. Thorpe. Location and Description. — Settlement. — Early Religious Affairs. — Reverend Benjamin Trumbull. — Congregational Church. — St. John's (P. E.) Church. — Baptist Church at Montowese. — Clintonville Union Mission. — The Militia. — Cemeteries. — Education. — Incorporation of the Town. — Civil List. — Public Improvements. — Public Buildings. — The Bradley Library. — The Town Cen- tennial. — General Business Interests. — Villages. — Sabbath Day Houses. — Slaves. — Fishing Privileges. — Taverns. — Physicians. — North Haven in the Nation's Wars. — Biographical Sketches. THE town of North Haven lies within the tract purcha.sed of Momaitgin, the Indian saehetn, by the New Haven colonists in 1638. Its boundaries are irregular, bttt mainly conform to the layout of March lOth, ITl/), at which time, by petition of its settlers, the mother town (New Haven) gave them permission to apply to the general assembly for erection into a separate parish, which prayer was o;ranted at the October session, 1716. Its length north and south, is about eight miles, and its greatest breadth not far from three. Its area, taken from its first grand list in 1786, is given as 8,348 acres; in 1890 as 11,837 acres. The stirface is denominated as level. Two ridges of easy grade traverse its length and give variety to its contour. The westernmost is composed of a soft reddish gravel, terminating on the south at East Rock. The other, much the older, geologically con- sidered, is of igneous origin, with walls of trap rock markedly exposed on their eastern face. On this ridge, near the southern line, rises " Peter's Rock," or Rabbit Rock, notable for its steep escarpments and hexagonal columns of basalt. These latter are among the finest in the .state. Two rivers, the Ea.st and the Muddy, water its valleys, the latter uniting with the former at the historic locality of " Moiuauguin hill." Generally speaking the soil is light. The land is easily worked and the river bottoms and occa,sional areas on the hills yield abundant crops. Its poorest area is in the northern portion, where the soil has become utterly exhausted and patches of barren .sand are frequently .seen. The valley of the Ouinnipiac, formerly called the East river, is underlaid on either side by immen.se clay beds, from which large HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 249 quantities of brick are manufactured. On the extreme .southern bor- der lies an extended marsh, once diked and yielding hundreds of tons of pa.ssable fodder, but now neglected and' of little value. Timber grows freely and of excellent quality. There are no minerals, with the possible exception of bog iron ore, once dug in considerable quantities. The first settler in North Haven was William Bradley, a reputed officer in Cromwell's army. He located on the ridge west of East river and above what is now known as Cedar hill. His dwelling house doubtless did not stand within the present town limits, but as a large portion of his farm lay north of the New Haven line, he is assumed as the first comer. This wasabout 1640. In 1660 Thomas Yale came from New Haven and located near the present i-esidence of Gen- eral E. D. S. Goodyear. With him came two of his sons, John and Nathaniel. They were the pioneers and in point of fact the actual settlers of North Haven. John Yale married Rebecca . Of their children David was born October Sth, 1699. He went to England in 1712, returned in 1718, and was made one of the first two deacons of the Congregational church, in that year, being then only 19 years old. He received an honorary degree from Yale College in 1724, and died in 1780. His onlv child, Martha, married Tames Todd, from whom descended Yale Todd, afterward a soldier m the revolu- tionary army and ancestor of many of the Todds in the town to-day. Nathaniel married Ruth Bishop of New Haven. At the death of their father the two sons succeeded to the paternal estate. Nathaniel kept the old place, while John set up near by for himself. The country above them, in 1660, was a wilderness, but the New Haven colonist was aggressive and slowly forced his way into it. In 1670 Jonathan Tuttle, Nathaniel Thorp, Ebenezer Blakeslee and John Humaston, all from New Haven, went on two miles above the Yales, crossed the river and located in and around the present vil- lage center. In the same year Daniel and Thomas Barns, Moses Brockett and Thomas Jacobs began a settlement at Muddy River, now called Montowese. These men were the fathers of North Haven. With the exception of Yale, their family names are the most numerous within our borders to-day. Other settlers followed. Land could be had almost for the asking. The East river was alive with fish, the woods with game. The Indians were not troublesome, the open country was easy of tillage, and its nearness to the city of New Haven made it desirable as a location. Notwithstanding this, the condition of the settlers was far from envia- ble. Their finst dwellings were log houses; raiment was of the coarsest quality, and all food plain and oftentimes not abundant. Social priv- ileges were scant; there was little of literature and less of the lighter accomplishments; they were there to fight the battle of life in the SoO HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. wilderness with the axe, the plough, the gun, rather than with the em- broidery needle, the piano, the palette. From 1670 to 171(5 this small nucleus received slow but eon.stant accessions. In all this time they were as much a part of New Haven as if they lived within the city limits. There they attended church, there tlrey voted, and there did military duty. Doctor Trumbull says frequently the women walked from North Haven to New Haven, in .some instances with a child in arms, attended two long services and returned." In 1716 the population of the parish comprised forty households. + In addition to the families named, had come the Sanfords, Batons, Coopers, Todds, Clarks, Bradleys and a few others. All told, the pop- ulation was between two hundred and three hundred. It was at the above date, as stated in the commencement, that they became embodied as the " North Parish." or " Northeast Parish " of New Haven. Un- der their new privileges their first meeting was held November 2d, 17] 6, at which time the First Ecclesiastical Society was organized, with Nathaniel Yale moderator and Joseph [ves clerk. Mr. Ives held his position 14 years, or until his removal to Wallingford, in 1730. Their earliest business was to seek a place of worship, which was first established aL the house of Ebenezer Blakeslee, and later with Captain Joseph Ives. Two years before (1714) Reverend James Pierpont of New Haven had given "the neighbors" of the North Parish a plot of land (8 or 10 acres), "provided they would set their meeting house there and make their training and burying place there." This grant they accepted, and began the erection of a meeting- house on it late in 1717. It was a plain wooden structure, 30 by 40 feet, without " steeple " or " terrett." and stood at the southwest cor- ner of the present old cemetery, or probably at the exact center of "The Green," Mr. Pierpont's grant. It was two stories in height, with a gallery on two sides. The furnishings were rude, and but one pew was built within it. Reverend James Wetmore, a graduate of the col- legiate school at Saybrook. Conn., came from Northfield, Mass.. to preach in the spring of 1717. He remained a little more than a year on trial, holding services during this time at the house of Ebenezer Blakeslee, and was accepted by the society and ordained as the first mini,ster, in ( )ctober, 1718. The society received permks.sion to embody itself in church estate May 8th. 1718. The meeting hou.se was not finished until 1722. Mr. Wetmore remained with his charge four years. In September, 1722, he avowed his sympathy with the belief and practice of the Church of luigland, and was at once dismissed from the North Parish pulpit. He went to England for orders, returned and was settled over a little church at Rye, N. Y. Mr. Wctmore's successor was Reverend Isaac Stiles, a native of '•"Century sermon. fPresident Stiles. HISTORY UF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 251 Windsor, Conn., who was ordained November 11th, 1724. His pastor- ate covered a period of 80 years, or until his death, May 14th, 1760. During his ministration the parish received its greatest impetus. A new meeting house 65 by 40 feet and second to no country structure in the state, was built in 1739, a little .south of the old site. New highways were laid out, bridges were built, commons cleared, boundaries defined, schools organized, better dwellings erected, and all the incipient ma- chinery of a town set in motion. Mr. Stiles died May 14th, 1760. His successor was Reverend Benjamin Trumbull, of Hebron, Conn., ordain- ed December 24th, 1760. He maintained a pastorate of 60 years, and died February 2d. 182i». He was eminently fitted to take up the work dropped by Mr. Stiles. A man of immense resource, of ceaseless energy, of strong convictions, an intense lover of his people and a devoted servant of God, he led his church safely through more than half a century, and left it a monument to perpetuate his memory. Doctor Trumbull was born December 19th, 1785. He graduated at Yale College in 1759, and was licensed to preach in 1760. It was in the summer of the latter year that he came to North Haven church, and November 14lh was ordained as its pastor. The following year he purchased a tract of land of Jo.seph Pierpont, and began the erec- tion of a dwelling house upon it. The old mansion is still standing and in excellent repair. It is the property of Hon. Ezra Stiles, who has occupied it something more than 60 years. As a historic point, there is none greater in the town. The great double doors were ever ajar. Over its threshold were ceaselessly trooping scores of bu.sy feet. Alinisters, messengers, committees, referees and strangers made it a religious caravansarv and rested in its shadow. Hither came during the revolutionary war aids and officers with despatches, and later eminent historians and theologists tarried within its walls. Following the outbreak at Lexington, Mass., April 19th. 1775, Gov- ernor Trumbull (relative of Reverend Benjamin) summoned the gen- eral assembly of Connecticut to take measures for the public safety. Six regiments of soldiers were ordered raised. Among the first to report was Colonel Wooster's. Of this command Reverend Mr. Trum- bull was appointed chaplain. It was sent to the "Northern Depart- ment " and returned at the expiration of its service in November. Early in 1776 Mr. Trumbull again received the appointment of chap- lain in Colonel Douglass' regiment, and was absent a'second campaign of six months. During this period he experienced continuous hard service. In January, 1777, the enemy appeared to be threatening the seaboard towns above New York city, and a sudden call was made for assistance. Mr. Trumbull responded at once, this time, however, as a captain, at the head of 60 men from Mt. Carmel and North Haven. The British attack, if such was contemplated, was frustrated, and Trumbull's command returned home late in the winter of that year. The revolutionary war over, Mr. Trumbull was invited by the gen- 252 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. eral association of Connecticut, in 178;"), to compile a history of its events. He accepted the trust and began his labors. From year to year, as the association met, he reported the progress of his work, but it was slow, and not until 25 years after its beginning, or in 1810, was the first volume of his " History of the United States " issued from the press. The .second and third volumes were never completed. During -the compilation of this work he was also engaged upon a " History of Connecticut," the first volume of which was published at Hartford in 1707: the .second volume in 1818. Besides these publications were nearly a score of others relating to his ministerial work, such as sermons, discourses, addresses, etc. In 1790 Yale College worthily con- ferred the degree of D. IJ. upon him, an honor he esteemed and reflected credit upon. He died February 2d, 1820, and was buried in the old cemetery, within a stone's throw of his church and his home. Should it be said by the reader that unusual prominence has been given Messrs. Stiles and Trumbull, it will be answered that these two divines in the formative period of the town, more than all others, helped lay those foundations of morality, honor and godliness on which the reputation of the town to-day rests. The clergyman of the 18th century builded better than he knew. Following Doctor Trumbull came Reverend W. J. Boardman, a native of Massachusetts. He was ordained September 3d, 1820, and resigned October 80th, 1833. Of his pastorate it may be said that during its continuance the church received its largest accession of members; in all, there being 280 admissions m the thirteen years of his service. Reverend Leverett Griggs of Tolland, Conn., succeeded Mr. Boardman. He was ordained October 30th, 1833, and dismissed at his request, July 30th, 1845. During his ministry the pre.sent Congregational church was erected. The second meeting house, which stood in the middle of the "green," and completed in August, 1741, was used until the summer of 183r). In 1750 a small bell, brought from England, was placed in a turret on the rear of the building. In 1800 a tall spire, costing i^210, was built to the house, and in it was placed a new bell, weighing 900 pounds. In the fall of 1834 the present meeting house, originally 45 by 62 feet, and built of brick, was begun, and dedicated Juh* 1st, 1835. In 1871 the house was enlarged by extending the side walls \G^ feet and building an addition to the rear. At the same time the arched ceiling was removed and the interior of the house remodelled, includ- ing the fitting up of the basement room. The re-dedication of the house was put off until the spring of 1874, when, on account of the breaking of the church bell, it was postponed. A new bell was pro- cured, and November 18th. 1874, the meetinghouse, which had been improved at a cost of §14,000, was duly dedicated. It is now a spacious and well ordered place of worship. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 253 After the retirement from the pastorate of the Reverend Leverett Griggs, D.D., in 1845, came the following ministers : Reverends Ira Smith, ordained February 10th, 1846, dismissed March 28th, 1848; Theron G. Colton, ordained September 25th, 1849, dismissed August 26th, 1851; Silas W. Robbins, ordained June 16th, 1853, dismissed October 13th, 1856; Benjamin St. John Page, became acting pastor June 20th, 1857, retired July 1st, 1862, and died at Warren, Ohio, November 9th, 1868; Reverend William T. Reynolds became acting pastor April 1st, 1863, and was installed pastor April 29th, 1869. His ministry has since been successfully continued, the church at no time being more prosperous and united than in his pastorate. There are more than three hundred members, belonging to 185 families. Among those who served in the office of deacon were the following: David Yale, chosen 1718; Samuel Ives, 1718; Samuel Todd, 1727; Moses Blakeslee, 1728; Thomas Cooper, 1740; Isaiah Tuttle, 1741; Jesse Todd, 1772; James Humaston, 1773; Solomon Tuttle, 1780; Titus Todd, 1787; Joshua Barnes, 1800; Eliada Sanford, 1800; Byard Barnes, 1824; Harvey Smith, 1824; Joseph Foote, 1835; Eleazer Warner, 1836; Anson Moody, 1838; Henry McNeil, 1854; Marcus Linsley, 1854; Frederick L. Barnes, 1857; Nathan W. Brown, 1857; Whitney Elliott, 1864; H. P. Shares, ; Cullen B. Foote, 1883. Whitney Elliott has been clerk of the church the past 20 years. The Sunday school has an average attendance of 267 and is one of the most prosperous in the county. St. John's Church, Protestant Episcopal, was organized early. Side by side with the establishment of the Congregational church in the parish, grew the Church of England. Its beginning dates 1722, its focal point was the house of Ebenezer Blakeslee, and its father was Reverend James Wetmore. Mr. Wetmore's defection uncovered a condition of things little suspected in this community. With his retirement from the pulpit went also six of his parishioners, who proved the germ of the fiiture Episcopal church, viz.: Ebenezer Blakes- lee, Thomas Ives, Simon Tuttle, Nathaniel Tuttle, Samuel Brockett, Lawrence Clinton. No mention is made in the ecclesiastical society records of the loss of these men and it is probable no action was taken. In 1723 Mr. Blakeslee opened his doors (as he had done in 1716), but this time for worship according to methods of the Church of England. There was no clergyman for them and the services probably were of a simple character. In 1740 the members of this persuasion in the towns of Cheshire, Wallingford and North Haven, met on the Monday after Easter and organized themselves under the name of " The Union Church." Wardens and vestrymen were chosen and the same year a small building about twelve feet square was erected at Wallingford in the " Pond Hill district." Religious services were maintained by the joint worshippers until 254 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Wallingforcl withdrew in 1757, and North Haven in 1759. On April 24th of the latter year St. John's parish was formally organized. Application was made by its members to the First Ecclesiastical Society for permission to put tip a church building and they declared on December ISth, " We were willing that those that profest to the Church of England should set a church or House for Publick Worship on the northeast corner of the Green." A building 38 by 30 feet was begun at once and dedicated by Reverend Ebenezer Punderson, December 27th, 1761. This was a wooden structure, without steeple or porch. It had no furniture of any description, nor was any used until years afterward. Mr. Punderson officiated as its minister a portion of the time, until his transference to Rye, N. Y., on the death of Reverend James Wetmore. The Reverend Samuel Andrews succeeded Mr. Punderson and divided his labors among the parishes of North Haven, Wallingford and Cheshire. What Reverend Mr. Trumbull was to the Congregational church, Mr. Andrews was to the Church of England. A graduate of Yale College, a man of estimable character and a zealous worker, he really became the estab- lisher of Episcopacy in the surrounding communities. During the revolutionary war he was a staunch loyalist, and this attitude caused him and his church some inconvenience. Popular feeling ran bitter against him especially in Wallingford. nor was the North Haven church without signs of dissatisfaction at his course. He resigned his labors in 1785, removing to New Brunswick, N. S., where he ended his days in 1820. This church found no successor for him until 17U0, when they secured Edward Blakeslee, son of Abraham Blakeslee, a native of the town and a graduate of Yale College. He was entrusted with the three parishes of Northford, Hamden and North Haven. At this time the enrolled male membership of the latter church was 75. Mr. Blakeslee remained until the close of 17U2, and then went to Derby, Conn. In 1793 the pulpit was occasionally supplied by Solomon Blakeslee, son of Zophar Blakeslee. also a native of the town. Rev- erend Samuel Andrews, who had returned from New Brunswick on a visit to Wallingford, also assisted. Mr. Blakeslee was called to New London and the people were again shepherdless. In the following thirty years Reverends David Butler, Reuben Ives,Tillotson Bronson, Manoah Miles, Elizur Plumb, Nathan Burgess, Asa Cornwall, Jasper Davis and Origen P. Holcomb officiated at different times. The church had a hard struggle. In 1820 there were but 41 Episcopal families in the town and 27 communicants. The following is the succession of ministers in this church from 1822 to 18!)1: 1822-3, Reverend John M. Garfield; 1823-7, Jo.seph Perry; 1827-32, Ashbael Baldwin;" 1832-6. Charles W. Bradley; 1836, Robert Shaw; 1836-8, John W. Woodward, 1838-9, A. B. Chapin; 1839 41, S. Stocking; 1841 3, A. B. Chapin; 1843-6, Henry Fitch; HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 255 184(3-9, C. W. Everest; 1849-51, S. B. Paddock; 1851-2, Frederick Sill; 1852-5, A. G. Shears; 1855-7, Seth Davis; 1857-8, Joseph Scott; 1858 60, C. C. Barclay; 1860-3, Enoch Huntington; 1863-6, Arthur Mason; 1866-8, S. P. Simpson; 1868-9, J. E. Wildman; 1869-77, E. L Whit- come; 1877-80, John Coleman; 1880 to date, William Lusk, Jr. A list of the wardens is also submitted: 1821-30, Isaac Stiles and Philemon Blakeslee; 1830-3, Elisaaph Hull and Isaac Stiles; 1834-9, Isaac .Stiles and Evelyn Blakeslee; 1840-1, Dr. C. B. Foote and Evelyn Blakeslee; 1841-2, Evelyn Blakeslee and Isaac Stiles; 1843-4, Evelyn Blakeslee and Stephen C. Gilbert; 1845-81, Evelyn Blakeslee and Ezra Stiles; 1882-3, Ezra Stiles and Evelyn Blakeslee; 1883-4, Ezra Stiles and Bennett Todd; 1884-5, Isaac L. Stiles and Bennett Todd; 1885-91, Isaac L. Stiles and Joseph Pierpont. Mr. Evelyn Blakeslee was made warden fifty years in succession. Honorable Ezra Stiles was elected parish clerk thirty-two years in succession. In the ministry of Reverend Charles W. Bradley, from 1832 to 1836, the present church was erected. The corner stone was laid by him June 12th, 1834. It is a good brick structure, with 300 sittings, and has a beautiful location. On the site of the old church, near by, is a fine brick rectory. The parish contains 103 families and the whole num.ber of individuals is 400. There are more than 150 com- municants. The aft'airs of the parish under the direction of the present rector. Reverend William Lusk, Jr., are in flourishing condi- tion, and the usefulness of the church is yearly being extended. The Baptist Church at Montowese dates its existence from June 12th, 1811. Its germ had been gathering for some years previous partly from the religious sect known as " Separatists," and partly from the strictly orthodox belief. At this date of organization it comprised twenty-three members. Reverend Joshua Bradley became its first preacher; he remained three years and increased his flock to seventy members. The early services of this church were held for eighteen months or more at private houses. The first meeting house erected in 1812 on the " Muddy River Green" was 45 by 35 feet, a plain wooden building, and cost not far from $2,000. From the departure of Mr. Bradley in 1814, to December, 1817, the people depended upon " supply preaching." In the latter year they ordained Reverend Oliver Wilson, who remained until 1825. It 1831 Reverend Ira Bentley came among them. He proved to be a man of power and . a second religious awakening strengthened the little band. In this year their .Sabbath school was also organized. In July, 1835, Reverend Truman O. Judd was ordained over them. He remained nearly four years and was dismissed at his request. Through his efforts the present parsonage was built. Following him came in turn: Reverends John Noy, 1839; Harmon Ellis, 1840; E. T. Winter, N. Whiting, Charles W. Potter, 1847. This 250 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. latter gentleman remained four and a half years and was instrumental in the erection of the present church edifice. The first building of wood, cheap, unattractive in style and unsuited to the wants of the worshippers, was superseded by one of brick at a cost of about $4,000. Mr. Potter resigned in 18o2, and was succeeded bv Reverend Truman Judd, who remained until 1862. Following him came: Rev- erends vSolomon Gale, E. J. Ganan, J. M. Lyon, A. H. Simons, 3867. At this time the church had assumed a strong membership and though possessing few or no men of wealth, more than held its own among the country churches of its belief. Mr. Simons re- mained until April, 1874, and then resigned the pastorate. He was succeeded by Reverend Henry G. Smith, ordained June 11th, 1875, and dismissed March, 1877. The Reverend Otis Saxton came next, but remained only a few months. In June, 1878, Reverend William Gussman was made pastor, serving until November, 1880. The next regular preacher was Reverend E. S. Hill, 1882. After him came Reverend W. R. Terry, 1885-7, when upon his retirementan invi- tation was extended to Reverend A. H. vSimons to again assume the pastorate. This he did May 1st, 1887, and is the present incumbent. The following gentlemen have served this church as deacons: Jesse Brockett, Ward Johnson, Benjamin Baldwin, Lewis Bates, Hervey Sackett, Linus Barnes, William P. Todd. There have been added to the church 418 members, 1811-1801, the present number being about 80. The church is valued at §8,000. and the parsonage at $1,500. John L. Larkin is the church clerk. A Sunday school of about 100 members is a useful moral agent in that part of the town. Clinton ville Union Mission is a voluntary association of the citizens in and near the hamlet of Clintonville, organized in the spring of 1889. There were 80 contributing members. A building 24 by 32 feet was erected by them in the summer of that year at a cost of about $1,000. Its character is pureh' undenominational, Congregationalists, Episco- palians, Baptists, and many without church connection of any kind joining m its support. Sunday evening service is regularly main- tained with attendance of from 70 to 100. Its business affairs are managed by an executive committee elected annually. Having provided for the means of spiritual defense m the settlement by the organization of the ecclesiastical society, the parish next turned its attention to the formation of a militia company for the protection of its material interests. This movement assumed shape in 1718. Joseph Ives was chosen captain, John Grannis, lieu- tenant, and Samuel Ives, ensign. No muster roll of its rank and file exists. The following gentlemen have served as commanding officers of this anciently organized company: Joseph Ives, 1718; John Grannis, 1733; John Sanford, 1736; Andrew Tuttle, 1737; Samuel Barnes, 1742; vSamuel Sackett, 1744; Theophilus Goodyear, 1749; Jason Bradley, 1741); Gershom Barnes, 1753; Daniel Ives, 1759; James Heaton, 1760; HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 257 Joseph Pierpont, 1764; Abraham Blakeslee, 1770; Ezra Tuttle, 1772; Noah Ives, 1776; Jacob Brockett, 1778; Jonathan Dayton, 1770; Ben- jamin Brooks, 1780; Lawrence Clinton, 1781; Allen Cooper, 1782; Joshua Barnes, 1782; Timothy Andrews, 1786; Levi Ray, 1787; Joshua Barnes, Jr.. 1787; Gideon Todd, 1787; George Todd, 1788; Joseph Brockett, 1790; James Ives, 1791; vStephen Monson, 1792; Hezekiah Bassett, 1793; Thomas Ives, 1793; John Frost, 1795; Peter Eastman, 1799; Lemuel Brooks, 1800; Benajah Tuttle, 1801; Philemon Blakeslee, 1801; Jacob Bassett, 1805; Isaac C. Stiles, 1806; Ithimar Tuttle, 1807; Nathan Marks, 1808; Seba Thorpe, 1810; John Beach, 1811; Jesse Brockett, 1815; Leonard Ives, 1816; John Frost, 2d, 1829; Elizur C. Tuttle, Rufus Pierpont, Willis Churchill (Independent Company), 1888; Peter Van Houten, 1840; Justin Marks, 1843; Henry H. Stiles, 1845; Bennett Todd, 1849. About the time of the revolutionary war a second military com- pany was organized, compo.sed mainly of men living on the west side of the Ouinnipiac river. Hence arose the term " Westsiders " and " Eastsiders," in militia parlance, and hence grew also considerable friction between these rival bodies. At their annual musters each company remained within its own jurisdiction in the forenoon, but in the afternoon their forces were generally united for •' battalion drill " either on the old green or in .some adjoining field. As late as 1812 the Congregational meeting house was frequently used for a drill room in stormy weather. The Independent Company (North Haven Blues, 1838) grew out of dissatisfaction with Captain E. C. Tuttle, as commandant of the local forces which a few years before had been united again in one compan3\ The last parade was made September 26th, 1851, at which time only three officers and eight privates reported for duty. The arms were returned to state headquarters, and thus terminated its existence. But its spirit was transmitted. A careful study discloses the curious fact that the "Wide Awakes" of 1860 were mainly the children of those who once bore arms in its ranks, and further that more than sixty per cent, of the latter politico-military organization enlisted in the war for the suppression of the rebellion. The third main event in order after settlement of the parish was the laying out of the burying ground. By the conditions of the grant of Reverend James Pierpont it must be established upon the meeting house green. Its place was designated by vote of the society in 1720. The oldest recorded date on any stone within its borders is 1723 (Joel Cooper). The last interment was in 1882 (Elvira Cooper). Hither for a little more than a hundred years, or until 1835, were brought the dead of the community. In the latter year the present cemetery was laid out, and though an occasional burial took place in the old enclosure, it was practically abandoned. So many had been buried within it that it had become absolutely impossible to open 16 258 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. a grave without uncovering the dust of some sleeper. The settlers at Muddy river had established a burying ground in their vicinity a score of years before this in question, the earliest date there being 1700. This makes it probable that in the early settlement of the parish, the people at the center buried their dead at Xew Haven. On no other ground can the late date of 1720 be explained. There is no mention made that it was even enclosed until 1774, when "certain gentlemen" were given permission by the ecclesias- tical society to erect a fence at their own expense. This latter con- cession with a single exception appears to have been the sum total of the society's concern about it for 170 years or until 1800, when upon the occasion of an attempted renovation of the long neglected place, it got itself into a great passion over the alleged desecration of the briar strangled graves. Since 1822 the town has assumed the cost of its few repairs. Originally it was enclosed by a plain unpainted wooden fence. In 1856 a stone and iron fence was erected at a cost of about $800, of which amount the ecclesiastical society granted $100, the town $300, and the balance came from private sources. On the ancient sandstones in this cemetery there are three distinct types of cutting. From 1723 to 1750 winged faces are frequent, but the sculptor's conception of them is hideous. The head is a veritable deaths head, fieshless and sightle.ss; the neck is unduly prolonged and the wings coarse and clumsy. Foot stones are not common in this period, and when found are from eight to ten feet in rear of the head stone. Nathaniel Thorp had the first in 1725. The oldest epitaph is recorded on the stone erected for Mr. Moses Clark. He " dyed Aug ye 21, 1736." Reder stop your space & stay & harken unto what I say, Our lives but cobwebs tho' near so gaj-, And death ye broum ye sweeps away. His wife, Dinah, survived him fifteen years and " Dyed Oct ye 2d, 1751." To allay all doubt in after years, concerning her station in life, it is asserted both on her head and foot stones that she was " once ye wife of Mr. Mo.ses Clark." Iler epitaph is similar to others in this yard: On this grave stone my name is red, You are ahve but I am dead, In a short space of preaciotis time Tlieay will read your name as well as mine. The second period of stonecutting occurs between 1750 and 1800. The work dunng this half century was done by one Miller of Middle- field, Conn. He quarried the stones from his own farm and brought them to North Haven on .sleds during the winter season. His stock was kept under the oak trees on the hill. Miller was an artist. Few country cemeteries can produce "winged heads" and "borders," HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 259 'comparable with his. The poise of the face, the lines of the eye, the sweep of the wings, are in some cases so singularly drawn that they reveal that indefinable sphinx like gaze common in old Egyptian cuttings. Marble was introduced about the year 1800, and also at this date occurs the third type of ornamentation. New designers entered the field and drooping and broken willows shading mortuary urns of impossible construction supplanted the winged emblem of immortality. The change was not a happy one although it prevailed for forty years. From 1750 to 1820 was the age of the epitaph in this church yard. Saint and sinner alike during this period invoked the chisel's aid to express sentiments, the wonder and puzzle of men and angels. Not- withstanding all, this ancient yard is an historic spot. To the North Haven people " names that were not born to die " are found here. Stiles, Trumbull, Pierpont, Foot, yea and a hundred others to whom we owe our birthright to-day, make it all " hallowed ground." The present cemetery was laid out in 1841, and the first burial within it was a child of Zophar Blakeslee, who died May 21.st of that year. Formerly the entrance was at the north end. Later its area was enlarged and a handsome gateway erected on the east side. At the present rate of occupation less than another fifty j-ears will demand still a third location. At an ecclesiastical society meeting held December, 1720, it was " Agreed on by ye society that ye school shall be kept at four places. First, that it be kept on ye east side New Haven East river, below Muddy river — secondly, that it be kept on the west side East river, below ye Pine bridge— thirdly, from ye Pine bridge upward to ye Blew Hills — fourthly, on ye east side East river and northward of Muddy river." These were the four original districts of the parish. The present number is eight. It is not probable that school buildings were erected at the date above mentioned. There is no mention of the appointment of school officials and we grope along to 17,'50 before definite action appears. At this time a "committee to manage school affairs," consisting of Ser- geant Ebenezer Frost, Deacon Isaiah Tuttle, Captain Sackett and Cap- tain Barnes was chosen. A two penny rate on the pound was laid. In 1763 the system was revised and a new division of the districts ordered. Frequent as it was in the colony to plant a school house under the eaves of the meeting house, this cu.stom had not obtained in the North Haven parish, for it was not until the latter year that they " voted that a school house might be set on the market place, built by par- ticular men." This building stood a few rods north or northeast from the meeting hou.se and remained well within the present century. It was adorned with the usual collection of autographs of its pupils ■common to that day. 260 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The ecclesiastical society continued to appoint the school com' mittees down to 1796. In that year a school society was formed for the separate maintenance of educational privileges. Eight districts had been previously organized and each was supervised by a com- mittee man. Two years later (1798) the first board of school visitors was appointed. In 1820 a local commission re-arranged the boundaries of some of the districts, .substantially the same as to-day. In 1841 the Fifth district began to decline in point of numbers. It is now prac- tically abolished. The first public examination of candidates for teachers was held in 1850. In 1855 the school society came to an end and the powers heretofore vested in it were transferred to the districts. The latter plan has remained in force to the present day. The various buildings are in good order and well supplied with the modern helps to education. The most notable instance of progress has occurred m the Fourth district (Center) when the old red school house alluded to above as " built by particular men " was demolished. Its successor was a small brick structure now standing a few feet south of the Congregational church. For years it furnished ample accommoda- tions but as the district increased following the war, it became out- grown. A later attempt to provide more suitable quarters was vigorously opposed by the conservative element and killed. It was not until the board of education threatened to withold the public funds that the district was brought to terms. A lot was purchased at a considerable sum and the matter rested again. In 1887 it was resolved to open the struggle once more and force it to an issue. The chief opponent was now dead, the large enu- meration of the school children was an unanswerable argument, and by degrees former objections became overcome. A building committee was chosen as follows: Maltby Fowler, Edward L. Linsley, Sheldon B. Thorpe. Solomon F. Linsley, F. Hayden Todd. The sum of $8,000 was appropriated and the committee authorized to commence at once. The building was designed for four departments and a capacity of 200 pupils. It was completed in the summer of 1888, at a total cost of $8,640, and opened for use in the fall of that year. Additional features and improvements have raised its outlay to near $6,000. Three departments, with considerably over one hundred pupils, are main- tained in it with all the features of a graded school. The town was not without its academy in the days when such institutions were common. Among the teachers of this higher .school, were: Luzerne Ray; William Hartley, 18;!2; Reverend Orson Cowles, 1885-6; Reverend Samuel Noyes, 1837-8; Reverend Ammi Lin.sley; Oswin Hart Doolittle. 1845; Henry D. Smith, 1846-7; Leander Cook; Sereno Smith; F. C. Selden; Reverend Mr. Baldwin. About 1850 a new brick-academy was built. In this, Messrs. Dodge, Dimock, Lin.sley, Niles, Tucker, Little and others taught until the patronage was in- sufficient to sustain it longfer. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 261 In 1781, the parish, following the example of similar bodies in the state, made an attempt to secure incorporation as a town. A futile trial had been made 22 3'ears before, but was rejected by the general assembly. It was in contemplation at this time to unite the parishes of Mount Carmel and North Haven. The mother town of New Haven, beginning to feel the burden of caring for her distant possessions, was somewhat clamorous for separation. Altogether it seemed an opportune time, and February 1st, 1781, at an ecclesiastical society meeting a committee was chosen to confer with jMount Carmel. In December of that year, also at New Haven, a committee was raised to prepare a plan for the division of the town. This latter committee reported January 6th, 1782, "that the parishes of North Haven and Alount Carmel be made into a separate and distinct town." The two parishes endorsed the report a few days later, a memorial to the general assembl}^ was pre- pared and presented at the following May session, but for some reason the plan was negatived. They waited four years and in February, 1785, resolved to attempt it again on the same plan as before, but with the added determination that if neither Mount Carmel or Northford parishes would join with them, they would fight it out alone. On the latter basis they went to Hartford at the May session, 1786, by Thomas Mansfield, their agent. The petition was referred to the fall session and then granted October, 1786. The charter directed that the first town meeting should be held on the second Tuesday of November at the meeting house, where such officers as were required by law were to be chosen. It appears that these appointees were but temporary and for the purpose of providing for a second town meeting in the following month of December, which was thereafter to be the date of the annual meeting. The first selectmen were Joseph Bradley, Ephraim Humaston and Samuel Mix. The first town clerk was Joseph Pierpont, and the first tax collector, Elias Beach. The total valuation of the first grand list was £1,941, 4s. 2d. The amount of the first tax laid was .^171, 2s. lOd. The following table shows the prosperity of the town by decades: Years. 1786 IT'.m 1800 1816 1826 1836 1846 1856 1866 1876 1886 1890 Acres. Valuation U>r Taxatitm, 8,848 $7,947 00 9,515 31,074 24 10,816 21,920 70 11,350 30,975 28 11,293 17,363 89 11,636 19,434 04 11,389 17,851 44 11,730 20,807 65 11,800 722,-355 00 11,620 801,829 00 792,840 00 262 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. It will be seen from the above that the standard of value fluctuated to a wide degree during the above hundred vears. Directly following incorporation came the division of the personal estate owned in common with New Haven. Roads, bridges, town poor, taxes, etc., had to be adjusted. In all this, Joseph Pierpont was the leading spirit and the conservator of the new town's interests. He was the first representative to the general assembly in 1787, and continued for six terms thereafter. Under their new powers the people took on fresh life and enthu- siasm. All through the state towns were springing up and a certain rivalry existed among them to be well up on the front line. By the separation, taxes were reduced, greater privileges were secured, the interests of the land holders better conserved and a feeling of hopefulness and buoyancy was general throughout the community. The town records prior to IS.").") have been burned. Since that time the town clerks have been: 1856-7, Ezra Stiles; 1858-61, Nathan W. Brown; 1862-8, Stephen C. Gilbert; 1864, Isaac L. Stiles; 1865, Sheldon B. Thorpe; 1866-9, Nathan W. Brown; 1870-9, Stephen C. Ciilbert; 1880-4, Edward L. Linsley; 1885-90, L. Peet Tuttle. In the same period the first selectmen have been: 1856-7, Evelyn Blal-.eslee; 1858, Jared Bassett; 1859-60, Elihu J. Dickerman; 1861, Henry H. Stiles; 1862-3, Elizur C. Tuttle; 1864-5, Whitney Elliott; 1866-9, Henry H. Stiles; 1870, Elizur C. Tuttle; 1871-80, Andrew F. Austin; 1881-4, Cvrus Cheney; 1885-6, R. T. Linsley; 1887, Whitney Elliott: 1888, R. T. Linsley. There has not been shown a marked disposition by the people to beautify in a public manner any part of the town. The attempt occa- sionally made in communities to make some central point, usually the " village green," the object of especial attention was never imitated here. The "North Parish Green " was donated to " the neighbors " by Reverend James Pierpont, of New Haven, in 1714; in quantity it contained as the will says "8 or 10 acres." It is more than probable it was heavily wooded at that time, the ancient oaks still remaining on its highest part offering presumptive evidence to that effect. With the exception of clearing it and on one occasion rectifying its bounds, nothing was done to enhance its condition from the date of its gift to the year 1880, a period of 166 years. Perhaps one reason for this neglect lay in the disputed ownership of the tract, the First Ecclesia.stical Society and the town both claim- ing it. The space is too limited to admit the arguments each body adduced to prove its title. In its imsettled condition nothing was done — it was in sooth a " public common," a sunken highway trav- ersed its length diagonally and its surface was cut and furrowed in innumerable directions. Barren areas of sand showed here and there and it was a hissing and a by-word to the surrounding com- munities. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. 263 Despairing of its condition ever being bettered, a few of the citizens living in thie near vicinity, willing to concede its oversight to the First Ecclesiastical Society, petitioned that body for a commis- sion to be raised to improve the public green. A special meeting was called December 20th, 1880, at which time a committee of five was chosen for the above purpose with the privilege of beginning work when the sum of SoOO had been raised to the satisfaction of the society's committee. The committee was made up as follows: Deacon Whitney Elliott, Sheldon B. Thorpe, Cullen B. Foote, Edward L. Linsley, John F. Barnes. Elliott resigned and Charles B. Smith was chosen to succeed him. The committee then organized with Thorpe as president, Lin.sley, secretary, and Foote, as treasurer. An appeal for funds was made and within sixty days something over $700 was secured. Work was begun; highways around the tract were laid out, trees were planted, the surface graded and temporarily enclosed, fertilizers were applied with scores of loads of clay, soil and ashes, and the entire area underwent a wholesome change. The extensive improvements, particularly in the drainage and highway work, which the town should have done at its own expense, made large inroads on the treasury. Local jealousies sprang up over the contested ownership as stated, and the funds dwindled. The work came to a standstill in 1888, and has not since been resumed. Enough improvement is apparent, however, to warrant the expenditure of the sum named. Should at any time the contemplated plan be carried out the result will be a country park second to none in the county. Previous to 1886 the town owned no public building. Its business had been transacted at the Academy Hall, as has been said, for about 35 years, and previous to that at any convenient place. In 1885 the Veteran vSoldiers Association conceived that the time had arrived for the erection of a monument to their deceased comrades. Application was made to the town for an appropriation of one and one-half mills on the dollar, as provided by statute, on the grand list (a sum amount- ing to about $1,200), for .such purpose. This request was unanimously granted. Two thousand dollars was named as a suitable sum to raise and the veterans set themselves at work at once to secure it. This was in October, 1885. Opposition sprang up in an unexpected quarter from certain citizens, and a special town meeting was called early in November to repeal the former appropriation. The meeting failed of its object and the canvass went on during the winter. By spring it was seen the entire amount would be secured and the long dream of the veterans find its fulfillment. The opposition was again renewed, this time in the guise of a public building needed by the town. This project found favor in various directions and a second town meeting was called in February, 1886, for the repeal of the grant of 1885. The .scheme succeeded. The appropriation was withdrawn 264 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. fron. the veterans' plan and transferred to a project for a Memorial Hall to be erected at an expense not exceeding $.),() 0. The action of this meeting was final, and the budding soon com- menced. A committee of nine superintended its instruction. It was built from plans mainly prepared by Solomon F. Lmsle^ a local carpenter. Ornamental attractions were held in little favor, the design being to provide for space rather than effect. The first floor IS devoted to the Bradley Libi^r^^ and the various town offices The second floor is used entirely for a public hall. Ihe buildino- was erected and furnished af an expense of something over S8 ^^ Externally the words " 1886, Memorial Hall," and internally a marble slab beanng the names of those who fell during the civil war are all that indicate its memorial purpose. The Bradley Library Association is a chartered institution undei the 1 awf of the state.' It grew out of the legacy of Sl-000 from Honorable S. Leverrius Bradley, of Auburn, N. Y., a native of North Haven It was incorporated March 19th. 1884. Its rooms at first were at the house of Doctor Austin Lord, and until the completioir o Memorial Hall. By the most careful economy it has been made a m's self sustaining and has attained at the present time qmte reputable dimensions. Upwards of 2,000 volumes are - --f -- Its rooms are open two afternoons and evenings per week A small fee is charged for membership, also for transient books dia^n By a recent kgacy of the widow of Mr. Bradley, its founder, another $1,000 will be available in 1892. An event in which the town was specially interested was the 1 X.th anniversary of its incorporation, which °^^"^-^^^^^0^\°?f,^ .'Jf^J'f i The main features of this occasion were "an Old tolks concert, ^ -Loan Exhibition," procession of the trades of the town, free dinner, public addres.ses, band concert and fireworks in the evening. The interest was something phenomenal. The entries for the loan exhibition rose to nearly one thousand, and three thousand persons were provided with dinner. A synopsis of the interests of the town, compiled from the grand list of 1890, shows the following: Population. 1.8.-^8; dwellings .3.M: stores, 0: manufactories, 27; cattle, 1,027; horses, 471; acres, ll,b37; valuation, $792,840. , The first mill of any kind within our present borders was erected on Pine brook, in the northwest corner of the town m the year 1.00 It was a small .saw mill. The site of the old dam can be seen at ^''^The'o-eneral development of manufacturing in the parish w.as slow Water power was depended upon, and there practically was but one stream (Muddy river) that could be utilized. This at one time was well dotted with mills. Doctor Ezra Stiles shows upon a rude map in 1761, seven in active operation-" two corne mills, two HISTORY OF XKW HAVEN COUNTY. 265 fulling mills and three saw mills." On the East river in 1762, Aaron Day and others built a " corn mill," at the east end of Mansfield bridge. A saw mill was constructed upon the opposite side, managed at one time by Benjamin Bishop. In the year later Doctor Walter Monson built a grist mill upon the same stream at Ouinnipiac. One James Bradley, about 1720, had a fulling mill at "Smithtown," near the present Smith sawmill. About 1760 a ship- yard was established on the west bank of the East river, south of the bridge, which was maintained till after the year 1800. Here small seagoing craft were built. Some of them ventured as far as the West Indies. Of these was the " Hiram," commanded by one Cap- tain Davidson of ]\Iilford, lost at sea with her crew in 1796. Bog iron ore was dug in the swamps in the vicinity of " The Pool " previous to 1665, and taken to the " Iron Works " at East Haven. It was also carted to " Bogmine Wharf," a locality near the present Sackett's Point bridge, and there loaded on boats for the same destination. The owner of the land at this time was probably Rever- end James Pierpont, who possessed an immense tract of 800 or 1,000 acres extending between the East and Muddy rivers. The hard wood lumber trade early in our history was the most extensive and thrifty of any of the pursuits of the settlers. Oak and whitewood were excliisively used, and the North Haven plains fur- nished both in abundance. The latter must have attained dimensions far beyond anything found in the town in later days, as seen in the inside finish of sundry " front rooms " in old dwellings. Here in some cases are found " panels " made of single boards measuring from 36 to 40 inches in width. Oak was the main building material; frames, floors, clapboards and shingles were wrought of it and none but the best quality was u.sed. Large quantities of it were exported from New Haven. The manufa;ture of brick began about 1720. The pioneer in this industry was Nathaniel Thorp, and the first yard was about 100 rods north of the present New Haven & Hartford railroad .station, and directly east of the track. Abraham Seeley, a Hollander, came next, locating first at Muddy river and afterward removing to near the present plant of Brockett & Todd. Later it was discovered that extensive clay beds underlaid large areas on both sides of the East river, and as brick was beginning to come into favor, as a building material, yards sprang up quickly all over the town. Among the earlier brick makers were Josiah Thomas, vSamuel Pierpont, Seth Blakeslee, Ebenezer Pierpont, Enoch Barnes, Joshua Thorp, Caleb Humaston, Jesse Andrews, Solomon Bradley, Titus Bradley, David Bradley, Jared Bradley and others. Later came John Gill, Orrin Todd, Isaac Stiles, Horace Stiles, Amasa Thorpe and others. Then followed Erus Bishop, Henry M. Blakeslee, Willis Hemingway, Samuel Culver, Alfred Ives, Eleazer Warner, Orrin 266 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Warner, J. AI. Mansfield, and lastly I. L. & H. H. Stiles, whose plant,, in 1891 under the name of I. L. Stiles & vSon, produces about 16,000,000 bricks annually. The latter works are managed on an extended scale, employing about 150 men and 60 or more horses. Sewer and building brick are the only kinds manufactured. This and the yard of Brockett & Todd, with that of Thomas Cody at Montowese comprise all at present in the town. An extensive business in carriage parts (wooden work) at one time engaged attention. Smith Brothers. Edwin Clinton & Son, Alonzo Smith, John F. Barnes & Co., and others, have still interests in this branch. The latter establishment is situated on the old Aliddletown turnpike at the old cabinet and undertaking stand of Frederic Barnes. This business originated in 1806. The manufacture of choice wood- work in that day was carried on mostly by hand, and "apprentices" were common learning this trade. Mr. Barnes' establishment was noted for the number of apprentices it always had and the fine quality of its work. In 1870 extensive buildings were erected and the capacity for work much increased. At yuinnipiac is a valuable water power, but the buildings are the worse for age and wear. Formerly German silver spoons were made in large quantities there; at present Hotchkiss Brothers manufacture bolts and a small grist mill supplies the near community with grain. The first stock company of which any account is obtainable was the North Haven Academy Association, organized about 1850. The shares were $2;-) each but no record of the amount of stock is found. Its purpose was to provide better facilities for education, in fact to establish a high school. Such an in.stitution had already been in operation in the community for a number of years with a paying patronage, but never at a specific place or maintained except by transient enterprise. So far as can be learned the earliest "select school " was taught in the winter months over Joel Ray's store (now Stephen Gilbert's), at least 60 years ago, and among the earlier "Ma.sters" were Reverend Orson Cowles, Reverend Ammi Linsley, Honorable Henry D. Smith and others. The new academy was built of brick a few feet north of the Congregational church. Its second floor provided the first public hall in the village, and hither the town's business was transferred from the basement of the Conereea- tional church. For a few years a school was maintained with considerable success and then patronage declined. Many of the incorporators became restless and unloaded their holdings. The building finally passed into the hands of Alfred Linsley at a sacrifice. Attempts were made from time to time to revive school privileges but with no lasting result, and the structure was devoted to commercial purposes. It is now occupied by the 'i'uttle Brothers Printing Company. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 267 Following this came these organizations: 2. Clinton Wallace & Co., September 29th, ISoS. Capital stock $28,000, Lyman Clinton, president. This company was formed for the manufacture of agricultural implements. A large two story wooden building was erected in the meadow, west of the track and a few rods north of the New Haven & Hartford railroad station. Business was carried on a few years in connection with the firm of David Clinton & .Son, but it does not appear that the venture brought its promoters any money. There were various changes of manage- ment, but through them all a constant shrinkage of business. It was finally shut down and the works practically abandoned. The la.st transaction in stock was January 12th, 1860. The building was destroyed by fire. 3. The North Haven Brick Company, organized January 21st,^ 1854. Capital stock $]:^, 000. Elihu Dickerman, first president. The issue of this company was disastrous. Its last transfer was March 13th, 1856. 4. The Warner, Mansfield & Stiles Brick Company, organized May 1st, 1854. Capital $18,000. J. M. Mansfield, first president. Last stock transfer May 13th. 1874, when it went into liquidation, 5. Quinnipiac Paper Company, organized October 1st, 1869. Capital $30,000, John W, Bishop, first president. Factory on Quinnipiac river, near Wallingford line. Last statement inade January 1st, 1872. 6. The U. S. Card Factory Company, organized April 12th, 1881. Capital $500. 7. The North Haven Manufacturing Company, organized Novem- ber 27th, 1882. Capital $18,000. Manufacturers of tin spoons. 8. The Tuttle Brothers Printing Company, organized April 19th, 1886. Capital $6,000. Frederic C. Bradley, first president. Pub- lishers of cards of all varieties. Among the prominent industries of the town, and for a long time apparently the most successful, was the Clintonville Agricultural Works, This concern was founded by David Clinton previous to 1830. He first made fanning mills, at his house. Corn shellers, horse rakes and other machines were coming into notice, on which he made many radical improvements. In 1831 he united with Jude B. .Smith in the erection of a large manufactory at what was then known as the hamlet of Smithtown, since Clintonville. The main building was of brick with various additions, and the motive power, water brought from Muddy river. Clinton's implements became renowned. They met with ready sale through the country and were found wherever farms were worked. In 1850 Mr. Clinton associated his son Lyman with him under the name of D. Clinton & .Son, and the business was con- ducted more vigorously than ever. The works gave employment to a large number of hands and were continued until 1875, when they were sold to Carr & Hobson, of New York city. This firm managed 268 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. them with spirit a few years, but in 1881 removed the plant to New Jersey. Thus was withdrawn from the community a business of over a half century standing, and one that doubtless in its day proved the most profitable of all. The transfer was unfortunate for its owners, as financial disaster overtook and scattered their resources. Amoncr the earlier manufactures was that of carriages by Captain Benajah Tuttle and Esquire Jacob Bassett. A factory 100 feet long built by them, formerly stood on the site of the Smith Brothers plant, and an extensive trade was developed. The destruction of the estab- lishment by fire broke up the business. The present brick factory was then erected. One Henry Martin made " locofoco matches " about 1840-4.5, near Mansfield's bridge. The following list covers nearly all the business interests of the town at date (spring of 1891): Groceries: Jo.seph Pierpont, Stephen G. Gilbert, George H. Cooper. Saw Mills: Doolittle Brothers, Lucius Smith, Hector W. Storrs. Origen C. Clinton. Brick yards: I. L. Stiles & Son, Brockett & Todd. Blacksmiths: Rowe S. Bradley, George B. Mao-innis. Carpenters: S. F. Linsley, R. T. Lmsley. Carriage part makers: Barnes & Co., Smith Brothers, W. H. Smith, Clinton & Son. Wao-on makers: Frederick Mansfield, George Gilbert. House painters: Zenas W. Mansfield, Vernone Stiles. Market men: Jared B. Bassett Dennis Tucker. Card works: S. S. Vibbert & Co., North Haven Card Company, The Tuttle Brothers Company, E. H. Pardee, F. L. Clinton. Manufacturers: North Haven Manufacturing Company. The capital of the before mentioned concerns, as a whole, is small, ranging from $m) to $50,000. The card companies employ ladies mos'tly In the latter line, the wholesale house of Vibbert & Co. is a model of busine,ss and neatness. Their business was establi.shed at Clintonville in 1875, and removed to the present plant m 1888, where a large building is occupied and several dozen people given employ- ment, r^r f The pioneer card printer in the town was Frederick L. Clinton, who beo-an in 1872, using the presses he had him.self made at Clinton- ville foundry. He was one of the first in the state to advertise the card printing business and has also been a pioneer in the use of improved machinery in this line of manufacture. He has a fi^nely equipped establishment at Clintonville, where the latest methods in card printing are employed. Large quantities of novelty goods are sent by the above firms to all parts of the Union. Nearly the entire number engaged in the foregoing businesses are located in the small villages of the town, three in number- North Haven, Clintonville and Montowese. The former is a station on the Hartford railroad, seven miles from New Haven, and has a pleasant location on both sides of the Quinnipiac. Here are the mam interests of the town, including Memorial Hall, the North Haven HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 269 green. Congregational and Episcopal churches. Near the latter is the old Trumbull homestead. There are several hundred inhabitants, living in homes widely separated, which give the place a straggling though not unattractive appearance. The principal interest is the brick manufactory of I. L. Stiles & vSon, as well as several card print- ing shops. Montowese is a station on the Air Line railroad, four miles from New Haven, and contains several dozen buildings. Here are the Baptist church, the Montowese post office, established in 1872, and of which George H. Cooper is the postmaster. There are also several shops and grain and lumber mills. Northford station, on the Air Line railroad, is 7| miles from New Haven. Here is the Clintonville post office, David L. Clinton, post- master, the appointment being third class presidential, owing to heavy business, consequent upon the card printing establishments of this locality. Half a mile east is the village of Clintonville, formerly so active in manufacturing and still having several thrivino- industries. In addition there are a Union chapel and a dozen fine residences. "Sabbath Day houses" were regarded as necessary adjuncts to the meeting house. The earliest mention of these buildings occurs in 1753. They stood ou the west and south sides of " the green," on ground now covered by the Congregational church, the public school building and the private property of Henry D. Todd. Their con- struction was one story in height and not far from twelve feet square. Sometimes they were built "double," that is with a chimney in the middle, but oftener at one end. Occasionally accommodations for horses were provided in the rear. Among the early owners were The- ophilus Eaton, Abraham Bassett, Samuel Sackett, James Humaston, Joshua Barnes, Joel Barnes, Ezekiel Jacobs, Samuel Thorp, Isaac C. Stiles and Isaiah Brockett. The last disappeared from the vicinity of the green about 1850, but one still remains standing on the Deacon Byard Barnes estate, removed thither more than half a century ago. It was not strange to see them converted into temporary bar-rooms for the sale of liquor at " May musters " and on " general training days." North Haven had colored people held as slaves previous to and during the revolutionary war. In 1795 Joel Blakeslee manumitted his negro man " Ben," and in 1798 Samuel Hemingway freed his slaves " Dick and wife." Captain Peter Eastman also emancipated his slave " Jube " in 1801. There were others in the community who not only freed their property of this nature, but paid them wages and retained them to the end of life. The settlers early availed themselves of " fishing grounds " along the East river. In 1732 the first was " taken up " at " Andrews Point." After that came the record of " rights " at " The Elm Tree," " Duck Cove," " Mocking Hill," " Red Bank," " Sackett's Point," '270 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. " Newman's Point," " Bridge," " Ouinny," etc. Companie.s were formed who had " plants " at these places and the town defined how much length of river line their fishery shotild cover. These ancient "fish rights" were transferable by title and were bought and sold like real estate. They were more especially used to catch shad in the months of May and June. The taverns were of very much significance to the country people at least, of the eighteenth century. No well regulated place was sup- posed to be without one or more. The most famous in this com- munity was that known as the " Andrews Tavern," at the northwest •corner of the old green. It was established by Timothy Andrews about 1770. This gentleman journeyed to Vermont in 1788, and died there. His widow carried on the business but the place did not reach its highest renown until her son Jesse came to man's estate and assumed the title of landlord. This was in 1800. Jesse married Phila Humaston and under the management of the twain no country hostelry ever attained so wide a popularity. It was known through- out the state and the fame of it was carried by travellers to New York and Boston. Before the advent of railroads it was a very busy place. Teams and travellers were arriving and departing at all hours of the day and night. Balls, dinners, suppers, dancing schools, train- ings, courts, all sent their quotas there onlj^ to be entertained in the handsomest manner. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews remained in it until a little after 1830. At this time the sun of the country tavern had begun to wane. Railroads were threading the land and conditions of travel were changing. Among the successors of this worthy couple were Jesse, Jr., their son, Seymour Bradley, John Gill. John Farren and one Perkins. The completion of the New Haven & Hartford rail- road gave it its death blow as a public resort. No definite account of any resident physician can be obtained pre- vious to 1760. Tradition mentions one Doctor Hill shortly after 1700, but the evidence as to residing in the parish is very meagre. Doctor Walter Monson came from New Haven and opened the practice of medicine in 1760. He was succeeded by Doctor Joseph Foote, 1790-1836. Then came Doctor Chauncey B. Foote and Doctor Anson Moody. These gentlemen gave way in turn to Doctor Austin Lord, 1849, and Doctor Roswell F. Stillman, 18;'51. The latter died in 1879. In 1868 Doctor R. B. Goodyear, a native of the place, having graduated with distinction, commenced his practice here and is now the leading physician of the town. Doctor Lord is still living in the town, but not in active practice. The part borne by the town in the war of the revolution commends itself to the attention of every resident within its borders. The record is such, thanks to the care of Doctor Trumbull, that a nearly complete muster roll of all who bore arms in the support of inde- pendence has been ascertained. The news of the attack at Lexington HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 271 Mass., reached New Haven Friday evening, April 21st, 1775. On Saturday, the 22d, men from the various militia companies, who could be spared, were informally hurried forward for the " relief of Boston." The first man in the parish to respond to the call was Abner Thorpe, living in the southeast part. He marched with the Branford men. The limits of this article forbid individual mention ■except by name of the men who took part in this struggle. The fol- lowing list has been carefully prepared, with the years in which they served: Abner Thorpe, 1775-7; Abraham Bassett, 1775-6, died in the service; vSamuel Barnes, 1775-6; Joel Thorpe, 1775-7; Solomon Tuttle, 1777-80; Jonathan Dayton, 1777; Thomas Barnes, 1776-7, died in ser- vice; Joshua Barnes, 1776-9, (Alarm list); Isaac Bishop, 1776, died in service; Zophar Jacobs, 1776-8, died in service; John Smith, 1777-9, (three years); Zealous Blakeslee, 1776-81. inclusive; Yale Todd, 1776-7; Ebenezer Mansfield, 1776-7; Eliada Sanford, 1776-9; Thomas Humas- ton, 1778-9, (alarm list); Justus Todd, 1777-9, died in service; Daniel .Sackett, 1778; Joy Bishop, 1778; Joel Brackett, 1775, (1779 alarm list); Caleb Blakeslee, 1777-81, inclusive; Jared Barnes, 1777; Gideon Todd, 1777; Joel Sanford, 1780-2, killed in action; Jacob Thorpe, 1777-9, killed in action; Caleb Tuttle, 1777-80, inclusive; Jonathan Heaton, 1776; Calvin Heaton, 1777; Jonathan Tuttle, 1776-7; William Tuttle, 1776-7; Dimon Bradley, 1776-7; Jacob Hitchcock, 1776-7: Ebenezer Todd, 1776-7; Enos Brockett, 1777; Thomas Pierpont, 1775-7; John Pierpont, 1777; Reuben Tuttle, 1777; Enos Todd, 1777; Abel Tuttle, 1777; Isaac Brockett, 1777; Caleb Thomas, 1777; Monson Brockett, 1777; Jared Tuttle, 1777; Jared Hill, 1777: Jacob Brockett, 2d, 1777; Timothy Thorpe, 1777; Jared Blakeslee, 1777; Jesse Todd, 1777; Ezekiel Jacobs, 1777; Benjamin Bassett, 1777; John Brockett, 1777; David Bishop, 1777; Joseph Sperry, 1777; Solomon Jacobs, 1777; Stephen Ives, 1777; Levi Cooper, 1777; Jacob Brockett, 1776, captain in Colonel Douglass' Regiment; Thaddeus Todd, 1777; Peter East- man, 1775-7; Nathaniel Stacy, 1775, prisoner until 1779; Jonathan Ralph, 1777; Levi Ray, 1777; Thomas Cooper, 1777; Joseph Smith, 1776; Noah Barnes, 1776; Nathaniel Dayton, 1776; William Sanford, 1776; Moses Thorpe, 1776; Timothy Andrews, 1776; Jesse ^Blakeslee, 1776; Phillip Daggett, 1776; Ephraim Humaston, 1776; Thomas Ives, 1776; Giles Dayton, 1776; Charles Tuttle, 1776; Benjamin Trumbull, 1775-7; Richard Mansfield, 1777; John Brockett, 1776. Though the terms of service of a majority of the foregoing men were brief, yet none the less were they loyal to the cause, and it is •with pride that it can be said, out of these, there was but one case of desertion. In estimating the patriotism of these men, let it be remem- bered there was but little of pomp and show in that day, little of the glamour and fascination that attends great bodies of armed men in modern times. The need of the hour and the duty of the man led «each hero to his place in the struggle, and of the fourscore souls who 272 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. by turns followed the drum from Lexington to Yorktown, it is pleas- ant to know the blood they transmitted to their descendants was found again in the name of liberty on the fields of Antietam, Gettysburg, Petersburg, and all along the lines where the dread issues of rebellion were met and settled. The part borne b}' the town in the war of 1812 was comparatively an unimportant one. An alarm was raised in the spring of 1814, and again in September of that year. The latter was the most serious, when demand was made for the services of the following: Eneas Blakeslee, John Todd, Timothy Bassett, Samuel Cooper, Thomas Eaton, John GoodseU, Alfred Pierpont, Joel Pierpont, Augustus Munson, Ziba vShephard, Jesse Cooper, John Bas.sett, Levi Brockett, Joshua Dayton, Leverett Frost, Richard Mansfield, James Pierpont, Isaac Stiles, John Beach, Enoch Ray. These men belonged to the local militia companies and were "levied" or drafted. Their terms of service were short and with the exception of Blakeslee and Beach, it is doubtful if they ever saw- the enemy. Most of them eventually obtained pensions. The last ser- vivor was Levi Brockett, who died in 18S4. The first North Haven born boy to volunteer in the war of the rebellion was Henry F. Cowles, son of Reverend Orson and Eunice (Foote) Cowles, May 7th, ISHl. He was then living- at Norwich, Conn., and entered the Second Connecticut Infantry. The first resident young men to enlist were Walstein Goodyear and Leverett AI. Rogers, May 2Bd, 1861, both in the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery, Joseph O. Blair and John McCormick next followed in the Fifth Connecticut in July: Luzerne vS. Barnes and Alfred A. Howarth, in the Sixth Connecticut in September; Theodore Bradley, F. Wilber Goodyear, James E. Smith and Frederic G. Eaton, in the Seventh Connecticut, also in September; E. D. S. Goodyear, Oliver T. Smith and Edward L. Goodyear, in Tenth Connecticut in October. This closed the enlist- ments for 18G1. These were made without the stimulus of town bounty, and after careful deliberation. ■ The first public flag raised in the town was in the Fifth district, April 24th, 18fiL The people of Montowese followed the example on June 26th, and the town at large on North Haven Green, August 28th. The first town meeting of the citizens to encourage volunteering was held in Academy Hall, August 4th, 18(i2. A committee was appointed and a bounty of $100 to each volunteer ordered paid. On the evening of the same day a second meeting was held at which (and the following day) thirty young men enrolled themselves as volunteers. The wildest enthusiasm prevailed. The first one to put down his name on this ever to be remembered evening was Jacob F. Linsley. who had previously enlisted in the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery, March, 18(;2, but on account of sickness had been discharged without .service. These thirty volunteers enlisted in the Fifteenth HISTORY (_)|-- NEW IIAVEX COUNTY. 273 Connecticut, under Captain Henry H. Stiles, and went into camp a few days later. The next public meeting was held August 30th, at which time the town bounty was raised to $150 for any one who should enlist before -September loth. 1862. On October 21st, a third meeting was held, and later a fourth, at which an appropriation of $900 was made to fill the quota of the town. On March 8d, 1868. came the act of congress approving of a draft. The following- July another meeting was held, at which it was voted that every person drafted into the service of the United States who responded either personally or by substitute or paid the commutation fee of $300 .should be allowed $150 from the treasury and a sum not exceeding $5, 000 was .so appropriated. November 25th, 1864, the town again voted to pay such of its citizens as had volunteered or furnished substitutes since July 1st of that year, the sum of $200. This was the highest bounty offered. Under this act $2,400 was paid to twelve of its residents. The last meeting was held January 2d, 1865. At this time the selectmen were authorized to suspend the payment of bounties when in their judgment the quota was full. Great credit is due the town authorities in these trying years for their efforts to make the burden light upon the people. Deacon Whitney Elliott and Elizur C. Tuttle were most active in this direction. The first death in the four years struggle was that of Leverett M. Rogers, July 23d, 1861. The first death on the field was Joseph O. Blair, at Cedar Mountain, August 9th, 1862. The first pri-soner taken was F. Wilbur Goodyear, June 18th, 1864. The following roster of enlisted men is compiled from official sources and believed to be correct: Charles M. Barnes, 27th Conn. Infantry; Luzerne S. Barnes, (!th Conn. Infantry; Stuart Barnes. 15th Conn. Infantry; Hobart A. Bassett, 15th Conn. Infantry; Seth B. Bassett, 1st Conn. Heavy Art.; Joseph O. Blair, 5th Conn. Infantry; Julius Blakeslee, 1st Conn. Heavy Art.; Edgar S. Bradley, 15th Conn. Infantry; Henry E. Bradley, 15th Conn. Infantry; Ellsworth H. Bradley, General U. S. Service; Theodore Bradley, 7th Conn. Infantry; Charles A. Brockett, loth Conn. Infantry; Eli I. Brockett, loth Conn. Infantry; George E. Brockett, 27th Conn. Infantry; Horace Brockett, 27th Conn. Infantry; James H. Brockett, 15th Conn. Infantry; William E. Brockett, 15th Conn. Infantry; Edmond Burke, 15th Conn. Infantry; Elbert C. Clarke, Naval Service; Thomas J Cleary, 15th Conn. Infantry; Harvey E. Cooper, 15th Conn. Infantry; Edward O. Cowles, loth Conn. Infantry; Henry F. Cowles, 18th Conn. Infantry; Henry Culver, 15th Conn. Infantry; Lsaac L. Doolittle, 15th Conn. Infantry; Jesse T. Doolittle, 15th Conn. Infantry; Frederic G. Eaton, 7th Conn. 17 274 insTokv of new hanex county. Infantry; Alva Frost. l.'")th Conn. Infantry: E. D. vS. Goodyear, loth Conn. Infantry: Edward L. Goodyear, lOth Conn. Infantry: Wal.stein Goodyear, 1st Heavy Art.; F. Will)ur (Toodyear, 7th Conn. Infantry; Robert B. Goodyear, 'i7th Conn. Infantry; John P. Gilbert, 99th N. Y. Infantry; Ru.ssell Hills, 15th Conn. Infantry: Henry C. Hart. l.-)th Conn. Infantry: Henry B. Hartley, l.")th Conn. Infantry; James Higgins, 15th Conn. Infantry: Harvey S. Hoadley. lOth Conn. Infantry; Walter P. Hovey, loth Conn. Infantry; William B. Hovey, loth Conn. Infantry: Alfred A. Howarth, 6th Conn. Infantry: Adolphus F. Hunie, 15th Conn. Infantry; Charles W. Jacobs, 1st Conn. Heav}- Art.: Marcus A. Jacobs. 10th Conn. Infantry; John T. Jacobs, 27th Conn. Infantry; Truman O. Judd, 27th Conn. Infantry: Adam Lamm, 27th Conn. Infantry; Jacob F. Linsley. 15th Conn. Infantry; Samuel M. Linsley, 15th Conn. Infantry; Thomas O'Brien, 27th Conn. Infantry; Nathan A. Marks, 15th Conn. Infantry: George Morgan, 15th Conn. Infantry: Augustus G. Morse, 15th Conn. Infantry; William J. Morse, 15th Conn. Infantry; John McCormick, 5th Conn. Infantry; William P. Phelps, 15th Conn. Infantry; Merwin E. P.almer, 15th Conn. Infantry: Nathan A. Palmer, 27th Conn. Infantry: Milton B. Pardee. 15th Conn. Infantry: Horace Riggs, 1st Conn. Heavy Art.: Riley A. Robinson, 15th Conn. Infantry; Leverett M. Rogers, 1st Conn. Heavy Art.; Wil- liam A. Rogers. 15th Conn. Infantry: Elbert J. Smith. 27th Conn. Infantry; (ieorge W. Smith, 15th Conn. Infanti-y: Henry E. Smith. 15th Conn. Infantry: James E. Smith, 7th Conn. Infantry; Merton L. Smith, 15th Conn. Infantry: Oliver T. Smith, 10th Conn. Infantry: Sanford B. Smith, 15th Conn. Infantry: Ezra L. Stiles, 13th N. Y. Cavalry; Henry H. Stiles, 15th Conn. Infantry: Edwin A. Thorpe, 15th Conn. Infantry; Rufus Thorpe, 15th Conn. Infantry: Sheldon B. Thorpe, 15th Conn. Infantry: Henry D. Todd, 27th Conn. Infantry: Kirtland Todd, 27th Conn. Infantry; Dennis W. Tucker, 27th Conn. Infantry: Henry F. Tuttle, 15th Conn. Infantry: Justus Voght. 27th Conn. Infantry; Horace Waters, Regular Army. Of these men Blair, Eaton, Hoadlev, McCormick and vSmith, were killed in action and buried on the field. Edgar Ellsworth and Theodore Bradley, the two Linsleys, Walstein Goodyear, Leverett Rogers, Hobart Ba.ssett, Pardee, Augustus G. Morse, Merton L. Smith, Culver, Clarke and Water.«, died of disease in service. I'. Wilbur (ioodyear, Alfred A. Howarth and Henry F. Cowles lan- guished in southern ]n-i.'ons. the latter making a successful e.scape therefrom. Politically, the town was democratic previous to the war of the rebellion; since then it has been mainly republican. In its history, for energy, integrity and worth, its sons have well borne their part along with the towns of the state to uphold the honor and dignity of the commonwealth. lIIsrORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 275 BIOGRAPinCAI. SKETCHES. Andrew F. Austin, now 57 yeans of age, resides in North Haven, in which town he was born March 26th, 1884. His education was obtained from the common school. At the age of 17 he attended the vState Normal school for one term. When 18 years of age he com- menced teaching school and followed the same for 1 5 winters. Novem- ber 26th, 1857, he married Charlotte P., daughter of Horace and Lois P. Stiles. Their children are Frederick W. and Gardner E. Austin. When 25 years of age, Mr. Austin was elected justice of the peace, which office at the present writing he holds, having been trial justice for more than HO years. About the same year he was elected one of the board of school visitors, and held the office till 1889, having been acting school visitor for many years. In 1866, he was elected select- man, which office he held 14 years, and during 11 years of said time was elected and served as town agent. In 1880 he was employed as census enumerator in taking the 10th census of the 102d district, which then included his native town. In 1882 he represented his town in the legislature. His occupation, when not otherwi.se engaged, is that of a farmer, although he spends much time in adjusting difficulties, and in the settlement of estates. He is also employed in selling goods for Bradley & Co., of Syracuse, N. Y., and in selling fire and burglar safes for the Marvin Safe Company, of 265 Broadway, N. Y. His father, Joseph Austin, was born in Wallingford, Conn., April 28d, 1803, and married Celia Foote of Northford, October 14th, 1829. They came to reside in North Haven. His death occurred October 14th, 1854. The widow now survives him. Their children were: Andrew F.. Abner E. and Charles R. Abner E. resides in Meriden, and Charles R. died August 2Sth, 1851. Harley Bishop, son of Calvin and Rebecca (Stilson) Bishop, was born in W'oodbury, Conn., in 1797, and died in North Haven in 1872. He lived several years in New York state, and came from there in December, 1868, settling near his son Joseph E., who had bought a farm here two years previous. Mr. Bishop married Mary A. Moody, and had thirteen children. Six are now living: James L., Mary A., Janette M., Henry M., Joseph E. (who married Margaret Stuart, and has five children: Mary C, Walter H., Lucy M., Edwin S. and James S., who died), and Caroline E., now Mrs. Reverend E. L. Whitcombe. Lucius Brockett, born in 1817, is the only surviving child of Ben- jamin and Mabel (Blaksley) Brockett, grandson of Benjamin Brockett, and great-grand, son of John Brockett. Mr. Brockett is a farmer, own- ing the home.stead of his father and grandfather. He was two years selectman, and for several years had charge of the roads in the south part of the town. He married Bet.sey M., daughter of Edward and Millie (Baldwin) Linsley, and a granddaughter of Obed Lin.sley. Their children are: Melissa, Alice E. (Mrs. Wells C. Hoadley), and 270 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Mary J. (Mrs. James Moultoii), who died leaving one daughter, Mabel. Benjamin Bi-ockett, grandfather of Lucius, was in the revolu- tionar\' war. Mr. Brockett has in his pos.se.ssion a powder horn which belonged to his grandfather. The horn bears the following in.scrip- tion: " Beniamin Brockett. His Powder Horn Dated att North Hauen in the year 1753." The ox from which the powder horn was taken was killed and eaten in the revolutionary war. John Brockett lived west of the residence of Lucius Brockett. near the river. Wales W. Buckingham was born in 181<), in Oxford, Conn., and is the youngest son of Ebenezer and Olive (Woodruff) Buckingham. He has been a farmer in North Haven since 1848. He married Julia, daughter of Isaac Morgan. She died in 1860. Their children were: one that died in infancy; Harriet (Mrs. George Dickerman), Emma, Mary (Mrs. Lewis Dudley) and Henry W. Thomas Coady, born in 1844, in Ireland, is a son of Michael Coady. He came to North Haven from Ireland in 18o8, and from that time until 1807 was employed as a brickmaker. He botight the brick yard of Ami Culver in 1807, where he has carried on the business since that time. He now has a capacity of two million brick a year. George H. Cooper, born in 1849. is a son of Justus and Julia (Gorham ) Cooper, and grandson of Justus Cooper. He was a farmer until October, 1888, when he succeeded C. J. Hills in the store at Montowe.se, and he has increased the business to include a ftill line of groceries, besides flour, grain and feed. He has been the po.st- master since April, 1889. He married Be.ssie L., daughter of Henry M. and Betsey L. Coe, of Durham. Their two daughters are Mabel J. and Millie M. Elihu Dickerman, born in 180:2, in Hamden, is a .son of Enos and Mary (Todd) Dickerman, grandson of Enos, who was a revolutionary soldier. The latter was a son of Jonathan, who was a descendant from Thomas Dickerman. Mr. Dickerman is a farmer. He caine from Hamden to North Haven in 1848. He taught school 14 winters. was a surveyor several years, .selectman in Hamden and in North Haven, and was constable and justice several years. He married Sylvia, daughter of Justus Humiston. Their children were: Elihu J., Charles A. (decea.sed), and Elisabeth S. (Mrs. Hubert Barnes). Mr. Dickerman had in August, 1891, six grandchildren and four great- grandchildren living. I'^lihu J. Dickerman, born in J828 and died in 1872, was a .son of Elihu and Sylvia (Humiston) Dickerman. He was a farmer. He married Grace A., daughter of Zopher Blakeslee. She died in 1889. Their children are: Sarah A., William E.. Robert K., Grace E. and one that died, Julia M. Robert E. is a farmer on the homestead of his father. Jesse B. Good.sell, .son of John and Huldah (Bassett) Goodsell, was born in 1880. He is a lineal descendant from Thomas Goodsell, who •settled in ICast Haven in 1047. He is a farmer. He taught school a HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 277 part of thirteen years, and was a member of the school board for several years, acting school visitor for ten years and sole acting visitor of the town four years. He is now (1890) filling his third term as selectman, and is also a justice of the peace. He married Charry E. Tucker, and has one son, Wilson E. Robert Beardsley Goodyear, M. D. — The ancestral home of the Goodyear family is in England, where their coat of arms is a partridge, holding in its beak three ears of wheat — their motto: " Possinit Quia Posse Videntur." Stephen Goodyear, the ancestor of the family in this country, was one of the founders and principal men of the New Haven colony. He was a merchant from London and was here a man of large business and active in public affairs. According to Doctor Bacon (Hist. Discourses) he had much to do with the civil govern- ment of the colony and was in the extent of his .services and qualifi- cations second only to Governor Eaton. He helped to organize the government of the colony and was the deputy governor until his death in London, in 1658. His first wife was one of the company which sailed from New Haven in 1646 in the ill-fated vessel whose loss at sea was revealed by the " phantom ship."-' He afterward married Mrs. Lamberton, the widow of the master of that unfortunate bark, and from this second marriage are descended all of the Goodyear family in this country — among them being, in a long line of descent, Bela Hub- bard Goodyear, who was married to Delia Ann Gill, and who was the father of the subject of this sketch. Robert Beardsley Goodyear, the fourth of their family of seven sons, was born in North Haven. November 4th, 1886. He received his early education principally in the public schools of his native town and Wallingford. He was next, for several years, a teacher in the public schools of North Haven and other towns in the state. At the breaking out of the civil war, in 1861, he was teaching a portion of his time, being also engaged in pursuing a preliminary course of study with a view of entering upon the practice of the medical profession. Four of his brothers had enlisted in the army for the defense of the Union, when he also volunteered his services. He was enrolled in September, 1862, in Company B, 'iTth Regiment, Conn. Volunteers, and was commissioned a sergeant. He .served with his regiment until the expiration of its term of service in July, 1863, and was in the battle of Fredericksburg, December 13th, 1862; at Chancellorsville May 1st, 2d, and 3d, 1863; he was captured and was a prisoner of war at Richmond about two weeks.+ *See account in General Chapter. + Of the six brothers of Doctor Robert B. Goodyear all but the youngest, whose age did not permit him to volunteer, were in the army and held more or less prominent po.sitions, obtained by meritorious service. The eldest, Gen. E. D. S. Goodyear, raised a company of volunteers and was commissioned its cap- tain in the Tenth Regt., C. V. I. He was promoted to the rank of major, lieut. col. and colonel and brevetted general for gallantry in leading a charge on Port 27S HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Soon after his ret'.irn from the army he entered the jMedical School of Yale College, from which he finally graduated in January, 186S. In the meantime, he received the appointment of resident physician of the State Hospital at New Haven, in January, ISfio; the appointment of physician and surgeon of the Hartford Hospital, in January 1866; and supplied a vacancv in the Retreat for the Insane, at Hartford, under the late Doctor John vS. Butler, in 1867. After his graduation he became a general practitioner in North Haven and has since been successfully and extensively engaged in his profession in this and adjoining towns. He has also retained a warm interest in education, serving for a long time as a member of the town board and for ten years was acting school visitor. Doctor Goodyear was married. May 19th, 186U, to Jane, daughter of Norman Lyman, of Hartford, Conn. She died in March, 1878, leaving two children: Anna Lyman, born February 17th, 1874, and Robert Walstein, born January 9th, 1878. For his second and present wife, he married Ellen Maria, daughter of Stephen and Maria Good- year Hotchkiss, of New Haven, June 26th, 1884. Merwin E. Hemingway, born in 1831, is one of eight children of Augustus Hemingway, and a brother of Willis B. Mr. Hemingway is a farmer and market gardener. He married Mary, daughter of Medad Robinson. vShe died leaving three children: Walter M., Harry L. and Minnie A. His second marriage was with Fannie V., daughter of Grove Winchell. They have two sons: Louis R. and Clinton G. Willis B. Hemingway, born in 1820. is a son of Augustus and Juline (Blakeslee) Hemingway, and grandson of Samuel, whose father Samuel, was a son of John, and he a son of Samuel and Sarah (Cooper) Gregg, near Petersburg, in is(i,"i. in which he was severely wounded. He partici- pated in nearly all the engagements of his regiment in its service, from istii until the end of the war in ISO.T. He next served for 25 years as inspector of the New Haven custom house and is now living retired in North Haven. Simeon Eldridge, the second brother, was an independent commissary. He was captured at Winchester, Va., and was a jjrisoner several months. He died at Springfield, Mass., January 'J^d, 1890. Kdward L.. the third brother, enlisted as a musician in Company C, 10th Regt. C. \'. J., and gallantly assisted in the care of the wounded, serving until the sur- render of Lee in ISO."). He is now jiostmaster of tlic North Haven office. Walstein, the fourth brother, was the first of the family to enlist. He was a member of the Isl Conn. Heavy Artillery; was wounded at Malvern, in the Peninsular Campaign, taken prisoner and carried to Richmond; ])arolc(l and died from his wounds in the hospital at Philadelphia. Prancis Wilbur, the liftli brother, was in Company K. 7th Regt. C. \'. I.; was for several months a prisoner at Anderson ville and has never recovered from the efi^ects of his imprisonment at tli.a place. Returning to his command he was promoted to lieutenant and was with his company until the end of the war. The youngest brother, Stephen Kdgar, died beloved by all who knew him, NoveinlH-r '.'Uth, ls71. aged 24 years. ^ ^#, /^^. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 279 Hemingway. Mr. Hemingway has been a farmer since 1865. He was a brick maker and school teacher previous to that time. He was assessor for about 20 years, selectman two terras, a member of the state board of equalization in 1868, and was in the house of represen- tatives in 1866-7. He married Betsey B., daughter of Jonathan B. Huntley, of Fair Haven. They have two sons: Frank W. and Edgar A., both married. Romania T. Linsley, born in 1832, is a son of Alfred and Polly (Frisby) Linsley, and grandson of Monson Linsley. He is a carpenter by trade, though he has spent a part of his life farming and handling timber and lumber. He has been six terms selectman and five years chairman of the board. He married Angeline B., daughter of John Pardee. They lost one daughter, Idora A. George ^lunson, oldest son of James and Abigail (Sackett) Munson, and grand.son of Jonathan Munson, was born in 181U. He is a farmer and mechanic. He was two years assessor, and four years selectman of North Haven. His father was a farmer, and died in 1858, aged TO years. He had five children, all of whom survive him: George, Olive, Eunice, Willis and Louisa. Burt H. Nichols, son of Wilbur and Harriet N. (Lewis) Nichols, and grandson of Samuel Nichols, was born in Minnesota in 1858. He is a farmer, also agent for fertilizers and farming utensils. He mar- ried Nellie H., daughter of George W. Smith. Their sons are: Herbert L. and Ralph W. Mr. Nichols' father was in the war of the rebellion 15 months in the 2d Minne.sota Battery. He died in North Haven in 1889, aged 62 years. Marvin Olmstead, born in 1815, in Wilton, Conn., is a son of Alden and Sally (Smith) Olmstead. He has been a farmer in North Haven .since 1867. He was in the late war nine months in Company H, 27th Connecticut Volunteers. He is a member of Harmony Lodge, No. 5, L O. O. F. He married .Sarah, daughter of William Beers. She died leaving one daughter, Margaret A. (Mrs. J. A. Munson). His present wife was Mrs. Abigail Andrews, daughter of Artemas Hitchcock. She had one son by her former marriage, Ambrose M. Andrews. Henry J. Pardee, born in 1829, is one of four children of John and Deborah (Todd) Pardee, grandson of John and great-grandson of John, whose father John, was the eldest son of George and Martha (Miles) Pardee, they having been married in 1650 by the governor. This George Pardee served five years as apprentice to Francis Brown, a tailor. Henry J. Pardee is a farmer, owning and occupying the home- stead where three generations have been farmers before him. He married Mrs. Louisa Davis, a daughter of Richard and Lola (Humiston) Blakeslee, and granddaughter of Captain Philamon, a son of Isaac Blakeslee. They have two children: Fannie A. (Mrs. T. H. Wallace) and Edwin H., who has been a card printer since 1876. He married in 1881, Lizzie M., daughter of Matthew M. Tvler of Fair Haven. 280 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Joseph Pierpont, born in 18r)3, is a son of Rufus and Harriet (Richards) Pierpont, and grandson of Daniel, whose father Joseph, was a son of Joseph Pierpont. Mr. Pierpont has been a merchant since lS7(i, having succeeded to the business which was establislred m LS48 by his father, who conducted it until his death, when his wife succeeded him, continuing until 1870. Mr. Pierpont married Hattie, daughter of AtwaterBrockett, and granddaughter of Bathuel Brockett. They have three children: (jrace G., Richards B. and Joseph, Jr. Hubert F. Potter, Ijorn in Hamden in 1857, is a son of Samuel F. and Martha E. (Pierpont) Potter, and grandson of Horace Potter. He graduated from Yale Business College in March, 1877. He is a farmer and market gardener on the farm where his father lived for six years prior to his death in 1874. Mr. Potter is a member of Corinthian Lodge, No. 108, F. & A. M., and in 1889 he was master of the County (irange. P. of H. He is now one of the school visitors and one of the town auditors. He married Katie A., daughter of John E. and Susan C. (Heaton) Brockett, granddaughter of Bethuel, a son of Eli, whose father Isaiah, was a son of John Brockett. They have one son, Walter F. Reverend Wh.liam Thomas Reynolds, the pastor of the Congre- gational Church of North Haven, is a descendant of the Reynolds family, which was among the first settlers of Wethersfleld, this state. His great-grandfather, James Re3'nolds, served in the French and In- dian wars and later as a soldier in the revolution was with the gallant (Tcneral Wooster, when he fell mortally wounded, at the battle of Dan- bur)-. Near the close of that war, in the spring of 1783, he removed to West Haven, which was his home until his death. May 8th, 1818. Of his family one of the sons, James Blakeslee, the grandfather of Reverend W. T. Reynolds, was born at Wethersfleld, April 27th, 17.')4, and died at 'West Haven, January 1st, 1834. His only son, James Reynolds, 3d, was born at that place January 27th, 1795. and was the father of him whose life is here sketched. He was a merchant and farmer and died in Orange, November 17th, 1862. His first -.'ife was Hetty, daughter of Deacon Ezra Smith, also of West Haven, whose only son to attain manhood was the Reverend W. T. Reynolds, born at West Haven, November 23d, 1823. ^Vfter spending his boyhood on his father's farm, young William Thomas was prepared for college at the Episcopal Academy at Ches- hire and entered the freshman class of Vale in 1841. He graduated in 1845 and in the fall of that year entered the Theological vSeminary at Andover, Mass., but remained only one year. From 181(1 to 1848 he pursued his studies in the seminary connected with ^'ale College, graduating the latter year. Poor health prevented him from at once entering upon the work of the ministry and he devoted several years to other duties, teaching in the academy at Adams, N. Y., in 1851. In October of the same year, he began to preach at the Congregational / tj. .yZ^^-t^^^-yz-^i^-^ ^ HISTORY OF NEW IIAVEX COUNTY. 281 church at Sherman. Chautauqua county, N. Y., where he was ordained as the pastor April '22d, 18o2. He continued in that capacity three years, when failing health compelled his return to his native home, where he remained one year and was much benefitted. In the springof lS.5(i he removed to Kiantone, Chautauqua coiinty, X. Y., where he was the minister of the Congregational church six 3-ears. In 1862 he returned to West Haven in consequence of the death of his father and remained there until April, 1863, when he was invited to become acting pastor of the Congregational church of North Haven. In that relation he served six years when, in 1869. he was formally installed as the pastor. As such he has since continued, how well is attested by the uniform or increased prosperity of the church, in spite of the changes in population of the town. At different periods the membership was increased in consequence of special awakenings and the temporalities of the parish have been much im- proved. In 1879 Mr. Reynolds took a trip through European countries, in the company of his daughter, for the benefit of his health and return- ed much improved. His pastorate is one of the longest in the county and although confined to narrow limits has conduced to the general welfare of the community where he has so long resided. He has preached sermons which were published, and delivered a historical discourse, on the occasion of the first centennial celebration of the town's organization, October 21st, 1886, which has also been issued in pamphlet form. By his ministerial associates Mr. Reynolds is much esteemed and he has held responsible trusts and offices in ecclesiasti- cal associations, in this and other states. On the 18th of November, ISoO, Mr. Reynolds was married to Miss vSarah Maria Painter, the eldest daughter of Alexis and Thalia M. Painter. .She was born in Westfield, Mass., January 12th, 1827, but when eight years old her parents returned to their native place, West Haven, where the Painter family was among the first settlers. Thomas Painter, her grandfather, was a brave seaman and while fighting for the independence of the colonies, in the revolution, was taken prisoner and confined for a time on the old "Jersey " prison ship, where he suf- fered all the privations inflicted upon those there held in captivity. Five children came to bless the marriage of this couple, the two first born and the youngest dying in youth, namely: Julia, born June 14th, 18.52, died December 2d, 1867: Sophia Eliza, born August 3d, 1853, died .September 22d, 18.-)4: and Mary Painter, born August 2-lth, 1862, died March 27th, 1868. The third child, Anna Maria, was born at Kiantone, N. Y., August 12th, 1858. After being a student at Wellesley College a little more than a year, she traveled six months in Europe for her health, then ■ remained on the continent to study French and German. She thus .spent .several years at Constance, Heidelberg, Berlin and Paris. Re- 282 IIISTORV DF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. turning to this country she engaged in teaching at Nyack-on-the- Hudson, until 1887, when she entered into the service of the Young- Women's Christian Association. In that department of Christian effort she is now (1891 ) the state secretary of the Iowa association. James Bronson, the fourth child and only son, was also born at Kiantone, March 17th, 18G1. He graduated from the Hopkins Gram- mar .School in 1879 and from Yale in 1S84. He then went abroad for travel and study, one year, when he returned to Yale, where he began his theological studies in 188.'). He graduated in 1888, when he again went to Europe, in the interests of the International Committee of the Y. M. C. A., "to promote Christian fellowship between students in the Universities of Europe and America and to unite them together in helpful relations." He has thus labored in nearly all the European universities and his work in that capacity is .still successfully contin- ued, with Paris as his headquarters. Willard A. Robinson, born in 1848, is the youngest of eight chil- dren of Jesse and Bet.sey (Todd) Robinson, grandson of Harmon, and great-grandson of John, whose father John, was a son of Jacob Rob- inson. Mr. Robinson is a farmer. He was postmaster at Montowese for about lU years prior to April, 1889. He is a member of Adelphi Lodge, No. 63, F. & A. M. He married Georgiana, daughter of Zenas ( ). and Lydia W. (Smith) Lombard. Their children are : Nellie E., -■\melia J., Herbert W., Merton A. and Je.sse G. -Samuel A. Sackett, born in 1824, is the youngest son of Daniel and Patta (Brockett) Sackett, grandson of Eli, and great-grandson of Samuel, whose father Joseph, was a son of John -Sackett. Mr. -Sackett is a mechanic. In company with three brothers he built an auger shop on the Five Mile brook in 1844, where they manufactured augers until 1862, when the factory was converted into a saw mill and is now owned and run by Mr. Sackett. He first married ]SIrs. Betsey Blaksley, daughter of Zopher Jacobs. His present wife was Mrs. Delia ^Laria Culver, daughter of Zenas Young. Roswald J. -Shepherd, born in 18G2. is a son of Franklin, grandson of Ziba. and great-grandson of John Shepherd. His maternal ances- tors were: -Sarah M"., Jared', Joel", Titus', Titus', Joseph', Joseph', Rich- ard Mansfield'. Mr. Shepherd married in 1888 Louise N., daughter of -Solomon Linsley. They have one daughter, Margaret. Mrs. Sibyl -Smith, daughter of John and Chloe (Bishop) Barnes, married Jacob -Smith, who was born in 1788. and died in 1834. He wa.s the .son of Jacob Smith. They had three children: John S. and Robert, both deceased, and Marina —Mrs. Reverend Doctor Bennett of Guil- ford. She has one daughter —Mrs. Doctor Bishop. E/.R.\ -Stiles is one of the oldest and best known of the pres- ent citizens of North Haven. He was born July 20th. 1804. the .seventh of a family of eight children, and is the only surviving member, all the others Laura, Lucin:i, ICunice, Isaac (father of the present Isaac L.i, //r. fi-^^i^ HISTORY OF XEW HAVEN COUNTY. 283 Zopher. Horace and Harvey — having deceased. He i.s a son of Isaac C. and Eunice ( Blakesleei .Stiles and a grandson of Isaac, born 1729, whose brother Ezra, born 1727, became president of Yale College. They were the sons of the Reverend Isaac Stiles, who was born in Windsor in 1697, and who became the pastor of the Congregational church of North Haven. ■■■' The Reverend Isaac was a grandson of John Stiles, born in England in 159'), who came to America in 1635 and who died in Windsor in 1662. This descent places the family of Mr. Stiles among the very oldest of the state, in which this name has been ilhistrious in church'and civil affairs. In the early years of his life Ezra Stiles was a successful teacher in the public schools, but later became a brick maker, in which occu- pation he was very active. In later years much of his time was absorbed in public affairs, but for a long period he has lived retired. Since 1826 his home has been in the house built by the Reverend Doctor Trumbull, m 176.-), and which remains in a fine .state of pres- ervation, much as it was built by that well-known historian. On the exterior are the original clapboards, beaded, chamfered and fastened on with English wrotight nails. The famous study of Doctor Trum- bull, which also .served as his private school room, has been enlarged to form a chamber. The historic de.sk upon which he wrote his four thousand sermons, was detached from the wall and presented by Mr. Stiles to the New Haven Colony Historical Society, and it is preserved among its relics. Mr. Stiles was thrice married. His first wife, Esther Pierpont. died and there is no living i.ssue. To his second wife, Mary Bristol, two sons were born, one dying in youth, after the death of his mother; the other, Ezra L., born in 1844, is now a citizen of North Haven. He served in the rebellion as a member of the 13th New York Cavalry and, after the war, was for ten years a clerk in the adjutant general's office, of Connecticut. Mr. Stiles married his present wife, Frances E. John.son, in 1854. By this marriage there is one son, Arthur M., born in 1865, and now connected with the dry goods house of Jordan, Marsh & Co., of Boston. Since his youth Mr. Stiles has been a devoted churchman and a member of St. John's parish. He had a fine talent for music and early taught •' singing meetings " in the Episcopal .society, and led the first chanting in St. John's church. He also introduced that practice in St. Paul's church, Wallingford, in 1825. In his own parish he was the first to u.se musical instruments, to assist the service of song, and was the first organist of St. John's church. For thirty years he was the leader of the church choir. He served as parish clerk from 1843 until 1875 and was a warden of the church from 1845 until 1884. In all things he has ever held the interests of St. John's parish warmly at heart. *See account of the Church. 284 HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. In politics Mr. Stiles has always been a ^--^^f'^^'/'^^^^X frequently received the votes of those belonging to o^hei paUies n his election to important ofaces. He was for many y--^^^ ^^^ clerk and treasurer and served a long term of years on ^^e board o education. In 1883 he was elected a selectman and served m a^l fou: terms in that office. He was a trial justice many >--^J^"^ ^^^ ap- pointed probate judge of the New Haven district. In ^^^^;^ ^ ^^ the member from North Haven in the state house of representatives and TheMlowing year he was honored by an election to the state senate. In both houses he made an honorable record. _ Ezra Stiles has been a prudent, methodical business man m his own and in public affairs. His nature is kind and genial -"d being blest with a good memory, he is an interesting membei of former venerations, and is much esteemed by all who know him for his worth ns a neio'hbor and a citizen. I "aw Lorenzo St.i.es. son of Isaac Stiles and Lois Cooper, was born at North Haven, Conn., June 2Sth. 1r Mr Stiles was born at a period when industry, good chaiactei, and .sound religious views were insisted upon as requisites of every young person. The first he learned on his fathers bnck yaid the second at the familv fireside, and the latter, by inheritance, trom that stubborn, though staunch old divine, his great-grandfather. He ob- tained but a limited education in the district school. A boy was _an indispensable acquisition on a brick yard and with the exception of a term m- two under the tuition of his uncle, Hon. Ezra utiles (see this volume) at the latter's house, which course supplemented a few briet vears in the " old red school hou.se on the green," he had no other ad- vantages. As .said, he was early put to work on his father s yaid drivino-the oxen on their weary round in the clay tempering pit, and frequently falling asleep at his post. At this o^^7^^!°."-^^f ""^^: ingLhe grew to manhood, becoming thoroughly familiar with ever> step in the proce.ss. .^ He married first Sophronia M. Blake.slee, I-ebruary lOth, 184 Two children were born of this union: Isaac W .. a dentist m New (7 iZCt C il ^. ^^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 285 Haven, and Frank L., associated with his father under the name of I. L. Stiles & Son. Mrs.vStiles died after a long and distressing s'ckness. November 17th, 1880. He married second, Mrs. Ellen (Rich) Dicker- man, October 23d, 1888. Mr. Stiles is one of the foremost supporters of St. John's church. He has held the office of senior warden since 1883, besides serving on numberless special committees of various nature. For many years he was a valuable member of the chtxrch choir. He is rarely absent from church service, and his liberality has often as.sisted the eccle- siastical society in emergencies. In politics he has always been a pronounced republican. In 1849 he was placed upon the town ticket for selectman, and to the surprise of the opposite party was elected, the first whig on the board for many years. He represented the town in general assembly in 1854, 1884 and 1885, and with such popularity that, in 1890. much against his wishes, he was prevailed upon to stand as senator for the Seventh district, but was beaten by local issues in the Naugatuck valley. This defeat was tempered, however, by the fact that he ran far in advance of his ticket, even exceeding the vote for governor in the district. His sound judgment, fairness and liberality, have made him sought for advice in a multitude of ways by his townsmen. It is the exercise of these same qualities in his business relations that has made his name hon- ored throughout a wide circle and brought financial success. From a few thousands of brick indifferently made half a century ago, he has seen the business grow to millions, and is now the oldest practical brick manufacturer in the town. Sheldon Brainerd Thorpe, son of Dennis and Elmina(Bassett) Thorpe, was born in North Haven, February 21st, 1838. He is in the eighth generation from William Thorpe, who came with the colony under Davenport to New Haven, in 1638. In English genealogy he traces his family line to the time of William the Conqueror, or about 1060. His ancestor, Nathaniel Thorpe, in the second generation from William the colonist, was one of the first settlers of North Haven, in 1670. Mr. Thorpe received his education in the poor district schools of that period and attended a few terms the academy at North Haven, walking four miles daily for that privilege. At the age of .sixteen he himself began to teach at Northford and " boarded around " among his patrons. The following winter he taught at Hamden Plains and later several years in his native town. August i)th, 1862, he enlisted in Company K, loth Connecticut Infantry; was promoted to second sergeant; served until after the battle of Fredericksburg, December, 1862; was taken sick and discharged for disability May 1st, 1863. In 1865 he entered the employ of the H. & N. H. Railroad Com- pany, at Windsor Locks, Conn., and was with that corporation a couple of years. Later he was four years in the service of the Adams Ex- 28(j HISTORY OF X?:\V HAVEN COUNTY. press Company. December 2.')th, 186.5. he married Isabel Jane Barnes, of North Haven, and they have two children — Gardiner Ellsworth and Arthur Barnes. In 1871 he returned to North Haven and built the fine- home since occupied by him and his family. Mr. Thorpe ca.st his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln and has since been an ardent republican. By that party he was hon- ored with an election to the state legislature for the .session of 1881. He has also held various town offices and for the past twenty years has been on the board of education. In ]8;")8 he united with the •Congregational church, in who.se welfare and that of the Sunday- school he has been warmly interested, serving four years as superin- tendent of the latter and since 1878 has been clerk of the Ecclesiasti- cal Society, besides holding many other positions in the church and parish. The life of Sheldon B. Thorpe is full of unceasing activity. He is a member of Trumbull Lodge, F. & A. M.; and of Admiral Foote Post, Ct. A. R. When the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the Ameri- can Revolution was formed, he was one of the charter members and the first two years managed that organization. He is a member of the New Haven Colony Historical .Society and a writer of good repute on historical subjects. After years of patient toil and research he has nearly completed for publication a history of his native town and is also prosecuting his work upon the genealogy of his ancestor William Thorpe and his descendants. The foregoing sketch of the town of North Haven is also from hi.s pen. FKA^'CIS Haydf.n Todd. — The Todd family is one of the oldest and best known in the town. Its members are direct descendants of Christopher Todd and Grace Middlebrook.early settlers at New Haven. Near the clo.se of the last century Joel Todd, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, married Alabel Mansfield, daughter of Titus Mansfield, of Hamden, and settled on the Todd homestead, below the village of North Haven. Part of the original hou.se, built by them about 1795, still remains, and has been continuously occupied by three generations of the family. Joel Todd died in 18'i(), but his widow survived him until after LSHti. Their family, consisting of five chil- dren, were Dennis, Orrin, George, Salome and Caleb. Of the.se Orrin was born February 26th, 1800, and was married October 30th, 1828, to Aurelia, daughter of Jesse and Patience (Todd) Clinton, of Walling- ford. He lived on this homestead until his death December 8th, 1889 — one of the oldest men of the town. His widow still survives, at the same place. They reared as children Francis Hayden, Grace Angeline (wife of Samuel Hale, of California), Henry Dennis, also of North Haven, and Mary Aurelia. who deceased in November, 1886, as the wife of Eli 1. Brockett. Francis Flayden Todd was born on this homestead, August 8th, 1827, and has followed his grandfather and father in its occupancy. & ^. HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTV. 287 He atiLMided the public and private schools of the town and like his ancestors adopted the life of a farmer, in which occupation he is en- terprising and progressive. He is a member of the North Haven Grange and a director of the successful Patrons' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of Connecticut. IMr. Todd is not only a successful farmer but he has made an honorable record as a useful citizen in public affairs. Elected first as a grand juror in 1864, he has since, with the exception of two years, filled that office, and it has been to his efforts largely that the law and order of the town have been so well con- served. He is one of the oldest in that office in the county. In October, 1891, he was elected for the sixteenth time treasurer of North Haven and yearly disburses the several funds to the entire satisfaction of his fellow townsmen. In 1888 the republicans (of which party he has been a member since its organization) elected him as their representative in the state legislature and in that body he served with credit as a member of the committee on agriculture. He was also a selectman four terms and has held other public trusts which have made him one of the leading men of the town. On the first of January, 1855, Mr. Todd married Miss Elizabeth M. (xill, daughter of John Henry and Louisa (Tuttle) Gill, of North Haven, and they have reared three sons: George Henry, born October 31st, 1861: John Hayden,born November 14th, 1866; William Handel, born March 5th, 1871. All are citizens of North Haven and the entire family are consistent members of the Congregational church. Henry D. Todd, son of Orrin, and grandson of Joel Todd, was born in 1832, and is a farmer. He served from September, 1862, until July, 1868, in Company B, 27th Conn. Vol. He married Grace A., daughter of Bernard and Sarah A. fBishop") Hartley, and granddaughter of Henry Hartley. Edmund C. Warner, son of Rufus and Harriet (Dorman) Warner, and grandson of Isaac Warner, was born in 1840 in Hamden. He is a farmer, having moved to North Haven from Hamden in 1866. He has been selectman two terms. He married Vestina, daughter of Vinus Wooding. Their children are: Wilson H., Alice V., Herbert E., Elton W, L. Jane, and one daughter that died in infancy. CHAPTER VI. THE TOWN OF HAMDEN. Location and Natural Features. — Earl}- Agricultural InJu.stries. — The Early Settlers and their Descendants. — Population. — Civil Organization. — Town Poor. — Town Hall.^Town Clerks. — Public Thoroughfares — Manufacturirg Interests. — Hamlets. Post Offices, etc. — Masonic Lodge. — Schools. — Mt. Carniel Congregational Church. — Congregational Church in Whitneyville. — Grace Church (Protestant Ejiiscopal). — St. Mary"s Church (Roman Catholic). — Hamden Plains Methodist Ejiiscoiial C lunch. — The New Lebanon Mi.ssion. — Cemeteries. — AVater Works and Parks. — Biogrtphi- cal Sketches. THE town of Hamden is centrally situated in the county, lying- between the broad valley of the Ouinnipiac river on the east, and the West Rock range on the west, which separates it from Woodbridge and Bethany. On the north are the towns of Cheshire and Waliingford: east lies the town of North Haven, and on the south are the city and the town of New Haven, from which Hamden was cut off in 1786. The town thus has an approximate area of 82 square miles, being about eight miles from .south to north and from three to five miles in width. It is probable that the name was given in compli- ment to John Hampden, the English patriot, and in some of the early records and contemporary writings it so appears, instead of Hamden, which is more euphonious and more readily written. The borders of the town are mountainous or hilly, partaking of the characteristics of the foresfoine rang-es, which are a succession of o o o elevations, composed of trap rock and green .stone formation, the latter affording a splendid building stone. At the south end of the town the West Rock range is 380 feet high, increasing in elevation to 600 feet, opposite the Blue hills, or Mt. Carmel, as this elevation is now most generally called. This varies from 600 to 800 feet in height, and overtops all the surrounding country. In one locality its contour re.sembles a huge man, in a recumbent position, hence it is al.so called the "Sleeping Giant." The we.stern descent of the main mountain is the most lofty and is almost precipitous, forming one of the most striking objects in the county. At its foot is a defile, separating it from the neighboring hill, which is called the "Steps," and thri)Ugh which the Mill river breaks its way, following in its general counse the East Rock ranges. Of this elevation the .southern bluff is 360 feet high and Whitney's Peak, in the rear, is ."{(lO feet high. These outlying ranges have subordinate or projecting inward .spurs, Mill HISTflKV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 289 Rock, 225 feet high, stretching westward from East Rock, and Pine Rock, 271 feet high, extending eastward from West Rock. The main ranges received their names from their relative position to New Haven and the others from local circumstances. Between the last named hills and extending toward Mr. Carmel, is a comparatively level stretch of land, called Hamden plains. It undulates gently toward tidewater and is composed mainly of alluvial deposits, in many localities sand predominating. Environed as the town is by the foregoing hills, there is a most pleasing landscape, and in parts it is aLso picturesque. Mill river, with its affluent brooks, drains the eastern and central parts of the town, flowing through its entire length and having a slope of about fifteen feet per mile. After filling Whitney lake, it passes into New Haven, between the East Park and Mill Rock. Wilmot brook drains the western part of Hamden. taking the waters of Cran- berr}- lake and flowing into the West river, in the town of New Haven. Its course is between the West Rock and Pine Rock hill. These streams take the waters of numerous brooks, flowing from constant springs, Hamden being well favored in that respect. In the lower ranges of hills are fine quarries of building stone, of the green stone variety; and the trap rock has also been quarried for paving purposes. The more valuable minerals also abound to some extent, of which copper is the most abundant. It is probable that most of it was floated into the town during the glacial period. The finding of a large mass of copper, weighing about 90 pounds, in one of the Mt. Carmel hills by Josiah Todd while he was gathering wild fruit, soon after the revolution, encouraged the belief that the town had copper in large quantities and much time and means were spent in seeking for it. Many mining leases were executed and at the Tall- man mine, on Ridge hill, near the north line of the town, excavations of considerable extent were made. But in this, as in many other ca.ses, later than 1837 (about which time the first operations took place), there was not enough ore developed to pay the expenses of working. But little mining has been done since 1864. The soil of the town is variable but is adapted to the production of the ordinary crops, and agriculture was for many years the principal pursuit. It can usually be advantageously fertilized, and it is claimed that the menhaden fertilizing works of William D. Plall.in ISoO, were among the first of that nature in the Union. Its products were used with good effects in the town. In addition to the ordinary crops, attention has been paid to crops of special culture, tobacco being ex- tensively grown from 1804 to 1865; peaches prior to 1850 and on a limited scale since; cherries have been grown on an extensive scale and Cherry hill, on the West Rock range, derived its name from that fact. In that locality the peach was also very productive many years, but m later periods has suffered from the disea.se called "yellows." 18 290 HISTORY OF N'EW HAVEN COUNTY. In 177.") Benjamin Douglas,- a lawyer of New Haven, planted an orchard of 64 cherry trees near East Rock, all being of the grafted variety, which yielded fine crops many years. " In the period of the Moms Multicauliis excitement many mulberry trees were planted in the town, there being in 1836,according to J. W. Barber, more than one hundred acres in the town set aside for this purpose, and native silk was reeled and spun from the cocoons raised in the town. But as a permanent industry it never took an important place and was soon abandoned, the people of Hamden sharing the experience of other towns in this matter. In more recent years dairying has become an important industry, and considerable atten- tion is paid to improved stock. Hamden was settled by the colony of New Haven and was in- cluded in the Indian lands purchased for the colony by Reverend John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton, November 24th, 1638. Many evidences have been found that this was favorite ground for the In- dians, but in their own affairs or relations to the whites nothing of importance appears to have transpired. The Indians were peaceable and the whites mingled among them as hunters or grazed their cattle here long before it was permanently occupied by the planters of the colony To Jonathan Ivesf is given the credit of being one of the first white men to rear a home in the wilds of Central Hamden. In 1735 he first located on the bank of Mill river, not far from the locality called Ivesville, but afterward lived on the turnpike. When he came he was a single man but in 1837 married Thankful Cooper and of their eight chil- dren four were sons, one only of whom remained in the town — Jona- than, who remained on his father's place. This became known, in more recent times, as the Dickerman place. James Ives, who was born in Hamden, was the father of Elam Ives, also born in Hamden, about 1762. The latter and his sons, Parsons, Jason, Elam, Henry and James, were among the foremost in developing the manufacturing in- terests of the town. The name is still honorably perpetuated in this and adjoining towns. Stephen Goodyear, who came to New Haven in 1638 and was chosen magistrate and was deputy governor from 1041 until his death in London, in 16.')S, was one of the foremost men of the colony. From him, it is said, descended all the Goodyears in America, and he was thus the ancestor of the numerous Goodyear family in Hamden. Among these were Asa, one of the first selectmen; Theophilus and Stephen, who held that office later; Asa, Jr., Titus, Jared and Eli, all of whom were admitted freemen prior to 1796. Charles Goodyear, the discoverer of vulcanizing rubber, was a son of Amasa Goodyear, of this line of descent, but not of Hamden. William B. Goodyear and Watson A. Goodyear, both of whom became distingui.sed in their avocations, are natives of the town. •Blake's Hamden, p. itO. fBlake's Hamden Centenary, p. S.")!!. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 291' Among the planters of the colonj^ in 1689 were members of the Tuttle family, and one of the descendants, Nathaniel, born in 167C, settled at Tuttle"s bridge, on the Ouinnipiac. His fourth sou, also Nathaniel, born in 1714, married Mary Todd in 1737, and settled in Hamden. They were the parents of Jesse Tuttle, born in 17i59, who died in Hamden, in 1849, aged 90 years. He was the father of Am- brose, Jesse and Leverett Tuttle, all of them prominent in the town's affairs. The latter was the captain of the Hamden men in the war of 1812 and was the father of Judge Horace Tuttle, Lewis Tuttle. Henry Tuttle and Dennis Tuttle, some of whom attained more than ordinary distinction in the town, or in their new homes. This may. also be said of earlier generations of Tuttles, having among them Lyman, Levi, Asa, Amasa, Eli. Julius and Jesse S. The Todds were also early settlers and active in affairs, Christo- pher Todd owning the old colonial mill, at Mill Rock, many years. Asa Todd, born in 1723, was one of the Hamden soldiers killed when the British invaded New Haven, July .")th. 1779. His daughter Eliza- beth, who had married Captain Solomon Phipps in 1779, at this time fled to her ancestral home, on Cherry hill, taking with her in a chaise her young daughter Elizabeth, who married Captain Jonathan Mix in 1800, and she long resided at that place in an old fashioned farm house, which was taken down in 1845. The only child of Captain and Mrs. Mix, married Elihu Blake, who built a new mansion on Cherry hill, and, it is said, so named that locality. Captain Jonathan Mix also served in the revolution, as captain of marines, and was im- prisoned in the Jersey prison ship. After the war he turned his attention to inventions and patented so many different kinds of carriage springs that he may be regarded as the father of that industry in America. The other Mix families in the town descended from Thomas Mix, who moved to Hamden before its incorporation and had sons named Benjamin, Zina and Stephen. The former was the father of Norris Bennett Mix, who has been very active m the later affairs of the town. In the southern part of the town settled Daniel Gilbert, a grandson of Deputy Governor Matthew Gilbert. He had five sons — Matthew, ■Solomon, Caleb. Michael and John. The latter two were killed at the invasion of New Haven, by the British, July 5th, 1779. John Gilbert was at that time the captain of the Up-town militia company and when he received word that the British were coming up on the west side of the West river, to cross at Thompson's bridge, he rallied as many of his men as he could to intercept them. In an engagement that day five of his men were killed outright and Captain Gilbert himself was wounded. " Upon being ordered to .surrender by the British Captain Parker, whose troops confronted him, Captain Gilbert asked: ' Will you spare our lives?' ' No, you d— d rebel,' and ordered a soldier to shoot him. Captain Gilbert replied : ' We'll never surrender,' and 202 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Shot Captain Parker so that he fell wounded from his horse. Lapta n Giller was then pierced with bayonets and his skull was broken with t he bu t of a cun ••- He was at that time nearly 48 years old and was th! father of %sse Gilbert, who was born in 1762 and died in 183 , leaving four sins who. with their descendants, were mainly the Gil- berts who figured m the affairs of Hamden. The Ba.ssetts'were also early settlers, John Bassett being one of the first, leaving a son James, who reared a large family. Of these two .sons, James and Timothy, were soldiers under Cap am John Cn - bert and were both wounded July ."^th, 1779, Timothy being eft for dead + He afterward lived on Shepherd's brook and suffered much all his life from his wound. In 1819 he built what was considered at that time the best house in the town. The followmg year he died^ His .son Tared, born in 1789, who afterward lived on this place, held many important town and state offices and was widely known as .. Squire " Bassett. He died in 1855, most highly respected by all. In the western part of the town lived the Allings, of wnom Caleb and Abraham took a keen interest m public affairs. The latter wa.s after- ward pastor of the Hamden Plains church. In the same locality and farther north were members of the Benham family, .some of the descend- ants still remaining. The Bradleys were more numerous, coming prob- ably from North Haven, where Major William Bradley settled very early in the history of the New Haven colony. In Hamden were, before 1790 Alvan, jabez, Amasa. Levi, Eli, Jabez, Jr., and Daniel, Jr., some of whom were frequentlv called to hold public office. Of the later mem- bers David Bradley was ordained a Baptist clergyman m 1828, and frequentlv held meetings in the northwestern parts of the town. ^ __ The descendants of Deacon Lsaac Dickerman. of the " First Society of New Haven, were also early in the town, Samuel Dickerman, his son beino- a large farmer in Hamden. He had sons Lsaac, Samuel, Lames and Chauncey, some of whom became well-known. Another son of the Deacon Isaac, above noted, was Jonathan Dickerman, who was also a large land holder. His children were Enos, Jonathan, Hezekiah, Joel, Amos and Rebecca. From the.se have descended a long line of worthy citizens, many of them being at this time residents of Flamden. When the town was organized Simeon Brkstol was one ot the most active participants. He was a man of property and was a slave owner The familv became few in numbers and has passed away. So also, the Ford family, in its day, was very influential. 1 he, mas Leek ^>d a crrandson of Philip Leek, one of the early settlers ot New Haven, mack .some early improvements in Hamden, probably being amonc^ the fir.st to make a permanent home. Descendants remain. Russell Pierpont.born in 1763, succeeded Simeon Bristol as town clerk in 1801, and held the office until 1842. His ancestors were leading *Fr.mi Hamden Centenary, p. '^+8. tHamden Centenary, p. 23-1. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 093 men, the Reverend James Pierpont, pastor of the First New Haven church in 168.-), being one of the founders of Yale College. In the northwestern part of the town many members'' of the War ner family lived, .so that locality came to be called Warnertown Others of Hamden's early citizens, whom the town delio-hts to honor have been the Putnams, Whitings, Whitneys and families represented by the names of the members of the Seventeenth Company or Train Band of the Second Regiment, which was maintained in the territory now forming a part of Hamden, in 1770 and later. This list is compiled from Barber's " History of Connecticut," and some of the o-iven names appear missing: Captain, Stephen Ford; lieutenant "john Gilhs: ensign, Elisha Booth: clerk, Charles Ailing; drummers', Sam- uel Cooper, Hezekiah Tuttle; corporals, Caleb Ailing, Moses Gilbert Joseph Gilbert, Moses Ford; privates, Zadock Ailing, Amos Allin the stream, several other mill seats, which have by this new dam been submerged. A short distance above the present bridge was the Sabine mill pond, in which Mrs. Mary Edwards, the wife of Reverend Jona- than Edwards, of New Haven, was accidentally drowned in June, 1782. She had been riding into the country, on horseback, and had stopped at the pond to allow her bea.st to drink, when it is supposed it waded into the pond beyond its depth and both the horse and rider were drowned. The sad event greatl}- excited the community and when Mrs. Edwards was buried in New Haven she was followed to the grave by the largest procession that had ever been seen in that town. This property was later known as Waite's mill. In the same locality was formerly a paper mill, in which cotton goods were also manufactured. A clock manufactory was nearer the bridge. The various improvements at Whitneyville have given that dam a fall of 35 feet; and the powers in the river above have, at Augerville, a fall of 8 feet: at the New Haven Web Company, 8i feet; at the Hall or Ives dam, 10 feet; at Beers' grist mill, 8 feet; at Clark's pond, 8 feet; and at Mt. Carmel gap, 12 feet, the water of the pond being forced back but a little more than a quarter of a mile. Between the.se extreme dams the distance in an air line is about six miles. At the Mt. Carmel site there was in 1825, besides the carding and fulling mill, already noted, a good corn mill by James Wyles, who had, in connection, a dry kiln for preparing corn meal for Southern markets. About 3,000 pounds were thus prepared daily, in proper season, and carried in hogsheads holding 1,000 pounds, to New Haven, where they were loaded on vessels. These mills were also long known as Hunt's and Kimberley's. On the minor .streams small mills were useful in their day and served the local demand made on them. All the principal streams have been made to contribute to the water supply of the city of New Haven, the chief source being the Whitney dam. When it was acquired in 1798, by Eli Whitney, the dam was of logs and but six feet high. Now the overflow part is very nearly 35 feet high and the entire dam has a length of 500 feet. The cubic contents of the material in the dam are about 250,000 feet and the structure is one of the most complete of the kind in the country. One peculiarity of its construction is that the descending waters are thrown entirely away from the walls of the dam, upon a solid rock, by which means all jarring vibration is overcome, there being not .so much now as when the dam was only .six feet high, when the vibra- tion communicated to the buildings of the armory .sometimes inter- fered so much that operations on the fire arms were interrupted. The dam cost more than $1.50,000 and its construction involved, by reason of the overflow, the abandonment of twenty buildings, three bridges, farms, gardens and roads. Almost the entire appearance at Whitneyville was changed by this improvement. The life of Eli Whitnev and his connection with affairs in Ham- 302 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. den afford matter for one of the most interesting narratives, but which must here be brieily noted. He was born at Westborough, Mass., December 8th, 1765, and imbibed from his father a love for mechanic pursuits. He followed this bent of his mind to the detri- inent of his education when a youth, but at the age of eighteen j^ears resolved to obtain a college education. In this purpose he was dis- couraged by his father, who thought his son was too old, but Eli was not deterred and finally his preferences prevailed. For five winters he taught school in Massachusetts, and with the small means thus secured obtained a preparatory education in Leicester Academy. In 1789, at the age of 23 years, he entered the freshman class in Yale College and in due time graduated, with the intention of becoming a lawyer. Being in financial want he could not do so at once, but en- gaged to become a tutor in the family of a South Carolina gentleman, at 80 guineas a year. Leaving New Haven he .sailed for vSavannah, Georgia, in the company of Phineas Miller, Esq., and the widow of the late General Greene, who resided on a large plantation near that city. Accepting their invitation to tarry with them, before beginning his duties as a tutor, he noted the work on the plantation and saw how unproductive cotton growing was, by reason of the difficulty of separating the seed from the fiber — all the work being done by hand and a few pounds a day being all that a person could prepare. His inventive mind quickly conceived the idea of making a machine to do this work and being released from his engagement to teach in South Carolina, he secured the patronage of Mr. Miller and Mrs. Greene, and set himself to the task of building one in the basement room of the Greene mansion. By the close of the winter of 1793-4 it was practically completed and March 4th, 1794"' Eli Whitney, received a patent for his cotton gin- -a machine which was destined to revolu- tionize agriculture in the South and which increa.sed the lands of that section tenfold in value. Moreover, it gave an impetus to the system of American slavery, which now became exceedingl}' profitable; and was more than anything else the means of extending and perpetuat- ing it until it passed away amidst the throes of a civil war whose ob- ject in behalf of the system did not stop short of the dissolution of the Union of states. Infringements soon crowded upon Mr. Whit- ney's patent and "he had the mortification to see himself plundered of the benefits of his invention," on account of the defectiveness of the patent laws of that period. The cost of prosecution and main- taining his rights exceeded his returns from machines sold in the state of Georgia; but with the Carolinas he was able to contract on his patent .so that a small pittance w;as left him. It was while he was engaged in the work of building cotton gins *At tile first Centennial Celebraliun (it the town, eommemorated June ir)th, 1880, the original model of the cotton g-jn, made by the inventor. Kli Whitney, was exhibited by his grandson, Kli Whitney, Jr. niSTORV OF XEW HAVEN COUNTY. 303 for South Carolina, that Mr. Whitney returned to New Haven, where he later became interested in the water power at Mill Rock. He had. in this period, frequently visited Washington in the interest of his patent and had made a favorable impression upon President Jefferson and other officials of the national government, so that when he ap- plied for a contract to furnish a new supply of fire arms and offered to establish an armory to build the same, his propositions were treat- ed with favorable consideration. He secured a contract June 14th, 1798, to build 10,000 stand of muskets, at $13.40, the whole to be completed inside of two years. For the faithful performance of this, a bond of $80,000 was exacted. "When we consider his extremely discouraging experience with the cotton gin, which he had about given up as an unprofitable ven- ture, and that he was now left with a very limited capital, we must greatly admire the spirit of enterprise which prompted him to make this new venture; and in view of the obstacles to be overcome it does not seem possible that he had fully estimated the difficulty of the un- dertaking. He had no works, no raw material collected, no skilled me- chanics to assist him, no great reputation as a manufacturer (being but six years out of college), with no reserve of capital on which he might draw — everything had to be created. But undaunted by what would appear as insurmountable obstacles to most persons, he began his labors in the future Whitneyville by an innovation upon the prevail- ing system of manufacture which should immortalize his name even more than the invention of the cotton gin. He established his armory and supplied it with machinery which took the place of hand labor, and in which instead of finishing one fire arm at a time, hun- dreds of interchangeable parts were made, each of which could be adapted to its place without reference to a particular musket. He was the pioneer of the so-called Uniformity system of working in factories, by means of which many complex operations are reduced to a series of simple processes, which need but to be faithfully followed to achieve the desired end." But to accomplish this he gave his works the most untiring attention, laboring with his own hands early and late, scarcely deeming it possible to be absent a single hour, and unstintingly supplemented his genius by his habits of in- dustry. With all this purpose and application he could not complete his contract in the specified time, and it required ten years instead of two to bring it to a successful finish. Yet ,so great was the confidence of the government in the success of his undertaking, that it made him liberal advances, so that on final settlement, Mr. Whitney's bal- ance was but $2,450. The system of manufacturing which Eli Whitney inaugurated and the improvements he made in the fire arms produced in his arm- ory, were recognized by the government and, in 1812, another con- tract was made with him for 15,000 stand of arms. He also contract- ■^04 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ed to build arms for the state of New York. How well he succeeded is attested by the letter of Governor Tompkins of that state, under date of May, 1814: " I have visited Mr. Whitney's establishment at New Haven and have no hesitation in saying that I consider it the most perfect I have ever .seen, and I believe it is well understood that few persons in this country .surpass Mr. Whitney in talents as a mechanic or in experience as a manufacturer of muskets. Those which he made for us are generally supposed to exceed in form and quality all the muskets either of foreign or domestic fabrication, belonging to the state, and are iiniversally preferred and selected by the most com- petent judges." Mr. Whitney continued his improvements until his death and was the first to use milling machines in the manufacture of arms. Many of the tools used in the most complete armories of the present time had their germs m those used in the Hamden works, more than half a century ago, and the best features of his system have been adopted at other armories under the tutorage of workmen trained by him. His work was not wholly limited to his mechanic pursuits but in various ways he left his impress upon the pages of the town's history, instituting improvements which have proved to be of great value. He died January yth, 182."), aged about 60 years, and his tomb, in the cemetery at New Haven bears the following epitaph: KLl WHITNEY " The Inventor of the Cotton Gin. Of Useful Science and Arts the efficient Patron and Improver. In the relations of life a model of excellence. While private affectii^ii weeps at liistomb, his coimtrv honors his memory." After the death of Eli Whitney, the armory remained in charge of his nephews, Eli Whitney Blake and Philo Blake until 1835 when, for seven years, the trustee of the Whitney estate. Ex-(jOvernor Edwards, managed it. In 1842 Eli Whitney, Jr., the only son of the founder of the armory, assumed the immediate control of it. and having im- proved the power and the machinery, commenced the manufacture of the then new rifle, of the " Harper's Ferry " pattern, in which he was very successful. He also possessed a mechanical genius of a high order, which he applied to the development of the armory, so that in 18r)2 an atithority •■ on these matters wrote: " The Whitneyville Armory, property of the Whitney Arms Co., is now one of the largest in the United States. It is located near New Haven, in the state of Con- necticut, and has a capacity for employing over five hundred men, being supplied with all the modern improved machinery, and now under the control of the son and grandson of the founder, who have added many valuable improvements." .Since that account was written the plant and its equipments have been mucii improved, and arms equal to the best in the world have 'General C. 15. Norton. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 805 been here manufactured. In 1S64 the Whitney Arms Company was chartered as an incorporated body by the legislature of the state, Eli Whitney being the president and principal stockholder of the company. Eli Whitney, Jr., long shared with his father the office of treasurer of the corporation and under their management this con- tinues to be the most extensive interest in the town, but from its location is also practically one of the industries of New Haven. The manufacture of carriage hardware and goods pertaining to the carriage trade is one of the oldest and has been one of the most important industries in the town. It is also claimed that in Hamden have originated several enteri^rises of this nature, which have been developed into vast interests in other locali- ties. To Captain Jonathan Mix, who was an occasional resident of Hamden, were granted letters patent in 1807, 1808 and 1811 for some of the first carriage springs in the country. But to Elam Ives, 2d, must belong the credit of conceiving that the manufacture of goods other than the products of the ordinary mills, could be carried on successfully in the town. In the exemplification of that idea he spent much of his means about 1830 to erect a large factory building, near his house, below Mt. Carmel, and adapted it so that the waste water from the canal could be utilized to supply power. In this he was in a great measure successful, and his building was not long idle. Some time about 1833 he and other members of the Ives family — Parsons. Jason and Henry — fitted it up with machinery for making iron carriage axles. They used turning lathes and boring machinery of much the same pattern as are still used in modern establishments, and had one of the pioneer shops in America equipped in that manner. Until their products were placed on the market, nearly all the wagon axles were of wood, with iron skeins and fittings: and what few iron axles were used in America were wrought by hand, cumbersome in appearance and fitted to the wheel only after a vast amount of hand grinding and filing. The advantages of using axles such as the Ives Brothers manufactured were soon appreciated and resulted in a demand which gave the products of the Mt. Carmel Axle Works a wide sale and which has been continued to the present time. The works were operated at the Elam Ives place until abotrt the time the canal was abandoned, when they were removed to the site of the " Hunt " or " Kimberly '" mill, near the base of Mt. Carmel. which was improved to its new use. At that place the works have since been continued, but in 1890 the btijldings formerly occupied were not all in use. Upon the retirement of Henry Ives, his son Frederick became an active or managing partner, having as his as.so- ciate the present owner, Willis E. Miller, and operating as Ives & Miller. The latter was the inventor of an improved axle and the works have been supplied with proper machinery to manufacture them in the best manner, and to preserve the fine standard of the goods. 19 30G msroKv of \?;\v haven county. The manufacture of light carriage hardware in Hamden was begun in is: 55 by James Ives, .the youngest son of l^^lam Ives, the owner of the old axle works building, in which the new enterprise was also begun as the Mt. Carmel Brass Works. An earlier occupant here was Willis Churchill, who manufactured brass surgical instruments. Young Ives had been apprenticed to him, but when Churchill located at Augerville Ives began work on his own account and upon an entirely different line of goods, making brass hub bands, harness trimmings, etc. His wares were so much lighter and more attractive than the imported goods that they soon found favor, and his business prospered. In ]!. + Present deacons. J From data by Reverend II. L. Everest. 318 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Carmel was sold and the proceeds applied toward the new church. In 1847 the church at Centerville was thoroughly repaired and improved, the work involving an outlay of $1,000. Other repairs on the building have been made, the most noteworthy being those in 1874. when the interior was refitted. In 18'.)0 the hou.se afforded com- fortable sittings for 2')0 persons. The corporation controlling the property had as its wardens: George W. Bradley, .senior, and Jesse Cooper, junior: vestrymen. Ira W. Beers. John Collett, Henry \V. Austin and George L. Clark. For fourteen years the enlarged parish had no resident rector, the clergy of New Haven, Cheshire and other parishes ministering here, and it was not until 183;") that Reverend John H. Rouse was called to take full charge of the parish and become the first resident minister. After two years he was succeeded by Reverend Henry Fitch, who was the rector six years, resigning on Easter, 184B. In the same vear Reverend Charles W. Everest was elected rector, and had full charge of the parish until April, 1874, with the exception of one year (1846-7), when he officiated in a New Haven church. To help eke out the small salary which the parish felt able to pay, he opened the rectory school, and with the consent of his parishioners, conducted it 31 years, in connection with his church work. This was the largest and most successful rectorship in the history of the parish. After the resignation of Mr. Everest a number of clergymen had charge of Grace church, among them being the Reverends E. Whit- combe, Joseph Brewster, Heman R. Timlow, J. E. Walton, Henry Tarrant," William B. Walker, A. B. Nichols and" H. L. Everest. The service of the latter as rector was terminated in 1887, and in Decem- ber of that year he was succeeded by the Reverend H. W. R. Staft'ord, who was rector until November, 1888. Since June, 1889, the rector has been Reverend Walter Dovvnes Humphrey. In the past few years some of the friends of the parish have con- tributed a fund for church purposes which amounted to more than $4,000 in 1886; and the amount yearly raised for all purposes is about $800. In 1890 there were in the parish of Grace chi;rch 85 families, which furnished 48 communicant members. The Sunday school had 25 members. A large and increasing foreign element in this part of the town has limited the .scope of the parish work, but the church appears to he firmly established and has been a useful factor in the com- munity. Saint Mary's Church (Roman Catholic) is on the highway between Centerville and Mt. Carmel, and is the finest church edifice in the town. The first public ma.ss in Hamden was celebrated in vSeptember, 1852, by Father Matthew Hart in a dwelling belonging to Par.sons Ives. At that time there were in the town five Catholic families, and about thirty members. These were visited once a month by priests HISTORY OK NEW JIAVEN COINTV. 319 from neighboring parishes, who said mass at private houses. In 1856 Father E. J. O'Brien, of St. ]\Iary's, New Haven, purchased a lot on which to build a church to accommodate the increased membership of the mission. Upon this site a building used by the old axle works was moved and properly fitted up as a place of worship. In 1867 it was enlarged, and with other improvements has been used 84 years. After being served by the priests of the churches in Wallingford and Cheshire (connected with vSouthington) St. Mary's became a perma- nent mission of the Wallingford church, and August 11th, 1867, Father Hugh Mallon assumed care of it. The Catholics at that time numbered 225. Until 1878 Father Mallon labored alone in Hamden in connection with his church at Wallingford, but afterward had the service of assistant priests and with little exception mass has been said once per week. The membership has also been largely increased, there being, in 1890, more than 550 Catholics in the parish. Accord- ingly, a new and larger church was needed for their better accommo- dation, and Father Mallon set about to erect it. A lot south of the old building was purchased, on which the foundation walls for a large and fine brick edifice were laid in 1888. The superstructure, in the Gothic style of architecture, has since been carried to completion, the new house being in the summer of 1890 completed for use. It is a very handsome building, and when it is completely furnished will cost about $20,000, making it superior to any country church of that denomination in the county. About half a mile from the church a burial ground of half an acre has been consecrated for the use of Catholics in Hamden, and a number of interments have there been made. St. Mary's was set off from Wallingford as a separate parish April 22d, 1891. and Reverend John T. Winters was appointed resi- dent priest. The Hamden Plains M. E. Church- was built in 1884. The first class of Methodists in the town was formed December 27th, 1813, and Eli Barnett was the leader. Its members were Sybil Tuttle, Amos Benham, Ruth Benham, Timothy Andrews, Rebecca Dorman, Sybil Andrews and Isaac Benham. Of these it appears that Sybil, the wife of Amasa Tuttle, was the first to profess that faith. In about 1810 they moved from Derby to Hamden, and there being no other Methodists in the town at that time, she united with the newly organized church in New Haven, and through that body preach- ing was first held in the town. Mr. Tuttle at that time made no profession of religion, but encouraged the purposes of his wife to secure regular services, and fitted up a room in his house for the meetings. As a result of the services, in the summer and fall of 1814 there was a revival and forty conversions, which increased the member- ship to such an extent that a larger place of worship was demanded, *From data by David MacMullon. •520 inST<.>RV OF NKW HAVEN COUNTN'. which was found in another dwelling- of Amasa Tuttle. This was used until a meeting house proper was provided, about six years later. It was erected upon land deeded September ]lth. 1SI9. by Ruth Ben- ham to the trustees of the society: Abner Wooding, Timothy Andrews. Isaac Benham, Amos Benham and Timothy Andrews, Jr. .Several years elapsed before it was fully completed, and it was, at its be.st, but a very plain building. It was used about fifteen years. In the meantime, by the removal of the Congregational church to Whitney ville. m 1884. a more central site was made available, and it was determined to build a new church on the lot which had been abandoned on Hamden Plains. In March, 1S:J4, Merritt Ailing. Charles Wooding, Rufus Dorman. Ezra Ailing, 2d, and Jesse Ailing were appointed a building committee, who erected a house, which was dedicated December 2r)th, 1SH4. Its cost was about S2,3()(). The old meeting house was now sold and converted into a dwelling. The new- church edifice was remodelled into its present tabernacle form in 1876, and a chapel added, which made the property valuable and convenient for every use. In 1890 it was reported worth $10.(1(10 and free from debt. It is one of the best country Methodist churches in this county. The church in Hamden has sustained a number of circuit relations, but since 1834 has practically been a separate appointment and having its own ministers. In 1838 the first parsonage was built and was used until 1868, when the present property was purchased. It is vahied at $3,000. In addition to the class at the church, Methodist members have been gathered into classes in other parts of the town and preaching- places established at Centerville, Warnertown and other outlying localities. These, in most in.stances, were of short duration, as the membership was too small to keep up a permanent organization. At one time the Methodists of Hamden were stronger, numerically, than at present, but at no other period was the church in better financial condition than at this time. The Millerite excitement m 1843 drew ofi" some of the members, and there have been some losses by removals, the members being obliged to seek employment elsewhere in consequence of the suspension of some manufacturing interests. In 188!) there were li)3 full and 4(» probationary members. A well- ordered Sabbath school had nearly 200 attendants. Among the ministers of the church have been the following: 1829. Reverend W. Kellogg; 1833, A. Bushnell; 1834 5, Thomas Bainbridge; 1836-7, Abraham S. Francis; 1837-8, Orlando Starr; 1839, Daniel Right; 1840, Ira Abbott; 1841 2, William S. Stillwell; 1843, A. S. Hill; 1844 5, Charles Stearns; 184G 7, Jo,seph Frost; 1848-9, George L. Fuller; 18.-)0-l, Charles Bartlett; 1851-2, F. A. Lovejoy; 1853-4, B. Redford; 1855-6, B. Leffingwcll; 1857 8, W. H. Russell; 1859 60, D.W. Lounsbury; 1861-2, W. P. E.stes; 1863, Frederick Brown; 1864-5, J. Field; 186G 7, C. W. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 321 Powell: 1868-9, Edwin Warriner: 1870, George P. Mains; 1871-2, Sam- uel M. Hammond; 1873, Lemuel Richai^dson; 1874, Henry A. Van Dalsem; 1875, John Rippere; 1876-7, J. S. Haugh; 1878-80, J. B. Mer- win; 1881-3, Nelson L. Porter; 1884-6, David .MacMullen; 1887, J. Parker; 1888-9, N. Hubbell. The New Lebanon Mission of the First Congregational church of New Haven, near the south line of the town, was founded in 1868. Its services were first held in the school house, on Morse street. In Ma}', 1873, its own chapel, just completed, was occupied, and in it one preaching service per Sabbath and a Sunday school have been regu- larly held under direction of the parent society. The town is well provided with cemetery privileges, there being half a dozen places of burial, located at Mt. Carmel, on the Plains, in the West Woods, at Centerville and at Whitneyville. The latter was first laid out in 1835, and was last enlarged in 1890, when 3^ acres were added to the area. Since 1870 it has been controlled by the Whitneyville Cemetery Association. The grounds appear attractive and are well enclosed. Among other graves are those of Chauncey Goodyear, born in 1704, and died in 1845, and Chauncey Goodyear, Jr., born in 1804, and died in 1884. However, the most of the mem- bers of the Goodyear family are interred in the Goodyear Cemeter}-, north of the main cemetery, at Centerville. This is in charge of the Goodyear Cemetery Company (incorporated in 1875), and contains a fine monument, erected by William B. Goodyear, on which are inscribed many family epitaphs. The Centerville Cemetery is on the old turnpike, a little north of the village, and embraces about four acres of well selected land. It is mostly enclosed, and there are some fine monuments. The managing body is the Central Burying Association, organized in 1873. The Mt. Carmel ground is one of the oldest, and contains many graves. The association which has charge of it was organized in 1870. A little south of the village a small lot of land has been consecrated for Catho- lic burials. The Plains Cemetery is large, there being half a dozen acres, but is only partially improved. It contains many old tombstones. The burial plot in the West Woods is used almost solely by the people of that locality. In nearly all of these grounds ma}' be seen many evidences of the care and esteem in which the living hold the memory of the dead. The nearness of New Haven to Hamden, with its abundance of pure water, has caused the town to be selected by that municipality as the source from which to derive its main supply of water. Its greatest storage reservoir is Whitney lake or pond, which extends along the Mill river for about two miles. Into it flow the waters of that stream, draining 56 square miles of land and having a daily yield of 120,0()(),000 20 322 HISTORV OP' NEW HAVEN COUNTY. gallons of water. About one-tenth of that amount only is taken as the supply of the water works proper. The New Haven Water Company was incorporated in 1849, but failing to construct the works the charter was assigned to Eli Whit- ney, who organized the company, and in 1860 the construction of the works was commenced. The dam at Whitney ville was raised to the height of 3n feet, with a total length of oOO feet, and built in the most substantial manner. On Sachem's hill, a distributing reservoir, with a capacity for lO.OOO.OOO gallons was constructed, with which 18 miles of distributing mains were connected. On the second of December, 1861. the pumps of the company, at the dam, which have a capacity for 6,()()0,00() gallons daily, were set to work, and January 1st, 1862, the water was introduced into the distributing mains. Since that time these water works have been much improved. (_)n the northeast slope of the West Rock hills is a small sheet of water called Wintergreen lake, which lies 240 feet above tide water. In 1863 John Osborn gathered these waters into a reservoir of 60 acres, and they have been utilized as another source of New Haven's supply. In 1877 the property passed to the New Haven Water Company, which has since managed it in the interest of the city. East Rock Park, New Haven's new and most attractive public breathing spot, is partly in the town of Hamden, along Whitney lake and on the East Rock range. It was laid out after plans pre- pared by Donald G. Mitchell, LL.D., and when once fully completed will be one of the most attractive spots in the county. At Centerville the grounds of the Rectory school have been improved to a park like appearance, and are used by the patrons of that institution. In 1864 the proprietor. Reverend Charles W. Everest, also obtained a charter for water works, but they were not constructed after that plan. The Mt. Carmel Water Company was chartered in 1878, with a capital of Sr),()()(i, and commenced the construction of works at that place the same year. The first supply has been from springs on the surrounding hills, which have been pumped into a distributing reser- voir near the old Ives station. For future use the company holds claims upon Wolcott's falls, a mill seat in the western part of the town, which is elevated far above any territory the company may be called on to supply. The affairs of the company are in charge of a board of local managers. lUOCRAl'IIlCAL SKETCHES. John B. Andrews, born in Cheshire, Conn., in 18:>1, is a son of Silas and grandson of Samuel, who was a printer. In 1832 Mr. Andrews' parents removed to Hamden, where he has since I'esided. His mother was Rebecca, daughter of Jotham Ives and Lillis Fisk HISTORY OF NEW HAVKN COUNTY. 323 Ives, who came from Vermont and settled in Cheshire. Mr. Ives was a revolutionary soldier. Mr. Andrews is a mechanic, but since 1861 has been engaged in the mercantile trade. He was first selectman of his town from 1886 to 1890. He was married in 1857 to Celia Kenny. They have one son, George L., who is in business with his father, and is now postmaster at Mt. Carmel Centre. They deal in coal, wood, flour and feed. Mrs. Andrews died in 1864, and in 1867 Mr. Andrews was married to Hannah E. Manross, of Bristol, Conn. Benjamin B. Broadbent, born in New Haven in 1863, is a .son of James R. and Sarah B. Broadbent. James B. was engaged in manu- facturing for several years in New Haven, and also conducted a gro- cery business there. In 1866 he settled in Hamden, and has been engaged in farming. Benjamin B. engaged in the grocery, coal and feed business, at Hamden Plain in 1884. In 1886 he was married to Hattie E., daughter of ex-Representative Hubert E. Warner, of Ham- den. They have two children: Marjorie W. and Ericsson R. Cecil A. Burleigh was born in Richford, N. Y., June 30th, 1833. Mr. Burleigh is one of the commissioners of New Haven county. He "vas chosen to the position by the general assembly in 188.^. His term of office continues three years, but in 1888, in recognition of his excellent administration of the duties of his office, he was chosen again. In that choice occurred the sharpest test of popular favor which his party could give. A ballot was taken by his party in caucus assembled, and every ballot was cast for him to be his own successor in office. The .second term of his incumbency expired in 1891, and again a new test proved that he had not lost a whit of the confidence of his political allies. A ballot was not regarded as needful to express the party preferences. He was nominated by acclamation, and the nomination was speedily confirmed by the governor of the state. It is not always the fact that merit wins the crown which it deserves, and Mr. Burleigh is not one of those exceptions. His immediate ancestry resided in the state of New York. There he obtained the schooling of his boyhood. It was not so extended as is now offered the majority of boys by the better days on which we of the latest decade of the 19th century have come. It may be that a family event of note somewhat shortened the school term. He was one of thirteen children. The home nest may have seemed to be some- what crowded. At any rate, Cecil went early to work. He was only thirteen years of age when he was apprenticed to learn the trade of black.smith. The conditions of work were not severe, and for two years he was sent to school, and during a part of the time to the academy in Homer, N. Y. At twenty years of age Mr. Burleigh became known to Mr. Edward Dickerman, of Hamden, Conn. Mr. Dickerman invited the young blacksmith to employment in his shop and to a home in his family. It was the second real home of the young man, where the love and 324 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. freedom of the parental home were renewed to him; and here in Ham- den he now began to show the qualities of workmanship and ot man- hood which have since distinguished him, and which hitherto had developed only as a plant in the shade. He became, m ISo.x the superintendent of a department m the factory of Ives & Pardee, manufacturers of brass and iron harness and carriage trimmings and hardware. But the financial crisis of 1857 closed the doors of the factory, and the capital employed took other channels of usefulness. Mr Burleich was now chosen master of the district school, and while not personallv deficient in the qualities of the pedagogue, he preferred mechanism and manufacturing to teaching school. He en- tered the employment of Mr. Dickerman again. T3 1 • ^. But when the war broke out the patriotism of Mr. Burleign awakened. Governor Buckingham sent him the authority of a recruit- ing officer. The line of work to which he was appointed accorded with his patriotic feelings, and he worked heartily. But later, on June 13th 1862 when the 2()th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry was recruit- ing he enlisted as a private, refusing an officer's commission. Hence- forth the fortunes of that regiment became his own. It was musteiea into the United States service September Gth, and started for Wash- ington September 8th. Mr. Burleigh shared m all the sharpness of conflict and the peril of Chancellorsville; in the experiences of Libby prison, to which he was marched a prisoner, though before the later date when it became the awful holocaust of Union soldiers; in he western campaigns under General Hooper, and still farther to Chat- tanooga for the opening of communication with General Rosecrans and then in the southern campaigns of General Sherman m his march to the sea, a record so voluminous with incident and peril as that only a little of it will ever be told. In these campaigns Mr. Burleigh's valor never tailed, trom the position of private he rose to that of command, and >-et he never grasped at positions above in rivalry with his comrades. His ambition for the moment was to do well the work of the present, then if merit was perceived m him and he was called up higher for merit s sake it was well. In this way he rose to be lieutenant, and finally, ]u.st as the war was drawing to its close, he was commissioned captain, only a little too late for action in the field. In all of these years of army .service, so often fraught wjth extreme peril, a favoring Providence watched over ^^"^ ^"'^ ^'-^^^^'Jllo-htlv afflictino- injurv Onlv once was he wounded, and then only slightU , and yet^the" musical hornets" whizzed through his hat, grazing his scalp or pas,sed just under his shoulder trimmings, leaving their fiery mai' near by, and elsewhere left the signs of their perilous proximity This clothing. 1-kit he escaped sound of body as when he entered the service of his country in the army. He himself has written briefly HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 335 the T' °^'^";"^'^ ^^-^''--^^ f- the noble volume of nobler deeds \t he 01 ^^-jr^'^"^ ^^^- - the War of the RebelHcn ' soldtr enterinl 1 '" '™^ !''' '^^•- ^^^-^^h became the cituen fa tur ; But hi. ' ""'' ''•' '''^^^ °' '^^ ^■■^^^^" ^-^"^ the manu- racturer. But his army experience is evermore turned to as the purchase of freedom for a downtrodden race, and the result is a h^ 1 woT ';: r" T ^^7'°^^'' '"^'°"^ ^"'^ ^^-^^^>' ^°-^' -n be re rne law of the land, and institutions under which a thrift,- o.^ 1, rjiziirr '''■-■ • ^^^ ^^^^ '--' victoi^ctt^s^ muS ■: t'^r^ "neritLn " et u'b' "i'' "°''^ ^" ^^ '^^^^ ^°^ ^^^ P— ^ -d for brTsrwas on,-^ •« '^^'°'-' Burleigh's republicanism, always HTmden he h V . ; '^i^^u'"' ""^"^'^^ '"'''^S^'- ^"^ in the town of ard'nt and Sth °? '" '" ''' ^'^'^ "'^^^- "^^ "-obtrusive, but yet ard^t and faithful exponent of the principles of the republican ownt^fn"' fe' h'a'b"''' T "'''"^"' '"^°^^ °^ preferment in his 78 and 84 A \M I ?°''" selectman of Hamden in 1872, 77, tian his politf-al 1 "^ 'i' P°'^'"'^ °PP°"^"^^ ^- — "timerou chosen tn t '" ^^'"^'"- ^'"^ '^y ^ ^^'Se majority he was chosen to represent the town in the general assembly of 1880 In No thamT ''' "":'' '°^" ^"™°^^"^ ^^^ ^-^"^ °f the New ISL & s^c ces fTdlv c Tr.'' '"'' '"^ °' ^'^ ^^-^^^->' °f ^t. Carmel wat S^am s ee^o \^^^^^ through the assembly, and thus the beauty of the tT M b' lefoh '"' ;'' "'^"' '^^ P^°P^^^>' "-^ ^'■-tl V added to. Mr. Bur eigh was certainly the principal factor in this achieve was mTd;"^ ' r^' '^: '''■ ^^"^^^^ "^^--' ^-^ alread V narit d he Mr. Burleigh is not a church member, but for manv vears has been an earnest supporter of the Mt. Carmel parish chu cl " .W its trVa::;""'"'^ ""^"^^ ^"' °" ''' ^°"^"""-'' -d contributirg tS louS N.trieigh. '^-^-^-hter has been born in the family, Miss Mr. Burleigh's residence is situated on the main street of Mt. Car- mel An air of quiet restfulness pervades it, while the surroundings mvrte the attention of the passer-by. Here Mr. and Mrs. BurS 7ohT^"rT.""^:'''''' °' ' '''^' '''''' °f acquaintances. ^ rrnlK .w^ n , "' ^°'° ^° Hamden, is a son of John and Ellen Hamd:- Th "'';• , ^.\^^T/™" '^^^^"^ ^^^^°"^ ''''' ^^ -"led n P.t , r> I ^' '^ ^'^^^ children: Hannah, John F., Mary Mago-ie Patrick, Robert, Ellen and Katie. John F. Callahan engaged in £ grocery business in 1888. He was married in 1886 to ElTen Kehou^h Maiy E ^'''' ''"" °"^ ^°"' -f°'"' J- ^^^ °- ^-^h er. 326 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Samuel P. Crafts, president of the Qumnipiac ^nck Company^. -as born in Woodbury, Conn.. March 30th, 1824^ ^e .s a son of General Chauncy Crafts, and grandson of ^f - ^d-r^Cra s.^^^^^^^ His mother was Maria, daughter of Daniel Bacon, oi , Samuel P went to sea in 1843, and was in command of a ship ^^hen fhe c V 1 war broke out. He sold out his share m the ship and went nto the navy, as acting ensign. He was promoted to nras.er and U . tenant. He got a war risk on his life and los every cent of it He has held the offices of grand juror and justice of the P-^, /^^^^^^ ^^f^^^. he is president of the Law and Order League of Hamden, and Mce p e d'entif the National Association of f-k Manufacturers He married Sarah A. Thomson July 13th, 1859. ^^e is a daughte of Deacon Isaac Thomson of New Haven, Conn. They had one c d Cornelia Maria, born July 23d, 18(30, died July 9th, l^^f ; ^^ P^'^'^j^ Mr. Crafts is a republican and in religion a Congregationali.st. He was a California '49er. -pno-land in John Creswell was born in Little Eaton, ^^^-^^-^ "I^'^^^jJ „'f,:;"e 184.3. His father and grandfather were both "^^^^.f ^^/^^^^^^e/ n natives of Little Eaton. He -- to America in 8 6 .^s^^^^^^^^ Philadelphia, where he resided until 1884, workm, ar (boss dver) In 1884 he came to Hamden and since that time has ^been i^'t^e employ of the New Haven Web Company -^o dy- He was married m 1870 to Miss Jennie Moore of Philadelphia. 1 hey have five children: Harry M., George G., J^"";j,J- .^^"""^ '^"j \ . , ' ' Edward Davis, born in Stafford, Conn., m 1818 is a son of A ei> r>uwaiu i^.i.v , _ rtTvis settled in Hamden m ll>37. and grandson of Avery Davis, /^^'.^'^^^^''/held the offices of He is extensively engaged m farming He ^ J h^^Vj^"^^ m Auo-- selectman and assessor. He was married m 1841 ^o ^ets M. A ur. They have six children: James A., born 1844 Betsj Maria. D . ^S4r,- William E born 1848; Carrie B., born 18(30; Burton A., U-m 80 : Id Al^ra boi-n 180o, married William Burton, and has one son John E Burton A. married Mattie Augur, and has one ^augh e . Mar" erv Betsy Maria married George W. Ives, and has two child- ^^^A^recf t^ Lucy. William E. m^ied fogua^ Tam^ingson, and has two sons and one daughter: Edward Harold and essie. Hmes A married Emma Parks in 1874, and they have two cl u igh- ;rEitna and Helen, and one son, Howard. J-^^^;-^^^^ ^ E. Davis carried on business in New Haven seveial Y^'^.^^'f ?°;™ OS on the public works of the city. Later they organized the New Haven Concrete Company, conducting that business tin 8...^ a which time thev engaged in brick manuiacturing m Hamden. 1 he :S:tss^s mcreal;^ until at the present ^^-e they ^. U^rning o^ from seven to ten million brick annually ^-^f^y^^''^^;^^^ _,,. men. From 1877 to 1887 James A. leased and ran the W hitne> enue Horse Railroad. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 327 Leverett A. Dickerman, born in Hatnden in 1821, is a son of Allen, grandson of Isaac, and great-grandson of Samuel Dickerman, who was a son of Isaac, and grandson of Thomas Dickerman, who came from England and settled in Dorchester, Mass., in 1635. He died June 11th, 1657. His .sons, Alman and Isaac, settled in Xew Haven. Isaac had two sons, Samuel and Jonathan. They settled in Hamden. This Samuel was the great-grandfather of Leverett A. The first Isaac Dickerman married Mary Atwater. Samuel married Mary Allen, and Isaac, his .son, married Sybil Sperry. Allen Dickerman married Sarah, daughter of Jonathan Ives. Their six children lived to maturity: Albert I., vSaritta, Julia, Eliza, Leverett A. and Lavinia. Albert died unmarried. .Saritta married Mark Ives. Julia is un- married. Eliza married Franklin Andrews. Lavinia married John Osborn, and Leverett A. married Abigail A., daughter of Uriah Foote. They have three daughters living: Alice A. (who married William D. Cook of Cheshire), Emma E. and Laura L. Their other children were: Aljen F., Francis L. and Abbie A. Mr. Dickerman has held the office of selectman several years, and was elected representative in 1880. He is a member of Mt. Carmel Congregational church. vSamuel D. Doolittle, born in Hamden March 12th, 1835, is a .son of Heman and Julia (Allen) Doolittle, and grandson of Daniel Doolittle. Mr. Doolittle has always been engaged in farming. In 1888 he engaged in the bakery business. He was married in 1861 to Cornelia A., daugh- ter of Almeron Sanford. She was born October 5th, 1837. They had three sons: Frederick E., born June 21st, 1863; Elford F., born October 1st, 1872, and Maurice H., born March 12th 1880. They have one daughter, Alta I., born April 25th, 1870. She is a stenographer in New Haven. Frederick E. is a resident of Torrington, Conn. He was married in 1889, to Harriet Breen of Waterbury. Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle are members of Mt. Carmel Congregational church. George W. Dudlej', born in New Haven in 1827, is a son of Isaac and Cynthia (Bradley) Dudley, and has been a resident of Hamden for about 21 years. He is engaged in farming and keeping a board- ing .stable, having a large number of horses from New Haven and New York parties. Previous to coming to Hamden, he resided in New Haven and was in the livery busine.ss. He was married .Sep- tember 2d, 1850, to Cornelia, daughter of Lewis Todd. Mrs. Todd was a daughter of Horace Bradley, he a son of Amasa and he a .son of Joel Bradley, one of the early .settlers of the town. Mr. Dudley has two sons: Wilbur S., born March 30th, 1857, and George H., born May 10th, 1868. Samuel A. Flight, born in New Fairfield, Conn., in 1859, is a .son of Samuel J. and grandson of James Flight, who came from England and was a carriage manufacturer in New Haven. Samuel J. was a blacksmith. He married Sarah Jane Smith, of Granby, Mass. He enlisted in the 1st cavalry and .served three years and three months 328 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. as bugler. Samuel A. Flight settled in Hamden abou .79 and en gaged in market gardening and the milk b^^'nef -^ ^e is a n.ember of Day Spring Lodge. No. 30, F. & A. M.. of Hatnden._ He ^^as e ectec assessor in 1888 and reelected in 1889. He was married m 1881 to Estterdaiihter of Alfred Dorman, of Hamden, whose father was also named Alfred and was a resident of Hamden William N. Gesner, born in Orangetown Rockland ^^^'^ York February 19th, 1817, is a son of William H. and Mary Ann mlnnlGesnei crandson of Nicholas andGracie (Post) Gesner great- ^^aiXon Tf I.;hn Hendrik Gesner -d Femiche (Browerj^ Ge^n^ ^nd great-great-grandson of John Hendrik and f -^^^^J f^^^^^ Gesner who were married m Germany, trom whence the> were dnveVby the French war to England. After "-'^^^^ ° ^^^^.^P, they sailed with many other German families m the ship Lion, and anded at New York I June, 1710. They settled ^^ ^-nl^er. N V, and built mills on the Bronx nver, ^^^^ l-t«^^/\™°^f,;° M rl^-e T " N T William N. Gesner married at New York, m 1840, Margaiet i „ 2;uo-htl?o George and Mary (McLean) Paton. In 1845 he removed tm New York, fettled m Fair Haven, Conn., and engaged -his usual business-ship-building. After building many ve.ssels noted for Zu- speTd and selgomg qualities, in 1862, ^^^Y^^^^^^Z^Z needed transports and cruisers, he sold out his .stock ^f l^^'^'l^^ C S Bushnell, who had contracts with the government, and foi t^ o years uperintended the busine.ss for the latter. He then engaged m ship buildin<. at West Haven, conducting business there under the Smnleo? Gesner & Mar, where he still continues^ He is pr ba. bly the oldest .ship-builder in active service, 1--/"^ ^^^^J; "^^^^ J nlanned and .superintended more than l.-.O vessels of every size, ii^ and description In 1807 he .settled in Hamden, where he now lives, and fn Dec'ember. 1890, he and his wife celebrated their golden .ed ding with numerous friends and children around then. The> have sevL children living: Mary J., Helen L., Matilda A N^ ^^^'^ ^/^;^^- Harrison, Alice F. and George P. Margaret \f ^'^^.^^1^"^ ^ M Pu Mr Gesner is a member of Adelphi Lodge, No. 63, F. 8. A. M Pu laski Chapter, Crawford Council and New Haven Encampment, k 1 ' Thomas P. Hoey, born in Hamden in 1863^ is a son of M-^-el Ann (McGrail) Hoey, and grandson of ^^^Jael Hoey For eveia vearshewas employed in the silk factory of R. S. Claik of Mt. Car S and since 1885 has been employed by the New Haven Web Co-. panv as foreman of the warping and winding department. He .as Lai-ried in 1883 to Margaret Conn,y. They have one son. Chailes \A ., ind a dauo-hter, Margaret A. r t ^ r^ c te H. Gorham, born m Hamden m 1839, is a .son of J-'ed D. and lie J (Potter) Gorham. His grandfather was Captain Levi Gor- ham: n lared Gorham's family there were three children: George H FoTbes ]. and Ellen ]. George H. married Eunice, daughter of Heni) HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 329 Munson, of Hamden, in 1861. They have one son, Henry J. Gorham. Forbes Gorham married Emily Hitchcock, and Ellen married Fred- eric F. Bishop. William Gorham, born in Hamden in 1815, died 1858, was a son of John, and he a son of John Gorham, who married Phebe Downes. John Gorham, the son, married Nanc)' Downes. William married Lucretia Dorman, daughter of Merritt and Easter Dorman. Their children were: Emih', Sarah, Caroline, Lucy, Ella, Nancy, Francis and William E. .Sarah, Ella and William E. are dead. Emily married William Thomas: Caroline married John Malone: Lucy married John Peckham and for her second husband Charles Ailing; Francis married Sarah Doolittle. Nancy Gorham married John P. Phelps in 1854. There were born to them two children: Charles J., who died in infancy, and Cora E, The latter was married in 1870, to Luther C Phelps. They had one daughter, Emma Phelps. Luther Phelps died in 1890. John P. Phelps was born in Winchester, Conn., and is a son of Ral- zemon and grandson of John Phelps. William Ives, the first known of that name, resided in New Haven as early as 1639. He is supposed to have died in 1G48. He had two sons: John, who died young, and Joseph, who married Mary (born 1650|, daughter of Thomas Yale. Their children were: vSamuel, Mary, Martha. Lazarus, Thomas, Abigail and Ebenezer. Joseph died in 1694. Samuel Ives, born 1(577. married Ruth Atwater. Their children were: Mary, Lydia, Samuel (who died young), Ruth, Jonathan, Damaris, John and Samuel. Jonathan Ives, born 1716, was one of the •early settlers of Hamden. He married Thankful Cooper. Their children were: Jeremiah, Ruth, Mary, Thankful, Joel, Jonathan and Phtebe. Jonathan married Sarah Bassett, and they had two children: Leverett, who died young, and Sarah, who married Allen Dickerman. Samuel Ives, the son of Samuel and Ruth Atwater Ives, was the father of Levi, who was the father of Eli, who was the father of Levi Ives, the noted physician of New Haven. Lewis E. Joyce, born in Oxford, Conn., in 1835, is a son of Peter and Eliza (Hitchcock) Joyce and grandson of Joseph L. Joyce. His maternal grandfather was Stephen Hitchcock, a joiner by trade and a soldier in the war of 1812. His father was John Hitchcock. Both were residents of Hamden. Lewis E. Joyce is a carpenter and joiner. He settled in Hamden in 1853 and in 18()U was married to Julia A., daughter of Heman Doolittle of Hamden. They have had three children: Lewis E., born December •25th, 1862; Burton A., born Sep- tember 25th, 1869; and Carrie L., born December 22d, 1864, died August, 1883. Bela A. Mann, born in Naugatuck, Conn., in 1835, is a .son of Em- ory D. and grandson of Eliel Mann, who was a manufacturer at Naugatuck. Bela A. Mann first came to Hamden at the age of 17 as an employee of the Goodyear Spoke Company. He afterward went 330 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. to Waterbury and was foreman of the American .Suspender Company for about four years. From there he went to Meriden and was there about the same length of time as foreman for J. Wilcox & Co. In 1863 he came to Hamden and was the organizer of what is now known as the New Haven Web Company, manufacturers of suspenders and elastic webbing. The capital stock of the company is $60,000 and they do an annual business of $300,000, employing from 140 to loO hands.J Mr. Mann has been superintendent and manager of the com- pany since its organization. He has held the office of selectman sever- al years, and in 1882 and 1883 was elected to the assembly. He was married in 1860 to Prusie C. Spencer, of Haddam, Conn. They have one son, Bela H. Mann, a member of the firm of Parrish & Mann of New Haven, suspender manufacturers. Willard Mathews, born in Bristol, Conn., in 1837, is a son of Jus- tus W. and ^lehitabel (Sanford* Mathews, and grandson of Joel Mathews, all of Bristol. Justus Mathews removed with his family to Hamden in 1846. He was a mechanic, which was also Willard Math- ews' business. In 1874 he was appointed superintendent of the town farm of Hamden, which office he has since held, with the exception of three years, from 1880 to 1884. May 1st, 1890, Mr. IMathews was appointed superintendent of the New Haven County Home, which position he still holds. He is a member of Day Spring Lodge, F. & A. M., of Hamden, and of L. A. Thomas Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Chesh- ire. He was married in 1859 to .Sarah M., daughter of .Sydney and Betsy (Judson) Merwin of Woodbridge, Conn. Her grandfather was Fletcher Merwin. They have two children : Willard M., born 1860, and Gertrude L., born 1869. Willard M. Mathews is a machinist. He is a member of Day Spring Lodge, F. & A. M. He was married in 1882 to Mary Cook. They have one daughter, Elsie Mathews, born in 1885. Mr. Mathews' mother, Mehitabel Sanford, was a daughter of Truman and Betsy (Warner) .Sanford of Hamden. Dwight W. Mix, born in Hamden in 1834, is a son of Benjamin and Betsy (Potter) Mix. He was married in 1858 to Elizabeth A., daugh- ter of Edmund D. and Laura A. Bradley. They have five children: George B., Ella L., Augusta L., Sarah B. and Eva F. For 20 vears previous to 1887 Mr. Mix was in the ice business with his brother, Norris B. He is a member of Day Spring Lodge, F. & A. M., of Ham- den, and of Montowese Lodge, I. O. O. F., of New Haven. Henry Mix, born in Hamden July 8th, 1821, is a .son of Benjamin, and grandson of Thomas. Mr. Mix manufactured brick for over 30 years. He is now engaged in farming. He married Louisa Warner in 1842. Their children were: Henry, Frederick, Julia and Maria. Frederick married Bet.sy A. Warner. Julia married Albert Howard. NORRis Bennett Mi.\. — The immediate ancestors of the Mix family, at present in Hamden, removed from New Haven before the incorpora- tion of this town.* They were a branch of the family of Thomas * See lilake's Histurv of Hamden, 20:3. w^ W^ ^^i^u^ J3 ^^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 331 Mix, Mixx or Meeks, which was among the early settlers of New Haven. Thomas Mix, the founder of the Hamden family, born 176."), died September 1st, 1810, leaving three sons: Benjamin, Zina, died June 18th, 1823, aged 43 years, and Stephen, died June 28th, 1823, aged 39 years. The first son, Benjamin, the father of the subject of this sketch, born in Hamden August 10th, 1782, married Betsy Potter, also of Hamden, April 12th, 1810. He died on the homestead, which had been improved by his father, Thomas, and which is now the home of the youngest son, Dwight W., August 30th, 1862. His widow died January 30th, 1871, aged 79 years. They reared ten children, namely: Rebecca E., married Walter Nichols, of Westport, Conn.: Ethiel Potter, the oldest son, removed to Wisconsin; Grace, married Alfred Howarth, of New Haven; Eliza, married George W. Bradley, of Hamden: Benjamin, removed to California: Henry, resides in Ham- den; James Perry, deceased: Norris Bennett: Frances Betsy, married William Potter, of Hamden; Dwight Walter, living on the old Mix homestead. Norris Bennett, the eighth child, whose life is here sketched, was born in Hamden February 3d, 1826, and on the 13th of September, 1849, married Maria N., daughter of Joel D. and Maria (McDuel) Hen- drick, of New Haven. Of six children born to them, three died in in- fancy and youth, and they reared: Arthur H., who married Amelia Rawling, and lives in New Haven; Mary C, married William H. Terell, of Hamden; Anna M., married J. Clarence Englehart, of New Haven. Mr. Mix spent four years of his boyhood days in the home of Judge Dyer White, of New Haven, where he had opportunity of attendiug- the celebrated John E. Lovell school, thus well laying the foundation of his future education, which has been largely self-acquired. Sub- sequently he engaged in mechanic trades, and for twelve years worked in the New Haven shops of the New York & New Haven Railroad Company. While residing in that city, he was elected street com- missioner in 1861, and as a member of the common council in 1862, he was one of the committee to sign the first contract between the city and the water company for a supply of water for the use of the city. Since 1864 he has resided in Hamden, where he has been successfully engaged in the ice business, having his son as an associate in New Haven. Since being a citizen of this town, Mr. Mix has been honored with a number of important public offices and trusts. In 1878 he was elected as a representative of Hamden in the state legislature, and was reelected in 1876, serving his last term when the new capitol was first occupied. He served six years as first selectman and town agent, and in that capacity was instrumental in securing the removal of the track of the New Haven & Northampton railroad from the side of the old Cheshire road and the turnpike to the route now occupied. Although the town had almost unanimouslv voted to contribute '■J:-i2 HISTDRV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. $14,000 to the company toward the cost of the removal, the action was opposed and Mr. Mix was enjoined and placed under a bond of $20,000 not to make any contract with the company or to pay over the money. Through his efforts the legislature passed an act favor- ing the change and healing the matter; but he was again enjoined and placed under $10,000 bonds not to pay over the money the town had properly appropriated. The superior court dissolved this injunction and the money was paid to the company to make the desired change in its roadbed, which is now acknowledged as having been a most ^esirable improvement, and one which reflects credit upon the foresight of those favoring it. Mr. Mix is an active demo- crat, in the principles of which party he has always believed, a mem- ber of the Hamden Plains Methodist Episcopal church, and an earn- est Odd Fellow and Mason. He joined the former order in 1847. and is now a member of City Lodge, No. 86, I. O. O. F., of New Haven. In I,s.-)3 he became a member of Wooster Lodge, No. 0, F. & A. M.. of New Haven. In 1870, through the efforts of Mr. Mix, the charter of Day vSpring Lodge, No. 30, F. & A. M., in Hamden, which had been granted in 1704 and surrendered in 1838, was restored, and he is now a member of that Lodge. He has seen its members increase from six to more than a hundred, and he has three times been master of the Lodge. He is also a member of higher Masonic bodies in New Haven — of Franklin Chapter, Harmony Council, and Commandery No. 2, Knights Templar. Harvey T. Moulton, 3d, born m Plymouth, Litchfield county. Conn., in 1827, was a son of Harvey T., and he a son of Harvey T. Moulton. Mr. Moulton settled in Hamden about 1850, and was in the employ of the Whitney Arms Company for many years. He was a machinist and model maker. He afterward engaged in market gar- dening. He was married in 1850 to Esther H. Hartley. They had three children : Ellsworth H., Estella J. and Harvey T. Ellsworth married Carrie Wellman, Estella married John Parmalee, Harvey T. married Minnie C Payne, of New Haven, and has two .sons, Harold P. and J. Irving. Harvey T. Moulton, 3d, died in 1887. His two sons are extensively engaged in market gardening. Jerome C. Munson,born in Hamden in 1845, is a son of Basil Mun- son, born in 1814, he a son of Job L., and he a son of Basil Munson. Job L. married Sally Moss, of Cheshire. Basil, his son, married Jenette L., daughter of Amos Peck. Amos Peck married Lovica Todd, daughter of Ela Todd. Amos Peck, his father, married Lois Chatterton. Jerome C. Munson married, in 1864, Sarah J., daughter of Heman Doolittle. of Hamden. They have three sons: George W., born 1866; Bennett P., born 1870; Willis B.,born 1880. William I. Munson, born in Hamden in 1843, is a son of Alva and Melinda(Dorman) Munson and grandson of Isaac Munson. Mr. Mun- son was elected selectman in 1886, '87, '88 and '89. He is a member HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 333 of Hamden Plains M. E. church, and Hamden Grange ; also Harmony Lodge, I. O. O. F., of New Haven. He married, in 1871, Fannie M., daughter of Andrew J. Doolittle. They have two children : Edgar W., born 1875, and Ruby A., born 1882. John Osborn, born in Woodbridge, Conn., in 1824, was a son of William M. and grandson of Elisha Osborn. He settled in Hamden about 1846. He was a civil engineer. He planned the Fair Haven Water Works (since consolidated with the New Haven Water Works) and superintended their construction. The water works of Granby and Simsbury, Ansonia, New Britain and Waterbury, Conn., and Cohoes and Millerton, N. Y., were constructed under his supervision. He also laid out Maltby Park. He married, in 1849, Lavinia, daughter of Allen Dickerman, of Hamden, and had five children : Julia A., John I. (who died young), Mary L., John I. and Allen. John I. is a civil engineer and surveyor, and for several years has been m the government service, engaged in coast survey. John Osborn died in 1884. Frederick A. Peck, born in Hamden, January 9th, 1862, is a son of Lorenzo and Sarah (Talmadge) Peck, grandson of Zeri, great-grand- son of Joseph, and great-great-grandson of Amos Peck. Lorenzo Peck is a farmer, also is extensively engaged in the wood business. He had two children : Frederick A. and George. Frederick A. Peck was married in 1888 to Elizabeth C, daughter of Wales C. Dicker- man, of Hamden. In 1889 he engaged in the meat business in Mt. Carmel. Edward Rice, born in Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1861, is a son of Will- iam and grandson of John Rice. He came to this country in 1874 and settled in Hamden. Since 1876 he has been in the employ of the New Haven Web Company, and for six years has been foreman of the weaving department. He is a member of the A. O. of H. of Hamden. He was married, in 1886, to Annie Burke, and has two sons, William and Edward, and one daughter, Maggie. Charles Roberts, born in Wallingford, Conn., in 1824, is a son of Ephraim and Susan (Ellis) Roberts. She was a sister of William Ellis, who was collector of the port of New Haven under Jackson's admin- istration. Ephraim Roberts had by his first wife three sons: Horatio, Ralph R. and Charles. Horatio had one son, Frank Roberts, who is principal of the military school at Norwalk, Conn. Ephraim had six daughters: Amanda, Harriet, Louise, Nancy, Emily and Susan. Har- riet, Emily and Susan are living. Ephraim married for his second wife Polly Dunham. Their children were John D. and James M Charles Roberts left Connecticut at an early age and until 1872 resided in New York and the Western states, living in California, Texas, Mexico and Central America. In 1872 he settled in Centerville, town of Hamden, and opened a sale stable. He does an extensive business, buying and shipping a large number of horses from the Western states every year. •334 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. William Rosenthal, son of Henry Rosenthal, was born in Rhein Province, Germany, in 1844, came to America in 1879, and settled in New York, where he resided until 1SS3, when he removed to Hamden and entered the employ of the New Haven Web Company as designer. He was married in 1888 to Philomena Burkhardt. They had two ■daughters. Lillie and Philomena, and one son, Harrison W. ]SIr. Ro.senthal died in 189(». Edward D. vSanford, born in Hamden in 18.18,15 a son of Dennis S.. born in 1827, grandson of Amos W. and great-grand.son of Stephen Sanford. Amos W. married Obedience Atwater. Their children were: Goodyear A., x\lbert, Cynthia, Robert A., Dennis S., Catherine •0. and John W. Dennis S. married Mary E. Rogers in 1851. Their children are: Emily, born in 1858, married F. J. Colvin; Amos A., born in 18.")5, married Jennie Benham: and Edward D., born in 1858. The latter was married in 1879 to Sarah, daughter of James R. Broadbent. They have two children, Ralph B. and Mabel E. Since 1883 Mr. San- ford has been in the ice business in New Haven. He is a member of the Hamden Plains M. E. church, and assistant superintendent of the Sunday school. Howard Sherman was born in New York in 18-i2, and .settled in Hamden in 18G0. He is a son of Thaddeus and Eliza (Taylor) Sher- man, and grandson of Reverend Nathaniel Sherman, who was pastor ■of the Mt. Carmel Consfregfational church for several vears. Edwin D. Swift, born in Sharon, Conn., May 8th, 1825, is a son of Augustus B. and Rebecca (Munson) Swift, grandson of Philo and great-grandson of Heenan Swift, who was a colonel in the revolution- ary war. Doctor Swift was educated at the University of New York, receiving his diploma in 1849. He immediately settled in Hamden and began the practice of his profession. He is a member of the New Haven Medical Society and the Connecticut State Medical vSociety. He was married in 1851 to vSarah L. Punder.son, of New Haven. They had one son, Edwin E. Swift. Mrs. Swift died in 1865, and in 1868 Doctor Swift was married to Julia M. Swift. He is a member of Mt. Carmel Congregational church. John W. Talmadge, born in Prospect, Conn., in 1842, is a son of William and Annie Talmadge. In 1861 he enlisted in Company K, loth Connecticut Regiment, and served three years. At the close of the war he engaged in the grocery business for a short time, then en- gaged in the meat business, continuing it until the present time. He settled in Hamden in 1865, and was married the same year to Ange- line, daughter of Alvah Munson, of Hamden. They are members of the Hamden jPlains M. E. church. Lambert W. Talmadge, born in Prospect, Conn., in 1829, is a son of William and Annie (Sparry) Talmadge. Mr. Talmadge is one of a family of ten children: three sons — Lambert W., John and Stephen — -and seven daughters—Mary, Sarah, Nancy, Eliza, Esther, Clarissa and <^^ ''^. / HISTdRV OK XKW HAVEN COUNTY. 335 Julia. Lambert W. Talmadge is a farmer. He was married in LS51 to Elizabeth, daughter of Zeri Peck, of Hamden, and they have four children : Frank P., born 1852, lives in Dakota; Oscar J., born 1854, resides in New Haven, where for eight 5'ears he has been in the em- ploy of the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. Co. ; Alden O., born 1859, resides in Hamden, and Ellsworth A., born 1862, residing in Bristol, •Conn. Oliver F. Treadwell, M. r).,born in Baltimore. Md., June 25th, 1841, is a son of Oliver W. Treadwell and Anna H. Kramer. The latter was of German descent. Doctor Treadwell's grandfather was John P., and his great-grandfather, John Treadwell; the first president of the American Board of Foreign Missions, and one of the early gover- nors of Connecticut. Doctor Treadwell was educated at Yale College and Medical School, receiving his diploma in 1865. He practiced for about three years in New Haven, then removed to Hamden, where he has since resided. He was town physician for three years. He is also extensively engaged in market gardening. He is a member of the Connecticut State Medical Societ}-. He was married in 1872 to Sarah J. Barraclough. Frederic E. Tuttle, born in North Haven in 1839, is a son of Elias and Abigail (Ingham) Tuttle and grandson of Manning Tuttle. From 1859 to 1867 he was engaged in mining in Australia and New Zealand. He settled in Hamden about 1868. P'or seven years he ran a meat market at Centerville. Since 1883 he has been engaged in farming and has earned on a milk business. He was elected to the legislature m 1884. He was married in 1868 to Juliette, daughter of Ezra Ailing of Hamden. Henry Tuttle was born where he now lives October 23d, 1820. His family name is one of the oldest in the annals of New Haven county. So early as 1635 William and Elizabeth Tuttle came from England to the colonies, and in 1639 settled in New Haven. A numerous posterity traces the family pedigree to the.se ancestors, and the name is common in the history of the original colony, and of the towns since formed from the original grant to the colony. One branch of the family found a .settlement within what was afterward the limits of the town ■of Hamden, and ever since the name has figured prominently in the government and society of the town. Close under the northwestern side of picturesque and sightly Mt. Carmel, in Hamden, lies a valley. To the northeast and southwest for a considerable distance this valley extends, sloping up on its north- western side to hills which skirt its boundary there. Into this valley from the Mt. Carmel range and from the northwestern hills have washed for ages, since the glaciers melted away from the surface of the country, rich deposits for farming, making the tract of land lying here one of the richest agricultural portions of the town. It is a somewhat secluded portion. A single highway runs through it, but 33(^ HISTORY OF NF.W HAVEN COUNTY. the volume of travel to and from the New Haven turnpike seeks other avenues, while yet this valley is by no means lonesome from any infrequency of passers by. Here in this somewhat retired but beautiful valley, Henry iuttle was born. His father was Leverett Tuttle, and his mother Electa Kimberly. The family residence was located on the northwest side of the street, nearlv opposite to the present residence of Henry Tuttle. Leverett Tuttle's children numbered five: Horace, Lewis, Julia. Henry and Dennis. And now being old and well .stricken in years the father divided a part of his estate lying in this valley among his three sons who were living: Horace, Henry and Dennis. But the changes which have followed the divi-sion of the paternal estate have brought Henry Tuttle into possession of nearly all of the old homestead. At the same time he has enlarged it by purchase, until his farm, embracing several hundreds of acres, is one of the largest of the town. Henry Tuttle was a dutiful son, recognizing his filial obligations to his father and worked with him on the homestead farm until he was twentv years- of age. The spirit of independent bu.siness life was now .stirring forcibly in the young man. The father perceived the son's business ambition, and gave him what remained of his " time to his majority. Two years passed by in efforts somewhat desultory. Then a close friend and relative by marriage offered to furnish capital for the cattle drover business. It was the opportunity Henry Tuttle was then waiting for, and was by a certain gift of calculation fitted for. He now travelled by railroad to Springfield, Mass., and then on foot throuo-h the state northward and into Vermont, purchasing stock, and then driving his cattle homeward to be sold in New Haven markets. \s his own capital increased he went westward into the .state of New York and farther still into Ohio to make purchases of cattle, not alwavs driving them home to Connecticut, but often to the New \ ork city and Albanv markets. The early spring and the season following haying were occupied in the cattle drover's trade for about twenty- eight years-a long period-and even now his early passion has not wholly subsided, and crops out in the large stock of nearly forty head of cattle kept continually on his farm. Those parts of the year not occupied in the purcha.sing and selling of cattle Mr. Tuttle spent on his farm and in the service of the town of Hamden. From early manhood he has taken great interest in the manao-ement of town affairs. It has been his life-long ambition that the town of Hamden shall have the most thrifty and at the same time the most economical administration of public affairs, and nothing is hazarded in the assertion that the town has had no more zealous and faithful son than Henry Tuttle. Two (jualities of Mr. Tuttle have won and preserved, through a lon« .series of years, the confidence of his fellow townsmen-his ability of administration and his uprightness and trustworthiness of char- e--^ . d^^#^ HISTORY OF NEW IIAVEX COUNTY. 337 acter. Whenever entrusted with respopsibility he has been ambitious to discharge it well, whatever the trust might be. Hence, to his natural endowment of good sense, he has added the ability which comes from studious, thoughtful habits, from a wide reading of the daily and weekly literature, and from association with leading minds in the active affairs of the state. And whether he was chosen select- man or assessor or justice of the peace or prosecuting grand juror or representative to either house of the general assembly, he has sought to honor the position by the highest quality of administrative service. In all these relations to his townsmen his watch and care of their interests have won him an excellent reputation as a public official. One of the developments of his public life has been as interesting as it is noteworthy. Appointed years ago the prosecuting grand juror of the town, he began the study of the simpler phases of law and of the statutes of Connecticut. His brother, Dennis, a lawyer, upon moving to Iowa, left his law library in charge of Henry, and Henry indulged his legal propensity at will. The result was that as prosecuting grand juror he knew when a complainant had a " case," was himself able to work it up for trial in the best manner, and conduct it in court with marked ability, even to the making of the technical plea. The town of Hamden was fortunate in its officer, and its treasury saved from the careless drafts made b}' many state or city attorneys upon the constituencies they serv^e. The courts have also recognized his ability by appointing him on committees to try questions of fact in civil stiits. The opinion held of him by his townsmen may be inferred from a general trust reposed in him in the matter of the .settlement of estates. Not infrequently has he been applied to to draft wills, and then be the custodian of them, also to act as executor or administrator. Through a long succession of years he has not been without much responsibility of this kind. And to him the widow and the orphan, as well as the neighbor, have appealed for such counsel and help as only a trustworthy and competent citizen can give. Expense has been often saved by his kindly services to the large class weighted with grief or troubled concerning the disposal or inheritance of property. Mr. Tuttle is nominally a democrat in politics, and on all the great lines of party policy is true to his political lineage. But after all he places men above party allegiance. If his own party .should not offer him a capable candidate he may be found working for the election of a political opponent, and upon the principle that the town and the state should have the best and most efficient ptiblic .servants. He him- self has been chosen to .state honors; as to the house of representa- tives in 18.")S and 1S64, and to the state senate in 1S71. Several important measures or amendments in behalf of his town or district 21 338 HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. were earried through the legislature under his leadership, as making free the Cheshire turnpike, the street location of the Whitney avenue horse railroad, the cleansing of the reservoir of the New Haven Water Company, and the securing of the original rights to the town once belonging to the New Haven colony, along the shores where mollnsks thrive. The centennial of the town of Hamden occurred in the year 18SC. Mr. Tuttle was an enthusiastic promoter of the celebration, and both for the pride of the town in himself, and for his long family history in the town, the committee in charge called him out as one of the few whose voices should be publicly heard on that occasion. On Augu.st 17th, ISuH, he married Miss Delia A. Francis, daughter of Joseph S. Francis, of Durham. One son has been born to them. Homer Tuttle, a prosperous merchant of Mt. Carmel. And now his parents in affluence, and yet in the simple manners and tastes of the typical Connecticut farmer, are passing the afternoon of life in hap- piness in the beautiful valley beside Mt. Carmel, enjoying their own peaceful self-respect and the esteem of their townsfolk. Hubert E. Warner, born in Hamden, vSeptember 12th. 1839, is a son of Elias, he a son of Samuel, and he a son of Benjamin Warner, all natives of Hamden. Elias Warner was born in 1807. learned the mason trade and followed that business for over 40 years. For his first wife he married Nancy Short. They had one son, Charles War- ner. For his .second wife he married vSybil ;\I., daughter of Amasa Tuttle. vShe was born in 1809. Their children were : Elizur, Huldah, Hubert E. and Amasa T. Huldah and Hubert E. are living. Elias Warner was elected representative from Hamden in 1863 and re- elected in 1864. His wife died April 12th, 1891. Hybert E. Warner early learned the ma.son's trade, and has always been engaged in that business, since 1872 as a contractor and builder, doing business in New Haven. He was elected state representative in 1886. He is a mem- ber of Hiram Lodge, No. 1, F. & A. M., of New Haven ; Montowese Lodge, No. If), L O. O. F.; Golden Rule Encampment and Hanimon- a.ssett Tribe of Red Men. In 1861 he was married to Charlotte A. Rogers, of Hamden. Their children are : Charles W., Hattie E., Minnie R., Frank A., Hubert E., Lottie J., Harry ^L and Ray- mond E. John E. Warner, born in Hamden in 1842, is a son of Horace and Elizabeth (Keep) Warner and grandson of Elam, who was a son cf Hezekiah Warner. Elam Warner was representative from Hamden in 1833. John E. Warner is engaged in farming. He was married in 1868 to Lsabel Pardee. They have three children : Grace L, Ella P. and Ida M. Pjenjamin C. Woodin, born in Hamden in 1828, is a son of Charles and grandson of Benjamin. His great-grandfather was also named Benjamin. He built the house where Benjamin C. now resides, it HISTORY OF NEW HAVExV COUNTY. 339 being one of the oldest in the town. Charles Woodin married Betsy, daughter of Abraham Cooper (he served in the revolutionary war). Their children were: Eunice R., who married John L. vSperry ; Rhoda W.. married Jared Benham ; William H., married for his first wife Juliet Munson, and for his second Mary Downs: and Benjamin C, who married for his first wife Ann R. Beckwith, October 1st, 1852. She died in November, 1861. Their children were : Hattie, died at the age of five, and Bessie H., who married Frank Gorham, and has one child, Freddie S., aged eight years. Mr. Woodin married, in 1808, Julia Shipman. He enlisted in September, 1861, in the 7th Connecticut Regiment, and was discharged November 23d, 1864. He was wounded at the battle of Deep Run, August 16th, 186-4. He is a member of Admiral Foote Post, No. 17, G. A. R. He was elected representative in 1886. Vinus Wooding, born in Hamden in 1805, died in 1891, was a son of Abner and Lydia (Ailing) Wooding and grandson of Samuel Wooding, a revolutionary soldier, who was killed by the British when they landed at New Haven. Abner Wooding was a carpenter, and Vinus in his earlier years worked at that trade. Farming, however, was his principal business. He was married in 1840 to Jane Tirttle. They had three daughters : Vestina, Hettie and Janie. Abner Wooding framed the building now known as the Old Tontine in New Haven, his sons Eneas and Vinus working as helpers. CHAPTER VII. THE TOWN OF WALLINGFORD. Location and Description. — Early Settlers. — Growth of tlie Town. — Second Centen- nial. — Organization of Town and Early Records. — Town Clerks and Probate Judges. — Public Highways. — Manufacturing. — Wallingford Borough. — Incorpora- tion and Officers. — Sewerage. — Street Improvement. — Water Department. — Fire Department. — The Wallingford Disaster. — Gas Light Company. — Banks. — Building and Loan As.sociation. — Business Places. — Post Office. — Public Buildings. — The Press. — Libraries. — Yalesville. — Tracy. — East Wallingford. — Physicians and Attoi-- nevs. — Societies. AS at present constituted, the town of Wallingford is bounded north by Meriden, west by Cheshire, east by Durham and Middlefield, and south by North Branford and North Haven. In extent it is seven miles from east to west and about six miles from north to south. Its central part is near thirteen miles from New Haven. The general .surface is diversified by hills and dales, except in the ea.stern part, where are some mountainous lands, the Totoket rano'e extending: into the town. An elevated section west of Pista- paug lake, near the east line, bears the name of Whirlwind. Other elevations also bear local names, as Pond hill, which is on the line between Wallingford and North Haven ; Sugar Loaf hill, which is southwest of the borough: JNlt. Tom, west of the village ; and Long hill, applied to the range of hills east of the borough. In that part of the town are also some .swamp lands, the largest bodies being called Muddy River and Tamerack swamps. The principal stream in that section is Wharton's brook, which flows southwest into the (Juin- nipiac. The latter stream drains the main valley of the town and has several good water powers. Community lake or pond, near Walling- ford village, covers IHO acres. Along the east bank, for about four miles long and nearly a mile in width, is the great Sandy or Walling- ford plain, the largest level belt and the mo.st extensive barren lands in the .state. Aside from this and the extreme eastern section, the lands are fairly productive, and the town has some good farms on the smaller hills and in the larger vales. What is now the town of Wallingford was included in the second purchase of Indian lands, made by the New Haven colony, December 11th, l(')8iS. At that time was deeded a tract thirteen miles long and ten miles wide, lying along the (Juinnipiac, several miles north of the HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 341 first tract purchased by Messrs. Davenport and Eaton. The colony thus had the right to the lands as far north from the sound as West Meriden. The consideration for the last purchase was an English coat for each ten square miles of land, the right to hunt and fish thereon being conceded to the Indians. It is probable that the Indians were undisturbed in the enjoj'ment of these privileges a long time, for it was not until about thirt}' years later that the settlement of the lands by the whites was considered by the New Haven colony. In 1667 that town voted to set off a village in the new territory, which purpose was confirmed by the general assembly at the October court the same year. In the next two years the territory was prospected for an eligible site for a village by John Moss, John Brockett, Abraham Doolittle and others, who suggested the locality which was later chosen. In order that the affairs of the projected village of New Haven might be prudently managed and only proper persons be admitted as planters, certain rules were prescribed by the town of New Haven, November Sl.st, 1669, and Samuel Street, John Moss, John Brockett and Abraham Doolittle were empowered as a committee to see that the rules of the town in relation to the village were carried out. Those purposing to become members of the new village now covenanted with one another by signing an agreement to do certain things in har- mony with the town's articles, which would have the effect of estab- lishing a church and maintaining a minister, etc.; " and lastly we doe engage personally to settle upon the place b}- May next, come twelve month, if God's providence inevitably hinder not, and to observe and perform all and every other article agreed upon." This agreement was signed by 38 persons, not all of whom settled in the new village. The committee now proceeded to locate the vil- lage site, " upon the hill, on the east side of the great plain, commonly called New Haven plain," now the borough of Wallingford. They laid out the south part of the village, " beginning at the southeast of .said hill;" and, then, " Next to the aforesaid house lots it is ordered that there shall be a highway cirosse the hill, from east to west of six rods broade*, and from thence a long highway of six rods broade on the top of thehill torunnorthwardf, and on each side of itt to ranges of hous lotts of six acres to a lott; and these lotts to be distributed." The settlement of New Haven village was thus begun, in the spring of 167(l, the first assignment of lots being made on the east slope of what is now South Main street and continuing northward until all those admitted as villagers were supplied with lots, which each embraced six acres, and jutted on .streets six rods wide. Most of the early settlers had previously lived in New Haven; others came from adjoining towns in the colony, and the following year a number more came direct from Boston, where they had landed as emigrants from *Now Centre street. fNow Main street. 342 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. England. But all were settled on the approval of the Xew Haven village committee. On the 12th of May. 1670, the court of elections, held at Hartford, sanctioned the action of New Haven in forming this settlement, and " having been moved to state the bounds of the new village that is .settled upon the playne, as you goe to New Haven," it described bounds five miles wide on each side of the Quinnipiac river, extend- ing from Branford bounds northward " to where the old road to New Haven goeth over Pilgrim's Harbour," with a provision that no planta- tion or previous grant would be prejudiced by these village bounds. This court also ordered " that the plantation on the playne, in the road to New Haven be called Wallingford."-' The Branford bounds being disputed, a joint committee, composed of John Moss and Nathaniel Mernman for Wallingford, and John Wilford, Thomas Harri.son and vSamuel Ward for Branford, acted on it, September 22d, 1G70, but their recommendation does not appear to have settled the matter. In January, 1G73, another committee passed on it, agreeing in effect, " that the Meadow between the Mill River and the East River northward above the blue Hills shall be Walling- ford, as to the Bulk of it, and Liberty of draweing the line as they shall see cause, and though the line agreed too should cut through it." The following year John Wilford and Nathaniel White ran the lines of the survey according to the grant of the general court, namely: "We did Runn from the East River, comonly called New Haven River, upon an east and south line five miles; very nere pish- atipague ponds, and from there upon a North and by east line until it meets with Middletown South bounds; and on East and by vSouth line, till it meets with Middletown west bounds; and on the west side New Haven river upon a west and by north line seven miles." " The original proprietors of the country thus set apart as Walling- ford were: .Samuel Street, .Samuel Whittlesey, Thomas Yale, Juhn Moss, John Brockett, Nathaniel Merriman, Samuel Thorp, Jeremiah How, Isaac Curtis, John Atwater, Edward Peck, John Parker, sen., Joshua Culver. John Hitchcock, Roger Tyler, Samtiel Cook, Henry Cook, Daniel Mix, Samuel Brockett, Mercy ^loss, John Hall, Eliasaph Preston, Jehiel Preston, John Merriman, John Beach, Samuel Munson, Joseph Thompson, Benjamin Holt, John Peck, John Lathrop, Thomas Curtis, Nathaniel Royce, Doctor Hall, David Hall, John Austen, Zach- ariah How, Nathaniel How, Joseph Benham, .sen., Robert Roice. Will- iam Ebenatha, Ebenezer Clark, Samuel Hough, Joseph Benham. Jr., John Doolittle, Joseph Andrus, Thomas Beach, Abraham Doolittle."+ In addition to the assignment of home lots in the village, each planter received an allotment of meadow or woodland, at a convenient *Named fur the town of Wallingford in England. -the term meaning-, literally, an " old fortifieation," or a walled town 1)y a bridge or ford. tDoctor Davis, pp. S'>-G. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 343 distance from the village. What was deemed most desirable for such purposes was described as being " Lotts on the river called New Haven east river, that are layed out to severall of the inhabitants as raeddow land. They are to begin at the end of the hill called Blew hill, where it comes to the river, and so to run upward the river." Thirty-eight lots of eight or twelve acres each were thus assigned on both sides of the river, according to the judgment of the .surveyors, acting on the orders of the committee. It should be borne in mind that, at this time, nothing was more abundant than land, and that it was comparatively worthless until it was cleared. In all these transfers from New Haven to the commit- tee, thence from them to the associated planters, as the original pro- prietors, there was no consideration of money. But there was a distinction made, based on the rank or relative importance of the planter. Hence, when it was proposed a year or so later, that other allotments be made, the matter was referred to a special committee, the results of whose labors are thus set forth in the records of Walling- ford: ''■ Whereas at a towne meeting held July 29, 1672, the towne apoynted a comitee of 9 persons viz. Mr. John Moss Sen. Mr. John Brockett, Senior Nathanliell Merriman Sen. Abraham Dowlittle, Sen. Samll Andrews, Nathan Andrews, John Hall, Jun Samell Mon.son & Thos. Yale, for the Distribution of Lands, Respecting quantity to every planter, the above named comitee have had several Debates & Seri- ous Considerations, after which upon the 3rd of January 1673 they came to a conclusion of this matter Respecting every planter now in being & the conclusion is as foloeth. first that there shall be 3 sorts of Divisions according to the proportion of 2. 3. 4. that is to say, the lowest Ranks of allotments shall have halfe so much as the highest, the middle Ranke, of alottments three quarters so much & to every particular person as followeth. The highest rank to The Middle rank to be John Moss: Sen Samuel Roi.se John Brockett: Sen Nehemia Roise Nathll. Merriman: Sen Thomas Hall John Beach Samuel Thorpe Abraham Dowlittle vSen John Hall Sen Mr. Samuel Street Jeremiah How Joseph Eives Samuell Potter John Hall Jun Samuel Hall Abraham Dowlittle Jr Eliaseph Preston Nathaniel Merriman Jr Samuel Monson Ephriam How 844 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. John Moss Jun The lowest Ranks to Nathan Andrews Richard Beach Samuell Andrews Elieazur HoUt William Holtt Daniell Hopper John Peck Zachrias How John Eives Eliazur Peck Thomas Curtice Joseph Benham Thomas Yaile Samnell Cook Nathaniell Roise Isaac Roise Benjamin Lewes William Ebnatha George Pardy, Sen " ■ In June, 1673, the planters voted "That there shall be alowed for the first division of lands to each planter, taking in house lotts, river lotts and all sorts of land, to the loest ranke. 40 acres; to the middle ranke 60 acres and to the hiest ranke, 80 acres and so to keep for the present." Taxes were laid in the same proportion, the highest rank paying double that of the lowest rank, etc. After this, allotments of lands were made from time to time to new settlers, to the original settlers as their families grew larger, or to meet the wants of special demands, tintil the whole territory was occupied. Those having lands allotted them were permitted to dispose of them after a three years' residence, provided they were alienated or sold to such persons as were approved by the town, one of the essen- tials of approbation being " sufficient testimony of their good conver- sation in the place where they formerly lived ;" and none were per- mitted to dwell in the town as planters, by purchase or otherwise, ttnless the full conseht of the town was first obtained.* Even those sojourning within the town limits could do so only with proper per- mission. + As a natural consequence the character of ihe inhabitants was better than if an indiscriminate population had been invited, and although some of the action taken appears to us like an interference with private rights, yet they were doubtless warranted by the exigen- cies of the times, which prompted a desire to have none but good citizens in the body corporate. To this care in laying the foundations of society may be attributed mvich of the stability which characterized the citizenship in later years. The progress of Wallingford in population and property, for a number of years after its settlement, was as follows: No. of planters, 1680, 50; 168."), 63; 1091, 76; 169."), 95: 1700, 120; value of estates, 1080, /:2,406; 1685, X":3,072; 1691, i;3,959; 1695, ^"4,298; 1700, ;6'5,492. In 1701 the grand list of the town of Wallingford embraced the following persons and values of estates (in pounds): John Ives, ;^74; Widow Merriam, 14; Thomas Matthews, 28; Joseph Ives, 40; Samuel How, 27; Zachariah How, 33; Mathew How, 32; John *l\)\vn Records, February Vitli. Knl, ^Records, September, KITS, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 345 Brocket. 87; Z. How, sen., 53: Gideon Ives. 86; Walter Johnson, 46; Nicholas Street, 43; Nathaniel Hall, 29; Samuel Royce, 48; Joshua Culver. 120; Mathevv Bellamy, 22; Henry Cook, 118; Thomas Hall. Jr., 23; Jonathan Hall, 22; E. Royce and servant, 121; Mill, 10; Francis Kendrick, 32; R. Royce, Jr., 43; Sergeant Thorp and ap., 102; David Hall, 66; John Austen, 33; Nathaniel Ives, 26; Captain Thomas Yale, 168: Ebenezer Lewis. 52: Nathaniel How, 66; Simon Tuttle, 79; John Peck, 69; Samuel Munson, 69: Eben Clark. 90; J. Hitchcock. 98: Lieutenant Hall, 99; Doctor John Hull, 11 ii; Deacon Hall, 74; Thomas Hall, 112; Theodore Doolittle, 4.5; Samuel Street, 59: John Beach, 50: Daniel Doolittle, 34; J. :SIerriman, 137; William Hendrick, 49: Eleazer Peck. 101: Ensign Andrews, 64; David Hall. 41; John Moss, 153; Nathaniel Curtiss, 24; John Cook, 39; Deacon Preston, 96; William Andrews, 48: Edward Fenn, 60: John Tyler, 51; John Hull, 79; John Parker, 27; Lsaac Curtiss, 93; vSamuel Royce, 102; J. Westwood, 28; Joseph Cook, 30; Daniel How, 40; Jacob Johnson, 46; John Peck, 40; Robert Roys, 60; William Tyler, 57: Samuel Cook, Jr., 64; Samuel Cook, Sen., Ill; Nathaniel Andrews, 25; Josiah Doolittle, 40; Thomas Richardson, 27; James Ailing, 28; J. Royce and 1 ap., 78; William Abernatha, 28; Joseph Parker, 24; Benjamin Hall, 50; Richard Wood, 41; Ebenezer Hull, 25; Thomas Curtiss, 80: John Doolittle, 45; Samuel Lathrop. .36: Hugh Chappel, IS: John Lathrop, 18; Minor Phillips, 18; Joseph Thompson, 73; James Benham, 26; J. How, Jr., 34; J. Munson. -50; Widow INIerriman, 11; Thomas Beach, 79; Benjamin Beach, 32; Samuel Brockett, 82; Benjamin Royce, 29; William Kendrick, 22: C. Merriman, 75; A. Doolittle, 109: John At water, 113; Daniel Mix. 116; N. Royce, 100; Elijah How, 20: Nathaniel Tuttle, 28: William Aber- natha, 64; E. Doolittle, 39; John Parker, 74: Roger Tyler, 36; Samuel Curtiss, 21; J. How, Sen., 47; Widow Holt, 33. Total. £6:2Q1. In 1723 the inhabitants numbered 1,100. In 1774 the old parish of Wallingford had 2,130 inhabitants: Cheshire parish had 1,933; and IMeriden parish, 852, making 4,915 inhabitants in all. In 1800 Walling- ford and Meriden had 3,214 inhabitants, about one-third being in Meriden. In 1840 Wallingford had less population by several hundred than in 1830, but increased from that time. In 1850 there were 2.595 inhabitants. In 1880 the population of the town was 4,686; of the borough 3,017; in 1890 the population of the entire town was 6,584. The second centennial of the settlement of Wallingford was cele- brated in the fall of 1869. The preliminary steps were taken at a town meeting, held October 5th, 1868, when the following committee of representative men of the oldest families was appointed to make provision to have it properly observed, namely: Caleb Atwater, Augustus Hall, Elisha Whittlesey, Randall Cooke, Samuel Peck, Ira Tuttle, Harvey S. Hall, Street Jones, H. L. Hall, Franklin Johnson, Julius Williams, Elihu Yale, Aimer I. Hall, Garry I. Mi.x. Enos Doo- little, Thaddeus Cook, Samuel Simpson, Joel Hall, 1st, Peter Whittle- 'MQ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. sey, Orrin Andi-ews, Doctor B. F. Harrison, Doctor Nehemiah Banks, William Francis, George W. Whittlesey, Joseph F. Noyes, Rhoderick Corliss, George B. Kirtland, William Carrington, E. H. Ives. Medad C. Munson, Medad W. Munson, John Atwater, S. C. Ford, William Y. Beach, D. Gaylord, William Elton, L. Pomeroy.Joel Hall, 2d, L.Lewis, Erastns A. Doolittle, Jeremiah A. Hall, George R. Dutton, Alexander Hall, Othniel L Martin, William M. Hall, Elizur Hall, Walter Ives, Hezekiah Hall, Silas Blakeslee, Horace Austin, Augustus Bartholo- mew, Samuel Miller, Lyman Humiston, John Allen, Joel Rice, Joel Hough, L. M. Monroe, Hubbard Jones, Chauncey Hough, Chauncey Andrews and Charles Ives. A meeting with appropriate exercises was held on the green, at the old Whittlesey place, which was largely attended and was a pleas- ant re-union of those who had been instrumental in the later develop- ment of the town. A generous collation was an attractive feature of the occasion, giving proof of the abundance to be found in the homes of these descendants of the first settlers, and affording a sharp con- trast of the two periods, separated by the lapse of two hundred years,, when this beautiful town was first located in the wilderness. Although the town was named by the general court in May, 1670, no meeting was held until April Gth, 1671. At that time there were probably one hundred inhabitants in the territory designated as Wal- lingford, but as they lived in a humble way in a compact village, but little business of general interest was transacted for several years. In fact, nearly all the affairs remained in charge of the New Haven com- mittee — Samuel Street, John Moss, John Brockett and Abraham Doo- little — until April 2Sth, 167:5, when Nathaniel Merriman was elected town clerk, a position which he held nine years. Since that time the town's transactions are (juite fully recorded. Previous to this election,. May 9th, 1672, the general court had appointed John Brockett and John Moss commissioners for Wallingford, and the former and Na- thaniel Merriman were the first deputies to the general court several years later. The other civil officers were elected as the town affairs developed, the first chosen being the selectinen, clerk, treasurer, con- stable, tithing men and surveyors of highways. Being at first essentially a government of a community, limited to a single place, there was no wide scope of business aside from the allotment of lands, the movement to establish the church (which was the principal factor after 1672), and to adopt measures for protection against Indian attack. Although apprehended to such an extent that small forts were built at the south part of the village, at Abraham. Doolittle's house, in 167.5, and later at the meeting house, there prob- ably was no real cause for alarm, except the fear inspired by the restless Indians on the east side of the Connecticut river. In 1670 greater confidence prevailed, and the town voted " to agree to lay down ye warding on ye weeke days for ye present." HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 347 The records of the births, marriages and deaths, in the town books, are some of their most interesting features. The first born was Samuel Potter, September 10th, 1671 : the first death was Samuel, son of Eleazer Peck, March 12th, 1673 ; and on the 5th of June, the same year, occurred the marriage of Thomas Hall, which was the first in the town. The later records of these matters are comprehensive and . voluminous. The early records also afford an interesting insight of the monetary matters of that period. The volume of circulation being very limited, when payments had to be made or means raised, it was necessary for the town to authorize some product as a means of exchange. Hoops for casks and barrels were among the chief articles of commodity, and the town received them in payment of taxes. Several of the first rank men had " hoop lands" allotted them, so that they might secure therefrom the means to pay their proportion of the taxes. .Space will not permit more extended reference to the records, which indicate that in the support of the church, schools, etc., the town was active and fully as zealous as any other communit}' in the county. A complete list of the town clerks of Wallingford embraces the following names and years of service: New Haven Committee to 1673; Nathaniel Merriman to 1682; Eliasaph Preston to 1687; Joseph Hoult to 1696; Joseph Royce to 1697; Thomas Hall to 1711; Samuel Mun.son to 1740: Thomas Miles to 1741; James Miles to 1766; Caleb Hall to 1774; Caleb Cook to 177.i; Caleb Hall to 1783; Elisha Whittlesey to 1800; George W.Stanley to 1803; Hunn Munson to 1834; Friend Cook to 183."); James Carrington to 1836: James W. Carrington to 1836; Samuel Cook to 1840; Delos Ford Cook to 1840; Henry A. Cook to 1841; Lorenzo Lewis to 1856; E. S. Ives to I860; Lorenzo Lewis to 1861; E. S. Ives to 1863; J. B. Pomeroy assistant T. C. to 1863; Augustus Hall to 1864: E. S. Ives to 1868; George W. Bartholomew to 1868; Edward F. Cook to 1869; Franklin Piatt to 1872; Othniel I. Martin to 1888; William Burr Hall to 1889; Othniel I. Martin the present clerk. In 1776 the Wallingford Probate District was erected to include the original town and also part of what is now Prospect. Out of this dis- trict were subsequently formed the Cheshire and the Meriden districts, the latter being set off in 1836. From the establishment of the dis- trict until the present the following became judges in the Walling- ford district in the years mentioned: Caleb Hall, 1776; Oliver Stanley, 1784: G. W. Stanley, 1809: J. P. Kirtland,1818: R. Hitchcock, 1819; J. D. Reynolds, 1829:' E. M. Pomeroy, 1838; Augustus Hall, 1842: E. H. Ives, 1844; J. R. Merriama, 1846; E. H. Ives, 1847; Augustus Hall, 1850; E. H. Ives, 1851; E. S. Ives, 1852; Ira Tuttle, 1868: Franklin Piatt, 1869; Othniel I. Martin, 1872 to present time. One of the greatest obstacles the early .'^ettlers encountered was the difficulty of communication, the reads being few and very poorly 348 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. improved. From New Haven to Hartford was a two days' journe\-, prior to 1700, and the usual stopping place was Belcher's tavern, m the northern part of what is now Meriden — an almost midway point on the old colony road. The course of that highwaj', through Wal- lingford, and the principal streets in the borough were described in 1670. Other streets east and west in the village, and Elm street north and south came later. At first so little attention was paid the old colony road that at the session of the general court, October. 1684, it was ordered that the different towns through which it passed should '■ amend it from such defects as dirty sloughs, bushes, trees and stones which incumbered it." In litQ'2 the highway over the river was ordered: in 160:^ the road between Daniel Mix and Joshua Culver; in 1694 the road at Broad vSwamp, in Cheshire; in 1697 the road at ]\Iill River, in the same town- ship; also the same time the road from South ^leriden to Stony river; in 1693 the road to Haddam, through the northeastern part of town, was laid out; in 1700 the road through Dog's Misery neighborhood was located; and in 1702 two highways were located on the west side of the river, to run westward, one south (jf the Broad swamp, the other north of it. The same year the road on the New Haven line west- ward, terminating in what is now the town of Prospect, was also located. The liighway from the Long hill to the New Haven line southward was located in 1707. In many places the Old Colony road was originally forty rods wide; most of the other roads were twenty rods wide; and very few of the early roads were as narrow as ten rods. Little work was done on these roads beyond cutting down the brush, and when one track was fttU of ruts another was made, land being more plentiful than labor to repair the roads. Again, travel on them was an easy matter, as the mode was mainly by horseback or two-wheeled chaises, and but few of the latter class were used. " It was not until 1789 that the first wagon was brought into Meriden. as the property of Ezra Rice. It was a rude affair, being simply a square box on four wheels, drawn by twt) horses, with ropes for traces and cords for the driving lines.""'-' Not until 1802 were the roads rounded from the center to the sides, after the manner of building turnpikes. No dotibt the completion of the Hartford & New Haven turnpike, in 1800, had something to do in setting this fashion. When that highway was projected it was opposed with some spirit, but after it was in use a good patronage was given. Its cour.se through Wallingford was on the west side of the river, which was crossed at Yalesville. At that place one of the first good bridges acro.ss the stream was erected by the company. For fifty years this was a good thoroughfare, but in later years other highways have also been well improved, at a yearly expenditure of about §4.00(». *Doc't(ir Davis. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 349 The bridges are kept in repair at an outlay of several hundred dollars per year. vSplendid communication is afforded the town and the borough of Wallingford by the Hartford & New Haven railroad, which estab- lished a station on the " Plains," northwest of the cemetery, in the fall of 1839. In November of that year Orrin Andrews became the station agent, and acted as such ten years. Gould Andrews succeeded him, and was the agent five years. Since January 1st, 1855, the present agent, Silas N. Edmonds, has represented the company at Walling- ford, and under his direction most of the station improvements have been made. The old station was a frame building, standing northeast of the present station, and was also the home of the agent. The present station was built in 1871, and is very commodious, being of brick, 35 by 155 feet. In 1885 it was remodelled m the inside and .supplied with modern conveniences. The present freight house, on the opposite side of the tracks, was built in 1875. It is of brick, 175 feet long, and is built substantially. The labor of the station is per- formed by Mr. Edmonds and ten assistants. In 1855 the station had three trains per day; in 1889 the number was eighteen, and the yearly increase of traffic was about ten per cent. The station was supplied with telegraph service in September, 1860, and Mrs. S. N. Edmonds was the first operator. The station is supplied with two sets of Hall's Electric Railway Signals, 2,500 feet distant, and also a set of danger signals. The present improved system has been in use since 1884. The original sj-stem was here first put in use by the inventor in 1871, he being at that time a resident of Wallingford. Later the device was perfected and manufactured at Meriden, from which place the factory was removed to Bridgeport. The station at Yalesville was remodelled in the summer of 1889, and made more attractive. Ed. Carrington was the first agent; W. E. Rice served until the fall of 1887, and since that time the present agent, C. W. Cook. A considerable volume of business is there transacted. A brief review of the industrial life of the town, as manifested in her manufacturing interests, affords one of the most gratifying fea- tures of its history. The manufactories of Wallingford have given the town wealth and prominence. Not long after the .settlement of the first planters, this phase of business life was brought into exist- ence by the urgent needs of the settlers, and a mill for grinding corn was built on Wharton's brook, south of the present borough, which was ready for operation in December, 1674. This mill was put up by Lieutenant William Fowler, of Milford, for the town, and among the first millers were John Fowler and John Lothrop. The location was not favorable, and after a few years it was decided to move the mill. A new site was projected in 1677, the natural falls above the great plain on the Ouinnij^iac being selected. The mill was removed, and 350 HISTORY f)F NEW HAVEN COUNTY. grinding at the new site was begun in ^lay, 1678. Jolin Lothrop being the miller. At the end of half a dozen years it was decided to move the mill again, further down the stream, where a better site was afforded, and to make it sure forever for that purpose the town voted, Ojtober 8d, 1687, to sequester the site, which was done. As the mill stood on the west side of the stream, and mo.st of the planters lived on the east side, a public canoe was provided early in 1688. Six years later the town built a bridge, so that the mill could be reached on horseback. This was probably put up on the site of the present bridge at Yalesville, and is thought to have been the fir.st bridge in the county across the Ouinnipiac. The maintenance and operation of the mill was a troublesome piece of business for the town, which in 1707 made an arrangement with William Tyler, whereby he became the sole owner. From that time on the Tyler family controlled the property for more than a hundred years. The locality became known as Tyler's Mills, and the grinding of grain and the fulling of cloth were both carried on. In the early part of the present century Charles Yale became the owner of the Tyler interests, and having made extensive repairs and added other lines of business, which augmented the population of the ham- let, it now became known as Yalesville. Charles Yale was born in 1790, and on reaching manhood became a manufacturer of japanned and tin ware, which he sold in the South and amas.sed a fortune. Later he engaged in the manufacture of pewter and Britannia goods, being one of the pioneers in the latter interest. He here associated his brother Hiram with him, and with the aid of skilled artisans from England they not only made fiat wares of Britannia, but produced hollow ware, such as tea sets and ■communion services, which had a beauty of finish and excellence not before attained in this country. Both the Yales died while the Bri- tannia industry was yet in its infancy, Charles Yale departing this life November 2d, 1835. In the meantime Samuel Simpson, who had been an apprentice of the Yales here, became interested in this line of manufactures, begin- ning January 1st, 1835, and carried on operations twelve years, when he sold out to John Mun.son, who had been associated with him .several years. Prior to this a part of the power at Yalesville was utilized by J. B. Pomeroy and John B. Hall in the manufacture of gimlets and auger bits, which industry was here discontinued about 1843 and re- moved to the Quinnipiac, two miles below Wallingford. About this time Bennet Jeralds began using a part of the Yale works, and for three years manufactured Britannia spoons for Russell Holt, of Meri- den. Eli Ives became the owner of the property in 1843, and for the last time put the grist mill, still kept up, in order, but which was per- manently discontinued several years later. In 1846 he .sold out to a Mr. Johnson, of Middletown, who manufactured pins at this place a HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 351 short time. Soon after Charles Parker purchased the property and continues the owner. In 184S he and Garry I. Mix began the manufac- ture of Britannia and German silver ware, continuing- until lSo-1, when Mix retired to establish himself in business at a lower power at Yales- ville. Parker and the Jeralds iThomas and Bennet) continued at the old place as the Parker Manufacturing Company. In 1857 the old mill and factory buildings were destroyed by fire, when the present buildings were erected and occupied in February, 185S. The main factory is of brick, 100 feet long, with an ell 60 feet long, both being two stories high. There are also large frame buildings. In 1876 the Parker Manufacturing Company discontinued the manufacture of German silver ware at this point, but the production of Britannia spoons has since been carried on, in a limited way, by Bennet Jeralds. When these industries were at their best 130 people were employed. In later years the greater part of the Parker shops has been devoted to the manufacture of the woodwork for coffee and spice mills, piano stools and packing cases, about 1,000,000 feet of lumber being used annually. Fifty hands were thus employed, in 1889, by the Parker Manufacturing Company, with A. G. Brown as superintendent. An excellent dam produces a motor of 150 horse- power, but since these shops are auxiliary to the works at Meriden they have lost their former importance. G. I. Mix & Co., at Yalesville, are extensive manufacturers of Bri- tannia goods. This establishment is on the Quinnipiac, at the lower •end of Yalesville, where the plant embraces about twenty acres of land, admirably located for manufacturing purposes. There is an -easily utilized water power of 175 horse capacity, which appears to have been overlooked until 1855, when Garry I. ^lix selected it and began the improvements which now give the place so busy an appear- ance. There are in all ten buildings, the main factory being 40 by 100 feet and four stories high, with a large brick wing. In 1886 steam power — 50 horse — was added to the water motor, and since that time the capacity for production has been increased. In 1889 large turning and sawing shops were added, as well as offices and store- rooms, in an attractive brick building, 32 by 72 feet. One htindred and fifty persons are employed, mainly in the manufacture of Bri- tannia goods, but carpenters" tools and other specialties are also made. Garry I. Mix continues at the head of the firm. The Jennings & Griffin Manufacturing Company's plant is located at Yalesville station. The power on the Quinnipiac at this point was improved by Deacon N. C. Sanford and others, and was first used in the manufacture of augers, etc. The building was small, forming at present a meager part of the establishment of the above company. Later owners were Clark, Nelson & Co., E. H. Tracy being the man- ager and subsequently the owner of the works, which were now de- voted to the manufacture of ship augers, and during the war did a 302 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. large business. Associating C. E. Jennings and others with him, the Le Homecleau Manufacturing Company was established and here con- tinued until 18S'2. In 1883 the present firm succeeded to the business, .becoming a corporation January 4th, ]884. The plant contains about fifty acres of land, and the water priv- ilege has been improved to turn two wheels of 80 and 100 horsepower respectively. The buildings are brick and frame, and there are forty small forges. One hundred hands are employed on carpenters' tool-;, ship augers, edge tools and table cutlery. After the death of E. H. Tracy, before 1882, R. E.Tracy was the superintendent; and since the date given R. Aldrich has had charge of the works. In this establishment A. J. Burghoff has also carried on the manu- facture of Britannia spoons, employing fi'om six to ten hands. The Miller Brothers Cutlery Company was incorporated March 1st, 1870, to operate at Yalesville, but removed to ^leriden in 1872. Their product was pocket cutlery. In 1887 the Turner Rapid Heat Furnace Companx' was incorpor- ated, and later began the manufacture at Yalesville of the castings, etc., needed in their apparatus. L. W. Turner is the manager of the concern, which has a growing business. Ouinnipiac is a very small hamlet on the river, two miles below Wallingford borough. The power was first improved to operate a grist mill, and the land contiguous was sequestered for that purpose. After 1883 a large bttilcling was there put up by Aimer Hall, Walter Martin and others for the manufacture of wood screws, which was not a profitable undertaking. Some time about 1843 J. B. Pomeroy vised the building in making razor strops and gimlets, and later he and Robert Wallace there made Cerman silver spoons; still later Hall, Elton & Co. used it in the manufacture of Britannia ware, the build- mg finally becoming the property of Milo Todd and others, who con- verted it into a paper mill alwut 1870. The latter industry was not long continued, and in later years the grist mill was the only interest maintained at that place. One of the first industries of importance in the borough of Wal- lingford was the manufacture of razor strops, which was begun about 1820 by Elisha M. Pomeroy, James Carrington and Constance Kirt- land, in a shop on Centre street, east of i\Iain. Not long after the building on the corner of Centre and Fair streets was erected and occupied by them. In a few years Pomeroy became the .sole proprietor, and also had a store where v.-as the post office, kept by Carrington. The strops made were a really good article, and were sold all over the country by peddlers with teams, kept by Pomeroy himself. Later he was joined by hisson, Lucien, and Lyman Humiston,and the Pomeroy Manufacturing Company was formed. Flumiston was a part owner of the grist mill and cloth works on the Ouinnipiac, near the village, which he and Daniel Ilumiston had operated, but which was now taken HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 353 for the uses of the new company, which had several lines of manu- factures, including paper buttons. A score of people were employed. After operating there some time the old Humiston site became the property of Samuel Simpson, and the Pomeroy Manufacturing Com- pany secured a new plant in the eastern part of the borough, where its business was continued a number of j-ears. In 1850 the company was duly incorporated. In about 1866 the company consolidated with Hall & Miller, rival button makers, Lucien Pomeroy becoming the president, and Friend Miller secretary and treasurer of the new com- pany. The business declined, and the company discontinued many years ago, there being no longer a demand for paper buttons. Another pioneer enterprise in the borough was the factory of Charles and Hiram Yale, at the southeast corner of Main and Centre streets, where they began making pewter and Britannia ware prior to their removal to Tyler's Mills, later Yalesville, where they built the largest establishment of the kind in the country, when the Walling- ford plant was abandoned. Charles Yale also had a large tin shop in the village, where he manufactured goods for his southern trade, sup- plying his store in Richmond therefrom. He employed many hands, and his shops were hives of industry prior to 1S2."J. Some time about 1826 J. and M.Carrington began the manufacture of coffee mills, on Main street, but built a shop on Wharton's brook, east of the village, being the pioneers in that locality. They discon- tinued about 1830. Near this time Deacon Aimer Plall began making block tin spoons, in a shop on Main street, near Centre, having at first only a few hands, but increasing until 25 persons were employed. Later he moved this industrv to Quinnipiac, where he and others made wood screws and block tin spoons. The business of Hall, Elton & Co., manufacturers of silver plated goods, was established about 1836, when Jacob Hall and William Elton began the manufacture of Britannia ware on the site of the present plant of Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co., and a year later Deacon Aimer Hall was associated with them, the firm taking the above name. About this time Robert Wallace, who had become a skillful workman in German silver, entered the employment of this company, whose business soon demanded larger quarters. These were secured in a new factory, erected on the river, where is now Community lake, the dam being higher up the stream than the present one. A large number of hands were employed, the manufacture of German silver table cutlery being extensively carried on. After the use of steam power became more general, this property was sold to the commu- nity, and that societ}' vacated the old site, removing the buildings to the present site, below the large dam, constructed opposite the com- munity residence. Hall, Elton & Co. next secured still more com- modious quarters on Cherry street, near the railway station, where they have since continued. In 1882 the company leased its quarters, 22 354 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. for ten years, to the ^ileriden Britannia Company, but maintains its organization. It became a corporate body in 1850, and its capital has been increased to $125,000. In 1889 A. vS. Chase was the president of the company, and R. H. Cowles the secretary and treasurer. At this place the veteran manufacturers, Samuel .Simpson and Robert Wallace, mu.st be noticed,- as their united and separate efforts, ■more than anything else, have placed the most important industries of the borough upon a permanent basis. Although both are now the heads of large corporations, they have attained these positions only by skillful and industrious application to their cliosen occupations, ■extending over a period of time covering about half a century of_ yeans, in which they have learned and developed the details of their business as manufacturers of Britannia, German silver and plated ■wares. Samuel Simpson began his career as an apprentice to the Yales, at Yalesville, April 1st, 1820. After serving a number of years, he him- self manufactured there until 1847. About this time new methods of manufacturing Britannia were introduced. The use of moulds was discarded, and the metal was spun in .shape by means of a lathe and power press, after having been cut into the desired patterns from the ■thin sheets by dies and chucks. This left it in good shape for electro-plating, which was applied to this class of goods about this time, with favorable results, and permitted a finish as fine and almost as durable as sterling silver, and at a cost of not more than one-fifth of like goods in standard silver. These innovations encountered deep-seated prejudices, but the beauty and durability of the goods were soon established, and those who had early adopted these meth- ods were on the high tide of the electro-plating excitement which now swept over New England. After leaving Yalesville. Samuel Simpson secured the old Humiston mills property, and in 1847 there fitted up a factory with improved machinery for the manufacture of silver- plated ware and electro-plated hollow ware, the latter being the first attempt of the kind in America. From the beginning both branches were successful. In 1854 he stocked his business with the Meriden Britannia Company, of which corporation he was an active member eleven years, when he dissolved his connection, thereafter more dis- tinctively devoting himself to his several Wallingford enterprises, as shown in the following pages. Robert Wallace, the contemporary of the above, fully shares with him the honor of bringing up this class of goods to their present slate of excellence. While but a mere boy he entered the employ of Deacon Aimer Hall and learned the art of manufacturing Britannia and pewter spoons, in whicli he took great interest. This led him to endeavor to improve the quality and to experiment with other metals. To this ■end he obtained a recipe from a foreigner for the composition of a * See also biographical sketches in following- chapter. HISTORY OF NEW HAVKN COUNTY. 355 metal which has become wideh' known as German or nickel silver; and it is claimed that the first spoons made in the United States of this compound were from the mixture prepared by Robert Wallace. He obtained the nickel and other ingredients in New York in 1836, and after having melted a few pounds according to the recipe, he had it rolled into proper sheets at a mill in Waterbury. He now had a sil- versmith work up some of it into spoons, which proved to look nearly as well as those of sterling silver, and which were, if anything, more substantial. The utility of the new metal was speedily recognized by Deacon Hall, who secured the services of Mr. Wallace, who continued with him and with Hall, Elton & Co. until 1855, since which time his individuality as a manufacturer has been exhibited in his own busi- ness. In that year he associated with Samuel Simpson and others interested in the Meriden Britannia Company, and formed a copart- nership for ten years, under the name of R. Wallace & Co. The Humiston factory was occtipied and a large business transacted. At the expiration of ten years a new corporation was formed, September ilth, 1865, under the general laws of the state, with the name of Wal- lace, Simpson & Co. This company had practically the same members as the old firm, Robert Wallace being at the head of both. The water power was improved and a new factory was built farther down the stream, which, being supplied with modern machinery, gave greatly enlarged facili- ties and increased products. Hundreds of dozens of forks, spoons, etc., were turned out daily, whose quality w^as surpassed by no other factory. By act of the general assembly the name of the above corporation was on the 17th of June, 1871, changed to R. Wallace & vSons' Manufactur- ing Company, under which title business has since been carried on. Beginning with table wares, one branch after another was added until the company makes all kinds of solid silver, nickel silver and silver plated goods. The descriptions of the varied products of the factory fill several large folio volumes, and the designs shown are replete with artistic work. The goods themselves are substantial and very thoroughly finished. The plant of the corporation is complete with the best machinery, and the two and three story brick buildings occupied cover several acres of ground. The water power has been supplemented by steam, until there is an aggregate of 250 horse power. From 2i to 3 tons of steel and about 1^ tons of nickel silver are consumed daily, and 425 skilled metal workers are employed. It is claimed that this company produces more silver plated forks and spoons than any other factory in the world, and that its stamp is taken as evidence of the standard value of the goods. Distributing houses are maintained in New York and Chicago. The capital of the corporation in 1890 was $300,000, and the officers were: Robert Wallace, president; F. A. Wallace, secretary and super- 356 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. intendent of the works; W. J. Leavenworth, treasurer and general business manager of the corporation. The old and honorable corporation of .Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. was formed in July, 1860, by Samuel .Simpson, who associated Avith himself a number of practical young business men and skilled art- isans, among them being Aimer I.Hall and Friend Miller. The latter had occupied the plant, now taken for a white metal factory, for .shops for the manufacture of paper buttons. The motor was water power from Wharton's brook, to which steam was added, there being in 1890, l.'iO horse power. To this place Samuel Simpson brought his large experience as a manufacturer of electro-plated hollow ware, and he has here built up an establishment which, in its extent and arrange- ment, has but few superiors in the country. The grounds embrace several acres, upon which have been erected five frame and two brick buildings, from two to four stories high, affording a floor space of 26,000 square feet. The latest improved and labor saving machinery is used, and more than 300 skilled operatives are employed. The prod- uct embraces every variety of electro-plated ware of artistic design and iinish, for household use and decorative purposes. Show rooms are maintained in New York, Chicago and Montreal, the .splendor of the goods displayed attracting general attention. The variety and beauty of the hollow ware produced by this company are not excelled, and their William Rogers flat ware is the peer of similar goods. The capital stock of the corporation in 1890 was $302,000. Samuel Simpson was the president; Andi'ew Andrews, secretary; C. H. Brown, treasurer; and Gurdon W. Hull, general superintendent. Closely allied with the foregoing, and having the same manage- ment, is the Simpson Nickel Silver Company, which was incorporated in 1871 with a capital of $r)0,000. A well arranged brick factory on Cherry street is occupied, the motor being an engine of 175 horse power. From 75 to ]00 persons are employed, under the management of William N. Mix, in producing spoons and other flat ware, which have a well earned reputation. The mam building is 35 by 99 feet, three stones high, and spacious wings add to the capacity of the works, which are supplied with good machinery. Some time about 1858 a part of this plant was occupied by the Fowler Manufacturing Company, to manufacture heavy metal presses, evaporating pans, etc., out of solid sheet iron, by machinery invented by Degrosse Fowler, of Northford. This industry was discontinued about 1860. In the early years of the war the building was vacant, and in 1863 parts of the 5th, 8th and 12tli Connecticut Regiments of Volunteers were quartered in this and the lower Hall & Elton build- ing, the troops being in charge of Major-General B. F. Butler. In 1864 the Marvin Signal Company, composed of Bishop and others, occupied the building, but removed to New Haven October HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 357 17th, 1867. Thence, later, the building passed to Samuel Simpson and the present occupants. The Maltb}', Stevens & Curtiss Compan3% electro-platers, complete the list of manufacturers at Wallingford producing that line of goods. The firm of Maltby & Stevens was organized at Shelton, in 1880, with a capital of §40,000. and after manufacturing at that place several years was partially burned out in 1883. In November of that year the firm came to Wallingford, when the present company was formed and the buildings of Hall, Elton & Co. occupied, under a sub-lea.se from the Meriden Britannia Company. In February, 1887, the Pierre- pont Silver Company, of Seymour, con.solidated with this firm, and its machinery for making German silver hollow ware was transferred to Wallingford and placed in the Community-building, on the Quinnip- iac, since which time the company has made both flat and hollow ware. The same year the capital was increased to $80,000. E. S. Stevens is the superintendent of the manufacturing department, which gives employment to about 200 persons. D. F. Maltby is the presi- dent of the corporation, and S. J. Bryant the secretary. The lower Hall, Elton & Co. factory was built about 1857 by a com- pany, having among its members Aimer I. Hall, Wooster Martin, Henry Martin, Jacob Hall, E. H. Ives and Samuel Parmalee. It was occupied for the manufacture of cutlery, but the business did not prove very successful. In 1866 the Albata Plate Company occupied the building, and was here a short time when the property passed to the present owners. The H. L. Judd Company, manufacturers of stationers' and orna- mental hardware, was incorporated in 1869 as the Judd Manufactur- ing Company, the present title being assumed in 1887. The original business was established in Brooklyn, N. Y , a branch factory being located at Wallingford in buildings which form a part of the present plant. The company still operates at both places, but the Walling- ford interest has assumed large proportions. The plant on South Cherry street is extensive in its plans and embraces a main building, one story high, 80 by 325 feet, with a wing 60 by 150 feet. The part occupied by the office and the showrooms is three stories high. About 200 persons are employed in the production of plain and artis- tic goods in iron, brass, nickel and the more precious metals. H. L. Judd, the head of the corporation, is a re.sident of Wallingford and is interested in its material development. The Wilson Sewing Machine Company was incorporated Septem- ber 30th, 1882, and when the organization was effected, W. G. Wilson was elected president: R. H. Cowles, secretary and treasurer; and J. H. Sheldon, general superintendent. The company had a nominal capital of $300,000, the greater part of which was represented by the machinery of Wilson and others in their old factory at Grand Cross- ing, near Chicago, which it was proposed to close up and to transfer 358 HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. the interest to this place. To encourage the project and to advance the well-being of the borough (since 400 men would be emplo^-edi, liberal subscriptions to the stock of the company were made by the citizens, and eight of them donated a site for the new factory. Splendid brick buildings were erected in the northwestern part of the borough, at a cost of $7;?,000. They embraced a main building four stories high, 40 by 80G feet, and a one story structure, 40 by 200 feet, for use as annealing and engine rooms. In this was placed a '2')0 hor.se power Harris-Corliss engine. The factory was formally opened August 0th, 188:5, when a grand public reception was given in the building in honor of the event. An address of welcome was made by the Hon. L. M. Hiibbard, which received responses by Governor Thomas Waller, the Hon. L. H. Roots, the Hon. Samuel Simpson and others. About 2,000 people, including many distinguished guests from all parts of the state, were present, and the occasion was also a great social event as well as signalizing the opening of one of the finest factories in the county. The company soon after began operations at this plant, but through mismanagement and other causes was forced to suspend before many months, and in the course of a few years the visions of the prosperity which the new enterprise was expected to bring to Wallingford had entirely faded away. The machinery of the Wilson company was removed, and after the building had been vacant some time it was occupied sever.al months, in 1880, by the R. L. Spencer Company. This was also a foreign interest, and having but a limited capital, like the former, it did not flourish in Wallingford. Early in the spring of 1889 the above plant was occupied by two new industries whose .successful maintenance will add much to the prosperity of the borough, namely, the Metropolitan Rubber Company and the New York Insulated Wire Company. The former was estab- lished at Reading, Mass., in 1883, and in 1887 was incorporated with a capital of $125,000. It is devoted to the manufacture of fine grades of rubber goods for men's and women's wear, a specialty being made of cloth and silk Mackintoshes of fine te.Kturcs, James Hamdton is the superintendent of this branch of manufactures, and about :>00 people are employed. The New York Insulated Wire Company was incorporated in 1884 in the state of New York, with a capital stock of §500,000, and the factory at Wallingford is operated as a branch of the parent business. The insulation of wire for electrical purposes is carried on according to the Grimsh.-iw process, a most excellent and efficient article being produced. ^Vbout fifteen miles of wire are prepared daily, and a large number of men arc employed under the direction of W. B. Dowse. A. J. Tower is the treasurer of the two companies, C. II. Wilcox being the i)rcsidentof the latter comp.-iny and Charles A. Place of the former, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 359" b;ith of which appear to have entered upon a prosperous career at this place. The Wallingford Wheel Company is a prosperous and important concern. A pioneer in the manufacture of wheels at Wallingford is Elihu Hall, who made them as early as 1835. Three years later he engaged in the manufacture of wooden combs, using a building which stood west of the works of Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co., and later added the making of paper buttons. In lS4o he moved to a power higher up the stream, but again returned to the old place, where he carried on a general turning shop, and after 1855 manufactured wheels by machin- ery. In 1864 the firm of Elihu Hall & Co. was incorporated, with a capital of $15,000, E. H. Ives being associated with Hall. Two years later they moved into the old Hall, Elton & Co.'s shops north of the railway station, which were fitted up to manufacture on an extensive scale, and 40 men were employed. In 1873 the Hall & Parmalee Wheel Company succeeded to the business, and in 1879 the present company took charge of the inter- ests. This company was formed of the old company and the Nauga- tuck Wheel Company, organized in 1878, and which removed to Wal- lingford in April, 1879, to consolidate under the above name. In 1890 the capital stock was $40,000. Bryan A. Treat was the president and treasurer, and Charles C. Treat the secretary of the company, which has been a member of the Wheelmakers' Association since June, 1888,. and is producing material only. Since December, 1888, C. VV. Robin- son & Co. have occupied part of this building as wheel manufacturers,, employing fifteen men. A singular fatality appears to be connected with the shops of this company. They were almost wholly destroyed by fire March lOth, 1880, and again May 30th, 1888, the aggregate losses being nearly $100,000. Here also was the sad killing of Horatio Hall, in March,. 1874, by the insane or crazed-by-revenge Swede, John Anderson^ whose timely capture no doubt prevented a still greater tragedy than the killing of one man and the wounding of others. The works of the Sweetland Manufacturing Company, northeast of the railway station, were also destroyed b}' fire in May, 1884. The main building was a two-story frame, 30 by 125 feet, and was used in the manufacture of chucks. The company had been incorporated in January, 1884, and being burned out so soon after, did not rebuild. The Domestic Manufacturing Company, incorporated in July, 1886, erected a large frame building near the Wilson sewing machine plant, which was occupied several years, when the interest was transferred to New York city. A large business was done in jobbing in no- tions, card printing, etc. H. O. Rose was the president and general manager. The Sackett Manufacturing Company was incorporated in May, 1884, and under the management of Mr. Sackett occupied the Com- H(S() HISTORY Ol-' XKW Il.W'EN COUNTY. inanity shops in the manufacture of embroidery fixttires for sewing machines, etc. Tlie company removed to I'Tew Haven after a few years' business at Wallingford. Prior to this occupancy the community had a printing house and buildings at the river used for silk mills. The latter industry was established in 1868, and was carried on in connection with the silk mills at Oneida. N. Y., the goods being here only partially completed. About thirty hands were employed, and the interest was carried on successfully a number of years. The printing interest was earlier established, and had at one time attained considerable proportions. Very good work was done in book and job printing, and the fame of the " Mt. Tom Printing House " was not confined to the limits of the town, much work being done for outside parties. Previous to the starting of the silk mills the community purchased a water privilege of Hall, Elton & Co., and improved the water power by building a larger dam, which constitutes the present Community lake. This is about one mile lono- and contains a laro^e volume of water. The fac- tory was enlarged at the same time, and the privilege, as improved, became valuable. After the removal of the members of the commu- nity the plant was idle until 1884. In the town have been a number of small manufacturing interests which have passed away. The sites on the brooks east of the borough were improved, and the small powers thus afforded were active factors in the town's industries, until the era of concentration and the estab- lishment of large plants caused these smaller factories to be unprofit- able. On other streams, in other parts of the town, a few dams are still kept up to afford power to operate small feed mills, whose use- ftilness is limited to the neighborhood in which they are located. On the former streams, on the site of Peck's mills, Ralph Hill started a wooden comb factory about \S'M. and later the place was occupied by William Lewis, in making paper buttons, and Hiel and John Munson to manufacture Britannia ware. On this stream the latter afterward built a grist mill, which for more than twenty years has been the property of Father Hugh Mallon. Lower down the stream David Cook and others had a gimlet factory. In this part of the town J. B. Pomero}^ made razor strops as late as ISCO. In 1864 the Gaylord Brothers established a gimlet and boring tool factory, which was successfully carried on several years, giving em- ployment to more than a dozen of men. Of the later small factories, the Wallingford Creamery has become a useful industry. It began business in the fall of 1887, and has ex- tended its scope since that time. Wallingford borough is the seat of the first settlements in the town in 166!) 70. h'or many years it occupied an unimportant place among the towns of the state, but in later years, by reason of its manufactur- ing interests, it has become one of the most prominent of its size and HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 361 is rapidlv growing in population and wealth. In 1887 its directoi)' contained 1,338 names and 72 new buildings were erected; in 1889 67 new buildings were put up and the directory contained 1,736 names, or an estimated population of more than 5,000, about double what it was 15 years ago. The borough is most beautifully located in the valley of the Quin- nipiac and on the Hartford railroad, twelve miles from the city of New Haven. Within its bounds are high and low grounds, affording many advantages for manufacturing and residence lots, and securing good drainage. The center proper is on a long, .sloping hill, on the top of which is Main .street, running in a straight line north and south about two miles, much of the distance being arched by stately elms along its sides. Other .streets run parallel with it, and all are cut at right angles by numerous cross streets: most of them are well graded, and there are many miles of concrete sidewalks. There are a .system of sewerage, and water and gas works, making this one of the finest country places in the state, which fact is attested by the number of attractive buildings and comfortable homes erected in the past twenty years. There are also three large brick and one brown stone churches, fine .school houses, banks, public halls and all the accessories of a thriving and well ordered community. The surrounding country is also very attractive, and its general development has kept pace with the growth of the borough, many of its natural advantages now for the first time receiving appreciative attention. The varied interests of the town are noted in the following pages. The village of Wallingford was incorporated as a borough under an act of the general assembly, passed in May, 1853, with the follow- ing bounds: "Commencing on the Hartford and New Haven Turnpike road, at a point w^est of the sluice across the highway, near the top of 'Town hill,' and near the dwelling house of William M. Hall; from thence east, in a straight line, so as to inter.sect said sluice, and to the highway running past the factory of John Munson; from thence southerly, in a straight line, to the top of • Long hill,' at the junc- tion of ' Long hill ' road and the road running from the Town street past George R. Bartholomew's dwelling house to said ' Long hill;' from thence westerly, in a straight line, to Doctor Rice Hall's barn; from thence, in a straight line, to Joel Camp's dwelling house, on the said turnpike road; from thence along the turnpike road to the place of beginning, be, and the same are hereby ordained, constituted, and declared 'to be from time to time, foreve-" hereafter, one body corpor- ate and politic, in fact and m name, by the name of 'Tlic Warden, Burgesses, and Freonen of the Borough of Wallingford.' " Acting under the provisions of this charter an organization was effected July 4th, 1853, Elisha M. Pomeroy moderating at the meeting. E. S. Ives served as clerk. The first officers then chosen were: War- den, Abner Hall: burgesses, Samuel Simpson, Jerome B. Pomeroy, 862 HISTORY OK XEW HAVEN COUNTY. Wooster ^lartiii, Lorenzo Lewis, Ebenezer H. Ives, Frederick W. Bartholomew; treasurer, Augustus Hall; bailiff, Otliniel I. ^Lartin. By-laws were adopted June 1 "it h, ] 8.-14. Medad Munson was elected warden in lS54-."> and E. S. Ives continued the clerk. The borough election in JSoG was defaulted, and for a number of years the charter privileges were relinquished. But at the Ala}', LS6S, session of the general assembly the borough was re-established under the old title, and vSamuel Simpson, one of the selectmen for the restoration of the charter, was authorized to call the meeting for reor- ganization. This was held in the ba.sement of the Baptist church, July 17th, 1868, and Franklin Johnson presided. The election resulted in the choice of the following: Warden, Samuel Simpson; clerk, R.H. Cowles; burgesses, E. H. Ives, Roswell Moss, George W. Whittlesey, Phineas T. Ives, Henry Martin, Aimer I. Hall; treasurer, J. C. Mans- field; bailiff, O. I. Martin. Later, under the new by-laws of August, 186S, the following were appointed: Prosecutor, Jonathan M. Andrews; assessors, vSamuel C. Ford, O. I. Martin; constables, John Ives, S. M. Scranton, S. N. Ed- wards, J. M. Hall, G. N. Andrews. After the first election, in 1808, and until 1881 the wardens were: vSamuel Simpson, two years; John Munson, four years: Ebenezer H. Ives, one year: Charles D. Yale, two years; Robert B. Wallace, one year: and B. A. Treat, two years. In the sarne period the clerks were: R. H. Cowles, Andrew Andrews, C. H. Brown, Jo.seph W. Allen and George D. Munson. At the January, 1881, session of the general assembly, the charter of the borough was revised and amended. New limits to the bounds were set and the corporate privileges and powers were very much en- larged, to permit the establishment of a sewerage system, water works, the improvement of the fire department, and to make other improvements commensurate with the growth of the place. The power of local legislation was vested in " The Court of Burgesses," by which title the warden and the burgesses were now .styled. Under the amended charter, an election was held in November, 1881, with the following result: Warden, Bryan A. Treat; burgesses, R. H. Cowles, J. C. Mansfield, W. J. Leavenworth, P. :McKenna, Albert D.Judd, Martin P. O'Connell; clerk, C. H. Brown; collector, R. S. Aus- tin; treasurer, Thomas Pickford; asses.sor, Thomas Kennedy, 'id; aud- itor, Henry L. Hall, l.st; bailiff, L. A. Northrop. L. M. Hubbard, E.sq., was appointed borough attorney, and Marcus E. Cook road commis- sioner. The expenditures of the borough for the year ending No- vember, 1881, were $6,881.41, and the net debt was not quite S4,0()(t. The following year the borough expenses were more than $1(),4()(). In 1886, the by-laws of the borough were amended. Bryan A. Treat was elected to the office of warden annually until 1885, when George E. Dickerman succeeded him. In 1880 William HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 363 M. Whittaker was elected; in 1887, R. C. Morse; in 1888, Henry F. Hall; and in 1889, George E. Dickerman. The clerks were: 1881-2, C. H. Brown; 1888-7, Fraray Hale; 1888-9, George T. Jones. In 1889 the treasurer was W. I. Todd; the collector. R. S. Austin; and the auditor, Henry L. Hall. By act of the general assembly, passed February 23d, 1886, the borough court of the village and town of Wallingford was established on the first Monday of April, 1886. Of this court Leverett M. Hub- bard was appointed judge and F. C. Bartholomew deputy judge. Upon the expiration of their first term they were reappointed. The matter of improving the drainage of the borough was a ques- tion for the consideration of a special meeting of the freemen. Sep- tember 28th, 1885, and the court of burgesses was appointed to freely investigate the same. As a result of their labors it was decided to establish a system of sewerage, and ordinances pertaining to the same were enacted in August, 1886. In the same month, the borough con- tracted with the H. Wales Lines Company to construct about 2,000 feet of sewers, of pipes from 12 to 20 inches in diameter, at a cost of §3,345. Since that time the work of laying sewage pipes has con- tinued, with beneficial results to the community. In 1888 over one mile of sewers was built, at an expense of $8,923.09, a little more than one-fourth of which was paid out of the general treasury of the borough. The improvement of the streets of the borough in a more sub- stantial manner and according to modern methods was begun the fol- lowing year. At a special meeting, October .')th, 1887, the court of burgesses was instructed to purchase a large steam power stone cru.sher, which was set in operation the following winter, and large quantities of crushed stone have since been placed upon the principal streets, producing a hard and smooth surface. In 1890 most of the streets were in an improved condition, and the sidewalks especially commended themselves by their excellence. There were nearly twenty miles constructed of smooth concrete, and the borough claimed more good walks than any other town of its size in New England. But the organization of the water department has made more apparent the benefits derived from the new charter, which have been realized in the construction of the water works under its provisions. The matter of a system of supplying pure water was discussed as early as 1870, and periodically thereafter until the organization of the present department. Pending this the general assembly, on the 23d of March, 1881, authorized the formation of the Wallingford Water Company, as a corporate enterprise, providing the borough would not avail itself of the provisions of its charter on the matter. This, how- ever, was done in 1881, when the first board of water commissioners was cho.sen, viz.: B. F. Harrison, P. T. Ives and H. B. Todd, with John 364 HISTORY OF NHW HAVEN COUNTY. Atwater as treasurer of the water fund. In 1888 a new board was elected, consistino; of W. J. Leavenworth, William ]M. Hall, Jr., and M. O'Callahan. A fund of $7."), 01)0 having been secured by the sale of borough bonds, the construction of the water works was begun in 1882. The water rights were secured in July, that year, upon the payment of $!),250. The supply is from Lake Pistapaugh, in the Totoket moun- tain range, four and one-half miles from the borough. This lake is fed from springs only, and is held in a narrow, deep basin, having bold rocky shores, a mile long. The water it contains is of the finest qual- ity, and its natural color is not affected by time, remainitig as clear as crystal. By improving the lake the storage capacity has been increased to ol7,444,400 gallons, or nearly three times the amount tised by the borough in 1S88. The lake has an area of 136 acres, and its head is 245 feet above the center of the borough (Main street), and about 32i) feet above the plains, permitting a flow by gravitation, which yields a pres- sure of loo pounds to the .square inch. The water is taken 800 feet from the shore, at a depth of eleven feet, through 18-inch stone ware pipe to the gate chamber, from which place iron pipes carry it to the town. One thou.sand feet of this distance is through a tunnel thirty feet below the surface. The works were located by Engineer D. C. Sati- ford, and the construction was placed in the hands of Engineer John Osborne. Most of the contract work was done by William C. McCal- lan, of Chicopee, Mass., and part of the system was ready for use No- vember 1st, 1882. In order to permit the extension of the system an act was passed by the general assembly in January, 1883, to authorize the borough to issue $30,000 more bonds. This was done, and the works were com- pleted and extended in a most thorough manner. In the fall of 1889 the entire amotmt expended for construction purposes was nearly §1 It), 000, which was reported as the value of the plant, exclusive of the expense connected with the same. Nearly 18 miles of mains were maintained, from which service was also had for 70 fire hydrants. The entire income from rents for the year ending November 1st, 1889, was $7,227.95. Since 1883 there has been an increase of rentals of about $500 per year, and in 1889 the department accrued a net gain of nearly $1,000, The treasurers of the water fund succeeding John Atwater have been: 1885. John B. Kendrick; 1886- 7, William H. Newton; 1888-9, William I. Todd. William M. Hall, jr., was superintendent of the water works until January 1st, 1889, when he was succeeded by W. J. Morse. The latter's associate members on the board of commissioners, were Michael O'Callaghan, chaiiman; and Doctor George Andrews, advisory committeeman. Aside from the primitive jjrecautions and methods of putting out fires common to all well regulated New England towns, no organized HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 365 effort in that direction was made until the Wallingford Fire Engine Company was authorized by the May, 1831. session of the general assembly. On the oth of July, that year, Hiram Yale called a meet- ing to enlist members, whose number was not to exceed 17, and whose residences were to be within one mile of the meeting house. All members were to be exempt from military duty. A very rude engine was purchased and was used by the community nearly a score of years. It was simply a long box on wheels, into which water was poured from pails and then churned into a short hose, which was directed against the fire by a man holding it, standing on the engine. Four men on each side worked the brakes. It was housed in a small building which stood in the rear of the Congregational church. After being used a number of years and the company having disbanded, it became an attractive plaything for the village boys, who last used it at a fire on the plains and added it to the burning objects by running it into the cellar of the building which had been destroyed. Indi- rectly this had a bearing on the incorporation of the village, soon after, as that measure was secured mainly to provide means against fires. In the summer of lS54the borough appointed Israel Harrison, Will- iam M. Hall and Augustus Hall to purchase a new fire engine, at a cost not to exceed $850. To defray the expenses of the new depart- ment a tax of six cents on the dollar was levied, September 18th, 1854. The machine secured was a hand engine which was called the " Accanant," and a company was formed to man it. In 1856 Ovid Warner, Samuel Simpson, Aimer I. Hall, George W. Elton, John Mansfield and others, as members of the Accanant Fire Engitae Com- pany, were incorporated tinder the laws of the state with that title. The engine was housed in a small building in the rear of Union Hall, but in the great fire of October 27th, 1867, all the buildings in that locality, including the Episcopal church and Union Hall, were destroyed. In 1868, J. C. Mansfield was the chief engineer of the department, and the fire wardens were Frank Field and Othniel I. Martin. In July of that year it was voted to build a new engine house of brick, on part of the town lot which had just been purchased, and Frank Field, George A. Cook and W. Elton were appointed the building committee. In 1879 80 this engine house was improved and enlarged to properly house the new engine. The growth of the village and the consequent increased danger from a general conflagration made it apparent that a better service must be provided. Hence, on January 2d, 1880, a committee of citi- zens, appointed to secure a steam fire engine, reported that they — R. H. Cowles, G. W. Hull, Samuel Simpson, J. C. Mansfield and E. F. Steele — had purchased a Button & Son engine, costing $2,165.30, and 366 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. that the old "Accanant " engine had been turned over in part payment for $150. The steamer was soon after put in service. In October, 18S(), Amos S. Dickinson, the acting chief, submitted the first annual report of the re-organized department, which had at that time 46 men enrolled. The apparatus consisted of the steamer " Wallingford No. 1," which was capable, with a pressure of i)() pounds of steam, of throwing a stream 201) feet, through a t inch nozzle. There were two hose carts with l,r)5() feet of hose. The department property was worth $4,437.98. Two destructive fires had occurred that year, viz., that of the Wallingford Wheel Company, March 19th, 18i^<», with a loss of $51,000; and the glass works of Simpson. Hall, Miller & Co., March 24th, $7,100. In 1881 the department cost $245.63, responded to three alarms, and the losses were only $1,025. In 1882 John W. Douglass was the chief engineer. There were fifty volunteer firemen, seven alarms and $],()60 losses. In 1883 David Ross was appointed chief engineer, which position he also held in 1889, following B. T. Buell. In 1888 the steamer was thoroughly overhauled and equipped for horses, to be used auxiliary to the hose, which can be attached directly to 70 hydrants of the city water works. The other apparatus consisted of a four-wheel hose carriage, two two-wheel hose carts, and one hook and ladder truck. There were about 2,5(i0 feet of hose. The department had 04 men, exclusive of its three officers, belonging to the Wallingford Hose Company, No. 1; the Wallace Hose Company, No. 2, with a house on the Plains; and the Simpson Hook and Ladder Company, No. 1. Seven fires had occurred in the year, from which there was a total loss of $59,782.82. Nearly the entire amount resulted from the burning of the shops of the Wallingford Wheel Company, May 30th, 1888, the fire being caused by lightning. In 1889 the losses were but $330. The department had 70 men and was maintained at an expense of $1,236.47. In the year ending November, 1889, the borough expended on its streets $2,934.33; on its police, $433; for lighting the streets, $2,465.13; for extension of the sewerage system, about $5,000; and for salaries, $275. The net debt of the borough, exclusive of the bonds issued for the water works, was a little more than $21,000, and the rate of taxa- tion was light. The borough, under the new charter, has flourished, and the improvements projected and carried out under it have not only greatly advanced the business interests and augmented the pop- ulation, but have also promoted the beauty of Wallingford and caused it to become the most attractive and healthiest borough of its size in the state. On the 9th of August, 1878, the borough of Wallingford was visited by one of the most disastrous tornadoes ever known in the state. Sweeping over the northwestern section of the borough, in a north- easterly direction, it left a well defined trail of ruin, devastation and HISTORY OF XEW HAVEX COUNTY. 367 ■death, where but a moment before hundreds had dwelt in health and security. The old frame Catholic church was demolished, the high school building wrecked, and a number of houses were caught up and whirled about until they were dashed to pieces. Large trees were twisted off as if they had been only blades of grass, and the loss of property was very great. But the saddest feature of the storm was the loss of life. Thirty persons were killed and more than that num- ber injured, many of them being the wives and children of the labor- ing classes living in that part of the borough. The event has passed into history as the '' Wallingford disaster," and the phenomena con- nected with the tornado awakened much interest in scientific circles, but no satisfactory explanation of the cause of the storm has been ^iven. The Wallingford Gas Light Company was incorporated April 4th, 1881, and organized two years later with a capital of $42,000. W. J. Leavenworth was the first president, and has so continued; E. M. Judd, treasurer: and B. A. Treat, secretary. The above, with G. W. Hull and L. M. Hubbard, constituted the board of directors. The works were erected on the banks of Community lake, in the fall of 1883, and con- sist of a brick building, 30 by 70 feet, and one gasometer, having a capacity of 50,000 cubic feet of gas per day. H. H. Edgarton was the supervising builder, under sub-contract for W. C. McClellan, and the first public service of gas was November 13th, 1883. In 1889 there were 12| miles of mains, 91 public lamps, and the output was about ■2,000,000 cubic feet of gas of good quality. F. H. Lane was the super- intendent. The First National Bank of Wallingford was incorporated January 1st, 1882, with a capital of §100,000, which was increased in July, 1883, to S150,000. The first board of directors was composed of Samuel Simpson, G. W. Hull, Lyman M. Monroe, Walter J. Leavenworth, Robert H. Cowles, L. AL Hubbard, Robert Wallace, E. M. Judd and Hezekiah Hall. These still continue, with the exception of the last three, who.se places are filled, in the order named, by Frank Wallace, Albert D. Judd and Henry Hull. From the beginning Samuel Simp- son has been the president and William H. Newton the cashier, and under their judicious management the bank has flourished and accumu- lated a surplus of nearly $20,000. The banking office was first established in a room in the Wallace Block, where it remained about a year. In the meantime the substan- tial banking house now occupied was built by the corporation, at a cost ■of $10,000, into which the bank was removed in February, 1883. It stands on a part of the old Whittlesey lot, on Main street, and is sup- plied with modern banking appliances. Since in use it has also been ■the home of the Wallingford Dime Savings Bank, which was given a -corporate existence in May, 1871. Samuel Simpson has been the president of this institution since its organization. E. H. Ives was the 368 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. first treasurer, and in 18S'2 was succeeded by John Atwater. The latter served until September. 1886, when Leonard B. Bishop became the treasurer, and has since continued, serving also as secretary, ^lorton Judd and John Atwater are the vice-presidents. Associated directors are P. T. Ives, George E. Dickerman, Reverend Hugh Gal- lon, Charles N. Jones and L. M. Hubbard. Business was begun, in a small way, in 1871, at the store of Thomas Pickford, the bank being open for deposits one evening per week. Next it was open three days per week, at the same place. In the past few years it has transacted business daily, and has prospered proportionately. In 1889 the de- posits were $250,000. Semi-annual dividends at the rate of four per cent, per annum are paid, and a surplus of $18,(iitn has been accumu- lated. The American Building and Loan Association of ^Minncmolis. Minn., organized a local board at Wallingford, May 2d, 1889, with G. W. Hull, president; William H. Newton, secretary and treasurer; and Walter J. Leavenworth, Joel R. Boice, William M. Whittaker. W. A. Tra.sk and E. S. Stevens, directors. In November, 1889, forty persons were members of the local board, whose place of business was with the national bank. Probably the first public house in the town was the one kept by Nathaniel Merriman, in 167::i. when he waschosen " To keep an orday- nary and promised to make trial for one year provided every planter resident provide and laye in place wheare he apoynts 20 good sufficient rails for fence and 4 posts redy morticed by the middle of May next." After 1720 Mrs. Sarah Whittlesey had a small store in the present borough, and often entertained the public men of the state when they passed from Hartford to New Haven. In the times of the revolution Amos Hall kept the principal tavern at Wallingford; and it is claimed that General Washington stopped at Peter Carrington's tavern over night, October 18th, 1789. An earlier tavern keeper was Lieutenant Abraham Doolittle, who kept a popular place in the times of the French and Indian wars, east of Main and south of Centre streets. Eben vSmith was a keeper of the inn at the same place in the present gener- ation. At the same time and earlier Jared Lewis had a public house and store higher up Main street, where is now the Wallace Block. Fred. Lewis was at the same place at a more recent date. At the Doo- little stand Benjamin Foote and William Carter entertained the public. Gideon Hosford had a well known tavern on the plains, andChauncey Cook and Dwight Hall were in the central part of the village. The Bishop tavern was on the turnpike two miles below Wallingford, where was also the stage office. Livcrius Carrington and George B. Kirtland were well known merchants before 18r)0. Since that time many per- sons have merchandised in Wallingford, and there have also been a number of public houses, but no detailed account can here be given. The first regular post office at Wallingford was established in 1798,, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 369 and James Carrington was the postmaster, continuing until after 1820. In the later years of his administration two mails per week were sup- plied, but soon the facilities were increased. The office was kept on Centre street. William Elton, Samuel Cook and Samuel Button were later postmasters. In 1853 Orrin Andrews was appointed, and the office was opened in Union Hall. In 1861 Doctor Jerome B. Pomeroy became the postmaster, serving until his death, in 1866. Lorenzo Lewis was next appointed, and after L^nion Hall was burned, October, 1867, the office was kept at his .store, corner of Centre and Main streets. A few years later an office was fitted up in the town hall building, where it remained until December, 1887, when the present handsome office in the Simpson Block was occupied. This was especially fitted up by the proprietor, Samuel Simpson, and in the completeness and elegance of the appointments it is one of the finest offices in the county. There are 60(» lock and 300 call bo.xes. The office has a service of six mails per day, and is a domestic and international money order office. Succeeding Lorenzo Lewis as postmaster was D. W. Ives. In 1872 the office passed to L. M. Hubbard, with W. B. Hall as assistant post- master. The latter is the present postmaster. Among the public buildings of Wallingford the old Union Hall was the first to deserve a place in the annals of the town on account of its size and prominence. It was erected on Main street, south of the Episcopal church, in 1853, by an association of citizens formed for that purpose, who held stock in shares of $25 each. The building was fitted up for stores, a general hall and lodge rooms, and also contained the general offices of the town. On the 3d of April, 1854, the first town meeting was held in the building, and by special arrangement they were there continued until the hall was destroyed by fire, October 27th,^ 1867. It was a large three-story frame building, having the main hall in the second .story. Lorenzo Lewis was for many years the sec- retary of the association. The hall was not rebuilt, and the lot became the property of the Episcopal parish, the present church standing on part of the Union Hall site. Immediately south of this William Wallace had erected his large, four-story brick block about the time of the civil war, which was the first substantial public building in the town, and which still continues to be noteworthy on account of its massive appearance. For many years this building was in advance of the general improvements, but m the light of the progress made since that time it stands a fitting monument to the public .spirit and enterprise of the builder, who set the standard for future architecture. It is devoted to stores, offices, halls and lodge rooms. In 1889 the property was owned by Wallace & Phelps. The Simpson Block, on the west side of Main street, and north of Centre street, is the latest addition to the handsome public buildings of the borough. It was erected in 1887 by Samuel Simpson, and is 23 370 HISTOKV OI-' NEW HAVEN COUNTY. one of the best improvements made by that enterprising citizen* Architecturally it is attractive and imposing, a substantial and capacious brick block, and was designed mainly for the convenience of the public. The lower floors are devoted to business rooms, the second to offices, and the upper part forms one of the handsomest opera houses in the state, affording every convenience for the lovers of amusement. In the summer of ISS'.l the Messrs. Wallace & Phelps completed in the rear of their block a large one-story brick structure, which has been fitted up for the use of the Wallingford Company of the Connecticut Guards, and has received the name of Armory Hall. It is also adapted for public gatherings. Directly south of the latter, on Centre street, is the commodious town hall of Wallingford. It was erected in pursuance of a vote of the freemen, at a meeting held May 2d, 1868, when it was decided to "build a hall to cost not more than $30,000 nor less than $20,000, the same to have a tower for a clock." A building committee, com- po.sed of vSamuel .Simpson, D. W. Fields, Franklin Johnson, Hezekiah Hall, Bennet Jeralds, William McKenzie and Elijah Williams, was appointed, and bonds were issued to erect the hall according to the plans of Architect Russell. January 5th, 1869, D. W. Fields, appointed to purchase a bell to be placed in the tower of the hall, secured one weighing 3,000 pounds, and the tower was surmounted by a flagstaff. On the 4th of October, 1869, the first town meeting was held in the new hall, which has since that time been the capitol of the town. It is a brick edifice, three stories high, 60 by 80 feet, and is attractive in its appearance. The auditorium is in the second story and has a gallery, stage and scenic arrangements. The property is valued at $38,000. The hi,story of the periodical press of Wallingford begins with the publication of the Circular, a weekly organ of the community societies issued from the Mt. Tom Printing House, from 1864 to 1868. The first distinctively local paper was the Wallingford Witness, which was e.stablished in March, 188(), by W. Burgess, who sold to J. E. Beale, June 1st, the .same year. The latter conducted the paper with varied success for three years, when his interest passed to the Times Printing Company, composed of citizens of the borough. Colonel D. C. Pavey became the editor, and'so'continued until .September 16th, 1889, when the plant was transferred to the present proprietors, Richards & Buck- master. An office in the vSimpson Block is the place of publication. The Times is an independent weekly of forty columns (eight pages), devoted to local and general news, and has a growing circulation. Frederick Richards is the editor. F. W. Richards began his newspaper career in Naugatuck in 1880, at which time he was associated with J. P>. Beale, who was publisher of the Naugatuck Kcviciv. He came to Wallingford in the fall of 1886, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUxNTV. 371 and had an editorial position under Beale on the Witness. His reputa- tion as a writer made him the choice of the Times Publishing Company when it was necessary to find a successor for D. C. Pavey, in Septem- ber, 1889. W. S. Buckmaster is a brother-in-law of F. W. Richards, and is a native of New Haven. He entered the printing business as an appren- tice in the office of the Watcrbttry American in 1860. He enlisted from that city in 1863, in Company F, 23d Connecticut Volunteers. After the war was over, several years were spent in the employ of Hoggsun & Robinson, of New Haven. He was one of the original stockholders in the Neiu Haven Union. His connection with the Wallingford Times is contemporaneous with F. W. Richards. Moses Y. Beach, the successful proprietor of the New York Sun, was a native of this town, had a country home here and died in Wal- lingford, after having accumulated a large estate. Following the custom of those times, a library company was organ- ized at Wallingford, which was incorporated January 80th, 1833. Jared P. Whittlesey was one of the most active in maintaining it. The library was kept many years at Elijah Beman's, at the corner of Christian and Main streets, but later was maintained in Union Hall, and E. S. Ives had charge of the books. When that building was burned, in 1867, most of the library was saved, and after the Ladies' Library and Reading Room Association was organized, in 1881, .some of the books were transferred to that body, in whose library they are .still in u,se. The Ladies' As.sociation was formed with about 60 mem- bers, and has since had an influential following. A library was opened in the Wallace Block and was maintained there until 1887, when more commodious quarters were secured for it in the new Simp- son Block, the proprietor, Samuel Simpson, generously donating the use of two of the finest rooms in the building, which have been well fitted up for library and reading room purposes. In 1889 the library contained 2,360 volumes of miscellaneous books, and the reading room, which was open daily, had on file all the leading monthlies, five weekly and four daily papers. These rooms were in charge of Miss Emma Lewis, the librarian, since 1884, and who succeeded Miss Helen A. Hull in that office. Miss Edith C. Lane has been the secretary of the association since 1882, and Mrs. Henry L. Wallace is the treasurer. Eight ladies manage the affairs of the association. Yalesville, a village in the northern part of the town, has a pleas- ant situation on the west bank of the Quinnipiac river and contains several hundred inhabitants. There are several flourishing manu- facturing establishments, stores, post office, three neat churches (Episcopal, Methodist and Baptist), a fine school house and a number of attractive residences. A village improvement society, recently or- ganized, has directed attention to the care of the streets, planting of trees and the general advancement of the place. 372 HISTORY OF np:\v haven county. Yalesville is, next to Wallingford borough, the oldest settled place in the town, and in its pioneer history was known as the " First Falls " above the plains. The improvement of the water power was ordered June 4th, 1677, and as it has since been utilized, this is the oldest manufacturing point in this part of the county. After 1700, for a hundred years or more, the place was called Tyler's Mills, when it took the name of Yalesville, in compliment to Charles Yale, one of the most enterprising manufacturers of his time." William Hall, Floyd Camp and C. W. Michaels have merchandised in the village, the latter continuing in 1890, and being also the post- master. Tracy is the name which has been applied to the post office estab- lished at Yalesville station, June l.st, 1888, with Almon J. Ives as post- master. There are four mails per day, and about one hundred fam- ilies are by this means afforded mail privileges. The hamlet at this point also embraces the works of Jennings & Griffin, the railway station, store, and about twenty residences. In the summer and fall of 1889 the improvement of the hamlet was begun by its inhabitants, and public street lamps were put up, twenty being maintained at the close of the year. vSome time after the completion of the Air Line railroad, about 1871, a station was opened on it in this town, with the name of East Wallingford. Later a post office was there established, with the same name, and a .small hamlet has sprung up, in which are the usual occu- pations of such a place. In 1890 the physicians of Wallingford were C. Hunt Atwater, Henry Davis, J. D. McGaughey, William S. Russell, D. J. Curtin, E. S. Vail, Vincent L. Baldwin, J. M. Tabor and George Andrews. The town has had many medical practitioners, among them being, accord- ing to a local writer, the following. In addition to the eight Doctors Hull here named, five other descendants of Doctor John Hull located elsewhere : 1. Doctor John Hull, born in New Haven 1041 ; came here 1087. Practiced in Derby 20 years before. 2. Doctor Benjamin Hull, son of Doctor John, born in Derby. Commenced here 169:). '.i. Doctor Jeremiah Hull, son of Doctor John, born in Derby. Commenced here 169r). 4. Doctor John Hull, second, grandson of Doctor John. Commenced 1725. Born in Wallingford. 5. Doctor Benjamin Hull, second, grandson of Doctor John. Com- menced 1735. Born in Wallingford. 6. Doctor Benjamin Hull, third, great-grandson of Doctor John. Commenced r7(!:i. Born in Wallingford. * See Manul'aelurinj;' Interests. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 373 7. Doctor Amos Hull, great-grandson of Doctor John. Commenced about 1786. 8. Doctor Amos G. Hull, great-grandson of Doctor John. Patentee of the Hull truss. 9. Doctor Aaron Andrews. Commenced in about 1771. Born in Wallingford. 10. Doctor John Andrews, son of Aaron. Commenced in about 1800. Born in Wallingford. 11. Doctor Moses Gaylord. Commenced in about 1800. Came from Durham. 12. Doctor L5'man Parker. Commenced in about 1815. Native of Wallingford. It is said that Doctor John Andrews and Doctor Parker associated together about the time Doctor Parker commenced practice, and they bought off Doctor Gaylord from practicing physic and the like of fevers, but allowed him to doctor sores, ulcers and such like cases and set broken bones. Doctor Gaylord died in about 1830. 13. Doctor Brandiee. Commenced in 1828. Came from Cheshire. He owned and occupied the place where Mrs. Blunt now resides, on Main street, and for which he gave in exchange 1,000 boxes of Brand- iee's salve. 14. Friend Cook. Commenced about 1835. Native of Walling- ford. 15. Doctor B. F. Harrison.- Bought out Doctor F. Cook in about 1836. Native of North ford. 16. Doctor William Atwater. Bought out Doctor B. F. Harrison in about 1846. Native of Wallingford; and sold back to Doctor Harrison in 1848 or 9. Doctor Harrison died in 1886. 17. Doctor N. Banks.* Commenced here in about 1852. Practiced in Cheshire before. 18. Doctor V. Baldwin. Commenced here in about 1860. Practiced in Meriden before. 19. Doctor Henry Davis. Commenced here in about 1870. Prac- ticed in Derby and elsewhere. 20. Doctor J. D. McGaughey.-- Commenced here in about 1872. Came from Tennessee. 21. Doctor W. S. Russell.-- Commenced in 1882. 22. Doctor E. S. Vail. Commenced here in 1886. 23. Doctor D. J. Curtin* has been located here since December, 1887, succeeding a Doctor Bailey, who had been here a short time that year. In the same period Doctor J. D. Brundage was here, but removed to East Haddam. 24. Doctor George Andrews is a native of the town, and after practicing elsewhere located here recently. In addition to the foregoing. Doctor Davis in his history says that *See biographical sketches in the following chapter. 374 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. previous to 1S()(» there had been in the town: Doctors Isaac Lewis, Isaac Bull, Isaac Hall, Gad Pond, Ebenezer Bardsley, William B. Hall,, Bilious Kirtland, James Porter and John Dickinson. He names as a contemporary of Doctor Aaron Andrews the celebrated Doctor Jared Potter, the author of Potter's powder, in its day a popular remedy- He was the surgeon of the First Connecticut Regiment in IT?.'), and died in this town. Doctor Jared P. Kirtland was in Wallingford from 1814 to 1817, and a number of others for brief periods followed their professions in the town. In 188!) the attorneys of Wallingford were: Seymour D. Hall, Henry F. Hall, Charles A.Harrison, Leverett M. Hubbard,* George M. Wallace, O. H. D. Fowler, Andrew J. Brown and Frederick J. Holmes. These have here been engaged in the legal profession from two to twenty years. Previous attorneys were: Eli I. Ives, many years; J. R. Merriam, A. B. Chapin, James J. Redmond, B. J. Smith, L. C. Hinman and others several generations ago. Doctor Lyman Hall, a signer of the declaration of independence, was a native of this town. He graduated from Yale in 1747, and after studying medicine and theology moved to Georgia, from which colony he was sent as a delegate to the continental congress. Later he wa.s elected governor of Georgia. He died in 1791, aged G6 years. Compass Lodge, No. 9, F. & A. M., was the first secret order estab- lished in Wallingford. The introduction of Masonry into Walling- ford antedated the revolution. Compass Lodge was instituted under a charter granted May 1st, 1769, which was signed by John Rowe, provincial grand master at Boston. This charter was surrendered to the Grand Lodge of the state, which issued in its stead a new charter, which bears date August 17th, 1796, and under the authority of which the meetings of the Lodge have since been held. It is much to be regretted that the records of the early meetings are not available, as they might afford an interesting history of a period when most of the leading men of the town were connected with the order. From tra- ditionar}' accounts it appears that the Lodge at Wallingford had a flourishing existence until the height of the anti-Masonic feeling, occasioned by the disappearance of Morgan, when, in 1833, its meet- ings were discontinued, and the charter was returned to the Grand Lodge. After the lapse of eighteen years a legal number of the for- mer members made apjDlication for its restoration, which was done in July, 1851, and since that time the Lodge has been in active existence. The petitioners for this charter were: Elisha M. Pomeroy, Lyman Cannon, Medad C. Mt:nson, Medad W. Munson, George B. Kirtland, Horace Hall, 2d, John M. Andrews, Randall Cooke, Lyman Parker and Aimer Hall. Alfred Parker, Philo Hall and Harmon Morse were added as old members. .Soon after the Lodge had resumed it had the *See biogTiiphical skclch in the following chapter. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 375 following additions: Lucius Pomeroy, E. M. Pomeroy, Jr., Henry Martin, Aimer I. Hall and Selden J.Steele. In 185'2 the membership was increased by the admission of twelve candidates. In 1856 23 per- sons joined, and in every subsequent year additions were made until there was a large aggregate membership. In 1889 the number belong- ing was more than one hundred, who met in a plea.santly furnished room in the town hall. Former Lodge rooms were in the chambers of some of the public houses. Since 1795 the following have been the masters of the Lodge and the years when they were first elected to that office, a number serving more than one term or at different periods: Terhand Kirtland, 179;"); Samuel Woodruff, 1796; Jes.se Atwater, 1798; John Knott, 1801; Amos Button, 1804; Augustus Cook, 1808; Chauncey Cook, 1810; Solomon Hall, 1813; John Barker. 1820; Lyman Cannon, 1822; Lyman Parker, 1823; Constant Kirtland, 1826; Frederick Lewis, 1827; John Barker, 1828; Elisha M. Pomeroy, 1830-3; Elisha M. Pomeroy, 1851; Henry Martin, 1852; George D. Lane, 1853; Aimer I. Hall, 1856; J. B. Pom- eroy, 1861; Benjamin Church, 1862; Gustavus Phelps, 1866; Roswell Morse, 1867; William Gerety, 1870; J. H. Osborne, 1872; William Plodge- kinson, 1875; D. C. Dudley, 1876; Joel R. Boice, 1878; William M. Whittaker, 1879; J.W. Smith, 1881; W. N. Mix, 1882; William Hodge- kinson, 18S4; W. B. Hall, 1885; W. H. Newton, 1887; J.W. Smith, 1888; W. B. Hall, 1890. Associated with the latter were also J. W. vSmith, S. W.; W. M. Whittaker, J. W.; R. Talbot, treasurer; O. E. Powers, secretary; F. J. Heavens, S. D.; C. H. Barnes, J. D. Accanant Lodge No. 71, I. O. O. F., was organized August 14th, 1850, and the following were some of the early members participating in its affairs: John Munson, vSamuel Simpson, Henry Martin, Asahel Andrews, Samuel P. Parmalee, George Hull, Jeremiah Hall, Stephen Northrop, Edgar Atwater, Doctor William Atwater, Samuel Dutton, Lorenzo Lewis, Israel Harrison and William Elton. For a few years the Lodge was prosperous, but owing to various causes its charter was surrendered to the Grand Lodge, February 20th, 1856. From that time on, for 19 years, the order had no public representation in the village, although a number of members remained. Through the efforts of a few of these the Lodge was reinstated May 12th, 1875, with George W. Elton, N. G.; L. M. Phelps, V. G.; George H. Yale, secretary; Lyman D. Allen, treasurer. It now entered upon a career of prosperity, which, in the main, has continued to the present. In the fall of 1889 the Lodge property was worth about §1,500, and there were more than a hundred members, whose interests were looked after by the following principal officials: Trustees, L. M. Phelps, George E. Dickerman and Fraray Hale; noble grand, J. W. Douglass; vice grand, L. A. Young; R. S., Charles A. Barker; P. S., Fraray Hale; treasurer, F. W. Phelps. Interesting meet- ings are held in a well-appointed Lodge room. 37G HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Putnam Council, No. 10. Order of American Mechanics, owes its existence, at Wallingford, to the efforts of Michael wSimons and D. L. Barber, who were instrumental in organizing the above Council, De- cember 2d, 1885. The first meetings were held in T. A. B. & L. Hall, but a later place of meeting was secured in the hall of the Grand Army, which is its present home. The Council has been fortunate in the accession of membership and the accumulation of propertv, hav- ing had 120 persons belonging, with not a death since organization, and having, in 1889, an accumulated fund of §1,01)0 cash and other effects worth $500. These interests were in the care of trustees JM. Simons, H. D. Kendrick and D. C. Porter. Other officers at this per- iod were: C, J. H. Arthur; V. C, E. C. Hastings; R. S., D. L. Barber; F. S., S. D. Johnson; treasurer, C. F. Harwood. Ivy Lodge, No. 4:5. Knights of Pythias, was instituted February 4th, 1887. with 20 charter members. De Witt C. Porter was elected the first chancellor commander; Henry D. Kendrick, vice-chancellor: William H. Talcott, prelate; and Albert Goodrich, past chancellor. Since its organization the Lodge has had a steady growth and has at- tained a fine standing in the community. In the fall of 1889 there were 60 members, who met statedly in handsomely furnished rooms, in the Wallace Block. There was, also, a large fund in the treasury. Besides elaborating the usual work of the order, the Lodge has, in the past year, conferred the amplified degree, which is the highest in the order, and one of the finest degrees in any civic society. At the close of 1880 the principal offices were filled by Hubert R. Chamberlain, W^illiam J. Arthur, Charles A. Smith, Charles S. Allen, Henry C. Elton, E. M. Hall, C. O. Norton and William H. Talcott. Arthur H. Button Post, No. 30, G. A. R., was organized in 1869 The st)ldiers of the war for the Union were quick to realize the benefit which must accrue from a well conducted order devoted to their in- terests, and in the year mentioned ten of them united in organizing the above Post. John R. Atwaterwas selected as their commander. Unfortunately, a waning interest caused the Post to disband in the course of a few years, and for ten years the comrades were obliged to connect themselves with Posts in other localities. On the 23d of No- vember, 1883, however, the Post was revived with 31 members and this corps of officers: C, William N. Mix; V. C, C. A. Harrison. .Sr.; S., Thomas Pickford; chaplain, Charles H. Barnes; Q. M., William Al. Whittaker; Adjt., Patrick McKenna; S. M., Charles A. Harwood; O.M.vS., J. B. Mix. Before the end of six months the membership was more than doubled, and at the close of 1889 more than 100 names were on the rolls of the Post. Besides handsomely furnishing a hall, a relief fund of nearly §1 ,ooo had been accumulated. The commanders of the Post since its reorganization have been: 1883-."), William N. Alix; 1886, C. A. Harrison; 1887, Ira P.. Smith; 1888, William J. Morse; 1889, Lewis A. Northrop. In IS'.to the commander was Jacob Joab and the adju- tant II. C. Nettleton. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 377 The Arcanum Club was organized January 8th, 1881. by Christo pher ]\Iorgan and about a dozen others, for social purposes, and a room for use was secured on the third floor of the Wallace Block. The success of the project caused the members to apply for corporate rights, which were obtained ^March 19th, 1884. In February, 1887. the club held its first public assembly and concert in the armory, in Wal- lace Hall, which gave it a favorable introduction to the community, and a largely increased membership. Spacious and handsome quar- ters in the new Simpson Block were now secured, which have been fitted up for the convenience and comfort of the club, which has be- come a large and pro.sperous social body. December 6th, 1889, the second public assembly was held in the Simpson Opera House, and was a pronounced success. Among the temperance organizations maintained in the town which have left their impress upon the community have been a strong Divi- sion of Sons of Temperance, prior to 1855: Phoenix Lodge, No. 28, of Good Templars, from 1867 for twelve years, had a large membership; a Temple of Honor, several years; and Perseverance Division, No. 12, Sons of Temperance, organized in 1883, whose meetings are still main- tained. The Union Agricultural vSociety of Wallingford was incorporated July 23d, 1872. Henry L. Hall was the first president of the society, which had already held a meeting in 1871, which was attended with so much success that steps were taken to place the organization upon a permanent basis. William D. Hall sitcceeded as president, and Joseph W. Allen became the secretary, both continuing until the society disbanded, a few years later. For several seasons successful fairs were held at Morse's Park, on Cherry street, but adverse circum- stances produced a diminished interest in the later exhibitions, which made it advisable for the society to suspend its meetings, and the organization was given up. Wallingford Grange, No. 33, P. of H., was instituted May 28th, 1885, at the house of M. E. Cook, who was the first master. D.W. Ives served as secretary. Thirty-three persons constituted the original membership, which was quickly increased, and in November, 1889, 91 members belonged, in active connection. The meetings were held in Grand Army Hall, and were occasions of unabated interesst and instruction in rural aft'airs and the economic arts. A purchasing agency, in charge of F. M. Bartholomew, has been succe.ssfully main- tained by the Grange since 1887. Since the organization of the Grange the principal officers have been the following: Masters, M. E. Cook, G. W. Cook and G. A. Hopson; secretaries, D.W. Ives, G. A. Hopson and F. M. Bartholomew: lecturers, Z. P. Beach and H. W. Andrews. The Grange has made several fine exhibits at the state fair at Meriden, and was awarded the first prize for the displays made. CHAPTER VIII. THE TOWN OF WALLINGFORD (Concluded). Eilucittional Matters. — Estiiblishmcnt of Religions Worsliip. — First Congregational Church.— The Wallingford Controversy.— The Wells Society.— The Wallin^ford Baptist Church.— St. Paul's (Protestant Episcopal) Clinrch. — The First Metlotlist Class. — Yalesville M. E. Church. — The Adventist Church. — Yalesville Baptist Church. — St. John's (Protestant Episcopal) Church, Yalesville — Second Advent Church of Wallingfonl — Holy Trinity (Roman Catholic) Parish. — The Wallingford Community. — Cemeteries. — Biographical Sketches. A.S .soon as the town was fully organized, about 1G7S, the matter of maintaining a school was a subject for town legislation, and the .selectmen were authorized to approve a schoolmaster at a salary of " ten pounds a yeare and three pence a weeke for all schoUers males or female.s froin six to sixteene years ould, so long as they goe toschoole." But it is probable that some arrangement for schools had been made as soon as the church was founded, in 1672, for usually these two institutions went hand in hand. In 1680 Elijah Preston taught a six months' school. Fifteen years later Eleazer Peck, John Parker and John Moss were chosen a school committee, and the town authorized them to hire a woman in summer and a man in winter. An effort to build a school house, made this year, was not realized until 17i)2. The building was small, not exceeding 20 feet square. In 1711 Henry Bates was the schoolmaster and Captain Merriman, .Samuel Munson, Sr., and John Ives the school committee. A general school tax was laid upon all children between the ages of 6 and 16 years living within a mile and a half of the school house. In 1715 the old town was divided into two districts, one on the east side of the river, the other on the west. Four years later a third school was started in the Andrews neighborhood. Henry Bates was the village schoolmaster a dozen or more years. In 1725 a new school house, 2(t by 25 feet, was built. Schools were now held several months per year, on the farms, in various parts of the town, and separate dis- tricts were formed as the necessities of the different sections de- manded, until the system was thoroughh' established. The shifting population made the change of location of many school houses neces- sary, and a few have been abandoned in consequence of the consoli- dation of districts. The Yalesville school house was originally on the east side of the river, the location being changed about 1800, when the district was enlarofcd. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 379= To secure schools of a better grade, Districts Nos. 5 and 6 were dissolved and united, December Oth, 1805, as the Central school dis- trict, whose first officers were B. F. Harrison, vS. B. Parmalee, John- C. Roach, committee; and John Atwater, clerk. The schools continued to be held in the old vSouth Main street building of the 6th district; in the old Elm street house, where Senator Joseph R. Hawley attended while residing, as a lad, with his father, at that time the Baptist min- ister at Wallingford; and a new school was opened in the basement of the old Catholic church. But the question of building a centrally lo- cated school house was soon agitated, and October 26th, 1867, Samuel Peck, Samuel Simpson, E. H. Ives, Augustus Hall and John C. Roach were appointed a committee to select a site. Failing to promptly make a .selection, the matter was settled when, on June 11th, 1868, Moses Y. Beach donated a plot of four acres of land, beautifully located, on which he had purposed to erect, at his own expense, a high school,, but had been prevented by the civil war and his ill health to carry out his intentions. Meantime the demand for school room on the "Plains" had be- come so great that in 1868 the brick school house was erected, at a cost of $7,500; and October 20th, 1868, it was voted to build the Cottage school house, on Ouinnipiac .street, on the " Plains." On the 2.1th of October, 1868, it was voted to erect a school edifice on the Beach lot, at a cost of $25,000, and a building committee com- posed of Samuel Simpson, James B. Campbell, R. H. Cowles, Doctor B. F. Harrison, A. I. Hall, James M. Leavenworth and R. R. Bri.stol, was appointed to take charge of the work. This was postponed for a year, but September 4th, 1869, it was ordered to proceed to build. Subsequently bonds to the amount of §30,000 were issued, and on the 17th of April, 1871, the building was reported completed, at a cost of $31,896.73. A portion of it was occupied for school purposes, January 1st, 1871. As originally put up the house was 70 by 80 feet, ba.sement half out of the ground, two stories clear and a mansard .story, produc- ing a structure having a high and attractive appearance. August 9th, 1878, the entire upper part of the building was destroyed by the great tornado, and when the repairs were made the upper story was modified and the general shape changed. This was done at a cost of $8,500. Subsequent improvements have made this one of the most complete buildings of the kind in towns of this size. In 1884 the district erected the Simpson school house, in the ea.st- ern part of the borough, vSamuel Simpson donating the lot on which the house stands. In 1887-8, the new and complete Colony street school building was erected, at a cost of $31,455.69, the committee hav- ing charge of the work being H. B. Todd, Reverend Hugh Mallon, Henry L. Hall, Michael O'Callaghan and Patrick Concannon. In 1889 the district owned school property, in the fonn of real estate, to the amount of nearly $60,000, and had a net indebtedness of $51,324. 14._ 380 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. There was a good supply of apparatus and modern fixtures, and schools were kept in 17 rooms. The teachers were paid salaries to the amount of nearly $1().U0<», and other expenditures increased the outla)^ for the support of schools to about $14,000 per year. The first efforts to grade the schools of the district were made in 1S71, but in 18tS7 a more complete grade was established, and June 14th, 1888, a revised course of study was adopted, requiring about ten years to complete, and mcluding cla.ssical studies in the high .school. In 1889 more than 900 pupils were registered m all the .schools of the district. Joseph A. Kellogg was the first principal in the high school building, and since 1886 the principal has been F.J. Heavens. On the school committee of the district Doctor B. F Harrison and C. H. Brown served many years, and Joseph W. Allen has been the clerk since 1868. Henry L. Hall has for many years been the acting .school visitor, and to his interest in educational matters is due, in a large measure, the proficiency of the .schools of Central district. X.Tnion Academy was incorporated at Wallingford May 12th, 1812, on the petition of Samuel Cook and others. The stock of the corpora- tion consisted of 250 shares at §.5 each, and in view of the fact that Porter Cook had donated the land on which the academy stood, he was given stock for the value of the same — $187.50. Joshua Bradley occupied the building as the first principal. He was an earnest, ener- getic teacher, and succeeded m gathering together a number of pupils, whom he carefully instructed several years, having usually a lady assistant. Elder Wright and Thomas Ruggles were also male teachers, the latter teaching in 1817. The pupils in 1818 numbered 45. In the course of time the academy building was converted into a residence, and as such was occupied many years. In more recent years an academy was maintained on Centre street, in the .so-called Masonic Hall, where A. B. Chapin, a Mr. Keeler and others were the teachers. For short periods other select schools were taught in the borough, but since the grading of the public schools but little support has been given to such enterprises. The public school building at Yalesville is a fine two-.story frame edifice, with vestibule extension, and was erected in 1874 at a cost of $9,000. The lot on which it stands embraces three acres, nicely plotted and planted with Norway spruce trees. Three spacious rooms accom- modate the 150 pupils registered for attendance. In 1889 Henry Schwab was the school visitor of the district and Charles E. Yale the treasurer. The old Yalesville school house, northea.st from this .site, has been converted into a residence, near the place where it originally stood. The .schools of Yalesville have a well-merited reputation for their excellence. The early settlers of Wallingford were actuated by the same spirit as that which had moved the founders of other towns in that period, and endeavored, while their own humble homes were yet building, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 381 to secure for themselves religious worship. Hence, at the second town meeting, held April 21st, 1671, they voted to lay a rate of 30 .shillings on the owner of every twelve acre lot, and 20 .shillings on those owning eight acre lots, to raise a fund for any fit person to be helpful in the ministry. For two years a Mr. Harriman preached on the Sabbath, performing this duty before a regular society was organ- ized or an ordained minister could be secured. The organization of a regular church was postponed several years, partly on account of the inability of the settlers to provide the requisite means and partly be- cause it was, like all the affairs of the town, made a matter for grave deliberation. But the meetings thus held were after the order of the Congregationalists, whose religious beliefs and forms had been legal- ized by the civil government as the established church. It is to be regretted that the people who had been forced to leave their native land on account of religious intolerance should, in their adopted country, through their zeal and love for their chosen religion, surround it with laws scarcely less tolerant than those which had op- pressed them. For nearly half a century there was scarcely any relig- ious liberty in the colony for those who dis.sented from the state church, when the rigor of the laws was somewhat abated by the Act of Toleration of 1708 and the further acts of 1727 and 1723. It was not, however, until many more years had elapsed that freedom of con- science and " soul liberty " were recognized rights, and all religions were accorded equal privileges and protection by the laws of the state. It should be borne in mind that in tho.se days there was not the uni- versal enlightenment which now prevails, and that class distinction had not been abolished. The masses of the colonists were controlled by superior minds, who had themselves been trained to believe that the church and the state were inseparable, and that the latter should establish, maintain and protect the former. Hence, the stringent laws of that period and the pre.scribed methods of conduct demanded by them. The First Congregational Church of Wallingford was organized in conformity with these laws and after the customs of those times. Its founders were law abiding, devout men, with respect for the usages of their time, and patterned closely after the parent society at New Haven. Accordingly, the preliminary .step was the appointment of a day of fasting and prayer for divine guidance in the .selection of the committee which should "lay the foundation." This was held Feb- ruary 3d, 1675. On the 15th of the same month the inhabitants met again to select the foundation members, who, in turn, were to admit b}' the ordinary processes of examination and profession. The record of the town in regard to this event is as follows: " At a lawful meeting of the inhabitants of the town of Walling- ford, and upon the 15th day of 2nd month, 1675, it was ordered and enacted by the town, that as there had been conference about estab- "382 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. lishing a church of Christ in the aforesaid town, and also a solemn fast set apart and celebrated by the town unanimously to seek God's guidance in so great a work, they have now also freely and unani- mously concluded, if it be the will of God, that there shall be a church of Christ gathered to walk according to the Congregational way, and have also all freely and unanimously left the management of the same in the hands of the persons whose names are underwritten, and that if it be the will of God to incline their hearts, so many of them as may be a competent number for that work, may in his time lay the found- ation. Thomas Yale, NEHE^UAH Royce, Eliasaph Pre.ston, John Hall, Sen'r., Mr. Moss, Lieut. Merriam, Mr. Sam'i. Street, Serg't Dooi.ittle, Nathan Andrews, John Hall, Jr., Mr. Brockett, John Bemti, Benj. Lewis." The court of election of the colony, held at Hartford. May 13th, 1675, approved this purpose of the town, and granted leave to estab- lish the church, consequent upon the approbation of the neighboring chiTrches, which was not withheld. Having no hou.se of worship, the meetings were held at the dwell- ings of Lieutenant Nathaniel Merriam and Ensign Munson, the town paying for the use of the same at the rate of 40 shillings per year; and this custom was continued about ten years. But at the town meeting October 2d, 1G76, it was contemplated to build a meeting hou.se, 30 by 34 feet. A consideration of the project led them, after the lapse of two years, to decide November 27th, 1678, " to build a house to meete in on ye Saboth of 28 foot in Length and 24 foot breadth & ten foot in stud between ye groundsill and wall plate, to be comfortably and comleyly fitted >up with doers and windows and floors and other things nedeful in order to the end propounded." Owing to the scarcity of material and the lack of means it took several years to complete this building, a further rate being levied in 1681 to that end. The house was built of logs, with a square roof running to a point at the center, where was a small turret. Doors on the ea,st and on the south afforded entrance and the windows were small, with shutters but without panes of glass. This meeting house stood on the hillside north of the present church and there is an account that when work on it was begun, the minister of a neighboring chui'ch was present and preached from the words of Lsaiah: " My beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill," which, in view of the beauty of the site and its surroundings, was certainly an appropriate selection. The interior of this house was very plain, there being neither pews nor slips, but long seats, the sexes occupying opposite sides of HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 383 the house. At the door were seats for the soldiers, for there was yet apprehension of attack by the Indians and the precautions of those . times were observed. In February. 1689, the town agreed to build a fort round the meeting house, to provide still greater security against a possible incursion by the red men. In 1690 the town had 73 families and the meeting hou.se having become too small, an addition of 16 feet was made to its breadth. The following year the interior was changed, the pulpit being removed to the west end and a sounding top placed over it. Two pews were also ordered to be built and short seats were placed on the sides of the pulpit. In the course of seven years the town was again obliged to enlarge the meeting house and in February, 1698, it was voted to build an addition on the east side, 20 by 50 feet, giving the improved building the form of a capital T. Still greater accommodations being demanded, on the 30th of April, 1706, " The town chose Deken Hall, Samuel R )ys and Goodman Culvert a committee to procure workmen to come and build gallers for the Inlargement of the meeting house." Of this church Doctor Davis, in his " History of Wallingford," says: " In this little edifice — meaner and more rude in its construction than any building now in the valley — the fathers of the town held their solemn assemblies, offered up their united prayers, and put forth their stern views of doctrine. At the appointed hour, the drum hav- ing been beaten, both the first time and the second, the whole popula- tion, from the dwellings of the town and the outlying farms came , together in the place of praj'er. In plain and carefully kept clothes, the saintly heads of families with their closely trained and solemn faced children, came, after the toils of the week to observe holy day." The increase of population so much taxed the capacity of the meet- ing house that chairs and stools were brought and placed in the "alleys of the house" to accommodate the worshippers. This resulted in so much inconvenience that by vote of the town, in 1716, the constable was ordered to remove them. Most likely this uncere- monious ejectment aided to settle the already agitated question of building a new meeting house for, on the 23d of September, 1717, that matter was determined by a vote of the town, when it was decided to build, •' and the forms of the house to be like Gilford [Guilford] meeting house and to be left to ye committee to make some little altera- tion if they see cause; and layed a rate of eight pence on the pounde for the careing of the meeting house." The committee referred to and who were to have charge of the building were Captain John Hall, Ensign Curtis, Sergeant Hart, Gideon Ives, William Ward, Joseph Parker, Robert Hall and Samuel Hall. So the old meeting hou.se was taken down and the erection of the third hou.se of worship begun. A site for it was selected in front of the present meeting house, where the frame was raised in 1718. .184 HISTORY OV NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The building fronted east, the main entrance being on its side to the street and at the north end or gable of the hottse was the steeple. It was a large structure, three stories high, with two tiers of galleries. It was completed and occupied in 1720. In the prosecution of the work the inhabitants were called on for labor and means, but as money was scarce progress was somewhat slow. Nails and glass were secured by the exchange of barrel staves. In 1719 Captain Hall was authorized to exchange a vessel load of staves to secure the above articles, and that year a contract was made with John Ru.ssell, a glazier of Wethersfield, "to make all the glass for the new meeting house." Unlike the old hou.se, in the new one more attention was paid to the interior arrangement. A whole range of pews was built around the sides of the new house, and several of the inhabitants were permitted to build pews of their own. which should befit their position. Captain John Hall was thus given liberty to have a pew near the last door. The assignment of the pews was placed in the care of a committee, to " dignify and seat the meeting house." This committee was instructed to respect the aged, " who had been serviceable to the town," and "to have respect for those who had borne commissions." After these classes had received attention, the remainder of the congregation were seated according to their .social position, proper preference being given to the family of the min- ister. In the galleries were u.sually the seats of the young people, boys under 18 years of age being excluded from the upper one, on account of the too great opportunity there afforded to indulge in friv- olous conduct. In the lower one boys were permitted under the watch .of some person appointed by the town for that purpose, and who was invested with constabulary powers. It appears that in bitildingthe new meeting house some of the in- habitants favored a steeple, while others were opposed to such an in- novation. But in 1718 it was voted to build one, which, however, was not done until 1728. The top of the belfry was crowned by a large bra.ss rooster. The three story meeting house was u.sed more than a hundred years, and within its walls some of the most stirring events of the church and the town took place. It was taken down in 1824 and the fourth meeting hou.se of the church erected in its .stead, in the pastorate of Mr. Noyes. It stood farther back on the lot and was what was termed a two-story building, having but one gallery. In the rear of the lower part was a basement. The entrance was from the east through a piazza, whose roof was supported by large pillars. The .spire surmounted the front of the roof, a part of the weight resting on the piazza pillars. It was crowned with -a ball and a weather vane. The pre.sent edifice occupied by the society is the iiflh meeting house erected by the First Congregational church. It is a large and imposing building, with a seating capacity of more than 700 persons, and cost about $40,000. The corner stone was laid June 10th, 1808, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ' 385 and it was dedicated May 2lPt 1S69. Since that time it has been freely repaired and supplied with various features to make it attrac- tive and comfortable. The first minister of the settlers of Wallingford, Reverend John Harriman, preached two years, when began the first regular pastorate by the Reverend Samuel Street. He was a son of Nicholas Street of New Haven, the colleague of Davenport, and was 40 years old when he came to Wallingford, in April, 1673. He was carefully educated and had graduated from Harvard in 1664. , His installation at Wal- lingford did not take place until 1674, but from the time of his call in 1072 he was practically the settled pastor. Before his coming the town had provided him a house and voted him a salar}^ of £50 per year. In the later years of his pastorate allotments of land were made for "his encouragement." both by the general court and the town. The for- mer, at its session in Hartford in May, 1681, granted him 200 acres, which he sold in 1686 to John Hulls of Derby. The year previous the town had granted him twelve well located acres, and at various times granted lands, until his holdings amounted to 120 acres. Aside from this the pastor's salary was increased, what seems a generous allow- ance being made. April 28th, 1696, "The Town voted to allow Mr Saml Street as A recompense for his labours in ye worke of ye min- istry in ye year 1696 ye full and just sum of one hundred pounds in provision pay, only ye sA Mr Street is to find himself firewood & he will set a week in ye fore part of ye sumer & a week in ye latter part of ye sumer yteach man may bring a load of wood or two if ye sd Mr Street see Cause & yt Mr Street will allow 2 & 6d P load to each man." Besides being pastor of the church 42 years, Mr. Street took an active interest in the affairs of the town and was much respected by all its inhabitants. He died January 16th, 1717, aged 82 years. Before the decease of Mr Street a colleague had been provided, the town taking action in this matter as early as July, 1708. A com- mittee was appointed which invited 'Mr.- Samuel Whittlesey to preach and, September 20th. 1708, the town confirmed the agreement which this committee had made, being satisfied with his preaching. A longer trial induced the town to extend him a pastoral call, the terms of which are contained in the following letter. This is here produced to show the zeal which animated this community and also indicates their poverty in worldly riches. Although disposed to pay well for ministerial service they had to resort to make shifts in order to raise the salary: " Mr Whittlesey, Sur: — The subscribers hereof being a committee appointed and empowered by the town of Wallingford as may appear by their record, bearing date April 4, 1709, to treat with yourself in order to a .settlement with us in the mini.stry, and for your incouragement to comply with us therein, doe propose to make 24 386 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. such grants of lands and other incouragements following — first we doe give and grant to you, the said Mr. Samuel Whit- telsey, a six acar lott of land lying neare the meeting house; and one acar and a half of the west end of Deaken John Hall's home lott for a building lott, to be bought for you: also a peace of land at southward side the Leatel quarter, on the hill, on which the town stands, fifteen acars; and seaven acars of pasture land on the north side of Nath'l Ives home lott: also a meadow lott of land in the common field on the west side of the river of twenty acars and known by the name of the parsonage; and fore acars of plaine in the same field called the town lott, al.so a farm of hundred and fifty acars of land att Pilgrim's Harbor, called the town farm, with all the unlaid outt land adjoining, and one hundred pound right in commonage and in all undivided land, all which shall be the .said Mr. Sam'l Whittelsey, his heirs, executors and administrators and assigns for ever, as an estate of inheritance in fee simple. Likewise the said committee doe agree to build a house for the s'd iMr. Sam'll Whittelsey of forty-two feet in length and twenty feet in breadth, tow stories hye, with a porch and back kitching and fini.shed deasantly, the said Mr. Samuel Whittelsey to provide glass and nales; which house is to be soe built within tow years; the s'd committee doth farther agree that the said Mr. Whittelsey shall have a sailer}' of seaventy pound a year for the tow first years and the thurd yeare eighty pound and one hundred pound a yeare ever after soe long as he carrieth on the work of the ministry; which sallery shall be paid in wheat at five shillings par bushel, rye at three shillings sixpence par bushel, pork at three pence farding per pound, and if it soe fall out that there doth not come a supply of fire wood yearly to the s'd Mr. Whittelsey by parsons appearing to do it gratis, then the town are obliged to take the care and find him his wood in some other wa}' — but if the providence of God should so order that the said Mr. Sam'll Whittelsey dye leaving no male Hare that is a natural issue of his bodye, then the six acar lott by the meeting house and the meadow lott called the parsonage to returne to the town againe to the true and honest intent and par- formans of the preameses we the before named committee have sett our names TiiiiMAs Yai.e, John Hai.l, Sk., vSa.muei, Hait., John Meaki.man, Thomas Curtis, " John Hall, John Parker." Mr. Whittlesey accepted the call on the conditions named, and was installed in May, 1710, as the colleague of Mr. Street, becoming the sole pastor upon the decease of the latter, seven years later. He was a son of John Whittlesey, the first emigrant of that name in this coun- try, and was born at Saybrook, Conn., in 1680. Becoming a student of Yale, he graduated in 170'). Seven years later he married Sarah HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 387 Chauncey, a granddaughter of President Chauncey, of Harvard Col- leo-e, who was a woman of strong force and character. Mr. Whittlesey died in the service of the church, April 2r)th, 1752, while yet in the vigor of manhood. He was an unusually talented man, and was one of the most emi- nent preachers in the colony in his day. " He applied his whole time to his work, and shone with distinction in intellectual and moral at- tainments. For twenty years he was a fellow in Yale College, in which institution his son, Samuel, was a tutor for six years, from 17:^2, when he became the associate pastor of the Milford church. The other members of his family reflected the attainments of their father, and the descendants of this worthy minister have remained useful citizens in the state, which delights to honor his revered name." We come now to the consideration of a most critical period in the history of the church. After the death of Mr. Whittlesey it soon be- came apparent that it would be difficult to secure a new pastor in whom would be combined the qualities of the old one, and who could control a membership which had already become restless, even under the judicious management of Mr. Whittlesey. The people were so divided in their opinions and feelings that although about twenty candidates had been heard, nearly six years elapsed before a successor was called. In 1757 matters had so far progressed that a ballot on the candidates was held, 100 votes being cast. Of this number Mr. Chaun- cey Whittlesey, a .son of the old pastor, received 48, the remainder of the votes being divided among four other candidates. The friends of Mr. Whittlesey were staunch in their adherence to him, and the others being equally unyielding, no choice was made, and the breach con- tinued to widen. In this strait the society, in March, 1758, referred the matter of selection to a committee of seven of the leading men of the town, whose judgment was greatly respected. After confer- ence this committee submitted the question to neighboring ministers — the Reverends Samuel Whittlesey, Samuel Hall, Isaac Stiles and Theophilus Hall — who advised the committee, April 26th, 1758, " to send to Mr. Holyoke, President of Cambridge College, Mr. Appleton, minister of Cambridge, and Doctor Chauncey, of Boston, for their Di- rection to some suitable candidate for the ministry in said Walling- ford." This was done by the committee, and Doctor Chauncey being absent the two first named recommended Mr. James Dana, of Cam- bridge, a graduate of Harvard in 1753, as a most suitable person to supply the wants of the church. Mr. Dana was at that time 23 years old and was undoubtedly a young man of marked attainments and rich promise. He was invited to visit Wallingford, with a view of becoming a candidate for settle- ment and, coming, preached several Sabbaths to the apparent satis- faction of all concerned. Samuel Hall, Elihu Hall, Ensign Theophilus Doolittle, Charles Whittlesey, John Hall, John Peck, Deacon John 388 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. Hall, Caleb Merriman, Lieutenant Joseph Royce, Lieutenant Caleb Johnson, Captain Nathaniel Beadel. Captain Peter Hall, Captain Ehakim Hall, John Moss and Abraham Stanley were appointed a committee to secure him as a pastor and to arrano-e the terms of his acceptance. ( )n the 2d of September, 17o8, Mr. Dana acrreed to become the pastor and it was decided that he should have ^200 settlement: .^80 salary, the first year, £90 the second year, and i,'l()() per year thereafter as long as he continued in the ministry of the society.' Unfortunately, at this juncture, a question arose as to the sound- ness of Mr. Dana upon some theological points and upon his being questioned in relation to the same, he answered them in such a manner as to lead some of the aforesaid committee to think that he was not sufficiently orthodox to become their minister. Hence, when the society voted to give him a settlement and salary, while 140 voted m his favor, .so much opposition had already arisen that 62 votes were cast against him. Mr. Dana accepted the pastoral office, as he was clearly the choice of the majority, but the opposition not only did not cease but now assumed larger and more determined proportions. Explicit charges were made against him, to the Consociation of New Haven county, which were signed September 25th, 1758, by Caleb Merriman, Caleb Johnson, Daniel Clark, Street Hall and Levi Moss. The consideration of these charges and the questions which arose from their discussion, involving, as they did, many of the controverted points at issue between the "Old Lights" and the "New Lights," culminated, finally, in what became widely known as " The Walling- ford Controversy." Of this it has been said " that it more than all others became a matter of public concern and opened a distinct era m New England theology and in history of the • liberties of the churches.' Mr. Dana was set apart to the ministry by an • Old Light ' council, in the face of protest of a respectable minority and against the solemn edict of the Consociation of New Haven county, which had met at Wallingford to forbid the ordination of a candid'ate charged with doctrinal unsoundness, even with Socinian or Arminian proclivi- ties.^ The bold procedure of ordaining in spite of the prohibition was a triumph of the principle for which the 'New Lights' had long contended: and the pens of the time were alive in its censure or its defense. It was a triumph also over the power of the 'ecclesiastical constitution of the dissenters,' and Noah Hobart, aided by President Clap and other leading divines of the colony proved to be a champion no more successful here, for the Saybrook Platform, than he had been in his addresses to the members of the Episcopal separation in New England. Those on the other side found support for their action in the popular voice as well a.s in the voice of a body of ministers trained under the influence of Whitefield's teachings."- The council called to ordain Mr. Dana and the Consociation meet- * Doctor BL-ardsley and Dr. Davis. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 389 ing to examine the charges against him both assembled at Walling- ford October 10th, 1758, and after several days ineffectual attempts to adjust matters, the Consociation forbidding, the ordaining council determined to go on, being satisfied with the Christian character of Mr. Dana and that his views did not unfit him for the ministry. Mr. Dana was ordained October 12th. 17.58. Before the ordination the Consociation certified to the council that i)t> members of the society were opposed to Mr. Dana and that they possessed half the rate- able estate. Some of those opposed were the largest tax payers and were men of high standing in the town. Naturally, to them the selection of Mr. Dana was very aggravating, especially since he re- fused to be interrogated in regard to his doctrinal belief, by some of these men, who probably demanded that right on account of their social position. Hence they were interested in keeping alive the opposition to Mr. Dana and through the Consociation had the sentence of non-communion passed against some of the principal adherents of Mr. Dana, as well as against the pastor himself. Later, in March, 17.59, they moved to have the council which had ordained Mr. Dana, and which was composed of the Reverend Joseph Noyes, Isaac Stiles, Theophilus Hall. Samuel Whittlesey, Jonathan Todd and Chauncey Whittlesey, elders; and Robert Treat, Nathaniel Ruggles, Thomas Darling and Ezekiel Royce, messengers, cut off from mmisteral intercourse with the other ministers in the county. This being done the disfellowshipped ministers formed a new association which was continued about twelve years, when the excitement hav- ing subsided the old Consociation made overtures which resulted in uniting them into one body. After the disfellowship of Mr. Dana, he and his adherents remained in po.ssession of the meeting house, the dissentients absenting them- selves from the worship. But, on the advice of the Consociation, they applied for the use of the meeting house when not occupied by Mr. Dana, and that body would supply preaching. Under this arrange- ment, Benjamin Woodbridge preached several times, but on being adjudged a disorderly person,* August 14th, 1759, on proper complaint made, the meetings were there discontinued. The dissentients did not, however, acquiesce in the payment of their taxes, imposed for the support of the ecclesiastical society, without an effort for relief. In May, 1760, 96 persons petitioned the general assembly, pleading that the action of the Consociation, April 23d, 1760, in disfellowing the entire church, on account of adherence to unorthodox doctrine, war- ranted them in the claim that they (adherents of the Consociation) were rightfully the society, and .should have possession of the meeting hou.se and its immunities. To this petition Charles Whittlesey, agent for the society, made reply, stating that the dissentients were the * That is, preaching without consent of the regular minister, in violation of a colony law of that period. 390 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. minor party who had participated in the call of Mr. Dana, and after- ward endeavored to interpose an irregular Consocional council, rai.sing- a most violent opposition, etc., " and although they were released from rates for the support of Mr. Dana and allowed to worship by them- selves, as provided by assembly, yet they persisted and petitioned the General Assembly," hence that body was asked to subject the minor party to taxes or restrain them from interference. However, the dissentient party persisted in its claim for an inter- est in or division of property of the First Society, and for a term of years the general assembly was flooded with petitions and counter prayers until the matter became a grievous burden to that body. Early in I7(J2, the opposition to Mr. Dana, or the "constitutional party," as they now termed themselves, through John Hall, Caleb Merriman, Eliakim Hall and Isaac Johnson, again besought the assem- bly that the society's and the public's interests might be divided, and that the society be restrained from levying any further rates. As a reason for claim to this exemption and participation in the old prop- erty, they stated that they had settled Mr. Waterman as their own pastor, and had now a distinct society of their own. On the memorial of John Hall, Jr., and others, May 1st, 1672, this ecclesiastical society was incorporated, to " be called, known and distinguished bv the name of Wells."* At the time Mr. Waterman was .settled as their pastor, October, 1761, the .society had 61 members. Nine years later the number was 104, which was near the maximum strength. In April, 1762, a place for a meeting house was selected, being a lot partly on Israel John- son's land and partly on the common. This was 18 rods from the old meeting house, and was believed to be far enough away to prevent disturbance to the old society. That body, however, asked for an in- junction to prevent buildmg. which was refused; and also brought wit- nesses to testify that the .services of the Wells Society could be heard 25 rods. The building of the Wells meeting house was begun, when some of Mr. Dana's parish threatened to destroy it, because it was partly on the highway. " A fight over the trenches dug for the foundations brought together the inhabitants for miles around to participate in the scene, or to witness its issue." But the meeting house was built as begun, and was opened for services December 8th, 1762. It stood on part of the present Episcopal church lot, and was a so-called two- story frame house, with its side to the street, where was a door and eight windows. Another door was at the south gable end. The architec- ture was plain, but the building was so substantial that it stood about eighty years. It was used in turn by the " Wells Ecclesiastical So- ■*It is claimed by some th;it this name was given for a wealthy citizen who- liberally supported the movement. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 391 ciet3%" the Baptists and the Episcopalians, after 1830, and as their property was taken down, by that body, after 1840. It would be interesting to trace the .struggle for their suppo.sed rights which took place between these two societies, from 1765 for the next twenty years, but space forbids. The advantages of the situa- tion alternated from one society to the other, and each had its earnest advocates, not only in the town, but throughout the entire colony. In the town, however, the most baneful effects were felt. It was divided against itself, and many brethren were alienated to such an extent that they connected themselves with churches of other persuasions. Mr. Waterman continued pastor of the Wells church until June, 1787, when he was dismissed on account of the inability of the society to give him farther support. Soon after the church ceased to exist. In November, 1788, the remaining members voted unanimously that "they were desirous of holdmg Christian fellowship and communion with the church under the care of Reverend James Noyes, notwith- standing the sentence of non-communion passed some years since by a consociated council again.st said church." At this time Mr. Dana was still pastor of the First church, Mr. No3'es being the colleague pastor. His views, probably, had some- what changed, and much of the prejudice held against him by the dissentients had worn away. By his warm advocacy of the patriot cause during the revolution, he had also become more popular, not only at home, but throughout the colony. His political soundness outweighed his inclination to Arminianism, causing many to overlook It as a pardonable offense. It should be remembered, too, that the war had a liberalizing effect upon most communities, which, under the in- spiration of civil liberty, attained at such great cost, favored greater liberty of thought upon religious matters. The controversy thus extended through thirty years was not with- out important compensating results. Chief among these was the overthrow of the "Old Lights " as a dominant party. Under the " Ecclesiastical Constitution " of the colony they had exercised much arbitrary power, and deprived many pastors and churches of their rights, making their peculiar constitution a very engine of oppres- sion. In this conflict, in the ordination of Mr. Dana, the same means which they had so long used was turned against them, and the "Ecclesiastical Constitution" was shorn of its powers in the attempt to make those powers coercive against the will of the majority. Nor were the "New Lights" fully triumphant in this conflict. Mr. Dana did not fully favor the methods of Whitefield and other itinerating ministers, and his settlement over this important church, in the face of the opposition of those more strongly imbued with such doctrines, had a modifying effect upon that system. Nevertheless, the contro- versy worked the dawn of a new era in New England theology; and from the time of its close appeared a new generation of ministers who 392 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. had imbibed the spirit of the "great awakening," and who had, to some extent, been indoctrinated with the teachings of modern theolo- gians, lilie Edwards and Bellam\', whose influence upon the churches is felt to this day." In ]7Sf), the health of Mr. Dana being poor, ^Ir. James Noyes was chosen as his colleague, and they jointly served as ministers until 1789, when Mr. 1 'ana removed to New Haven to fill the pulpit made vacant by the death of the Reverend Chauncey Whittlesey. There he continued pastor of the First church until the summer of ISOo, when he retired, on account of the infirmities of age. He died at New Haven, August ISth, 1812, at the age of 77 years. Mr. James Noyes, the colleague pastor from May 4th, 1785, and the sole pastor after 1789, was in many respects the very opposite of Mr. Dana. He was essentially a man of peace and harmon}', whose genial nature pleased all and offended none. Until June 5th, 1832, he per- formed the pastoral duties, being prevented in all during nearly half a century of years, on two Sabbaths only, to attend to his office. In his ministry 279 persons were admitted to the communion of the church, leaving 150 members at its close. In the same period 690 per- .sons in the parish died. Reverend James Noyes was a son of Jo.seph Noyes, of New Haven, and was born in that city in 17G4. When IS j'ears of age he graduated from Yale College, where he was afterward fitted for the ministry, which he began at Wailingford at the age of 21 years. He died at Wailingford February 18th, 1844, beloved by the entire community. Reverend Edwin R. Gilbert was ordained the fourth pastor Octo- ber 3d, 1S32. He was a type of man worthy to be the successor of Mr. Noyes and was eminently successful in a pastorate whose duration was terminated only by his death, April 17th, 1874. Mr. Gilbert was born at Hebron, Conn., in 1S()8, and when 21 years old graduated from Yale, where he afterward studied theology. His ministry at Wailingford was attended by the growth and progress of the church in spiritual and material things, the church being at the time of his death a large and influential body. After the Reverend Solon Cobb had supplied the pulpit, in 1874-5, a call to the pastorate was extended him, which he declined, and sup- plies continued to serve the church several years. Reverend H. JNI. Tenney was installed as the sixth pastor, February * " The Old Lights " and " The New Lights." — Briefly, these terms had their origin in the Evangelistic labors of Whitefield in 1740, those favoring his methods and those of his followers, like Tennant, Bellamy, Pomeroy and others, being- called by the latter title ; while those opposed to any nnusnal effort to awaken the people were designated by the former name. In many conimunities the contention between these two was long and bitter, resulting, in many in.stances, in tile withdrawal of the "New Lights," who established societies of their own. These were called Srpara/r churches. A small Sfpiira/c church was maintained, a short time, in the southern part of Wailingford. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 393 27th, 1877. by a largely attended council, over which Leonard Bacon, D.D., moderated. Thi.s pastoral relation was continued until June 2'Sd. 18.sri, when a council was called to dissolve it, Mr. Tenney resigning to take charge of a church in the We.st. The seventh and present pastor, Reverend Charles H. Dick- in.son, was ordained December 17th, 1885, coming to this place from Northampton, Mass. Under his care the church continues to prosper. In the parish were 380 families who contributed a membenship of more than 400 persons, in the fall of 1889. There has been a long line of deacons, who were honored in the community and were important in the affairs of the church. They were: Eliasaph Preston, died 1705: John Hall, died 1721; Samuel Hall, died 1725: John Peck, died 1768; Samuel Moss, died 1765; John Hall, died 1766; Samuel Hall, chosen 1760; Benjamin Atwater, chosen 1766; Peter Hall, cho.sen 1772; Oliver Stanley, chosen 1781; Samuel Hall, cho-sen 1789; Joshua Atwater, chosen 1810; Solomon Carter, chosen . 1810; Josiah Hall, chosen 1816; Joshua Atwater, chosen 1822; Russell Hall, chosen 1832; Lyman Cannon, chosen 1832: *John Atwater, chosen 1851; Levi W. Bates, chosen 1851; O. Preston Northrop, chosen 1857: Samuel Peck, chosen 1857; *Harvey S. Hall, cho.sen 1863; *Sereno L Bartholomew, chosen 1869; *C. F. Harwood, chosen 1878; *A. D. Judd, chosen 1888; *Henry B. Todd, chosen 1888. Associated with the deacons in 1889 on the church committee were David Gaylord, A. D. McLean and Wm. H. Goddard, John Atwater was for many years clerk and in 1885 was succeeded by the present clerk, Charles F. Harwood. Auxiliary to the church are a flourishing Sabbath school and a number of .societies to aid in missionary and benevolent work. Within the parish have been rai.sed up as Congregational minis- ters the following: Andrew Bartholomew, Joseph Bellamy, David Brooks, Timothy Cloot, Chauncey Coot, Benjamin Doolittle, Edward J. Doolittle, Ogden Hall, Lyman Hall, Samuel Hall, Theophilus Hall, Luther S. Hough, Jacob Johnson, Matthew Merriman, James Noyes, Nicholas Street, John Tyler, Samuel Whittlesey, Comfort Williams and Thomas Yale. The Wallingford Baptist Church was organized in 1735. The early history of this church is somewhat obscure, on account of the changes which occurred before it became a permanent body. Count- ing from the first attempt to maintain an organized Baptist society in the colony of Connecticut, this was the third church formed. The first church was organized in Groton in 1705, and the second in Waterford in 1710. There were about ten families represented, con- tributing thirteen members. Timothy Waters was the minister. In the course of a few years Reverend John Merriman, one of the mem- bers, was ordained as the pastor. He was subsequently the pastor of *Deacons, December, 1889. 394 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. the Southington ch^■lrc•h, where he died in 1784, in the 80th year of his age. How long he preached for the Baptists of Wallingford is not positively known; probably as a regular pastor not more than a few years. He was a man of liberal views and in the " great awaken- ing " in religious matters, which prevailed in the period of his pastor- ate, when there seemed to be a general concern for the salvation of souls, he invited some of the neighboring ministers of the Estab- lished or Congregational church to preach to his people. In this way Doctor Bellamy had come and expounded the word to their satisfac- tion and in the same wav Reverend Philemon Robbins, the " New Light" minister of the Congregational church of Bran ford, was now asked to come, in December, 1841, and, agreeing, he made an engage- ment to preach on January 6th, 1742. Two days previous to that time he was handed a letter by a deacon of the Congregational church of Wallingford, which was signed by 42 men of the town, desiring him not to preach to the Baptists, but assigning no reason why he should not. As the Baptists of Wallingford, acting on the advice of Governor Talcott, had not been required to pay their rates to the ecclesiastical society, thus admitting their right to maintain a society of their own, they could not properly be classed as disorderly persons" and, after due deliberation, he filled his engagement. This act awakened a hostile feeling toward Mr. Robbins, not only in the Consociation of the c, when Reverend Theophilus Morris, missionary of the London society ex- tended his labors to this section, coming from the Naugatuck valle}'. It is probable that his ministry led to the formation of the so-called ■' Union Church " parish, which was organiied in March, 1741, and was composed of perhaps a dozen families residing in the southern part of old Wallingford and North Haven. A small frame church building was erected near Pond hill, in which the services of the church were now clothed with some of the impressive dignity which attaches to them. Mr. Morris preached at this church every three months, and was assisted by a Mr. Thompson, who officiated more frequently. A 400 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. little later a Mr. J. Lyon was the a.ssistant.and they had also the a.ssi.st- ance of a lay reader, .so that services appear now to have been held regularly; and from this time, 1741, the Episcopal church in Walling- ford has had a continuous history. This purpo.se to maintain an organized parish, distinct and separate from the Congregational or State church, aroused the members of the latter body to as.sert their rights as expressed in the colonj' laws of that period, and the chui'chmen were not only obliged to pay their rates to build the regular meeting houses and to support the estab- lished ministry, but some of them, for protesting against these unjust measures, were fined and impri.soned. Such action had a tendency to keep the churchmen poor and distressed. The newly organized churches found it difficult to support a minister or even to contribute much toward his maintenance. Under these circumstances Henry Bates and John Ward, of the Wallingford church, on the 1st of December, 1748, wrote to the secretary of the London society, reciting that, although there were 25 masters of families belonging to the organization, yet owing to the frequent demands upon them by the established church, they were kept poor and needed aid from the venerable society in order to maintain a minister. If such aid could be given they hoped to be able, in the course of a few years, to raise ^"20 sterling per an- num toward the support of a minister, etc. The society extended the aid the parish desired, and there was an increase of members under the labors of Reverends Ichabod Camp and Ebenezer Punderson. The former first read lay sermons at Wal- lingford in 1748, and after his ordination divided his time between Wallingford and Middletown, from 17.')8 to 1760, when he removed to North Carolina. The latter was at Wallingford in 17.")0, and appears to have made a good impression in favor of his cause. Like Samuel wSeabury, he was formerly a Congregational minister at Groton, but was ordained to the priesthood in England in 1784, after which he returned to this country and earnestly labored as a churchman. Meantime the meetines of the Wallingford church were held in what is now the borough, the church at Pond hill proving to be incon- veniently located. Of this second place of worship but little can be said. It was, most likely, simply a dwelling fitted itp for that pur- pose, and stood in the northern part of the village. To provide a more suitable place measures were taken to erect a church at a still more central point. Accordingly, December 20th, 17.")7, Joseph Rice, Jr., Titus Rrockett, David Cook and Abel Thom.son petitioned the town for permission to build a new church on the corner diagonally northwest of the present site. Permission being granted, the church was built in I7A8, and was also an una.ssuming frame structure, but larger than the first one, on Pond hill. In it was placed an organ bv David Cook, who had brought it from England. Subsequently this HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 401 organ became the property of the North Haven society, and in 1S09 it was sold to William P. Gardner, of New Haven. Some time about 1762, Reverend Samuel Andrews was appointed the missionary of the " Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," for the parishes of Wallingford, Cheshire and North Haven, and continued that relation, with some interruption, until 1781, when he removed to New Brunswick, where he became the first rector of the parish of St. Andrews. He remained in Nova Scotia until his death at an advanced age. Mr. Andrews was born in what is now the town of Meriden.in 1737, and was the youngest of eight sons. In 17;)9 he graduated from Yale College. Two years later he went to England to receive holy orders in the Episcopal ministry. After being in the service of the London Society, at Wallingford, several years, he made an extended missionary trip into the northern part of New England, returning to his original field of labor, where his work was crowned with great success, until the troublous times of the revo- lution. In that strugforle Mr. Andrews was a tory, and thus incurred the hostility of his patriot neighbors, destroying his usefulness as a minister in this locality. It is said that when he removed, in conse- quence of his opinions, a number of tory families accompanied him to seek new homes in Nova Scotia, as their love and respect for him was very great. He was sincerely consistent in his views and unaffected in his piety, claiming that his vows to the missionary society, in whose employ he was, would prevent him from doing otherwise than the course he pursued. He was the last missionary of the society to the Wallingford church, which in the early years of his ministry was greatly strengthened, so that the parish had, in 1770, 63 families and 69 communicants. In Cheshire there were 47 families and 64 com- municants; and in what is now Meriden there were 6 families and 14 communicants. Much of the accession to the membership was the result of dissensions in the established church, consequent upon the discussion of theological questions. This drove many from the folds of the established church in every parish, which aided to liberalize the old societies after they had passed through a period of contention. " But many, in order to escape the acrimonious controversies of that day, joined the Episcopal church, to find peace and enjoyment in its communion."* Other missionaries of the Loudon Society sometimes visited Wal- lingford, and aided to establish the church. Among these was Ed- ward Winslow, the missionary at Stratford, who frequently officiated, as often as once every six weeks, in 1760. He was an excellent preacher and a good rector, but died while yet in the prime of man- hood, in 1780. Of the condition of the Episcopal church at large, in the colony, at this period and later, Doctor Davis says: " The close of the revolution * Doctor Beardsley's History of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. 25 402 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. found it in a state of the deepest depression. Her altars prostrate or deserted, her ministers gone or disheartened, her.self the object ot political odium and suspicion, without the inherent power of perpetu- ating her own polity, her cause, m the view of men seemed well nigh desperate. So mourned her friends; so vaunted her enemies. •• _ The consecration of Doctor Samuel Seabury to the bishopric, m 1783. and the establishment of the Diocese of Connecticut, brought encouragement to the hearts of the churchmen in the colony, as the affairs had now a supervising head. The benefit of this arrangement was soon made manifest in the more perfect organization of the church work, which brought order out of chaos and restored confidence in the future of the church. And yet. for many years, the church at Wallin-ford felt the depressing effects of the revolutionary period, barely maintaining an existence, after some of its strength was gath- ered to the .support of newly organized parishes withm the bounds ot the old town. In 1788 Reverend Reuben Ives became the rector of the church at Cheshire his native town, for two-thirds of the time, with privilege to devote the remaining third to missionary duties in the neighboring towns. These ministrations continued about thirty years, and led to the organization of the parishes in Meriden, Southmgton and Ham- den. He supplied Wallingford and Meriden many years, and Rever- end Tillottson Bronson, the principal of the Cheshire Academy, Rev- erend Charles Seabury, son of the bishop, and others, also preached m this period. , , , j r Near the close of 1794 Reverend Seth Hart, who had preached foi the Episcopalians of Waterbury, removed to Wallingford and remained about four years. In 1801 Reverend Ammi Rogers took charge of the parishes of Branford. Wallingford and East Haven. Later the Wallingford church was supplied by, among others, the Reverends Toseph Perry and Virgil H. Barber. In 1822 there was again a regular rector in the person of Reverend Tames Keeler, but in 1824 he was succeeded by Reverend Ashbel Baldwin, who lived at Wallingford and who officiated several years In 1S32 he became disabled by age for any active duty. He died at Rochester, N. Y.. in 1846, nearly 90 years old. Mr. Baldwin was a man of ability and tact and well liked in the community. It was m this period, in 1831, that the •' Wells Meeting House " was purchased by the parish and occupied for church purposes. Since 1832 the parish has had a regular succession ot rectors ana has prospered accordingly. The ministers ^i^fjhat period ha^e been: Reverends William Curtis. 1832-6; Lemuel Hall, 1836-9; R-M. Chapman, 1839-40; Hillard Bryant, 1841-50; Joseph Brewster, 1850-3; Charles S. Putnam, 185:^-8; John Townsend, 18.-^8-64; Edward -M. Gushee, 1864-70. Since June, 1870, the rector has been Reverend J. * History of AValHngford, p. 254. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 403 F. Wildman, whose ministry has been characterized not onl}' by length of years beyond any of his predecessors, but has also been successful in promoting the material and spiritual interests of the parish. The membership has been largely increased, numbering in December, 1889, 289 communicants and 190 families. The ministry of Reverend Hillard Bryant was one of the first in which there was a marked change in the affairs of the pari.sh. In 1843 he reported the building of a neat and commodious rectory, at a cost of $1,500: and in 1846 a new Gothic church 40 by 63 feet was erected on the old " Wells " lot at a cost of $5,000, most of which was secured from outside sources. In 1861, under the rectorship of Rev- erend John Townsend, the church was enlarged at an expense of $2,379, and in 1865, while Reverend E. M. Gushee was the rector, it was beautified at an outlay of more than $400. In the ministry of the same rector the church was burned, October 27th, 1867, the loss being estimated at $15,000. At the same time the " Union Hall," on the lot south was destroyed and its site was afterward included in the church lot. Upon the Reverend Mr. Gushee devolved the work of having a new church edifice erected, and the present substantial building is evidence of the success of the undertaking. The corner stone was laid by the Right Reverend John Williams, May 26th, 1868, and by him the church was consecrated September 2d, 1869. It is built of Portland sandstone, in the Gothic style of architecture, with a width of 58 feet and a height of 62 feet. A tower on the northwest corner, 91 feet high, is supplied with a bell of 2,500 pounds weight. The length of the building is 124 feet and it is .suitably divided for the use of the church. The audience room accommodates 700 people. George E. Harney was the architect. The church cost about $70,000. A very large proportion of this amount was paid by two members of the parish — Samuel Simpson and Ebenezer H. Ives. Since the erection of the new church it has been reasonably repaired and made still more attractive. The ministry of Mr. Gushee was also characterized by the extension of the parish, in the establishment of the mission at Yalesville, which had become strong enough, in 1871, to be organized as an independent parish, and has since gone apace with the parish church. Of the parish of St. Paul Samuel Simpson has been the senior war- den since 1858, and Henry L. Hall has served as junior warden many years. The present vestrymen are: G. W. Hull, S. N. Edmonds, B. A. Treat, William N. Mix, John Munson, William Hodgkinson, John H. Francis, Street Williams, C. A. Harrison, Benjamin Hall, W. M.Whit- taker. The parish clerk is Charles G. Pomeroy. The church has several valuable auxiliaries, chief among them being the Sunday school, with nearly 2()0 members.and William Whit- taker as its superintendent. St. Paul's Guild, a ladies' aid society, has 404 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. for more than twenty years, by its material assistance and moral sup- port, advanced the work of the parish. St. Paul's Chapter of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew is of recent oriranization, being instituted December 9th, 1880, with 18 charter members. William Whittaker was elected to the office of director: Horace Furni.ss, secretary; and William N. Mix, treasurer. Its membership is increasing rapidly. Walling-ford Methodists organized a class in the town as early as 1809, which had as members Samuel Smith and wife, Sydney Smith, Stever Beach, Mary Doolittle, Elizabeth Merriam, Lucinda Preston and Nancy Parker. They met for worship in private houses, and what preaching they had was in connection with the appointments in the surrounding towns. In more recent years a Alethodist church was fairly established at Wallingford, and a chapel was procured on the " Plains," on Quinnipiac street, in which worship was for some time statedly held, and there were a number of active members. The re- moval of some of these and other causes so weakened the society that no official organization was maintained in 1889, and .since 1885 the chapel has only been infrequently used. The Yalesville Methodist Episcopal church had its origin in revival services held in the old Adventist church, in 1865, the religious awak- ening extending to the entire community. As a result a union house of worship was biiilt by G. I. Mix and others, in which a Sabbath school was established, with Mr. Mix as superintendent, and the chapel was used by various denominations. The Methodist class at Yales- ville, which had among its members George Cook, A. J. Brown, T.W. Jerald, J. Campbell, William Watson and others, being encouraged by the Methodist church of [Meriden, purchased for $3,500, in May, 1867, the Union chapel, and made it a church of their own denomination. Im- provements of a more recent period have made the house comfortable, and a parsonage, built in 1880. close at hand, has enhanced the value of the property of Yalesville circuit. Prior to the organization of this, about fifteen years ago, the church had the services of local preachers. In 1880 the minister of the circuit was Reverend George Coburn. The church had 90 members, and the .Sabbath school, of which Charles A. Lamb was the superintendent, reported 75 mem- bers. The Adventist church was built prior to the civil war, and after being occupied many years for religious purposes fell into disuse, and was later turned into a storeroom. The Yalesville Baptist church was organized in 1877 with 11 mem- bers, and Ephraim Peck, Henry Schwab and Plenry H. White were elected deacons. The church has prospered, and in 1889 had 52 mem- bers. Garry I. Mix was the superintendent of the Sabbath school, which had ]()(» members, and whose affairs were in a pro.sperous con- dition. The pulpit has been supplied most of the time, having had only one regular occupant, the Reverend Walter B. Vassar, who was HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 405 the pastor one year. The past four j-ears the supply has been Rever- end A. E. Reynolds. The church edifice was dedicated May 16th, 1880. It stands in a pleasant part of the village, and is substantially built of brick, 38 by 56 feet, with a chapel extension, in the rear, of 26 feet. A small spire adds to the appearance. The property is valued at $o.0()0. St. John's Evangelical Church (Protestant Episcopal) is located at Yalesville. The finst services of the church at this place were held in the school house, by Reverends Deshon, of the Meriden parish, and Gu.shee, of Wallingford; but later meetings were held in the Advent chapel. About 1863 the sum of $1,500 was raised, and the building of the above house of worship was begun, on a lot donated by Bennet Jeralds. It is an attractive edifice, in the Gothic .style of architec- ture, having dimensions of 35 by 70 feet, and is neatly furni.shed. Having the regular services of a Mr. Bush, as a lay reader, the Episcopal membership at this place increased, and in 1870 there were 20 communicants. The following year vSt. John's became a separate parish, with Bennet Jeralds and Henry C. Woodin as wardens; Ed- ward H. Tracy, JohnW. Woodin, John G. Button and Charles E. Yale, vestrymen. Since that time the membership of the parish has varied, there being about 40 communicants in 1889. These were served by Reverend William Wildman, and Reverend J. E. Wildman, of the Wallingford church, was the rector in charge of parish affairs. Previous ministers were : Reverend Bush, here ordained to dea- con's and priest's orders; Reverend D. Henry Smith, the rector for four years, after 1880; and his successor, the Reverend J. B. Robinson, rector for about three years. In addition, there have been a number of supplies, lay readers and ministers under deacon's orders, the frequency of change preventing the greater prosperity of the church. The Second Adventists of Wallingford built a handsome house of worship in 1890-1. In 1843, and for a few years following, there was a great interest in Wallingford in the doctrine of the second coming of Christ. The Reverend Mr. Bacheler and many others of the Bap- tist church e.spou.sed it, and the cause soon had a large following in the communit}'. Disappointed in the expected appearance of Christ, as foretold by Miller and others, many renounced their new faith, and no permanent Advent organization was maintained. Later a society was formed at North Farms, which had among its members Walter Ives, William Bartholomew and D. Piatt. These and others of that locality erected a chapel opposite the Eben Neil corner, in which Advent meetings were held about ten years. The membership, never large, was diminished by removals, so that services were discontinued and the chapel was converted into a residence. Those remaining Adventists now attended the meetings at Yalesville, where an interest in this faith had sprung up, which received support from members of the Piatt, Chandler, Marble, Bartholomew and other families. A 406 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Chapel was there built, which was a useful factor in the religious life o The place a score of years, when the Advent -etrngs were rtiere also given up in consequence of the absorbtion of most of the mem- bership byThe other churches at that place, noted in the foregoing ^Tbout 1879, Reverend Homer A. King came to Wallingford bor- ougt ^ith a missionary tent and held a series of meeting, which were the means of gathering up a few members, among them be.ng Georo-e Hull, James Pierepont, William Hill, Asahel Andrews, S M. Scianton and D. C. Dudley. No regular organization was attempted, but mee ino-s were held in halls until May, 1881, when the old Mam s^ieTschool house was secured as a regular place of worship, and it was occuDied until the completion of the new church. In lis te church .settled Reverend D. T. Call as its pastor, who continued in that relation .several years. He was fol owed in that office by Reverend George M. Teeple, who remained ^-}^\l^^^^;^' since which time the pulpit has again been supplied. J^- ^^^^ " ship has increased gradually, about .>0 persons belonging at the pie.- enttime A vigorous Sunday school is maintained. Holy Trinit; Church (Roman Catholicr is a prosperous and grow- ing organization. Catholic worship m the town was first held in December. 1847. when mass was said at the house of Jam s Hanlon. an Irishman living at the corner of Mam and High f «f . "« ^f taken up his residence at Wallingford in 1840. at which time there were bu't two other Irishmen m the vinage-Michael MuUigan and Mark Daly, the latter being in the employ of Jared R ^^ ^^^ttlesey^ At that time the nearest Catholic church was at New Haven and to that place James Hanlon was accustomed to walk to attend mas.s^ re- turning on foot the same day to do his work as a servant. Soon after 1840 the nucleus of an Irish settlement was formed and as the nev^ comers all profes.sed the Catholic ^-th. the services of a priest^^^^^^^^ desired. A a missionary came Father McGanck, from \\aukegan n ., and held the first service which gladdened the hearts of th-^nest- less people, saying the mass on the 22d day of the above month. AbouTtwelve persons were in attendance, among the number being members of the Hanlon, Owens, Logan and Leonard famihes^ The second priest to minister in the town came from New Ha^en and wis Father'philipO-ReiUey.whoalsosaidmassat JamesHanlon s who now lived on Academy lane. Meantime Catholicism had beco^_^e established at Meriden and Wallingford was tal-n up as an out-mi. sion of that parish. Under this arrangement father 1 eeven came as the third priest, holding worship at the house of Martm Owens, on the 12th of May, 1850, he solemnized the fir.st marriage m town according to the forms of the Roman church, the couple united being Philip McCabe and Ellen Maloney. *Cc,mpiled from an accounl by John (i. Phelan. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 407 Father Hugh O'Reilley was the next priest to say mass, also at the house of Martin Owens, the north room being used, the altar being set up between the two front windows. He came to the parish in the spring of 1851, full of zeal and a determined purpose to thoroughly establish the cause of his church. Under his direction the first Catholic school was soon after opened at the Owens house and the question of building a church agitated. In the furtherance of this purpose, on the 29th of May. 1852, Father Hugh O'Reilley bought three lots of land from the estate of Philip McCabe, on which the church was finally built, the site being now a part of the Catholic cemetery. From 1854 to 1856 F'ather Thomas Ouinn rendered pastoral ser- vice, coming from Meriden; and Reverend Father Wallace, a young man, .soon after became the resident priest at Wallingford. The Owens house having become too small and unsafe for such large meetings as assembled for mass, that service was held in " Union Hall." The Catholic population had now grown to about 150 persons, and a church being demanded it was decided to build on the lots purchased by Father Hugh O'Reilley. Means were secured and the Protestants of the town aided in raising a building fund, by generous contributions. It was thus made possible to lay the corner stone of the first church November 23d, 1857, that ceremony being performed by Father Thomas Quinn. The building was a large frame, 40 by 60 feet, with a small vestry. Ere it was completed it was u.sed and one Sunday in April, 1858, while Father Ouinn was saying mass, a part of the floor gave away, causing great confusion and resulting in the injury of several persons. After the completion of the church. Father Sheridan became the resident pastor at Wallingford in 1859, the newly formed parish including also Hamden and Cheshire. As priest of this parish Father Charles Mc- Callion succeeded in July, 1860, but remained only a short time, as the war unsettled matters to such an extent that a separate parish could not long be maintained. Wallingford again became an out- mission of Meriden, under the care of Father Welch and so continued from 1861 until 1867. In August of that year a parish, composed of Hamden and Wallingford, was again established and placed uijder the jurisdiction of Reverend Hugh Mallon, who has since remained the head of the Wallingford church. His energy and devotion to the interests of Holy Trinity parish have greatly stimulated its growth, and it has made rapid strides in influence, wealth and membership, more than 2,000 souls now belonging. Father Hugh Mallon was born in County Tyrone, October 20th, 1827, and being left an orphan, came to America at the age of 17 years. Following the occupation of a stone mason ten years, he began a long course of study in different Catholic institutions of the Union, and in 1863 was ordained to the office of prie-st. After serving as an assist- 408 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ant to various priests in this state and Rhode Island, he entered upon his pastorate at Wallingford, August llth,1867. and through his untiring efforts the parish has practically been made what it is— one of the most progressive and substantial in the state. Soon after his coming to Wallingford, Father Mallon bought a tract of land more centrally located than the old church site, with a view of erecting on it the future church and parish buildings. The course of a few vears de- monstrated the wi.sdom of this action, for in a short time the old church became too small to accommodate the worshippers. Galleries built on the sides, in 18G9, increased the capacitv, but the work of preparing to build a new edifice was soon after begun. In 187f) ground was broken for a new church and the foundation was laid. The funds being limited, slow progress was made, and at the end of three years only the height of the water table was reached. Meantime, on the 17th of .September, 187G, the corner-stone had been laid by Bishop Galbery, in the presence of many of the priests of the state, and thousands of people gathered together from the neighbor- ing cities. 'While the building was at a comparative standstill, in the summer of 1878, the old church, which was becoming much dilapi- dated, was destroyed by the great tornado, Augitst 9th, leaving the parish without a place of worship. (3f the 30 pensons killed and 35 injured m that great calamity, most of them were members of the Holy Trinity congregation, and those were surely days of sorrow and agony to the afflicted people of the parish. Sunday, August 11th, mass was said from the steps of the school house, which had been used as a receptacle for the dead, and "on the afternoon of that day 22 hearse-wagons, with their dead, moved in procession to the cemetery, whei-e these victims of the unbridled tempest were laid in their long, dreamless sleep." A temporary roof was fitted over the walls of the new church, and in the shelter thus afforded .services were held until the following spring, when, with the means .secured by Father Mallon, outside of the distressed parish, the work of building was resumed. By the latter part of August, 1879, the church was .so far completed that it wasu.sed temporarily for worship, and by November, 1879, the base- ment of the church was fini.shed for services, and was u.sed until the main audience room was fully finished and dedicated, November 24th, 1887. The general plan of the church is much the same as the one at Clougher, the ancient .seat of St. Patrick, where also were the .scenes of Father Mallon 's boyhood days. It is of cruciform shape, the extreme length being 148 feet. The width of the transepts is 104 feet. The walls are 29 feet high, and from the floor to the apex of the roof the height is nearly ."iO feet. It is supported by columns and aixhes, beau- tifully decorated, and the entire room is hand.somely embellished with water color paintings and works of art. to typify the rites of the HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 409 chiuxh. The windows are beautiful and handsome, one costing $300, being presented bY the Young Men's Total Abstinence, Benevolent and Literary Society; while another, of like value, was purchased out of a fund left when the old St. Patrick's Temperance Society dis- banded. The spire of the church is 190 feet high and, with a cross 12 feet in height on its pinnacle, makes the building a conspicuous object, viewed from any direction, and justly excites the admiration of those who assisted in its erection. The fine brick edifice throughout, as well as the other property of the parish, is very attractive and gives evidence of the care bestowed upon it, which makes it creditable not only to the parish but to the entire community. Connected with the church, as means in extending the work of the parish, are the St. Vincent De Paul Society, the Christian Doctrine Societ3% the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and the Knights of Colum- bus. Pinta Council, No. .'), of the latter order, is maintained on a sub- stantial basis and has a fine membership. It has elegant rooms in Total Abstinence Hall. This is an attractive two-story frame building, with a one-story rear extension and has a prominent location on West Centre street. It was erected in I88.1 bv the Young Men's Total Abstinence, Benevolent and Literary Society. The latter organiza- tion became an incorporated bod}', with this name, on the 18th of March, 1884, the corj^orate members being Thomas Brosnan, Patrick J. Ouinn, Patrick J. Laden, William Hogan, John B. Roach, Thomas Paden, John J. Prior, Thomas Downey, Thomas Pahey and Edward Roach. The hall, on Centre street, has been fitted up for assembly and social purposes and the nucleus of a library has been gathered. An older and, in its day, a ver}' useful temperance organization was the St. Patrick's Total Abstinence and Benevolent Society, which was incorporated in August, 1871. Its privileges were suspended a few years before the organization of the above society was effected. The Wallingford Community was for many years an object of great interest in the town, both on account of the religious views of its members and the prosperity which characterized its temporal affairs. The domain of the community indicated a splendid property, consisting of farm, shops and mills created largely by the thrift and enterprise of the members. These are located, along the old New Haven turnpike, a mile west from the center of Wallingford borough, along the east ba.se of Mount Tom. The farm embraced 240 acres, much of it lying well up the hillside, so as to command a view of the Quinnipiac and its valley for several miles, north and south. Here, upon spacious and finely laid out grounds, were erected the community residences, whose large and imposing aj^pearance make them con- spicuous objects. The largest of these is of modern architecture and contains 40 sleeping rooms. It was erected in 187G and the buildings cost $50,000. Much of the farm was devoted to the culture of small 410 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. fruits and orcharding-, more than 1,000 bushels beinsf 2:rown annually. In 1S89 there were orchards of lo acres of apples, 4 acres of pears, and 2i acres of quinces. In the latter years of the community less atten- tion was paid to the farm than formerly and more time was devoted to manufacturing. A well-ordered printing office and silk mills were carried on, both enterprises being successfully conducted. In 1890 the title to the property was still held by the community, but there was little to tell of the activity which here at one time prevailed in the field and the shop. After 1880 the transfer of the members to the parent society at Oneida began and in the course of a few years nearly all had removed or assumed new relations in life. The communit}' at Wallingford had its origin in 1851, when Henry Allen and his family, old and respectable citizens of the town, em- braced the teachings of John Humphrey Noyes and espoused the cause of the ()neida Communists. Believing in the truth of the prin- ciples held by these people, they determined to embody them at this place in practical life and were assisted by members of the Oneida Community to form a branch community at Wallingford. In this way Mrs. M. E. Cragin, L. H. Bradley, E.' H. Hamilton and Mrs. S. C. Hamilton were most efficient aids in the first years of the community, having been thoroughly indoctrinated at Oneida. In addition to Mr. Allen himself there were his wife and four children and his sister, Mi.ss Eliza A. Allen. B. Bristol and his family, of Cheshire, .soon after joined and others were added from time to time, until, with those transferred to this place from the communities of Oneida and Willow Place, New York, there were about. nO members of all ages. After the lapse of the first twenty years there were but few accessions and the membership steadily decreased until the Wallingford Community disbanded. One of the cardinal principles of the community was to conform as nearly as possible to the conditions of the Christian church in the Pentecostal period, when " the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things common." They succeeded in applying this principle to the avoca- tions of life and the attendant property relation, establishing a fine social system, which added dignity to labor and gave better oppor- tunity for the development of natural talent, since a greater variety of occupation was offered to the member than if he had relied solely on his individual efforts. Education was ever a subject of prime interest and all the youth of the community were thoroughly in- structed, a number of them being sent to colleges, at home and abroad, while the means of obtaining an academical education were placed within the reach of all at the academy at Oneida. In all these respects the community was a success; but the application of the communistic principles to the social or family relation was a failure. Their system HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 411 of "complex marriage " was so abhorrent to the general public that it found little favor and provoked, very justly, much comment and sentiment adverse to the community. In spite of the many good traits of the members, which were freely recognized, the feeling pre- vailed that thev were transgressors of honored customs and civil laws and that their usages were inimical to the welfare of society. After an experimental existence of thirty years the community yielded obedience to this feeling and passed away, regretted only for its material worth. The cemeteries in the town are generally well kept and attractive. In the early settlement it appears that one of the common fields on the "Plains," near the center of the original village, was selected as a place of burial. While the ground was not contiguous to the meeting hou.se lot, it was near at hand, and besides being dry and clear, per- haps more conveniently accommodated the inhabitants of the town, on account of its accessibility, than any other place. To the original lot thus set aside, additions have been made until there are about ten acres in the enclosure. Many of the graves in the old part have been obliterated, but the places of a few of the early interments are indi- cated b}' rude headstones. A few years ago their location and the significance of the inscriptions were investigated by John G. Phelan, of the borough, and from his account we learn that the oldest stone, which is merely an irregular slab, marks the grave of William Houlte, who died in 1683, aged 73 years. He had joined the settlement ten years before, the original lot in the village set aside for John Miles having been sold to him. A larger and more shapely, almost oblong red stone, bixt as rudely and simply inscribed as the foregoing one, only the initial letters being cut, shows where Katharine Miles was buried, in 1687, after having attained the age of 95 years. The Miles family was one of those to settle at Wallingford in 1670, its lot being where are now Main and Christian streets, and she must, therefore, have been already 78 years old when she took up her residence here. Descendants have ever since remained in the limits of the old town, as have also those of the two next noted below. The grave of Abraham Doolittle, who died in 1690 at the age of 70 years, is marked by a very low but rather thick stone, whose outlines have been nicely rounded by the elements. In official matters he bore the title of sergeant, and his was one of the hou,ses ordered to be fortified against Indian attack, in December, 1675. He was one of the original committeemen of Wallingford, a selectman for many years, and a member of the general court, being in the general affairs of the town one of its most prominent men. The most elaborate of the old headstones marks the grave of Mr. John Moss, who died in 1707, at the unusual age of 103 years. The inscription is cut in a heart-shaped figure, and the top of the stone, 412 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. which is well preserved, is nicely carved. John Moss was a man of distinction in the colony, and the honors he held in life seem to have followed him in death, as indicated by this stone. He was one of the three persons in the settlement entitled to be called "Mr.," the other two being Mr. Samuel Street, the minister, and Mr. John Brocket, who was a fellow commissioner in the colony. At the age of 83 years he was one of the selectmen of the town, and there is a tradition among his descendants that he made his will when he was a hundred years old, which shows that, besides being educated and dignified, he was also a remarkably vigorous man. The graves of some of the prominent men who died in early years are marked by new stones, to which the old inscriptions have been transferred. These epitaphs are usually very quaint and much at variance with our present style of .spelling, as. for example : '■ The Reverent Mr: Street Departed: This Life: Jen: ye 1(> ITIT Agged: 82." On a number of stones are poetical inscriptions: (Doctor Isaac Lewis. 1784). " A.s I am now gone down to dust Five of my children came here first The rest may se as they pass by That we are now before them gone." In July, 1742, the neglected condition of the cemetery was brought before the inhabitants of the town, when it was ordered that the grounds should be enclosed, in connection with some of the common fields near by, so that the highway to the fields, in that locality, run- ning through the cemetery, should not be stopped up, but entrance should be afforded by gates. In more recent times greater regard has been paid to its privacy, and the cemetery is now separately enclosed, with a hedge of Norway spruces, which gives it an attractive appear- ance. The town decided, April 29th, 1871, to make this improvement, which was much needed. The .selectmen — E. A. Doolittle. Hezekiah Hall and William Wallace — with additional committeemen, Medad W. Munson, .Samuel Simpson and Benjamin D. Sutliff, were appointed to adjust the bounds of the cemetery and carry out the plans for im- provement. But the desire for a more secluded spot for the repose of the dead led to the establishment of The In Alemoriam Cemetery, which was dedicated October ICth, 1887, when appropriate addresses were made by Reverend J. E. Wild- man and Honorable L. M. Hubbard. The first per.son therein interred was Mrs. George Cook, of Yalesville, December 22d, 1887. The ceme- tery is beautifully located, on the high ground in the northern part of the borough, at the intersection of Yalesville and Main .streets. It embraces 7A acres which have been nicely ])latlcd by Thomas j\Ic- Kenzie, and improved according to his plans by the cemetery a.ssocia- tion which controls it. This was organized in May, 1887, and in 1889 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 413 the officers were: William G. Choate, president: Reverend J. E. Wild- man, vice-president; William M. Hall, secretary and treasurer; H. L. Judd, Reverend C. H. Dickinson, Reverend H. L. Reynolds, B. A. Treat and Horace Austin, directors. The funds for the purchase of the cemetery were contributed mainly by William G. Choate, David M. Stone, Samuel vSimpson, H. L. Judd, Hiram Austin, Miss Fannie J. Curtiss, and others who were actuated by a public spirit to secure this attractive spot for the repose of the dead. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Roger S. Austin, born in 1845, is a son of Sherman and Lucy (Jones) Austin, grandson of Porter, and great-grandson of Joel Au.stin. Mr. Austin has been collector of taxes 16 years, has been three years deputy sheriff, and holds the office of constable. He has been five years in the ice business, and is now a member of the Wallingford Ice Company. He is a member cf Compass Lodge, No. 9, F. & A. M., and of Accanant Lodge, No. 7L L O. O. F. He married Fannie M. Pattee. Their only child is Albert S. Michael Backes, born in Germany in 1829. came to this country in 1835. He learned the trade of a locksmith, and his natural mechanical genius led to several inventions. He came to Wallingford in 1853, and in 1875 began the manufacture of toy paper caps, and since his death in 1889, his sons have carried on the business. He was nine months in the late war, in Company B, 27th Connecticut Volunteers. At the time of his death he was a member of the court of burgesses of the borough. He married Catharine Helmsteadter. Their children are: George, Edward, Charles, Frederick, Henry, Carrie, Frank, Nettie, Catharine, John, Grace, Bertha, and one that died. Nehemiah Banks, M. D., was born in Bethel. Conn., November 8th, 1813. He was one of a large family, numbering thirteen, the children of Samuel and Lydia (Crane) Banks of Bethel, Conn. He was the sixth in order of birth. His father was a physician, so that the son, Nehemiah, was familiar from early boyhood with the general life of the physician, and hence was led, by parental example and success, to undertake the profession for himself. His English education was gained under a private preceptor, and while he himself was engaged in teaching. His special and technical education as a physician was obtained at the medical college of Yale University, from which he was graduated in 1843. Following his medical course, he located for the practice of his profession, first of all, in Cheshire, Conn. But his expanding knowledge and skill fitted him for practice in a larger town, and he accepted an opportunity of moving to Wallingford. This he did in 1852, and in 1856 purchased the residence known as the Judge Pomeroy place on Centre street. The house has since been remodelled several times and enlarged, so that from its present appearance, it could scarcely be identified as the home of its former owner. 414 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Here Doctor Banks lived about 34 years, winning and ever keep- ing the high regard of all who knew him in the town. He was of a gentle nature, full of sensitive feeling, and fine nervous power, quick to apprehend, and very domestic in his habits and affections. Home was earthly heaven to him, and his family the choice companions of his heart. He was the good neighbor, beside whom his neighbors could live in peace for indefinitely long periods. It pleased him always to do them a neighborly service. He never lacked for kind words to be uttered, nor for affable manners to be shown. And his gentle, pleasing manners, as his love of truth and performance of duty, made him greatly beloved in the community. Dr. Banks was one of those characters in whom the public is not disappointed, who are always better than their professions, who are a little ahead of promises rather than behind, and are giving surprises of genuineness, instead of disappointments to those who trust them. Hence professing to be a physician, he must, perforce of nature, be the good physician. He must be an honor to the profession, rather than wear his professional title as an honor to him.self. He must be a con- stant student of the curative art. The new remedies must be exam- ined with scientific care, and treated rather suspiciously, until they have shown themselves to be worthy of confidence. This conservative, cautious element in his nature showed itself in a certain exactness in his habits. His dre.ss was always precisely ar- ranged, neat, clean and of fine texture. His office and the parapher- nalia of his profes,sion were kept always in order. He knew where every instrument was, and every medicine, and book, and pamphlet, and article worth preserving. All his professional equipage was ready for u.se, ready for a call in haste, even to the trappings of his horse and carriage. The same punctilious precision and care extended to the treat- ment of his patients. So sacred a thing as their health or life must not be the objects for experimentation, except within very narrow limits. An intelligent and careful diagnosis must lead up to the remedies to be employed, and tho.se must be used whose virtues are known and not guessed at or merely advertised. His recipes were always standard, and the pharmacist must compound them as written, out of elements which have standard virtue in them. He first found the pharmacist who could be absolutely trusted, and patronized him. Doctor Banks could not rest unless he was confident that both his medicines and his directions for their'use were the most approved by the learning of the profession, so his patients had the best treatment known. And since a cure so often depends on proper nursing, as well as quantity and power of medicine, he insisted on the former. Hence those employing him might be sure that he would adopt long-tried methods, and not new-fangled notions and experimentation. Doctor Banks abandoned him.self to his profession, hence be did (^ -J4 ■Ai/k^-.-^^u^ ^c^^'Si -fh 3) HISTOKV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 415 nothing beside. He was never found seeking political office or bid- ding for popularity in the ordinary rivalries of the town. He aimed to do the one thins:, and do that one thing well. Hence he was the trusted " beloved physician." And when counsel was needed in most critical cases, it was easy to secure the most educated and skillful ex- perts of the profession. He was a member of the New Haven County Medical Society, and for many years, beginning with 1852, was regis- trar of vital statistics for Wallingford. He was married four times: the last to Miss Catharine N. Maynes of jMeriden, Conn., January 6th, 1886, who survives him. He died June 11th, 1890. Mrs. Banks, in loving memory of him, has given to St. Paul's church of Wallingford an elegant lectern, consisting of a polished, ornamented, carved brass pillar, a large eagle standing on the capita] of the pillar. Its wings are outspread, and on the oblique upper surface of the wings rests the Bible. Upon the crown of the pedestal is engraved the dedication: '• To the Glory of God and in Memory of Nehemiah Banks, M. D., a faithful Communicant of this Parish." On the circular base is also inscribed: " Born A. D. 1813 ; Baptized A. D. 1880; Died A. D. 1890." It is a beautiful memorial in the church he loved and where he worshipped. Doctor Banks was a Mason, and at his burial both the service of his ■church and of the Masonic fraternity committed him to rest in peace, while the community mourned for an esteemed citizen who should no more be seen on earth. Augustus H. Bartholomew is the eldest of four children of Ira and Eunice (Hall) Bartholomew, and grandson of Isaac Bartholomew. He followed farming until 1885, when he retired. His first marriage was with Mrs. Mary Pomeroy, who died. His second marriage was with Mary E. Camp. They have four children: Elisabeth M. (Mrs. H. N. Childs), James D., William H. and Charles P.; and one daughter that died in infancy. Francis C. Bartholomew, born in 1821, in Northford, Conn., is a son of Timothy and Mariette (Cook) Bartholomew, grandson of Tim- othy, great-grandson of Samuel, whose father, Andrew, came to Wal- lingford in about 1729. Andrew's father, William, was a resident of Branford, and his grandfather, William Bartholomew, came from England to Massachusetts in 1634. Mr. Bartholomew was a school teacher and farmer until 1848. He was several years president and principal stockholder in the Northford Rivet Manufacturing Com- pany. He was town clerk and treasurer six years, 35 consecutive years justice of the 'peace, commissioner of the superior court, and in 1875 and 1877 he was representative in the legi-slature. Since 1883 he has been a resident of Wallingford, where he holds the offices of deputy judge of borough court, auditor of town accounts, and regis- trar of voters. His first marriage was with Erry Ann Lee. She died in 416 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 1873, and he married for his second wife Jennie E. Harrison. He lias lost two .sons: Frank L. and Charles A. Lyman Beckley, born in 1S26, is a son of Theodore and Eliza (Rel- den) Beckley. He is a painter and paper hanger. He married Mary E., daughter of Andrew S. and Mary (Hobart) Page. They have one daughter, Jennie E., now Mrs. F.(t. Hull. John Beaumont, son of Deodate and Lucina (Rose) Beaumont, and grandson of Edmund, died in 1879, aged 88 years. Mr. Beaumont fol- lowed the sea in the fur trade until he was about 60 years old. and after that was a fanner. He married Ann, daughter of John and granddaughter of George Tyler. Their children are: Elisabeth (!Mrs. S. Pond), Edmund (deceased), Julius, Lucina (deceasedi, Harvey, Fran- cis, Lewellyn, Albert, George and Cynthia. Harvey Beaumont, born in 18:?8, is a son of John and Ann (Tyler i Beaumont. Mr. Beaumont is a farmer. He married Melissa Foster for his first wife, and for his second wife Mrs. Julia Bailey, daughter of Elihu Mix. They have one son, Edmund Mix Beaumont, born June ISth, 1890. William A. Booth, born at Newark, N. J., in 1856, is a son of Charles W. and Chloe (Caufield) Booth. Mr. Booth removed to Strat- ford, Conn., with his parents when a small boy, and resided there until 1877, when he went to New Haven, where he was engaged in various occupations until December, 1886, when, in company with his brother, he bought the New Haven & Wallingford Express, and in 1887 they bought a livery business at Wallingford of George B. Allen. In February, 1889, the firm of Booth Brothers was di.ssolved, and since then William A. has run the livery business alone. He has lived in Wallingford since 1887. He married Lillie Farmer and has four chil- dren: Charles F., Clara L.. Harry W., and Robert, died March 4th, 1890. They also lost one daughter. Allen Bowe, born in 1822 in Middletown, Conn., is a son of Oba- diah A. and Nancj' (Skinner) Bowe and grand.son of Obadiah Bowe. He has worked at the blacksmith's trade smce 1838, and .since April. 1870, has run a blacksmith and wagon shop at North Farms. Walling- ford. He married Mary A. Coe, and has two sons : Osman and Clif- ford. Andrew J. Brown, born at Burlington, Conn., in 1834, is the young- est of twelve children of Ervin and Loui.se (^Bronson) Brown and grand.son of James Brown. Mr. Brown came to Yalesville in March, 1857, and shortly after became foreman of the wood department for the Charles Parker Company. He married Mary FL McKenzie. Their children are: Mary H., Andrew J., Jr., Nettie A., Evaline E., Margaret, Harriet, William, .Sarah A., Fannie M., Robert and Alice. One son, Julius E., died. Edwin Y. Bull, son of William and Ruth (Hall) Bull, and grandson of Caleb Bull, was born in 1823. His grandfather, Benajah Hall, was HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 417 a fifer in the revolutionary war. Mr. Bull learned the trade of tin- smith and sheet-iron worker, and after following it ten years, began work as a die sinker and machinist, continuing until about ten years ago. He is a natural mechanic and has made some violins, and has also given lessons in playing them. John il. Cannon, born in 1860, is a son of Burdett and Juliette Cannon and grandson of Lyman and Sally (Smith) Cannon. He had been in the employ of Simpson, Hall, ]\Iiller & Co. until March, 1887, when he bought a men's furnishing and boot and shoe business, which he still continues, having substituted clothing for boots and shoes. He is a member of Accanant Lodge, No. 71, L O. O. F. Patrick Concannon, born in Aleriden in 1853, is a son of Peter and Deborah Concannon. He is an engraver by trade. He came from Meriden to Wallingford in 1880. He was two years a member of the court of burgesses, three terms justice of the peace, and has been assessor for the borough for four terms. He is married and has three children : John, Deborah and Mary. Marcus E. Cook, born in 1849, is the youngest son of Hiram and Anna M. (Mark.s) Cook, and grandson of Chester, whose father, Abel, was a son of Aaron Cook. ilr. Cook is a farmer. Since 1880 he has had charge of the roads of the town and borough, and has invented several machines for doing road work with horse power. He was representative in the legislature in 1883 His father and grandfather each held the office one term. He is a member of Wallingford Grange, No. 33, P. of H., and has been its master two years. He mar- ried Clara E. Potts, of Berkshire county, Ma.ss. They have one son, Chester H. D. J. Curtin, M. D., born in July, 1863, at New Britain, is a son of John and Ellen Curtin. He graduated in June, 1883, from the Holy Cross College, Worcester, Mass. He then took a two and a half years' course in the Medical L'niversity of New York city, and then one year in Bellevue Hospital and other schools, and in November, 1887, came to Wallingford, where he now practices. Silas Noel Edmonds, born in Westmoreland county, Va., in 1828, is a son of Captain Meredith, and grandson of Vincent Edmonds, who was sheriff of Westmoreland county, and was overseer of General Washington's farm in the same county. Mr. Edmonds came to Wal- lingford in October, 1849, and after working at his trade as a carpen- ter and joiner for seven years, he was made station agent for the N. Y., N. H.& H. railroad here, which position he has filled since that time. He is a member of Compass Lodge, No. 9, F. & A. M. He married Seraphina, daughter of John D. Reynolds. John W. Fitzgerald, born in Wallingford in ISSf), is a son of Will- iam and Joanna (Carey; Fitzgerald. He was employed in the silver manufactories here until April, 1887, when he started the furniture and undertaking business. He was married May 25th, 1882, to Mar- 26 418 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. garet Maher, and they have five children. He i.s a member of the National Band of Wallingford. George B. Francis, younge.st and only .surviving child of Lyman and Mary Franci.s, grandson of Jacob, whose father, Jacob, was a son of Joseph Francis, was born in 1841. He is a farmer on the home- stead of his father. He is a member of ]\Ieriden Grange, No. 2S), P. of H. He married Emily J., daughter of Horace and E.sther R. (John- son) Andrews, and has one son, Howard A. Wii.i,i.\M Fr.wcis was born in Wallingford, Conn., March 3d, 1804. On the northern border of the town of Wallingford and just east of the central point, lies a large plot of ground which has been owned in the Francis family for several generations. Old deeds are in posses- sion of the younger Francis sons which give proof of the assertion. Here lived the subject of this sketch during his long life, and here he died at the age of 7.5 years, April 14th, 1879. ]\lr. Francis in boyhood attended the district school, kept at what is called North Farms, but only until he was fifteen years of age. The schools of those days gave instruction in the fundamental branches of an English education denominated the three " R's." The arith- inetic taught was not the advanced arithmetic of the better .schools of to-day, but the simpler processes of numbers. Hence those who would acquire advanced knowledge in the science of numbers, must avail themselves of special opportunities, such as were denominated " ciphering schools." A private instructor, expert in the science of numbers as far as "navigation," held a private school, perhaps in a private house. The more ambitious young men of the early part of the li)th century in this district, and young William Francis as one of them, learned advanced arithmetic in a " ciphering school." In this way his talent for numbers was developed. After all, his schooling- was mostly of the practical business sort gained in the great school of business and trading life. At first he c|uite despaired of becoming a farmer, for his physical constitution was weak and his physical weight light. His physician advised him to adopt an out-door industry which would call for no really hard labor. He took the advice, and undertook the perambula- tions of a peddler in the state of New York. Meriden was then head- quarters for much small ware, the product of small factories, and Mr. Francis loaded his wagon with what he termed " Yankee notions," such as wood-combs, wooden bowls, thread, coffee-mills, Britannia and tin ware, and went to and fro in the state of New York. But upon return home, while his purse was satisfactorily filled in these peregri- nations, he yet would declare he did not like the business. He determined upon a farmer's life as the next choice of industry and trusted that by carefulness his physical strength might endure the hardship. His father, Jacob Francis, died July 14th, 1829, and the next spring, William Francis began the building of the residence ^fe ,G^>-<^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 419 where he lived the rest of his life, and where his family of four chil- dren were born. Perhaps it was the result of a necessary caution exercised in young manhood to save the physical strength, but Mr. Francis was noted always for doing work in the easiest manner; " take advantage ' was a constant phrase of his respecting all farm work, so that it should be done with the least expense of physical strength. Let the laborer be constantly thoughtful, use his mind to relieve his muscle. Mr. Francis was always a student of farm methods, and watchful for im- provements in farm machinery. Labor saving inachinery was always popular with him. He was the first farmer in all his district to place on his farm a mowing machine, and horse rake and reaper. It was said among the neighbors that they too must purchase machines, for Mr. Francis got his work done before them. The enterprise of Mr. Francis showed itself in another way. It seemed to him that the farmer's great source of power in the raising of crops lay in the abundant fertilization of the land. The old time sources of supply were not sufficient. He sought for new fertilizers and new sources of supply. He began the use of special fertilizers, as the bone dust which fell from the saw in the button shops, before his neighbors did. He watched the newspapers for hints and pointers. He listened with an intelligent ear to what might be .said on the topic of fertilizers and made all information practical by applying it in farming. Besides he was always observant to discover new crops. Living in an excellent farming section, he introduced the raising of tobacco, made him.self familiar with the best processes of harvesting and cure of the leaf, so as to offer on the market the best article. Hence by good sense in management, and by the.se improved methods, Mr. Francis became a leading farmer in his town, as success- ful as he was intelligent and far-seeing. To him one season was fol- lowed by another, and one year by another; and he was short-sighted who did not plan for the future as well as for the present. As a far- mer, Mr. Francis looked far ahead, and he made money. If his in- vestments were traced out, they would be found in safe places where they yield their dividends. His sons are to-day reaping the benefit of his wisdom in management. They have only to follow his example to go on to greater fortune than they have inherited. Though frail of physique, he was what is called a very '" hard worker," and yet so wi.sely did he lay out his strength from day to day as to live to a ripe old age. Mr. Francis was recognized in his town as a man of excellent, ener- getic business quality, and of high moral worth. His townsmen put him in positions of trust, and kept him in some of them for a long term of years. He was tax collector for fifteen years, at a time when he must visit every house in the town annually, and some of them several times, to get the annual tax. He was also road commissioner 420 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. for three years, when the labor of inspection fell almost wholly upon him; and besides at one period, the town entrusted him with the repairs on all the town roads. In religious faith and alliance. Air. Francis was an Episcopalian the greater portion of his life, though he came from excellent Baptist stock. He and his family were members of St. Paul's church of Wal- lingford, and regular attendants — the family still maintaining the excellent example set them by the father and mother. He was married twice — the first time to Emily Blakesley, of Wal- lingford, March SOth, 1831. To them were born two children: William J., who resides on a part of the original farm of his father, and Emery Francis, born February loth, 1837, died July 14th, 1837. Mr. Francis married, the second time, Julia (Cook) Tuttle, of Hamden,Conn. Two sons were born: Henry, December 18th, 1842, died February 22d, 1843: and John H., born June 2nth, 1858, who enjoys the great privi- lege of having his mother in his family on the old homestead. John H. Francis married Carrie P. Wooding October 10th, 1883. She died December 18th, 1887. He married again Mabel A. Wooding, Feb- ruary 21st, 1889. To them has been born Isabel Alice, October 4th, 1890. Mr. Francis' last illness was brief. He had been subject to rheu- matism, but seemed on the day of his death not to be dangerou.sly ill, when rheumatism seized upon his heart and he was gone, the com- munity losing a citizen of great worth, who had set an example of high virtue and ability in all the walks of his life. William J. Francis, born in 1832, is the eldest son of William and Emily Francis, and grandson of Jacob, whose father, Jacob, was a son of Joseph Francis. Mr. Francis is a farmer, owning some of the same farm which was owned by his great-great-grandfather. He is a mem- ber of Meriden Grange, No. 29, P. of H. He married Marietta J., daughter of Justus and Jane (French ,i Peck, and has one son, Lyman H. Rus.sell Frisbie, born in Branford in 1812, is one of eleven children of Thomas, and grandson of Thomas Frisbie. Mr. Frisbie came from Branford to Wallingford in 1833, and after working eleven years at the blacksmith trade, built the blacksmith shop and grist mill where he has since carried on business at East Farms. He has been a member of Wallingford Baptist church since 1837. He married Laura Mat- toon, and of her eight children four survive her: Susan J., Mary A., William R. and Cornelia. His second marriage was with Harriet L. Hubbard. Daniel P. Griswold, born in 1856, in Essex, Conn., is a son of Sam- uel Griswold. He began in 1874 to learn the cabinet maker's trade, and in 1880 he came from New Britain to Wallingford and opened a furniture and undertaking store, having previously been three years in the business. He married Emily Page, and has one .son, Morton D. Augustus J. Hall, born in 1842, is the youngest son of Joel and HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 421 Hanpah (Beach) Hall, grandson of Augustus and great-grandson of Joel, whose father, Asahel, was a son of John Hall. Mr. Hall is a farmer on the farm where his father lived and died. He is one of seven children, six of whom are living: Julia (Mrs. Henry Martin), John H.. Sarah E. (Mrs. B. F. Harrison), Augustus J., Alice and Agnes (Mrs. F. H. Hall). David M. Hall, born in 1818, is one of eleven children of Josiah and Martha Hall, grandson of Hial and great-grandson of Peter, whose father, Thomas, was a son of Thomas and grandson of John Hall. Mr. Hall learned the trade of sheet iron and tin worker, and after fol- lowing it for a few years began farming, which he has since continued. He married Catharine M., daughter of Thaddeus Cook. Their chil- dren are: Edward T., George D., and one that died, James C. Edward T. married Georgie A., daughter of George F. Pardee. George D. married Jennie B., daughter of Elijah Hough, and they have one child, Louis Cook Hall. Elihu Hall, born in 1807, was a son of Chauncy and Marilla Hall, grandson of Hial and great-grandson of Peter Hall. Mr. Hall was a wheel and wheel material manufacturer until ten years ago, and after- ward followed the insurance and loan business. He died May 27th, 1891. He married Martha Ann, daughter of Samuel Cook and grand- daughter of Ambrose and Colonel Isaac Cook, who was the grandson of Isaac Cook, who was the first to emigrate to this country by the name of Cook. She died, leaving two children living: John M. and Martha C. (Mrs. Gustavus Phelps). Two died, Henry C. and Lucy E. Henry D. Hall, oldest son of Jeremiah A. and Jemima (Field) Hall, grandson of John and great-grandson of Elisha Hall, was born in 1836. October 12th, 1859, he began the butcher business at Wallingford. which he has continued since that time, with the exception of about one year. The present market was built in 1877. J. Atwater Hall, son of Jeremiah A. Hall, was born in October, 1838. He enlisted July 22d, 1861, in the .oth Connecticut Volunteers, in the band, serving fourteen months. January 1st, 1864, he became a partner in the meat business with his brother, under the firm name of H. D. & J. A. Hall. They have been in business since, with the exception of one year. He is a member of Compass Lodge, No. 9, F. & A. M., and a member of Arthur H. Button Post, No. 36, G. A. R. He married Cora A., daughter of Sheldon Brayman, and has one daughter, Eva L. Julius C. Hall, youngest son of Jeremiah A. Hall, was born iji 1S4U. He served in the civil war from November 9th, 1861, to November 29th, 1864, in Company K, First California Volunteer Infantry, and official report shows that this company marched 4,245 miles during their time of service, through Southern California, Arizona, New Alexico, Texas and Kansas. Since 1865 Mr. Hall has been a partner in the meat business with his two brothers, firm of Hall Brothers. 422 HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. He is a member of Arthur H. Button Post, No. 36, G. A. R. He mar- ried Mary B. Higgins, of Maine, and has one daughter. Mabel C. Henry L. Hall, 26. born in 1840, is a son of Jared and Emilvi Aus- tin) Hall, grandson of Samuel and great-grand.son of Samuel Hall. Mr Hall was a farmer until 1880, when he bought the coal and fertil- izer business which he now carries on. He was assessor one term and four years chairman of the board of selectmen. He married Emma L dauo-hter of John H. Allen, and has one .son. Allen L., one daugh- ter having died "in infancy. Emma L.. his wife, died m June, 1888. In June, 1890, he married Ann E. Loper. of New Haven. She was a teacher in the Skinner school for twenty years. Hezekiah Hall, born in 1817, and died in ISSS, was a .son of Nathan crrandson of Hezekiah and great-grandson of Eliakim Hall. Mr. Hall was a farmer. He was three terms in the house of representatives and selectman several years. He married Harriet, daughter of Calvin and Harriet (Rice) Coe, and granddaughter of Joseph Coe. Their children were- Lillie C. (Mrs. H. M. Comer), Ida M., Nathan, Linus H., Emma C. (Mrs. Charles Lyman), Jane M., and one daughter that died m in- fancy. Linus H. occupies the homestead at East Farms. He married Zoe L., daughter of Albert M. Phillips, of Monson, Mass. They have one daughter, Catharine. -, u n Isaac K. Hall, youngest son of Peter and Delight (Kurtland) Hall, and o-randson of Hial Hall, was born m 1834 and died m 1886. He was a'' farmer. He was in the war, in Company B, 27th Connecticut Volunteers, from October, 1862, for about five months. He was a member of Arthur Dutton Post, G. A. R. He married Ellen M daughter of William A. Hart, of Durham. She died January 24th, 1891, aged SO years. J Walter Hall, born in 1847, is the youngest son of Solomon ana Cornelia (Andrews) Hall, and grandson of Aaron, whose father, Asa- hel, was a son of John Hall. Mr. Hall is a farmer He married Agnes McGhee. They have two children: Delano W. and Zilla B. He is a member of Wallingford Grange, No. 33, P. of H. Sidnev T- Hall, son of Elizur and Eunice J. (Nettleton) Hall, and grandson of John Hall, was born in 18.16. Mr. Hall has kept a gen- eral store for ten vears. For four years prior to that he was m the butcher business. ' He was three years town trea.surer. He married Ida A. Sutlief. Their children are: Stuart W., Esther V., and one that died, Edna C. ,,t-,,- n W Burr Hall, born in 1845, in Hamden, is a .son of W illiam D. and Harriet , Perkins) Hall, and grandson of Jared, whose father Samuel, was a son of Samuel Hall. Mr. Hall was engaged m the hide, tallow and fertilizer bu.sine.ss until April, 1888. He has lived m W al- lino-ford since October, 188.1. He held the office of burgess ten months, selectman and town clerk each one year. He was appointed post- master of Wallingford January inth, 1890, and took charge of the HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 423' office February 18th following. He joined the Governor's Horse Guards in 1870, ten years later was elected senior second lieutenant, afterward senior finst lieutenant, and later captain, which office he held until February, 1890, when he received an honorable discharge He married Ella M., daughter of Edwin H. Skinner, and has one daughter, Maude. William E. Hall, born in 1837, is a son of Solomon and Cornelia (Andrews) Hall, and grandson of Aaron, whose father Asahel, was a son of John Hall, one of the first settlers of Wallingford, Aaron Hall served in the revolutionary war and participated in the battles of Monmouth and Germantown. His son, Solomon, served in the war of 1812, and was stationed at New London. William E. Hall is a member of Wallingford Grange, No. 33, P. of H., and a member of Compass Lodge, No. 9, F. & A. M. He has been selectman and has held other town offices. He married Lydia J., daughter of Samuel and Lydia R. Hart. Their children are: Edgar S., Hattie C, Wilbur H., Ellen J. and S. Ellsworth. They lost one, Francis K. George M. Hallenbeck was born in Spencertown (Chatham Four Corners), New York, October Sth, 1848, and is the son of Albert and Mary H. (Munson) Hallenbeck. The earliest remembrances of George M. are of Wallingford, its streets, hills, valleys, rivers, its schools, its factories and its churches. His education had only been well entered upon when he left school at the age of fourteen to work in the electro- plating room of the factory of Hall, Elton & Co., of Wallingford, March 2d, 1863. Six years of steady employment in the plating-room left their warning mark upon his physical health, and in the fall of 1869 he had quite resolved to leave the factory and enter upon .some employment which would require out-door exercise. But by the qualities of industrious earnestness and steady, bright, pleasing, busi- ness and social manners, he won the very favorable opinion of the governing powers of the factory. They desired to retain his efficient help, and offered him a position in the office. His first duties in the new relation w^ere those of entry clerk, and since 1869, he has passed up through all the grades of responsibility, until he became in 1882 the general manager of the factory. Since that date he has held that position. It is a position of great responsibility. The plant represents a capital of $12.'),000, and employs a large number of hands in the manufacture of German silver goods plated with silver. Mr. Hallenbeck's office is quiet, but pervaded by a spirit of busi- ness despatch, of which he himself is the embodiment. Good natured and genial, with words few when few words only are in place, gentle- manly and kind, and masterful in his position, he is highly respected throughout all the works, while an air of mutual confidence in.spired by an ambition to turn out the greatest quantity of finest goods in the briefest time, pervades the factory. The well-disposed employee finds an officer considerate and fair in the general manager, while the 424 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. laggard workman is so gently removed, he scarcely realizes anything has happened, until he finds himself to be without a daily wage. The discipline of the factory .so administered, is very wholesome. Every man is made to feel silently, that he holds his position for his per- sonal merit. Mr. Hallenbeck bears the reputation among his townsmen of being an excellent business example. Always prompt, and persistently as- siduous, careful and yet energetic and pushing, devoted closely to business duties, and not expecting the trusts reposed in him to take care of themselves, but rather to be taken care of as his personal con- cern, he has won an enviable good name among all business associates and acquaintances. Besides the management of the factory of Hall, Elton & Co., Mr. Hallenbeck is the financial manager of a company dealing in ice in Wallingford. In politics he is a republican, and has steadily turned aside from political office, preferring the private's position to the endless rivalry and buffeting of party success for those in office. Of the popular social orders, he holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is also a member of the Knights of Pythias. In religion he is a Congregationalist, and while not a church member, takes pleasure in performing the service of a good parishioner in the First Congregational parish of Wallingford. One rule has been taken as the guide of life, and been kept distinctly before him, whether in social or business relations, and that is the Golden Rule. He was married October 26th, 1882, to Mrs. E. E. (Dickerman) Wilmot, of New Haven, Conn., and resides at the family homestead on Centre street, Wallingford, where for thirty years he has lived, having the high esteem of his townsmen for his many virtues and his sterling manhood. Benjamin F. Harrison, M.D., was born in Northford, in the town of North Branford, Conn., April 19th, 1811, and was the son of Elizur and Rebecca (Bartholomew) Harrison. In his death, which occurred April 2;3d, 1886, Wallingford lost one of her most distinguished and esteemed citizens. He was born one of nature's noblemen, so that whatever of training or culture he might have need not attempt the impossible feat of imparting original quality to make a fine, distinct individuality, but to cultivate quality already inherent. We will not look for a long period of school life in youth, nor for the careful .selec- tion of an academic college, and watchful supervision and guidance while he might be going through the curriculum. None of these were privileges of his youth. He was denied them, not for any lack of parental love, but for the exigencies of farm life as pursued in the early part of tliis century. The school life of boyhood was inter- rupted by work on the farm, as soon as the boy could be useful there. And yet young Harrison obtained enough of education to be the dis- ^. >?ty M HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 425 trict pedagogue in winter, while in summer he helped his parents on the farm. In this way he secured the funds for a medical course in Yale University, and graduated m 1836. He then sought for hospital practice in New York city, and later became associated with Doctor French, of Milford, in the practice of medicine. But he had no sooner begun in Milford than a favorable opening came to him in Walling- ford, and he accepted it. Here he continued for ten years, and then resolved upon travel and residence in Europe. While in Paris he put himself under the tuition of famous lecturers in medicine and science, and afterward visited many of the principal points of interest on the continent. Upon returning to America, he first thought to practice his profes- sion in Cincinnati, Ohio, and opened an office there ; but his resi- dence in that city did not continue long, and he returned to Walling- ford. After some years his practice here was again interrupted by the events of the war. Governor Morgan, of New York, commissioned him, August 1st, 1862, to be surgeon of the Independent Corps, New York Volunteer Light Infantry, already in the field at Yorktown, Va. The regiment's term of .service expired February 7th, 1864, and Doc- tor Harrison with his regiment was mustered out at that date. He then entered the service of the sanitary commission and was assigned to South Carolina and Florida. At the close of 1864 he returned to Wallingford, and remained there for the rest of his life. But this meagre outline of events gives no adequate idea of the individualit}' and character of the man who moved in the mid.st of them. Seen from any point of view, Doctor Harrison was a man who would attract attention. Socially he was an agreeable companion and a brilliant conversationalist. It was only needful that he should have his attention centered by the presence of a friend, or by an interesting topic of conversation, when his eyes would sparkle and his mind open its riches of thought and humor and agreeable comment, in entertain- ing manner. Especially was this so if his company at any time was, like himself, intellectually bright and full of information. There were two respects in which Dr. Harrison's individuality ap- peared distinct from that of many people. He was a thoughtful reader of good books on all the ranges of knowledge. His library was large and stocked with much of the best literature in the different departments of learning. Over and through these books he would go with the delight of the bibliophile, always exercising his judgment upon what he might read, applying the test of criticism to it, and holding it in memory with the grip of a master hand. So that his mind was full of information gained from communion with the best minds, not in the department of medicine alone, but in the various branches of science and letters. All this material would come as wanted to the surface when he became animated. 426 HISTDRV <.>I' XKW HAVEN COUNTY. But he was also a born obser\-er. He was naturally a scientific observer. He delighted in original investigation.' {.What if others had seen for themselves, he desired to see for himself. He sought for facts, and from the facts worked out principles. He was able to see facts as they are, and not as they are sometimes seen, warped and one- sided, by reason of a certain wryness or prejudice in the observer. And in addition he was able to describe what he observed, and by logical thoroughness coine to a wideness of knowledge of which the facts were concrete representations. It is seen now that he was natu- rally a born scientist, and if his lot had fallen into the lines of the scientific schools, he would probably have become a professor of some branch of scientific learning, in one of them. It will not appear surprising now that he supplied himself with meteorological apparatus, and kept a faithful daily record of the rain- fall and temperature from tlie year 185G until his death, except during- his army life; and even there he indulged his scientific propensity of watching and recording much of the time the temperature and humid- ity of the atmospere. Yale University took cognizance of his scien- tific habits and attainments, and bestowed on him the honorarj- de- gree of A. M. in 1872. But Doctor Harrison was eminent in this town, not only for his skill in medicine and scientific knowledge, but for his public spirit. His ideal of town development was considerably beyond any attain- ment Wallingford had }'et achieved. He wanted the citizens to beau- tify the place of their residence, and hence man}' years ago planted the ornamental trees which stretch along the front of his own house for quite a distance. He was the first to advocate a borough system of water supply, and to his persistent effnrts is mainly due the present water works of the town. Besides, he was a principal promoter of popular education and the enlargement of the public school system. His only difficulty was that his ideal of society was so far in advance he could not speedily enough bring his fellow-townsmen up to it. They found in him always the advanced, enthusiastic friend of public improvements, and took counsel of him accordingly. His moral nature was of the stalwart kind, and his judgments were always imperative and compulsory upon his conduct. If he must ever stand alone to be loyal to his convictions of trutli and duty, he would stand there, quite oblivious to what the masses might say, if only he could have the approval of his own conscience. He did not leap to conclusions, but came to them slowly from a survey of the facts at command ; and from tho.se conclusions only new and stronger light could move him. Truth in everything as apprehended was his norm of life. Hence, when he came to die, his townsmen felt they were about to lose one of the chief ornaments and bulwarks of Wallingford society. He was married three times; June 8th, 18in, to Miss Susan Lewis. m. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 427 of Wallingford, who died September 10th, 1889. One daughter wa.s born to them, bearing the mother's name; she lived to the age onh- of seventeen years. He was married again June 20th, 186S, to Miss Vir- ginia V. Abell, of Franklin, Conn., who died December 27th, 1869. And again he was married, in 1885, to Miss Sarah E. Hall, daughter of the late Joel Hall, of Wallingford, who survives him. His memor}' now lives in the hearts of Wallingford people, only as a praise and an honor in the town, which no one has yet inherited. George A. Hopson, born in 18r)9, was the only child of Samuel and Letitia (Lounsbury) Hopson, grandson of Andrew, whose father Samuel, was a .son of Samuel, who was a son of Samuel Hop.son, and grandson of John. George A. is a farmer on the farm where four or more generations of the family have lived. He was a member of the house of representatives in 1884, being the youngest member of that body He is vice-president of the State Agricultural Society, a mem- ber of Wallingford Grange, No. 33, P. of H., and state lecturer for that organization; also councilor Putnam Council, O. U. A. M., and a member of the board of selectmen of the town of Wallingford. He married Alice M. Trefethen. Their children are F. Mabel and Pauline. Seymour E. Hotchkiss, born in 1842. in Prospect, is a son of Shelden and Sarah Hotchkiss, and grandson of Isaac Hotchkiss. He came to Wallingford in 1856, and was several years in the Parker box shop at Yale.sville prior to 1881, when he began to work in the bolt and rivet shop with his brother, Albert S. Hotchki.ss. The latter was born in 1840, and was employed in the bolt and rivet shop at Quinnipiac from 1868 till 1877, when he bought the business, with S. Morse as partner. One year later Seymour E. Hotchkiss bought out Mr. Morse and has since been a partner in the business. The brothers are both married. A. S. lives near the works in North Haven and S. E. lives at Wallingford, where he holds the office of burgess. Joel Hough, born in 1806 and died in 1886, was a son of James, and grandson of Joseph Hough. Mr. Hough was a farmer. He married Mary, daughter of Silas Rice. She died in 1875, leaving seven chil- dren: Cornelia (Mrs. E. C. Hall), Joel R., Susan E., Albert P., James B., Alice L. and Rosie. One daughter, Lucy, died. Albert P. and the three younger daughters occupy the homestead where their father spent his life. Elijah J. Hough, born in 1829, is the eldest son of James and Mary T. (Rice) Hough, grandson of James, and great-grandson of Joseph Hough. Mr. Hough is a farmer, occupying the homestead of his father. He is now serving his third term as selectman. He has been treasurer of Wallingford Grange, No. 33, P. of H., since its organiza- tion. He married Ruth, daughter of vSilas Blakeslee. Their children are: Jennie B., married George D. Hall, and has one son: Ilattie B. (Mrs. J. N. Barnes), and George E. 428 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Leverett M. HuBBARn was born in Durham, Conn., April 23d, 1849. He is the son of Reverend Eli Hubbard, A. M., a graduate of Wesleyan University, jNIiddletown, Conn., who had a long and note- worthy career in the state of Mississippi, as an educator and minister, being- especially distinguished for his eloquence and power as a preacher. The mother of Leverett M.,a daughter of Mr. L. W. Leach, for many years a leading merchant of Durham, and sister of Honor- able L. M. Leach and Honorable Oscar Leach, of Middlesex county, died when he was three years of age, and he was brought up in the family of his grandparents. His academic education was obtamed at the Wesleyan Academy, Wilbraham, Mass., and the Wesleyan Univer- sity, from which latter institution he has received the degree of Master of Arts, and among whose sons he holds a distinguished place. His legal studies were pursued at the Albany Law School, Albany, N. Y., from which he graduated in 1870. He then located for the practice of his profession at Wallingford in August of that year. He soon be- came marked at the bar, and by the community generally, as a young man of fine spirit and rare intellectual endowments. From that time he has steadily grown in the confidence and esteem of the public, and for many years has held the conspicuous rank he early achieved, being among the most respected, widely known and successful lawyers in New Haven county. He has been frequently identified with leading cases, from some of which he has gained special distinction, notably the Hayden-Stannard murder trial, and the trial of Anderson, indicted for the killing of Horatio G. Hall. From the beginning of his professional career he has maintained an office connection in New Haven. For a year he pursued his studies with the Honorable Charles Ives, now deceased. From 1874 to 1877 he was a law partner of Morris F. Tyler, Esq., and since that time has been associated with John W. Ailing, Esq. Mr. Hubbard was appointed postmaster of Wallingford by Presi- dent Grant in 1872, which office he held by successive reappointments until the inauguration of President Cleveland in 1885, when, with an unexpired commission for three years, he tendered his resignation in order that he might devote his entire attention to his profession, whose increasing demands had for a number of years made this step a near necessity. He administered that office with unusual intelli- gence and fidelity, and to the universal acceptance of its patrons, who, without respect of party, tendered him upon his retirement a compli- mentary banquet, which was widely remarked at the time for its elaborateness and the enthusiasm which attended it. The late Honorable C. D. Vale, well known through the state as a sterling democrat, presided on the occasion, and in concluding a very complimentary address, said: " The company has assembled that it may go on record in an unmistakable manner that Mr. Hubbard is 'Sn^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 429 beloved and respected by every man in Wallingford whose good "wishes are worth having." Honorable Georsfe H. Watrous, of New Haven, in writing his regrets, said: " I share with you sincerely the desire to honor our esteemed friend. I have known him nearly as long as you have, I presume. I early learned to believe in him as a man not only of superior intelligence, but of great integrity and trustworthiness. My knowledge of him has increased my faith in him. Mr. Hubbard has not only been a successful postmaster, but he has been in every respect a very successful and highly useful member of your com- munity. He has already carved his way to the front rank of his pro- fession." He was a member of the board of school visitors from 1874 to 1880, and a justice of the peace from 1878 to 1881. He has been borough attorney since 1870 and counsel for the town during most of the same period. He was one of the projectors of the First National Bank of Wallingford, and has been one of its directors since its organ- ization; also a director in the Dime Savings Bank since 1884, and is now its first vice-president. In 1881 he was elected a trustee of the Wesleyan Academy, Wilbraham, Mass., a position which he has held until the present time, and to the discharge of whose duties he has brought the same devotion, energy and capacity which have marked his career in all the various positions of responsible trust which he has occupied. Upon the establishment of a borough court for Wallingford by the general assembly in 1886, at the earnest solicitation of friends in both political parties, and at some disadvantage to his business, Mr. Hubbard accepted the position of its first judge, having been elected by the unanimous vote of the legislature. In a similar manner he has been reelected for each succeeding term, and still continues to discharge the duties of that office to the eminent satisfaction of the community. In 1886 Mr. Hubbard was unanimously nominated for secretary of state by the republican party in a convention of more than five hundred delegates, and was elected with a larger popular vote than any other candidate on the state ticket. It is not too much to say that in dignity, ability and enterprise Mr. Hubbard's administration as secretary during his term of two years has rarely been equalled and never excelled in the history of the state. Among his many noteworthy special services in that office, one of the most universally esteemed related to his preparation and publication of the first com- prehensive and elaborate " Register and Manual of the State of Con- necticut " ever issued, a model upon which all subsequent editions have been fa.shioned, highly valued for the great variety and accuracy of its information, and easily ranking among the most complete things of its kind ever compiled. 430 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Mr. Hubbard has long enjoyed a wide reputation as a speaker of unusual force and eloquence, and has been much in demand as an orator, especially on patriotic, commemorative and political occasions. He has been from the beginning of his career actively interested in the work of the political organization to which he has been at- tached, and in addition to the honors already referred to. was sent as a delegate to the national convention which nominated Benjamin Harrison for president, and was prominently named as a candidate for congress in 188§. In religion, his antecedents and early associations were in the Methodist Epi.scopal church, to which he is still devoted, although since it has no organization in his coinmunity he has, from his first residence in Wallingford, been a regular attendant upon the First ■Congregational church, of which he has been a liberal supporter, and in the management of whose affairs he has been prominently iden- tified. Mr. Hubbard was married May 21st, 1873, to Florence Gazelle, daughter of Wooster Ives, of Wallingford, and on her maternal side a lineal descendant from Governor Roger Wolcott and from Reverend John Davenport of colonial fame. Four children have been born of this marriage, all of whom are now living: Georgiana, Samuel Wolcott, Leverett Marsden, Jr., and Kenneth Davenport. The following items concerning descendants of Doctor John Hulls, of the town of Wallingford, have been taken from the genealogy of the Hull family in Doctor Davis' excellent " History of Wallingford and Meriden": The name of Hull appears early in Connecticut, and came from Derbyshire, England. The first of the name in Wallingford was Doc- tor John Hull (or Hulls, as he wrote his name), who was admitted a planter at Stratford in 1661. It is not quite certain whether he came from England, or was a son of Richard Hull, of the New Haven col- ony. Doctor John Hulls was at Derby in 1668 and at Wallingford in 1687, where he died December 6th, 1711. He was probably somewhat advanced in life when he came to Wallingford. He was married Oc- tober 19th, 1672, to Mary Jones, who was probably his second wife. After her death he married Rebecca Turner, September 2()th, 1699. He exchanged his house and land at .Stratford with Benjamin Lewis, for his house and land at Wallingford in 1687. The town of Walling- ford set out to Doctor Hulls a tract of land which they supposed con- tained 700 acres, lying between the north side of Broad Swamp and the Ouinnipiac river. This grant was more than a mile square, and was known as Doctor Hulls' large farm. The children of Doctor John Hulls were: John. Samuel. Mary, Jo.seph, Benjamin, P^benezer, Richard, Jeremiah and Archer. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 431 John Hull, son of Doctor John, was born in Stratford, March 14th, 1661-2, married Mary , and settled in the old town of Derby. His children were: Deborah, John, Daniel, Miles, Ebenezer, Mary, Martha and Priscilla. Captain Joseph Hull, of Derby, son of Doctor John Hulls, of Wal- lingford, was born in 1668, and married Mary Nichols, of Derby, where they lived and died. He was married twice, his second wife's name being Hannah, whom he left a widow. His children were: Samuel, Joseph, Caleb, Abijah, Archer, Sarah and Mary. Doctor Benjamin Hull, son of Doctor John, was born October 7th, 1672. and married Elizabeth Andrews, December 14th, 1693. She died April 27th, 1732. He came to Wallingford with his father in 1687. He died March 30th, 1741. His children were: Andrew, Mary, Eliza- beth, Damaris, John, Abigail, Samuel, Sarah and Benjamin. Ebenezer Hull, son of Doctor John Hulls, of Wallingford, was born in 1673, and married May Mix, May 7th, 1706. He died November 9th, 1709, and his widow, Lydia, administered on his estate. He had one child, Hannah, born March 23d, 1708. Doctor Jeremiah Hull, son of Doctor John, was born at Derby, in 1679, and married Hannah, daughter of Samuel and Hope Cook, at Wallingford, May 24th, 1711. She died December 11th, 1741. Hedied at Wallingford May 14th, 1736. Their children were: John, Moses, Tabitha, Hannah, Anna, Jeremiah, Joseph, Patience and Keturah. Caleb Hull, son of Captain Joseph and Mary Hull, and grandson of Doctor John Hulls, first, was born February 4th, 1695, and married Mercy Benham, of Wallingford. May 1st, 1724. She died April 19th, 1766. He died in September, 1788. In 1710, when Caleb was 14 years old. he received from his grandfather. Doctor John Hulls, 100 acres of land, deeded to Joseph from Caleb, conditioned that Caleb should come and live with him till 21 years old, or until his decease. Doctor Hulls died December 6th, 1711. Doubtless Caleb went. The 100 acres is on record. The children of Caleb Hull were: Sarah, Andrew, Mary, Samuel, Joseph, Abijah, Joseph, Caleb, Submit, Patience, Jo- seph and Caleb. Abijah Hull, son of Captain Joseph and Mary Hull, and grandson of Doctor John Hulls, was born in 1697, and married Abigail Harger, of Derby, November 20th, 1727. He had two daughters. Doctor John Hull, son of Doctor Benjamin and Elizabeth Hull, was born October 6th, 1702, and married Sarah Ives, June 21st, 1727. She died November 29th, 1760. He married for his second wife Damaris Frost, October 20th, 1761. He died May 22d, 1762-3. His children were: Zephaniah, John, Elizabeth, Sarah, John, Desire, Sarah, John and Amos. Captain Samuel Hull, son of Doctor Benjamin and Elizabeth Hull, and grandson of Doctor John Hulls, was born September l.st, 1706, married Sarah Hall, February 21st, 1733, and settled in Cheshire, 4;-}2 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. where he died January 17th, 1789, aged 82 years. His wife died June 11th, 17C3, aged 50 years. His children were: vSarah, vSamuel. Samuel, vSarah, Love, Jesse, Benjamin and Levi; the last two by a second mar- riage. Doctor Benjamin Hull, son of Doctor Benjamin and grandson of Doctor John Hulls, first, was born July 6th, 1712, and married Hannah Parmalee December 17th, 1735. Their children were: Patience, Phebe, Hannah, Doctor Benjamin, Eliakim, Charles, Sybil, Joel, Beda, Lois, Asahel and Ephraim. Doctor John Hull, son of Doctor Jeremiah and Hannah (Cook) Hull, and grandson of Doctor John Hulls, first, was born November 13th, 1712, and married Mary Andrews October 26th, 1735. He died August 15th, 1755. His children were: Sarah, Molly, Sarah, Moses, John, Nathaniel, Aaron, Abigail and Hannah. Jeremiah Hull, son of Doctor Jeremiah and Hannah (Cook) Hull, was born January 5th, 1729, and married Mary Merriman January 18th, 1753. She died August 22d, 1774, aged 41 years. He died August 24th, 1790. He was twice married. His children were: Caleb, Jeremiah, Samuel, Ann, Benjamin, Levi, Hannah and Eunice. Andrew Hull, son of Caleb, grandson of Captain Joseph, and great- grandson of Doctor John Hulls, of Wallingford, was born August 23d, 1720, and married Lowly Cook, daughter of Captain Samuel and Han- nah Cook, of Wallingford. He died September 21st, 1774. Mrs. Low- ly Hull died about 1785. Andrew Hull owned a large farm near Cheshire street, bounded north by the river. His children were: Damaris, Lowly, Hannah, Damaris, Andrew, Sarah, Ursula, Mary, Esther, vSusan and Lovisa. Samuel Hull, son of Caleb, grandson of Captain Joseph, and great- grandson of Doctor John, the first, was born March 22d, 1730, and married Eunice Cook, daughter of Captain Samuel and Hannah Cook, of Wallingford, December 26th, 1753. He died April 27th, 1791. She died May 9th, 1803, aged 68 years. Their children were: an infant son, Jedediah, an infant son, Samuel, Zephaniah, Epaphras, Eunice, Lois, Caleb, Elizabeth, Josephus and Hannah. Samuel Hull, son of Jeremiah and Mary (Merriman) Hull, grand- son of Doctor Jeremiah and Hannah (Cook) Hull, and great-grandson of Doctor John Hulls, first, married Lois Peck and settled on the old homestead of his father. He was an enterprising and successful farmer in the northern part of Wallingford. His children were: Wil- liam, married Alma, daughter of Reuben Hall; Sylvester, married De- lilah, daughter of Benajah Morse; and Lois, married Miles, son of Ichabod Ives. Samuel Hull, .son of William and Alma (Hall) Hull, and grandson of Samuel Hull, was born in 1824, and is a farmer, owning and occupy- ing the homestead of his father and grandfather. He married Susan HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 483 A., daughter of Ira Miller, and has two daughters: Elida (Mrs. Horace Williams) and Anna (Mrs. Julius Williams). Friend Johnson, born in 1807, is a son of Samuel and Polly (Tuttle) Johnson, grandson of Ephraim and great-grandson of Reuben John- son. Mr. Johnson has been a farmer. He married Harriet Hunt, who died leaving one daughter, Mary E., now Mrs. A. J. Smith. She first married Captain William M. Whitney, who was lost at sea, leaving two sons, William F. and Doctor S. T. Whitney. His second wife was Phoebe Yale, and his present wife was Mary M. Carroll. Mr. John.son was representative in the legislature in 1849. Charles N. Jones, born in 1831, is a son of Street and Mary P. TEastman) Jones, grandson of Nicholas and great-grandson of The- ophilus Jones. He followed farming until about 1869, when he engaged in the grocery and feed business, continuing until 1887. He has been a director in the Dime vSavings Bank since its incorporation, and treas- urer of it one year. He has been selectman four terms, and has been chairman of the board three terms. He married Ellen, daughter of John Cook. She died in 1878. leaving four daughters: Mary E., Emma A., Sadie C. and Florence B. Morton Judd was born in New Britain, Conn., November 5th, 1808. Many of the prominent families of the county of New Haven have come to their present wealth and social position from the favorable opportunities and openings to which they have been led up by the business ability and sterling character of parents whose birth goes well back to the beginning of the present centur}'. This is true of the Judd family, who are the immediate descendants of the subject of this sketch. It is not intended to detract a single iota from the independ- ent worth and mastery in the world's affairs, of the sons and daugh- ters. They have the vigor and business thrift of the best New Eng- land stock, but so closely have they been associated with their father for many years, and so related is their business industry to what was his, that it seems to be only the rich development of what he quietly and intentionally introduced them to. The father is perpetuated in his sons by an inheritance of business development, as of physiologi- cal and moral quality. The Judd family of which Mr. Morton Judd is a descendant is one of the oldest in the vicinity of New Britain. It is possible to trace the ancestry to very honorable position in English biography. The ear- liest person who bore the name in the town of Farmington.Conn., was Thomas Judd, known as " the emigrant." He was deacon of the First church of the Farmington parish. But the immediate ancestors of Morton Judd were John and his wife, Ursula (Stanley) Judd, of New Britain. He (John) was a blacksmith, and learned his trade of Esquire North, who bears the credit of originating the manufacturing ten- dency and life of New Britain. Morton Judd was a member of a large family of twelve children, the tenth in order of birth. 27 434 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. His boyhood was accompanied by no special advantages whatever. His .school days ended when he was thirteen years of age. At that time the originators of the industrial prosperity of New Britain were struggling to lay the foundation, and young Morton Judd felt the influ- ence of the life about him, for at the end of his schooling he went into a bra.ss foundry to learn the trade of casting bra.ss. The succeeding years of Mr. Judd's life, until 1847, were occupied chielly in gaining a firm foothold in the manufacturing world. And it was not until that year that his ambitions were realized. He in- vented a sash fastener, which received the stamp of the Patent Office, September 4th, ]cS47. He did not realize at the time how useful an article it would prove to be. It was simple in construction and effec- tive, and soon began to displace the goods of English manufacture im- ported by the trade in builders' hardware. An incident illustrates the point. A few years after the manufacture was begun, Mr. Judd tried to increase his sales in the New York market. He appealed to a mer- chant and received the following reply: " No: I have got §0,000 worth of imported fasteners there on my shelves, and I would have .sold all of them and as many more if it had not been for your fastener." In 1804, Mr. Judd's sons, Hubert L., Albert D. and Edward M., en- tered into partnership in New Haven for the manufacture of uphol- stery hardware. Two years later Mr. Judd moved to New Haven and entered into partnership with his .son, Albert D.,for the manufacture of builders' hardware: and out of this movement grew the Judd Manu- facturing Company. Mr. judd became president, and the business of the company was greatly enlarged. It was continued in New Haven until 1870, and then moved to AVallingford, Conn. The choice of Wallingford for location, forms a little scrap of Wal- lingford history, and as it redounds to the good name of the town as a place of residence, it is worth repeating. Mr. Judd's daughter, Martha L., found that residence in either New Britain or New Haven was attended with peril to her health. The evidences were unmistak- able, and Mr. Judd believed that higher ground would be beneficial. Hence he sought the main street of the town. It was soon apparent that the family health was improved ; at the same time Wallingford society was very agreeable. Mr. Judd had been living in the town five years at the year 1879, and in moving the factory of the Judd Manufacturing Company[it was only natural that it should be moved nearer home. The busmess was carried on in Wallingford until the year 1887, wlien it was bought out by H. L. Judd & Co. of New York — the con- summate flowering of the plant set out in Mr. Judd's early manhood. For many years the business connections of Mr. Judd have been ornamental and without labor rather than active. His name and asso- ciation have given character to'the enterprises, rather than demanded of iiim pci-.sonal attention. He has lived much at ease in the town on ^ ^^itwC^^^>^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 435 its main street; and in the course of years his children" have gathered about him and built expensive residences, highly ornamental to the town and very helpful to the tax-payers in general. Mr. Judd in personal appearance is of medium stature, erect, his eye bright and manner animated, and full of sun.shine for the com- pany he may be in, while his conversation is as entertaining as ever. His step is elastic, and now at the age of nearly eighty-three years he is frequently observed to run like a boy. Walking is a pastime, and only the mo.st agile of foot better challenge him to contest. His visits among his children and neighbors spread the sunshine of a happy, humorous nature wherever he goes. The freedom of all the homes of the Judd family seems to have been offered him, and he is at home in them all — children, servants, horses and carriages only wait to hear his desires expressed, and then joyfully fulfill them. Mr. Judd is a Christian who does not hesitate to declare his rever- ence for things .sacred and his faith in God. In New Britain and in the Center Congregational church, which enrolls so much of his family histor}', he is known as " Deacon." and so in general called Deacon Morton Judd. Not regarding his orthodoxy as exactly the old type, he refused the office, but after months of refusal and much urging on the part of the Center church people, he accepted the position, and wears the title still by the insistance of common love on the part of the pari-sh and the town. The general favor in which he stands among his neighbors and his church betrays the character he bears. And whether in New Britain or New Haven or Wallingford, where he has lived the last nineteen years, he is spoken of only in terms of esteem and generous praise. His charitable efforts have relieved the poor in many a struggle, and the unfortunate have risen again by reason of his " Good Samaritan" hand. He has borne a willing part in those social activities for good ends which contribute in every live community to the general wel- fare; and by example and precept has been a distinct builder of social and religious worth in society. In town and state politics he has been retiring, and yet has been pressed forward to the fir.st town offices. He has served the town in the general assembly. January 26th, 1828, he married !\Iiss Lucina Dunham, of Southing- ton, Conn. She was a Christian who might serve as the impersona- tion of Solomon's description of the good wife and mother, who looked well to the training of her children. Four children were born to them: Hubert L., Albert D., Edward M. and Martha L., now Mrs. Martin, of Kearney, Neb. But their mother died March 21st, 1853. Mr. Judd married, again. Miss Julia Blynn, of Wethersfield, Conn., February 21st, 1855. There was born to them one daughter. Miss Mary B. Judd, of Wallingford. It is enough to say of the second mother that her step-children learned to regard her with filial love 430 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. and reverence, so fully did she succeed to the mother's place in the family. She died November 19th, 1888. Mr. Judd's residence is on Main street, Wallingford, where he is now (1891) pas.sing the evening of a beautiful closing day. William A. Kendrick, son of John and Frances (Edmunds) Ken- drick, was born in 1848. He was eleven years in New York, in the store of Hall, Elton & Co., and since 1878 has been in the office of G. I. Mix & Co., Yalesville. He married Frances, daughter of G. I. Mix, and has four children: Clara F., Bessie M., Camilla A. and Jose- phine V. Jared T. Kimberly, born in 1840, is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Olds) Kimberly, grandson of Thomas, and great-grandson of Thomas Kimberly, who was born in Germany, and was a soldier in the revo- lutionary army. He was in the service during the late war from No- vember, 18G1, in Company K, 1st California Infantry. Since 1871 he has practiced dentistry in Wallingfoixl. He was one term justice of the peace, and is a member of Arthur H. Button Post, No. 36, G. A. R. He married Charlotte F. Chatfield, and has one son. Jared R. Mrs. Kimberly was born in Seymour, Conn., in 1851, and is a daughter of Joel R. Chatfield, born at vSeymour, and Mary Tomlinson, born at Rutland. Vt. Charles N. Lane, born in 1834, is one of six sons of George and Janette (Atkins) Lane, and grand.son of Josiah Lane. Mr. Lane served in the band of the r)th Connecticut Regiment from June, 1861, to Sep- tember, 1862. He reenlisted in March, ISGo, holding a second lieuten- ant's commission in Company A, 12th Connecticut A^olunteers,and was detailed as leader of the band. He was discharged in August, 1865. He is a machinist by trade. In November, 1887, he and his son, C. Fred., bought a small news store and ice cream business, which has grown to considerable proportions under their management. He is a member of Arthur H. Dutton Post, No. 36, G. A. R. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Eldridge Morse. Their children are: Edward C C. Frederick, and Bessie. Josiah W. Lane, born in 1838, is a son of George and Janette (At- kins) Lane, and grandson of Josiah Lane. He was in the war from Jime, 18G1, to September, 1802, in the band of the 5th Regiment. He reenlisted in July, 1863, and was in Harland's Brigade Band until July, 1865. He opened a store August 31st, 1865, where he built a larger one a few years later. He deals in dry goods and groceries. He is a member of Arthur H. Dutton Post, No. 36, G. A. R. He married Mary E., daughter of Lucien Pomeroy. Their children are Robert J. and Emeline E. Oscar B. Lane, born in 1840, is a son of George and Janette (Atkins) Lane. He was in the United States service during the late war from June, 1801, to September, 1802, in the band of the 5th Regiment, and from July, 1803, until July. 1805. in Harland's Brigade Band. He is HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 437 one of five brothers that served in that conflict. Since 1870 he has been a clerk in the store of his brother, J. W. Lane. He married Mary, daughter of Beach Wilcoxson, and has one daughter, Hattie M. He is a member of Arthur H. Button Post, No. 36, G. A. R. Walter J. Leavenworth, son of James M. and Julia (Hurd) Leaven- worth, was born in Roxbury, Conn., in IS-to, and came to Walling- ford at the age of nine years. He was in the employ of Hall, Elton & Co. from 1862 until December, 1877, since which time he has been in the office of R. Wallace & Sous' Manufacturing Company, and is now treasurer and general manager of the company, also president of the First National Bank and president and treasurer of the Walling- ford Gas Light Company. In September, 1871, he became a private in Company K, 2d Connecticut National Guards, and was promoted from time to time until February 16th, 1885, when he became colonel of the regiment, which position he resigned June 22d, 1889. He married Nettie, daughter of Robert Wallace, and they have had four children: Clifford W., Isabel, Bessie A. and John W. Isabel died in 1889, aged 16 years. Doctor J.vmes D. McGaughev was born in Greenville, Tenn., August 5th, 18-18. a descendant of Scotch-Irish parentage on his father's side, and German-English on his mother's. The earliest authentic account of his paternal ancestors is found in a written record of his grandfather, who states that his grandfather's (the doctor's great-great- grandfather'.s) name was William McGaughey, and that his wife's maiden name was Elizabeth Lackey, and they came from Scotland be-- fore the revolution. They moved from the state of Pennsylvania to Holston, near Abingdon, Virginia, but later settled in Greene county, Tenn., some time after the revolution. From the latter home they removed to Boyd's Creek, East Tennessee, where the wife died in 1804. The great-great-grandfather then removed to Middle Tennes- see, and died near Duck River, about 1810. While living at Boyd's Creek he built a stockade, which was known in the early history of Tennessee as McGaughey 's Station.* Of their ancestors, the record states, but little was known, but it is believed that they were Scotch- Irish Presbyterians. The maternal grandfather of the doctor's grandfather was John Laughlin, and both he and his wife were from Ireland. In his time he was a celebrated weaver, and his wife kept a large dairy at their home, twelve miles from Abingdon, Va. They were staunch Presby- terians and strong supporters of the revolution. The great-grandfather, on the doctor's father's side, was Samuel McGaughey, who was born in York county, Pa., July 15th, 1763, and was nine years old when his father removed to Holston (at that time Washington county, Va.) From documents in the Pension Bureau of the L^nited States it is learned, from his statements, that, " In the *See Ramsey's Annals of Tennessee. 438 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. spring of 1778 the Indians made war upon the settlement and his father was called to serve, but that he took his father's place, as his substitute, and served throughout the revolutionary war. He was under Captain James Montgomery, in March, 1779, against the Chicka- mauga Indians, in the expedition commanded by Colonel Evan Shelby . In 1770 he served under Captain John McKee, also in a movement against the Indians, as a mountain rifleman. In 1780 he was in Cap- tain Andrew Cowan's company, under Colonel Isaac Shelby, all being under the command of General Charles McDowell, and marched into South Carolina. He was in the engagements on the Tyre river and on the Palotell. At the battle of King's Mountain he was in Captain John Pemberton's company, in Colonel vShelby's regiment. In 1781 he commanded a company under General Marion in Colonel John Sevier's regiment and was with Marion at the battle of Eutaw Springs." The records of the grandfather tell us that he had been on fourteen different expeditions after the Indians and in a personal encounter with one, on the Tennessee river, killed him with a corn knife. After the war he was appointed territorial sheriff of his county, by John vSevier, and was with Sevier and against Tipton, in the contest for the state of Franklin, which existed about one year. He also served as one of the commissioners to lay off the county site of Sevier county. His home was on a beautiful farm, a mile east of McGaughey's vStation. He had a family of five sons and six daughters. This great- grandfather and his family helped found the old Urbana church, in the upper end of Blount county, Tennessee, and their minister was Gideon Blackburn, the great western orator. One of the sons of the above. Major John ]\IcGaughey, the grand- father of Doctor McGaughey, was born in Greene county, E. T., July 12th, 1792. His wife, Jane Robertson, was born in the same county, January 29th, 1792, and died January 12th, 1864. She was a descend- ant of the Robertson who, as an associate of John Sevier, helped to organize the first government of the state. Major John McGaughey was a clear headed, even-tempered man, but had a fearless disposition. Throughout his life he served in many public capacities. He was one of the commissioners to treat with the Indians before their removal from Tennessee and served as a soldier under Andrew Jackson in his Indian campaigns in Alabama and Mi.ssi.ssippi. He was a delegate to the convention to revise the constitution of 1796, under which the state was first governed, representing Greene, vSevier, Cocke, Munroe, Blount and ]\Ic]\Iinn counties. Under the provisions of that constitu- tion free persons of color were allowed to vote. This right was taken away in the new constitution. Major McGaughey offered an amend- ment to restore it, but tlie proposition was voted down, thus doing away entirely with free colored suffrage. Although being the owner of a very large farm he would never be the owner of slaves and hired HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 439 all his work done by the day. He also served in both branches of the state legislature a number of times. He took a great interest in the building of the E. T. &. Va. R. R., from Bristol to Knoxville, using all his means to that end, and was a director of the company at the break- ing out of the civil war. In that struggle he maintained his character as a Jacksonian democrat and stood out straight for the Union during the terrible political excitement in East Tennessee in the first two years of the war. He died at the old homestead May 20th, 1874, 82 j'ears of age, and was buried by the side of his wife, at Mount Bethel, near Greenville. Samuel McGaughey, a son of the foregoing and the father of Doctor McGaughey, was born on his father's farm near the Molachucky river. May 31st, 1816, and died at his residence at Greenville, Feb- ruary 2oth, 1870. He was a wholesale and retail merchant, also doing an extensive commis.sion business. His integrity was of the highest order and his business capacity was unusually great. The war entirely wiped out his large business, but as soon as peace was declared, he began anew with increased energy and was rapidly re- gaining what he had lost, when he suffered a terrible fall which pro- duced concussion of the brain, from which he died in ten days. He was a member of the First Presbyterian church and for many years a deacon of that body. He had a very liberal mind and great sympathy for the poor, always delighting in doing charitable deeds. On the side of the doctor's mother, his great-grandfather, Peter Burkhart,* came from Germany before the revolutionary war. and settled in Frederick county, Md., where his maternal grandfather, George Burkhart, was born September 30th, 1775. On SeptemberSth, 1794, he married his first wife, Hannah Hedge, who bore him five chil- dren, and died May 3d, 1801. He married his second wife, Elizabeth Castle, January 7th, 1805, who bore him twelve children, the doctor's mother being the eleventh. His grandmother, Elizabeth Castle, was of English descent, and was born and reared near Frederick City, then called Frederick Town, Md. Her birthday was November 25th, 1779, and she died at Paperville, East Tenn., July 14th, 1855. The grand- father died at the same place June 29th, 1852. They had settled in that section of Tennessee in 1806, where Grandfather Burkhart built a paper mill, in which was made the first sheet of paper ever manu- factured in the state of Tennessee, and for which he received a pre- mium of $50. From the location of the mill the place became known as Paperville, a hamlet four miles east from Bristol. The onl}^ sur- viving member of his family is a son, J. W. Burkhart, of Ruthton, Sul- livan county, Tenn., who has preserved the family accounts. The mother of Doctor McGaughey, Caroline A. Burkhart, was born at Paperville, March 4th, 1821, and died in Atlanta, Ga., January 27th, * Orig-inally spelled Burckhardt, but it was abridged by the doctor's grand- father to the present form. 440 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COQNTV. 1886. She was the mother of eleven children, six sons and two daugh- ters of her family surviving her. All reside in the vSouth except the doctor, who has been an adopted citizen of Connecticut the past twentj- years. The mother of this family was a woman of extraordinary worth and piety, and her lovable disposition caused her to be esteemed by all who knew her. vShe was an earnest, consistent member of the First Presb3'terian church, and was much interested in its welfare. The memory of her good deeds remains as a priceless heritage to the family left to follow her Christian example, and all the children have become useful citizens. James D. McGaughey first attended school in ISM in a small boys' department, in a young ladies' seminary at Greenville, presided over by Mrs. Valentine Sevier, a daughter of Deacon Lyman Cannon, of Wallingford. Conn. From this he went to the old Greenville College, the oldest institution of learning in the state. In the civil war the Third Georgia Battalion of confederate troops was quartered in Greenville, to intimidate the inhabitants of the town, two-thirds of whom were Unionists. They took the college for a small-pox hos- pital and destroyed one of the most valuable libraries in the state, and all the apparatus belonging to the college. Determined to pursue his studies, he now entered a private school, which was also disbanded on account of the hostilities in that section. He next took instruction under a private tutor, Robert McCorkle, one of the most thoroughly educated men in the state, and pursued his studies under great diffi- culties. Some days he was tinable to reach the house of his tutor on account of the guerrilla warfare in the streets and the fear that he might be impressed into the confederate service by these lawless men; but he persevered and continued his studies through all these peril- ous times,* and until he entered Jefferson Medical College, at Phila- * The impressions of those stormy scenes remain very clear in the mind of Doctor McGaughey, from the reading by his father from the Richmond Dispatch of the account of the firing upon Fort Sumter, until the last incident of the war. He saw the first two Union men hung by General Leadbetter, their crime being the burning of the bridges between Greenville and Knoxville, to prevent some maneuvre of the confederates. Six or eight more were hung in Knoxville and many others were put in prison. He witnessed the battle between the Union- ists imder General Alvin C. Gillem and the celebrated cavalry commanded by the confederate John H. Morgan. He saw the latter at the head of his troops entering town at 4 o'clock Saturday evening, and saw him dead the next morn- ing, September 4th, 18G4, at 7 o'clock, while being carried out of town on the horse of a federal soldier. His body rested across the saddle in front oi the sol- dier, his head hanging down on one side, his feet dangling on the other. A large bullet hole in the in ml of the left chest was visible. In the fight in which Mor- gan was killed, all of tlic staff but one, Major Hassett, were captured. The pris- oners were brought to town under guard, and stood on a corner near the house of the doctor's father, where he had a good view of their crestfallen appearance. A short time after the battle he also met and talked with Mrs. Lucy 'W'illiams, who has been credited with betraying Morgan into Gillem's hands, by riding with the information from Greenville to Bull's Gap, Gillem's headquarters, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 441 delphia, in 1866. He graduated with all the honors of a full-fledged Jkl. D. from that institution in 1870, when he practiced his profession in East Tennessee one year. On the Sth of June, 1871, Doctor McGaughey married Sara V. Can- non, 'daughter of Burdett and Juliett (Merriam) Cannon, of Walling- ford, who is also a granddaughter of Deacon Lyman and Sally Can- non, of the same town. In 1872 they removed _from Tennessee and settled permanently in Wallingford, where the doctor has, b}^ his in- dustry, worth, and unremitting professional activity and honorable life, won the esteem of his fellow men, and has become one of the foremost citizens of the town. He manifests in his life the many ex- cellent traits of his honorable lineage, being a temperate, straightfor- ward Christian member of the community. He has built up an ex- tensive and lucrative practice in his chosen profession, and is the med- ical examiner for the town of Wallingford and post surgeon for ex- emption from military taxes. He is also the examiner for a number of other boards and insurance companies. As a member of the Con- necticut State and New Haven Count}- ^Medical Societies he has taken an active interest, and has contributed papers to current medical periodicals. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias and is a member of Accanant Lodge of Odd Fellows of Wallingford. His duties to the town have not been neglected, and he has served in several offices. In 188(1 he represented Wallingford as one of the members of the state legislature, and took part in the debate on the final settlement of the boundary line between New York and Connecticut, which had been in dispute over two hundred years. Doctor McGaughey and his wife have had five children ; one son and one daughter died in infancy. Three survive — two daughters and one son. eighteen miles, on a dark, rainy night. That story is entirely mythical, for she was out of town that night and did not know anything of Morgan's having been in Greenville mitil after the fight the next morning. There is one historical fact which the doctor well remembers: The last Union flag to wave in public in the South after the war commenced was at Greenville, the home of Andrew Johnson and other outspoken loyalists. They erected a liberty pole 100 feet high, on which they placed a large and beautiful flag, which waved in full sight of the railroad, while over 30,000 confederates passed over it, on their way to Virginia. Finallj- the Louisiana Tigers came along, stopped their train, cut down the pole and took away the flag, after which they made the town feed the whole regiment. Before the door of the doctor's father's house, he counted twenty-two muskets, while the men were eating their breakfast, and he was greatly tempted to make off with one. .\fter the battles of Chickaniauga and Fort Saunders, Longstreet's whole force mustered in the town, and his entire staff boarded at the doctor's father's house, and he thought it a great favor to be permitted to eat at the same table with, what seemed in his boyish eyes, such grand officers as Colonel Fairfax, of Virginia ; Major La Trobe, of Baltimore ; Colonel Dunn, of Nashville, and Gen- eral Jones, of Georgia. The)' were kind, courteous gentlemen, and won the respect of the family by their chivalric behavior. 442 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. James A. McKenzie, born in ]S42. is a son of William and Mary (Hall) McKenzie, and grandson of William McKenzie. ]\lr. McKenzie has been wood turner in the Parker box shop at Yalesville for 25 years. He married Adaline, daughter of Sanford Tuttle, and they have three children: William T., Albert S. and Mabel L. Aimer I. Martin, youngest son of Henry and Julia (Hall) Martin, was born in 1866. He has been in the grocery and grain business since April, 1885. Until October, 1888, the firm was Martin Brothers (John A. and Aimer I.); since that time Mr. ]\lartin has been alone. He is a member of Accanant Lodge, No. 71, I. O. O. F. Garry I. Mix, born in 1819, is a son of John and grand.son of John Mix. His mother was Olive, daughter of Joel Ives, who lost his right arm in the battle of White Plains at the time of the revolutionary war. Mr. Mix has been engaged in spoon manufacturing since 1839. In 1855 he .started in business for himself at his present location. He was state senator in 1868. He was three years captain of the old Con- necticut National Guards of Wallingford. He married Almira White. Their children are: Eliza (Mrs. Doctor Glenney) and Frances (Mrs. W. A. Kendrick). John B. Mix, born in 1845, at Cheshire, is a son of William and Mary (Gregory) Mix, grandson of John, and great-grandson of John Mix. He served in the late war from August, 1862, until July, 1865, in Com- pany K, 15th Connecticut Volunteers. Since 1865 he has been a buffer of silver ware, and since 1876 he has been contractor for R.Wal- lace & Sons. He was representative in 1887. He is a member of Compass Lodge, No. 9, F. & A. M., and of Arthur H. Button Post, No. 36, G. A. R. He was sergeant in the Wallingford Militia Company six years. He married Emily E., daughter of Lyman N. Hull, grand- datighter of Willis, and great-granddaughter of Doctor John Hull. They have one daughter, Grace B., and have lost one, Lilian. William N. Mix, son of William and Mary (Gregory) Mix, grand- .son of John, and great-grandson of John Mix, was born in 1843, in Cheshire, Conn. Mr. Mix served during the late war from July, 1861, to July, 1865, having reenlisted as veteran in January, 1864. He was discharged as first sergeant of Company A. 5th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. He was one of the organizers of the militia company here, and held different offices for nine years, when he retired as captain. He is a member of Arthur H. Dutton Post, No. 36, G. A. R., and was the first commander. He is a member of Compass Lodge, No. 9, F. & A. M., and treasurer and collector of the Episcopal church. He married Catharine S., daughter of Frederick A. Rich. Their children are: Edith F., Herbert G., William E., John V. and Dorothy G. Mr. iSIix has been superintendent for the Simpson Nickel Silver Company since July, 1887. Lyman H. Morse, born in 1783, and died in 1878, was a son of Captain Joel Morse. He married Sally Francis, who was the mother HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 443 of twelve children, five of whom are living: Sarah E., Emily M., Car- oline E.. Mary A. and Amos. One son. Henry L., died November 10th, 1890. One daughter, Elizabeth H., lived in New Haven. Caro- line E. married Selden D. Dowd, who was born in 1831. He enlisted in 1862 in Company K, loth Connecticut Volunteers, and died in a rebel prison in November, 18G4. They had two daughters: Lula A., who died, and Ella H. William J. Morse, born in 1839, is a son of Samuel and Betsey E. (Doolittle) Morse, grandson of Theophilus, who was a son of Ebenezer, whose father, Theophilus, was a son of Samuel, he a son of John, and he a son of John ^Morse, who came from England in 1639, and in 1670 came to Wallingford. Mr. Morse was a soldier from August, 1862, until July, 186.5, in Company K, 15th Connecticut Volunteers. He was then engaged in various business enterprises until 1880, when he took charge of the work for the Maltby, Stevens & Curtiss Company as con- tractor, and continued eight years. He is now doing a general insur- ance bu-siness. Since January, 1889, he has been water commissioner, is president of the town board of health, justice of the peace, and holds other minor offices. He is pa,st commander of Arthur H. Button Post, No. 36, G. A. R. His first wife was Frances J. Addis, and his present wife was Catharine H. Maher. They have two children: Flora E. and Willie M. Michael O'Callaghan, born about 1839, in Cork, Ireland, is a son of John O'Callaghan. He came to America in 1857, and after residing two years in Wallingford went to Australia, where he remained for thirteen years, when he returned to Wallingford, where he now resides. Mr. O'Callaghan is a thorough farmer, an experienced wool grower and wool sorter and an excellent judge of sheep and cattle. While in Australia he was for nine years the manager of Molka station, Murchison. He has been on the board of water commissioners since 1883, and is now its chairman. He was four years on the board of relief, and was representative one term, 1889-90. He married Bridget Dailey for his first wife, and his present wife was Lizzie Colbart. They have two children: Bridget and John M. Joel H. Paddock, youngest of .seven children of Charles and Eliza- beth D. (Hall) Paddock, and grandson of Samuel Paddock, was born in 1849. He came from Meriden to Wallingford in 1871, where he has since been a farmer. His farm suffered severely by the tornado of August, 1878, being damaged to the amount of $2,000. Mr. Pad- dock is a member of Accanaut Lodge, No. 71, L O. O. P., and a charter member of Wallingford Grange, No. 33, P. of H. He married Dela- phine, daughter of Elizur and Eunice G. (Nettleton) Hall. Their children are: Jennie D. and Grace D. General W. R. Pease, born in 1831, at Utica, N. Y., is a son of John and Louisa (Bartlett) Pease. In July, 1851, he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating four years later. 444 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. He served on the frontiers until 1862, when he was commissioned colonel of the 117th Regiment New York Volunteers. He was brevetted major U. S. Army in May. lcS68, for gallant and meritorious conduct in the .seige of Suffolk, Va., and brigadier general for gallant and meritorious services during the war. He is on the retired list of the army for disabilitv in the line of duty. His first marriage was with Rowena C, daughter of Reverend Hart F. Pease, of Brooklyn, N. Y. His present wife was Frances E. Strickland. They have one son, Robert W. Pease. George J. Peers, born in ISiiS. in England, is a son of John M. Peers. He came from England to Wallingford in 1868, and choosing the trade of his father, he opened a blacksmith shop in March, 1878, since which time he has been serving the people of Wallingford in that line of work. He married Kittie E. Robin.son and has one daughter, Jennie M. He is a member of Compass Lodge, No. 9, F. & A. M. Frank W. Phelps, son of Chester Phelps, was born in 1852, at Northampton, Mass. He came to Wallingford in April, 1875, and for seven years was a partner with L. M. Phelps in the stove and tin ware business, firm of L. M. & F. W. Phelps. In 1882 they dissolved part- nership and divided the business, and Frank W. has continued the branch store on North Colony street. He is a member of Accanant Lodge, No. 71, L O. O. F. He married Sarah L. Hastings, of .South Decrfreld, Mass. L. M. Phelps, born in 1841, in Northampton, Mass., is a son of vSpencer Phelps. He came to Wallingford in 1875, and established the hardware, stove and plumbing business which he has since con- tinued. He was two years a member of the court of burgesses. He was in the late war as a nine months' man in Companj- C, 52d Massa- chusetts Volunteers. He is a member of Arthur H. Dutton Post, No. 86, G. A. R., of Accanant Lodge, No. 71, L O. O. F., and of Com- pass Lodge, No. 0, F.& A. M. He married Jennie Hastings, of South Deerfield, Mass. John J. Prior, son of Daniel Prior, opened a store for the sale of boots, shoes, hats, caps and mens furnishing goods in October, 1888, where he is now conducting the business. Joel Rice, born in 1829, is the only surviving son of Joel and Lucretia (Yale) Rice, grandson of James, and great-grandson of James Rice. Mr. Rice followed the sea from 1846 to 1886, and was master of vessels after 1859. He married Lydia, daughter of Alfred Parker, and has one daughter, Mary L. Augu.stus F. Rich, son of Frederick A. and Catharine (Halli Rich, and grandson of Harvey Rich, was born in 1887. He is one of eleven children, ten of whom are living. He is a spoon maker, and was foreman for Hall, Elton & Co., for 20 years, and eight years for the Maltby, Stevens & Curtiss Co. He married ]\Iary A., daughter of Albert Ward. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 445 William S. Russell, M. D., born September 7th, 1858, is a son of Henry, and grandson of Lewis Russell. He was a student in French's school at New Haven, prior to entering Yale, where he was graduated in 1880. After studying one year in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, and practicing in the New Haven Hospital one year, he opened practice in Wallingford in July, 1882. He is a member of both state and county medical societies. He married Eliza C, daughter of Edward Hall, of Auburn, N. Y. Luther B. Scranton, born in 1847, in North Branford, is a son of Martin and Sally (Thomas) Scranton, and grandson of Torry Scran- ton. He has been a wagon maker since 1870. In 1873 he came to North Farms,Wallingford, where he started business, and in October. 1884, he came to his present place of business near the depot. He is a member of Accanant Lodge, No. 71, I. O. O. F. He married Martha J., daughter of Nelson T. Crowell, and has two daughters, Grace I. and Alice L. Samuel Simpson was born in Wallingford, Conn., April 7th, 1814. Mr. Simpson resides on Main street, in the center of the borough of Wallingford, where for more than 5o years he has been known as one of the most prominent and prosperous business men, and has been honored for his business thrift and ability, his integrity and high character. Yet the omens attending his boyhood were not propitious, unless an honest, industrious, judicious and aspiring nature be counted in. He inherited these qualities, but not wealth or social eminence. His parents were estimable people, who gave to the society of their day a quality of excellence and solidity, but in 1806, like other Con- necticut farmers, they purchased land in the Western Reserve of Ohio, thirty miles from physician or store or mill. Emigration thither was made in the primitive manner of travel by oxen and horses. But Mr. Simpson lived on his western farm only five years, for residence wrought severely against his wife's health, and they returned to W"al- lingford. Their slender fortune was considerably curtailed by the expensive moving to and fro and change of residence; and Samuel, the youngest of their seven children, went from home at the age of eleven years to work for a physician as ofifice and chore boy. But evi- dently he was not to become a physician. Two years only did he re- main in the employ of Doctor Gaylord. At about fifteen years of age he was apprenticed to Charles Yale, of Yalesville, for a term of five years. At the close of the term he became journeyman in the same shop, and very soon foreman, in the manufacture of Britannia ware. He continued in this position until January 1st, 1835, when, by dint of economy, he had saved of his earnings about two hundred dollars. W^e have been minute in the sketch of Mr. Simpson thus far, for it is both interesting and informing to watch the progress of a young man at the beginning of his career, for then usually his quality will 446 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. appear. Mr. vSimpson was now ready for independent business, and in partnership with another purchased Mr. Yale's Britannia ware in- dustry. We cannot enumerate in detail the vicissitudes of Mr. Simp- son's career before he became permanently settled in the great indus- tries, whose development was determined so largely by his discriminat- ing judgment and business ability. For a series of years change was as typical of that career as was success. In 1S47 he sold out his Britannia and tin ware busine.ss, and soon after purchased the old flouring, wool carding and cloth dressing mills of Wallingford, known as the Humiston mills. Just now experiments were making in the plating of metal by electricity, and Mr. Simpson was a pioneer plater, and probably the earliest manufacturer in this country to apply the process to hollow ware. The mills just purchased were soon fitted for the manufacture of electro-plated silverware. But January 1st. 18o4, this industry was merged in the Meriden Britannia Company, then one year old, Mr. Simpson becoming one of the directors and largest stockholders of the company. He now formed a partnership with his neighbor, Mr. Rob- ert Wallace, under the firm style of R. Wallace & Co., for the manu- facture of nickel silver spoons and forks, and leased the new concern a part of the Humiston mill property. This was a partnership limited to ten years, and the Meriden Britannia Company, which afterward became a partner, entered into contract to take the goods manu- factured. At the close of the ten year period, in 1865, Messrs. Simp- son and Wallace formed a joint stock company, under the title of Wallace, Simpson & Co., the capital stock being placed at $100,000. Mr. v'simpson was chosen president. It was at this time that the ex- tensive plant located at the old Humiston site, dates its greatly in- creased growth. The next year, 1866, Mr. Simpson organized a new company, with the title of Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co., locating the factory for the manufacture of electro-plated silver ware on the east side of the village of Wallingford. Mr. Simpson became president of the new company. In 1871 he sold his interest in the joint stock con- cern of Wallace, Simpson & Co. to his partner, and organized the vSimpson Nickel Silver Company to manufacture nickel silver goods. Air. Simpson was chosen president also of this company. This outline of the more important industries in which Mr. Simp- son has been a chief factor, gives evidence of his superior busine.ss ability already asserted. They absorbed a great deal of capital, and have employed many hands. And while able executive men have been a.ssociated with him in the development of these industries, it is beyond dispute that he has been the guiding genius and power, con- trolling and mapping out the lines of advances. When his fifty years of business life had passed in the town in 1885, he thought to celebrate the event by inviting his coadjutors and business a.ssociates to a banquet. But no sooner was the festival HISTOKV OK NEW HAVEX COUNTY. 447 placed in the hands of his friends than they made the event, not sim- ply an occasion of mutual congratulation among those who had been pleasantly associated for business in the town, but an ovation for him- self ; and not before did Mr. Simpson have any suspicion of the .sort of person he was. He has since hardly known how to explain the happenings of that evening. It is often a little surprising that men who control in chief part great private industries can find time for public duties. But the power to do the one seems to include the time as well as the power to do the other. Mr. Simpson is naturally very public spirited, taking pride in public works and improvements. Indeed, it is the testimony of his fellow-townsmen that he is quite without a peer in the promo- tion of public werks and the development of Wallingford, though his modesty or his unassuming nature does not allow him to think of himself as anything more than the ordinary citizen. He has been frequently called out to serve in various town offices, and has been a leader in the development and perfecting of the school system and the fire department of Wallingford. Mr. vSimpson also aided greatly in establishing the Dime Savings Bank of Wallingford in 1871, and has since been its president. In 1881 the First National Bank of Wallingford was chartered, and he became its president. Besides, at the founding of the First National Bank of Meriden, he subscribed for one-tenth of the stock, and has since been a director. Mr. Simpson's political afBliations have always been with the Dem- ocratic party, of which he has been a distinguished representative. He was chosen to the general assembly of^the state in the years 1846, '59, '65 and '79. He has served his party in the most prominent coun- sels, whether state or national. In religion, Mr. Simpson is an Episcopalian and a member of St. Paul's church of Wallingford. He has borne the interests of Chris- tianity as manifest in his church with a fatherly love and pride. For more than thirty years he has been the senior warden, and during all his business life a principal supporter. His wisdom and devotion have borne the affairs of the parish through hard places. His gener- ous feeling is known throughout the parish, while the poor and the suffering have constantly received relief^from his warm-hearted char- ity. And it is not too much to say that himself and his family are not only greatly respected in all the town, but genuinely beloved. His wealth and influence have seemed to him to be sacred trusts, and he must be the faithful steward both for righteousness' sake and for the account of his stewardship he must give some time. Mr. Simpson was fortunate in choosing a kindred spirit for his •companion — Miss Martha De'Ette Benham, of Cheshire, Conn. They were married July 6th, 1835. She was the daughter of Joseph Ben- ham, whose ancestor of the same name was one of the original "plant- 448 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ers" of Walliiagford. Six children have been born to them, four sons and two daughters, five of whom have passed away — Samuel Augus- tus, George Williams, Martha De Ette, Willis Dnryee and Samuel George. Their mother, Mrs. vSimpson, has erected a fine chapel, "St. Paul's Parish Building," in connection with the family church, as a religious memorial to them. The surviving daughter is Mrs. Eliza- beth Malinda, wife of Gurdon W^. Hull, who reside with the pai'ents in the spacious homestead, where the comforts and lu.xuriesof life are plentiful. F. C. Slate, born in 1840, in Franklin county, ^lass., is a son of Chauncey J. Slate. He has been a merchant since 1878, and in 1883 he came to Wallingford and established the dry goods business which he is now conducting. He married Hattie A. Lewis, who died in 1889. Fred. H. Smith, born in 18.o2, at Brasher, N. Y., is a son of Stephen and Harriet (Ober) Smith. He came to Wallingford in 1878. He was for eleven years a traveling salesman, and since 1884 has been carrying on the grocery business. He married Ida E., daughter of Asahel Talmage, and has one son, Leslie F. George A. Smith, son of Charles A. Smith, was born in Hartford in 1800. He was a drug clerk for eight years in Waterbury, and in January, 1882, he came to Wallingford and purchased a drug business of H. C. Goddard, and moved it to his present store, corner of Colony and Centre streets. He has been first assistant engineer of the fire department three years. He is a member of Compass Lodge, No. 9, F. & A. M. John P. Stevenson, son of Francis Stevenson, was born in 1860, at Clinton, Mass. He has been in the clothing business since 1876, and since 1883 at Wallingford. He is a member of the New England combination clothiers. He married Sarah L., daughter of Trumball and Jo.sephine (Harrison) Jones, and granddaughter of Street Jones. They have one daughter. Josephine. Colonel B. R. Townsend is a son of Nathaniel Townsend. He was a florist and market gardener at Austin, Texas, until 1877, when he came to Wallingford, where he has since been a farmer. In August, 1802, he enlisted in the First U. S. Sharpshooters, was afterward transferred to the 12.">th N. V. \^olunteer Infantry as second lieutenant. Company D, then first lieutenant of Company F. After having been appointed major of 2d U. S. Colored Infantry, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and subsequently colonel, which rank he held when the regiment was discharged in January, 1866. He is a member of Wallingford Grange, No. 83, P. of H. He married Alice F., daughter of Reuben B. and Catharine L. (Perry) Merriman. They have three children: Frederick P., Edward B. and Alice. Captain B. A. Treat, was born in 1842, at Oxford, Conn. He grad- uated from Cheshire Academy and from the normal school, and after HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 44'J teaching two years, began the wheel manufacturing business, which he has followed since that time. He is now president and treasurer of the Wallingford Wheel Company. He was captain of Company K, 2d Regiment, Connecticut National Guards, six years, until he resigned in 18S8. He was six years warden of the borough, and representf.tive in the legislature two years, 1888-9. He is also shell fish commis- sioner. He married Sarah Hill, and has six children: Charles C, Emma A., Eddie B., Kittie I., Frank L. and Marion A. Robert W.a.llace, manufacturer, was born in Prospect, Conn., November IBth, 1815. The two great branches of Anglo-Saxon stock on the soil of Great Britain, the Scotch and the English, are united in him. His father, James Wallace, though a small farmer of Prospect, had floating along his ancestry the heroic traditions and deeds of Scottish history, while his mother bore the name of Urania Williams, a name well embedded in English history and life. It would be difficult to find a finer illustration' of life-long, steady, persistent attention to business than Mr. Wallace. Many attempts have been made to turn him aside, many allurements have been thrown before him, such as entice most other men, but none of them have moved him in all his life from his single aim of being a first- class and foremost manufacturer in his special line of goods. He has been for many years one of the heaviest tax-payers in the town of Wallingford, and it has been the desire of many of his townsmen that he should serve them in official capacity, and receive the honors of the town, but he has as steadily withdrawn himself from all appear- ance of notoriety, and preferred his daily business routine to political emoluments. His gathered wealth has given him the opportunity, and his large acquaintance might have furnished the incentive of movement in public in a showy style, but he has eschewed it all, purposely avoiding it and preferring to be, among his fellow-men, a great deal more than seeming to be. His tastes are as simple to-day as they were when he was only 18 years of age, and hired an old grist mill in Cheshire and began the manufacture of spoons on his own account. He had been working in his Cheshire mill only about a year when one of those events happened which we call good fortune, and no doubt there is such a thing as good fortune, but it may be doubted whether it is very common, except it is accompanied by good sense. It takes eood sense to detect grood fortune. Mr. Wallace met a New Haven patron at that time, and was shown a spoon made from a metal new to both of them. It was called German silver. What was its compounding? — never a conundrum was more puzzling. But an ana- lytic chemist, Doctor Louis Feuchtwanger, was known to have brought a small bar of it from Germany, and he was appealed to to unravel the mystery. Mr. Wallace purchased the bar, carried it to Water- bury, had it rolled, and from this bar made four dozen spoons. 28 450 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. But a second good fortune followed the first, and it was equalh' detected by the good sense of Mr. Wallace. He met a gentleman in Waterbury who had recently come from England, and had brought with him the recipe for making German silver. Mr. Wallace pur- chased it for $25. It was at this period that he moved his simple ma- chinery from the Cheshire grist mill down on the Quinnipiac, below Wallingford, and there prepared for the manufacture of spoons and flat ware on a more extended scale. Nickel was procured, copper also, and zinc, and the compounding of German silver was first done, in this country, in Wallingford, in the factory of Robert Wallace and under his supervision, in 1834. We reach a point now, 1854, twenty years in advance. It is a con- venient position from which to look back on the manufacturing busi- ness of Mr. Wallace. The industry has grown greatly, both in the variety and the output of goods. We notice the new and improved machinery — the product of the manufacturer's invention. We notice the methodical manner in which the work is done, a very picture in method of the manufacturer himself. All goods in process of making must be handled in the easiest, quickest manner, and the manner must be perpetuated, for the workmen will then become skillful and quick in it, and here profits accrue to the business. But the year 1865 was one of great enlargement in the business. For the last ten years the capital stock had been only $1,200 in 1855, and $14,000 a little later, and now it was raised to $100,000, and the name taken for the combination was Wallace, vSimpson & Co. The size of the factory was now greatly enlarged, and its capacity for manufacturing more than correspondingly increased. But in 1871 Mr. Wallace purchased the interest of his individual partner, Mr. Simp.son, and with two of his sons formed the new company of R. Wallace & vSons Manufacturing Company, one third of the stock being held by the Meriden Britannia Company. The factory had now added a long list of articles to those already manufactured, and in great va- riety of design — sterling goods, high grade nickel-silver plated ware, both flat and hollow, and a variety of novelties. But there was still another advance to be made. Might there not be found a le.ss bulky, lighter, but firmer and more elastic basis for silver plated ware. What of steel ? And after patient experiment Mr. Wallace made it work. A new company was formed, still work- ing within the old, of himself, his sons and sons-in-law, under the style of Wallace Brothers. The factory is now the largest in the world devoted to the manu- facture of flat table ware. In all its departments it consumes from two and a half to three tons of steel per day, and about one and one-half tons of nickel silver. It has selling houses in New York and Chicago, and is never idle for the want of orders to fdl. The officers who man- ti^^Trr^-^^^t^-T-^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 451 age its business have been schooled by the founder of the great in- dustry, and are, in fact, members of his own family. Mr. Wallace has given an example of sterling integrity, business enterprise, perseverance, indomitable will and teen forethought to his townsmen, and is held in high esteem by them. He has a warm, gen- ial temperament, that may flash for a moment into vivid pyrotechnics and startle the workmen, but the next hour be, as in general, velvety as a fresh lawn. The appeals for charity are never turned aside. His family are provided with sittings in church and urged to fulfill zeal- ously the duties of church life as becoming to man and due to his Maker. His large, well furnished home on Main street, Wallingford, is always open to his friends, and he is happy when his family and they are happy. March 22d, 1839, he was married to Miss Harriet Louisa Moulthrop, of North Haven, Conn., a lady singularly suited to him for mutual companionship. Previous to 1879 he lived near his factory, but in that year purchased his present residence on Main street, and there Mrs. Wallace died, January 19th, 1884, beloved by friend and neighbor. A family of ten children have been born to them, of whom eight are living. One son died in infancy, and another, William J., at thirty years of age. The living are Mrs. Adeline Morris and Mrs. Nettie A. Leavenworth, of Wallingford ; Robert B. Wallace, of Brooklyn ; Hattie E. Wallace and Henry L. Wallace, of Wallingford ; Mrs. Adela C. Sisson, of New York ; George M. Wallace, of Chicago, and Frank A. Wallace, of Wallingford. Dwight Williams died in 1874, aged 45 years. He was a farmer, and for two years prior to his death was postmaster at East Walling- ford, and since his death Mrs. Williams has held the office. Mr.Will- iams married Sarah A., daughter of Captain Horace Lamphere, of Branford. Their children are: Julia (Mrs. D. M. Foot), L Bessie (Mrs. J. E. Beller), Horace S., Sarah E. (Mrs.W. A. Stevens), Julius D., Meta F. (who has been station agent at East Wallingford since August, 1885), and Grace W. One daughter, Lizzie A., died the same week that her father died. Newton C. Wooding, son of David A. and Flora Wooding, grand- .son of David, and great-grand.son of John Wooding, was born in 1831. He was a contractor and builder from 1866 until his death. He was a member of the firm of Fenn & Wooding until 1884, when Mr. Fenn died. Mr. Wooding died May 12th, 1891, and the business is continued by his son, Charles F. Wooding. Newton C. Wooding was a member of Accanant Lodge, No. 71, I. O. O. F., and was a trustee in the Baptist church for fifteen years. He married Julia Fenn. Their children are: John N., Fannie J., Nellie E., Charles F., Mary E. and Benjamin H. Chakles D. Yale was born in Meriden, Conn., April 23d, 181U. A long, honorable and successful career came to its ending March 452 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 30th, 1890, when Mr. Yale departed this life. He was widely known, but principally in the two states of Connecticut and Virginia, where political relations brought him into public notice and acquaintance with many leading minds. When he died a nature of no ordinary quality ceased its activities. The grief occasioned by this sad event was general and profound. He was the son of Charles Yale, a pioneer in the manufacture of Britannia and tin ware. vSeveral men who at this writing (1891) are of the older people of the two communities, Wallingford and Meriden, were boys then, and in his factory learned the art of manufacturing Britannia ware. Soon after the year 1810 this pioneer manufacturer purchased the old mills at the upper falls on the Ouinnipiac river, known as Tyler's Mills. He remodelled the inner construction of the old mills, and repaired them for the manufacture of Britannia and tin ware, and changed the name of the district to Yalesville, a well known village about three miles south of the city of Meriden. Here Charles D.,the son of Charles Yale, spent the early part of hisboyhood days, attending school. His education was pttrsued in the comtuon school and academy and high school. But at the early age of sixteen years it was deemed best that he should go to Richmond.Va., to assist in the management of his father's business in that city. At a later period he entered business on his own account in the city of Richmond, and there opened a store for general inerchandi.se and the sale of a variety of goods of his own manufac- ture. Success attended his efforts from the. start. In the year ISCOhe had built and occupied one of the largest warehouses in that city. When the war commenced Mr. Yale had ama.ssed a competence, and in an eminent degree he possessed the confidence, respect and esteem of his fellow citizens for his integrity of character, rare intelligence and fine business ability. He continued his residence in Richmond during the terrible struggle of the war, the close of which found him prepared to promptly resume active business again m his store. He was a prominent business man in the city and in the state. And now, in the events succeeding at the close of the war, in which Mr. Yale was a prominent actor, we can see quite distinctly his individuality. He became a member of the council of the city of Richmond, and as both his nature and cultured manhood were appar- ent he was put forward and counselled with for the best interest of the city and state. Besides, by birth and general makeup he was suited to those mediations needful to the trying times of reconstruction in Virginia. He was a democrat in politics, but born in the North, and his democracy was of the best patriotic type. And as to his tempera- ment and address, he was eminently a leader of men, and a peace- maker between parties at variance. He was such a man as all parties want on their side, and while only one could have him, others seem to think .scarcely any the less of him for that. He was as broad in Jy^..:^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 453 opinion and charity and as genial in manner as he was engaging in presence. Hence, he was one of the men placed on frequent com- mittees mediating between Washington and Virginia, while Virginia was working back into full reconstruction in the Union. And when leaders in political life in Virginia were sharing a common anxi'ity for the welfare of the state, lest the political adventurers who were plen- tiful in those days should get control of the government, Mr. Yale was the man of all others to stand on the steps of the Capitol in Rich- mond, in the presence of a great multitude of citizens, and in an elo- quent, graceful speech introduce Honorable Gilbert C. Walker as a candidate for governor of the state. Mr. Walker was not only nomi- nated, but elected. This election was an epoch in the history of Vir- ginia, for it was the first election of state officers by the people of the state after the close of the war. The reconstruction of Virginia to complete federal relations soon followed this event, and was in direct consequence of it. j\Ir. Yale was also for several months, by appointment of Chief Justice Chase, foreman of the grand jury of the United States District Court of Virginia. He was also treasurer of the committee in behalf of the Peabody fund for the establishing of normal .schools in the city of Richmond, and to him much credit is due for his services in the establishment of the public school system of Richmond. Mr. Yale lingered in Virginia long enough to see the old state brought back into the Union. Then he began to think of gathering together a part of his property and returning to his home state to live among his early friends and old associations. He moved to Walling- ford. Conn., in 1S71. There he found business relations. The silver plate company of Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. had been organized. The opportunity was given Mr. Yale to purchase a considerable amount of the capital stock of the company, and he did so. Mr. Yale was treasurer of the company from 1871 until the early part of 1887, when he retired from active business life. His two sons, Charles B. Yale and G. Selden Yale, had charge of the store of the company in New York city until the latter part of 1886. Mr. Yale was for several years president of the Silver Plated Ware Manufacturers' Associations; and in their meeting at Meriden, Conn., May 1,5th, 1890, the associations expressed their regard for his memory in these words: " Voted: That the Silver Plated Ware Manufacturers' Associations have learned with regret of the death of their former President, Hon. Charles D. Yale of Wallingford, Conn., and that they recall with pleasure the many pleasant characteristics that endeared him to all members, and de.sire to record their high appreciation of his character as an associate in business and as a Christian gentleman. " Voted: That the above resolution be placed on the minutes and a copy thereof sent to the sons of the deceased." 454 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. In Wallingford society Mr. Yale distinguished himself as he had done in Richmond society. It was not his wealth which gave him position, but his noble, attractive, genial manhood. His courtly affability everywhere, and his evident breadth and practicalness of idea, made him known, and the more widely he was known, the more widely he was loved. Nature had bestowed upon him rich gifts of intellect, as of soul, language, speech, the power to collocate words in elegant sentences to clothe ideas, an abundance of which he never lacked, in the rich, royal garb of choice rhetoric, delightful to hear, — a gift he possessed in unusual degree. Hence he could make a speech of the finished, eloquent sort, or write an elegant letter. He made an admirable presiding officer at public gatherings. In the town politics of Wallingford, Mr. Yale was frequently called out to serve his townsmen in office. He represented them in the gen- eral assembly in the years 1874 and 1878. He also represented the Sixth vSenatorial District in the state senate in the years 1875, 1883 and 1884. He was chairman of important committees in the senate and in the house. In 1884 he was his party's candidate for president pro tcin. of the senate. Mr. Yale took an active and prominent part in these sessions, in shaping legislation, and was ever ready and effective in the advocacy and debate of all measures he deemed essential to the welfare of the people. His services — able and distinguished — in both branches of the state legislature received the most cordial appre- ciation of his fellow citizens. Mr. Yale was a religious man, and constant in his practice of reli- gious duties. While in Richmond he was a member of the First Presbyterian church. In Wallingford he united with the First Con- gregational church, and lived his faith to its honor. " Type of the wise who soar but never roam ; ' Tnie to the kindred points of Heaven and Home." Hence he was a gentleman of pure and strong character. Nothing would hurt him more than to have his honor and integrity called in question, and he would go to almost any length to vindicate them. Three things he loved supremely — integrity, truth, righteous- ness. He was married December 3d, 1834, to Miss Mary Culver, formerly of Wallingford, then of Saratoga county. New York. Mrs. Yale died about two years earlier than her husband. In answer to a letter of sympathy for his bereavement from a friend, he wrote as follows: " I first met Mrs. Yale 54 years ago. I was with a gay young party. The first words of her that ever met my ears were words of reproof to one of the party who had made light of solemn words. Forty-nine years she and I walked to the same house of God together, sat at the same communion table and had a common faith. She has been to me an HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 455 earnest Christian wife, and left to our children the inheritance of an undeviatingf, couragfeous Christian mother." Two sons were born to them, Charles B. Yale and G. Selden Yale. This family of four persons were unusually devoted to each other and happy in their family life. The sons delighted to minister personally to the comfort of their parents in their declining 3'ears, and now the memory of both their father and mother is a legacy of undying worth to both the sons. CHAPTER IX. TOWN AND CITY OF MERIDEN. Location and Descriptiou. — Earh- Settlement. — Ecclesiastical Organization. — Civil Organization. — Town Officers. — Town Buildings. — South Meriden. — East Meriden. — The City of Meriden. — Location and Surroundings. — Early Growth. — Municipal Affairs. — Police Department. — Street Improvement. — Public Parks. — Water Depart- ment. — Fire Department. — Gas Light Company. — Railway Interests. — Manufactur- ing Interests. — Banking and Other Monetary Institutions. — General Business In- terests. — Inns and Hotels. — Post Office. THE town of Meriden occupies the northeastern section of the county, being bounded on the south by Wallingford, from which it was set off as a separate corporation in 1806. North and east are the counties of Hartford and Middlesex, the divi- sion lines being marked by the Hanging hills, Mt. Lamentation and the Totoket hills. Much of the surface presents a broken aspect, some parts being of a mountainous nature. In other parts are low- lands, separated by high hills of a sandstone nature, having a south- westerly trend. Drainage is afforded by the Ouinnipiac river and affluent brooks, the principal one being Harbor brook. The former breaks through a trap rock hill, two miles southwest of the city of Meriden, taking thence a direct eastward course from the Farmington valley to South Meriden, from which place it flows south, after having taken the waters of Harbor brook. The latter flows from the north- east, after being fed by a branch flowing from the south and other smaller streams from the east. These hills and streams formed natural subdivisions of the present town, which were early designated by the names of Meriden, Dog's Misery, Pilgrim's Harbor, Falls Plain, etc. The name of the parish and of the town was taken from the sec- tion which was located in the extreme northern part of what is now Meriden. In this locality grants of lands had been made by the gen- eral court of Connecticut in 1001 and the following year, to Jonathan Gilbert, an innkeeper, of Hartford, and Captain Daniel Clerke, all of which soon became the property of Gilbert. From the latter 470 acres passed to Captain Andrew Belcher, a merchant of Boston, Mass., who made the first improvements thereon, some time about 1G64. These consisted mainly of a stone house, with port holes in the walls for defense against the Indians, who might be led to attack travelers HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 467 passing from one colony to another, on the highway (Old Colony road) leading through this tract. On condition of stocking the house with arms and ammunition, those living in the house were to have the privilege of keeping " tavern forever." This tract of land and the stone house received the name of Meriden from the native place of the Belcher family in Warwickshire, England. It should be borne in mind that the Belcher tract and the lands south of it were not included within the bounds of the New Haven village, which became Wallingford in 1670, but were under the juris- diction of the Connecticut colony, with no connection with Walling- ford, on the south (whose north bound was near the present railway depot at Meriden), or with the old town of Farmington on the north. But, in a general way, those settling upon these lands inclined toward the church and society of Wallingford, and on petition to that corpor- ation were admitted to its privileges, and also passed under the con- trol of the town of Wallingford, whose jurisdiction over this locality was more clearly recognized in later years. According to Doctor Davis, in his " History of Wallingford," the early proprietors in this section were the Belcher's Meriden tract, in the extreme north; Nathaniel Roys, south of that grant; Henry Coles, south of the latter; Bartholomew Foster, south and west of the latter; and south and east the 300 acre tract of John Merriam, purchased in 1716. The Foster tract contained 360 acres, and was sold by the Wal- lingford committee in 1710. Descendants of the latter two still live in this part of the town. The inhabitants of this section increased, and we learn from their petition for a pound, " at Meriden or Stone House," submitted to the general court in October, 1724, that there were at that time citizens living there by the names of N. Merriam, N. Merriam, Jr., William Merriam, Tim Foster, T. Foster, J. Robinson, T. Gerrum, J. Parsons, Eleazer Aspinwall, J. Merriam, Jr., B. Foster, T. Andrews, D. Rich and J. Scofel. "Pilgrim's Harbor" was a term applied to the section of country south of most of the above desci'ibed and embracing what is now the principal part of the city of Meriden. The term was used prior to 1661 in a letter* in which this part of the country is designated as "Pilgroomes Harbour." But there is a popular tradition that the name was derived from the fact that when the fugitive regicide judges, Ed- ward Whalley and William Goffe, passed through here on their way to Hadley, Mass., after October 13th, 1664, in their flight from Mil- ford (where they had been secreted two years), they found a refuge in the dense wildwood of these swamp lands. Here they rested several days, securely sheltered or harbored from possible pursuit — pilgrims in a strange land. Thus was bestowed the name "Pilgrim's Harbor" to the locality, and the stream flowing through it received the name of Pilgrim's Harbor brook, or more frequently Harbor brook. This * Written by Daniel Clarke. See Doctor Davis, p. 128. 458 ■ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. brook was made passable for man and horse as early as 1666, by Ed- ward Higby, who was compensated therefor by having his rates abated. While the lands along the brook and the swamps adjacent thereto were valueless for agricultural purposes, they were much sought after on account of being " hoop growing ground;" and allotments of two, three, four or more acres were made as early as 1677 to the original proprietors of Wallingford. This of course had the effect of dispos- ing of the territory without developing its settlement. The lowlands along the south branch of Harbor brook received the unpoetical name of " Dog's Misery." The principal part of this section was south of the old Middletown turnpike, and extending toward the head of the brook, nearl}' a mile. Here the swamp was originally so miry and the wildwood so tangled and dense that dogs following wild animals, which often took refuge there, were killed in their attempts to reach the hidden prey in this jungle; hence the name. This land has been reclaimed and is valuable in its present uses; but even in its forbid- ding aspects, two hundred years ago, it was so much esteemed that the town (Wallingford) was eagerly besought to make allotments. In 1679 Nehemiah Royce, Nathaniel Royce, David Hall, Thomas Hall, Isaac Curtiss, Nathaniel How, Daniel Mix, Joseph Holt, Thomas Yale and Lsaac Royce became land owners in this locality; in 1685 Walter Johnson, on " long hill towards Dog's Misery;" in 1683, Daniel Hooper; in 1713, Jeremiah Hull; and in 1715, Jonathan Atwater. Some of these probably settled the year they received their lands and in 1677 a pi:blic watering place for cattle was reserved near Nathaniel Royce's land, which was afterward claimed by him as his property. In 1696 his neighbors so strongly protested against this claim that he was forced to surrender his right to the watering place, which was again turned to the use of the public. In 1724 the whole number of families at " Dog's Misery " and " Pilgrim's Harbor " was 35, most of whom bore the names of those above given, as original landowners. The " Falls Plain" section now bears the name of South Meriden. Grants of lands in that section were made in 1677 to Nehemiah Royce and vSamuel Royce, and in 1680 to vSamuel Hough. In 1689, as is else- where related,"' a village was projected on the plain below the falls, the lots in the same being assigned to the proprietors of Wallingford by casting lots. In 1694 John Peck was granted lands in the same locality, and other allotments were made at a later day. East of this section lands were allotted to Levi Fowler and others as early as 1676. In the southeastern part of the present town, called the " Swamp " or " Little Plain," settlement was projected by the town of Walling- ford as early as December 16th, 1679. The same year allotments were made to Samuel Royce, Goodman Lewis, Thomas Yale and others * See account of South Meriden. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 459' After the country was cleared up, here were made some of the finest farms in the northern part of the old town and the locality very ap- propriately took the name of " Farms " section or district. On the 9th of May, 1728, the inhabitants living in the above sections petitioned the governor and the general court to be established as a village or a parish, which prayer was granted and the new parish called Meriden. The new society flourished and having a successful ecclesiastical orovernment soon longed for its own civil administration. This privilege, however, was not granted until 1806, when the follow- ing were reported as " North Farmers," or freemen living in this section: Benjamin Ives. Nathaniel Merrmian, Benjamin Whiting, Joseph Coles, Samuel Ives, Samuel Cutler, John Ives, Joseph Merriam. Timothy Merriam, Michael Mitchell, William Hough, William Mer- riam, John Merriam, John Way, Thomas Andrews, Robert Roice, Isaac Roice, John Merriam, James Scovill, William Andrews, Jonathan vSeymour, Josiah Roice, Ebenezer Prindle, Thomas Yale, Israel Hall, William Coles, Elick Roberts, Nathaniel Roice, Abell Roice, Ezekiel Roice, Jacob Parsons, Ebenezer Cooper, Eleazer Peck, Nehemiah May, Bartholomew Foster, Josiah Robeson, Samuel Andrews, Theophilus Mix, Amos Camp, Timothy Foster. In 1810, when the first distinct census of the town was taken, the population was 1,249; in 1830 it was only 1,708; in 1840 but 1,880. But from this time on the population increased rapidly, being 3,559 in 1850, and 7,426 in 1860. A large proportion of this increase was in the city of Meriden. The town of Meriden was erected by an act of the general assem- bly, passed in 1806 at the May session, which authorized the division from the town of Wallingford, and provided that the limits should be the same as those of the old parish of Meriden. A petition for these corporate privileges had been placed on file February 14th, 1804, which was signed by Phineas Lyman and many others, who urged their claims that the parish had more than one-third of the population and a like proportion of the property of the town of Wallingford, and should be given the same privileges and immunities as other towns in the state. These claims had been urged on previous occasions, and for more than thirty years had the old town successfully protested against the dis- memberment of its territory.* Under the provisions of the act the citizens of the new town assem- bled at the Center meeting house, Monday, June 16th, 1806, when *The inhabitants of that part of Meriden at Belcher's farm petitioned the general assembly to be annexed to the town of Farmington, in Hartford county. May 17th, 1773, Wallingford voted to appoint an agent to protest against the me- morial. In May, 1786, the parish of Meriden petitioned the assembly to be an- nexed to the county of Middlesex; also in 1794, both petitions being strenuously opposed by Wallingford. A petition to the town of Wallingford, asking for town privileges, was voted down in September, 1803, by the parish of Wallingford,. Meriden parish not voting. 460 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. George W. Stanley moderated and the following officers were chosen: Selectmen, Captain Ezekiel Rico, Ambrose Hough, Stephen Bailey; town clerk, Amos White; treasurer, Samuel Yale; collector, Abner Griswold; constables, Jared Benham, Eli Barnes; grand jurors, Enos Hall, 2d, Giles O. Griswold, Joseph Hall; surveyors of highways, Sam- uel Yale, Asahel Yale, Jehiel Preston, Harvey Andrews, Aaron Mer- riman, Benjamin Merriman, 2d, Levi Hall; fence viewers, Nathaniel Yale, Stephen Perkins, Ensign Hough; listers of town, Seth D. Plum, Titus Ives, Asahel Merriman; sealer of leather. Captain William Olds; sealer of weights, Samuel Yale; sealer of dry measures. Daniel Yale; pound keepers, Nathaniel Yale, Levi Foster, Israel Hall, Elisha Mer- riman. Captain Ezekiel Rice, Ambrose Hough, Stephen Bailey and Eli Barnes were appointed a committee to settle and adjust all business between the town of Wallingford and the new town, and September l()th, 1806, Brenton Hall, Esq.. was appointed the agent of the town in the matter of the boundary lines between the two towns. "Voted, to levy a tax of five mills on the dollar for town pur- poses." " \"oted, that geese shall not be suffered to run at large on the high- ways, unless they are well yoked." At subsequent meetings the affairs of the town were fully consid- ered, and the necessary rules made to carry them on in a business-like manner. Action in regard to the roads, poor farm and the town hall is el.sewhere noted. Since Meriden became a town the following have been the agents or first selectmen, and the years in which they served follow their names: Ezekiel Rice and John Hall, 1806; Theophilus Hall, 1807; Marvel Andrews, 1808-9; Patrick Clark, 1810-14; Othniel Ives, 1815- 16; Elisha Curtis, 1817-18; Asahel Merriman, 1819-21; Seth D. Plum, 1822-5; Moses Baldwin, ]826-8; Elisha Curtis, 1829-81; Orrin Hall, 1832; Eli C. Bird.sey. 1833; Benjamin Upson, 1834; Calvin Coe, 1865-6, 1844, 1849; Noah Pomeroy, 1837, 1841-3: Stephen Atkins, 1838; James S. Brooks, 1839; Mo.ses Andrews, 1840; Levi Yale, 1845-8, 1852-5; Joel Miller, 1S50-1; Joel I. Butler, 1856; Othniel Ives, 1857-60, 1865-6; Humphrey Lyon, 1861; Bela Carter, 1862-4; S. C. Paddock, 1867; George Gay, 1868-72; Oliver Rice, 1873; E. D. Castelow, 1874-7; D. S. Will- iams, 1878-81; George W. Miller. 1882; C. C. Kinne, 1883-5; H. E. Hubbard, 1886; Le Grand Bevins, 1887-90. The town clerks elected in the same period have been the follow- ing: June, 1806, Amos White; November, 1806, Isaac Lewis; 1823, Patrick Lewis; 1826, Amos Curtis; 1830, Patrick Lewis; February, 1834, Albert R. Potter; October, 1834, Eli C. Birdsey; 1843, James S. Brooks; 1844. Joel Miller; 1845, Lyman Butler; 1849, Hiram Hall; 1854, Linus Birdsey; 18.'i4, John Ives: 1857, Russell J. Ives, assistant; 1860. Charles HISTORY OF .NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 461 L. Upham, assistant; I860, Levi E. Coe; ^S6G, John N. Bario; 1879, Selah A. Hull; 1886. Herman Hess. Meriden became a separate probate district in June, 1836, and the first court was held August 20th, that year. The judges of the district have been as follows: 1836-44, James S. Brooks; 1844-6, Ber.ajah Andrews; 1847, Reverend John Parker; 1848-50, Benajah Andrews; 1851-2, Hiram Hall;. 1852-7, Orville H. Piatt; 1857-60, Hiram Foster; 1860-6, George W. Smith; 1867, Levi E.Coe; 1868-9, George W. Smith; 1870-2, E. A. Merriman; 1873, George W. Smith; 1874-5, E. A. Merri- man; 1876, J. T. Pettee; 1877-82, Emmerson A. Merriman; 1883-90, George W. Smith; 1891. Wilbur F. Smith. The project of building a town hall was agitated as early as 1840, but a dozen years elapsed before decisive action was taken. The plans for a hall, prepared by Sidney M. Stone, were approved Septem- ber 17th, 1853, and the first town meeting in it was held in April, 1856. It was a spacious brick edifice, with a large tin covered dome in its center. In this a clock was placed in 1861. When the site for this hall was selected some difficulty was experienced, both Meriden Center and West Meriden claiming the hall. The lot on which it stood was finally selected as a compromise site and the building was put up by a committee composed of Levi Yale, Joel Miller, Ward Coe, John Parker, Philo Pratt and Eli Butler. The cost was about $30,000. The hall contained the town offices and after 1879 the city offices. In the auditorium were held the general assemblages of the town. In recent years, however, owing to the rapid increase of population, this hall became too small and it was determined to enlarge and remodel the old hall. At a meeting held March 20th, 1889, it was voted to expend $60,000 in making these improvements and plans were solicited. October 14th, 1889, the draughts for improvement .'submitted by Warren R. Briggs, of Bridgeport, were approved and $10,()()() more appropriated, in addi- tion to the above amount. A committee was appointed to proceed to make the nece.ssary contracts and to superintend the construction of the hall. These were E. B. Manning, chairman; H. E. Hubbard, John Ives, Levi E. Coe, Morris O'Brien and the the board of .selectmen: Le Grand Bevins, George O. Higby and George W. Miller, the latter as the successor of John Nagel, selectman in 1889. In December, 1889, the contract for remodelling the building was awarded to D. J. Curtis, of Springfield, Mass. The plan of the remodelled town hall contemplated a large and imposing edifice, to be as near as possible fire proof, three stories high and relieved by attractive towers. The material of the outer walls is Philadelphia pressed brick, with New England brown stone trim- mings, arranged after a pleasing style of architecture. The building was occupied in the summer of 1891 and is very com- plete in its appointments, being one of the best arranged municipal 462 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. buildings in the state. It contains town and city offices, and rooms for the various courts of Meriden. Much of tlie basement is used by the police department, which is here provided with a station house, cells, etc. Access is afforded to the latter by a driveway which will permit the entrance of the patrol wagon. The grand assembly hall is in the third story of the building, and contains a stage 60 feet long, with modern scenic arrangements. This room is one of the finest in the state and will serve the wants of the town for many years to come. Meriden has a neat little farm, along the base of the East Peak, near the Cold vSpring, on which is an almshouse, where are kept many of the town's indigent poor. The original buildings were erected b}^ George. B. Conklin, some time after 1840, for a popular resort and a summer hotel. In the fall of 1860 the town purchased it for its pres- ent purposes. In 1868 the farm was enlarged by four acres, bought of the Butler estate. The buildings have been improved and a hospital has been erected. In 1889 the valuation of the property, with its system of water works, was §12,000. The inmates of the almshouse are supported at a yearly outlay of about $5,000, and more than $10,000 additional is expended annually for the maintenance of the •outside poor. South Meriden. — In the early settlement of Wallingford this place was designated as "Falls Plain," or as "the head of the plains" — a name appropriate in every respect, for here the level lands, stretching northward along the Ouinnipiac, end, and the hilly cot:ntry of the trap-rock region begins. It is a locality of great natural beauty, and. in connection with the fine water power available, would readily sug- gest itself as a natural site for a village. These advantages were recognized as early as 1689 by the town of Wallingford, when it platted a tract of land into streets and blocks, which were distributed to the planters on the 19th of February, 1690, by casting lots for the same. The main street of this projected village was nearl}'' coincident with the course of the present north and south street, in the western part of South Meriden, except that it ran up to the river. On the west side the lots extended to the hills and on the east to the river. The 65 lots of this embryo village were drawn by numbers, each planter re- ceiving the lot indicated by the numerals set opposite his name in the following list, which shows, also, who were the leading citizens of Wallingford at that period: " Mr. Street, 49; Lieut. Merriman, 24; Mr. Mosse, 12; Ens. Yaile, 11; Mr. Brockett, 44; Dr. Hulls, 52; Ens. An- ■ drewys, 4; Seirant Doolittle, 62; — Preston, 20; Nathaniel Royse, 40; Samll Royse, 33; Samll Hull, 03; John Ives, 89; Samll DooliUle, 51; Daniel Mix, 59; Joseph Doolittle, 42; Eben Lewis, 48; Joseph Houlte, 61; John Doolittle, 37; Joseph Benham, Jun.,25; Eleazer Peck, 19; John Merriman, 58; John Parker, 01; John Hall, senr, 60; Samll Cook, senr, .28; Tho Curtis, 58; Tho Hall, 30; David Hall, 65; Joshua Culver, 32; HISTORY OK NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 463 Nathaniel How, 09; Samll Brockett, 55: Roger Tyler, 38; Samll Thorp, 06; John Hitchcok, 02; Samll Merriman, 53; Abraham Doolittle, 13; Samll Browne, 29: Ebenezer Clark, 18: Samll Street, 07; Samll An- drews, Jun., 57; Simon Tuttle, 14; Benjamin Hoiilte, 10; Edward Fen. 03; John Morse, 26; Hennery Cook, 31: Joseph Beenham.sen. 63; Samll Street, 35; Nathan Andrewes, 16; John Peck, 50; Jeremiah Howe, 17; Samll Cook, jun. 15; Joseph Thomson, 21; Hugh Chappel, 22; James Westwood, 05; Wm. Cole, 23: John Beach, 64; Tho Beach, 54; Joseph Royse, 47; Rush Lothrop, 43; William Ebernath, 46: Samll Munson, 41; Walter Johnson, 36; John Atwater, 34; Isak Beach, 45; Nehemiah Royse, 27." For some cause which has not been recorded the village was never built up, and this section was, for more than a century, given over to farm pursuits. Nehemiah and Samuel Royce received grants of lands here as early as 1677, and in 1680 a grant of an adjoining tract was made to Samuel Hough. Later, John Peck received a tract of land along the river, farther south ; and these and their descendants were the citizens of this section until the interests of the present century were developed, mainly by the manufactories here estab- lished. Aside from some minor use of the water power, the first interest of importance was the manufacturing business of Deacon N. C. San- ford & Co., sometimes called the Hanover Company. This was organ- ized in the fall of 1826, and the following summer the manufacture of augers was commenced, near where are now the Bradley & Hubbard shops, at Meriden. Not having sufficient water power at that place, the company purchased the water privilege and lands along the Quin- nipiac at the Falls Plain bridge, in order to establish a new plant. Work upon this was commenced April 23d, 1832, and as the locality had no particular name, that of Hanover was finally selected by the firm. At the raising of the company's boarding house, June 6th, 1832, this name was announced to the assembled populace by Doctor Hough. The hamlet which sprung up retained the name of Hanover until within the past ten years, when, on account of the suburban relation to the city of Meriden, only a little more than a mile distant, and the overshadowing importance of that place, the name of South Meriden was adopted, and has become fixed in the post office here established. The industry of Sanford & Co. and later of Sanford, Parmalee & Co., devoted to the manufacture of augers, bits, skates and small goods ■of steel, gave employment to about fifty men, and the enterprise at that time begun has been continued in that part of the county, a new plant being later established lower down the river. In 1845 the manufacture of table cutlery was begun at Hanover by the firm of Pratt, Ropes, Webb & Co., the active manager being D. N. Ropes. This firm was the union of interests carried on in other 464 HISTORY OF new haven county. localities, ten years earlier, and the experience brought to the new plant insured success. Soon 75 men were employed. In 1855 the bus- iness of the firm passed to the Meriden Cutlery Company, which be- came a corporation July 10th of that year. The industry was soon ex- panded. The water power was further improved, a splendid stone dam . in the shape of a horse shoe bemg built across the stream. The build- ings have been increased from time to time until four acres are covered. The main works are four stories high and several hundred feet long, and theoiher buildings are convenient for their uses. Water continues to be the exclusive power. The fine dam on the Oumnipiac forms a large and beautiful sheet of limpid water, which is locally known by the name of vSouth Meriden lake. It yields about 200 horse power. The natural advantages of this plant are among the best in the state, and the cutlery company has continued to be the principal interest in the village. The works of .Sanford & Co. were transferred to Yalesville station, and other industries in the locality, such as comb, button and scale making, have passed away, after a short existence. The products of the Meriden Cutlery Company, although very varied, are of a superior quality, embracing hundredsof styles of table cutlery, manufactured out of the best steel. Here steel knives were first successfully electro-plated, and the company has since kept its wares in the front rank of cutlery manufactures. Fine carving sets are made a specialty, and many elegant designs are produced. In 1890 the capital stock of the company was $400,000, and its prin- cipal officers were: A. L. Collins, president: H. A. Curtiss, secretary; George M. Howell, treasurer; Edwin Cady, superintendent. Outside of the works proper, the cutlery compan\' has built up the village, putting up tenements for more than 60 families. In 1890 the entire real estate was valued at $132,950. Some of the original build- ings have been improved by private owners, and on additions to the village plat some fine residences have been erected. In 1890 South Meriden had a population of about 1,000 and the usual interests of a thriving village. At a stand where Hensel Rice formerly merchandised E. B. Clark has been in trade since 1864, and is also the postmaster of the South Meriden office, which has daily mails to Meriden, communicating by stage lines. Several public houses offer entertainment: the Lawn Hotel of John Cassidy, on the lake, being an attractive resort. There is a public hall and a neat room for the meeting of Hanover Lodge of Odd Fellows. A village improvement society was organized in 1887, and the place is yearly being beautified. TheThird Congregational Church m Meriden, al.so called the Han- over Congregational Church, was organized February 13th, 1853, of 25 members, who were dismissed from the Meriden church to form this new body. Previous to this a chapel had been erected, mainly through the efforts of Walter Webb and Deacon N. C. Sanford, Ezekiel HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 465 Hall, Reuben Waterman, L. Griswold and a few others, which the congregation occupied as a place of worship. It is a frame building, with several hundred sittings. In the past few years it has been little used, the society no longer maintaining regular worship. In December, 1S5B, Reverend James A. Clark became the fir.st pastor, serving until April, 18.55. Reverend Jacob Eaton was next inducted into the pastorate. May 18th, 1857, and continued until 1861, when he left to become the chaplain of the 7th Connecticut Regiment. Soon after his accession a revival of remarkable power took place, which continued until 32 members were added to the congregation. The pulpit of the church was filled by supplies until the fall of 1870, when J. Howe Voice was installed pastor and served until April 3d, 1873. The Xew Haven East Association, to which the church belongs, now supplied the pulpit, those serving a year or more being recognized as "acting pastors." That relation was sustained in 1876-7, by E. B. Crane; in 1880, by M. C. Wood; in 1882, by J. G. Griswold. In the past few years there has been but little preaching on account of diminished membership. Elias Sanford and B. C. Eastman were the last deacons; and Daniel H. Willard, the treasurer and superintendent of the last Sunday school. The Methodist Episcopal Church of South Meriden was organized in 1851. A few Methodist members met for occasional worship in the village as early as 1889, the meetings being held in the school house. March 12th, 1851, the first organized effort was made to establish a church. On that day a meeting was held at the house of John Evans, when it was determined to form an ecclesiastical society to be called the " M. E. Society of the Hanover District." John D. Parmalee was chosen chairman and John Evans, secretary. John Davidson, Roger Smith and Luman A. Atkins were appointed a building committee of the " MethodLst Preaching House," which it was decided to erect. In the fall of the year this was completed at a cost of $1,333. It was a two-story building, the lower part being a tenement, the upper story a hall and preaching place. For a period of more than twenty years this was used, the preachers being Reverend John Parker, of Meriden, and students from Middletown. In 1871 Reverend William W. Hurd was appointed as a regular minister and the same year the present church edifice was begun, being completed the following summer, at a cost of more than $9,000. Of this amount George Bristol contributed $2,000, John Evans $1,000, Charles Parker $400. and the balance was raised by the society and its friends. The church was dedicated Sep- tember 25th, 1872, by Reverend C. N. Foss. At the suggestion of Doctor H. A. Archer, who became a member of the church in 1888, the enlargement of the house of worship was begun under the direction of a committee composed of the pastor, Doctor H. A. Archer, Silas Bradley, Frank Rollins, C. A. Hollister, William Baker and E. B. Clark. A lecture room was built in the rear 29 466 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. of the church, which was also renovated, and it was dedicated March loth, 1889. free of debt. The church is now commodious and attrac- tive, being alike creditable to the society and the community. Its value and that of the parsonage is about $14,000. There are .50 mem- bers and a Sunday school of 170 members. The pastors of the church have been, since the Reverend Hurd, as follows: 1874-6, Otis J. Range; 1877-8, student supplies; 1879-80, Rev- erend A. H. Mead; 1881, R. S. Eldridge; 1882, A. V. R. Abbott: 1888, A. M. Northrop (He freed the church from a $2,000 debt, Mrs. John Evans donating $1.000. In .September, 1883. he died and the pulpit was supplied by Reverend J. G. Griswold, of Meriden); 1884-6, W. F. Markwick. who in April, 1885, moved to South Meriden, and became the first resident pastor, serving, also. Trinity church at Meriden; 1887, T. W. Maynard; 1888-9, W. M. Warden; 1890, G. W. Phillips. William Baker is the trea.surer of the society; and J. W. Bennett, superintendent of the Sunday .school. The Church of the Holy Angels (Roman Catholic) was built in 1887, as a mission of St. Ro.se of Lima, of Meriden, which had maintained Catholic services at South Meriden, several years previous. The cor- ner stone was laid April 3d, 1887. It is an attractive gothic chapel, 30 by 60 feet, and has fine stained glass windows. On the same lot a large modern .style parsonage was erected in 1888, and the combined value of the property is $15,000. The corporation is composed of the resident priest, John Fay and Thomas McLaughlin. The parish of South Meriden (including the Church of the Holy Angels. Yalesville and the mission of Cheshire) was e.stablished Jan- uary 10th, 1888, when R. F. Moore, A. M., was settled over it as the first priest. At that time the membership at South Meriden was in- cluded in 57 families. This has since been increased to 65 families and the influence of the parish has grown proportionately. Connected with the Church of the Holy Angels are a Sunday school, having 95 members; a Guild with 45 members; and a Rosary Society of 60 members. E.-VST MERn)EN is the name applied to the hamlet and locality, along the Middletown turnpike, two miles east of the city of Meriden. Here are some of the oldest homesteads in the town and a number of residences of nioi^e modern appearance, sheltering several hundred inhabitants. There are also a Baptist chapel, built in 1886, and the spoon works of the Charles Parker Company. The latter embrace .several large shops of stone and brick, in which is carried on the only industry of the place. All other interests sustain a suburban relation to the city. Formerly there were a number of small industries at this place, some of which were carried on by the water power afforded by a long race way, from a dam in the mountain gap, which has been superseded by .steam, at Parker's, and the small .shops have passed away. Among HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 467 these were the tin shops of Noah Pomeroy and his sons, begun in 1818 and continued many years; the shops of Samuel Cook and the Britannia shops of Isaac C. Lewis and his associates, George Cowles, Lemuel J. Curtis and Daniel B. Wells. . For many years this locality bore the name of Bangall, a title which was suggested by an incident which occurred at the popular public house of Captain Benjamin Hall. A large party had a hilarious time, continued far into the night, in which, as the landlord expressed it, " they banged all creation." From his house, the place of " Bangall," the name was derived. The City of Meriden is located north of the central part of the town, and is mainly in the valley of Harbor brook. It is about 18 miles north of New Haven and near the same distance south of Hart- ford. From Waterbury, by way of the Connecticut River railway, it is 14 miles; and less than that distance from Middletown. The area comprised within the city limits is large and presents a varied surface of hills and ]owland.s, being admirably adapted for the manifold uses of business and for residence purposes. Many beautiful homes crown the heights of the principal hills, and upon one is the handsome State Reform School, embracing a dozen buildings. On the lowlands and hillsides are huge shops and factories, Meriden being one of the lead- ing manufacturing centers of New England, and by reason of its prod- ucts is not inappropriately styled the "Silver City" of the Union. The public buildings are numerous, embracing an elegant new town hall, one of the finest hotels in the state, costly and attractive churches and a handsome high school building. The business houses are large and on every hand may be seen the evidences of an active, thrifty population, who have reared homes of comfort and plenty and sur- rounded them with all the best features of a progressive American city. The scenic attractions of Meriden are said to be the finest in the state. It is nearly .surrounded by mountains and hills of the trap-rock formation, some of them affording specimens of volcanic action, which have attracted the attention of many scientists. On every hand are varied and beautiful aspects, but those afforded by the Hanging hills and Mt. Lamentation are to an unusual degree impressive. Concern- ing the former and their relation to Meriden and the surrounding country, Reverend J. T. Pettee has given the following beaiitiful de- scription in his poem, " West Peak," a part of which is here given. He says: " West Peak is the name which we, Meridenites, give to the most westerly of our 'Hanging Hills.' It is, by Prof. Guyot's survey, 995 feet above the waters of the Sound, and, though far from being the highest mountain in the State (Mt. Brace in Salisbury being 2,225 feet high), is, by considerable, the highest of the trap dikes of the Connecticut Valley. Geologi.sts are agreed, I believe, in thinking that the valley, which stretches from Hartford to New Haven, was once 468 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. an estuary or arm of the sea, and Percival, the distinguished geologist of Connecticut, was the first to show how, by tlie eruption of the trap across the valley in Meriden, the Connecticut River was made to change its course, and empty at Saybrook instead of New Haven. By a poetic license which, I think, perfectly pardonable, I have taken a part for the whole, and spoken of West Peak as being- formed under the ocean." " For ages, when the world was young, I slept upon my lava-bed, While sandstones formed, and oceans sung Their solemn anthems o'er my head. " Ages on ages rolled away. The wrinkled earth itself grew old; And still upon my bed I lay. Oppressed by weight and years untold. " The ocean still above ine rolled, The sandstone strata thicker grew ; I lay and groaned beneath the Old, Crushed and encumbered by the New. " Then in a glad auspicious hour, Which made my rocky heart rejoice, I felt a resurrection power — I heard a resurrection voice. " It said ' O mountain, 'wake, arise ; • Throw off the sandstone from thy breast ; Roll back the seas, and 'neath the skies Show the bold frontage of thy crest.' " I woke as from a troubled dream ; Threw off the weight by powerjdivine ; Rose to the sun's refulgent beam. And stellar orbs that roimd me shine. " The frighted waters sought the sea; The rifted sandstone opened wide. And I, aglow with light of day, Rejoiced, a Mountain in my pride. " Nor I alone : On every hand Around me peak like mountains stand. Which heard the voice, and felt the power. That raised me in my natal hour. " South Mountain, Cat Hole, by my side. Almost as bold and steep as I, Majestic in their mountain pride, Point tlieir tall turrets to the sky. " High Rock and Rattlesnake arise; Newgate and Talcott farther on ; And resting on the northern skies, Proud peaks of Holyokc and l\It. Tom. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 469 Northeast Mt. Lamentation stands, Higby and Besec, Middletown, To Durham ranges stretch their hands, Where Tremont towereth all their own. ' Totoket rises farther down ; And Pistapaug and Saltonstall Raise to the skies their walls of stone. Their mural castles gaunt and tall. ' Near on my south Mt. Carmel lies, A giant slumbering in his might ; East Rock and West Rock kiss the skies. And Whitney Peak delights the sight. ' While on my West, in peaks less bold, The same Plutonian power is seen, Trappean dikes of lava cold. And sandstone tilted thrown between. ' These lesser heights, whose waving lines Such beauty to the landscape give. Tell of the old Triassic times. And to my tale their witness give. ' The voice which called me from the deep These trappean mountains all did hear, And rose with me from nature's sleep, And stand, as I stand, proudly here. ' And now for long telluric years, I've stood a sentry o'er the land. And watched with varying hopes and fears, The changes of Time's mighty hand. ' I saw the glacier in his might Sweep from the north, a frozen sea, Ice piled on ice to mountain height, Moving, meth ought, resistlessly. ' I felt his cruel ice-bound teeth Plough in my flanks, as on his way. He ground and crushed my rocks beneath : I show the furrows to this day. ******* ' I've seen the change by centuries wrought Engraved in Progress' deepest lines ; To us with greater interest fraught Than those of old Triassic times. ' I've seen the wilderness siibdiied, Fair villages and towns arise ; Cities with energy imbued. And art and skill and bold emprise. ' A hundred such around me rise ; I see them from my mountain height ; Their gilded domes and cloud capped spires Lend fair enchantment to the sight. 470 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. " Their business gongs salute my ear, Their throbbing engines jar my crest ; Their miglity industries appear, Which meet no check, and know no rest. " Of all the towns that round me rise. Of all the cities that I greet, There's none seems fairer to my eyes Than that which slumbers at my feet. " Fair city of the Silver Art, Still slumber in thy quiet vale ; With rocky fastnesses begirt. May naught against th^- peace prevail. '■ Long will I guard thy schools and homes, And hold thy precious interests fast. Watching thy good for years to come. As I have watched it in the past." Near the summit of West Peak and several miles distant from the city, Percival Park has been projected as a summer resort, and easy- roads to the same were constructed in the fall of 1889. In other direc- tions among these hills are attractive drives, among woodlands, along streams, which afford vistas of most entrancing nature. Especially is the drive through Cat Hole pa.ss, between the East and Middle hills, invested with peculiar charms. This pass is about a mile long and very narrow in some parts, the rocks on either hand rising to almost perpendicular heights. Several of the rocks are so strongly marked as to bear some resemblance to profiles of Washington and other char- acters. In this gorge ice remains almost the entire year, and from the lower part issites "Cold Spring." Less rugged, but also very attractive as mountain scenery, are the high lands on the east, of which IMt. Lamentation* is the principal object. These beautiful environments conduce also to the healthfulne.ss of the city, whose death rate is one of the lowest in the state, being but thirteen for every thousand of population. The beginning of the city was nearly one mile east of the present center of business, on which is now Broad street,f which was then called Meriden Center. Its progress from the time of the revolution until 1840 was slow and, in the main, uneventftil. At the latter time there were three churches, half a dozen stores, several public houses, a dozen small shops and about sixty residences, chiefly on Market and Colony streets. The principal families bore the names of Andrews, Austin, Booth, Butler, Benham, Barnes, Bailey, Brooks, Cowles, Curtis, * This was so called on account of the wailing or lamentation made while searching for an early settler who was lost in these wilds, on the Middletown side. t Formerly called Market street. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 471 Clark, Collins, Foster, Farrington, Griswold, Green, Hall, Holt, Ives, Jordan, Lewis, Little, Miller, Merriam, Parker, Perkins, Tyler, Twiss and Yale. Descendants of many of these families are among the most active citizens of the present time. In addition to Colony and Broad or Market streets there were, at the period above given (1840), Main, Liberty and Wall streets, each having about the courses which they now possess. But aside from these, nearly the entire area was a common or consisted of unimproved swamp lands -along the brook, which for many years were held to be of little value. In ISlo Jesse Ives bought of Benjamin Merriam six acres of land lying at the northwest corner of Main and Colony streets, for which he paid $100 per acre, which was considered as money wasted. Near the same time twelve acres of land south of Main street and east of the brook was not reckoned worth $800. The building of the Hartford railroad, in 1839, changed the busi- ness life of the village. The center of trade was transferred from the hill to the Pilgrim Harbor section, and a steady, substantial growth began, which was greatly quickened when the dawn of manufacturing once fairly broke over the place. vSince that time, and especially since its incorporation as a city, in 1867, manifold changes have taken place, from one hundred to two hundred new buildings being erected each year, and the inhabitants increasing nearly threefold. The rise of property was gradual in the city and the town, increasing from a grand list of $2,570,797, in 1855, to $10,690,432 in 1889, upon which the rate of taxation was 10 mills. In 1877 the first complete directory of the city was made, showing 5,293 names; in 1880 the names were 6,210, and the population 15,540; in 1889 the names were 11,165, and the population about 21,000. Doubt- less the varied interests of the city will cause a continued increase for many years to come. Meriden was incorporated as a city by act of the general assembly, approved July 11th, 1867. One of the sections of this act provided that the inhabitants should " to all intents and purposes remain a part of the town of Meriden." July 24th, 1868, the charter was amended in order to permit the construction of water works by the city. A revised charter was passed by the general assembl}' and approved March 28th, 1879, in which the city's territorial limits were described to be the same as those in the original charter, to wit: " Beginning at a point on the north line of the road, formerly known as the Middle- town and Meriden turnpike, 166 rods, 20 links easterly from the junc- tion of said road with the old Hartford and New Haven turnpike, and running south 50° west 328 i-ods; thence north 58i° west 278 rods; thence north 39f° west 203 rods; thence north 7i° east 193 rods; thence north 53f° ea.st 395 rods; thence north 87A° east 251 rods; thence south 62° east 258 rods; thence south 26° west 454 rods to the place of 472 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. beginning; and all the electors of this state dwelling within said limits are hereby declared to be and shall forever continue to be a body politic and corporate in fact, by the name of the city of Meriden, &c." This charter and the by-laws based on it have been frequently amended, but the limits remain as originally fixed. The first meeting under the city charter was held at the town hall, August 12th, 1S07, and Henry C. Butler was the moderator. A ballot for the first board of officers resulted in the choice of the following; Mayor, Charles Parker; clerk, John H. Bario ; aldermen, William J. Ives, Hiram Butler, George W. Lyon, Jedediah Wilcox ; councilmen, Lemuel J. Curtis, Owen B. Arnold, Charles L. L^pham, Charles A. Roberts, Hezekiah H. Miller, Eli Ives, Augustus C. Markham, Eli Butler, Aaron L. Collins, Isaac C. Lewis, Jared R. Cook, Jared Lewis, Horace C. Wilcox, Dennis C. Wilcox, John C. Byxbee, Walter Hub- bard; treasurer, Asahel H. Curtis; collector, vSamuel O. Church; aud- itor, Joel H. Guy. It will be seen that the foregoing were leading citizens of the town, and their service, in the office indicated, shows what interest they felt in the welfare of the new city. In the main this interest has been continued, and the principal officers have been representative busi- ness or professional men. The mayors have been the following: 1867-8, Charles Parker; 1869, Russell vS. Gladwin; 1870-1, Isaac C. Lewis; 1872-3, Charles L. Upham; 1874-5, Horace C. Wilcox; 1876-8, H. Wales Lines; 1879-80, George R. Curtis; 1881-5, E. J. Doolittle, Jr.; 1886-7, Chas. H. S. Davis; 1888-9, Wallace A. Miles; 1890, Benjamin Page. City clerks : 1867-72, John H. Bario; 1873 (six months), B. Frank Pomeroy; 1873-5. John H. Bario; 1876-85, Selah A. Hull; 1S86-, Her- man Hess. Treasurers: 1867-76, Asahel H. Curtis; 1877-86, David S. Williams; 1887-9, William Lewis; 1890, W. W. Mosher. Auditors: 1867-70, Joel H.Guy; 1871-4, A. Chamberlain, Jr.; 1875-7, Joel I. Butler; 1878-81, Charles L. Rockwell ; 1882, Fred. R. Derby : 1883, Herman Hess; 1884-5, Robert H. Curtis; 1886, John M. Harmon: 1887, Frank M. Byxbee; 1888-9, Chas. J. King; 1890, John M. Harmon. City surveyors: 1875-7, Theodore H. McKenzie; 1878-87, S. C. Pier- son; 1888-, W. S. Clark. City attorneys: 1867-77, Ratcliffe Hicks; 1878, Frank S. Fay; 1879-, James P. Piatt. Judges city court: 1867-8, Andrew J. Coe; 1878-, Levi E. Coe. Of this court, John Q. Thayer is the assistant judge and the clerk. Presidents pro tem.: 1883, Alderman Robert H. Curtis; 1884-5, Al- derman N. L. Bradley; 1886-7, Alderman Benjamin Page; 1888-9, Alderman IJertrand L. Yale: 1890, Alderman J. C. Twitchell. City collector: 1890, George A. Clark. In 1870 the expenditures in the city for all purposes were $42,138- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 473 .61: 1872, $86,434.41 : 1873, $120,734.45. The entire expense in 1884 was $102,747.43. The appropriations for 1890 were $165,403.16, which was estimated to accrue from various sources and a 10-mill tax on the grand li.st, to j'ield $96,500. For many years the rate of taxation was eight mills on the dollar. The city debt, of more than $500,0t0 in 1878, has been yearly reduced, being $305,320.59 on the first of De- cember, 1889. The finances are in a healthy condition and the affairs of the city are judiciously managed. The police department was not fully established until several years after the organization of the city government. William N. Beach was the first chief and there were four policemen. In June, 1870, the force was increased by the addition of another patrolman. In 1872, 560 arrests were made, 304 being for drunkenness. In 1876 A. L. Otis became the chief and served two years. In 1878 in addition to the chief, G. F. Bolles, who was at the head of the department until 1883, George Van Nostrand was appointed captain and has since sustained that relation to the force. At the time of his appointment, the force had 3 patrolmen and 25 special officers. In 1883 Roger M. Ford be- came the chief and has since so served. In 1884 the patrolmen numbered 6, the specials 28, and the arrests 661. Those charged with drunkenness numbered 367. The depart- ment in 1889 consisted of the chief, the captain, 1 day patrolman, 8 night patrolmen and 25 specials; 742 arrests had been made, about one-half being for intoxication. The police court paid into the city treasury $3,391.59 for fines collected and the department cost $11,056'25. Under the direction of the city authorities the improvement of the streets began to assume good shape as early as 1870, when A. R. Boardman was the commissioner. That office was held in 1871 and 1872 by Almon Andrews, and more than $50,000 was expended on the streets. Colony street was Macadamized from Main to Columbia, and j\Iain .street was graded throughout and a portion Macadamized. Pratt street was also graded and the gutters on Butler street were finished. Broad street had been improved earlier, but was repaired from north to south, and much of Crown street was paved. At this time the city had ten miles of paved gutters, ten miles of blue stone sidewalks, and one hundred cross walks. In the following years sev- eral miles of streets were graded annually. In 1874 maps and profiles of the streets were made and records opened. The following year profiles of 67 streets were sent to D. S. Chesbrough,. sewerage engineer, at Albany, to enable him to report on the advisability of constructing .sewers in the principal streets. Later a commi.ssion was appointed which, December 1st, 1877, reported that the construction of sewers in the .streets as advised by Engineer Ches- brough, be deferred until the use of the Harbor brook be decided in favor of the city. This report was signed by I. C. Lewis, William J. 474 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Ives, Eli Butler and Timothy Healy. In 1878 this committee made a further report that the city charter must be amended before sewers could be constructed. Later the right to use the brook for sewerage purposes being conceded, Andrew's dam in the lower part of the city was condemned, purchased and removed in 1884, in order to carry out a system of drainage so long projected. Since that time lateral sew- ers have been constructed, on some of the streets, near the brook, which is made to .serve as an open drain. At a special city meeting held September 22d, 1891, it was voted to adopt an irrigation plan of .sewerage, e.stimated to cost Sl'io.OOO; KiO acres of land, lying between .South Meriden and Yalesville have been purchased, to which the sewerage will be conveyed from the central part of the city, by a system of pipes, etc. In 1879 the city had nearly forty miles of streets, whose condition was reported to be equal to the streets of other cities of like popula- tion. Since that time new streets have been opened and about $25, UdO has been expended yearly on their improvement. In 1886 the first iron bridge in the city was btiilt, over Harbor brook, on Hanover street. The Berlin Iron Bridge Company furnished the supenstruc- ture, and the entire cost was nearly $4,800. In 1889 the city had more than sixty miles of streets and about forty-five miles of sidewalks; and in 1890 the amount appropriated for the department was $81,.^)64.66, an amount large enough to place the .streets in a creditable condition. The commissioners since Almon Andrews have been the following: 1873, A. C. Wetmore; 1874. William J. Ives; 1875, E. A. Rice; '1870 -7, T. H. McKenzie; 1878-87, Linus F. Dennison; 1888-9, William Balzer; 1890, J. H. San ford. The streets of Meriden are well lighted, at an annual expense of more than $17,000, three-fifths of which is paid for electric lights. At the close of 1889, 86 such lamps were in the service of the city, in ad- dition to the 342 naphtha lamps in use. Electric lighting was intro- duced as early as 1884, when the Fuller- Wood Company put tip some lamps on the fire alarm poles, and gave the city free lights for a short period. The first paid service was June 3d, 1887, when the city en- gaged the u.se of 30 lamps. Gas lights were introduced in 1863, and since that time various substitutes have been used, the chief ones being ga.soline and naphtha. For their use 503 lamp posts were erected in various parts of the city, many now being unused. Prior to 1883, Meriden had no public park. The first step to secure one, aside from a general discussion of the matter, was in the levying of a f-mill tax on the assessment of the city in 18SL to be due in a year, and to be expended under the direction of the court of the com- mon council, by a special committee of aldermen and councilmen. In January, 1882, the charter of the city was amended to permit the pur- chase of a property of nine acres, lying on Camp, Franklin and War- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 475 ren streets, in the northern part of the city, the cost not to exceed $S,000. The property thus acquired was improved in 1884 by grading and planting ehn trees along Franklin street. In 1885 two acres of land additional, on Warren .street, were added to the area of the park, at a cost of $1,500, and the whole was beautified in 1886 at an outlay of nearly $3,000. About the same time .South Broad street was improved to give it a park-like appearance, and the .small square in front of the Winthrop House was beautified, making it a pleasant little spot in that part of the city. About $500 is expended yearly in the care and further im- provement of these park interests. Soon after the formation of the city government measures were taken to secure what was deemed an abundant supply of pure water. The construction of a system of water works was begun by the city, under the direction of Engineer Bishop, of Middletown, and Decem- ber -25th, 1869, the first water was introduced into the city. The sup- ply was from a reservoir of 70 acres, constructed between two hills, two and a half miles northwest of the city. Here the water was gath- ered from the shed of the two hills, about 300 acres being thus drained, and from springs at the bottom of the reservoir. The dam joining the hills is 50 feet wide at the bottom, 12 feet wide at the top and 300 feet long. A head and fall of 250 feet above the railroad station, in the city, was thus secured, permitting a flow by gravitation at a pres- sure of 105 pounds to the square inch. Compared with the highest point on Broad street, the elevation of the reservoir is about 50 feet less than the above, with a corresponding decrease in the pressure. The main pipes first laid were 12 inches in diameter, the distri- buting pipes being from 4 to 8 inches in diameter. At the end of four years, more than 20 miles of pipes were in use, and the consump- tion of water steadily increased. In 1874 a canal was built from the east, half a mile long, to mcrease the drainage into the re.servoir. In 1877 the supply was further increased by building a canal a mile long, from the northwest, and draining 700 acres more of land. In 1885 title to this land and right of water privilege were secured, giving the reservoir a drainage area of 1,000 acres. The length of these canals has been increased, giving still better drainage. In 1877 the service to the city was also improved by laying an iron main 16 inches in diameter from the reservoir to Harbor brook, near Main street, thus affording two outlets. By the end of the year the cost of the works was not far from $340,000. Since that time about $50,000 more has been expended on the works, making their approximate cost, in 1890, nearly $400,000. In 1880 the keeper's house, at the reservoir, was built, and a new iron bridge constructed at the well house. The earth forming the sides of the reservoir being of trap rock, considerable water is lost through filtration, and in 1888 a new dam was built below the old one 476 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. with a view of arrestino- the leakaafe. Within the reservoir from eiarht to twenty feet depth of water are stored, the full capacity being about 360,000,000 gallons. In 1881 the department introduced the meter system of selling water to manufacturing establishments, and 52 meters were placed in position that year. In 1889 the number was 77. The largest con- sumer was the Meriden Britannia Company, using about 35,000,000 gallons per year. At this time there were 220 public hydrants, for use in case of fire; four public watering troughs and five stand pipes. The entire number of services was 2,788. Of the water takers there were 4,000 families, 45 factories, and 95 saloons. The receipts of the depart- ment were, in 1889, $51,456.51, and the net earnings $27,-520.88. The superintendents of the water works have been: 1879-86, H. L. Schleiter: 1887, Oscar Parker; 1888-9, John B. Dunlop; 1890, H. L. ,Schleiter. In 1891 a new pumping station was begun, in the town of Berlin, 3^ miles north from the city, from which the pure water at that point will be conveyed directly to the city, by means of large distributing pipes. The public supply can be doubled by this system, which will cost $200,000. The destructive fire, November 27th, 1846, at Julius Pratt's comb shop, which caused the loss of $60,000 worth of property and the death of W. B. Hall, demonstrated how poor was the protection against a general conflagration. The town was aroused, but several years elapsed before there was an organized effort to stay the fiery element. In 1850 the town bought a small gooseneck hand engine and a few men were formed into a company to man it, with Robert Oughton as the foreman. After a few years the company lost interest in the organization and the machine was set aside. Many years later it be- came the property of Charles Parker, for use in his shops. Cataract Engine Company, No. 1, was organized not long after and placed on a more permanent basis. Of this company Robert Oughton was also the foreman, but on his removal he was succeeded bj' Azariah J. Riggs. This company enlisted the support of the leading people in the town and at one time had one hundred members. Its place of meeting was in a building on the opera house lot. and very stringent rules governed its affairs. The company manned an engine of the piano-box pattern, which had been purchased in New York by Curtis L. North, who took a great interest in these affairs. This engine did good service until it was burned at the woollen mills fire, in 1865. After a number of years the Cataract Company disbanded and the engine was manned by the citizens at the fires. Meantime, in 1856, a " Bucket Brigade " had been gotten up by T. J. Coe, which was also in .service several years. Its equipments con- sisted of buckets and ladders, carried on a light truck, and the ap- paratus was stored at the same place as the old engine. In this period HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 477 occurred, March 9th, 1863, a conflag^ration which has passed into the history of Meriden as the " Great Fire." All the buildings north of Mam street and between the railroad and Colony street, up to what is now Winthrop Square, except the old Byxbee House, were swept away. Five years later the Byxbee Hou.se was also burned. This fire caused the town, at its meeting, April 16th, 1864, to authorize its selectmen to purchase engines and to construct reservoirs at suitable points. Before this time, John C. Byxbee and others had formed the Colum- bian Engine Company, No. 1, to which Selectman Bela Carter had given the property of the old Cataract organization. Soon after this the new company had opportunity to purcha.se the equipments of the disbanded Charter Oak Fire Company, of Hartford, which were labelled with the name of that body. Hence it was decided by the Meriden company to substitute that name for the Columbian, that organization now becoming the Charter Oak Engine Company, No. 1. Of this new company Charles H. Warner, Hiram Knight and John C. Byxbee were active early members. The Charter Oak Hose Com- pany was also organized in 1868 as a companion to the engine com- pany, and George O. Higby was the first foreman. The latter organi- zation is still maintained. An engine house for these companies was secured by Selectman Carter, on State street, near Main, being the first one distinctly so used in the city. Encouraged by the action of the town in 1864 and believing that two companies would be beneficial to the place, John C. Byxbee, Thomas King, William Judge and others organized Washington Engine Company, No. 2. Tt was soon apparent that this belief was correct. A well-ordered rivalry sprang up between the two com- panies, causing them to frequently practice and making them more efficient in service. The Washington Company had, as its first engine, the first machine brought to the town and which had been so long unused. Becoming dissatisfied with it, they sold it to Charles Parker and applied the proceeds, with other moneys raised, to the purchase, at Providence, of a really good engine, and thoroughly manned the same. The selectmen being authorized to build another engine house, the Pratt street station was erected and dedicated in 1867. The engine of the Washington Company was used until there was no further need for hand machines, when the town purchased it and after using it some time, at South Meriden, removed it to the alms- house for service at that place. When the company was in its prime, in 18G7, the engine was manned to throw a stream of water 218 feet, eclipsing the efforts of No. 1, in this direction. Before that time, the two companies were given an opportunity to demonstrate their usefulness at the woollen mill fire, May 3d, 1805, when the large frame building standing on the site of the present Wilcox Silver Plate Works, wa.s completely destroyed. The loss was 478 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. about §250,(»U0, and Edward Ten Eyck was killed by the falling of an •eave trough. The Charter Oak Company in its haste to get a stream of water on ran its engine so near the flames that it took fire and had to be abandoned. It was burned so much that it could no longer be used and Washington Company and the Hook and Ladder Company •did the remainder of the work at that fire. The Charter Oak Com- pany was without an engine about two years, when a new crane neck •engine was procured, at Newark, New Jersey, which was the one used in 1867 and was in the service of the company until after the water department had erected its hydrants on the principal streets of the ■ city, when the engine companies disbanded and this engine was sold. In connection with the Washington Company a hose company was organized in April, 1S(^^^, which was in existence until 1870, when it consolidated with another company, becoming the present Byxbee Hose Company, No. 2. After the heavy fire of I860 the town was impressed with the need of better organization and June 1st, 1866, appointed O. H. Piatt, John C. Byxbee, Ira Twiss, Isaac C. Lewis and Charles Parker, a com- mittee to devise means to that end. The selectmen were also author- ized to offer a reward of $1,000 for the apprehension of an incendiary, guilty of the crime of setting any fires from which the town suffered. No doubt, the discussion of this matter hastened the incorporation of the city, in 1867, and, under its charter, the Volunteer Fire Depart- ment was organized the same year. John C. Byxbee was appointed the first chief engineer and was succeeded, in 1868, by J. W. Hiney, at that time superintendent of the Meriden Britannia Company's works. Charles H. Warner became the chief engineer in 1869 and served more than two years, having Arthur J. Hughes as his first assistant. He first introduced a methodical system of alarms, which was a great iniprovement upon the indiscriminate method before used and which often resulted in confusion. Robert Oughton was the next chief engineer and the last under the volunteer sy.stem. In this period the department was practically reorganized. In 1871 the hand engines went out of use, and those companies were dis- banded. The liose and hook companies were strengthened by ad- ditions from those bodies, as nearly a hundred men had passed out of service. As reorganized there were the following companies: Charter Oak Hose Company, No. 1, on State street; Byxbee Hose Company, No. 2, on Pratt street; Parker Hose Company, No. 3, on Center street; Wilcox Hose Company, No. 4, on Camp street; Ever Ready Hook and Ladder Company, No. 1, on Pratt street. Each truck carried 450 feet of hose. There was one engineer, two assistant engineers, five fore- men, ten assistant foremen, and 73 men in the ranks. In 1872 occurred a number of disastrous fires, among them being those of the Malleable Iron Company, March 11th, loss $40,000; the •Cook and other blocks on Main street, April 29th, loss S2o,000; the HISTORV OF XEW KAVEN COUNTY. 479 Meriden Britannia Company, September 29th, loss $45,000. The ag- gregate losses in the year were $153,550 — an amount so large that the necessity for still better organization was forcibly urged upon the court of common council. The Meriden Paid Department was introduced in 1873. John C. Byxbee was secured as the chief engineer, and served two years. In the first year of this department the losses by fire were $78,741; more than two-thirds of which were included in the fire at Lyon & Billard's planing mill on the 15th of July. In 1874 the losses were only $27.- 260. In 1875 the losses were somewhat greater, but, all things con- sidered, there has been an encouraging decrease since the organiza- tion of this department. In 1875 Edward Roark was the chief engineer; in 1876-7, John F. Butler; and from 1879 until 1887, Isaac B. Hyatt. Under his administration the efficiency of the department was greatly promoted. In the fall of 1880 the Gamewell Fire Alarm sys- tem was introduced, at a cost of §4,200, and was ready for use June 0th, 1S81. Eighteen signal stations were established, fifteen being street boxes. In its operation eight miles of wire were required, work- ing on seven gongs and one large striker. Three thousand dollars was expended in the erection of a new bell tower at the Pratt street station, in which was placed a Jones & Co. Troy bell, weighing 0,142 pounds, which was now used to strike the alarms instead of the bell of St. Andrews church, formerly used. E. B. Baker was appointed superintendent of the alarm system, and served until 1887, when he was succeeded by W. G. Riggs. The alarm telegraph has proven very serviceable, and the system has been perfected and extended, there being in December, 1889. 24 street boxes, and the value of the prop- erty connected with the system was more than $9,000. In 1880 the oifice of fire marshal was created, and until 1888 the position was held by S. C. Pierson. After two years' service by j\I. F. Fitzgerald, David Bloomfield became the marshal, in 1890. At the time this arrangement was made, in 1880, the department numbered 72 men, not including the 20 men connected with Volunteer Company No. 5. In 1881 the expense of the department was $14,891.89. Two fires of importance occurred this year, tho.se of the Meriden House, January 12th, with a loss of 8]7,000; and the Charles Parker Company's shop, $5,500, on the 23d of April. The extension of the city, on the high ground along Broad street, where there is not sufficient pressure to use hose service only, induced the common council to purchase a steamer for use in that locality. Hence, on the 3d of July, 1884, Steamer No. 1 went into service. It is of the Sillsby pattern, third size. No. 2 grade, and cost $3,700. For its accommodation a two-story brick addition was built to the Parker Hose house, where have since been the headquarters of those man- ning it. 480 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. In 188.1 the total losses by fire were $19,831. One of the most serious was March .5th, which threatened the destruction of the C. Rogers & Bros, works, and was saved by the timely help of the depart- ment, with a loss of $0,000. In 1880, the entire loss was $32,490, of which the Meriden Curtain Fixture Company sustained more than $25,000, on the first of April. In 1887 the burning of McCarthy's livery stable, on the 11th day of April, when the barn and ten horses were consumed, was the most serious loss. Sing-ularlv. the burninof of the hcse car stables, January 11th, 1888, was also the heaviest loss that year, the amount being $30,47o, of a total of $-17,485. Thirteen street cars and 78 horses were consumed, the fire burning with such rapidity that the department was powerless. In 1889 there were 38 fires and alarms, but so efficient was the service that the losses amounted to but little more than $17,000. In 1888 Owen Horan became the chief engineer, holding that posi- tion two years, when Isaac B. Hyatt was again placed at the head of the department, whose maintenance costs nearly $20,000 per year. The force in 1889 consisted of 88 men — 3 permanent men, 65 call men, and 20 volunteers. The value of the property owned by the depart- ment approximated $50,000. The companies in service were as fol- lows : Charter Oak Hose Company, No. 1, on Butler street, 12 men; Byxbee Hose Company, No. 2, on Pratt street, 12 men; Parker Ho.se Company, No. 3, on East Main street, 12 men; Wilcox Hose Company, No. 4, on Colony street, 12 men; Veteran Volunteer Hose Company, No. 5, on Camp street, 20 men; E. J. Doolittle Truck Company, No. 1, on Pratt street, 16 men; .Steamer No. 1, manned by Parker Hose Com- pany. The hose companies carried 5.200 feet of hose, and the num- ber of fire hydrants was 220. From these a pressure of 85 to 11.") pounds per square inch could be obtained. Briefly, the history of the companies constituting the department is as follows ; Charter Oak Hose, No. 1, organized in 1863, and until 1871 con- temporary with Charter Oak Engine Company. The quarters on Butler street are commodious and attractive, being a two-story brick. Have an old four-wheel hose carriage and a "jumper." Total value of property, $4,855. Byxbee Hose Company, No. 2, was organized in 1805 as the Wash- ington Company. In 1807 the present name was taken in compliment to John C. Byxbee. In 1870 it joined the department, and has since been one of the leading companies in the city. In July, 1885, a four- wheel horse hose wagon, with a horse, took the place of the com- pany's "jumper," and was placed in care of E. J. Corrigan, driver, who has been connected with the department twenty years. The new apparatus is used with gratifying results. Value of the company prop- erty is $6,825. Parker Hose Company, No. 3, was organized November 9th, 1869, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 481 and it has since been the reliable company of the Hill district. The first house was on Center street, opposite Saint Rose church. Since 1877 it has had the quarters on East Alain street, which are large and commodious, when used for hose purposes only. It is supplied with useful and handy contrivances, and is also a pleasant social retreat. A "four-wheeled Spider" is used, and since 1884 the company also mans the steamer. No. 1 . The value of the property controlled is 89,8.")(). Wilcox Hose Company, No. 4, began as a volunteer company, on Camp street, in 1878, but in a short time became a part of the regular force. Since 1878 it has had the fine house on Colony street, which has been fitted up with taste and supplied with many conveniences, more improvements being made in 1888. Richard Shaw has been clerk of the company since 1876. This company now serves a district in which the Americus Hose Company, No. 6, was organized, in 1870, but which held together only a short time. The Wilcox property is valued at $5,200. The Veteran Volunteer Hose Company, No. 5. The removal of No. 4 company from Camp street, in the fall of 1878, was the immedi- ate cause which led to the organization of this company, January 8th, 1879. Most of its early members had been connected with the depart- ment in its infancy, and the company soon made an enviable record, which has kept its ranks filled, although .still a volunteer organization. The headquarters of the company are maintained on Camp street, the value of the property being $2,200. E. J. Doolittle Truck Company, No. 1, was organized in 1868 as the Ever Ready Hook and Ladder Company, William Haggerty being the first foreman. Its headquarters are on Pratt .street, with the Byxbee Hose Company, and are well equipped. In 1886 the old truck was sold and a new and improved truck purchased by the city at a co.st of $1,750, which was put into j5ervice by James O. Brainerd, fore- man of the Doolittle Company, which title was taken in compliment to Mayor Doolittle. The truck has a capacity to carry 318 feet of ladders and is drawn by a span of trained honses, purchased in 1887, and having Julius Lego as the driver. The total value of the com- pany's property is $8,375. In 1873 an eiTort was made by the department to maintain a benev- olent association, which was abandoned in the course of a few years. But in June, 1882, a similar movement resulted in establishing the Relief Fund of the Meriden Fire Department. The nucleus of this fund was the proceeds of a fireman's picnic held at Terrace Garden, in September, 1882, and it has since that time been properly aug- mented. Timely and substantial aid has been given to disabled members of the department, and the wisdom of having such a fund has been frequently demonstrated b}- its benevolent effects upon the families assisted. 30 482 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The Meriden Gas Light Company was formed in ISOO with a capital of $30,000, Eli Butler being the first president and S. Dodd, Jr., the secretary and treasurer. In the fall of 1863 the works created by it were placed in operation under the superintendence of Charles L. Fabian. The service at first was limited but in 1871 there were six miles of mains in operation. In 1879 the mains measured nine miles and in 1889, twelve miles. The first works were on South Colony street, but after ten years use they were abandoned and new works erected on Cooper street, where was located one gasometer and another on Putnam street. The capacity of production is 200,000 cubic feet per day, a large proportion of which is used for fuel purposes by manufacturing establishments. The works are in good condition and are under the management of J. A. Hadley, the superintendent since 1806. After the death of Eli Butler, in 1881, George R. Curtis became the president of the company and still so serves. S. Dodd has been the only secretary and treasurer. In the fall of 1887 the capital of the company was increased from $.")0,000 to §17r),000, for the purpose of absorbing the interests of the Meriden Electric Light Company. In March, 1887, the first electric lighting was done by a foreign cor- poration, — the American Electric Light Company — which had a small plant on State .street. This property pas.sed to a local company, with the above name, which soon after disposed of its interests to the Meriden Gas Company. Under their ownership the plant was moved to South Colony street and, on the site of the old gas works, a large and finel}' equipped plant has been erected under the superintendency of E. A. Fitzgerald. The motor is three 100-horse power engines, operating five arc light dynamos, capable of illuminating 250 lights on the American system. There are also incandescent dynamos to pro- duce light for 6.10 Thomson-Houston lamps. In November, 1889, the phmt furnished electricity for 85 city arc lights and 05 arc lights in commercial use. On the 16th of April, 1887, electric lights were first used in the public streets on contract to pay for the same. From 1799 for nearly half a century the Hartford & New Haven turnpike seemed to supply every want of the town for improved means of communication north and south. Hence, when a railway line to run parallel with this popular thoroughfare was projected, much oppo- sition was aroused. The assembly was petitioned for a charter for a railway from Hartford to New Haven, as early as 1835, which was granted a few years later, and the work of survej'ing a line was begun. Three distinct lines between these two cities were suggested, namely, 7'ia Middletown, Meriden and New Britain; and claimants in each of these places endeavored to secure the location of the road through their town. The ruule through Meriden had been pointed out by Doctor J. G. Percival, who discovered its feasibility while making his geological survey, and its merits were most warmly and successfully HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 483 urged by Major Elisha A. Cowles. As originally contemplated, the railroad would have been built on the lowlands east of Broad street, which would have afforded a direct and natural route. But the farmers in that section were so decidedly opposed to the railway that the present route through West Meriden was taken at the earnest solicita- tion of James S. Brooks. He was a man of influence and owned lands along Harbor brook, which thus became valuable, as the business of the Center was ultimately transferred to this place. In the light of these events the opposition of the Center farmers appears amusing, for they not only lost their home market for " their spare corn and hay," which they had been accustomed to sell to teamsters on the turnpike, but they also had no market to sell their farms as town lots. The turnpike was an unequal competitor of the railroad, and soon succumbed. The New Haven & Hartford railroad was built to Meriden in 1839, this bemg for a short time the terminus of the line northward. The first depot was a rude shed-like building, 25 by 25 feet, which served every purpose of the company. It stood a little north of Main street, and Major Elisha A. Cowles was the depot master. Some time in 1840 the waiting room was in the Rogers House, southwest of Main street, where it remained about two years. After the Conklin House was built, in 1842, opposite, and on the north side of Main street, a ticket office, waiting room and railroad restaurant were fitted up in that building. The original depot on the east side qf the track, was used for freight purposes and an engine room. In 1854 a new depot was built east of what is now Wmthrop Square, which was burned in 1868, and the same year a new one was erected on the same site. Meantime, the freight depot north of the original station had been put up. This was removed farther north in 1881, and upon its site the present handsome station begun the same year. It is a brick structure, 43 by 177 feet, having one main story and a Mansard story, which is relieved by turrets, the center one bearing a flag staff. In the interior are found large waiting rooms and the conveniences of a well-appointed modern railway station. The carriage approach is on the east side; and on the west side, along the railway track, is a canopied platform, 23 feet wide and 503 feet long, suppoi-ted by iron columns. This station was occupied in July, 1882. The freight depot was also completed in 1882, and is a brick build- ing, 30 by 360 feet, or three times the size of the old one. The exten- sion of side tracks to manufacturing establishments has been steadily increased, there being more than a half dozen miles. The tonnage of freight has kept proportionate increase, being more than double what it was ten years ago. In 1889 it approximated 180,000 tons. Twenty-eight passenger trains per day offer speedy transportation to points north and south, few cities of this size having better facilities of this nature offered by one line of road. 484 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Although having excellent facilities for transportation north and south, the manufacturers of ]\Ieriden long- felt the need of hav- ing a direct east and west line. This led to the consideration of several projects, including a railroad to Cheshire, and in June, 186!). the Meriden & Cheshire Railroad Company was chartered, but it failed to organize. Better results followed the effort to build a railroad to Cromwell, on the Connecticut river, where water communication to New York could be secured. A company, with a capital stock of $300,- 000, was organized, which built a road which was opened April 6th, 188:5. The total length of the track, including sidings, and the exten- sion on Center street, of nearly a mile in length, was 13.20 miles, which was all laid with steel rails on a well-ballas ed bed. This road was constructed and managed by home enterprise and local capital, and had an encouraging patronage. The extension westward appearing advantageous, the ^leriden & Waterbury Railroad Company was organized by members of the aboye company and citizens of Waterbury, who, in April, 1887, raised $125,- 000 as their .share of the funds. On the 3d of May, 1887, the two companies consolidated their interests, and May 18th the Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad Company was organized and directors elected. On the 7th of July, 1887, ground was broken on the Waterbury exten.sion, and the work of con.struction went on apace until the 17 miles of roadway were completed. In its length it cros.ses 88 streets and highways, being carried over all of them over- head. The road' was formally opened July 4th, 1888. when a train of nine cars was run between the two cities by Conductor Booth. On the 15th of July freight trains commenced making regular trips. In 1889 the tonnage of freight carried was more than CiO, 000 tons, and the number of pa.ssengers was over 70,000. The length of the tracks, main and sidings, was 30.84 miles. The running .stock of the com- pany was made up of o engines, 12 passenger cars, 18 box and 187 gondola freight cars. Ten trains per day are maintained. In 1889 the capital stock of the company was $500,000, nearly all of which was held in the two cities, and the affairs were controlled by Horace C. Wilcox,* president; E. D. Steele, vice-president; George Rockwell, secretary and treasurer; H. L. Wade, assistant treasurer; H. C. Wilcox, George R. Curtis, Samuel Dodd, A. Chamberlain and C. L. Rockwell, Meriden, directors; and E. D. Steele, A. S. Chase, H. A. Matthews and H. L. Wade, Waterbury, directors. Charles M. Craw- ford is the superintendent of the road and H. L. B. Pond, the general freight agent. The offices of the company are at Meriden, in the fine depot building, on West Main street. The structure is 30 by 115 feet, the main part being two stories high, with roof sloping to one story ends. The south end of the building is relieved by a lower. The material * Died August 27lh, l.siK). HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 485 is Cromwell brown stone and blue and red slate. The depot and offices were completed for occupancy in June, 1889. Frederick L. vSmith was the first depot master. This road has terminal facilities at Cromwell and Waterbury with roads east and west and will ultimately form part of a through line from the Hudson to the sea coast. It has pleasant scenic attractions on its line and Laurel Grove, in the town of Prospect, has been opened as a most inviting day resort and excursion ground. Along the railways are maintained the lines of the Western Union and other telegraph companies, giving the city rapid service. In the fall of 1887 the American Telephone and Telegraph Company con- structed its line through the town, west of the center, supplying the city with a loop. Long distance telephone communication is by this line offered to points as remote as Philadelphia and Boston. The building of street railways in the city of Meriden was agitated many years before the project was accomplished, For this purpose charter privileges were sought as early as 1876 by Charles Parker and others; and a. later attempt was made to build a line to Hanover, or what is now South Aleriden. On the 30th of March, 1886, the general assembly again granted charter rights to a number of public spirited citizens, to build lines of street railways both in the city and the town of Aleriden. Lender this charter a company was organized with a capital of $50, 000. George R. Curtis was elected president; Charles L. Rockwell, secretary and treasurer; and Daniel Barker was appointed superintendent. The contract to build the road was awarded to S. W. Hutchinson, and about five miles of track were laid and a horse and car barn built on Pratt street. In the winter the work was inter- rupted, but on Monday, March 21st, 1887, the Colony street line was opened for regular trips. The following day the Pratt and Hanover street cars commenced to run, in connection with the former, and on Main street early in April, the same year. The equipments of the road were new and attractive and, being a recognized public conven- ience, the company was well patronized. In one day, in 1887, as high as 6,000 fares were taken. On the first of January, 1888, the company had 13 closed and 2 open cars; 90 horses and 12 mules; and the whole number of employees was 35. On the night of the 11th of January, 1888, a fire in the harness room of the barn spread so rapidly that 78 horses and 14 cars were burned, causing a loss of more than $30,000. New equipments were supplied and regular trips M-ere but little interrupted. In the summer of 1888 the road was adopted for the use of elec- tricity as a motor and, on the 10th of July, 1888, the first car was run by that agency, which is now used on all but the Pratt street line. The power is supplied by the Daft Electric Light Company through the double trolley system, three 50-horse power generators being used. A good plant is maintained on Pratt street. 486 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Since May, 1889, Norman McD. Crawford has been the superin- tendent of the railway company, which operated, in December, 1889, about six miles of track through the principal streets of the city, carry- ing an average number of 2,200 passengers per day. To the manufacturing interests of Meriden maybe attributed what- ever prosperity the city enjoys, and their development forms one of the most interesting periods in its history. Beginning in a small way, several decades ago, industry after industry has been added, until the city is one of the acknowledged manufacturing centers of New Eng- land, and one that is especially noted for the excellence of its goods. In the infancy of this period, it gained a reputation which has since been greatly enhanced, as one of the principal points in the Union for the production of Britannia, plated and silver wares, lamps, gas 'ind kerosene fixtures, cabinet and builders' small hardware, steel and plated cutlery, shot guns, clocks, pens, fancy tin goods, carriage goods and woolen goods. These still remain principal feattires, and the plants devoted to their manufacture have assumed mammoth propor- tions. In these establishments other goods are also manufactured, their products having become much diversified. But, in addition, new manufactures have been introduced, in more recent years, such as musical instruments, harness goods, bronze and art goods, and decor- ated wares, whose products give these plants a creditable place among the older establishments, and have added new luster to the fame of Meriden. In diversity of manufactures, quality and quantity of the products, few places of the same size make a better showing than this city: and, what is still more creditable, nearly all have been developed from meager beginnings, by men of small capital, but having a wealth of skill, industry and perseverance, who still control these vast enter- prises, and who are also the leading citizens in advancing the other features in the life of this community. To these traits of character of its manufacturers, Meriden largely owes its importance as one of the foremost of the young cities of the East. This position caused it to be selected as one of the objects of visit by the vSouth American delegates to the International American Congress, October 10th, 1889. On that occasion an exhibit of .some of the manufactures was made, and an epitomized account of the indus- tries was prepared, showing that the factories of Meriden produce, out of the raw material, several hundred articles used in every family in the civilized parts of the globe. It also indicated that here are em- ployed a small army of men, among them being hundreds of skilled mechanics, who.se workmanship is nowhere else excelled. Some of the goods shown were characterized by beauty of design and artistic fini.sh, approaching in every respect a state of perfection. In its early history the town had the usual milling and mechanic in- terests, one of the most notable of the latter being the shoe shop of Comfort Butler, as early as 17(»5; and later the shop and tannery of HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 487 his son John. For sixty years "Uncle John" was the principal tanner in the town, and at his shoe shop employed a number of men. But aside from these, Samuel Yale is credited with being the pioneer manufacturer of Meriden. In 1791 he began making cut nails in a little shop on the hill, near the Center Congregational meetinghouse, using a small hand machine. This required each nail to be headed separately. In 1794 he added the manufacture of pewter buttons, which, though coarse, found a ready sale. In this work he had the assistance of his son, Samuel, who was so long one of the leading manufacturers. With the latter was afterward associated his brother, Hiram, and in the course of a few years two other brothers, Charles and William, became interested, and they manufactured pewter and Britannia war. Charles and Hiram Yale removed to Wallingford, and at Yalesville demonstrated the possibility of manufacturing Britannia goods by greater power than that of foot or horse, and by using im- proved machinery. " After this time Samuel Yale had a shop on Liberty street, and still later another one on the corner of Broad and Main streets, where he made tin and Britannia goods. Following the example of the Yales, a number of small shops were opened in what is now the city, and in other parts of the town, in which tin and pewter or Britannia goods were made. Some of these devel- oped into larger establishments and did a flourishing business until the decline of these interests. Others were abandoned sooner by reason of the concentration of their interests to form a single corpora- tion, whose line of manufacture was expanded to embrace other kinds of goods. In this way passed out of existence the Britannia shops of Isaac C. Lewis, William W. Lyman, Lemuel J. Curtis, James A. Frary, John Munson and others, when the Meriden Britannia Company was formed, in 1852. Another pioneer manufacturer at Meriden was Ashbel Griswold, who made tea pots and other articles out of block tin in a shop in the northern part of the present city. His operations extended from about 1810 to 1842. He was also early engaged in the manufacture of Britannia goods, being a.ssociated with Ira Couch and others. Will- iam W. Lyman was a partner of the latter at the old Griswold shops, in 1844, but later was at Prattsville with Lemuel J. Curtis. Still later he was at the Frary shop, on the site of the present Malleable Iron Works. After 1855 the Frary shops were used by the American Pow- der Flask Company, of which James D. Frary and others were inter- ested members. It did not continue long. Lauren Merriam had a pioneer shop on the site of Foster, Merriam & Co.'s works, where he made buttons of block tin, about the time of the war of 1812. Later he manufactured ivory combs at Crow Hollow, selling out in 1830. His sons subsequently became leading manufacturers in the town. In 1828 Nathan F. Goodrich commenced the manufacture of *See history of Wallingford manufactories. 488 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. japanned and tin ware, using a small shop. In 1830 Ezra Rutty came to Meriden, and the firm of Goodrich & Rutty was formed, and the busine.ss was much increased. In 1852 Eli Ives was admitted to the firm, which became Goodrich, Ives & Rutty. In 1864, by the retire- ment of Mr. Goodrich and the admis.sion of E. R. Crocker and Nelson Payne, the firm became Ives, Rutty & Co., and so remained until busi- ness was dissolved, in 1875. Large shops in the southern part of the town were occupied, where from 50 to 100 hands were employed and immense quantities of tin ware were manufactured, from 3, 000 to 5,000 tons of tin being used annually. The tin ware manufactory of S. S. Clark, on East Main street, near the railway station, was al.so for many years an important industry. Mr. Clark was connected with it about forty years, after 1835, and under his management the works assumed large proportions, in which about 0<) persons found employment. Before the shops were closed, some time about ISSO, lamp goods were manufactured at that place. In the eastern part of the town Noah Pomeroy and others were engaged in the manufacture of tin ware, and this may be said to have been the leading industry until about 1840. Most of the goods were sold by peddlers from wagons, travelling o\-er large sections of the country. In the locality .still known as Prattsville Benjamin Twiss manu- factured wooden clocks about 1825, and was later engaged in manu- facturing coffeepots at the same place. At a more recent period, prior to 1852, Britannia ware was made in his old shops by Lemuel J. Cur- tis and others. The manufacture of ivory combs was at one time so extensively carried on in Meriden that it was estimated that two-thirds of those goods produced in America were manufactured in this town. The industry was begun at Meriden by Merriam & Collins, in 1819, who used improved machinery, and for several years had a fine businessat Crow Hollow. Their interest passed to Walter Webb c^- Co., about 1830. Julius Pratt, a practical comb maker, of Saybrook, where the in- dustry in America was first developed, came to Meriden early in 1818. Several years later he and others, as Howard, Pratt & Co., began mak- ing ivory combs in a factory on Harbor brook, below Main street. Finding the water power too feeble at that point, the factory was re- moved to the locality since called Prattsville. In 1824 Fanner Bush became interested in this firm, and when the factory was burned, in November, 1846, through his energy it was at once rebuilt, and for about thirty years it was occupied m the manufacture of ivory combs, piano keys, etc. In 1836 Philo Pratt & Co. commenced comb making, and in the cour.se of years these interests at Prattsville, Crow Hollow and vSouth Meriden were consolidated, Julius Pratt & Co. becoming the principal firm, and Prattsville the main point of manufacture. In 1803 the interests at Meriden and those at Deep River, Conn., were HISTORY OK NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 4S0 united under the firm name of Pratt, Read & Co. (incorporated), and heavy operations were carried on until after 1870, when the Meriden interest was removed to Saybrook, and about that time ivory comb making was discontinued at Meriden. For several years the Wilmot Brothers, who began business about 1860, manufactured door fenders and other elastic articles. Charles A. Roberts had a factory on Crown street, after 18,52, in which he made large quantities of stationers' goods. Both interests and a number of others, which flourished for a time, found a more successful existence in other localities, to which they were removed, or were discontinued here. A list prepared in 1849 indicated the following manufactories at that time:* Julius Pratt & Co., ivory combs, emplo3^ed4'2 hands; Walter Webb & Co., ivory combs, employed 33 hands; Pratt, Ropes, Webb & Co., table cutlery, employed To hands; Curtis, Morgan & Co., locks, latches and small iron castings, emploj^ed 50 hands; Charles Parker- coffee mills, latches, vises, Britannia and plated spoons and various iron castings, employed 60 hands; C. & E. Parker, brass and iron cast- ings; Oliver Snow & Co., iron pumps and all kinds of machinery to order, employed 20 hands; Foster, Merriam & Co., casters and a variety of brass and iron castings, employed 14 hands; Julius Parker, harness trimmings, hinges and iron castings, employed 8 hands; Henry M. Foster, spring balances and steelyards, employed 3 hands; Julius Ives, cast iron inkstands, employed 8 hands; H. T. Wilcox, steelyards and bitbraces, employed 7 hands; Sanford, Parmelee & Co., augers, skates, rakes and bits, employed 40 hands; Stedman & Clark, plain and japanned tin ware, employed 40 hands; Goodrich & Rutty, plain and japanned tin ware, employed IS hands; Lauren T. Merriam, plain and japanned tin ware, employed 25 hands: H. W. Curtis, plain and japanned tin ware, employed 8 hands; Charles Pomeroy, plain and japanned tin ware, employed 18 hands; Blakeslee, Stiles & Co., plain and japanned tin ware, employed 4 hands; Charles Waterman, kettle ears and candlesticks, employed 5 hands; Frary & Benham, Britannia ware, employed 10 hands; William W. Lyman, Britannia ware, employed 6 hands; Isaac C. Lewis. Britannia ware, employed 8 hands: S. L. Cone, Britannia ware, employed 4 hands; L. G. Baldwin, Britannia ware and spoons, employed 5 hands; Crocker & Pratt, brass and plated articles, like letters for signs, lamp chains, stove ornaments, etc., employed 20 hands; Edwin Birdsey, wood turning, wooden combs and packing boxes, employed 15 hands; Birdsey & Williams, bone buttons, em- ployed 12 hands; H. Griswold, bone buttons, employed 20 hands; Calvin Coe, neat's foot oil, ground bones and gypsum, employed 4 hands; William Hale, suspenders, hands worked at their own houses; Jedediah Wilcox, carpet bags; W. K. & S. L. Treat, sashes, blinds and * By Reverend Perkins. 490 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. doors, employed 5 hands; Osgood & Co., platform scales, employed 3 hands: Samuel Yale, tin ware and lamp screws, employed 4 hands. The Meriden Britannia Company is one of the oldest and strongest corporations in the city, having been organized in 1852 and incorpor- ated under its present charter in 187.3. Its capital stock is $1,100,000. It is also preeminently the corporation which has caused the name of Meriden to be known in nearly all parts of the civilized globe as the "Silver City," and one of the chief manufacturing centers of New England. It is, moreover, the corporation which controls the largest establishment in the world devoted to the manufacture of silver ware and .silver plated goods, producing 4,000 different articles and having an annual output of nearly $4,000,000 worth of goods. Its plant is in the center of the city and consists mainly of substantial, huge brick buildings, most of them five stories high, and having an aggregate floor space of nearly ten acres. In them are arranged over 5,000 feet of shafting, turned by the most powerful engines, which operate every device of labor saving machinery, and yet the services of nearly 1,200 hands are required to carry on the business of the company. It has been estimated that the plant with its attendant good will and reputation is worth $20,00i),0()(). Such a vast enterprise is not the growth of a day. but can be created only by genius having the ability to conceive a plan and persistently carry it out until this business has become the foremost of the kind in the world. Like most other great successful American manufactories, this concern was evolved from a small beginning by men having more push and application than capital. Those who founded it have ever since been the directing heads and have been inseparably connected with its development and growth. They have, also, in the past forty years, been clo.sely identified with the progressive interests of the town, which has kept pace with the development of this industry, the one growing up with the other. The formation of the company was prompted by the successful experience of Horace C. and Dennis C. Wilcox, as salesmen of Britannia goods, for some of the small manufacturers of that ware in this locality. In 1850 those energetic young men came to Meriden and arranged to- sell the products of the factories of James Frary, William W. Lyman. Lemuel J. Curtis, Isaac C. Lewis, all of Meriden; and John Munson and Samuel Simpson, of Wallingford. After two years all concerned were satisfied with the arrangement and convinced that still better results would be obtained if their interests were more closely united. The company was now organized by these parties, who continued tO' produce Britannia goods at their respective factories several years, all being tributary to a central office erected on the site of the present plant. Isaac C. Lewis was chosen the first president; Horace C. Wilcox, secretary; George R. Curtis, treasurer. The latter has held his office continuously, having the assistance of George M. Curtis in more recent HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 491 3'ears. In 186^ Horace C. Wilcox was elected president of the cor- poration and Isaac C. Lewis the superintendent. Mr. Wilcox died August 27th, 1890, and his eldest son, George H. Wilcox, succeeded as manager of the company. In 1865 Dennis C. Wilcox was elected .secretary, an office to which George H. Wilcox was afterward elected and in which he still serves. After a few years successful business by the company it began the erection of factory buildings near its office, where its outlying inter- ests were concentrated, the smaller shops being abandoned. Since that time other buildings have been put up as the business demanded, until the plant has attained its present magnitude. In recent years a branch factory was located at Hamilton, Ontario, in which 300 hands are employed, who produce goods for the Canadian trade. The company originally manufactured ordinary Britannia ware, but soon began the production of goods of a superior quality, purchas- ing the entire interests of Simeon S. and Asa H. Rogers, of Hartford, who also engaged in its service. The Rogers Brothers were estab- lished in 1847 and were silver platers of superior reputation. Their processes and trade mark, " 1847, Rogers Bros., A 1," thus became the exclusive property of the Britannia Company, and have proven to be of great value. The trade mark stamped upon knives, forks and spoons here manufactured, is everywhere taken as evidence of their superior quality. The company keeps emploj'ed a large force of artisans of the greatest skill in designing and engraving, thus keeping abreast or even in advance of the changing fashions of the times, in producing myriads of articles of utility or ornament. But in every line of goods the best material only is used in the manufacture, and all are treated alike by the same careful 'process in electro-plating, which was here brought to a state of perfection. The Wilcox Silver Plate Company had its beginning as the Wilcox Britannia Company, which was incorporated December 26th, 1865. The present name was adopted in May, 1867. Jedediah Wilcox was the first president of the company, and W. C. Humphrey, the secretary and treasurer. The original capital of $250,000 has been increased to $370,000, the company by growth and absorbtion becoming one of the strongest in the city. With this body was merged the original Parker & Caspar Company (incorporated in May, 1867), of which John E. Parker, Charles Caspar, Philip S. Pelton and Samuel Dodd, Jr., were members. For many years the latter has been the secretary and treasurer of the present corporation, A. S.Collins being the president. The works of the company, on Pratt .street, were erected in 1866, upon the site of the burned woollen mills and are large and convenient. The main building is of brick, four stories high, 40 by 350 feet. Other buildings in the plant give a total capacity for nearly 400 operatives. The company manufactures an immense variety of silver plated 492 historn' of new haven county. goods, of designs of a very high standard, and contemplates the manu- facture of German silver ware at an early day. The output is about $700,000 per year, which finds ready sale in many lands, and the prod- uct is steadily increasing. The Meriden Silver Plate Company was organized as a corporation under the laws of the state, in the spring of 1870, by Charles Caspar, George R. Curtis, W. R. Mackay, Isaac Cornwall, W. E. A. Bird and others. The two first named were the principal officers. W. R. Mackay was chosen the superintendent and has since so served. In more recent years George R. Curtis was elected president; F. E. Knight, vice-president; and R. H. Curtis, the secretar_y and treasurer. Beginning in a small factory, in which 2;") hands were employed, the works have been enlarged and improved until, in 1890, the real estate was valued at $76,000. The main building, on North Colony street, is six stories high and has dimensions 60 by Do feet. It is of brick in the Eastlake style and contains an attractive office. A glass cutting shop is 30 by 64 feet, in which 80 men are employed in cutting and engraving glass most artistically, for use on the company's plated ware. This embraces many novel and chaste designs, principally in hollow ware, the services made by this company being noted for their handsome appearance. In all departments several hundred men are emploved. Wilbur B. Hrdl's silver plated ware factory, in the eastern part of the city, was established in 1882. The products are a ver}' large variety of small silver plated table ware and articles for ornamental use. From twenty to thirty people are engaged in this line of work. The C. Rogers & Bros. Silver Plating Establishment '•■ ranks as one of the foremost m the city of Meriden. The firm comprises the three Rogers brothers — Cephas B., Gilbert and Wilbur F. — who began busi- ness in 1806. At first only a small building was occupied in the manu- facture of coffin trimmings, tea-pot knobs and flat table ware, but which proved to be of such a fine quality that the business has steadily expanded since that time, until 300 persons are employed. The plant at the foot of Butler street consists of a number of large brick build- ings, erected with a view to their convenience and adaptation to the wants of this industry. The line of manufacture has been increased, that of brass furniture being lately added. Among the recent improve- ments is a new bra.ss furnace which will give the firm still greater opportunity for diversified products. The flat ware of the Rogers Brothers has become justly celebrated for its excellence and many new designs in plated goods and (jerman silver have been originated and patented by them, which has still further enhanced their reputa- tion as silver workers. Edward Miller & Co. ,+ manufacturers of lamps, chandeliers, bronze and brass goods, have one of the largest establishments of the kind *See biography of Cephas H, Rogers. f See also biograjjhy luhvard Miller HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ' 493 in the state. The works embrace immense brick buildings, equipped with the most approved machinery that experience can suggest and money procure, and the plant is alike creditable to the city and the corporation which has created it. When about 15 years old Mr. Miller was employed by Horatio N. Howard, manufacturer of lamp screws, oil screws and candlestick springs. He afterward was employed for about two years by Stedman & Clark, manufacturers of tin ware, in- cluding candlesticks and lamps, on East Main street. He then formed a partnership with his father, under the firm name of Joel Miller & Son, and began the manufacture of these goods in an old shed on Broad street, using foot power lathes and presses. The partnership continued until Edward was 20 years old, when he bought out his father's interest. His business increased and horse power was soon substituted. Later a larger shop, with steam power, was occupied, in which the brass parts of fluid lamps were made. In 1856 his shop was burned down. Larger works took its place, and after the manufacture of brass kerosene lamp goods was begun, the business increased very rapidly. In 1866 the firm was incorporated under the laws of the state, with a capital of $200,000, which has been increased to $250,000. Edward Miller was chosen president of the corporation, and has since remained at its head. W. H. Perkins served many years as treasurer, an office later filled by Edward Miller, Jr. In 1868-9 a large brass rolling'mill was erected, and the manufac- ture of sheet brass on a large scale was begun. Various articles are also produced of copper and German silver, and in more recent years many kinds of bronze ornaments have been manufactured, in addition to the specialties of the firm — the celebrated Rochester lamp, in a variety of patterns, and Niagara oil and gas burners. Many skillful metal workers are employed, and in all nearly 500 persons find occu- pation in these works. The Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company was incorpor- ated m January, 1875, with a capital of $300,000, the corporators being Walter Hubbard, Nathaniel Bradley, Charles F. Linsley and George R. Hubbard. These have also since been the officers of the corpora- tion, which has become one of the largest of its kind in the world. The beginning of this vast enterprise was on a small scale, some years before the incorporation, and the business was developed to its present magnitude by the skill, tact and energy of the members of the com- pany whose name it bears, and who started out with a determination, to which they have studiously adhered, to produce only the best goods of the best material. Hence the association of the general trade mark, " B. & H.," is synonymous with the excellent quality of the wares, and more especially of the lamp and lamp goods which have brought the corporation fame and wealth. With 'the expansion of the capacity have come increased variety of manufactures, all of the same high type of character as the original products. Chief among these are 494 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. gas fixtures, bronzes, art metal goods in ornaments, table and fireplace furniture, the diversified interests giving employment to the highest artistic and mechanical skill. A variety of ingenious machinery is also used. In all its appointments this establishment may fairly serve as a model manufactory of high grade metal goods, of which lamps continue the staple articles. The many good points of the " B. & H." lamp have popularized it not only in this country, but in many of the markets of the world, large shipments being made to South America. The Bradley & Hubbard plant is near the center of the city, on the main line of the New Haven railroad, and its acres of large brick buildings have been especially erected for the uses of the corporation, and to afford working capacity for the thousand people in its service. The Charles Parker Company was organized December 26th, 1876, the capital being $500,000; and the stockholders were: Charles Parker, Charles E. Parker, Dexter W. Parker and Theodore F. Breese. The first three are the principal officers of the company, Charles Parker having been the president since its organization. He is the founder of the vast interests controlled by the corporation, and is perhaps more distinctively than any other man living, the pioneer of successful man- ufacturing in Meriden. A sketch of his life and bu.siness career is given in another part of this volume. The diverse industries controlled by the company could not be ac- commodated at the parent plant, although it is one of the most ex- tensive of its kind in the state, and other plants have been established at Ea,st Meriden, Yalesville and on the New Haven railroad in the city of Meriden, some of which are devoted to special features of manu- factures, but taken as a whole, producing an almost endless variety of goods and giving employment to about one thousand people. At the home shops are manufactured a line of goods which have become widely known as the " Parker" lamps, which are constructed in many useful and artistic forms, and are deservedly popular on ac- count of their many merits. The " Parker " vises, screws, etc., have also a wide reputation; and the many chaste articles of brass in par- lor and hall furniture make a rich and attractive line of products which give employment to the greatest skill in those branches of manufacture. The East Meriden works are large, well appointed and neatly kept. They are mainly devoted to the manufacture of Britannia ifictal and galvanized iron spoons, immense quantities being produced. At Yalesville are older shops on a good water power, which arc de- voted to the manufacture of " Parker '" coffee and spice mills and pack- ing cases, a million feet of lumber being consumed annually in the latter work. The shops of the " Parker "Brothers," on the New Haven railroad, south of Mam street, are given up to the widely celebrated " Parker'* shot gun, whose excellence has been attested in many trials in this HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTV. 495 and foreign countries, when it received the award of the first prize. It is claimed that this is not only the largest, but also the most com- plete and best equipped shot gun factory in the world. The weapons are breech loading, and have been improved so as to be practically hammerless, making it one of the safest fire arms m the world. This latter feature is the invention of the superintendent, C. A. King. On the site of these works were formerly the auger and bit shops of James S. Brooks, succeeded by the firm of Parker, Snow, Brooks & Co., who were in turn succeeded, in 1853, by the Meriden Machine Company, of which the directors were: S.W. Baldwin, James H. Breck- enridge, Oliver Snow, Charles Parker and John Parker. In subsequent years the latter became the owners of the property. The Parker & Whipple Company was incorporated in March, 1868, with a capital of $100,000 and a board of directors composed of John E. Parker, Henry J. P. Whipple, L. J. Curtis, John Parker and H. C. Wilcox. The two first named were the president, secretary and treas- urer of the company. In 1889 John Parker was the president and F. F. Breese held the other offices. The company was organized to succeed to the business of Parker & Whipple, as manufacturers of door locks, knobs and builders' hardware and trimmings, who began that industry in 1859, at the locality called " Crow Hollow." Pre- viou.sly this site had been occupied for manufacturing purposes by Lauren Merriam, Walter Webb & Co., and others, various articles being manufactured there. Water was the original power, the .supply being from a small stream flowing from the hills. In later years steam was added as a supplementary power. The works of the Parker & Whipple Company embrace several large buildings, including iron and brass foundries. A large number of men were formerly employed, which had the effect of creating a small hamlet in that section, which is still locally called "Crow Hollow." In 1889 the products of the company were mainly clocks, which were here made in a variety of sizes and styles, some being unique in appearance, and all were reputed good time keepers. The corporation of Manning, Bowman & Company was organized inMiddletown, Conn., and in 1872 transferred its business to Meriden, occupying the triangular space formed by Pratt, Miller and Catlin streets. A small building was occupied and less than fifty hands were employed. From this has grown the present immense establish- ment, having a continuous frontage on the three streets of 750 feet and being four stories high. In addition there are large buildings on the opposite side of Catlin street, for various uses of the company, which manufactures its own gas for lighting and manufacturing purpo.ses. The fuel of the 100-horse power engine is crude petroleum. In the factory improved machinery is used and a large force of hands employed, in the production of planished tin and copper goods, granite iron and pearl agate ware, etc. •19(; HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. At the Centennial Exposition, in 1876, the company had an exhibit which included its first granite ware tea pot with white metal mount- ings. A medal was there awarded and the exhibits at other world's fairs were similarly complimented. In 1878 the company invented and patented metal trimmed iron ware, which has since become world- famous. Since that time, however, the variety of designs has been greatly increased and the finish improved. The skill and enterprise of the company have produced an innovation in this line of manufac- tures which has resulted in the production of hollow ware for table use, which is not excelled for beauty and superiority in every respect, by a similar establishment in the world. The officersof this company are E. B. Manning, president; Robert Bowman, secretary and treasurer. The cutlery interests of the town have been extended and promi- nent features of its manufacturing history many years. An account of the oldest company appears in connection with a sketch of South Meriden, where it is located. The Miller Brothers Cutlery Company was established at Yalesville, in 1870, by William H. and George W. Miller, who were soon joined by Henry Lewis, for the manufacture of pocket cutlery. In 1872 their interests were removed to the old comb factory of Pratt, Read & Co., where the United States Steel Company was consolidated with it. The water power of Harbor brook was supplemented by steam and the capacity of the buildings enlarged. The main works are 32 by 12(» feet and four stories high, in which improved labor saving machinery is used, the company being one of the first to adopt machinery for making all the parts of a pocket knife interchangeable and the blades of a uniform temper, which has given their products a high reputation. In 1878 the company was re-organized, with Lemuel |. Curtis as president. In 188!) that office was held by Isaac C. Lewis; William F. Rockwell was the secretary and treasurer; and C. L. Rockwell and George W. Lyon were associate members of the company. In 1883 the company purchased the steel pen works of Harris & Bradford, of New York, and have since here carried them on in con- nection with their pocket cutlery interests and steel ink erasers. The high character of the pens designed by George Bradford, one of the original steel pen makers in America, has been kept up by the com- pany, whose establishment ranks as one of three leading works in the country. In this department lOO men are employed; and in the cutlery works about 150. The plant of the company embraces about one and a half acres and is one of the oldest occupied manufacturing sites m Meriden. George W. Miller's pocket cutlery works on Mechanic street were established in 1880 and discontinued in 1880. Boys' pocket knives were made and a dozen people employed. Shears and scissors of fine quality are manufactured by Russell S. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 497 Gladwin, in the central part of the town; and by Joseph Wriggles- worth & Son, near the Miller cutlery works. The Breckenridge Manufacturing Company was organized in 1887 to succeed to the business of Breckenridge & Co., which was estab- lished in 1864, and whose place of business, since 1868, has been at the present plant. Large frame shops are occupied and 75 hands are em- ployed. Hardware and sheet metal goods were manufactured until 1887, when the manufacture of gas and combination fixtures and art metal goods in all its branches was begun, and has been successfully carried on. The president of the company is F. R. Seidensticker, and J. H. Breckenridge is the secretary and treasurer. The other members are W. A. Breckenridge and E. D. Hall. Here are also manufactured the goods for the Sands Automatic Fan Company, which removed its place of business from Bridgeport to Meriden in June, 1888. Of this corporation Jesse Sands is the president and Frank E. Sands the treas- urer. Their goods are favorably used in all parts of the country, the ventilating fan being one of the best yet devised. The Kelsey Press Company was organized June 1st, 1889, as suc- cessors to William A. Kelsey & Co., who began business in Meriden in 1872, manufacturing amateur presses and printing material. These articles are still produced on a more extensive scale, and a trade has been established which reaches to many foreign countries. Eight sizes of Excelsior Printing Presses, costing from $3 to $100, are manu- factured. The motor is a 15 horse power engine, and 20 hands are employed, in a factory on South Colony street. The Meriden Bronze Company succeeded to the business estab- lished by S. H. Foster, at first confined to casters and furniture trim- mings. July 1st, 1882, the interest passed to the Foster Hardware Company, whose name was changed, January 1st, 1884, to the present title, with the following officers: H. P. Allen, president; William E. Gard, secretary and treasurer, and A. H. Jones, manager. These officers have been continued. The original capital of $30,000 has been increased to $45,000. The plant is in the northern part of the city, and the main factory is 450 feet long, a part of it being five stories high and built of brick. Nearly 200 hands are employed. The variety of products has been greatly increased, embracing bronze and brass art goods of every description, the chief being elaborate lamps, tables with artistic tops, and other rare and beautiful goods from designs by the artists of the company. E. D. Castelow's piano and store stool factory was established by him in 1855, and continued on the same site until 1885, when the in- terest passed to James H. Breckenridge & Son, with E. D. Castelow as superintendent. Beginning with one pattern of a wrought iron stool, the number increased until thirty different kinds of stools were made and a dozen hands employed. The piano stool factory of A. Merriam & Co., on Pratt street, estab- 31 498 HISTORY' OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. lished in 1873, and which at one time gave employment to 30 men, was discontinued after fifteen years operation. The Meriden Malleable Iron Company continues the business begun in 1861 by the firm of Lyon, Augur & Co., who had a shop on the site of the present Bradley & Hubbard works. In 1868 their inter- ests and those of ]. H. Canfield & Co. were united, and the present corporation formed with a capital of $75,000, which has been increased to $120,000. A new plant, on the site of the old Frary .shops, was secured, on which fine, large buildings of brick were erected and occupied in the fall of 1SG8. Extensive additions were made in 1870, and again in 1883, the plant having, in 1889, half a dozen brick buildings from one to four stories high, and .supplied with fine ma- chinery. In 1870 the manufacture of a full line of lamp and lantern fixtures was begun, to which were added cabinet hardware and a large variety of small malleables of brass and iron. An average of 350 hands are employed, and the products of the establishment are in ex- cellent demand. The officers of the company are : George W. Lyon, president; Eli I. Merriman, secretary and treasurer; and C. L. Lyon, superintendent. Foster, Merriam & Co., manufacturers of cabinet hardware and bronze goods, carry on the business established in 1835 by Albert Foster, Hiram Foster, Asaph Merriam, Nelson Merriam, Julius Way and Belden, of New Britain. Furniture casters were manufactured at "Crow Hollow," the product being 50 sets per day. In 1840 Way sold out to John Sutliff and in 1843 Asaph Merriam retired, the firm retaining the above title. In 1850 the firm located at the present plant, where, in 1853, Alanson Watrous established an iron foundry in connection. In 1862 Mr. Watrous died, when the foundry ceased to be a distinct interest. Four years later the firm was incorporated with a capital of $80,000. In 1880 Nelson Merriam died, and Albert Foster in 1882. The officers in 1889 were: John vSutlift", president; James R. SutlifT, vice-president; George C. Merriam, secretary and treasurer. The plant embraces about four acres of land, on vv-hich are extensive brick and frame buildings, well adapted for the business and finely equipped. The motor is a 250-horse power engine, and the products embrace almost every article in the cabinet hardware line, which have a fine reputation for their style and excellence. Two hundred hands are employed. A. H. Merriam has been engaged since April, 1868, in the manu- facture of heavy machinery, such as die presses, spinning lathes and work on special orders. A well arranged factory on State street is occupied, where a score of men find skillful employment, in the pro- duction of some of the finest work of this nature in the .state. A recently established interest of the .same nature is the Meriden Machine Tool Company, organized to build special machinery and tools. The corporation consists of H. Wales Lines, R. L. Peck, Walter HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 499 L. Cheney and John Johnson, the latter three being young machinists. A specialty is made of turning machinery of a peculiar pattern. Henry B. Todd has been establi.shed since 1879 as a manufacturer of light machinery, tools, etc., occupying since 1885 a shop on South Second street, where eight men are employed. The Griswold, Richmond & Glock Company is a new corporation for the manufacture of copper, galvanized iron and other metal cor- nices and ornamental work. A shop on Colony street is occupied and, in connection with the stove and range business, a number of men are employed. The latter interest was established by N. F. Griswold in 1863, and since 1876 John L. Richmond and Charles E. Glock have been associate partners in the firm. A handsome store on Main street is also maintained. The Beecher Manufacturing Company is located on the site for- merly occupied by the shops of the American Hardware Company, which was incorporated in 1853, with Henry T. Wilcox, president; Henry S. Wilcox, secretary; and E. K. Breckenridge, superintendent. Steelyard scales, etc., were made in a frame building, which burned down about 1860. The above corporation was organized in 1872 for the purpose of manufacturing carriage forgings and took its name from H. M. Beecher, its first president; D. F. Southwick being the secretary and treasurer. For many years H. D. Bassettwas the presi- dent, which office was last held by D. F. Southwick; and since 1883 S. W. Kent has been the secretary and the treasurer. The main shop is 220 feet long and is supplied with machinery for making solid drop forgings for fine carriages, which have here been brought to a high standard, as only the best material is used and skillful workmen employed. vSixty people find occupation in producing irons for about 1,000 vehicles per day. William B. McEeny is the superintendent of the works, which have a national reputation. The Chapman Manufacturing Company was organized in 1881 and incorporated in 1882. Its principal officers were : Lemuel J. Curtis, president, succeeded by Isaac C. Lewis; Selah A. Hull, secretary; E. R. Chapman, treasurer and general manager. The latter constitute the present officers. From a meager beginning the business of the com- pany has been increased yearly, until in 1889 it formed an interest of fine proportions. The premises occupied, on Britannia street, have been enlarged, the main buildings being four stories high, 36 feet wide and 180 feet long. A 60-horse power engine furnishes the power and 100 persons are employed on the products of the company. These consist of fine saddlery hardware, in nickel, brass, gold and imitation rubber, sleigh bells, dog collars, horse hair plumes, etc., in a great variety of styles and beauty of finish. The active head of the com- pany is E. A. Chapman, under whose supervision the business has been developed. T. S. Alexander is the superintendent. The Meriden Buckle Company is a new corporation, its organiza- 600 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. tion having been effected in 1889, with G. H. Wilson as president and treasurer, and E. A. Wilson, secretary. A factory on Pratt street gives employment to a number of men in the production of the Pullman and other shoe buckles and clasps. The Meriden Saddlery and Leather Company was originally the Bond Harness Company, of which L. F. Bond was the prime mover. In 1887 a factory building four stories high and 36 by 70 feet was erected, on Britannia street, in which the manufacture of harness and horse goods was begun. In February, 1889, the Bond Company was succeeded by the present corporation, of which George R. Curtis is the president, Selah A. Hull the secretary and treasurer, and P. E. Hull the superintendent. Under the management of the latter the business of the company has been much expanded, 50 men being em- ployed in 1889 as " curriers and workers in leather," for the finer grades of harness and harness goods. The Meriden Harness Company, on South Colony street, was established in 1888 by John W. Nichols and others. About 15 hands are employed and the interest is a growing one. Charles H. Fales' shoe factory, on Miller street, was established in 1871, a few hands only being employed. In 1889, with the same pro- prietor, 60 persons were employed in a three story factory, 30 by 60 feet, on fine calf and camelopard boots and shoes for men's wear, the goods having a fine reputation in the wholesale trade, for which they are manufactured. In 1858 Anton Reuss came to Meriden and made pocket books in a limited way. Since 1869 he has been a manufacturer of fine morocco goods in sample cases, etc., producing also the same line of work in fine cheaper leathers and plush. Several dozen hands are employed. The Meriden Flint Glass Company was incorporated April 19th, 1876, with a capital of $50,000, which was mostly held by members of the Britannia Company. The first board of directors had William W. Lyman, Horace C. Wilcox, Isaac C. Lewis, Lemuel J. Curtis and Eli Butler among its members. Later, Horace C. Wilcox was the presi- dent; George R. Curtis the treasurer, and George E. Hatch the secre- tary and manager. The latter and Joseph Bourne had been con- nected with the New England Glass Works, and were .skilled artisans, who here directed an enterprise which produced some of the finest ornamental glass — cut, etched and opal — in the country. The com- pany erected large and well-appointed glass works, in the northern part of the city, and many skilled native and foreign workmen were employed. For ten years operations were carried on, work being sus- pended in the spring of 1886. The following season James J. Murray & Co., of Philadelphia, occupied them for a year, since which they have again been vacant. In another part f)f the city James D. Bergen has lately successfully HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 501 manufactured cut and engraved glassware of elegant design and artis- tic finish: and some of the silver plating establishments also prepare glass for their own use. Glass decorating has become an industr}^ at jMeriden in the pa.st ten 3^ears. which is affording occupation for a large number of people. After the Flint Glass Company discontinued work, in 1886, E. H. Kroeber and A. C. Kaeppel began this industry in its old department, - and have continued decorating opal ware. Near the same time A. G. Eydam and P. J. Handel opened a deco- rating establishment, on Miller street, where they employ 19 hands in embellishing lamp shades, vases, sugar and salt spills, etc., and letter- ing white pottery ware by a peculiar process. Their business is rap- idly increasing. C.F.Monroe's Decorating Works date their origin from 1882, when he began at Meriden on a small scale, extending his business until large works are occupied. The present plant, at the Waterbury depot, was built in the summer of 1888. It is a large frame, 2i stories high. In it are employed from 30 to 50 people, many of them being artists of high skill, and all having more than ordinary intelligence. Every variety of work is decorated, the paintings embracing designs from nature, landscapes, portraits and figures. The art novelties show the highe.st degree of skill in design and execution, many being the con- ception of Mr. Monroe, who is a master in this art, and this establish- ment is regarded as one of the leading decorating works in New Eng- land. The Meriden Curtain Fixture Company continues the business established in 1869 by S. L. Sawyer and Chauncey Buckley. Later, Charles Parker became interested, and the'capital and scope of manu- facture were increased. In 1884 the works were located on Broad street. The goods patented and manufactured by this company are superior for their uses, and since the decoration of window shades has been added many chaste and unique designs have been produced. This is also a growing interest. The Eaton & Peck Company are artistic designers, photo-lithog- raphers, photo-engravers, printers and embossers. This is a new company, which began business in the fall of 1888. It was formed by the union of the interests of the Peck Printing Company (composed of the Peck Brothers) and the Illustrating & Engraving Company, which had among its members L. F. Eaton and others. The latter was chosen president of the new company, and C. A. Peck secretary and trea.surer. In course of time the latter was succeeded byC. L. Evarts. The company has established a growing business, its excellent work being in demand by the manufacturers of the city, whose catalogue and special printing at various offices amounts to about $250,000 per year. In September, 1889, the company occupied the Railway vSignal Build- ing, which has been well equipped with modern machinery, requiring besides the services of 18 persons. 502 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. A somewhat similar interest is carried on by Sanford & Co., wood engravers at their establishment on West Main street. This business was established after the war by Edson Sanford, and since that time he has done the illustration work for nearly a hundred catalogues. From 6 to 10 skilled men are employed. In this connection D. S. Griswold's electrotyping establishment may be noted as one of the pioneer enterprises of that nature, which is also successfully main- tained. The Hall Railway Signal Company was organized November l.st, 1873 havino- among its members Charles Parker, president; Dexter W Parker Alvah W. Hall, Thomas S. Hall. The following year it became an incorporated body, and a fine plant for its use was prepared in the northern part of the city. Here Hall's railway signals were manufactured, under the management of Thomas S. Hall, about ten years, when the interest was removed to Bridgeport. Near this place the Standard Oil Company secured a site m June, 1889, upon which large storage tanks have been erected for the prod- ucts of the company, to be distributed in this locality. The Meriden Woollen Mills were for a number of years the mo.st important industry in the town. They had their origin in the carpet- bag business of Jedediah Wilcox, which was begun in a small way, in 1848, but in the course of a few years had an aggregate business, running into many thousands of dollars. The manufacture of goods for ladies' wear, .such as belts, .skirts, cloaking, etc., was added, and in 1864 the firm of J. Wilcox & Co. became an incorporated body, with a capital of $200,000, the associates being Eli I. Merriman, Hezekiah H. Miller, Charles H. Collins and Edmund N. Wilcox. Large factory buildings, on the east side of upper Pratt street were occupied and hundreds of people were employed, when the works were swept away by fire. May 3d, 1865, involving a loss of $250,000. After this the fine, large four story brick factory, nearly opposite the old one, was erected and equipped in the most thorough manner, making it one of the best mills in the state. For several years after its occupancy its prod- ucts were in so great a demand that it was constantly run to its full- est capacity, consuming 500,000 pounds of wool per year. After 1870 the business of the company declined and various interests have since had a place in the plant: the Avery Spinning Company, from 1872 until 1878, and the Meriden Woollen Company, having as their mem- bers some of the old firm, from 1874, for about six years. The plant passed to Rawsiter & Brother, who leased the mill to the Willow Dale Company, in 1884, and woollen blankets were manufactured. Since 1880 Rawsiter & Brother have themselves operated the mills on woolen goods, The motor is a fine 350-horse power Corliss engine, operating 80 broad looms and giving employment to 175 hands. The Wilcox & White Organ Company ■■ was organized in 1876, and *See also biography of Henry K. White. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 503 incorporated Alay 4th, 1876. Horace C. Wilcox was chosen president; J. H. White, secretary and treasurer; H. K. White, managing super- intendent. The present officers are: J. H. White, president and treas- urer; F. E. Bemis, secretary; Howard White, superintendent. The Messrs. White, father and three sons, are practical organ builders, H. K. White having an experience extending through more than forty years, which, united with the executive ability of the president and directors, has produced one of the most successful musical corporations in the Union, and which has one of the most complete plants in the world . The factory is in the northern part of the city on a large lot of ground, to which a siding has been built by the Cromwell Railroad. The original building was 40 feet wide and 200 feet long, being three stories high. To this was added a five story extension, on the east, 140 feet long. A handsome and spacious office building, on the west, was completed in the fall of 1889. This and the factory proper are completely finished and thoroughly equipped, giving a working capacity of 800 instruments per month. The factory has more than 72,000 square feet of floor space. The organs of this company are of a high standard, hand.somely made, and possess features covered by special patents, which give them acknowledged superiority. It is claimed that more diplomas and medals have been awarded it for excellence, in every respect, than any other American organ. Forty regular styles are made, at prices vary- ing from $20 to $500 each. In 1882 Frank Stone, of Worcester, Mass., perfected an automatic organ, permitting the use of a plain .sheet of tnusic, an improvement of vast importance, often attempted but not before attained. In 1888 he became connected with this corporation, which has since had his service in the manufacture of the Pneumatic Symphony, a self-playing organ, which has been described as a musical wonder. In the variety of uses to which it can be put, in the hands of the trained musician, or those unskilled in the theory of music, it is certainly a most remark- able invention, which is here manufactured in a high degree of per- fection. The varied products of the company have a wide sale in this and foreign countries, enabling the employment of 150 skilled artisans. The -^olian Organ & Music Company is the result of the union of two bodies having a previous existence in New York and Boston. In the former city was organized, in July, 1878, the Mechanical Orguinette Company, with a capital of $60,000. In 1886 the manu- facturing business of this company was moved to Meriden, the present building on Cambridge street being occupied in September of that year. It is a substantial brick structure, five stories high, 40 b}' 200 feet, and has the necessary adjunct buildings. The motor is steam, driving a 50-horse power engine. In 1887 the Automatic Music Paper 504 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Company, of Boston, united its interests with the New York Company, at Meriden, and July 27th, 1SS7, the above corporation was formed with a capital of Sir)U,U0O, and the following officers: James Morgan, president; E. E. Jones, secretary: W. B. Tremaine, treasurer and busi- ness manager; J. H. Chase, superintendent. The.se continued in 1889 except that the latter was also the secretary. From the ordinary orguinette, which this company first manufactured, has been evolved a superb line of musical instruments, embracing self-acting organs, in most artistic cases, .selling at $500, and pianos capable of being played by electricity, with a large variety of less pretentious goods, all having the latest improvements. Sixty-five skilled mechanics are employed, and the company is in a growing condition. Bartholomew & Coe, pork packers, carry on the business estab- lished in 1870, by the senior member, W. W. Bartholomew. After some changes, John W. Coe was associated as the junior member, in 1875. Since that time an important industry has been developed, not only in pork packing, but the firm has also become extensive dealers in beef, lard, flour and other goods, having its own mills in the West. The packing house is on South Colony street, and the yards north of the city limits, where 35,000 hogs were handled in 1888, giving employment to 40 men. In the fall of 1889 a branch house was opened in Hartford and the business of the firm is yearly becoming more extensive. The Meriden Brewing Company, compo.sed of J. H. McMahon, P. W. Wren, W. E. Green and J. A. Hurley, was organized in J8S7. In the fall of the same j-ear the foundation of a modern brewery was laid on South Colony street, on which was reared a large structure, four and six stories high, at a cost of $125,000. The capacity is about 50,000 barrels of beer per year, the products being of good quality and the business giving employment to more than a hundred men. E. J. Doolittle's Paper Box Factory was established in 1852 by H. S. White, and was operated on a small scale. In 1862 it was purchased by Mr. Doolittle and under his management has assumed extensive proportions. A factory building, 50 by 200 feet, at the Camp street bridge, over the New Haven railroad, is equipped with the latest improved machinery and devices for making paper boxes of all sizes and descriptions, which are operated by an Otto gas engine. The products of the factory have a high reputation and a large number of operatives are employed, making this one of the leading industrial pursuits. The box and barrel factory of Charles T. Dodd was established in 1857 by George Gay, and changed to the present owner in 1886. Modern machinery is employed, giving occupation to 80 men, in the production of immense quantities of boxes, packing ca.ses, barrels, ca.sks, etc., all being noted for their neat and substantial make. The Lyon & Billard Company are manufacturers of all kinds of HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 505 builders' woodwork. They are also contractors and builders, and dealers in lumber and coal, their varied interests giving employment to many men. The business was begun in 1848 by George W. Lyon and John D. Billard as co-partners, having a small shop on Butler street. In 1871 John L. Billard was admitted to the firm, which now became Lyon, Billard & Co., under which name the present corpora- tion was formed, in 1878, with a capital of $120,000. J. D. Billard was elected president; W. H. Lyon, secretary; and J. L. Billard, treasurer. A fine office is located on Hanover street and in the rear of the same are sheds, 600 feet long, for the uses of the corporation. This is one of the oldest firms in the city and some of Meriden's finest buildings have been constructed by it. Contemporary is the H. Wales Lines Company, mason builders in brick and stone. It does general contract work and manufactures stucco centers, and like the foregoing employs a large number of men, in some seasons as many as 300. Nearly all of the handsome ma.sonry in the city was done by this corporation, which was chartered under the laws of the state January 31st, 1888. H. Wales Lines was •elected president, and H. E. Fairchild, general manager. These were also, for many years, the active members of the old firm of Perkins & Lines, which began business about 25 years ago, working first on a small scale and developing into the present large concern. Another wood work building establishment is carried on by H. L. Morehouse, who.se reputation and business are yearly increasing. The early business men of Meriden and vicinity were dependent upon Middletown for their banking facilities, and it was not until 1833 that a monetary in.stitution was here established. That year the old Meriden Bank was incorporated, with a capital of $100,000, and began business on Broad street, occupying the following year its own build- ing, erected at a cost of $2,800. This .small brick house, just south of the Center Odd Fellows Hall, was still standing in 1889, having been u.sed for banking purposes about fifty years. In 1884 an elegant four- story brick banking house, 30 by 65 feet, was erected on East Main street, at a cost of $30,000, which was occupied the following spring. In it are found handsome offices and the modern appliances of a well- ordered bank, with vaults strong and substantially built. From the time of its opening the bank had a good business, which necessitated the increase of its capital, in 1836, to $150,000; in 1850 to $2.')0,000: and in 1854 to $300,000, at which it has since remained. In July, 1865, it was nationalized with its present title, the Meriden Na- tional Bank, and has since been one of the soundest banks in the county. In 1889 its total resources were nearly $800,000, its surplus fund being $85,000. The bank has had five presidents, the first being Ashbel Griswold, who was succeeded in a short time by Walter Booth, and he in turn by Noah Pomeroy, Joel H. Guy and Joel I. Butler. In the same period 506 HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. the cashiers have been: Francis King, Harris Hay, John A. Butler. Joseph Arnold, Almon C. Randall, and, since 1859, Owen B. Arnold. The teller in 1889 was George M. Clark, and the board of directors was composed of Joel I. Butler, Levi E. Coe, George H. Wilcox, Owen B. Arnold, Isaac C. Lewis, John Ives, Charles Parker, John L. Billard, W. W. Lyman. The Home National Bank is the next oldest in.stitution of the kind in the city. It was organized in 1854 as the Home Bank of Meriden, and was incorporated in 1855 with that title. In 1865 it was national- ized with the present name. The original capital of $100,000 has been increased to $000,000. A surplus fund of $120,000 was reported in 1889. At the organization of the bank S. W. Baldwin was the president. In 1856 he was succeeded by Eli Butler, who held that position until his death, May 23d, 1881. In June following the vacancy was filled by the election of the present president, A. Chamberlain, who had long served as cashier. In the latter office he was followed by Cashier J. S. Norton, Jr. Other cashiers were H. C. Young and S. Dodd, Jr. In 1889 the directory was composed of Edward Miller, E. J. Doolittle, George W. Lyon, Samuel Dodd, George R. Curtis, Horace C. Wilcox, Walter Hubbard, A. L. Collins, A. Chamberlain. The bank commenced business in a building on Colony street. opposite the Meriden Hotel, but soon after occupied a refitted build- ing on the site of the present bank. This is a substantial structure, which was erected in 1863, but was remodelled and beautified in 1885, making it an attractive banking house. The First National Bank of Meriden is the youngest of the banks, in the city, but the oldest under the national banking laws. It was incorporated February 12th, 1804, with a capital of $200,000, which was increased June 5th, I860, to $300,000; and again January 12th, 1875, to $500,000, at which it has since remained. In 1890 the bank's surplus was $150,000. Its affairs have been judiciously managed, and there have been but two presidents and two cashiers. Joel H. Guy was the president until April, 1881, when John D. Billard was elected. Wolcott A. Hull served as cashier until 1870, when Charles L. Rockwell entered into the office, which he has since occupied. In 1889 the directors of the bank were: John D. Billard, Charles F. Linsley, George C. Merriam, Joseph Morse, John W. Coe, C. L.. Rockwood, John Tait, N. L. Bradley, Samuel vSimpson and Dexter W. Parker. The banking office was opened in a small building next west of the present bank, on West Main street, where it remained until April, 1871, when the new home was occupied. The banking house is 40 by 70 feet, four stories high, and has a front of New England sandstone. Its interior appointments are fir.st-class. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. SOT In this banking house is the place of business of the City Savings Bank, which was incorporated July 23d, 1874, and which commenced business November 1st following. Its presidents have been the same as those of the above bank. Charles L. Rockwell was the secretary and treasurer until 1884, when Floyd Curtis was elected to fill those positions. The other officers of the bank in 1889 were: Vice-presi- dents, C. L. Rockwell, W. W. Lyman, Charles L. Upham, William H. Miller, John C. Byxbee; directors, John Tait, Seth J. Hall, William Lewis, Dexter W. Parker, Ratcliffe Hicks, C. F. Linsley, N. L. Brad- ley, Erwin D. Hall, H. L. Schleiter, George W. Smith. The deposits January 1st. 1890, were $727,101.77, and there was a surplus of $25,000. The Meriden Savings Bank is the oldest of the savings institu- tions of the city, and was incorporated in January, 1851, and organ- ized July 16th the same year with the following officers: President, Enos H. Curtiss; vice-presidents, Benjamin H. Catlin, Walter Booth, Elah Camp, Ashbel Griswold; secretar}^ and treasurer, Joel H. Guy; directors, Julius Pratt, Curtis L. North, Howell Merriman, David N. Ropes, Joel H. Guy, Levi Yale, H. W. Salstonstall, Edwin E. Curtiss, Charles Parker; trustees, B. L. Yale, Isaac C. Lewis, Linus Birdsey, Charles Parker. Upon the death of Enos H. Curtiss, Edwin E. Cur- tiss became the president, serving until the time of his death, after which Levi E. Coe was elected, and has since been the president. The bank began business in a residence on West Main street, but Levi E. Coe becoming the secretary and treasurer in 1852, the place of business was transferred to his residence on the corner of Main and Broad streets. In 1864 the bank was moved to the town hall, and in the fall of 1871 to its own property, the old Clark Building, on East Main street. Here, in 1882, the bank erected the fine banking house it has occupied since May, 1883. It is a large, imposing building of brick, four stories high, handsomely finished throughout, and cost $35,000. Its bank appointments are very complete. In 1866 Asa H. Curtiss became the secretary and the treasurer, con- tinuing until 1877, when S. H. W. Yale was elected and has since con- tinuea. Other officers of the bank are : Vice-presidents, O. H. Piatt, O. B. Arnold, A. Chamberlain, A. C. Markham; directors, Charles Parker, Isaac C. Lewis, George W. Lyon, John P. Morse, John L. Bil- lard, George R. Willmot, S. A. Hull, Edward Miller. On the first of January, 1890, the deposits in the bank were $2,064,503.90, and the surplus fund was $68,250. The Butler & Lyman Land Company was organized May 4th, 1876, with a capital of $30,000 and the following board of managers: H. C. Wilcox, president; W. W. Lyman, secretary, who, with Isaac C. Lewis, Edward Miller and William O. Butler, were also the directors. A. Chamberlain was the treasurer of the company. The organization was effected to deal in Merideu lands, and more particularly to develop- 508 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. the Butler and Lyman tract, of forty acres, in the northern part of the city. It has been the means of greatly promoting the growth of that part of Meriden. A kindred organization is the ISleriden Land and Investment Com- pany, whose corporators were Horace C. Wilcox, William Lyman, Samuel Dodd, Abiram Chamberlain, Edgar J. Doolittle, Edward Miller and Edmund B. Cowles. The certificate was filed June 19th, 18S9. The Meriden Trust and Safe Deposit Company was incorporated April 3d, LS89. with a capital of $r)(),()()0, and was organized in Novem- ber, 1889, with the following officers: President, Isaac C. Lewis; secre- tary and treasurer, Charles L. Rockwell; trustees, Lsaac C. Lewis, Charles Parker, John D. Billard, Charles F. Linsley, Walter Hubbard, George R. Curtis, N. L. Bradley, John L. Billard, Charles L. Rock- well. This company is legally authorized to act as executor, adminis- trator, guardian, trustee or receiver; also to accept and execute any and all trusts which maybe committed to it by any person or corpora- tion, or by direction of any court of probate, or other legally consti- tuted authority in this state or elsewhere. The Meriden Fire Insurance Company was incorporated July 2d, 1868, but did not commence business until February, 1872. Its capital stock was fixed at $200,000. The first officers were: Jedediah Wilcox, president; Eli Butler, vice-president; E. B. Cowles, secretary; and A. Chamberlain, Jr., treasurer. The two latter officers have continued. Eli Butler succeeded J. Wilcox as president, and since his death A. Chamberlain has filled that office. George R. Curtis is the vice-presi- dent. The board of directors in 1889 wascompo.sed of leading citizens, namely, H. C. Wilcox, A. Chamberlain, George R. Curtis, E. B. Cowles, C. N. Winslow, John C. Byxbee, George W. Lyon, D. B. Hamilton, John Tait, Lsaac C. Lewis, E. J. Doolittle, N. L. Bradley, Charles Parker, John L. Billard, R. A. Neal. The bu.siness of the company is managed by E. B. Cowles, with J. L. Holt as special agent, and 125 active agents in different parts of the country, insurance being solicited as far west as Chicago. The affairs of the company appear to be in a healthy condition. A fine office in the Wilcox Block is maintained. The Connecticut Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of Meriden, with a capital of $500,000. had available funds to meet losses, January 1st, 1877, $171,85(;.97. On the first of March that year its charter was amended, but about a year later business was discontinued, after the risks remaining has been re-insured in a New York company. The last officers of the company were: Joel H. Guy, president; Charles Parker, vice-president; James K. (iuy, secretary, and C. L. Rockwell, treasurer. The Connecticut Mutual Life and Accident Association, of Meriden, organized May 17th, 1S82, by electing George E. Howe, president; HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 509 George W. Smith, secretaiy; Charles C. Howe, assistant secretary; O. L. Hatch, general manager; and Doctor E. M. Child, medical exam- iner. An oiifice was opened in the Wilcox Block, in which business was carried on for a year, when the interests of the company were transferred to the Mutual Benefit Association of New York. The Meriden Life Insurance Company, chartered in 1868, and the New Haven County Fire Insurance Company, chartered in 1876, on application of Joel H. Guy and others, never organized. The North American Attorneys' and Tradesmen's Protective Union was incorporated January 7th, 1874, and was composed of J. O. Freeman, A. B. Mather, J. O. Thayer, E. B. Everett and L. R. Beckley. An office was established at Meriden and for a time a large business was transacted in various parts of the Union. In more recent years, E. B. Everett served as the president and A. B. Mather as the secretary. In 1888 the name of the body was changed to the North American Mercantile Agency, and business continued with the same officers. Building and Loan Associations have attracted much interest in the past three years, and several associations have been organized and supported with most gratifying success. The matter of organiza- tion was brought about mainly by John Webb, O. C. Burgess and Doctor C. H. S. Davis, who met in February, 1887, and agreed upon a plan to present the subject to the public. Soon after. Doctor Davis, who was at that time the mayor of the city, called a meeting at the Y. M. C. A. Hall, at which the importance and usefulness of such asso- ciations was urged upon the community, which gave the idea a favor- able reception. As a re.sult there was organized, March 17th, 1887, the First Meriden Mutual Benefit Building and Loan Association, whose first principal officers were: President, C. H. S. Davis; vice-president, Orlando C. Burgess; secretary, John Webb; treasurer, Frank A. Camp; trustees, Robert Bowman, Thomas McKenzie, J. D. Eggleston, M. D.; auditors, Levi E. Coe, William H. Stannis, H. Wales Lines. The capital stock of the a.ssociation was fixed at $500,000, in 1,000 shares of $500 each, and the maximum subscription was limited to $6,000 worth of stock. In less than a year all the stock was taken and, August 11th, 1887, the first loan was sold. This induced the organization of the Second Association January 20th, 1888, with the same capital stock and upon the same basis. It had also the same general officers, and trustees, Robert Bowman, C. A. Morehouse and Edgar W. Curtis; auditors, Charles C. Powers, Oliver J. Hughes, M. D., and Henry J. Church. In less than a year the shares of the association were also dispo.sed of apd nearly a thousand persons were interested as shareholders in the two associa- tions. This stimulated the formation of the Meriden Permanent Building and Loan Association, upon the serial plan, the organization being •'510 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ■effected October 16th, 1888. The officers elected were: President, O. C. Burgess; vice-president, W. S. Stapley; secretary, John Webb; treasurer, W. W. Mosher; trustees, C. H. vS. Davis, Robert Bowman and William H. Miller; auditors, Benjamin Page, H. K. White and E. A. Chapman. This third association is in its essential features a " Home Savings Institution," and is conducted upon what is known as the Philadelphia plan. Each series is limited in volume to $250,. 000, consisting of $250 each, and no share owner can possess more ■than 25 shares. In the fall of 1889 the association was working its .first series, and the plan was favorably regarded. The above association had a valuable promotive agent in the Building Neivs, a well-edited monthly periodical, established early in 1888 by Doctor C. H. vS. Davis, and by him published \\ years, when, having accomplished its mission — to acquaint the public with the merits of such associations — it was discontinued. The city of Meriden entered the new centenary of our national -existence with the following public buildings, halls, etc.: Town Hall, on Ea.st Main .street; Masonic Hall, on West Main street; Odd Fellows Hall, on East Main street; Grand Army Hall, on North Colony street; Turne Halle, on Liberty street (soon after a new hall for the Turners was erected on State street); Parker's public hall, on Broad street. Since that time (1877) public halls have been erected as follows: 1880, the Opera House, by Horace C.Wilcox, near Colony street; 1882, Atlantic Garden Hall, on State street; 1883, new Odd Fellow's Hall, on Broad street; 1884, Rink, on Hanover street; 1886, Knights of Columbus Hall, on State street; 1887, Alfredian Hall, on Colony street; •Circle Hall, on Colony street; 1888, Elks' Hall, on State street; St. George's Hall, near Colony street; 1889, St. Jean Baptiste Hall. The principal business houses and blocks prior to 1877 were, ex- -clusive of the halls named above, the following: Byxbee House Block, on Colony street: Clark's Block, on West Main street; Cook's Block, on ■Crown street; First National Bank, on West Main street; Palace and H. C. Wilcox Buildings, on West Main street; Home National Bank, Colony street; Morgan's Block, East Main street; Morse & Cook's Block, at foot of State street; Trade Building, Colony street; Y. M. C. A. Block, Colony .street. .Since the date mentioned the following have been erected: 1878, Hick's Building, North Colony .street; Twiss Building, East Main street; 1879, Wilcox Block, Colony street; 1883, Meriden Savings Bank, East Main .street; Mor.se & Norton's Block, East Main street: Winthrop Hotel, Colony street; 1884, Hick's Block, West Main street; Parker Block, West Main street; Republican Building, Veteran street: 1886, Andrew's Block, West Main street; Morse Block, State street; Byxbee Block, Colony street; 1887, Warnock Block, West Main street; 1888, Buechlcr's Block, We.st Main street; Lewis' Block, East Main street; 1889, Waterbury Depot, West Main street. HISTORY OK NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 511 In a city growing so rapidly as Meriden there will naturally be many mercantile firms and numerous business changes. Yet even in this city will be found numerous instances of firms which have traded so long that they have become a part of the business life of the com- munity. Of the early merchants of influential standing were mem- bers of the Yale, Butler and Birdsey families. Walter Hubbard was a dry goods merchant years ago. Joel H. Guy traded a long time. Elisha A. Cowles, Curtis L. North, E. J. Collins, Charles P. Colt and ■others merchandised before the place became a city. Charles H. Col- lins has been connected with the mercantile interests since 1843; John Ives since 1847. In 1853 the latter and his brother, Russell J., began on Broad street, where they traded until 1863. In the latter year C. L. Upham and P. C. Rand were as.sociated with John Ives, and the well- known firm of Ives, Upham & Rand formed, which, since 1884, has occupied a store 39 by 200 feet, and employed 25 clerks. Charles Par- ker, 2d, was a dealer in fancy goods from 1854 until 1873, and in car- pets since that time. Bela Carter has been a dealer in oils and paints since 1852, employing in his painting business many men. John F. Butler has been in the wall decorating business since 1876, having 35 men in his employ. A. S. Thomas is an established dry goods dealer, having a large store. N. C. Hall has been a grocer since 1859; Seth J. Hall a flour and feed dealer since 1861; H. L. Schleiter a shoe dealer since 1868; Frank Stevenson a clothier since 1877; F. J. Wheeler a dealer in hardware goods since 1860; Smith & Twichell furniture manufacturers and dealers since 1868; and George N. Morse is a con- temporary in the furniture trade. In the drug trade H. T. Wilcox & Co. are the oldest, doing business since the time of the war; H. W. Mosher since 1867; George EUsbree since 1877; and John H. Parker at his present stand since 1883. The first house of entertainment in all this part of the country was on Captain Andrew Belcher's Meriden tract, on the Old Colony road, about two miles north of the city of Meriden. On this tract of 470 acres a .stone building, with port holes for defense against Indians, had been put up about 1664. He also supplied a stock of arms and ammunition, feceiving from the colony for doing these things the right " to keep tavern forever." This privilege was enjoyed by those living in the stone house, without further license, as long as the busi- ness could there be profitably conditcted. Its half way location be- tween New Haven and Hartford made it a favorite stopping place for travelers, and in 1690 a larger stone house was built to afford the necessary accommodations. This was used as a public place more than a hundred years, and tradition says it was a famous place for convivial gatherings. From this fact it was locally known as the " Merry Den," a name which may also have been suggested by its location, in the parish of Meriden, the pronunciation of the two terms being very similar. 512 HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. In 1784 the first stage coach in Connecticut ran by this house, on the Old Colony road, which continued to be the principal thorough- fare, north and south, until about 1800, when the usefulness of the old stone tavern pas.sed away, and the house became a farm residence. When the Hartford and New Haven turnpike became the princi- pal avenue north and south, in 1799, public houses were opened at various places along its line, as well as in other localities in the town. In 1812 there were at least half a dozen taverns in Meriden. Usually these were well patronized, for the custom of those times favored tavern haunting, especially in winter. Most of these places were kept solely for the sale of liquor, whose use at that time was but little restrained by law or sentiment. In the language of a clergy- man of that period, there " was a dramming, dramming, dramming at all hours of the day," which was about the nature of the business done. The tavern near the old Congregational church, known as the "Central Hotel," was an exception to that class. Its favorable loca- tion and the good character of its keepers made it one of the princi- pal stopping places in these parts, and several of the landlords, at least, were prime favorites with the traveling public. The building was originally erected by Reverend Theophilus Hall as a farm house, on his hundred acre tract, and was for many years occupied by his son. It was, after the fashion of the better class of houses of those times, a large frame, with a gambrel roof, and stood with those fea- tures more than a century, n'ot being demolished until 1890. Some time before 1800, Doctor Ensign Hough bought the property and converted it into a tavern, which he kept, and was succeeded by his son. Doctor Isaac I. Hough, who was a large, genial and accomplished host, having the acquaintance of the principal men of the state. During the war of 1812, especially, he made much money, and when he sold out, in 1836, he retired with what was called a fortune in those days. Of this popular landlord and citizen a rhymster of that period said : •' Dr. Hough, he keeps good stuff And lives just under the steeple. By hook or by crook, he keeps his good looks And takes the cash from the people." Joseph and Isaac Twi.ss were the next landlords, and in 1837 their tavern came into unfortunate prominence on account of the riot fomented here against an anti-slavery speaker in the church. For the part Mr. Twiss took in this affair he was ccnnpelled to pay $1,000. Later landlords were Nathaniel Andrews, William and Patrick Lewis and others. The building of the railroad tlirough West Meriden caused the decline of IJroad street and the transfer to that section of the business interests which here flourished. The tavern having lost its patronage, it was closed in 1873, and changed into a tin shop and a tenement. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 513 At the present business center of the city the old Rogers House was the first tavern of note. It was built in 1840 by Doctor Isaac I. Hough and Elisha A. Cowles, the latter running it as a railroad res- taurant. It was a two-story frame, standing west of the railroad track, its gable end being north toward Main street. In 1846 Hervey Rogers became the owner of the tavern, keeping it 20 years, and from him it took its name. In an enlarged condition this building still stands as a business house. Directly opposite, and on the north side of Main street, Nelson Merriam and others built a two-story frame, in the fall of 1842. The side of the house was upon the street, and north was a one-story ex- tension, in which was the railroad ticket office and, as the sign indi- cated, the " Railroad Refectory." The dining room was large and well patronized, and as this was run as a temperance house, it was popular with a large class of people, the proprietor. Captain Conklin, doing a thriving business. In the upper part of this building was a hall where society meetings were held. Captain Conklin left this place to build the summer resort, which was later converted into the town alms house. The Widow Mear was the last to keep the " Rail- road Refectory," which was burned in the great fire of 1863. The Meriden House was built in 1853 by the Meriden Hotel Com- pany, of which S. W. Baldwin was the president and Nelson Merriam, Fenner Bush, A. C.Wetmore and Curtis L. North, associate directors. The stock was divided into 1,000 shares of $25 each. But the cost of the building exceeded the estimate, the house being for those times a magnificent structure, almost as showy as the town hall which was built soon after. In time William Hall became the owner and while it was the property of Stephen Ives it was refitted. January 12th, 1881, the upper story of the hotel was so much damaged by fire that it was taken down, leaving a two story brick of substantial appearance. During the civil war John C. and Theodore Byxbee built the Byxbee House, which they remodelled in 1865, placing its front on Colony street. It was now a four story. Mansard-roofed frame and the house had a good patronage. March 21st, 1868, it was destroyed by fire. On its site a brick hotel was erected, which was opened in the spring of 1869, by the Messrs. Byxbee. In 1874 Theodore Byxbee became the sole owner and ten years later its use as a hotel was dis- continued, being at that time fitted up for office purposes, and becom- ing known as the Byxbee House Block. The Curtis House was built in 1874, by Lemuel J. Curtis, and was not originally intended for a hotel. It was the first good block on West Main street and is still a conspicuous building. John E. Parker converted it into a hotel and it has had a number of proprietors. The City Hotel, on State street, was opened in May, 1883, by Henry Bloxham, and about that period and since, hotels of smaller capacity have solicited public patronage. 32 514 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The Winthrop Hotel is justly the pride of the city. It was erected by Walter Hubbard to meet the demand.s of the growing city for a hotel which should be elegant in its appearance and have all the modern appointments and conveniences to afford a luxurious home for the traveling public. The supervising architect was Frank P. Evarts and the walls were built by the H. Wales Lines Company, the first work being done in February, 1882. It presents a massive appear- ance, 8,5 by 225 feet. In the rear it is three stories high and the front, which is on North Colony street, has a height of five stories. It is of Philadelphia pressed brick, trimmed with granite and brown stone and its windows are of plate glass, giving it a beautiful appear- ance in finish, which is harmoniously preserved through the interior of the building. Here proper precautions have also been observed against fires. In the lower story are three of the finest store rooms in the city and a large stairway and Otis elevator leading to the hotel proper. This consists of 104 rooms, of which 80 are sleeping chambers. The fittings and furnishment are chaste and complete in every detail, making this the finest hotel in the state. They were supplied by the Winthrop Hotel Company, which was organized January 29th, 1888, with a capital stock of $40,000, engaging in this enterprise as a matter of local pride to secure this desired object. The affairs of the company are directed by George R. Curtis, Horace C. Wilcox, W. W. Lyman, Walter Hubbard, N. L. Bradley, Samuel Dodd, D. F. South- wick, George W. Lyon, C. L. Rockwell, A. Chamberlain and John L. Billard. This company secured a twelve years lease on the building, which was named for Governor Winthrop, of Massachusetts, and after it had furnished it, re-leased it to George H. Bowker, of Holyoke, Mass., a landlord of national reputation. The Winthrop was opened November 1st, 1883, by Landlords George H. and James H. Bowker; E. T. Bowers, clerk; S. A. Hooker, steward, with thirty a.ssistants, and has since that time ranked as one of the leading hostelries of New England. On the site of the present brewery, was a well known place of entertainment, after 1870, known as the Eagle Cottage, and also as Allen's Museum. The building was oddly and yet not unattractively ornamented, and contained many curiosities. For some years it was a well patronized place. The Post Office must be briefly sketched. Formerly two offices were maintained: the Meriden office at the Center, and the West Meriden near the railway depot. The former was long kept at the store of Ira N. Yale, next to the old Meriden Bank, on Broad street. At the latter place, the office was in the old Conklin House, on Main street; in the Byxbee House block and in a building which stood on Winthrop Square. In April, 1880, under the administration of E. D. Uall, the present office, in the Wilcox Block, was occupied. The HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 515 quarters are handsome, spacious, and were especially fitted up for the uses of the office. At the time of occupancy there were 1,600 boxes and five persons were employed. Among the postmasters of these offices have been Hiram Plall, General Walter Booth, Almeron Miles, Benjamin Twiss, Samuel B. Morgan, Noah B. Linsley, Joel H. (iuy, George W. Rogers, Wallace Bull, William Hall and E. D. Hall, the latter two being the postmasters when the offices were consolidated, September 1st, 1880, under the name of Meriden. E. D. Hall remained postmaster until February, 1886, when he was succeeded by William H. Miller, and he, in turn, by Henry Dryhurst, in February, 1890. At the time of the consolidation the carrier delivery system went into effect, with four carriers. This force has since been doubled. One mounted carrier was put on the force in 1886, and another added in 1888. A postal station is also maintained at Meriden Center. A dozen mails are received daily and as many sent out from the main office. In 1885 the gross receipts of the office were about $26,000 and in 1889 about $38,000, or increasing at the rate of about $3,000 per year. CHAPTER X. TOWN AND CITY OF MERIDEN (Continued). The Periodical Press. — Literary Notes. — Physicians. — Lawyers. — Secret Orders. — G. A. R. and Soldiers" Monument. — Agricultural Societies, etc. — Meriden Ecclesiastical Society. — First Meeting House. — First Congregational Church. — Center Congrega- tional Church. — St. Andrew's (P. E.) Church. — First Baptist Church. — German Baptist Churcli. — M. E. Churches. — Universalist Church, — St. John's German Lutheran Church. — New Emanuel Lutheran Church. — St. Rose of Lima (R. C.) Church. — St. Laurent's {French Catholic) Church. — Young Men's Christian Associa- tion. — State Reform School. — The Curtis Home. — City Mission Society. — Meriden Hospital . — Cemeteries. A HISTORY of the periodicals published at Meriden embraces accounts of many papers, a few only of which lived long enough to make manifest their influence upon the cotnmunity. Others were so ephemeral that their names and those who projected them are now recalled with difficulty. The NortJicrn Literary Messenger was the first paper here issued. It was removed to this place from New Haven in September, 1844, and O. G. Wilson was the editor. The paper was a five column quarto, printed from old type and had but little matter of a local nature. After some changes of form, firm and place of publication, being last issued from the old academy building, publication was sus- . pended in 1848, and Mr. Wilson removed to Saybrook, where he died. In 1847 F. E. Hinman set up ajob office and five years later began the publication of the Conneeticiit Organ, of which O. H. Piatt was the editor. In 18r)3 he sold his interest to James N. Phelps, of New Haven, who con.solidated with it the Neiv Britain Journal, ^xid with this dual title the paper was published some time. As the paper was to contain " a compound of all the intelligence proper to be inserted in a family journal," considerable expen.se attended its publication, and Mr. Phelps soon sold out to James Lewis. The latter established a new paper, The Wliig, of which O. H. Piatt and George W.- Rogers were the associate editors. It was, for those times, a large sheet and ably edited, but continued only about three years, as there was no longer an especial demand for an organ of the Whig party. Contemporary with the above paper was the Meriden Transcript, which was established in July, 1850, by Lysander R. Webb & Co., and published until August, 1856, when the editor and the proprietor HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 517 relinquished their work, Mr. Webb moving to the West, and Mr. Piatt thenceforth devoting himself to the practice of the law. For a few months Meriden was without a paper, but in November, 1856, Robert Winton, at the instance of some of the manufacturers of the town, took the printing establishment and began the publica- tion of the Meriden Chronic/e, which he continued about two and a half years, when it was suspended. The next venture was the Meriden Banner, published for a short time in 1860, in the interests of the democratic party, by a Mr. Still- man, who used the material of the old Chronicle office. He enlisted in the service of his country. In the summer of 1863 Luther G. Riggs & Co. established the Mer- iden Publishing House, in Smith's new block, at West Meriden, doing all kinds of job printing. On the 29th of August, 1863, they began the Meriden Recorder, a weekly paper, with independent tendencies. Having served in the army, Mr. Riggs started off with a good soldiers* patronage, and for several years the business prospered. He had con- siderable ability to do newspaper work, and enterprise which led him to make other ventures in journalism. But he lacked the tact to plea.se the public, and liad a stormy career before he left Meriden on account of the hostility of many citizens. In 1869, Luther G. Riggs began the publication of the Daily Neivs, but soon changed the name to Evening Recorder. He aimed to make both papers neutral, but failed to plea.se either of the parties potent in politics. Meantime, the republicans having their own organ and the democrats also desiring one, on the 17th of March, 1871, George Gib- bons i.ssued the first number of the Meriden Citizen, a weekly demo- cratic sheet, which he published about one year, when it became the property of the "Citizens' Association" and was edited by Reverend John T. Pettee and Wilbur F. Davis. In December, 1872, Mr. Riggs became the owner of the Citizen, and. published it about ten years. In the same year, 1872, Messrs. Riggs and Mansfield began the publica- tion of a daily, the Morning Call. This was soon after issued as a .semi-weekly journal and continued by Mr. Riggs until the latter part of 1882, when the semi-weekly Call and the weekly Citizen were dis- continued. In 1882 he made another venture in the publication of an edition of the Recorder for the citizens of Wallingford, called the Weekly Forum. This paper and the two editions of the i^fci^ra'^r became the property of J. H. Mabbett & Co., in the latter part of 1882, at which time Ltither G. Riggs' connection with Meriden journalism ceased. The Penny Press, a live daily, was established December 19th, 1881, by J. H. Mabbett, and was devoted solely to local news. Its four pages contained 20 columns, which were .soon after increased to 24 columns. In May, 1882, H. B. Russell, of the Boston Globe, bought a half interest in the paper and took editorial control. The following month the 518 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. United States Press Association franchises were secured, and at that time the Press was the only evening paper in the state, at one cent, which published such news. In November, 1882, the interests of L. G. Riggs in his papers were acquired, and the two were consolidated with the name of Press-Recorder. Under this title the daily and the weekly editions were published by J. H. Mabbett until the latter part of 1884, when their issue and that of the Wallingford Forum were discontinued. In the fall of 1884 the Press-Recorder advocated the political cause of General B. F. Butler, which brought it somewhat into disfavor, but it had many good fea- tures to commend it for better patronage than it received. The Mcridcii Weekly I'/si/or was started March 21st, 1867, by M. Monroe Eaton, a journalist of experience, whose success led him to commence a daily issue of the Jlsitor, on tlie first of January follow- ing. Fourteen months later these papers were merged with the Daily mid Weekly Republican, which had been established in 1866 as an oppo- sition sheet to the Recorder. The Republican had then, as now, the strong support of manj' manu- facturing firms, which placed it upon a permanent basis. It is the only paper which has survived the vicissitudes of journalism at Meri- den, growing stronger as it grows older. The first editor was Marcus L. Delevan, with whom George Gibbons was soon after associated. After 1870 William F. Graham, a practical newspaper man from Wil- limantic, was in the service of the paper. From a small local sheet it was advanced to the proper sphere of a daily, its influence being much increased in 1869, when the Visitor was absorbed. After a few years the name of the Weekly Republican was changed to that of the State Temperance Journal, when it was a large and well edited sheet, under the direction of Mr. Delevan. On the 24th of November, 1870, it was last issued at Meriden, being then sold and removed to Hartford, where it was edited by Reverend P2. Dickerman. On the 7th of January, 1871, the Weekly Republican was revived by Delevan and Gibbons, and has since been continued as a weekly digest of the daily edition. On the 10th of September, 1872, William F. Graham began the publication of the Evening Monitor, a campaign paper, in the interest of General Grant. This was merged with the morning Republican, on the 10th of November, which, after Thanksgiving that year, was changed to an evening edition. This change still more added to the favor of the Republican, which has become one of the leading evening journals of the state. On the 25th of April, 1873, Marcus L. Delevan retired from the Republican, and was succeeded by William F. Graham as editor, a position which was held by him until his death, May 17th, 1891, when he was succeeded by Thomas H.Warnock. Mr. Graham was also the proprietor of the Republican and the interests connected with it until February 15th, 1887, when they passed to the Republican Pub- lishing Company, a corporation composed mainly of 25 of the leading HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 519 manufacturers of the city. Of this company W. F. Rockwell was elected president; and Selah A. Hull, treasurer. The capital stock is §25,000, and the plant of the company is valued at $19,000. The Re- publican is issued from its own printing house, near the business cen- ter of the city, which was erected in 1884. It is a brick building, 46 by 75 feet, four stories high, and is thoroughly equipped with all the appliances of a modern first-class printing establishment. Very fine book and job work is here done, and several dozen men are employed. In the spring of 1891 the form of the Republican was changed to eight pages, of six columns each, which has greatly improved its appearance. The Meriden Daily Journal is the contemporary of the Republican, and like that paper, also possesses all the features of progressive jour- nalism. It is the property of the Journal Publishing Company, which was chartered March 4th, 1886, and whose organization took place in April following, Francis Atwater being elected president of the cor- poration; T. L. Reilly, secretary; F. E. Sands, treasurer; and Lew. Allen Lipsette, editor. These are all practical newspaper men, and. devoting all their energies to making the Journal a success, have created one of the best newspaper properties in the state. The Journal was first issued April 17th, 1886, as a seven-column, four-page paper, but was enlarged December 1st, 1886, to eight col- umns. Another enlargement was made on its first anniversary, April 17th, 1887, when another column was added to its width. In that form it was the largest daily ever printed in Meriden; but May 7th, 1888, another most important change was made. The Journal was then is- sued as a 48-column paper, folded into eight pages, which size and form have since been retained. These changes necessitated increased printing facilities, which have from time to time been secured. In the spring of 1889 the fine printing plant of Charles Bibeau &Co. was purchased, and the united interests placed in a large printing house on South Colony and Perkins streets, to which modern machinery has since been added. One of the most important additions was made about December 1st, 1889, when a large Goss web perfecting press, built especially ior the Journal, was set in motion. By its use printing is done directly from stereotyped plates, at the rate of 12,000 copies per hour — a most important advance on the old style of work — this pap&r being one of three in the state employing that process. The other equipments of the office are of such a nature as to inake this printing house complete in every department for the execution of all kinds of newspaper, job and book work. The Journal is a non-partisan evening sheet, and has fine press dispatch and telegraph facilities, publishing the news up to the hour of issue. It is sold at three cents a copy, and has a good patronage. The Meriden Sunday Journal was established by the above corpora- tion, its first issue appearing April 24th, 1889. The paper has been a success from the beginning, and is growing in popularity. 520 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The Mcrideii Sunday Nczvs, published in 1882, by Atwater Brothers, had only a brief existence; and other Sunday papers attempted failed to attain a patronage beyond one or two issues. Among other papers which were here established, but were removed or discontinued, was the American Sportsman, by Parker Brothers, an 8-page monthly, begun in August, 1871. The following year its size was doubled. In 1873 it was sold to parties in New York, who are suc- cessfully publishing it in that city as a weekly. In September, 1872, the WatcliDians Cry, an Adventist weekly, was begun and published a few months at Aleriden. The Herald, begun in 1877, was published about one year by Charles P. Ives. In 1878-9 the Diamond, a monthly amateur sheet, was published by Paul Lock- ron. W. A. Kelsey & Co. and the Kelsey Press Company have pub- lished several papers, whose contents were mainly of a miscellaneous nature, viz.: The New England Ledger, from 1877 to 1879; the Con)ieeti- cut Advertiser, from 1880 until 1888; and since that time the Connecticut Magazine, first a bi-weekly, changed to a monthly November 1st, 1889. The Examiner Wcis published from 1884 until 1888 by the Examiner Publishing Company: and the Church Tidings was issued in 1887 and 1888, with Reverend W. F. Warnick as manager. About the same time the Point, edited by Charles R. Peck, was published to further the cause of prohibition, under the auspices of the town committee. Another paper of this nature, the Times of Rejoicing, was begun in 1887, C. W. Pitel being the publisher in 1889. It is devoted to the interests of the Methodist church. The Meriden Index, a four page paper of home literature, was begun Saturday, March 19th, 1887, by E. A. Horton & Co., but the paper was suspended after four numbers were published. The firm began busi- ness in Meriden, as book and job printers, in 1874, and still continues in that line of work. The Jhiilding Nczvs, a carefully edited monthly, devoted to the inter- ests of Meriden Building As.sociatious, was begun in April, 1886, by Doctor Charles H. S. Davis, and continued by him eighteen months, when, having accomplished its mission, it was discontinued. The V. M. C. A. Nczvs was begun in July, 1886, by the Meriden Association, whose interests it represents and is a good exponent of that object. Its size has been increased several times and its useful- ne.ss augmented. It is issued monthly. Biblia, a 16 page small quarto monthly, was established in April, 1888, as the organ of the Bible Student's League. It has joint offices in New York city and in Meriden. where Mrs. Nellie V. Potter is the publisher and Doctor C. li. S. Davis an editor. Meriden has always been noted as a manufacturing town and but little attention has been given to literary matters. The first book written in Meriden was a volume of 117 pages, entitled '• Historical Sketches of Meriden." It was a continuation of a Thanksgiving HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 521 sermon preached by Reverend George W. Perkins, and was printed in " West Meriden, by Franklin E. Hinman, 1849." Before coming to Meriden Mr. Perkins had been a teacher, and one of his pupils was the celebrated Margaret Fuller. A biography of Mr. Perkins was published after his death. Another clergyman, Reverend Abraham Norwood, published several books and sermons, including " The Book of Abraham," an autobiographical sketch, and " How I got into the Church and how I got out of it." In 1868 Reverend M. J. Steere pub- lished a work of 400 pages, entitled " Footprints Heavenwa-^d," the materials for which " accumulated as a result of private meditations along the way of religious inquiry." In 1877 Reverend Edward Hungerford published a volume of 75 pages, entitled "Centennial Sermons on the History of the Center Church." One of the most prolific writers has been Doctor Charles H. vS. Davis, who published in 1870 a " History of Wallingford and Meriden," one of the largest of New England local histories, a work of 1,000 pages, and very complete in genealogies of the old Wallingford families. Other works of Doctor Davis are: " The Training and Management of the vSinging Voice," published in 1879; " The Educa- tion and Training of the Feeble Minded, Imbecile and Idiotic," pub- lished in 1883, and a number of pamphlets, besides a large number of articles on literary, educational, scientific and medical subjects written for the periodical press during the past 30 years. Doctor Davis has edited the "Boston Medical Register," the "Index to Periodical Literature," and has edited for four years, Biblia, as previously men- tioned. In 1875 Mr. Luther G. Riggs published a volume of poems of 528 pages, in connection with H. S. Cornwall, F. G. Fairfield and Ruth G. D. Havens. The volume had an intoduction by Reverend W. H. H. Murray and a critical analysis by Francis Gerry Fairfield. Over 300 of the poems were by Mr. Riggs and 60 were contributed by Mrs. Havens, who was a resident of Meriden. Mr. Murray resided in ]\Ieriden a few years but all of his books were published after he left the town. In 1882 was published " The Life and Writings of W. E. Benham," 240 pages, written by himself. Reverend J. H. Chapin, Ph. D., published a work of 276 pages, entitled " The Creation and the Early Development of Mankind," and in 1889, " From Japan to Granada; being sketches of observation and inquiry in a tour round the world in 1887-8." Mrs. Ella Wheeler Wilcox resided in Meriden a few years and much of her literary work was done here. Miss Emily J. Leonard, a sketch of whose life appears in this volume, wrote con- siderably for the press, and in 1885 was published her translation of Blanqui's " History of Political Economy;" a work of 583 pages. Mrs. Jane Kavanagh has written many poems, and in 1887 she published a novel entitled " For the Sins of his youth." 522 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. According to Doctor Charles H. S. Davis, himself a physician of long standing in the town, the practitioners of Meriden prior to 1870 were the following: Doctor Isaac Hall was the first. He lived in the east- ern part of the town, where he died March 7th, 1781, aged 66 years. His son, Jonathan, was also a physician. In 1769 Doctor Ensign Hough commenced the practice of medicine, living at the center of the town. He was highly esteemed. His death occurred in 1818, but prior to that event, in 1802, one of his sons, Isaac I., began a practice, which was successfully continued a number of years. From his childhood he was noted for his large size, and at the time of his death, at the age of 71 years, in 1852, he weighed 350 pounds. He was a very popular man, and was engaged in other busi- ness the latter years of his life. From 1825 until his death in 1842, Doctor Wyllys Woodruff was here as a skillful practitioner, and his practice passed to Doctor Ben- jamin H. Catlin, who came from Haddam. The latter became a resi- dent of Meriden April 5th, 1842, and for nearly two score years was one of the leading physicians and prominent citizens of the town. He had many contemporaries, among them being Doctor Gardner Barlow,, from 1845 until the latter's death in 1854; Doctor William H. Allen, from 1840 until 1850, when he died of typhoid fever; Doctor Edward W. Hatch, from 1849 for nine years, when he became superintendent of the vState Reform School. Doctor Allen was succeeded, in 1850, by Doctor Timothy F. Davis, who for 18 years was an active practitioner, when failing health caused him to retire. He died February 24th, 1870, aged nearly 60 years, and his demise was much deplored by the community. In his practice he was succeeded, in 1867, by his son. Doctor Charles Henry Stanley Davis,"" now one of the most prominent physicians of the county, in the allopathic school of practice. In the same year, 1850, Doctor H. A. Archer, an eclectic physician^ came to Meriden and remained until 1857, when he sold out to Doctor John Taif" and removed to Brooklyn, N. Y. A few years ago Doctor Archer returned to the town, and is now in practice at South Meriden. Doctor John Tait, also an eclectic practitioner, still remains as one of the oldest physicians of the city. Doctor James Wyle was in practice from 1854 to 1870. He was a Scotchman and a surgeon of some skill. For some years Doctor Nehemiah Nickerson was as.sociated with him, but removed in 1868- Since 1870 he has again been in active practice in Meriden. In 1852 Doctor Lewis Barnes came, but after a few years removed to Oxford; and Doctor Roswell Hawley was here in 1858. Others in that period and earlier also removed, after being here a short time, Doctor M. F. Baldwin being here in 1856. In the latter year, Doctor W. N. Dunham, a homeopathist, came to ♦ See biographical sketch in following chapter. HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. 523 ^ Meriden, but not long after sold his practice to Doctor C. W. Ensign. In the same line of practice came Doctor Grove Herrick Wilson,* who since 1857 has been one of the foremost physicians of the city. For the past ten years E. A. Wilson has been a practitioner in the same school of medicine. Other homeopathists now in practice are Doctor Charles J. Mans- field and Doctor E. C. Newport, both since 1870; Doctors F. H. Monroe and J. D. Quill, since 1888; and Doctor A. T. Holton, who was here in 1880; and Doctor H. N. Porter, in 1885, removed. In 1858 Doctor Asa Hopkins Churchill succeeded to the practice of Doctor Hatch, and has since been a physician at Meriden, ranking among the oldest in practice. His contemporary practitioners now at Meriden are, besides those named above: Doctors A. S. AUain, since 1889; E.T. Bradstreet, since 1877; J. D. Eggleston, since 1880; A. H. Fenn, since 1880; Anna J. Ferris, since 1879; F. P. Griswold, since 1884; O.J. D. Hughes, since 1885; J. H. Kane, since 1886; S. D. Otis,, since 1877; E. W. Smith, since 1882; E. W. Pierce, since 1886; Burton D. Stone, since 1888; A. W. Tracy, since 1875; Charles A. Graeber, an eclectic, since 1888; H. N. Delesdernier and H. Marchand, recently located, there being, in all, 27 practicing physicians in the town in 1890. Among other physicians who were here and removed or died were the following: Doctors Frederick J. Fitch, who came in 1866 and died about eleven years later; J. J. Averill, who came the same year and continued about half a dozen years; John McMahon, who located in 1867, but removed to Boston in 1869; C. H. Gaylord, who died in 1877, after half a dozen years practice; G. H. Gray, who died about the same time, after a short settlement; Willard Wolcott, in practice from 1883 for a few years, until his death; and Jared Wibon, who died near the same time; James G. Bacon, who removed in 1873; W. A. Bevins, in 1880, as an eclectic; L. Baumgart, 1885-8, who, and the fol- lowing, removed, after being here in the years set opposite their names: Doctors A. F. Blakeman, 1886; E. M. Child, 1878-86; Edward T. Cornwall, 1882; Hiram B. Cutler, botanist, 1885-9; Edward S. Dav- idson, 1879; J. J. Dougherty, 1875-6; David Dufreane, 1882; H. Doutil, 1881-5; William H. Delesdernier, 1885-7; G. D. Ferguson, 1880-1; C. S. Griswold, 1878; C. H. Rowland, 1881-8; H. N. Hall, 1889; E. C. Jeni- gor, 1878-86; H. E. Jacobson, 1889; E. C. Luks, 1884-5; Everest Mon- geon, 1877; William R. Marsden, 1883-5; Mrs. W. H. H. Murray, 1886-7; Levi D. Rood, 1882; Charles E. Scott, 1873-87; A. J. Spinner, 1880; James F. Sullivan, 1888; J. L. Terry, 1883-7; E. C. Tremblay, 1887-8; H. L. Young, 1873-4. In the early history of the town Brenton Hall, George W. Stanley and others advised on legal matters. Benajah Andrews ranked among the first lawyers who maintained a residence in the town. He livedo * See biographical sketch in following chapter. 524 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. on the Middletown road, east of the Center, and had an office at his house, where he transacted much business, serving also as probate judge. He died before the civil war. Contemporary with him and doing much legal business at West Meriden, where he lived, was James S. Brooks. He was no regular attorney, but had sound judg- ment and a good knowledge of affairs. When the probate district was formed, in 18B6, he was elected the first judge, and served eight years. He also died in the town. Dexter R. Wright first came to Meriden in 1845, as the teacher of the academy. In 1848 he graduated from the Yale Law School, and settled here as an attornej', becoming one of the town's leading citi- zens. In 1862 he was commissioned colonel of the 15th Connecticut Volunteers, and being compelled by ill health to resign, in 1863, re- turned to Meriden, and in 1864 moved to New Haven, where he took a place as one of the foremost attorneys of the state. While at Meri- den Julius Bis,sen was associated with him a short time. Washington Rogers, Savilian R. Hall, Andrew J. Coe and Leverett L. Phelps were attorneys for short periods, deceasing in town or removing. Tilton E. Doolittle, who graduated from Yale in 1846, successfully practiced at Meriden a number of years, then removed to New Haven, where he took a leading place at the bar. Orville H. Piatt was born July 19th, 1827, at Washington, Litchfield county. Conn., and was educated at the common schools and at the academy called the " Gunnery," inWashington,Conn. He studied law in the office of Honorable Gideon H. Hollister, of Litchfield, and was admitted to the bar in 1849. He resided in Towanda, Penn., for a while associated with Honorable Ulysses Mercer, afterward judge of the supreme court of Pennsylvania. In 1851 he located in Meriden and entered into the practice of law. His first public office in con- nection with the state government was as clerk of the senate in 1855-6. In 1857 he was secretary of state, was member of the senate in 1861-2, and a member of the house in 1864 and 1869, and in the latter year was speaker. From 1877 to 1879 he was state's attorne}' for New Haven county, which office he held until he was elected, in the latter year. United States .senator, to succeed William H. Barnum. James P. Piatt, son of O. H. and Annie (Bull) Piatt, was born in Towanda, Pa., March 31st, 1851. He attended school at the " Gun- nery," Washington, Conn., graduated from Hopkins Grammar School in 1869, from Yale College in 1873. and from Yale Law School in 1875- Since July 1st, 1875, he has practiced law in Meriden in partnership with his father. He represented Meriden in the legislature in 1877-8, and has been city attorney since July 1st, 1879. He married Harriet W., daughter of John Ives. Although not born in Meriden he has lived there since he was 6 months old, his father coming to Meriden and opening a laAV office in 1851. L. C. Hinman, son of F. C. and Elizabeth (Camp) Hinman, was born HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. 525 in Meriden, February 25th, 1856. He attended the Meriden .schools and the Iowa State University, and graduated from the law depart- ment of Yale College. He was admitted to the bar in 1877, and began practice in Wallingford. where he remained three years. He after- ward practiced in Ohio, between three and four years, and during a part of the time was local attorney in the coal fields for the Ohio Cen- tral Coal Company. He came East on a visit, not intending to remain, but finally settled in Meriden in 1884, where he has since practiced. In the spring of 1886 he became a member of the firm of O. H. & J. P. Piatt, and is at present assistant city attorney. He married, in 1879, Jennie E., daughter of P. H. Burns, of Middletown, Conn. George A. Fay was born at Marlboro, Mass., in 1838, and in 1863 grad- uated from the Yale Law School, since which time he has been an attorney in this city. Frank S. Fay, born at the same place in 1848, has been in practice .since 1871, in which year he was admitted to the New Haven County Bar. Cook Lounsbury was at Meriden from 1867 until 1875, when he re- moved to Hartford, where he is still in practice. George W. Smith, born in Wallmgford, in 1825, graduated from Yale Law School in 1857, was an attorney at Meriden from 1858 until his death, in 1890. He was many years the probate judge, serving in that office continuously from 1883 to 1889. Emerson A. Merriman, born at Westfield, Mass., August 3d, 1842, is a son of Silas A. and Lucretia B. (Rice) Merriman, a descendant of the Connecticut Merrim.ans. He graduated from the Connecticut Lit- erary Institution at Suffield, Conn., from the law department of Mich- igan University in March, 1867, and was admitted to practice law in Connecticut, at Hartford, in October, 1867. He opened an office in Meriden in December, 1867, where he has since been in the active practice of his profession. He was judge of probate for 12 years. He represented Meriden in the legislature in 1880 and 1881. He was married to Frances E., daughter of Reverend Ezra G. Johnson, De- cember 23d, 1872. Ratcliffe Hicks came soon after the war, continuing until 1880, when he removed to New York, where he engaged in manufacturing. John O. Thayer, .son of Augustine and Electa (Fairchild) Thayer, was born March 24th, 1843, in New Milford, Conn. He was educated at Housatonic Institute, New Milford, and was preparing for college when the war broke out. He enlisted in 1861 in Company I, 8th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, and reenlisted in 1863, serving four years and three months. After his return he studied law with William Knapp, Esq., of New Milford, and was admitted to the bar of Litch- field county in 1869. In the fall of 1869 he came to Meriden and was for three years in the office of Senator O. H. Piatt, and afterward with Ratcliffe Hicks, under the firm name of Hicks & Thayer, which con- tinued three or four years. Since that time he has been practicing •526 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. law alone. He has been as.sLstant city attorney two terms, and assist- ant judg-e of the city and police court of Meriden about ten years, also a justice of the peace. He married Annie S., daughter of S. K. Devereux, of Castine, Maine. Wilbur F. Davis, a graduate of both the Harvard and Yale Law ■ Schools, has been in practice in the city since 1870. Franklin Piatt, admitted to the New Haven bar in 1876, has been located at Meriden .since that time, having previously served as probate judge in Wallingford. Henry Dryhurst, .son of Henry and Eleanor (Lewis) Dryhurst, was born in England in 1855, and came to America in 1863 with his par- ents, locating first in Providence, R. I. They afterward moved to Taunton, Mass., and in 1865 came to Meriden. Mr. Dryhurst studied law in the offices of Ratcliffe Hicks, city attorney, George A. Fay and O. H. & J. P. Piatt, and was admitted to the bar January 15th, 1884, upon motion of Colonel D. R. Wright, of New Haven. He was chair- man of the republican town committee from 1886 to 1890, registrar of -voters, grand juror and justice of the peace. He was appointed post- master in Januar3% 1890. He married Margaret C, daughter of Wil- liam F. and Harriet (Bennett) Dutcher, of Wallingford, Conn., and has two children, a girl and a boy. His father was known as one of the most skilled silversmiths in England and America, worked for the largest silver concern in England, and came to this country to ' accept a position with the Gorham Manufacturing Company, Provi- dence, R. L He was afterward with Reed & Barton, Taunton, Mass., and in 1865 with the Meriden Britannia Company; he also worked for Tiffany, of New York. His mother's father was superintendent of the largest iron indu.stry in Wales. Her brother, Rowland Lewis, Q. C, is still practicing his profession in Wales. Charles W. Mann, a native of England, emigrated to America in 1877, was admitted to the New Haven bar in 1878, when he located here and has since been in practice in this city. William C. Mueller, born in Germany, came to America at the age of ten years, in 1874, and since 1886 has been a member of the Meriden bar. John Barrett, an Englishman, in this country since 1872, has been an attorney at Meriden since 1881. In the same year Willis I. Fenn, after graduat- ing from the Yale Law School located at Meriden. C. H. Shaw, admitted in 1870, died in the city in June, 1883. Charles H. vSawyer, after studying in the office of George A. Fay, was admitted to practice in March, 1883, continuing at Meriden. George A. Clark, son of Edwin B. and Cornelia M. (Pratt) Clark, was born in Meriden, March 27th, 1866, educated at Meriden High School, and graduated from Yale Law School in 1887. Previous to going to college he was for four years reporter on various newspapers, including the Meriden Press Recorder, Hartford Times, Nezu Haven Union and New Haven Alorning News. He studied for two years in the HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 527 office of E. A. Merriman, and began practice in Meriden in 1887. He was candidate for probate judge in 1888, and for city clerk in 1889, and is at present collector of taxes. Other contemporary lawyers are Charles P. Ives, since 1876, Richard Gleeson, since 1886, and Henry Dryhurst, the latter not active in his profession. Among attorneys who have been at Meriden and have removed may be noted D. J. Donahoe, 1876 to 1880; Darwin M. Woodward, 1877; William Slatterley, 1880; A. L. Judd, 1880-5; F. A. Brown, 1882; Edward Kunkel, 1880; and E. J. Fenn, after 1880. Most of these attained distinguished success in other towns in this state or in Massachusetts. The following account of the secret orders in Meriden was pre- pared for this work by Hon. William Wallace Lee : It nowhere appears in any known record that any attempt was made, prior to 1815, to organize a Masonic Lodge in Meriden. In that year a petition was presented to the Grand Lodge for a charter, but as Meriden was at that time a small town and there were then in active operation Lodges in Berlin, Southington and Wallingford, six miles to the north, west and south, respectively, and one of the oldest in the state at Middletown, ten miles to the east, the project was not deemed feasible, and the petitions were refused. At the time when the "anti-Masonic craze" swept through the state, from 1828 to 1832, there were probably not more than twelve or fifteen Masons, if so many, living in what is now the town of Meriden. Although the ■"craze," like other similar delusions, died out in a few years, no effort .seems to have been made to establish a Lodge until 1850. In that year another application was made for a charter, which, after the necessary preliminaries, was granted, and the organization was effected in January, 1851, under the name of Meridian Lodge, No. 77. The list of petitioners included some of the leading citizens, among whom were Charles Parker, Reverend John Parker (the first master), Stephen Ives, Bertrand L. Yale, Dexter R. Wright, etc. The Lodge gradually added to its membership from the best class of citizens, and met for 15 years "up-town" (so-called) in "Odd Fellows Hall;" but, as the business and growth of the town was toward the "Corner," or nearer the railroad, the Lodge, after much consideration and discus- sion, voted, in April, 1865, to hold its communications in "Morgan Hall." This was its home for about six years, and was also the period in which the Lodge had its greatest prosperity. In 1871 the Lodge voted to lease, for a term of 15 years, the room which it has ever since occupied, in Palace Block. There have been upon the roll of membership more than 500 dif- ferent names, but deaths, removals and other causes have reduced the number, so that in 1890 the membership did not much exceed 300. Among the members are men prominent in every department of life, 528 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. and who have in different avocations distinguished themselves as the leading citizens of the city. Several of the Meriden Masons have been honored by being elected to the highest positions in the Grand Lodge of the state. When Meridian, or the old Lodge, had voted, in 1865, to remove from its "up-town" home, some of those who deemed such a step un- wise made an effort to establish a new Lodge in the old locality, and organized to that end. After some little delay this movement was successful, and a charter was granted in 1866 for Center Lodge, No. 97. This has been kept in a prosperous condition to the present time and now numbers about 200 members. Masonry has been a very popular institution in Meriden, and al- though it recognizes no political affiliations it has so pervaded all parties and churches that it is a fact that with only two exceptions every mayor of the city was a Free Mason; also a very large propor- tion, if not majority, of those connected in town and city affairs, were members of this widely extended brotherhood. While every Free Mason knows that there are several grades and different organizations in Masonry, the uninitiated are not familiar with the fact. The.se are not antagonistic, but harmonious in their fields of labor, and may, without impropriety, be .said to correspond to the different grades of schools or departments in educational life, the primary grade being the subordinate or Blue Lodge. Keystone Chapter, No. 27, Royal Arch Masons, was organized in Meriden in 1854. Among those mo.st active in it were Humphrey Lyon, who was for more than 20 years the treasurer; James Brooks, and Doctor Noah H. Byington, of Southington, who was the first presid- ing officer. Its meetings were usually held at the "corner." Its growth for about ten years was slow, owing to unavoidable causes, but about 1864 there began a more prosperous period, which, with the incidental exceptions that are features of every voluntary association, has been maintained ever since. It has now from 250 to 300 mem- bers. Among its now prominent ones are William H. Miller, W. H. Westwood, Mathew Beatty, John P. Weir and William Cochrane, the oldest living past high priest. All the charter rhembersare dead. A large number of the living members reside elsewhere, their avocations in life (many being mechanics) having called them to other localities. Hamilton Council, No. 22, Royal and Select Masters, was organized in 1854, those who were prominent m the movement being, witli few exceptions, the same who were active in organizing the Chapter, which naturally follows, as the grades are closely connected. Meeting in the same place with the Chapter, depending upon that for its growth, it shared the latter's fortune of poor accommodations, being burned out, etc. Among its past officers were William H. Miller, William H. Westwood, M. Beatty, A. R. Vale. J. P. Weir and William Wallace Lee. The last two have been the official head of the vState HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 529 Council. It has a membership of about 125. All of its charter mem- bers are dead, and many of the living are widely scattered. St. Elmo Commandery, No. 9, Knights Templar, was organized in 1869. In the preceding grades of Masonry, the only religious qualifi- cation is that the candidate must express his belief in a God, but in Chivalric Masonry it is requisite that he be a believer in the Christian religion and must, also, be in good standing as a Mason. Prominent in the organization of St. Elmo Commandery were Doctor G. H. Wil- son (its first presiding officer), H. Wales Lines, Theodore Byxbee and E. C. Birdseye. Of these Messrs. Lines and Birdseye have been the official head of the State Grand Body. Others who have presided over the local body are Levi E. Coe, E. B. Everett, William H. Miller, W. F. Davis, E. J. Doolittle and William Beatty. Since its organiza- tion its experience has been that of a steady growth until now its membership must be nearly one hundred, and it ranks among the foremost of the younger subordinates in the state. Five of our ex- mayors are members and it includes many of the leading men of the city and town. Eastern Star or Adoptive Masonry is the title by which is desig- nated an association whose requisites for membership are that one must be a Master Mason in good standing, or the wife, mother, daughter or sister (over 18 years of age) of a Master Mason. Such an one was organized in Meriden in 1868, under the name of Meridian Chapter, No. 8, Order of the Eastern Star. From the first it was a success, and has always been a very harmonious and prosperous organization. It has a large membership (nearly 250) and is financially one of the strongest bodies in the town. It is doubtful if there is an- other place in the state, where the organization has to such an extent, commanded the confidence and support of the Masons generally. Among the women prominently interested are Mrs. J. T. Pettee, Mrs. A. C. S. Bario (who has held the highest office in the state), Mrs. W. W. Powers, Mrs. W. R. Derby, Mrs. G. A. Bicknell. Justice to the women who are so active in maintaining it, demands the statement of this fact, that there is no organization in Meriden bearing the name of Masonry, that watches over its members with greater fidelity, or cares more tenderly for its needy members than does this meri- torious body. Odd Fellowship in Meriden is the oldest, most numerous and, finan- cially, the strongest of its many fraternal associations, all of which seem to be in a thriving condition. It has three grades or distinct organizations, viz.: Lodges, Encampments (to which are in some cases appended "the Canton," a semi-military organization, very similar to Knights Templar among Free Masons), and the Rebecca Lodges, so called, or the degree of Rebekah. To the Lodge any man of the white or Caucasian race 21 years old is eligible. The membership of the Encampment is drawn from the Lodge, while any one who is a 33 530 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. member of a Lodge in good standing, is eligible to the Rebekah Lodges, as also are their wives, sisters and daughters, 18 years of age. There are in this town four Lodges, two Encampments, one Canton and three Rebekah Lodges, each of which can be only briefly noticed, because of limited space. Hancock Lodge, No. 28, L O. O. F., was instituted in 1846 in the "uptown" locality. Its early members were some of the leading citizens of the town and it increased in numbers rapidly. The spirit of locality which was then a more marked feature of the town than now, was felt in all societies, churches, etc. In 1849, after a long, and at times almost an acrimonious discussion, it was voted to move " down town," where the Lodge had a good degree of success for some years, doing its work and caring for the sick. While the statis- tics for the expenditure of these years cannot be had, enough is known to warrant the statement that it would nearly if not quite amount to $2,.'30(). With the general decline in the order it also began to decay and about 1859 it ceased to hold meetings and, of cour.se, its charter was annulled by the Grand Lodge. The Lodge remained dormant until September 5th, 1872, when it was revived and moved to vSouth Meriden, as the village formerly known as Hanover is now called, and, consid- ering its somewhat limited field of labor, is well established. It has now about 150 members and a fund of $3,000. It has neat quarters and its affairs are managed with prudence and economy. It has paid for relief and aid to brothers and their families since its re-organiza- tion nearly $10,000. Among its members are some of the leading and most prominent men of that part of the town, and its future appears prosperous. Meriden Center Lodge, No. 68, was instituted in 1849. When Hancock Lodge, No. 28, voted to remove to the "Corner," as "down town" was then called, it was against the almost unanimous vote of the "up town" members; so, as soon as the matter was fully decided, the members on the hill were practically a unit in the project of a new Lodge in their locality. This purpose resulted in their receiving a charter bearing the above name and number. Asa result of the feel- ing of locality much missionary work was done to increase the mem- bership of the two rival Lodges, and within three years from the date of its institution (July 27th, 1849), the new Lodge had passed the older one in numbers and financial strength. In the following year (18r;0) the Lodge erected, on Broad street, a building for its own use, which was a wise provision, because it kept the Lodge together and pre- served its organization in the period of general decline, when fully two-thirds of the Odd Fellow Lodges became extinct. By very pru- dent management they were able to keep up their organization and retain their property, .so that when the revival came it found them in very good financial condition. Since that period, in about 1866, it has HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 531 prospered in every respect, adding to its numbers and means every year. A handsome brick block, in the place of the old wooden one (removed), was erected by the Lodge and duly dedicated in 1888. The value of this hall, with lot, furniture, fixtures, etc., is estimated at not less than $28,000. The new Odd Fellows' Hall up town is an orna- ment to that part of the city. It is neatly and tastefully fitted up, and is a model for stronger Lodges in larger cities. The Lodge has borne on its rolls 760 members. Many members have died, and 70 were buried with the honors of the order. This Lodge has now 250 members in good standing. Full statis- tics cannot be had, but enough is known to warrant the statement that the Lodge has paid for relief, in its various forms, during its existence, about $28,000, besides such other charitable work as is within the province of every well-conducted Lodge of Odd Fellows. It deserves and receives the confidence of not only the fraternity, but also of the public generally. Pacific Lodge, No. 87, was organized April 7th, 1870. Most of the petitioners, some 35 in number, had been members of No. 68, "up town." While not at all dissatisfied with the Lodge, they were of the opinion that a new Lodge was needed down town, and so resolved to make the venture, not heeding the predictions of failure that were made by brethren of little faith. The Lodge first met in "Morgan's Hall." From the beginning it was a success, and its growth all that could be wished. When Meridian Lodge vacated its rooms and moved into new quarters in "Palace Block," in 1871, Pacific Lodge at once leased Morgan's Hall for a term of years, and continued to meet there until July, 1890. It increased in membership, and now has about 340 members. After some years of deliberation by the Lodge it was resolved to build a hall of its own, and a lot was secured on State street, and a handsome block erected, at a total expense of about $30,000. The rooms are ample for the work of the Lodge and are fitted up in good taste. There is a good, but not large library. So well is the hall adapted for society work that its rooms are rented every week day night but one. At the dedication of the same, February 18th, 1890, the Grand Lodge officers complimented the Lodge highly tapon their new home. Its membership includes all classes. Ministers and laymen, merchants and mechanics, lawyers and laborers, rich and poor, old and young, meet upon a common level and participate in the affairs and labors of the Lodge. It has ever been the aim of the Lodge faithfully to perform all its duties and obligations to the fullest extent, to be honorable in all things, to care for its needy ones and their families. In only one in- stance has there ever been an appeal from its action on such matters. While it may in some cases be imposed upon, it has never been mean. We know this, that during its existence it has paid out more than 532 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. $14,000 to its members and their widowed families, and in several cases has stood between those of very limited means and the poor house. The assistance rendered transient members of the order would reach several hundreds of dollars. It has been a power for good and a blessing in the town of Meriden. As a charter member and its first presiding officer, the writer has been identified with the Lodge to the present time. Teutonic Lodge, No. 95, was organized in 1875 by a number of per- sons, most of whom had been members of Pacific Lodge, and it may with some degree of propriety be called an off-shoot from that Lodge. As its name indicates, it is composed almost entirely of those who were born in Germany, and who desired to be organized into a Lodge where the ritual and work would be in a familiar language, and where they could cultivate those social traits which are so prominent among that class of our citizens. The Lodge has prospered fully as well as could be expected. Meetings are now held in the rooms of Pacific Lodge, and any brother, no matter whether he understands their lan- guage, is cordially welcomed. It has now about 125 members, among whom are many of our leading and most respected citizens of German birth and parentage. It cares for its sick and needy members with fidelity. Its affairs are administered in a very prudent and economi- cal manner. It has moneys and property to a value of $4,000, and has expended in the way of benefits to its sick members, burials, for char- itable purposes, etc., rising of $6,000. Oasis Encampment, No. 16, was instituted in September, 1849. Its meetings have always been held in the rooms of Meriden Center Lodge, from which it has largely drawn its membership. It pros- pered until the waning interest in Odd Fellowship, when, for some years, its meetings were suspended. In 1867 the Encampment was revived, and it has since had a fair degree of prosperity. It has had in the neighborhood of 300 members, and at present 100 are in good standing. Atlantic Encampment, No. 28, was instituted April 12th, 1872, with about 20 charter members, most of whom have belonged to Oasis En- campment. It may be called an appendage to Pacific Lodge, in whose rooms the meetings have always been held. A large proportion of those belonging are members of Pacific Lodge. It now has about 125 members in good standing, the number recently having been dimin- ished by dismissals, to form Wallingford Encampment. Atlantic Encampment holds a high rank among similar bodies in the state. Canton Meriden, No. 2, is composed largely of members of Atlan- tic Encampment, and their interests are closely allied. Only the .social and military features are cultivated by the 40 young men con- stituting its membership. This is a recent introduction into the order, and some years must elapse before it can be determined whether it were best to continue this feature. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 533 Rachfl Lodge, No. 2, D. of R., was instituted in March, 1870, and is maintained in connection with Meriden Center Lodge, No. 68, its mem- ber.ship being mainly from that .source. Its growth has been slow but steady, and the affairs are well managed. While the social features of the order are given a prominent place, its charitable and benevo- lent work is not neglected. Its needy members have been aided to the extent of a thousand dollars. There are 120 members and an avail- able fund of $.500. Esther Lodge, No. 7, D. of R., was instituted April 6th, 1871, at the rooms of Pacific Lodge, No. 87, and is connected with that body to a certain extent. The Lodge has aimed to conform strictly to the laws of the order and hence its moneys have been generou.sly expended to carry on its work. There are 100 members and funds to the amount of $500. Eintracht Lodge, No. 19, D. of R., as its name indicates, is com- posed mainly of Germans. It was instituted July 7th, 1880, and its meetings are held in Pacific Lodge rooms. The Lodge is active and by prudent management has accumulated a fund of $1,500, besides doing its work in a creditable manner. It has from 70 to 80 members and occupies a position which enables it to cultivate a large field of usefulness. The Knights of Pythias are represented in Meriden by Myrtle Lodge, No. 4, which was instituted in 1869, with 35 charter members. Its growth had been all that could be desired until the summer of 1874 when, owing (so it is said) to some dissatisfaction with the action of the Grand Lodge, Myrtle Lodge surrendered its charter. On the application of some of its former members this charter was restored in 1883, since which time the prosperity enjoyed has placed this Lodge among the foremost ones in the state. The Lodge looks after the needs of its members in a diligent manner, providing liberally for their wants. About $1 ,700 has been expended for charitable purposes, and a clear fund of $500 remains in the treasury. The Lodge has a fine field of usefulness. More than 100 members belong. In connection with this Lodge is the Uniformed Rank, a semi- military branch of the order, corresponding somewhat to the Knights Templar of Free Masonry. Its members are the young men of the order, who enter upon their work with much enthusiasm. About forty persons are thus interested and have become very proficient. Their showy uniforms attract much attention when they appear in public. In addition to the foregoing there are, in the city, many other orders: The Knights of Honor have two Lodges; the Knights of Columbus, three Councils; the Sons of vSt. George, one Lodge; the Ancient Order of Hibernians, two Divisions; the Ancient Order of Foresters, three Courts; the Improved Red Men, one Tribe; the Knights of Labor, six Assemblies; the Patriotic Sons of America, one Camp; the Royal x\rcanum, one Council; the Order of Shepherds, one 534 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Sanctuary: the United Workmen, one Lodge; the American Mechanics, one Council; the Turnverien, incorporated in 1880; and besides more than a dozen temperance, benevolent and beneficiary orders. A prelimary meeting to organize a Post of the Grand Army of the Republic was held at the town hall, February 1st, 1867; and in the furtherance of that object a charter was granted April 15th, 1867, which bore the names of the following comrades as charter members: Albert T. Booth, William H. Minchin, Henry A. Kirtland, Heber vS. Ives, Charles S. Gallager, N. S. Wood, E. O. Puffer, Frederick H. Parker and George C. Geer. November 16th, 1868, a vote was taken for a name for the Post, which resulted in a unanimous adoption of " Merriam," in honor of Lieutenant Edwin J. Merriam, of the 7th Connecticut Volunteers, who died at Fortress Monroe from wounds received at the battle of Deep Run, Va., August 16th, 1864. Soon after this interest in the Post declined and, in 1869, it was practically reorganized. Slow progress was made and it was not until October 5th, 1874, that permanent head- quarters were secured, in the commodious hall, on Colony street. Here, in addition to its large hall, a suite of rooms has been fitted up and finely furnished for the u.se of the members. Among the other privileges thus provided is a library of about 5UU volumes, which has promoted the good of the order. Merriam Post is not only one of the oldest and most flourishing in the state, but it is also one of the largest and most influential, having a membership of 300.* Like most other organizations it has had its seasons of adversity, and the comrades will not soon forget the unfor- tunate steamboat excursion to West Point in 1871, in which the Post suffered .serious loss financially, and was for a long time left heavily in arrears. The Post by giving plays, holding fairs and by careful, economical management, finally succeeded in cancelling its financial indebtedness, and in addition to the possession of $3,200 worth of Post property it now has about $11,00') in its Relief and Post funds. It also owns a burial plot, 50 by 60, in Walnut Grove Cemetery. From $.500 to $1,000 is spent yearly for the relief of its members, and all its funds are sacredly pledged for the relief of those in want. A valuable adjunct in this work of the organization is the Woman's Relief Corps, No. 259, which has a helpful membership. In April, 1887, Merriam Post, No. 8, was properly incorporated by the Legislature and authorized to hold property to an amount not exceeding $50,000. The following have served as Post commanders, in the years named: Joseph J. Wooley, 1867-8, 1871; Frank J. Carter, 1868 9; Frank G. Otis, 1872-4; William L. Stoddard, 1875; John H. Chapman, 1876; Isaac B. Hyatt, 1877 9; William G. Gallager, 1880; Wallace A. Miles, 1881; Frederick A. Higby, 1882; Wilbur F. Rogers, 1883; Constans C. Kinne, * More than .'iOO have belonged. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 535 1884: Ezekiel R. Merriam, 1885; Julius Augur, 1886; Albert F. Hall, 1887; H. L. B. Pond, 1888; Charles S. Kelsey, 1889; Allen W. Harvey, 1890. The Post can point with pride to the noble soldier's monument at the head of Main street, which will continue to stand in sunshine and storm through the coming generations, long after the brave soldiers of Meriden have passed away — a silent but impres,sive testimony of the grand work of Merriam Post. This monument was erected by a- public-spirited interest awakened and kept alive by Merriam Post, whose members in 1870 aroused patriotic sentiment here to .such a high pitch that at a patriotic meeting held $10,000 was voted for the monument. Reverend J. J. Wooley making the motion, which was ably seconded by Honorable Orville H. Piatt. This beautiful memorial cost $11,000, of which Merriam Post con- tributed $1,000. The monument stands on town property on an emi- nence in front of the city hall. It is surrounded by an iron fence, in front of which are placed four cannon, captured from the rebels, and donated by the government, through the influence of Honorable S. \V. Kellogg, of Waterbury. The brass tablets on which the names of the heroic dead are inscribed, were imported from Germany. The dedicatory services were held in 1873, and were imposing and impressive, the oration being delivered by Honorable Joseph R. Hawley. The monument has every year since been suitably trimmed with flowers on " Memorial Day," and the appropriation of the town aids to properly observe that day. The tablets contain the names of 158 of Meriden's soldiers who fell in the cause of the Union, which is a large proportion of those serving, the enlistments in rank and file being 875 men. The monument is of Westerly granite, finely proportioned, and is 36 feet high. Surmounting it is a chaste granite figure, seven feet high, of a private soldier at " parade rest." The monument in con- nection with its surroundings is one of the most attractive objects in the city. Charles L. Upham Camp, No. 7, Sons of Veterans, recently estab- lished, is also in a flourishing condition. The Meriden Agricultural Society held its first annual fair at Brad- ley's Park, in the southwestern part of the city, in vSeptember, 1872, under the direction of the following officers; D. E. W. Hatch, presi- dent; Levi E. Coe, secretary; S. H. W. Yale, treasurer; E. D. Castelow, superintendent. The exhibitions were there continued yearly until 1876, when the fair was held for the first time on the grounds of the Meriden Park Company, in the northern part of the city. The exhibi- tions at the same place for the next three years were the occasions of unabated interest and financial success. In 1880 the society yielded its privileges on these grounds to the State Agricultural Society, which has since that year continued to hold its annual fairs at that place, usually with success. 536 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The Meriden Park Company was organized November 26th, 1875, with a capital of $22,000. The stock was divided into many .shares, as it was intended to popularize the movement to open a fine place for exhibitions and sporting purposes. The Moses Burr Farm of 56 acres was purchased for $12,000, and a large sum of money was spent in en- closing 30 acres and fitting up the same. A good half mile track was constructed. The grounds were first u.sed for fair purposes by the Meriden Agricultural Society, in 1S7G, and in 1880 the Connecticut annual state fair began to be held at that place. For the use of that society the grounds were enlarged and supplied with the necessary buildings. The park is well adapted for large gatherings, having sloping sides, which afford a natural amphitheater. Jonas P. vStow was the first president of the Park Company and Horace C. Wilcox one of the largest stockholders. In 1889 the officers of the company were: President, N. L. Bradley; vice-president, George Cooley; secretary, S. A. Hull; treasurer, L. E. Coe. The Meriden Poultry Association had as its officer-! in 1889: Presi- dent, L. E. Coe; secretary, Joshua Shute; treasurer, Wilbur B. Hall. The association has held several annual meetings and exhibitions of fine and fancy poultry, which were successful in points of attendance and interest. An impetus to careful breeding was given and a number of persons became fanciers of improved poultry. In late years these pursuits have been followed with diminished interest, but the organi- zation of the association is nominally maintained. A flourishing Grangfe of the Patrons of Husbandry is maintained in Meriden. The following account of educational affairs in Meriden was con- tributed by Reverend J. T. Pettee, A. M., acting school visitor: When Meriden was set off from Wallingford, in 1806, there were seven school districts, and the same number of school houses. The districts were: The Center, the Northwest (now the Old Road), the Northeast, the East, the Southeast, the West and the Farms (then called the Southwest district). In 1837 the North Center, the Corner and Hanover had been added to the number. The earliest record that we have of the schools of Meriden is 1814, and this occurs almost by accident. That year the wisdom of our fathers ordained that the .school children of Meriden should be vaccin- ated, and at a special town meeting, held April 23d, the following vote was taken : " Voted, to appoint a committee of two from each school district to introduce kine pock innoculation." The committee ap- pointed were : For the Center district, Doctors Isaac I. Hough and Theophilus Hall; Northwest district, Patrick Clark and Matthew Fo.ster; Northeast district, Phineas Hough and Eleazer Scovil: the East, Samuel Baldwin, Jr., and Ira Hall; Southeast district, Othnicl Ives and Irah Curtis; .Southwest (now the Farms), Ichabod Wood and Moses Cowles; West district. Dan Andrews and Levi Allen: Plymert (in Cheshire), John Plymert. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 537 This vote of April 23(3,1814, has been of essential service, not only in enabling- me to fix the names and number of the original districts, but in marking the two changes in names, viz.: in the Northwest and Southwest districts. We know that the Northwest of this list is the Old Road of the present, because Patrick Clark was on its committee, and Patrick Clark was an Old Road man ; and his son, P. J. Clark, showed me where lie attended school in this district nearly seventy years ago. In the same way we know that the Southwest district of this list was the present Farms district, for Ichabod Wood, one of the inoculating committee of this district, we recognize as the father of the late Deacon Wood, who lived in what is now the Farms district. Our districts then, in 1814 (making these nominal changes), were the Center, the Old Road, the Northwest, the East, the Southeast, the Farms and the West — seven — and I presume this was the number in 1806, the year that the town was incorporated. In 1837, when a committee of one from each district was appointed to distribute Meriden's share of the "surplus revenue," $4,386.72 (Con- necticut's share was $763,661), the name of the districts are again given, and it appears that the Corner, Hanover and the Ives had been added to the number; if we inquire "when added, and by what author- ity," the records are silent. Now the organization of new districts is by town authority, and matter of town record — it was not so in the time of our fathers. Perhaps school matters were recorded in a separ- ate volume; if so, that volume is lost, and we have nothing to show the exact time of the organization of these new districts. I will now take up the original seven districts in the order in which they are named in the vote of April 23d, 1814, and locate, if possible, their respective .school houses. The Old Center. — This stood in what is now High street, back of the old Baptist church, at the northwest corner of the Broad Street Cemetery, directly front of the present residence of Mr. Lyman P. Butler. If standing, as I think it was, when the town was incorpor- ated, it served the district as a school house for 57 years, or until the South Center was built, about 1863, which stood on Curtis street, where the house of Mr. Charles G. Kendrick now stands, and which accom- modated the children of the south end of the district until the brick .school house on Parker avenue was built, in 1869 ; ju.st as the North Center, which stood on the corner of Broad and Wall streets, and after- ward gave way to a better building (still standing on School street), accommodated those from the north part. The house on Parker ave- nue and its "annex" on South Broad street, built in 1884, with their twelve fine school rooms, accommodate the whole Center district, and the names South Center and North Center have disappeared. The first enumeration of the Center district which I find recorded, January 1st, 1864, gives 203 children ; the one October 1st, 1880, gives 872. Upon the building of the South Center, in 1863, the old building on 538 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. High Street, after having been used a while for storage purposes, was demolished. The Old Road. — There issomething to my own mind, very interesting in the name of this school house, standing as it does on the old colonial road, on which our fathers in colonial times, traveled from Hartford to New Haven, on foot, or on horseback, as there were no carriages for common people in those days, and if there had been, this road^, a mere bridle path, would not have accommodated them. Originally, as we have seen, this district was called Northwest, but its tax^'payers did well m changing it to Old Road in honor of the historic thorough- fare on which its school building stands. The first school house'^of this district stood on the corner of Hicks and Colony streets, where the second was ahso built about 1843. This seoond school house, when built, was probably the finest school building in Meriden. It is .still standing on its original site, serving some useful purpose for the Meriden Malleable Iron Company. The first school house was moved off when the .second was built, and now forms part of a dwelling hou.se on Britannia street. No. 51. Were this old building still stan'ding it would be m strange contrast with the beautiful school house now standing a few rods east of its old location, which was built in 1875, at a co.st of $15,000, and which, with its well kept and spacious school grounds, is one of our best district school houses. It has four large school rooms and two good recitation rooms. In 1863 this district, with two teachers, had a registration of 65, and returned an enumera- tion of 75; in 1889 it gave employment to six teachers, had a registra- tion of 275, and returned an enumeration of 374. The Northeast Distnet.—'I\i\s. is one of the original seven that appear upon the town list of 1814. Its first school house is still standingnear its original location, on Bee street, a quarter of a mile north of the present school house, just south of the track of the Meriden & Crom- well railroad, next the residence of Mr. William A. Ives. It has been slightly enlarged since it was used for .school purposes, and now forms the dwelling house of Mr. Edward Fritz, is in good condition, and if " kept up " may last another hundred years. The present house of this district was built in 1868, at a cost of $1,500. The enumeration of 1889 gave 51. The attendance is small because so many of the enumerated children go to Prattsville and the Center. The East District.— The first school house in this district was built sometime previous to 1814, and stood on the north side of the Middle- town road, on the corner, by Mr. Almon Hall's. What became of the building I do not know; probably it was not worth moving, for I find from the Meriden land records that this year land was deeded by Samuel Baldwin for a .school lot on what is now the estate of Hezekiah Dunklee. The house here built, which we may call the second East District .school house, was used for school purposes till the easterly of the two present school houses was built, nearly opposite, 1846, to HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 53^ be followed by the westerly, in which two as good schools are taught as are to be found in Meriden. The enumeration of the district in 1889 was 87; the seating capacity of the school house 82. The Southeast nistriet.—Ueve is, perhaps, the oldest of our school buildings, having been built in 1800— certainly the oldest that is still used for school purposes. I was once told by Mr. Eli Ives, who " gradu- ated " here, that it originally stood some twelve rods southeast of its present location. It was moved to its present site in 1847; a few years ago it was enlarged — almost rebuilt — refurnished with modern school furniture, and is now one of the prettiest, though perhaps the smallest, of our Meriden school houses. The Farms District. — When the town was incorporated in 1806, and as late as 1837, this was called the Southwest district. Our Meriden fathers were in the habit of dividing the town into four highway dis- tricts, and as these were determined bv " the crossing of the two turn- pike," as the records express it (the Hartford and New Haven and the Middletown and Waterbury). they bore the names of Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast; and it was very natural that they should, as far as they could, attach the same names to the school dis- tricts; so we are not surprised that the Old Road was called North- west, or that the Farms was called Southwest. Once on the record it is called " Falls Plain;" and I am glad that it is, for it shows us where Hanover children went to school before the Hanover district was formed, " Falls Plain " being the ancient name of all of that level tract in and around Hanover, derived from the beautiful falls of the Ouinnipiac at Hanover and Yalesville. The first school house was built in 1800; repaired and enlarged in 1869; condemned by the school board in 1878; moved off and a new one built in 1879, at an expense of $1,500. It was built on a liberal scale; has seats for 68 pupils, and will answer the wants of the district for many years. This is our only overlying district — i. e., the only district that reaches over into another town. It draws just about as many children from Walling- ford as from Meriden; the enumeration in 1889 was 71 — 38 from Meriden and 33 from Wallingford. Tlie West District. — The first school house in this district stood on the north side of Johnson avenue, opposite the place where the Good- year road comes into it. About the year 1850 it was moved on to the present school lot, on the corner of Johnson avenue and Spruce street, where it stood till the present house was built in 1870, but nearer the corner of the street, when it was purchased by Mr. William Johnson, who began to move it up the hill, but abandoned the design and tore it down; so that no part of the old West District school house now remains, unless some of its timbers have entered into the construction of other buildings. About the time that the old school house was first moved, say 1850, this district dropped the name West and took that of Ives, and was known as the Ives district till 1870, when it changed 640 HISTORY Of NEW HAVEN COUNTY. again and took the name of Northwest, which it still bears. About the time that the old school house was moved up the hill, the stone school house was built on the Deacon Allen road, and the district in which it stood resumed its old name. West district. The present large and commodious school house of this district on West Main street began to be built in 1868 — lu-gaii to be built, I say, for it has grown from two rooms in 1868 to ten rooms in 1890. The two south rooms were built in 1868; the two north rooms in 1871; the two west rooms in 1877: two east rooms in 1883, and the two rooms still further east in 1885. And this growth of the school house represents the growth of the district, which in 1868 returned 174 enumerated chil- dren, and in 1889 returned 981. This carries us through the original seven districts, and locates, I believe, all of the old school houses. They were, I may observe, all built pretty much alike, of about the same size, and furnished pretty much in the same manner; small, square, one story buildings, usually about 20 by 2;"), painted red if painted at all, furnished with the old- fashioned stone fire-place, with the large box pine desk for the master or mistress, and with the long, broad desk or shelf secured to the wall on two sides of the school room. This was for the older scholars — those who had attained to the dignity of writing and ciphering. For younger pupils plain seats were provided, without backs or foot-rests, in the middle of the school room. These were usually made of plank or saw mill slabs, with stakes driven through them for legs in the manner of milking stools. T/ic Corner District. — This name does not appear on my list of 1814, nor can I get any trace of it till about 1830, when its first school house stood on the corner of East Main and State streets, about where Mr. Paddock's fruit store now stands. A gentleman who attended there in his boyhood speaks of it as " surrounded by a swamp," while an elderly lady, with a touch of poetry, refers to it as " nestling among the willows." The Corner school was kept here until 1836, when it was removed to a two story building which stood on the north side of Church street, near the southeast corner of the present Corner school grounds. This building, in 1853, was purchased by Mr. Noah Linsley, moved to the south side of Church street, and fitted up as a dwelling house. The district then purchased the building which had been erected for Mr. H. D. Smith, and where he and Mr. David N. Camp, who was a.ssociated with him in instruction, taught a most excellent high and select school, from 1847 to 1853, known as the Meriden Institute. They enlarged it from time to time, as the growth of the district required, and used it till the present brick building was built, directly in front of it, in 1868. Then the old building was sold to Mr. Jarcd R. Cook; part of it was taken down and its timber used in the construction of a house (the French roofed house that stands near the brook) on Cook avenue; the old chapel-like " Institute " was HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 541 moved bodily to King street, where it now stands, the first house from the corner of Orange street. The "annexes" of this school on Willow and King streets were built in 1883 and 1887. The valuation of school property is now $97,- 500. The earliest enumeration I find recorded, that of 1865, gives 495; the enumeration of October 1st, 1889, gave 1,901, an increase of 1,406 in 24 years. Then five teachers did the work; now 25 are em- ployed, Hanover District. — This district first appeared upon the list in 1837. Before it was organized the children in the east part of it probably went to the Farms district, tho.se in the north part to the West, while those in the west part went to the Plymert, a district in Cheshire, whose old school house stood on Cheshire street, near the location of the present school house, where some of our Meriden children have always attended, and where we paid for their instruction as late as 1876. I cannot fix exactly the date of the building of the first school house in this district; it must have been, however, before 1844, for in the Meriden land records, vol. 9, p. 324, 1 find recorded a deed from Dennison Parker to the Hanover School District of a piece of land on which the school house was then standing, and the deed bears date July 24th, 1844. I have no difficulty, however, in finding the place where it stood, as the Hanover people well remember — on the present school grounds, a little east of the present school building. It was a long, one-story building, containing two rooms. It now stands on Cutler avenue, not far from the residence of Mr. A. L.Stevens. While the new school house was building, and for some time before, the school was kept in a building on the opposite side of the street. The present school house was erected in 1868, at a cost of $11,000. It is one of our best school buildings, with four well lighted and well ven- tilated rooms, and with spacious and well kept school grounds. But, owing to the fluctuations of business and changes of population, there has been a falling off in registration and attendance the past ten or twelve years; for several years but three rooms have been occupied, and the enumeration of 1889 gave but 125 children. Prattsville District. — This is comparatively a new district. Its first school house, a plain two-story bitilding, was built about 1849, and stood in the southeast corner of the present school yard, on the corner of North Broad and Camp streets. The present elegant building was erected in 1875, at an expense of |23,573. It is almost a model school house. It contains eight good school rooms, two good play rooms, and is but two stories high. In 1865 this district employed two teachers, had an average attendance of 50 scholars, and returned an enumera- tion of 137. In 1889 it employed seven teachers, had an attendance of 260, and returned an enumeration of 557. Before the organization of this district the children in this part of Meriden were obliged to attend the Old Road, the Northeast, or the North Center districts. 542 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTV. Tlic Railroad District. — This is probably our youngest district. Its name shows that it was not organized till after the opening of the Hartford & New Haven railroad in 1840, and we have reasons for be- lieving that its first school house was not built till about 1853. It was a plain, one-story building, whichin 1868 was somewhat enlarged and raised to the dignity of two stories, in which form it still stands on its original site, the most northern of the present school buildings. A new building of two rooms was built to the south of it in 1875, and this enlarged by adding two more rooms in 1885, so that now the Railroad district has six large school rooms, one small one and one recitation room, in which are employed eight efficient teachers. In 1864 but one was employed. Then the enumeration was 137; in 1889 it was 464. The public schools of Meriden now employ 87 teachers— 9 men, 78 women. The enumeration of October 1st, 1890, gave 5,895, between the ages of 4 and 16. ( )f these, 4,355 were registered in the public schools, about 1,2()0 in the private and parochial. Of the remainder, 338, most were under 5 or over 14 years of age. The Meriden High .School was organized at the commencement of the school year in 1881. Before its organization high school studies were pursued in several of the grammar schools, in the higher depart- ments of which girls were prepared for teaching and boys for college. But April 12th, 1881, the town authorized "a school of higher grade to relieve the pressure on the grammar schools," and the school was opened in the Turners' Hall, which stood where the High School building now stands, on the corner of Liberty and Catlin streets, but was soon removed to the Prattsville school house, where it was kept till the German-American school building was completed, when it took rooms there, which it occupied till the present High School building was ready, in 1885. This, built at , an expense (including land) of nearly $100,000, is one of the best high school buildings in the state of ■Connecticut. It is furnished with a valuable library, the gift of Hon. I. C. Lewis and Mr. Walter Hubbard; a working laboratory furnished with the most modern chemical and philosophical apparatus, by the liberality of Mr. Henry S. Wilcox; a set of valuable physiological ■charts, presented by Doctor Henry A. Archer; a costly cabinet of min- erals, presented by Reverend Doctor J. H. Chapin, and the use of the large and valuable collections of natural history specimens belonging to the Meriden Scientific Association, now, by courtesy of the High School committee, set up in this building. The school now (1891) numbers about 250 pupils, and graduates a class of about 30 each year. There is now invested in the lands, buildings and furniture of the public schools about $350,000. The cost to the town the present year is $61,000, and to the districts perhaps $10,000 more. The schools of Meriden were made free by vote of the town, Octo- ber 19th, 1863. At the annual town meeting, October 5th, G. H. Wilson, J. H. Farnsworth, W. E. Benham, John Parker and Russell B.Perkins, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 543 were appointed a committee to consider the matter and to report at an adjourned town meeting October 19th; their report was accepted, and it was " looted, That from the beginning of the current school year (September 1st, 1868), all public schools of the town shall be free, and the expense of said schools, heretofore defrayed from the avails of rate bills, shall be paid by the town."* Of the private and parochial schools which are assisting in the education of the children of Meriden.St. Rose, Catholic, leads the way with some seven or eight hundred pupils; the German-American comes next with some 200; St. John's Lutheran follows with 108, and the Emanuel Lutheran with 100. In the past other schools have played an important part in the same good work; among which " The Meriden Institute," a select high school, established by Mr. Henry D. Smith in 1847, and very successfully taught by him and Mr. David N. Camp till 1853, deserves honorable mention. Here " the higher English branches were taught, as well as French and mathematics, and the Greek and Latin required the enter Yale College." The number of scholars varied from 150 to 200. The " Institute " building stood where the German school building now stands — it is now a double dwelling house on King street. Posfs Academy, which stood where the house of Mr. Frank Rhind • now stands, corner of Elm and East Main streets, built 1841, burned about 1846, gave good instruction in the higher branches. The school was first organized in the house of the late William J. Ives on Broad street. This was followed by the Meriden Academy, instituted by the Meriden Academical Company, and kept in the old Baptist church on Broad .street, fitted up for the purpose, under the principal- ship of Mark B. Moore, James H. Atkins, Mr. Hill, William H. Ross. J. Q. Bradish, Samuel Young, Mr. Wilder and H. S. Jewett, from 1848 to 1865; followed in its turn by an excellent private school kept by Miss E. A. Landfear, in this and a neighboring building, till 1870. Nor should the lesser private .schools be forgotten. Miss Malone's, in Captain Collin's house, in East Main street; Mrs. Augur's, in her own house; Mrs. Bradley's on Colony street; Miss Osborne's on Wash- ington street, should all be enumerated among the educational agen- cies of the town. Several lyceums and scientific as.sociations have also been useful educational means. The Young Men's Institute, which flourished thirty years ago, and in 1855 had, by vote of the town, a large room assigned it in the town hall; the East Side and Up Town Lyceums; the debating so- cieties held for .successive years in the Y. M. C. A. building; the Agassiz Association; the Chatauqua Circles which have flourished from time totime,.one of which is now in successful operation; and the Meriden Scientific Association, Reverend J. H. Chapin, Ph. D., president; *Town Records, Vol. I., p. 386. 544 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Honorable C. H. S. Davis, M. D., secretary; which, though not incor- porated till 1887, is already sending- its reports and " Transactions " all over the world — none of these should be overlooked, or forgotten by one who would earnestly estimate the educational agencies of the town. The early settlers of Meriden as a class were devout people and esteemed the privilege of attending public worship even at places so remote as the meeting houses of Wallingford and Kensington. Both were really far-removed by reason of the bad roads which made travel- ing difficult. Wallingford seems to have recognized this difficulty and, in 1724, voted in respect to the 85 families living in that section, " that they may hire a minister for four months this winter on their own charge." Probably this attempt at separate services led to the desire for an in_dependent church in their midst, which, on the part of Wallingford, was granted, at the meeting held April 27th, 1725. The following May Nathaniel Merriam and others petitioned the general assembly for the consent of the colony to such an arrange- ment, whereby " we may be made a District Society for setting up and carrying on and supporting the Public worship of God among ourselves, with such Liberties, powers and privileges as other such societies have and by law enjoy." The assembly granted the prayer and in 1725 was organized the " Aleriden Ecclesiastical Society." For the next two years the society had worship in the winter only, the meetmgs being held in private houses. A purpose to build a meeting house produced considerable contention as to the site, each thickly settled section of the district claiming the location. Even after it was decided to build on the west slope of the elevation, which became known as Meeting House hill, there was no hearty acquies- cence and some of the dissenters actually hauled away, at night, some of the timbers intended for the house, to a new site on another hill in that locality. "Of course such a step excited no small stir. The other party assembled amidst great excitement, and loud and bitter was the controversy. A town meeting was called and the very men and teams who had toiled all night to carry the timbers westward were compelled to haul them back to the old site, in broad daylight, amid the taunts and jeers of the assembled people."* In the light of subsequent events and, judging the two localities as we look upon them to-day, it would have been better to have selected the site the discontented ones preferred. The site first selected and upon which the meeting house was built, had no particular claims except a possible closer proximity to those who decided in its favor. The house built upon the spot first selected was of the plainest style and was probably ready for occupancy in the fall of 1728. It was only 30 feet square, but was large enough to accommodate the district many years, in which it was kept in proper repair. In December, *Diieti)r Davis, p. -'12. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. fi45 1728, the Reverend Theophilus Hall began to preach in this house, and here, October 9th, 1729, it was resolved to form a church. After a day of fasting and prayer, on October 22d, 1729, was organized, of the following persons, the First Congregational Church of Meriden: John Merriam. Jr., and wife, Nathaniel Merriam and wife, Robert Royce, Samuel Royceand wife, Thomas Yale and wife, John Merriam, Bartholomew Foster, Robert Collins, David Levit, Ezekiel Royce and wife, Abel Royce and wife, Benjamin Royce and wife, Joseph Mer- riam, Dan. Balding and wife, Amos Camp and wife, Benj. Whiting and wife, Mrs. John Ives, Mrs. Benj. Curtis, John Hecock and wife, John Cole, Mrs. William Hough, Mrs. John Yale, Mrs. Joseph Cole, Mrs. Nathaniel Royce, Mrs. David Rich, Mrs. Daniel Harris, Mrs. S. Andrews, Mrs. Tim. Jerom, Mrs. J. Robinson, Mrs. W. Merriam, Mrs. Jas. Royce. Widow Royce, Samuel Ives and wife, Ebenezer Prindle and wife, Mary Hough, Eunice Cole, John Way and wife. On the 14th of December, 1729, Samuel Royce was elected the first deacon of the church, and on the 29th of the same month an additional deacon was chosen in the person of Robert Royce. On the same day Reverend Theophilus Hall was ordained the pastor, and served the church until his death, March 25th, 1767, in the 60th year of his age. He was born in Wallingford and graduated at Yale in 1727, when he was but 20 years of age, and all his manhood years were devoted to the ministry of this church, whose welfare was ever uppermost in his thoughts. He was, moreover, "a man of strong intellectual powers, much esteemed as a preacher, of great firmness and stability, and a zealous advocate of civil and religious liberty."* During his pastorate 250 persons were added to the church. Mr. Hall lived near where is now Curtis street, in the southern part of the city, but owned a hundred acre farm north, which is now the central part of the city. On this he built a house for one of his sons, which later became the building known as the "Central Hotel," corner Broad and Main streets. His eldest son, Avery, became a min- ister, and was the pastor of a church at Rochester, N. Y. The building of a new meeting house was agitated as early as 1750, and Mr. Hall offered to give a lot for the same on his farm, about a mile northwest of the old site. This place was so strongly opposed that, in April, 1752, Ezekiel Royce and Daniel Hough petitioned the assembly against its selection. They claimed that it was too far north to be taken as the center of population, and that another place, south of the spot, on Mr. Hall's farm, selected by the committee, could be reached by the people with far less travel. The assembly sustained the selection of the committee, and on the lot designated by it the new meeting house was erected in 1755. It was a plain frame build- iiig, 50 by 60 feet, with interior arrangements after the manner of so- called two-story meeting houses of that period. In 1803 a steeple and * Reverend James Dana. 34 546 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. bell were added. With some further improvements and repairs the meeting house was used until ] 831, when the present edifice, on the southwest corner of Broad and Main streets, was erected, at a cost of $7,000. The original building has been much improved and better adapted to the wants of the congregation occupying it. A historical event connected with this old Center church was the riot which took place there in the fall of 1837, in consequence of an anti-slavery meeting held in it by a Mr. Ludlow, an abolition lecturer, who visited Meriden at the request of Levi Yale, Julius Pratt, Fenner Bush, E. A. Cowles and a few other influential men. The announce- ment of the meeting by Mr. Granger, the minister in charge, had the effect of arousing much opposition, which culminated in acts of vio- lence on the evening the meeting was held. The door of the meeting house being barricaded by those inside, it was battered down by using a long .stick of wood, and those inside were treated to the indignity of a shower of rotten eggs and other offensive missiles. Others, on leaving the building, were violently treated by the excited opposition outside, and several personal encounters took place. The affair was made the matter for several trials in the courts^ which resulted in im- posing severe penalties upon those most active in fomenting the strife. The action of Mr. Granger in admitting such a meeting was criticised, but was finally approved by the society and the Consociation to which the church belonged. The sentiment of the church against .slavery developed from year to year, until April 15th, 1846, when a strong position against it was taken in a resolution which declared it sinful and admitting of no justification in the sight of God. After the decea.se of the first pastor, and when it was purposed to install his successor, John Hubbard, on a call extended him October 5th, 1767, there arose a disagreement in regard to the matter which seriously affected the welfare of the church. Both the manner in which he was called and the orthodoxy of Mr. Hubbard were subjects of controversy, prolonged in their discussion several years, and which arrayed the church into warring factions. Before the matter was set- tled the ecclesiastical and civil authorities were involved, and the subject lost its local significance; and when Mr. Hubbard was finally ordained, June 22d, 1769, .several of the ministers of the state refused to participate in the ceremonies. In consequence of the triumph of the adherents of Mr. Hubbard, about a dozen families of the society seceded and set up separate worship in a house one mile north- east of the meeting house. In the course of a few years most of them were persuaded by Mr. Hubbard's amiable disposition and concilia- tory conduct to return to the folds of the old church, where they sat many years under his ministrations. Mr. Hubbard was a pastor of more than usual ability, whose opinions were perhaps a little in ad- vance of his time, but who.se piety and virtue none could question. He died in the .service of the church, November 18th, 1786. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 547 Before the death of Mr. Hubbard, John Willard was settled as colleague pastor, in June, 1786, and his pastorate was also characterized by disputes arising out of his beliefs in regard to some controverted doctrinal points. The opposition to him was manifested mainly in indifference to attendance upon the public worship held by him, which caused a great decline of interest before his pastoral relation was severed in 1802. The ministry of Reverend Erastus Ripley, which began in 1803 and continued 19 years, was not wholly fruitless, but the church was much weakened by great numbers leaving to join other denomina- tions on account of dissatisfaction with his preaching, which was learned but so destitute of animation that it was uninteresting. Under the preaching of Reverend Charles Rich, in 1840, about one hundred persons were added to the church, and the reviving work thus begun was continued during the ministry of Reverend George W. Perkins, beginning May 19th, 1841. In 1847-8, especially, was there a power- ful work of grace, at the end of which season the membership of the church was about 400. Mr. Perkins was a minister of unusual energy and ability, perform- ing much work not connected with his charge. In 1854 he was dis- missed from the church at Meriden and moved to Chicago, where he was pastor of a chtirch, editor of a newspaper and also established a theological seminary. He died in that city November 13th, 1856, but his remains were brought to Meriden and lie in the cemetery on Hanover street. The revived interest in the work of the church, together with the fact that the village of West Meriden was so rapidly growing and had no place of worship, caused the society to consider the propriety of building a new meeting house in that locality, and sell the meeting liouse at the Center, where were two other houses of worship. Accord- ingly September 19th, 1846, it was voted to build a commodious house on the land of James S. Brooks, who subscribed $1,000 toward the project. The following year a frame edifice, 56 by 90 feet, in the Grecian order of architecture, was erected at a cost of $8,000. The building had a spire 196 feet high and was considered very attractive, both as to its exterior and interior arrangements. It was dedicated January 27th, 1848, and was last used for religious meetings March 30th, 1879, when it was occupied for memorial services, preparatory to the occupancy of the new edifice, farther north on Colony street. Subsequently the old church building was moved farther back, on the same lot, where it was transformed into the present opera house. On the old site the fine Wilcox Block was erected by Horace C. Wilcox, the purchaser of the frame meeting house. In 1848 a parsonage was also erected at a cost of $3,000. When the Colony street meeting house was occupied, in January, 1848, a separation of the society took place. The pastor, Reverend G. 548 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. W. Perkins, and 297 members went to the new house as the First Con- gregational church; the officers and 100 members remained in the old building as the Meriden Center church. On the 8d of March, 1848, a division of the property was made, each society taking equal parts of the common furniture and the Sabbath school library of the original society. The Center society also paid the Colony street society $1,000 for its interest in the Broad street meeting house; and thus these two bodies, parts of the original society, the one retaining the name and the records, the other the old meeting house and the ordained officers, each entered upon a distinct career, but both glorying in their com- mon origin and indivisible history, until the time this demand for separate effort was brought upon them. In the First church the election of new officers was rendered necessary and, in March, 1848, Benjamin H. Catlin, Homer Curtiss, David N. Camp and John Yale were ordained as deacons. The wisdom of the removal to West Meriden was soon made apparent in the increased membership. In the course of three months many per- sons joined the church, so that the rolls, in May, 1848, bore the names of 352 persons. The work of the church progressed thereafter, under the several pastors, with varying interest, but generally with increased effect, so that the congregation outgrew the capacity of the frame meeting house. A larger edifice of modern architecture was demanded and was erected during the pastorate of Reverend Alfred H. Hall. On the ir)th of October, 1874, the .society voted to erect a new church and appointed a committee of twelve to carry out its wishes. Eli Butler was appointed chairman, and Horace C. Wilcox, Doctor G. H. Wilson and William A. Read were chosen as the executive com- mittee. The plans for the building were prepared by Cutting & Hol- man, of Worcester, Ma.ss. Ground for the foundation was broken July 1st, 1875, on the site of the old parsonage, and the corner stone was laid June 8th, 1876. The architecture of the church is Medieval Gothic and the material of the outer walls is Westerly granite, of which 2,200 tons were used. A tower, 24 by 24 feet, relieves the front and when completed will be 190 feet high. The in.side columns are from the Stony Creek quarries. The capitals on the same are of Berea, Ohio, sandstone, the carvings being .symbolical and from orig- inal designs by Doctor G. H. Wilson, in which the best phases of natural and revealed life are harmoniously exhibited. The building is divided into the audience room proper, 84 by 116 feet, which, with the galleries, seats 1,;30() people; and the chapel and its accessories, such as library, reception and committee rooms, parlors, etc. The interior of the building is finished in hard woods and hand- somely furnished, including a large organ of Western oak, in East- lake design. The best effects of church embellishment have been employed, and at the time of its completion the edifice was regarded the finest in the state. The entire cost was nearly §157,000, much of HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 549 which was contributed in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $30,000. The new edifice was dedicated April 2d, 1879, by Doctor Leonard Bacon, assisted by many ministers of neighboring churches. Since the occupancy of the new church building the membership has steadily increased, the number belonging in 1889 being 564. Con- nected with the church are many valuable auxiliaries, the chief one being the Sabbath school, of which Erastus Hubbard is the superin- tendent, and which had 563 members in 1889. A Sabbath school was organized in 1818, with 130 scholars, but until 1830 its meetings were held in warm weather only. Since the latter date all year meetings have been held. In 1824 a pastor's Bible class was formed, which was well attended. Six of the original members became ministers. Adult classes have been taught since 1832. The Center Sunday school has 250 members, and William G. Hooker is the superintendent. The pastors of the First church from the time of its organization, in 1729, to the present time, have been as follows: Reverends The- ophilus Hall, settled December 29th, 1729, died March 25th, 1767; John Hubbard, settled June 22d, 1769, died November 18th, 1786; John Willard, settled 1786, dismissed 1802; Erastus Ripley, settled 1803, dis- missed 1822; Charles J. Hinsdale, settled 1823, dismissed 1833; Arthur Granger, settled 1836, dismissed 1838; George W. Perkins, settled 1841, dismissed 1854; George Thatcher, settled 1854. dismissed 1860; Hiram C. Hayden, settled 1862, dismissed 1866; W. H. H. Murray, settled 1866, dismissed 1868; W. L. Gaylord, settled 1870, dismissed 1875; A. H. Hall, settled 1875, dismissed 1879; Thomas M. Miles, settled 1879, dis- missed 1881; Lewellyn Pratt, .settled 1882, dismissed 1883; Charles H. Everest, settled 1884, dismissed 1885; C. H.Williams, settled 1886, dis- missed 1889; Asher Anderson, settled 1889. The Reverend William McLean supplied the church one year, 1834-5; and in the fall of 1840 to 1841 the pulpit was supplied by the Reverend Charles Rich, who declined a settlement. Other ministers have supplied the pulpit for short periods. The deacons of the church since its organization have been: Sam- uel Royce, Robert Royce, Benjamin Whiting, Benjamin Royce, Eze- kiel Royce, Ebenezer Cowles, John Hough, Isaac Hubbard, Samuel Royce, Nathaniel Yale, Zenas Mitchell, Silas Royce, Walter Booth, Phineas Hough, Nathaniel C. Sanford, Benjamin H. Catlin, Homer Curtiss, David N. Camp, John Yale, Edward C. Allen, Arthur L. Fiske, and the present board of deacons: William H. Catlin, Homer A. Cur- tiss, Erastus Hubbard, Nathan Olds, Robert P. Rand, Robert T.Spen- cer, Henry W. Seips and Henry S. Wilcox. James C. Twichell is the clerk of the church, and Benjamin H. Catlin the treasurer. Walter H. Squire is the clerk of the society, and its committeemen are: N. L. Bradley, Eli I. Merriman and Henry S. Wilcox. When the Center Church began its separate existence, in January, ilSO HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 1848, the deacons in service were Walter Booth, Silas Royce, Phineas Hough and Nathaniel C. Sanford. On the 15th of March, the same year, Reverend Asahel A. Stevens was installed as the first pastor, tinder this arrangement, and served the congregation until December 11th, 1854, when he was obliged to leave on account of the failure of his voice. Prior to his going, Reverend A. S. Cheesbrough was called as a supply, and so continued until November, 1855. Reverend Lewis C. Lockwood was installed June 3d, 18.57, and dismissed February 22d, 1858. From June, 1858, until June, 1862, Reverend O. H. White sup- plied the pulpit. Reverend Joseph Woolley was installed the pastor of the church October 22d, 1862. Reverend Edward Hungerford served the church next, his pastorate being very successful. After the dismissal of Reverend Edward Hungerford, in October, 1879, the pulpit was supplied until March l.st, 1880, when Reverend Alfred H. Hall was installed pastor, and under his faithful ministrations the church had, in 1889, 265 members. The following have been raised up as Congregational ministers in Meriden: Jeremiah Root Barnes, Daniel Collins Curtis, Erastus Curtis, Lemuel Ives Curtis, Joseph Edwards, Isaac Foster, Lawrence M. Fos- ter, Avery Hall, Thomas Holt, Lyman C. Hough, Jesse Ives, Henry Norton Johnson, Matthew ^lerriman, Charles Edward Murdock, Charles Loveland Merriman and Ralph Tyler. St. Andrew's Church (Protestant Episcopal) was organized in 1789. In a historical discourse delivered by Reverend Doctor Deshon, he stated that in all probability several churchmen lived in this locality as early as 1729. They '• were in the habit of meeting together for worship in accordance with the usages of the Prayer Book, and whose faith was sustained by lay services among themselves, and the occa- sional visits of clergymen." It is probable, too, that when the "Union Parish" was formed in Wallingford, in 1741, and a rude house was built for worship, that some from Meriden attended. In 1770 a mis- sionary of the church reported that there were in the district of Meri- den six families of Episcopalians, having fourteen communicants. Most of them, no doubt, bore the name of Andrews, the father of the family and his eight sons being staunch churchmen. The youngest son, .Samuel, was educated for the ministry in England, and being or- dained in 1761, became the first rector of the church in Wallingford, the pari.sh at that time including Meriden. Another son, Moses, was a small farmer in the western part of the town. This Moses Andrews and others of that family and of the Episcopal church became objects of suspicion to the patriot authori- ties, in the troublous times of the revolution, and he w.is forbidden to leave his farm on any pretense whatever, without permission of the selectmen of Wallingford. Denied the liberty of attending Episcopal worship, he fitted up a room in his house, in which the services of the church were held, Mr. Andrews himself acting as lay reader. Thus for HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. 551 a period of years a dozen or more persons were wont to assemble each Sunday, and these, properly, were the first regular Episcopal meetings in Meriden. It is said that occasionally Congregational neighbors at- tended these humble services, and that some of them were so much im- pressed with the order and devotion which prevailed, that they accepted the teachings of the church. Among the.se were Joseph Merriam and his wife, IMind well, who were afterward leading Episcopalians, the hus- band being senior warden many years; the wife, whose life rounded out a full century of years, being a faithful attendant upon the public service of the church even unto the 95th year of her age. After the revolution more toleration prevailed, and the purpose of forming a church was discussed with so much favor that a preliminary meeting was held, at which the following agreement was signed : "Meriden, April 13, 1789. — We, whose names are underwritten, do declare our conformity to the Church of England, and desire of join- ing the worship and sacraments of said church, do consent and agree to support the same. Reuben Ives, Clerk; Denison Andrews, Mo.ses Andrews, Isaac Atwater, David Andrews, Simon Perkins, John B. Douglass, Ezra Butler, Watts Hubbard, Seth DeWolf, vSoloman'Yale." This purpose was commended by the proper authorities, and the organization of the present parish of St. Andrew's followed, as will be seen from this simple record: " Meriden, Dec. 28, A. D. 1789. " At a meeting of the adherents of the Episcopal church, voted that we will be a society; also voted that Moses Andrews be the clerk, Denison Andrews and Isaac Atwater, committee. " Test: Reuben Ives, Missionary. " The pari.sh was immediately placed under the charge of the Rev. Mr. Ives of Cheshire, in accordance with the following votes: " Voted, That we will hire Mr. Ives to preach four days for this year. " Voted, To keep up meetings for this year." The parish had the missionary labors of Mr. Ives, in the above manner, except that some years he came six times, until Easter, 1824, the lay services being also continued meantime, Moses Andrews and others being the readers. In 1803, Reverend Virgil H. Barber preached on six Sundays, coming from Wallingford. In 1825, Reverend Ashbel Baldwin became the first resident clergy- man of the parish, who.?e interests now demanded a rector. Since that time the church has had a recognized place among the reli^ous bodies of the town, its .services being conducted by ordained clergy- men. The building of a church was considered as early as 1792, when Isaac Atwater, Seth Wolf and Simeon Perkins were appointed a com- mittee to erect one, but did not succeed. In 1795 the project was re- newed, and it was decided to build on the southeast corner of the 552 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. green, if the site could be obtained. Three years later it was consid- ered to build on the land of Joseph Merriam, near the present railway station on West Main street. Later in the .same year the sice on Broad street, south of the Congregational meeting house, was selected and the frame of the church raised. Plans of various natures to complete the house were entertained, among them being an application to the assembly for a lottery privilege to raise funds, and to enlist the co- operation of Baptists and Presbyterians, by giving them the use of the church when not occupied by the Episcopalians, neither plan being adopted. After ten years' effort and denial the church was com- pleted and consecrated October 18th, 1816, by Bishop John Henry Hobart, of New York, as St. Andrew's Church. At the same time he confirmed 38 persons. It was a plain and modest building, 4.5 by 36 feet, with nothing ex- ternally to distinguish it but the round-headed windows over the gal- lery. The interior of the church was neatly arranged, according to the fashion of the times. A gallery ran around three sides of the building. A huge pulpit stood at the west end, surmounted by a canopy, flanked on either side by a lofty flight of steps, and cushioned and festooned most lavishly with crimson damask. In front of the pulpit was a formidable structure which served for a reading desk. In front of the reading desk was a small communion table, enclosed by a semi-circular rail. The space under the stairs in the lower part of the church, by the side of the door, was used for a vestry room. After more than thirty years' use a church of finer appearance was built, and the old house served as a place of worship for the Catholics, being later converted into a dwelling. Its successor was a fine Gothic chapel, of brownstone, 45 by 80 feet, erected at a cost of $15,000. Its corner stone was laid June 8th, 1848, and the church was con.secrated by Bishop Brownell, February Gth, 18.-)0. Before many years the parish had outgrown this building, and as population had shifted to the western part of the town, it was decided to erect a new edifice at some intermediate point, between West Meriden and the old site. For this purpose a fine lot, near the town hall, was purchased, upon which was reared the present St. Andrew's church, the material in the second edifice, which was taken down, being used in its con- struction. The corner stone of the present St. Andrew's church was laid August 8th, 1866, by Bishop John Williams, the ceremonies connected therewith being impressive and largely attended. This beautiful house of worship was completed for dedication November 7th, 1867. The original cost was about $40,000, but subseqiient repairs and ad- ditions have greatly added to its cost and beauty. The latest improve- ment was made in the fall of 1889, and in the December following the church was reopened for divine worship. There are 675 sittings. In HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. 553 1889 a parish house was also completed, at a cost of $16,000, which was dedicated by the bishop of the diocese on St. Andrew's day. In 1825, when the parish had its first settled rector, there were within its limits 65 families and 70 communicants. On the accession of Doctor Giles H. Deshon, in 1850, the families numbered 95, having 117 communicants. His pastorate, extending to the time of his death, January 1st, 1883, was the most important in the history of the church, and the first one continued long enough for the rector to demonstrate his usefulness to the parish. His labors were abundantly blessed, and in the last year of his ministry there were 300 families and 375 com- municants. The parish monies raised amounted to $9,579.54, and the Sunday school had nearly 41, ;t>. i)l; Samuel Johnson, Mar. 2, 1777, iE, 33, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 571 On the west side: Obituary. — Benjamin Curtiss, Oct. 29, 17.54, te. 53; Aaron Curtiss, Dec. 18, 1763, St. 20; Rebekah Lyman, Nov. 8, 1748, as. 44; Joseph Cowles, Nov. 30, 1760, X. 83; Mindwell Cowles, April 17, 1770, ae. 89; Sarah Bishop, May 31, 1760, se. 43; EHzabeth Merriam, June 11, 1767, ffi. 70; Elizabeth Penfield. Nov. 30, 1765, ae. 18; Deacon Samuel Royce, May 14, 1757, ae. 85; Ezekiel Rice, Esq., Sept. 4, 1765, jb. 06; Ebenezer Roys, Jan. 30, 1759, se. 53; Joseph Merriam, Aug. 24, 1752, ae. 49; Deborah Merriam, Aug. 12, 1761, ae. 53; Ruth Merriam, Nov. 12, 1755, ». 72; Mind- well Rice, June 15, 1769, a:. 37. With the removal of the church to the Center came a demand for a burial place in the same locality, which was secured in the lot on Broad street, at the corner of Olive. This was deeded by Reverend John Hubbard, March 15th, 1771, and originally contained three- quarters of an acre, which was purchased by a popular subscription, as is shown in the following paper: " Whereas the inhabitants of the parish of Meriden, did in their meeting on the 18 of February last, agree to purchase a piece of land of the Rev. :Mr. Hubbard, for a burying yard, we, the subscribers being desirous of a speedy accomplishinent of said affair, do herewith our names subscribe the several sums that we will give towards pur- chasing said piece of land, and do promise to paye them to the parish committee within nine months after said committee shall procure a deed to secure the same to the use of the parish as aforesaid. Meriden, March 11, 1771. s. d. s. d. Samuel Leavitt 3 Hannah Hall, Jr 2 Noah Yale 5 Abel Hawley 2 Ebenezer Cowles 3 6 Samuel Johnson 3 Ezekiel Rice 1 5 Solomon Rice 1 Daniel Howell 3 6 Joseph Cowles 3 Ebenezer Cowles, Jr 1 Wait Rice 1 Samuel Whitney 1 6 Bezaleel Ives 3 John Miles, Jr 1 Timothy Collins 1 6 Theo. Hall 2 Thomas Hough 1 Josiah Merriam 1 Ezra Rice 2 Titus Rice 1 4 Aaron Hull 1 Thomas Menhaur 1 6 Moses Hall 1 3 Thomas Berry 2 Benjamin Rice 2 Timothy Foster 3 4 Aaron Lyman 4 Abigail Rice 2 1 Amasa Rice 1 To this place some of those interred in the old burial ground were removed. In the course of seventy years the Broad Street burial ground was filled up and a new cemetery was demanded. Some difficulty was encountered in selecting a place which .should accommodate all parts of the town, both the east and the west section claiining the location. After a discussion of several years ground for the East Meriden Cem- 572 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. etery was purchased in 1845, of the estate of William Yale and of Lyman Collins, about half a mile east of the Center church. This was substantially enclosed, and in 1847 the stone arch over the entrance way was erected. The cemetery is laid out with care, and is neatly kept. Many tasty monuments show the resting place of those here interred, representing numerous old families. The West Meriden Cemetery was opened by an association bear- ing this name, whose preliminary meeting was held October 20th, 1846. Elah Camp was chosen president; Doctor Benjamin H. Catlin, vice-president; Curtis L. North, secretary; Horace Curtis, treasurer. Three acres of land were purchased, November 22d,]S46, of Asahel Merriman, and the town was petitioned to open a street to the same. Soon after Hanover street was opened by the cemetery, which was enlarged by the addition of an acre in 1804. It is laid out with modern landscape effects, and contains about 800 family lots. There are numerous costly monuments, and the grounds are kept in good con- dition by the association. The officers in 1889 were: John D. Billard, president; Charles H. Collins, secretary and treasurer; P. J. Clark, H. J. Church and John I). Billard, directors. The association was duly incorporated June 14th, 1866. Walnut Grove Cemetery, south of the city, in its area, beauty of location and possibility of development is the most important in the town. It had its origin in a purpose formed as long ago as 1868, when a committee was appointed to consider the wi.sdom of opening a new ceinetery. It recommended that the town purchase the Nor- man B. Wood farm for $12,000, and in ca.se a cemetery association was formed before January 1st, 1872, to transfer the same to such a corpor- ation. After some delay in arranging the details of such an organi- zation, the Meriden Cemetery A.ssociation was formed August 6th, 1875, Eli Butler, president, and John Ives, secretary, and the town transferred the property to that body, which became a legal corpora, tion March 8d, 1876. On the 7th of October of that year the cemetery was appropriately dedicated, nearly all the clergy in the city partici- pating. The first interment was made soon after. The original area of the Wood farm of 60 acres was diminished by locating the new South Meriden road through the western part, which cut off about ten acres, but the cemetery was subsequently en- larged by adding about the same number of acres to its area on the north end, and in 1889 it contained nearly 60 acres, about seven acres having been highly improved for burial purposes. Already some fine monuments have been erected, which add to the natural beauty of the cemetery. In 1889 the officers of the as.sociation were: William W. Lyman, president; O. B. Arnold, vice-president; John Ives, secretary and treasurer. St. Patrick's Cemetery is the property of St. Rose Parish, of Meri- den. It has a beautiful and advantageous location on Wall street, and HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 573 is finely improved. The blocks are 16 by 20 feet, and are carefully kept. Chaste memorials have been erected, and it is yearly becoming a more beautiful spot. St. Patrick's Cemetery was blessed by Bishop McFarland, May 8th, 1864. Previous Catholic interments at Meriden were made in a small lot on South Broad street, which was vacated when the present cemetery was opened. CHAPTER XI. MERIDEN. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Nathaniel L. Bradley.— Eli Butler.— Andrew J. Coe.— Levi E. Coe.— Lemuel J. Curtis. — Charles H. S. Davis. — Seth J. Hall. — George E. Howe. — Emily J. Leonard. — Sax- ton B. Little. — William W. Lyman. — Edward B. Manning. — Edward Miller. — Samuel C. Paddock.— Charles Parker.— Cephas B. Rogers.— John Sutliflf.— John Tait.— Henry K. White.— Horace C. Wilcox.— Grove H. Wilson.— Bertrand L. Yale. — Personal Paragraphs. N. L. Bradley was born in Cheshire, Conn., December '27th, 1829. In Mr. Bradley we have a suggestive illustration of a successful man. The strong qualities which lay at the base of all his development he inherited largely from his parents. To the faithful exerci.se of these is to be attributed the abundant success which he has attained. The inheritance of character determines the trend of a man's life, and is the prophecy also of its end. Mr. Bradley's father and mother were Levi and Abigail Ann ( Atwater) Bradley. Levi Bradley was a thrifty farmer and a man of large influence in his town, who.se moral worth made for a wholesome and strong virtue in the community. Inacon- scientious observance of all his religious duties he was most heartily joined by the entire family circle. His sympathies were decidedly Christian, as evidenced by the liberal support he accorded to the work of religion. He found abundant time also for the study of his- tory, in which he was much interested, even to the close of his life. Because of such an example, it would be natural to expect moral excellence and mental and physical soundness in the children. N. L. Bradley was the youngest son among five children, whose names in order of birth are as follows; Emeline, wife of Alfred P. Curtis, of Meriden; Samuel A., of Cheshire; William L., of Boston; Nathaniel L., of Meriden; and Abby Ann, wife of Walter Hubbard, of Meriden. Of these only two are at present living — William L. and Nathaniel L. Mr. Bradley received his education in the academy at Meriden. His first principal was John D. Post, and Dexter R. Wright was the last. At the close of his academical .studies he became a clerk with E. B. M. Hughes, hardware merchant, New Haven, Conn., for one year. Then, because of the strong desire of his parents, he returned home, very much to the regret of Mr. Hughes, and devoted himself to the work of the farm. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 575 At twenty-one years of age Mr. Bradley had, as yet, conceived no other purpose in life than that of being a farmer. Farming was not remunerative and its toils not .satisfying to his ambition. The little fortune he had accumulated he placed in a clock factory in Southing- ton, a town about four miles away. His compensation was $1.25 per diem. It was here that his genius for work discovered itself. Conse- quently he was offered the contract for making clocks in the factory, which he readily accepted. In the event of the great accumulation of goods, which necessitated the stopping of work, it was proposed to Mr. Bradley that he visit New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington for the purpo.se of selling the goods of the company. The success of his venture was .so gratifying to the president that other salesmen were dismissed and Mr. Bradley was elected a director, and also the representative salesman of the company. The year 1852 marked the inception of the great industry in Meriden with which Mv. Bradley's name has since been associated. A joint stock company was formed (Bradley, Hatch & Co.), with a capital of $5,000. William L. Bradley and Walter Hubbard were members of the firm. So rapidly grew the business that after two years, in 1854, more capital became an imperative need. The Hatch brothers not having any money for investment chose to go out of the company. Walter Hubbard sold out his dry goods business, and with William L. and Nathaniel L. Bradley organized the company, under the corporation title of Bradley & Hubbard. The property of the joint stock company of Bradley, Hatch & Co. was purchased and a large business was permanently located where the immense factory plant now stands. The business was conducted under a copartnership until 1875, when a joint stock company was again formed, having the name of The Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company, and has since been so conducted. The first factory consisted of a small wooden building without power. Now there is a large group of brick buildings, the area of whose floor space is equal to about seven acres. At first six workmen were employed; now fully 1,100 operatives are enrolled. In the beginning of the business Mr. Bradley acted as manufacturer and salesman. In the course of time salesrooms were opened in New York, to the interest of which Mr. Hubbard gave attention quite ex- clusively. Offices and salesrooms are now established in New York, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. Their products have a ready and large .sale, not only in the United States, but in foreign countries as well. The most improved machinery is used. The closest attention is given to produce the best manner of work. The highest style of art is made subservient to the ta.ste of the trade. Each succeeding year evidences the greatest possible skill in intelligent artisanship. The showrooms of the Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Com- pany is one of the beautiful places to which visitors to Meriden are 576 HrsTORV of new haven county. taken. Here we have a true exponent of the city's industry and its mechanical ability. And it is a proof also of the enterprise of Messrs. Bradley and Hubbard, and of their efficient superintendent and sec- retary, Mr. C. F. Linsley. Their manufacture is in the line of chan- deliers and brackets for oil, gas and electric light, ornamental lamps, bronzes, stationers' hardware and tables, andirons and fenders, clocks in ornamental iron cases, taking the place of French marble cases, and a variety of elegant ware in brass and bronze which is not readily classified. Mr. Bradley's life in Meriden covers the most important period of the city's growth, whose population at the time of his beginning busi- ness there was about 3,000 people. He has been intimately identified with the development of its municipal interests. The demands of his business, however, have not permitted him to accept many official burdens, although urged to do so. At one time he was elected alder- man, and acting mayor. He is a director in the First National Bank, the City Savings Bank, Meriden Fire Insurance Company, Meriden Trust and Safe Deposit Company, Meriden Horse Railroad Company and the Meriden Publishing Company. He is also interested in other financial enterprises in Meriden. He has been a liberal supporter of every public enterprise. In politics, charities and the religious life his influence is strong. He is not too busy to give attention to the improvement of his town in its physical features. The streets, parks and cemeteries are objects of his special care. He is president of the Meriden Park Company. Any sketch of Mr. Bradley's life and character would be incom- plete without a reference to his interest in religious enterprises. He gives freely and constantly to proper objects of charity; every good work has his sympathy and aid. He was among the first to liberally provide for the work of the Young Men's Christian Association, to whose building he subscribed generously. He has been very closely related to the work of the First Congregational church, of which he is a member. For nearly twenty years he has been a member of the committee of the society, and through all that time has earnestly studied and labored to build up a harmonious and pros- perous fellowship. On the 2r)th of October, 1860, Mr. Bradley married Hattie E., daughter of Selden and Lucy Hooker (Hart) Peck, of Kensington, Conn., a lady who encourages the good spirit of her husband and cooperates in his benevolent and religious designs. One son has been born to them, Clarence P. Bradley, who is a director in the Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company. The family estate and residence are among the richest and most beautiful in Meriden, on one of the principal streets of the city. Ei.i BUTLKR, banker, Meriden, Conn., was born July 6th, 1814, and died May 24th, 1881. The ancestry chart dates Jrom the days of HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 577 Richard and Elizabeth Butler, of Hartford, Conn., whose "will " was proved in 1684. Eli Butler was the second son in a family of six chil- dren born to Lemuel and Salina (Merriman) Butler. His boyhood was spent on the farm, except that in the winter, until he was about four- teen years of age, he attended the district school. Beyond that age his education was obtained m earning a living and in making money, rather than by the tuition of the pedagogue. But that form of educa- tion worked well in his case, for be was by nature a master mind which could find " sermons in stones, books in the running brooks, and good in everything." Mr. Butler was not profuse in words, though they were at com- mand in abundance when he felt he had anything to say either in committees or in public: he was sometimes courtly in manner, giving an impression of being a little distant and yet free in the presence of his friends, and very fond of their company; quiet in disposition, but enjoying the social pleasantries of his neighbors; fond of reading and of games in the parlor. He was a man of indomitable wnll, and yet it was not stubborn, for it was intelligent. He was able to weigh matters on all sides, and possessed a judgment of unusual balance. His discriminations were accurate, and rarely were they ever faulty. When in conference with other men he was able to listen patiently to their opinions, and then positively, independently and clearly ex- pressing his own, to lead them in the courses of action which seemed to him wisest and best. These qualities made him a born leader of men, and they shone conspicuously in him, for instance, in the erection of the First Con- gregational church of Meriden. That church, as much as anything else in his city, stands as a monument to him. It is a magnificent granite edifice of costly workmanship. He was chairman of both the building and finance committee from the time the church was com- menced until it was completed. With him were associated positive men of diverse natures, and leaders in the life of the city of Meriden. As might be supposed, there was a variety of opinion to get along with, and opinion positively expressed. But Mr. Butler, as chairman of the two efficient committees, kept all forces working in harmony from first to last, and the noble temple stands forth as the magnificent ecclesiastico-architectural ornament of the city of Meriden. It is an interesting commentary on his ability as a leader of men that he voluntarily yielded up, in the last few years of his life, the final decision on many questions, to some trusted friends, giving as his reason that his convictions of the proper course to pursue were not so clear as they had been all his life. He had the uncommon sense to perceive a certain slight cloudiness of conviction coming over him, and the still more uncommon sense to declare that he would lead only when he knew he was right beyond any question in his own 36 578 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. mind. Clear sight and clear conviction had always been conspicuous traits in him. Like many prosperous Meriden men, Mr. Butler began his busi- ness career by selling goods in the West and vSouth from a peddler's wagon. He afterward opened a dry goods store in Radfordsville, Alabama, a town about twenty miles from .Selma. There he laid the foundation of his generous fortune. In 1853 he returned to Meriden and invested considerable of his property in the best paying home interests. His business connections in Meriden were widely ramified. He was founder, director, stockholder or capitalist of many of the princi- pal busine.ss concerns of his city. Besides being chief executive officer in the Home Bank, he had been for years a director of the Hartford & New Haven Railroad Company, and continued to be a stockholder when it was merged in the Consolidated Railroad Com- pany. He was director of the Meriden Cutlery Company, director of Pratt, Reed & Co.; also of E. Miller & Co. He was one of the founders and president of the Meriden Gas Light Company; also president of the Meriden Fire Insurance Company. He was one of the founders and the president of the Walnut Grove Cemetery Association; also of the Butler & Lyman Land Company. He was one of the founders of the Meriden Malleable Iron Company, and of the Meriden Glass Works, and akso of the Wilcox & White Organ Company, and besides a director of the Stanley Works, New Britain. But Mr. Butler's name is most naturally associated with the Home Bank of Meriden, one of the chief business centers of the city. The bank was organized in 1855, Mr. Butler being the youngest director. One year later only he was chosen president of the bank, taking pre- cedence of older directors, and held the office until he died. It is not a little to his praise that when the business devastation of 1857 lay upon the country, and nearly ever}' bank was closed, the Home Bank, under his guidance, was one of the very few which always kept open doors. Mr. Butler was originally a whig, but at the campaign of Fremont and Buchanan came out a republican, and remained an ardent sup- porter of his party until the last. He declined various local political honors which his party wanted to thrust upon him, such as representa- tive to the general a.ssembly and mayor of the city of Meriden. He consented to be made alderman and councilman for a few years, and was one of the ablest members of the city government. He was especially interested in three great departments of town and city affairs — the schools, the streets and the water .service — for he thought that such matters as those determined the quality of the city and its excellence of standing among the cities of the land. Mr. Butler was twice married. His first wife was Miss Juliette Ives, a Meriden lady, and connected with one of the oldest and most :E^?lyF.GKi!'^umJ}T -^yf.^^^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 579 honorable families. Four children were born to them, two sons and two daughters; the daughters were: Mary South, who died in in- fancy, September 27th, 1843; and Rose Salina, who died when seven- teen years of age, March loth, 1866. The eldest .son, Edwin Howell, whose patriotism made him a soldier in the late war, now lives in Kensington, and William O. resides in a spacious house, the gift of his father, and located quite near the homestead residence. Mrs. Butler died March 1st, 1855. The second wife was Miss Rachel Crampton, eldest daughter of William and Esther Crampton, of Farm- ington, Conn. Mr. Butler was married to her October 6th, 1858. She was a member of a much respected and long settled family of Farm- ington, and has been distinguished and beloved in Meriden for her many Christian works and virtues. Herself and husband found a delightful companionship in each other for 23 years, and their home was a most pleasant meeting place for all their friends. Mr. Butler was a Congregationalist, and by the unanimous and hearty voice of the First Congregational church of Meriden held the office of deacon for many years. He was a warm supporter of his church, always present at its meetings and generous in his contribu- tions to its various objects of benevolence. The poor always found in him a friend and helper. At the funeral of Mr. Butler a large concourse of prominent citi- zens gathered at his late residence, and his former pastor, Reverend T. M. Miles, of Lawrence, Mass., conducted the services. He reminded the many business comrades present that the strong staff against which they had heavily leaned was broken, and voiced the general estimate of the man by the choice of the Scripture text for the occa- sion, the Words of David concerning Abner, H. Sam. 3:38: " Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel." Andrew J. Coe was born in Meriden, Conn., September loth, 1834. The name Coe is a common one in some of the eastern counties of England, and it is a noteworthy circumstance that in that country, as in this, it has given the name to various fruits originated by members of the family. Robert Coe, with his wife, Anna, and their three sons, came from Suffolk county, England, sailing April 10th, 1634, and reaching Boston in the following June. They settled in Watertown, near Boston, and Mr. Coe was made a freeman September 3d, 1634. The sons and grandsons in one of the lines of descent were Robert, 2d, John and Joseph, covering in all four generations. Joseph, in the founh generation, married Abigail Robinson, and lived in Durham, Conn. To them were born five children, and Joseph, their eldest, born September 5th, 1713, married Abigail Curtis in 1739. They had ten children, and Jo.seph, the sixth in order, born May 31st, 1753, married Elizabeth Cornwell, and lived in Middlefield, Conn. Ten children were born to them, of whom the eighth was Calvin Coe, born April 11th, 1794. Calvin Coe was the father of Andrew J., the sub- 580 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ject of this sketch. His mother's maiden name was Harriet Rice. Calvin Coe purchased land in the town of Meriden, Conn., and settled there. Calvin and Harriet (Rice) Coe were married January 31st, 1820, and brought up a family of nine children, of whom eight sur- vive. Andrew J. was the sixth in order of birth. The families of both father and mother were remarkable for lon- gevity, five of the father's family having reached an average age of about 92 years; and the mother's father having died at the age of 87, and her mother at nearly 97. Andrew J.'s father died in December, 1886, aged nearly 93 years, after a married life of nearly 67 years, and his mother, born in May, 1800, still survives. Calvin Coe was an enterprising farmer, alert to adopt new methods and appliances, to procure improved breeds of animals, and to try every promising variety of fruit or other farm product. The first of any improved breed of cattle brought to the state were Devons, which he and Mr. Hurlbut, of Winchester, bought from the importers. Messrs. Coe and Hurlbut went to Baltimore for the purpose of get- ting the new breed. The respect shown him by his fellow-townsmen may be gathered from the fact that he served many years as first selectnjan of the town. Harriet Rice Coe, the mother of Andrew J., is still living, and though lamed by paralysis on one side, is able to walk and ride out. Her memory is somewhat impaired, but though more than 90 years of age, she is still a cyclopedia of information upon historical subjects, sacred and profane, and upon all matters of local or family history. She is also a most competent adviser in practical affairs, and is still able to fortify her opinions by very apt quotations from Scripture, poetry or other literature, with which her mind is richly stored. She is still an infallible speller. The Rice family were among the very earliest settlers in Meriden, and her father, Hezekiah Rice, was a thorough representative of that early type of which Lecky says, "It is probable that no nation ever started on its career with a larger proportion of strong characters or a higher level of moral conviction than the English colonies in Amer- ica." Mrs. Coe's mother, Lydia Stow Rice, was a philosophic and in- dependent reasoner upon all subjects, and had the intellectual gifts which characterized the wStow family. Early education coinciding with the natural bent of her mind, she had to a remarkable degree the habit of viewing all questions on both sides in the light of pure reason, uninfluenced by prejudice, feeling or interest. Her brother, Joshua Stow, commenced an address at their mother's grave by say- ing, " Here lies the be.st of mothers. She taught us not so much what to think as how to think." This same brother, Joshua Stow, was a member of the Connecticut constitutional convention of 1818, and was the author of the article in the constitution securing complete religious freedom to the inhabitants of the state, thus giving Con- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 581 necticut the distinction of being the first of the states to provide that religions opinions " shall be forever free to all persons." He was also the leader of the first party of settlers to the Western Reserve, or New Connecticut, of Ohio, overcoming many obstacles, among which was the refusal of the commandant of Fort Stanwix (the frontier post, now Rome, N. Y.) to let them pass. The commandant feared they would make trouble with the Indians; but Mr. Stow met the chiefs at Buffalo and secured their permission and friendship. Another brother, Silas Stow, presided over the first constitutional convention of New York, and his son, Horatio Stow, over the second constitutional convention of that state. In the girlhood days of Mrs. Harriet Rice Coe, young girls were expected to be useful, and she has now a pair of fine linen sheets, the linen of which was spun by herself when she was nine years old. But such labors, though they may have left less time for frivolous amuse- ment, did not apparently interfere with the acquisition of knowledge and social cultivation. In her 3'outh she was said to be, by a compe- tent observer, " company for young or old." While she acquired the manners that belonged to the old school, of dignity and repose, she was at the same time ready in conversation and a good listener. The foundations of character and womanhood must have been solidly laid in early years, for the woman who fulfilled, as well as .she did, the duties incident to rearing a family of nine children, besides managing the household on a large farm, could give little time to anything else. Andrew J. Coe's early education was received in the district school in Meriden, and in the academy located where now the Meriden Cor- ner school stands. That academy was taught by the life-long friend of Mr. Coe, Henry D. Smith, of Plantsville. Mr. Coe has always cher- ished profound esteem, in common with the general public, for his academic instructor. Full preparation for college was made in a pri- vate school in Middletown, and in the year 1851 he entered Wesleyan University, and graduated in 1855. Upon graduating from the university, he went to the study of law in a lawyer's office in Central Iowa. But in the new country malarial fever was prevalent, and he was soon prostrated by it. He returned to Meriden, when he had sufficiently recovered, and pursued the study of law in the office of D. R. Wright. He was admitted to the bar in 1858. In 1860 he was elected on the republican ticket to the state legislature, to represent his own town, and in that legislature served on the judiciary committee. At the close of 1860 he removed to Chi- cago. But malarial fever again obliged him to return to New Eng- land. Upon recovery he went to New York, and for three years prac- ticed law in partnership with Wesley Gleason, under the firm name of Gleason & Coe. But repeated attacks of illness of a malarial type, his system having become saturated with the malarial poison, compelled him to abandon 582 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. indoor occupation, and hence at this period he came again to the old homestead and engaged in fruit culture and farming. In the year 1867 he again represented Meriden in the state legisla- ture. At this session he was made chairman of the finance committee, the committee on contested elections, and by request of parties in in- terest of the committee, to adjust the court house contest between Danbury and Bridgeport. He was also made chairman of the special committee appointed in that year to examine the accounts of the state treasurer, the other members being Henry Keeney, Alfred E. Burr and Robert Buell, all of Hartford. At that legislature the city charter of Meriden was granted, and by unanimous nomination of the citizens of Meriden of both parties, Mr. Coe was appointed the first judge of the city court. This office he resigned in 1869, to engage in the fertilizer business with the Bradley Fertilizer Company, of Boston. He assumed charge of the Southern department of the business, making Charleston, vS. C, his headquarters. He remained sixteen years actively engaged in that business. He was also one of the parties to found the Cleveland Dryer Company, of Cleveland, Ohio, manufacturers of fertilizers. Mr. Coe several years ago relinquished all active interest in manu- facturing fertilizers, and has since resided upon the homestead farm, employing from 15 to 20 farm hands. It has been his ambition to apply the teachings of science in agriculture to every department of farm work, and for this purpose, as well as for the wider duties of society and citizenship, he has made himself a thorough student and practitioner of the findings of scholarship and experiment. Many of the best books of science, of travel, of scholarly investigation, and also the best periodical literature, are found in his library and on his tables. He is much interested in education, especially in the common schools, for the sake especially of those whose only school advantages are had in them. He is a frequent contributor to the pre,ss of the day, writing articles on agricultural and educational topics, and dis- cussing economic and scientific questions. Occasionally he appears on the lecture platform. In politics he was a republican, but since the tariff question has been the chief party issue, he has held an in- dependent position; believing in the teachings of economic and moral science, he is a free trader. He maintains a wide circle of acquaint- ance with the best minds, and has many friends among the best in- formed of the people. The choice gift of a ready memory makes him an interesting conversationalist, and both from books and from society his mind is stored with many-sided knowledge. The Coe residence is one of the largest and most imposing in the suburbs of Meriden. It is built on rising ground, and is therefore conspicuous from its location, as well as its proportions. And many ])ortionsof the farm are visible from its windows. It is built of brown- stone, quarried and faced on the farm, and the inside finish is of but- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 58? ternut and other woods, also the product of the farm. In this home an hour spent with Mr. Coe is made very enjoyable by the courtesies of the occasion and by the intelligent drift of the conversation. Levi E. Coe was born in Middlefield, Aliddlesex county. Conn., June 6th, 1828. Five years later than this date a little boy might have been noticed trudging along the highway and across the fields from his father's house to the district school of Middlefield, more than a mile distant. And only a few years later a "forte" for the last of the three " R's" of old-time designation was noticed in him. He took to mathematics as to a natural element, and while yet a mere boy would tackle and master problems in arithmetic which were far be- yond his years. If the .solution should elude his easy grasp, he would pursue it with intense eagerness, nor rest in his search until the shy fugitive was fully within his grasp. From the common arithmetic he advanced quickly to algebra and geometry. This mathematical boy was Levi Elmore Coe, the fourth child and third son of Levi and Sarah Ward Coe, of Middlefield. Levi E. is the eighth generation of the Coe family in this country. The name has an honorable place in history, so early as the persecutions of Queen Mary of England, in 1555. Then Roger Coe, of Milford, Suflfolkshire, suffered martyrdom ; and Fox, the great historian of the martyrs of that period, gives a full account of the trial. From the Coe family, so distinguished for religious conviction as to have a martyr record, descended the first Coe emigrant to this new world. In 16^4, April lOth, in the ship "Francis," John Cutting, mas- ter, Robert Coe, born in Suffolkshire, England, in 1596, and Anna, his wife, born in 1591, with their three sons, sailed from Ipswich. The Massachusetts colony had been founded only six years, and in June, 1634, the ship " P>ancis " gave up her load to increase the col- ony. Robert Coe settled in Watertown, near Boston, and in Septem- ber of that year was made a freeman of the colony. But stress of circumstance soon made a wider dispersion of the Massachusetts freemen desirable, and the council granted permission to certain citizens to remove their residence, and found new centers of population along the Connecticut. Families from Watertown, New- town and Dorchester took their march westward, and the Watertown people, among whom was Robert Coe, settled in Wethersfield. But Robert did not remain there long. In 1640 he and a fellow-townsman purchased for themselves and about twenty other planters Rippo- wams, now vStamford, of the New Haven colony, for £33, and com- menced a settlement there. Three years later a new court was established for the new settlement, and Robert Coe was made assist- ant judge. The three sons of Robert Coe bore respectively the names of John, Robert and Benjamin, and in the line of descent from the second son, Robert, there were in successive generations, John, of Stratford, Conn., 584 HtSTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. who married Mary Hawley ; Joseph, David, Eli, Levi and Levi Elmore. Joseph, representing the fourth generation in this line of descent, married Abigail Robinson and .settled in Durham, Conn.; and one of his sons, David Coe, who married Hannah, daughter of Nathan Camp, of Durham, took up his residence in Middlefield, on the spot where since, his son Eli (Squire Coe) built the house in which he afterward lived and died. His wife was Rachel Miller. Colonel Levi Coe, son of Eli and father of Levi Elmore, was born July 11th, 17SS, and married Sarah Ward, a descendant of the Wards and Millers, who were among the early settlers of Middletown, Conn. He won his title of colonel by his efficiency in the state militia. His farm wa.s located in the western part of Middlefield, and his pride in farming and stock raising was equaled only by his pride as a militia man. He took an active interest in all town and church affairs, and bore an enviable reputation in the community. In politics he was a whig until the republican party succeeded to its fame, and with that part)' he continued until he died. The two older sons of Colonel Levi Coe, Benjamin W. and Alvin B., were men of sound judgment, whose word had all the binding force of a written obligation upon their consciences. They both represented their town in the Connecticut legislature, and held other important offices. The sister, Aurelia, married Ichabod Miller, of Middlefield. The subject of this sketch, Levi E., having in his boyhood days formed a fancy for fine stock, continued his interest in agricultural pursuits, and connected himself with the Farmers' Club, the Poultry Association, and was .secretary of the Meriden Agricultural Society, and secretary and treasurer of the Connecticut State Agricultural So- ciety. Like most New England farmers' boys, he has been mainly dependent upon his own resources. When Levi E. became old enough to work on the farm, his sum- mers were spent in farm work, and in the winter he went to school. No days were so stormy as to prevent him from being promptly pres- ent at school. Indeed, he regarded the stormy days as the most val- uable of all days in school life, for then only a few would be in attendance, and the teacher would devote all the time to the few. In this keen appreciation of advantages lay some of the secret of his success in study and in life. The mathematical turn of mind, which was a gift of nature to him, enabled him to appreciate and estimate values, and was developed into a commercial habit for the sake of gain. In boyhood he frequently exchanged a boy's pocket possessions for those of other boys. His father fostered it still more in the gift of sheep, upon the profits of which he was to trade, and then also as a producer of values he picked up walnuts under his grandmother's trees, placing the proceeds in the savings bank, little thinking that in HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 586 after years he would fill the chief offices of a great banking institution for the savings of the people. His education was continued in academies in Middletown and Durham and Meriden. At eighteen years of age he began teaching school in Middlefield, Conn., boarding around, building his own fires and sweeping the school room, at a stipend of twelve dollars a month. But he soon rose to a wider field and a larger income. He followed teaching in Middlefield and Meriden for seven years, till 1853. On Thanksgiving Day of 1851 he married Sophia Fidelia Hall, daughter of Harley and Martha Cone Hall, of Middlefield. Harley Hall was the son of Comfort, who was the son of Ephraim, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Thomas, who was the son of John, born in England in 1605. This ancestor, John Hall, came to Boston in 1633, and was one of the original proprietors of Wallingford, Conn., in 1669. Mrs. Sophia Hall Coe was born April 6th, 1829. Levi E. purchased the Doctor Woodruff property on Broad street, Meriden, in 1852, and built a house there, and in the fall of 1853 Mr. and Mrs. Coe moved into their new home. Two sons have been born into their family, but both of them died young. When Mr. Coe was yet only 25 or 26 years of age, he was entrusted with the settlement of estates. So wisely were they managed that thus early he acquired a marked reputation for handling such trusts. During all of the succeeding years he has been one of the ablest and most exact appraisers of property in Meriden. He has been an ex- tensive dealer m real estate, buying and selling for himself and not on commissions for another. He has owned property on more than fifty of the streets of Meriden. In July of 1854 he was chosen treasurer of the Meriden Savings Bank, and he has been connected with the bank ever since, either as treasurer, director or president. At the first the assets of the bank were only $25,000, but he has seen them increase in amount until now they are more than two and one half millions. He is now its president, and it is a fact worthy of mention that the bank has never lost so much as a dollar by loans on personal, collateral or real estate security under his .supervision. His political affiliations have been republican. He has served on the state central committee, and has been constantly sought out by his political confreres for counsel and leadership. In 1867 he was appointed clerk of the city court of Meriden, having already been trial justice for a number of years; and in the years 1871-2, by appoint- ment of the general assembly, he was judge of the city court. In 1877 he was again elected judge, and by successive reappointments has held the office until the present time. Of other positions of trust which he has held may be named, town clerk, judge of probate, water commissioner, treasurer of Meriden Park Company, director 586 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. of Meriden National Bank, member of State Board of Agriculture, and trustee for town site entries in Oklahoma City. He is one of the incorporators of the Curtis Home and of the Meriden Hospital, and is identified with several manufacturing and social organizations of the city of Meriden. He is also a past master of Meridian Lodge, F. & A. M., eminent commander of St. Elmo Commandery, K. T., and representative of the Grand Commandery of South Dakota, near the Grand Commandery of Connecticut. As a boy he was very fond of in-door amusements as well as out- door recreations. He has made a study of checkers, chess and whist. In the first and last of these he is an expert. He has the opinion that whist is the " king of all games," when played by four persons skilled in the science of the game. By precept and example. Judge Coe has been a steady witness in favor of the sterling virtues or graces of economy, punctuality, tem- perance, cheerfulness, regularity of habits, contentment and conscien- tious discharge of duty. He is firm in his convictions upon all mat- ters, whether religious, moral, social or political. He is frank and outspoken in his opinions, whether or not they accord with those of his associates, and yet he is kindly tolerant of the views of others. He is conservative and independent in his actions, so that he is not always a follower of popular fashions and reform notions which mag- nify one virtue at the expense of others. Of the many cases which have come before his court during the seventeen years of his judge- ship, he has never been charged with giving a decision to favor one or punish another on any ground of favoritism or prejudice. Judge Coe was brought up a Congregationalist and Mrs. Coe a Methodist, but after removing to Meriden they both became Episco- palians. He has been a liberal contributor to St. Andrew's church, of which he has been for many 3'ears a vestryman. Lemuel Johnson Curtis was born in Meriden, Conn., January 15th, 1814, and died January 10th, 1888. There is an old book in the Curtis home, on Curtis street, Meriden — a book now prized above every other in that home, not only for its heavenly wisdom, but its tender and long-continued associations. It was a present to Lemuel J. Curtis when himself and wife began their married life m Walling- ford, hardly a year after their marriage. The tenderness and sacred- ness of the memories living now about that old Bible spring chiefly out of two facts : First, it was the gift of his father to him in 1836; and, second, out of that old Bible :Mr. Curtis read for family worship morning and evening, until the day of death came, when, in place of the u.sual Scripture le.s.son, his granddaughter, Mrs. Robert S. Morris, of Hamilton, Ontario, played and sang a sweet Christian hymn. That old book says, " The good-man is not at home, he is gone a long jour-. ney." But though "gone a long journey," and never to return again, Mr. Curtis lives in Meriden, in the grateful esteem and love of its people. .^^C-^^ d-^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 58T Mr. Curtis, during his young manhood, remained at home with his parents, the old residence being only a few rods from the new house where his last days were spent. Nothing particularly note- worthy happened in his life until his marriage occurred, with Miss Bedotha P. Button. Then began to appear the systematic, prudent and thrifty course of life which ended only in a rounded fullness and perfectness represented by the splendid charity known as "The Curtis Home." Lemuel J. Curtis was a gentle-natured, conservative, industrious, frugal, honest, religious man. All these qualities were blended in quite equal but large proportions, so that each one was notably con- spicuous. In all business relations and obligations he was exact to a cent, and prompt as the ever recurring sun. Although in the later years of his life he had abundant means for a showy style, he yet maintained much of his early simplicity of tastes, and moved about in business and .social circles in entirely unostentatious manner. Noth- ing was more beautiful in him than his sensitive regard to other people's feelings. He would not hurt them, and the greatest hurt to his own feelings would be the hurt of another, if it were supposed he had been the author of it. He earnestly strove so to shape his own conduct and life as to give no offense whatever to any one in anything. And this blameless living grew, no doubt, in part from his deep love for the welfare of other people. In illustration of neigh- borly love, it is noteworthy that he aided in founding nearly all of the principal industries of Meriden. His chief aim in all these busi- ness ventures was not money-making, though the accumulation of wealth for an object which lay near his heart may have held the second place. His chief aim was to help other people to help them- selves, and he knew of no way of doing this better than to cooperate with other capitalists in the founding of new industries or in the en- largement of those already established. He also cherished a generous pride in the growth of his native city. Mr. Curtis regarded himself noticeably as not the selfish possessor of his wealth, but as the steward holding funds in trust, and he was under obligations to administer those funds in the ablest, wisest manner, to make those he might help both better and happier. Bedotha Button Curtis was well chosen to be his companion. There was likeness of early training, likeness of tastes and harmony of opinions. For many years she kept the home in order with her own hands, and in times of great business activity did not shrink from giving to the manufactured goods of the husband those finishing touches which make them attractive to the purchaser. She was born June 9th, 1810, and though now more than 81 years of age and con- fined to the rolling chair in which she moves about the hou.se, she yet delights in the skilful work of the needle. The rooms of her large residence being thrown open, she can go from part to part of the 588 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. house; and, as she may choose, pop corn at the open grate of the fire, or entertain callers to the number of thirtj'-two per day, as she did on a late birthday. Within a year after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis moved to Wallingford, Mr. Curtis engaging in business with Mr. Elton, under the style of Curtis & Elton. But they soon returned to Meriden again, and Mr. Curtis entered into partnership with I. C. Lewis, and began the manufacture of Britannia ware. This partnership con- tinued with his life-long friend, Mr. Lewis, only a few years, and was dissolved that he might enter upon business for himself alone, or in company with his brother, Edwin Curtis. He built a new shop on the street bearing his family name and opposite his boyhood home. Again this partnership was dissolved, and on May 10th, 1852, he en- tered into company with W. W. Lyman for the manufacture of hol- low ware. Then, in December, 1852, the Meriden Britannia Company was formed, and Mr. Curtis was one of the founders. Here the ground-work of his large fortune was laid, and he became able to carry out the secret purpose of his heart, to establish a great charity for "orphan and destitute children and aged women.'" Mr. Ctirtis sprang from a religious family. His father, Elisha Curtis, was a churchman from conviction, and held the office of senior warden of St. Andrew's parish of Meriden. His brother, Edwin, fol- lowed the father in the office, and gave proof of his attachment to the church in a legacy of $30,000. Lemuel J. succeeded his brother Edwin as senior warden, and held the office as long as he lived. The inter- ests of the church lay always very near his heart, and in his death the parish of St. Andrews lost a great and beloved friend, whose memory loses none of its preciousness as the years go by, and those who knew him personally live. The golden wedding of Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Curtis was observed on the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage, Christmas eve, 1885. No formal invitations had been issued, but instead a general invitation, sent out through the daily paper, that all who cared to come would be welcome. And the house was filled with guests who came in esteem and love to celebrate the event. Some friends who were present at their marriage fifty years before were present that evening, as Mr. and Mrs. L C. Lewis and Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Lyman. But the good life was drawing on to its close, and sensing the coming of the end years before it came, Mr. Curtis began to carry out his cherished purpose of charity to the orphan and the aged woman. He first whispered his purpose to his pastor. Reverend Giles Deshon, rector of St. Andrew's, and sought counsel of him. At a meeting of the vestry at the rectory, and before the project of " The Curtis Home "had been made public. Doctor Deshon began the announce- ment in these words : " I shall never forget ; God has put it into the heart of a dear brother to do something for the unfortunate." And HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 589 then the rector unfolded the proposition of providing a home foraged women and orphan children, and said: " The would-be benefactor" (without mentioning his name) " desired the vestry to take charge of the matter." Mr. Curtis built " The Curtis Home," which crowns the brow of the elevated parcel of land he had set apart for the purpose in the southern edge of the city of Meriden. It "commands a view of beau- tifully diversified country to the south and west. The building is built of brick, with stone and terra-cotta trimmings, is heated with steam, IS furnished with all the modern improvements and can accom- modate about sixty inmates." " The Curtis Home " was incorporated March 19th, 1885, and put in charge of "a body politic," consisting of the " rector, wardens and vestrymen of St. Andrew's parish of Meri- den." Mr. Curtis' modesty in the matter was so pronounced that when the time came for securing an act of incorporation from the Connecticut legislature, it was only after urgent solicitation that he consented to have his name used in the corporate title of the institu- tion. And with the corporate body is associated a board of managers, composed of representatives from the different Christian churches of the city of Meriden. His daughter, Miss Celia J. Curtis, was very fit- tingly elected president of the board. This wide representation is evidence of the tolerant spirit of the generous founder. The corporate trust was put into the hands of churchmen like the donor himself, for who could know better his spirit and will, and who could carry out more effectively the condi- tions of the trust than they ? At the same time all the Christian churches were called in to manage the great charity, as evincing that the heart of the donor embraced all the needy "orphan and destitute children and aged women " in its benevolent love. The Curtis Home very soon filled up with those for whom it was erected; and while he lived Mr. Curtis gave a generous daily support to it, and in his will, made in 1876, he provided generously, not only for its maintenance at its present size, but for enlargement and growth. In the founding of this splendid charity, Mr. Curtis had the hearty approval of his wife. In his will he made a variety of legacies pro- viding abundantly for his nearest kin, donating various sums to cer- tain good objects, and then bestowing his residuary estate, of more than $400,000, upon the poor, who, the old Bible, which he had so- long cherished, declared, should be always present in society. And now his memory is reaping the blessing which that old book pro- nounced: " Blessed is he that considereth the poor." To Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were born two children : Celia J. Curtis, the loving companion of her mother, and Mrs. Adelaid A. Parker, who died March 13th, 1869. A granddaughter, Mrs. Robert .S. Morris, daughter of Mrs. Parker, lives in Hamilton, Ontario. 590 HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. The life and labors and charity of Mr. Curtis are a perpetual benediction to Meriden. Charles Henry Stanley Davis, M. D., Ph. D., was born in Goshen, Conn., March 2d, 1840. He is the seventh in direct descent from Dolor Davis, who came from Kent, England, in 1634, and was one of the first settlers of Barnstable, Mass. Doctor Davis' father was a physician who practiced his profession in Litchfield and Plymouth, and came to Meriden in 1849. Doctor Davis received his education in the pTiblic school?, and was prepared for college under private tutors, but owing- to the breaking out of the civil war he gave up the idea of entering college and went to New York, and with Charles H. Thomas, a well known Oriental scholar, opened a book store, dealing principally in philological works. In a back room of this book store the Ameri- can Philological Society was organized, with Reverend Doctor Nathan Brown, who translated the Bible into Assamese, and was afterward ■engaged in translating the Bible into Japanese, as president, and Doctor Davis as corresponding seci-etary. Doctor Davis soon sold out his interest in the book store and began the study of medicine, under Doctor William T. Baker, and entered the Bellevue Hospital Medical School. After a course at Bellevue he entered the medical department ■of the New York University, and when he graduated received not only his diploma, but a certificate of honor signed by Doctors Valen- tine Mott, John W. Draper and the rest of the faculty, in testimony of having passed one of the best examinations, and having pursued a fuller course of study than is usually followed by medical students. After graduatingf. Doctor Davis attended a course of lectures at the University of Maryland, and another at the Harvard Medical School. In 1865 he succeeded his father in business, and soon built up a large and lucrative practice. In 1872 he went abroad for travel and study, remaining some eight months, visiting nearly all the countries in Europe. More recently he crossed this continent by way of Arizona and New Mexico, sailed up the coast a thou.sand miles, and returned by way of Puget Sound and the northern states. In 1870, Doctor Davis published a history of Wallingford and Meriden, a work of a thousand pages, and very complete in the genealogies of old Wallingford and Meriden families. He has also written " The Voice as a Musical In- strument," published by ( )liver Ditson & Co., and which has had a very large sale; a work "On the Classification and Education of the Feeble- Minded, Imbecile and Idiotic," which has become authority on the subject. For four years Doctor Davis edited the " Index to Periodi- cal Literature," for the American News Company, and also edited the first volume of the " Boston Medical Register." He has contributed largely to the medical and scientific press; many of his articles on the education of feeble-minded children were tran.slated in the Spanish language and published in El Rcpcrtorio Medico. For over thirty years Doctor Davis has been a diligent student of Oriental languages and HISTORY 0F NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 591 literature. He has acquired considerable knowledge of Hebrew, Ar- abic, Assyrian and Egyptian, besides being a good French scholar. For four years he has edited Biblia, a journal devoted to Oriental Archaeology, and the organ in this country of the Egypt and Palestine Exploration Funds. This journal is the organ of Egyptologists in this country, and has quite a large circulation in Europe. Doctor Davis was •one of the founders of the Meriden Scientific Association, has always been director of its section of Archaeology and Ethnology, from the first its recording and corresponding secretary, a position which is no sinecure, as the association exchanges its transactions with over four -hundred American and foreign societies. Doctor Davis has been a member of the school board some twenty years, was acting school visitor five years and was chairman of its board six years, and has been a member of the high school committee nine years, and was for some time chairman of the committee. He is also secretary of the board of trustees of the State Reform school. While never greatly interested in politics, he has filled most of the offices in the gift of his townsmen. He was sent to the legislature in 1873, the first demo- •cratic representative that Meriden had sent in twenty years. At this session he served as chairman of the committee on education. In 1885 he served as clerk on the same committee, and in 1886 he served on committees on insurance and constitutional amendment. In ISS.'i he was nominated as judge of probate for the Meriden district, but declined In 1886 he received the nomination for state senator for the Sixth senatorial district, but was defeated by 33 votes, although in Meriden he ran 200 ahead of the opposing candidate. In 1886 he was elected mayor of the city by a large majority, was reelected in 1887, and declined the nomination in 1888. Doctor Davis is a member of St. Elmo Commandery of Knights Templars, is a 32d degree Mason, and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine; an Odd Fellow, member of the Knights of Pythias, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Forest- ers, and some dozen other benevolent and protective orders. He is also a member of the Society d' Anthropologie of Paris, the Society of Biblical Archaeology of London, the Royal Archaeological In.stitute of Great Britain, the International Congress of Orientalists, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Ethnological -Society, honorary member of the Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Wiscon- sin, Buffalo, Chicago and Minnesota Historical vSocieties, one of the honorary secretaries for the United States of the Egypt Exploration Fund, and is a member of a number of other medical, literary and scientific societies. Doctor Davis is at present engaged with a well known Egyptologist in preparing for publication a work entitled " Egypt and its Monuments, Illustrative and Descriptive," to contain over one thousand photogravures. Doctor Davis' professional work occupies his time from twelve to fourteen hours a day. All of his other work is simply a relaxation from the laborious duties of a busy physician. 592 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. vSeth J. Hall, a descendant of John Hall, who was born in Eng- land in 1605, and who died in Wallingford, Conn., in 1676, was born in Middletown, Westfield Society, September 4th, 1829. He was edu- cated in public and private schools. At an early age he began teach- ing, and for nine years was a succe.ssful teacher. Until he was twenty years old he worked on a farm during the summer vacations, and then he came to Meriden and entered the hardware and crockery store of H. W. Curtis, as bookkeeper and salesman, where he remained until 1861. He then started in the flour, grain and feed business, and five years later he formed a partnership with Isaac C. and Jared Lewis, under the firm name of I. C. Lewis & Co., which continued for about two years and a half, when the partnership was dissolved, and since then Mr. Hall has conducted the business himself, adding coal a few years since. By strict attention to business and honest dealing with every one. Mr. Hall has become one of the largest and most .suc- ce.ssful dealers in Meriden, and his reputation in business circles is of the highest. While he has never sought office, he has never refused when re- quested by his fellow-townsmen to serve them. He has been a mem- ber of the city council, selectman four years, chairman of the board of relief two terms, justice of the peace several years, treasurer and trus- tee of Meriden City Hospital, trea.surer and trustee of the Young Men's Christian Association, also serving on the building committee and board of managers. Mr. Hall served as one of the directors of the Middlesex County Bank several years, when he resigned. He has been with the Meriden City Savings Bank since its organiza- tion, serving as director and loaning committee. Mr. Hall has been identified with church and educational matters, serving in various capacities. He is one of the trustees of the State Reform School. In 1890 he was elected senator for the Sixth senatorial district by a large majority. Mr. Hall married Lois, daughter of Silas and Esther (Buel) Blakes- lee, of Wallingford, and has four children. Georce E. Howe was born in Livonia, Livingston county, N. Y., May 31st, 1825. At the age of 14 years his parents removed to Ohio, where he received an academic education at the Western Reserve Seminary. He commenced teaching in the common schools at an early age. Soon his teaching and executive ability were recognized, and he was chosen principal of the Pamesville Academy, and still later was made superintendent of the public or Union schools of Painesville. This position he held six years. In the year 1859 a superintendent was needed for the Ohio Reform School, located at Lancaster, and Ohio's honored governor, Salmon P. Chase, saw in Mr. Howe the qualifications for the responsible position, appointed him to it, and the state .senate confirmed the appointment. Mr. Howe has always cherished reverence and fondness for the mem- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 503 ory of his great friend ; first of all because of the great virtues and ability of Governor Chase, and then for the unfailing and hearty co- operation the governor rendered in the application of the " family system " to reformatories. This is an important date, for in this appointment a new era in the management of reformatory institutions in all the land was ushered in. The change is indicated by the difference in signification of the terms "prison system " and " family .system." Hitherto the reform schools of the country were mere prisons, where the medieval meth- ods of discipline were in vogue. They were harsh and brute-like, as though animal force could yield a harvest of virtue. As late as 1872, when Mr. Howe visited the prisons of London, as at Cold Bath Fields, where 1,600 prisoners were confined, he found the tread-wheel and the whipping block to be the sine qua non of penal and reformatory dis- cipline. Or, if not the.se relics of barbarism, the exhausting labor of the "Red Hill" Reformatory was resorted to, where 300 boys were made to cultivate 30() acres of land with the .spade and hoe, no plows being used. But under Mr. Howe's administration of 20 years at Lancaster, the family system was substituted for the prison system. The discipline of the institution at once became comparatively easy, the morale was elevated, and so efficiently did the new system work, that the institution soon became the pride of the state as a reform- atory for boys of vicious habits or stubborn, incorrigible natures. So often the evil bent of the boy's nature is due to the imbruted conditions in which he has been brought up, that these cannot be changed, nor can he be reformed in them, only as he is taken out of them, and put under a government resembling that of the be.st Chri.stian families. Then will the better side of the boy's nature be developed. Mr. Howe has the satisfaction of .seeing the far-reaching results of the family system in reformatories. If the first ten boys received into the Lancaster Reformatory be taken as illustrations of those far- reaching results, it may be observed that one went through college with honors, two became prominent lawyers, and the others made good citizens. What, then, is the family system ? Reference is given to a paper prepared by Mr. Howe and read by invitation before the National Conference of Charities and Correction, at Cleveland, Ohio, June 30th, 1880, and published in the 29th annual report of the board of trustees of the Connecticut State Reform School at Meriden, Conn. In brief, the family system is what the name signifies. It is the creation of a pure, fine, well-ordered Christian family life for boys who have never been under such family government; and for this purpose there is the external form, and the internal spirit and management. The ex- ternal form consists in the classification of boys according to age and temperament, and the placing of them in well built cottages, which are free from the suggestions of a prison. These cottages are fur- 37 594 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. nished like a well ordered home, and are presided over by a Christian gentleman and lady, who, as husband and wife, hold the relation of .father and mother toward the youth of the household. Each family is made distinct in its management, but is united with every other, tinder one central head, " every family having its own school room, dining room, dormitory and play ground," while yet there is one con- gregate department where all assemble, presided over in person by the superintendent of the institution. The government of the institution, and of each family, is made parental, administered in the spirit of love and confidence. Kindness, honor and mutual trust are made the underlying forces of govern- ment. Physical coercion is iised only in extreme and incorrigible cases, and this, when used, is tempered by the humanizing spirit and genius of the best Christian family life. This system has now so commended itself to the regard of the civil authorities in many states, who have jurisdiction over criminal and truant youths, that it has spread from Lancaster into other states. Indiana was one of the first to follow Ohio, and then the system spread , to New Jersey, to Connecticut, to the District of Columbia, to Penn- sylvania, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Mr. Howe had much to do with the establishment of the system in all these states, being appealed to for counsel in the construction of buildings and in the general management. He has furnished plans for the adoption of the system in many .states, and has been sought out by committees from states so far away even as Oregon and California. While holding this position at Lancaster, Ohio, Mr. Howe was in- vited, in 1870, to describe the sj'.stem before the National Prison Re- form Congress in Cincinnati, and received the hearty approval of the congress, since the system, when once outlined, commends itself to the enlightened judgment of thinking men. In 1872 he attended the International Prison Congress in London, England, and was granted by common consent of the congress, three sessions of twenty minutes each, to speak of the family sy,stem applied to reformatories for youth, of its workings, and its results. Hearty applause was given, indicative of the strong and general sympathy awakened for the system. Mr. Howe prolonged his journey in the Old World, visiting the principal cities and noted places of the continent, and notably the celebrated reformatory near Hamburg, the Raii/ic Hans, at Horn, Germany, founded by Doctor Wichern, and the military bchcfol at Mettray, France. The family system now so prevalent in this country is essen- tially that of Doctor Wichern of Germany. Mr. Howe was the first to give it naturalization and thrift in this country. While in Europe he had conferences with Doctor Wicken, also with Colonel DeMetz, founders of the colony at Mettray, France. In the year 1878 Mr. Howe was formally invited by the board of trustees of the Connecticut State Reform vSchool, located at Meriden, £^o, -t' 5---, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 595 Conn., to take charge of that institution. He accepted the invitation, and on the 23d day of April assumed the responsibilities of superin- tendent, with the understanding' that the family system should take the place of the old regime. Improvement first appeared in the tetter dining room and the better food provided for the boys. The follow- ing winter the legislature granted an appropriation for the erection of a cottage and a chapel, seating 500 boys. This was the beginning of a new era for the school. About two years later two more cottages were built, and later still two more were added, making five cottages in all. The cottages were built to the right and to the left of the congregate department, and each cottage accommodates about fifty boys. So popular has the reform school of Meriden become that not only are appropriations from the legislature easily obtained, but judges throughout the state, when having criminal or truant boys to sen- tence, do not hesitate to send them to the reform school of Meriden, where the genial, elevating family system of government develops whatever of virtue and manliness is possible in a wayward boy. Since the 14th of ]\Iarch, 1847, Mr. Howe has had the cooperation and counsel of his excellent wife, for on that date he was married to Frances Milliken, who has been the equal partner of his plans and his successes. To them have been born three sons and a daughter : G. Worth, bookkeeper of the reform school; Frank M., principal of Elm- wood school for boys, Milford, Conn.; Charles C, superintendent of mica mines, at Bristol, N. H.; and Mrs. Clara F. Warner, Coldwater, Mich. Mr. Howe is one of the foremost citizens of Meriden, taking con- siderable interest in the general growth and welfare of the city; and the people of Meriden appreciate his residence among them, for they consider that his administration of the reform school has made it a great honor to the town and state. Emily J. Leonard.* — Of the women of Connecticut none, perhaps, deserve wider recognition and honor for their intellectual attainments and their moral worth, than the late Miss Emily J. Leonard, who died in 1884. The daughter of Jonathan Leonard, Jr., and Eliza E. Hodges, she was born in the family homestead in the town of Meriden, August 21st, 1837, and was a direct descendant of James Leonard, of Taun- ton, Mass., who came from England to America early in 1600. At ten j^ears of age she entered the Young Ladies' Collegiate In- stitute, at New Haven, and at twelve had won prizes for excellence in algebra, trigonometry, Latin, Greek and English composition. Sub- sequently she attended a boarding school at Middletown, and spent some time at the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. Between the years 1856 and 1861 she taught in Boonesboro and Lyons, Iowa, and at Greenville and Meriden, Conn.; becoming, on September 1st of the * By Miss Georgia Louise Leonard. 596 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. latter year, assistant principal of the high school at Medford, Mass. Professor Cummings, the principal, considered her the most finished lady scholar he ever had teaching under him. While studying French with Professor BochCr, of Harvard, she undertook with him the prep- aration of the American edition of Otto's French Grammar, of which the success has been so great, and herself accomplished the larger share of the labor required. The period spent at Medford embraced the eventful years of the civil war, when Miss Leonard's ardent pat- riotism found expression in the offer of her services as a hospital nurse, which, however, were not then needed. Finding Medford in- jurious to her health, she resigned her position in 1866, and became preceptress at Oneida Seminary, Oneida, N. Y., remaining there until July, 1867, when she accepted a better opening in the high school at Worcester, Mass., where her proficiency in French was especially commended. Desiring a school of her own, she took advantage of a favorable opportunity at Winetka, near Chicago, and left Worcester in February, 1870. Three years later she returned east, and became teacher of French and German at Maplewood Institute, Pittsfield, Mass., and in the autumn of 1874 started a private classical school in Meriden. Interested in the Harvard examinations for women, she passed the "preliminary" examination, and in 1877, in the course of her study, took up the subject of political economy, and, by request, prepared a paper thereon, for presentation before the Woman's Congress, to be held in Cleveland in the fall. This paper, " What is Money?" met with si:ch wide endorsement that it became the turning point in her life and work, and led to the abandonment of teaching and the devo- tion of her talents to the broader field of literary effort. While pre- paring for the higher of the Harvard examinations — afterward passed with credit — she was fascinated by the wealth of information and charming style of a History of Political Economy in Europe, by Jer- ome Adolphe Blanqui, a professor in the College of France, and shortly thereafter began its translation into English. This work, completed in 1880, was enriched with copious notes and references of her own, and elicited the highest encomiums from many competent critics. It has been eagerly sought for libraries, and is now used as a text book in various schools and colleges. The skill and fidelity with ■which this difficult task had been performed attracted the attention of John J. Lalor, of Chicago, who was preparing a Cyclopaedia of Political Economy, and in 1881 he engaged Miss Leonard to ti'anslate for his volumes, and later to edit them, and annotate the articles by English economists. Of Miss Leonard's lectures and essays there were: " Political Econ- omy," " The Function of Issuing Notes: Considered with Reference to the National Banks," which commanded much attention; " Blue Laws," "Church and vState in Connecticut," " Labor Not the Cause of £1^^1)7 HE Hairs Sons WcwTSfk /Pt^^±..4f:^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 597 Value." etc., etc. Other papers, including the " Definition of Botani- cal Terms," " Pollenand the Means by which it is Distributed," "Cir- cumnutation," "Stomata and Their Functions," " Dimorphic and Tri- morphic Heterostyled Plants," " Nutrition of Plants," and " Myths and Myth-Makers," were given before the Meriden Scientific Association, of which she was one of the chief organizers and promoters. While director of its botanical department, she prepared a " Catalogue of the Phasnogamous and Vascular Cryptogamous Plants Found Grow- ing in Meriden," and at the time of her death had collected, analyzed, pressed and mounted 749 distinct species. Miss Leonard's active mind and philanthropic heart were keenly alive to the leading questions of the day, and her pen touched them nearly all in a variety of articles, long and short. In no cause did she feel a deeper interest than in that of woman's advancement; and, as a member both of the National and American Woman Suffrage Asso- ciations, she was one of the most earnest and efficient advocates of the political enfranchisement of her sex. She was also a prominent worker in the Association for the Advancement of Women. The spring of 1884 was full of activity, until her fatal illness began on June 14th. For a month she lingered, full of longing to continue her labors, and when, on July 16th, she died of enlargement of the heart, there was left but the memory of one of those rare natures which make the world wiser and better for their having lived in it. The funeral services, which were very simple, were conducted at her mother's house, by the Reverend Doctor Chapin, pastor of the Univer- salist church, and president of the Meriden Scientific Association, assisted by Mrs. Isabella Beecher Hooker, who made a most appropri- ate and feeling address. Commendatory resolutions were passed by the Scientific Association, which held, on September 8th, a special memorial meeting, when addresses, recalling the thoroughness, amount and value of her work, together with her womanl)' qualities, were presented by its different members. In Miss Leonard's untimely death there was lost to the world a strong, earnest, active and useful life. Gifted beyond most women, she yet sank her.self in the one desire to add to the welfare and hap- piness of others. An indefatigable worker, she had accomplished herself in many directions, and was not only a thorough classical scholar, but spoke Frehch and German fluently, read Italian and Spanish, was one of the most expert botanists in the country, could perform upon several musical instruments, and sing, draw and paint. Painstaking and careful to the smallest particular, much of the great value of her labor was due to this precision of method. Con- scientiousness was the governing principle of her life, and a love of truth, inherited from her Quaker ancestors, forced her outside the beaten paths into those broader fields of investigation, where philos- ophy and science subordinated the ideal to the practical, the abstract 59S HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. to the concrete and demonstrable. She could not accept tradition for reason ; authority for fact. The works of Mill, Darwin, Huxley, Spencer and others, gave her insight into material causes, and so pre- .sented and emphasized the theory of evolution as to leave it, in her opinion, without successful refutation. For her the world of matter and motion — the concrete universe — became the sensible and the real, and life but their necessary expression; hence she grew away from churches and dogmas, and ceased to concern herself with that which could not be proved by physical methods and the formulas of science. While never denying a future existence, she thought we had no data upon which to base belief. Right life, she considered the truest, noblest incentive to human effort. Happy in doing good, she toiled for principle, as few labor for fame. Braving the cen.sure of the world in defense of what she thought right, she courageously avowed her opinions, no matter how unpopular, and yielded her con- victions only when shown their falsity or error. Her mind, singularly open and ingenuous, had no bias to prevent a just judgment of per- sons, of theories, or of arguments. She possessed a breadth of com- prehension, an intellectual vigor, and a mental grasp rarely equalled. Modest and unassuming, with wide culture, an amiable and buoyant disposition, refined and gentle manners, and a heart stirred to deep and generous sympathies and lofty aspirations, she united all the essentials of an exalted womanhood. Looking for no reward .save the approval of her own conscience, forgetful of self, the self she created has outlived her personality in the hearts of those she inspired to greater ends and aims. Enshrined in their memory she lingers " Like the sweet presence of a good diffused." As a torch in the night her noble example shines yet in the world of ideas and of deeds, to stimulate other minds to the same high pur- pose, the same untiring zeal, the same mighty effort for the simple good of humankind. Saxton Bailey Little is a descendant of the seventh generation from Thomas Little, who came from Devonshire, England, to Ply- mouth, ]\Ia.ss., in 1630. He was a man of influence and a lawyer. A copy of the family coat of arms is still preserved at the old home- stead in Marshfield, Mass. His ancestral mother was Ann Warren, whose father, Richard Warren, came in the " Mayflower." His wife and five daughters came in the " Fortune " in 1623. They were married in Plymouth in 1633. In 1650 Thomas Little removed to Littletown, now called Sea View, in East Marshfield, Mass. He "took up" several hundred acres of land, bordering on the ocean, and his descendants still occupy the old homestead. Their children were: Thomas, vSamuel, Ephraim, Isaac, Hannah, Mercy, Ruth and Patience. He died March 12th, 1671. HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. 599 Of the second generation, Ephraim, the third son of Thomas, born in 1650, married Mary Sturvetant. He died in 1717, aged 67. Their children were: Ephraim, Ruth, David, John, Ann and Mary. John Little, Esq., of the third generation, was a magistrate, a large land-holder, and had several negro slaves. He was the third son of Ephraim, born in East Marshfield in 1681. He married Constant Forbes, of Little Compton, R. I. He died in 1767, aged 86. He gave to each of his six sons a farm, as follows: To Fobes Little, a farm in Little Compton, R. L; to John Little, a farm in Lebanon Crank, now Columbia, Conn.; to William Little, a farm in the south part of Leba- non, Conn.: Ephraim, Thomas and Samuel each received a farm in Marshfield, Mass. To each of his daughters, Anna (Little) White and Ruth (Little) Oakman, he gave, with other personal estate, a negro woman. John Little, third son of the above, and of the fourth generation, came to Columbia, then called Lebanon Crank, in 1741. Born in 1714, he married Mary Simpson about 1740. He died December 17th, 1798, aged 84. Mary, his wife, died February 22d, 1810. aged 88. They are buried in the old cemetery in Columbia, Conn. Their children were: Gamaliel, baptized 1742; Otis, baptized 1744; Consider, baptized 1746; Mary, baptized 1748; John, baptized 1750; Elizabeth, baptized 1752; Priscilla, baptized 1754; Faith, baptized 1756; Charles, baptized 1761. Gamaliel, Consider and John settled in Columbia, Conn., and from them are descended all of the name of Little in that vicinity. Consider Little, third son of John Little and the fifth generation from Thomas, was born in 1746, and married Rebecca Buckingham in 1773. She was a descendant of Thomas Buckingham, who settled in Milford, Conn., in 1689. He died August 3d, 1831, aged 85. His wife, Rebecca, born May 13th, 1751, died October 25th, 1825, aged 75. Iheir children were: Samuel, born August 17th, 1774, died September 22d, 1853; Mary, born February 28th, 1776, died August 28th, 1853; Sarah, born December 29th, 1777. died July 25th, 1853; Rebecca, born June 17th, 1779 ; Fanny, born March 3d, 1781, died September 13th, 1794; Levi, born December 1st, 1783, died 1854; George, born March 25th, 1788, died April 5th, 1864; Lydia, born March 20th, 1791, died June 29th, 1807. Samuel Little, son of Consider, and one of the sixth generation from Thomas, was born in Columbia, Conn., August 18th, 1774, and married, first, Lavinia Richardson, in 1801. Their children were; Lavinia, born May 11th, 1802, died May 24th, 1807; Samuel, born May 6th, 1804, died February 9th, 1876; Anson, born June 20th, 1806. Sam- uel Little married, second, Jerusha Bailey, June 23d, 1808. She was born April 9th, 1781, and died November 3d, 1857. Their children were: Emily, born April 27th, 1809, died June 14th, 1830; Saxton Bailey, born April 19th, 1813; William Buckingham, born June 6th, 1815; Charles, born September 26th, 1818. 600 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The seventh generation, Samuel Little. Jr., married, first. Amy Pineo, December 29th, 1829, and, second, Clarissa Pineo, May, 1840. Their children are: James Pineo, born March 2d, 1881, died October 12th, 1883; Emily Jerusha, born August 2Sth, 1882; James Pineo, born December 15th, 1841. Anson Little married Eliza Ann Wells, vSeptember 17th, 1833. She died January .5th, 1882. Their children are: John Wells, born May 12th, 1839; and George Anson, born April 2d, 1845, died February 7th, 1862. Saxton Bailey Little, third son of Samuel Little, married Sarah Maria Tracy, August 19th, 1836. She was born October 13th, 1813, and died December 31st, 1844, aged 31, leaving two sons: Charles L. and Frank Eugene. The former is a well known builder and con- tractor in Meriden, Conn. The latter is post office inspector. Both were in the Union army. Frank served four years; first in the 15th Connecticut and then in the l()7th colored regiment, and was breveted major. William B. Little, fourth son of Samuel Little, married Harriet Palmer, of Vernon, Conn., May 19th, 1841. Their children are: Myron Winslow, born October 11th, 1842, married Emily Wright; Elliott Palmer, born July 3d, 1844, died June 31st, 1855; Anna Maria, born June 23d, 1846, died October 25th, 1855; Hubert, born November 14th. 1848; Alonzo, born April 17th, 1851; Elbert Cornelius, born Octo- ber 24th, 1853; Pre-scott Palmer, born September 16th. 1856; and Pay- son Elliott, born August 81st, 18.59. Reverend Charles Little, fifth son of vSamuel, born September 26th, 1818. graduated at Yale College in 1844, and went as a missionary to Madura, India, in 1847. He married, first, Amelia Newton, Septem- ber, 1847. She died in Madura, July 18th, 1848, aged 25. He mar- ried, second, Susan Robbins, September, 1853. She died in Lincoln, Neb., September, 1878. Their children are: Samuel Robbins, born in Madura, India, vSeptember 21st, 1855, died in California in 1889; Charles Newton, born in Madura, India, May 19th, 1858; and Elizabeth, born in Cheshire, Conn., January 12th, 1862. Charles L. Little, son of Saxton B. Little and of the eighth genera- tion from Thomas Little, born in Columbia, Conn, July 16th, 1839, married Genevieve M. Stiles, of Suffield, Conn., April 23d, 1862. Their children are: Sallie Maria, born March 3d, 1863; Frank Allen, born April 3()th, 1864; Arthur Edgerton, born March 19th, 1866; Edward Baxter, born October 26th, 1867; Isabella Annette, born March 19th, 1869; and Clara Elvira, born March 19th, 1878. Frank P^ugene Little, son of Saxton B. Little, born in Columbia, Conn., April 28th, 1844, married Jennie Coan, January 28th, 1868. Their children are: Mabel Jennie, born October 2d, 1870; Lena Coan, born October 9th, 1876; Charles Eugene, born July 31st, 1878; Ernest Butler, born January 30th, 1880. HISTORY OK NEW HAVEN COUNTY. GUI Saxton B. Little received his education in the common schools, supplemented by some instruction in Tolland, East Hartford and Bacon academies. Beginning to teach .school at the age of si.xteen, he taught fifteen winters, " boarding round," as was the custom sixty years ago. He taught one year in Bacon Academy, Colchester, Conn., two and a half years in Willimantic and three years in Greenville, Conn. In 18.50 he removed to Rockville and remained there nearly four years, which completed his service in the public schools. In April, 1854, he was appointed assistant superintendent and teacher in the Connecticut Reform School in Meriden, Conn., and upon the death of the lamented Doctor E. W. Hatch, P'ebruary 7th, 1874, was ap- pointed acting superintendent. He closed his connection with the institution July 31st. 187."), after a continuous service of twenty-one years and four months. The trustees of the school, in their report to the general assembly in 1874, speaking of Mr. Little, said: "We should fail in our duty if we did not signify to you our high appreciation of the well applied and faithful services of this officer these many years, and to testify that his labors in the position of assistant superintend- ent and teacher have contributed largely to the marked success of the school." Since he left this school he has made the tour of Europe, going as far as Naples and Pompeii. He has traveled extensively in the United States and Canada, visiting all the large cities in 87 states, including Florida, Southern and Central California, Yosemite Valley, New Orleans Exposition, Yellowstone Park, Luray and Mammoth Caves, etc. Mr. Little has filled many public offices in Meriden. He has been a member of the common council, of the high school committee, a trus- tee of the Young Men's Christian Association, and has been for many years school district committee. He is a republican, and a member of the First Congregational church in Meriden. He is a great lover of books, and has been an efficient helper in establishing a free public library in Columbia, Conn., his old home. He gave to it $1,500 as a permanent fund, the interest only to be used, for the purchase of books and to keep the building in repair. He has also given to the library a thousand volumes of books. He is one who believes that it is wise to give to public objects of charity while living, leaving no chance for one's heirs to question his sanity or thwart his wishes. He is regular in his habits, never using alcoholic drinks nor tobacco. William Worcester Lyman, son of Andrew and Anna (Hall) Lyman, was born in Woodford, Vt., March 29th,, 1821. In 1838 his parents removed to Middlefield, Conn., where his father died in the following spring, and William was .sent to Northford, 'Conn., where he was employed for five years on a farm. After residing in Wallingford about one year, he removed to Meriden in 1836, and entered the em- ploy of Griswold & Couch, one of the olde.st and most extensive man- ufacturers of Britannia goods at that time in this country, employing 602 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. some fifteen hands. Here he served an apprenticeship of five years and the trade being very dull, he remained idle for about eighteen months. In 1844 he began business on his own account, in the old shop where he learned his trade, the motive power being an old blind horse. The shop stood a few rods north of his pi^esent residence. After about a year he formed a partnership with William H. Bull, under the firm name of Bull & Lyman. He soon bought out Mr. Bull's interest, and not long after, in May, 18o2, he formed a partnership with the late Lemuel J. Curtis, vtnder the name of Ciirtis & Lyman. The works were removed to the Twiss factory in Prattsville, where they remained until the Meriden Britannia Company was organized, when they both became members of that company. In December, 1858, Mr. Lyman patented a jar, which is known throughout the coun- try as "the Lyman Fruit Jar." He spent several thousand dollars in perfecting this jar, and was the first one to publish directions for pre- serving fruit by this method. From this small beginning the busi- ness of manufacturing fruit jars has grown to amount to millions of dollars. He also patented an ice pitcher and numerous other articles. Mr. Lyman has held many positions of trust, having represented Meriden in the legislature in 1859, 1880 and 1881, and has also served as alderman and councilman. He has been a member and di- rector of the Meriden Britannia Company since its organization, some 35 years. He has held the office of president of the Meriden Cutlery Company, and is now one of the directors. He is now and has been for a number of years a director of the Rogers & Brothers Company, of Waterbury; has been president of the Meriden Cemetery Associa- tion, is a director of the Wilcox & White Organ Company, Chapman Manufacturing Company, Meriden Saddlery and Leather Company, Meriden National Bank, director and secretary of the Butler & Lyman Land Company, and now vice-president of the City Savings Bank. In September, 1844, Mr. Lyman married Roxanna Frary, the adopted daughter of her uncle, Ashbel Griswold, and has one daughter, who married Henry Warren, of Watertown, Conn. Mr. Lyman built a fine residence near the scene of his early labors, and through his en- terprise a number of fine residences have been erected in the vicinity, and it has become one of the finest parts of the city. Edward Baldwin Manning, son of Thaddeus and Esther (Rich- ards) Manning, was born in Middletown, Conn., January 21st, 1834. He is a descendant of William Manning, who was in Cambridge, Mass,, in 1634. A son of William was selectman for several years, and was sent to England on business for the Plymouth colony. Ed- ward Manning* received his education in the schools of his native town, and at an early age his father took him into his factory to learn the Ijritannia trade. After .serving his time and becoming thoroughly familiar with the business, he formed a corporation under the name of Manning, Bowman & Co., and was appointed treasurer of the com- ,-r\- x^^^. HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. 603 pany, he being then in his 26th year. The firm manufactured Britan- nia ware and planished tin goods. On account of better facilities and inducements offered by Meriden parties, the firm removed to Meriden in ]872, occupying the vacant factory of Parker & Caspar Co., on Pratt street. Mr. Manning was then appointed president of the com- pany, which office he has since held. The factory plant has been very much increased, until now the whole block bounded by Pratt, Catlin and Miller streets is occupied by the buildings of the company. The firm now manufacture granite iron and pearl agate ware, nickel sil- ver, Britannia, copper and planished goods. Their goods are sold not only in the United States, but a large trade is done in South America and Australia. The factories of the company are as well arranged as any in Meriden, and the plant is a credit to the city. The interests of the Manning & Bowman Company have always absorbed so much of Mr. Manning's time that he has been averse to holding public office. While in Middletown he was a member of the city council for two years. In 1886 and 1887 he served as alderman, the last year being chairman of the water and sewer committees. He declined a reelection the third term. Mr. Manning has twice declined the nomination for mayor, and also declined the nomination for sena- tor of the Sixth district, although in each instance he could have been elected by a large majority. In 1888 he was one of the presidential electors. Although declining public office, Mr. Manning has always been willing to give his time and marked business abilities to the wel- fare and growth of his adopted city. He was chairman of the build- ing committee of the town hall, the high school, and until his business engagements obliged him to resign, of the Universalist church. The increasing growth of the Manning & Bowman Company has obliged him to give his whole time to its interests, much to the regret of his many friends, who recognize his business abilities and social quali- ties. Mr. Manning married, in 1862, Martha J., daughter of Lester Robinson, Esq., of New Haven, and has one daughter living. Edward AIili,er was born in Wallingford, New Haven county. Conn., August 10th, 1827. Once imported goods in brass and bronze appeared to advantage when placed beside home manufacture, but it is not so now. The great factory of Edward Miller & Co. places as finely finished and as tasty goods on the market as can be produced by artisans anywhere. This company has large houses in New York and Boston, and selling agencies in many of the principal cities of the land. It has also agencies in other countries, as in Canada, Europe, Mexico, South America and Australia. Edward Miller & Co., ap- pearing in the Meriden factory and in its selling houses and agencies, is the achievement chiefly of the gentleman whose name forms the principal part of the corporation title, Edward Miller & Co. It is in- teresting to trace the development of both the man and the great in- dustry. 604 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Edward Miller was a farmer's boy, son of Joel Miller, and was born on the old homestead of his father and grandfather. Reverend Samuel Miller, of Wallingford. His education, other than in the great school of life, was obtained in the common schools of the districts where he lived, and during two or three terms in Post's Academy, in Meriden — a school whose touch is observable on several Aleriden men of Mr. Miller's generation. But after his tenth year young Miller's time was spent in work and practical affairs more than in the school room. He was evidently born for manufacturing rather than for farming. His father moved to Meriden when young Miller was about ten years of age. and the farm included the eligible spot where now Mr. Miller's fine residence is located, on Broad street. A .short distance away from his father's home, and on High street, Horatio N. Howard had begun the manufacture of lamp screws, oil screws and hoops, and candlestick springs; and when young Miller was about fifteen years of age he was employed by Mr. Howard to make these goods. Later, Messrs. Stedman & Clark, whose shop was erected on land where now the City Mission Block and the Meriden Savings and National Banks stand, on East Main street, desired his .services, and at increased wages Mr. Miller entered their employ. They manu- factured tinware, including tin candlesticks and tin lamps, in which springs and screws were used. Mr. Miller continued in their employ about two years. The ambition had now fully grown in him to manufac- ture and sell these goods in his own name. He proposed to his father, Joel Miller, that he buy a set of tools and manufacture these goods, and put them on the market in the Miller name, Mr. E. Miller working for his father until nearly of age. Afterward a partner- ship was formed, under the style of Joel Miller & Son. The ma- chinery was set up in the old wood-shed just south of the old family home on Broad street. Foot-power lathes and foot-power presses were arranged in position along the sides of the old shed and the manufac- ture undertaken. The partnership continued for a year, and now the young man, only twenty years of age, bought out his father's interest, and what remained of his own legal " time " up to his majority of twenty-one years of age, for $800, giving his notes. Prosperity at- tended the young man's efforts, for inside the next year he paid the note out of his profits. But the crude shop became too strait, and a new one was built a little north of the old home. Horse power was substituted for foot power. A little later a portable steam engine was purchased to do the work for which power was needed. All of these advances represent stages of progress. In the meantime Mr. Miller had formed the acquaintance of the lady who became his wife, Miss Caroline M. Neal, of Southington. She was born April 14th, 1830, and was married August ;30th, 1848. In Mrs. Miller her husband had won a diligent helper and a wise ■coun.sellor. She did not hesitate to aid him in light supplementary HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 605 ;entions in the shop when orders were pressing, and they two found at by close economy and thrifty business management their capital is increasing. But Air. Miller's ideas had grown greatly by this time. The op- rtunity for manufacturing in the old quarters became too con- icted. He must now secure greater freedom for business — more Dm and better appliances. And so, though against the entreaties of 3 wife, who feared their slender fortune might slip entirely from em, Mr. Miller purchased the large property of Samuel Yale, on nter street, where now the great factory stands. At the northwest rner a wooden factory was built, and a small stationary engine was t in. Even before this date the market demanded new inventions, for e use of camphene and burning fluid was becoming common. The .id gave a superior light without smoke or odor, and was much ;aner and neater than the tallow dip or the oil of the whale. But 3t as rapidly did Mr. Miller change the products of his factory to ;et the demands of the market as the market it.self called for new signs. He increased his production of fluid burners, making im- ovements as fast as needed. Invention went along hand in hand th manufacture. It was now 1856, and a disastrous fire swept through the factory, celling it completely, and destroying dies and patterns, lathes and esses — the collection of thirteen years. The engine and boiler only ;re saved from the general wreck. But the factory was rebuilt in the ring and summer of 1856, and machinery put in running order. Just en the panic of 1857 came on, and business was entirely prostrated. .1 the neighboring shops were closed. In this depression, the force of e cyclone waning a little, the first week of January, 1858, Mr. Miller mt to New York, determined to find something to do; and there he it Mr. Cozzens, who had brought from Vienna, Austria, a kerosene rner. He returned home on Saturday evening, determined to make is burner and improve it. The kerosene oil of that date was dis- led from bituminous coal. The oil fields of the country had not sn been operated, and the cost of the oil was high. The fluid rners were in much greater demand than the kerosene, owing to- e cost of the distilled oil, but Mr. Miller made the new burner and ,t it on the market. It is worthy of record that he was absolutely e first manufacturer of the kerosene burner in this country. Others Dn followed, but he deserves the distinction of being the first offer the burner in the markets as the product of American manu- :ture. A new era for illuminating was now dawning. The oil fields of :nnsylvania and Ohio were soon to be opened, and as soon as experi- entation had succeeded in cheapening the oil, and oil wells were und to be profitable, the demand for the burner grew immensely. 606 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. But Mr. Miller's manufacture was not confined to illuminating burn- ers. A variety of brass goods, useful and ornamental, were made, and the factory became again taxed be3'ond its capacity, necessitating en- largement year by year. At this time, 1866, it seemed best to Mr. Miller to associate with him- self other capitalists in the business. A joint stock company was formed July 1st, 1866, under the corporate name of Edward Miller & Co., with a capital of $200,000. Under the new .style, the already large plant on Center street continued to grow, until now the factory covers several acres of ground, and gives employment to about 750 hands. A large brass rolling mill forms a part of the plant; and beginning with the compounding of brass in different qualities as needed, Mr. Miller puts upon the markets of the world a large variety of the finest brass goods, including lamps in every pattern and finish that the trade de- mands, lamp trimmings, burners of several styles, spun brass kettles in great quantities, and bronze ornaments in many shapes and varie- ties. Mr. Miller is the sole manufacturer of the famous Rochester lamp. The utility, the finish and taste displayed in these goods make them popular on the market and leading in the trade. Competition only ends in yielding the prizes of manufacture to this company. In- vention leads in every part of the great industr\-, and the same pains- taking care and attention to details which characterized Mr. Miller's earliest manufacture prevails throughout the great plant, and makes it one of the most prosperous business concerns in the countrj'. Mr. Miller built his present residence on Broad street in the year 1867-8. The house and the grounds, as well as the location, are among the finest in Meriden. The spot is associated with his childhood days and with his earliest industry. The grounds are tastefully laid out, shrubbery and trees are set here and there in abundance, while yet the lawn is not overcrowded, and the gardener keeps them in tidy ap- pearance. The house within is richly furnished; art and music are given the chief place as surroundings and atmosphere for the family life. Mr. Miller has a sportsman's love for the domestic animals, and is a connoisseur of the horse, his own horses being among the finest seen on the road; and when he is in his own carriage no one but him- self handles the reins. In politics Mr. Miller is a republican, and an ardent supporter of the principles of his party. In religion he is a Baptist, and is warmly attached to the church on Broad street, of which he is a member. He has been one of the principal donors to the yearly support of the church, and in 1869 presented to that body a fine church organ, which has since been used in the worship on vSunday. Mr. Miller is a leader in his denomination, and is treasurer of the Connecticut Baptist Edu- cation Society. He contributes generously to the various objects of benevolence, both within and without the Baptist fraternity. The German Bapti.st church of Meriden was built largely by his dona- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 607 tion, and the Y. M. C. A. of the city reaped not a little from his gift to it. Five children have been born to him, three of whom are living. His son, Edward Miller, Jr., is the treasurer and secretary of the com- pany. He is a graduate of Brown University; and upon him has de- volved, during the last ten years, a principal part of the management of the company. His ability and experience enable him to transact business quickly. He is ever ready in conclusions, and can direct rapidly where another would consume much time. His whole atten- tion is given either to the office or to the field work of the factory. He is also an accomplished organist, leading in church music when occasion calls for expert leadership. Another son, Arthur E. Miller, is assistant superintendent of the factory. He is a young man of superior ability. It has been .supplemented by the example and lead- ership of the present able superintendent ; and both by natural fit- ness for management and by training, he is fast coming to be the peer of his brother as a very important factor in the Edward Miller & Co. Mr. Miller also has a daughter, Airs. Layette A. Kendrick, wife of Charles G. Kendrick. She fills a large place not only in the home circle, but in her church and in society. Samuel Clark Paddock was born August 31st, 1816, in Meriden, Conn. The family traditions in Mr. Paddock's line of descent trace back his lineage to Zachariah Paddock, who came from Wales, Great Britain, and landed in Rhode Island — he afterward settled in Middle- town, Conn., and died May 13th, 1800, in the 73d year of his age— and also to Hannah, his wife, who died March 3d, 1819, in the 81st year of her age. Their family included several sons, one of whom was Samuel Paddock, who was born June 18th, 1758, lived in Middletown— and married Mehetable Loveland, May 13th, 1782. She was born January 29th, 1759. Their son, Samuel, commonly spoken of as "junior " for the sake of identification, was born in Middletown, February 22d, 1784, and married Polly Sears, August 30th, 1803. She was born De- cember 2d, 1782, and died October 26th, 1822. Samuel, Jr., died August 7th, 1869. He moved to Meriden in 1806, and was recog- nized by his townsmen as worthy of the civic trusts bestowed upon him. vSamuel C. Paddock, the subject of this sketch, was their second son. His mother, who was spoken of as an excellent and faithful Christian woman, died when he was only six years old. But his father married Charlotte Yale, January 22d, 1823, and Samuel C. was not left without the watch-care of a very worthy and beloved step-mother. He lived on the homestead farm in East Meriden until he was seventeen years of age. The practical business turn of his mind may be in- ferred from the fact that earlier than this his father intrusted him with full power to trade some of the neat foot stock and the horses with any of the local traders; and his father was not only pleased 608 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. with the excellence of the exchanges made, but sometimes surprised at it. When seventeen years of age Samuel C. proposed to his father to be allowed to pursue business on his own account. Consent having been given he engaged to sell tinware from a peddler's wagon. It was the beginning of his independent business cai^eer. At eighteen years of age he gained full possession of his legal " time," and began the manufacture of brick. He now needed capital, and was able to borrow $2,000 solely upon his personal integrity and giving his indi- vidual note. He soon after purchased a small lot of land and a house in the eastern part of Meriden. and assumed an additional obligation by giving his note for $550 more. It was in the nature of preparation for marriage, for within a few months, March 19th, 1837. he was mar- ried to Miss Jannette Hall, daughter of Casper Hall, and grand- daughter of Brenton Hall, the first representative of Menden in the general assembly of Connecticut, in the year 1806, and great-grand- daughter of Reverend Samuel Hall, who was the first preacher of the gospel in the town of Cheshire, Conn. But those were the memorable panic days in the business world of 1837, and the many bricks in Mr. Paddock's kiln remained unsold. He left home in September of that year to sell goods in Alabama. He drove his team of horses all the way to Montgomery, and so succes.s- ful were his sales that he not only brought satisfactory returns to the company sending him out, but in the spring could count up his earn- ings to several hundreds of dollars. These mercantile trips to the far South he continued for several alternate years, having been olTered from year to year a considerably higher monthly stipend, until he had gathered funds sufficient to pay off all the note indebtedness, in- cluding interest standing against him in Meriden. He now purchased on credit in the New York market goods to the value of several thousand dollars, and shipped them to Alabama, buy- ing and selling on his own account. In 1854 he formed a partnership with R. D. Twombly, of Bragg's Store, Ala. — a man of the highest vir- tue and honor. He there purchased a plantation and house, and built a store, and filled it with whatever goods were in demand in the coun- try. The partnership was a prosperous one, and was interfered with only by the political exigencies of the time. The cruelties of slavery lay ever before Mr. Paddock's eyes. He had been trained from boyhood to believe that slaveiy was innocent, and that abolitionists were chargeable with maligning an innocent order in society. But the sight of his eyes in Alabama changed all this opinion born of earl}' training. There lay open before him " the sum of all vilL'iinies" which could whip to death the innocent bondwoman who could not pick the " task " of cotton before the darkness of night came on, or which could amputate the sound leg of the poor colored cobbler tomakc it of even length with the one alreadv lost— two events. ' ^:::k^^^^'!^^T^/tl HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. G09 Mr. Paddock himself was personally cognizant of. These things and others not so horribly cruel rankled in his mind, and though he kept discreetly silent, he became ready for action by the time the next presidential campaign came on. And when the opportunity was offered in the North, in 1855, he took sides promptly with tlia free- soil party, and voted for John C. Fremont for president of the Uniied States. But upon returning South to his store at Bragg's, it was hardly possible to allay all inquiries as to what part he bore in the campaign. It was known that he had sold hundreds of spelling books to the blacks, in violation of the statutes of the state. Was this law break- ing carried on in favor to the blacks, or -was it due to an inordinate passion for money-making? And it was also true that he prepared the old colored preacher at about midnight of Saturday for preaching to his colored congregation the next day, reading him a Bible story, and instructing him in the Scriptures for an hour, after all the white customers had gone from the store. And now did he vote for John C. Fremont for president ? It was 1857, and a rival tradesman in the South, a friend of Mr. Paddock's, and from the same Connecticut town, proclaimed on the streets of Bragg's, that his competitor did vote for Fremont. Cor- respondence was entered into with the postmaster of Meriden to secure from him a confirmation or denial of the report, in respect of his neighbor, and he affirmed its truth to his Southern inquirers. Then the warning letters were despatched to Mr. Paddock, who was in the North, not to appear again among his Alabama acquaintances. But on Christmas day of 1858 he arrived at Bragg's, where his store was situated. The Vigilance Committee at once met and decided to remove him the next day at one o'clock. At that hour he was conveniently absent and returned in secret only long enough to make out deeds and bills of sale of all his property in Alabama to his partner, who should henceforth appear to be the sole owner. This transaction was wise from more than one point of view, and not the least was the collection of the larofe floating indebtedness due the store from the slave-hold- ing planters of the vicinity, for they had determined not to pay bills due an anti-slavery creditor. Mr. Paddock at once returned to the hospitable North. But though, as is evident, his business prospects in Alabama were ruined by his political action in voting for Fremont, he has always looked back upon it as one of the proudest and most honorable acts of his life. With those prospects vanished, also many thou.sands of dollars in Southern securities, still he could do no other than vote his convictions, and there he stood. As between his free- dom as an American citizen before the ballot box and the subservient clutching to his property and business prospects before a vSouthern slave-holding aristocracy, there was only one thing for him to choose, 38 (510 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. and he chose it. From this distance he now sees that his action then was not only politically and morally right, but financially shrewd, for his pro-slavery acquaintances in the South lost all their wealth in the great national struggle which hastened on. His btisiness life since has embraced principally marketing and real estate. For several 3'ears he kept the largest and most numerously patronized market in Meriden. His real estate transactions have been extensive, and there are but few appraisers of real estate values excelling him in all the town of Meriden. He has always been greatly interested in the welfare of his town, and the promotion of public works. His fellow townsmen have done him the honor to elect him to the highest town offices. Mr. Paddock is by religious profession a Baptist, and a worthy and beloved member of the church, at whose coinmunion table he sits, but no man except himself has formulated his religious creed. He has been a close student of the Christian Scriptures, and bases his beliefs upon the direct study of them. While so charitable in spirit, and so tolerant of other's views, he is not the less firm and positive of his own. When a young man he could not read " fire and brim- stone " either out of or into the gospels of Christ, nor could the church committee convince him that the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is a picture of the realities in the next world, but rather in this. In his view Ciod is emphatically one, and the terms of the old theology describing him as three persons, are to be interpreted, to make them correct, as manifestations of him. So, too, Christ was the human pei\sonality in the long series of the human race in whom God chose to manifest himself wondrously, the manifestation, however, being npt different in kind from that in other persons, but only in degree ; and the work of Christ operated for man not as vicarious suf- fering for his sin, but as a powerful exemplary exhibition of divine love for him, teaching him how to live. He regards the judgment day as running parallel with human earthly life, and as being coter- minous with it, both at the beginning and the end, and not a stupend- ous assize at the end of all things temporal. To him also the second coming of Christ is a repeated event of divine mercy or wrath appearing in the striking providences which happen to persons or nations, such as the fall of Jerusalem or the san- guinary war which ended Ainerican slavery; and death is the dissolu- tion of the unjust into non-existence; but for believers in Christ, by virtue of their life in him, it is their transference to the eternal world, where all that is temporal and material has dropped away from them forever in the event of dying. Mr. Paddock deems these reforms of doctrine suggested in his creed essential to the full power of the gos- pel in the world, and attributes the greater part of the current scepti- f e // o • ^r, ,^ y^cyi^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 611 cism of the age to the false teachings so prevalent concerning these great biblical truths. Mr. and Mrs. Paddock are the most genial of neighbors and friends, and are held in respect of all who know them. They live now in the enjoyment of their ample fortune. Four years since their " golden wedding " passed gently by, and beautifully together, and amidst loving friends, these excellent citizens move down the declivity of life. Five children have been born to them, of whom two have died —Samuel Archer Paddock, born October 10th, 1847, died November 29th, 1850, and Adella Paddock, born March 16th, 1854, died January 17th, 1876. The living children are: George Byron Paddock, of Jack- son, Minn.; Mrs. Mary Ann Hall, of New Haven, Conn.; and Aland B. Paddock, of Elgin, Neb. Charle.sP.\rker, son of vStephen and Rebecca Parker, was born in Cheshire, Conn., January 2d, 1809. When nine years of age he was placed with a farmer by the name of Porter Cook, where he remained until he was fourteen. He continued on a farm until he was eighteen, when he went to work in Southington ca.sting buttons for Anson Mat- thews. He remained there one year and then removed to Naugatuck, then a part of Waterbury, where he worked for Horace and Harry Smith about six months. In August, 1828, Mr. Parker came to Mer- iden and hired out to Patrick Lewis, making coffee mills. In Decem- ber, 1829, he went into business for himself with a capital of $70, tak- ing a contract from Lewis & Holt for thirteen months to manufacture coffee mills. During the thirteen months Mr. Parker cleared $1,800. He then took in a partner, Mr. Jared Lewis, and took another contract from Lewis & Holt, to manufacture coffee mills, ladles and skimmers. In January, 1831, he sold out to Mr. Jared Lewis and bought an acre of ground between High and Elm streets. On this ground was an old brown house, and Mr. Parker paid for the house and grounds §650. On the back of this lot he built a shop, which was finished in the spring of 1832, in which he manufactured coffee mills and waffle irons. He then went to market with his own goods. In November, 1833, Lewis & Holt failed, thus leaving the whole market in Mr. Parker's hands. In 1833 he associated with his brother Edmund and Heman White, under the firm name of Parker & White, and carried on busi- ness until 1835, when Edmund Parker was sent to Montgomery, Ala., with clocks and dry goods. In 1836 he returned, and Mr. White went to Montgomery with dry goods, which he sold readily. In October, 1837, he made a .second trip to Alabama with a large stock of dry goods; but the hard times came on and he lo.st heavily, much embar- rassing the firm of Parker & White, who did not fully recover from their embarrassment for over six years. They were often advi.sed bj' their friends to fail, but did not, and paid all debts in full with inter- est. During this time Edmund Parker sold out his interest to Mr. White, and in 1843 the partnership was dissolved, Mr. White going 612 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. south, where he soon failed. Mr. Parker's busines.s steadily increased, and in 1844 he added largely to his buildings, putting in steam power, having previously u.sed horse power. He was the first to manufacture plated spoons and forks, and the first to plate hollow ware in Meriden. In 1876 Mr. Parker partially retired from business, and his extensive works have been in charge of his sons. Dexter W. and Charles E., and his son-in-law, William H. Lyon, under the corporate name of the Charles Parker Company. The company now own the Union Works on High and Elm streets, the Parker gun factory on Cherry street, the iron spoon shop in East Meriden, the box shop in Yalesville, and the clock shop in the western part of the town. Mr. Parker is a director in the following companies: Meriden Fire Insurance, Wilcox Silver Plate Company. Safe Deposit Company, Meriden Republican Company, and Meriden National Bank. He is also president of the Charles Parker Company, and the Meriden Cur- tain Fixture Company. Mr. Parker's great business interests have always prevented him from entering public life, but when Meriden was organized as a city he was elected mayor and reelected the follow- ing year. In 1874, after residing for thirty years at the corner of East Main and High streets, Mr. Parker purchased the elegant residence on North Broad street, which was built by Mr. Jedediah Wilcox, at a cost of $162,000. Mr. Parker early became a member of the Metho- dist church, and has always largely aided in its support. When the new church, on Main and Pleasant streets, was built, he donated $50,000 to the building fund. Mr. Parker married, October 6th, 1831, Miss Abi Lewis Eddy, of Berlin, who died March 7th, 1880. Of their ten children there are now living: Charles Eddy, Dexter Wriglit and Annie Dryden, who married William H. Lyon. Mr. Parker has al- ways taken an interest in the growth and welfare of Meriden. Emi- nently a domestic man, when not in business his home was in the bo.som of his family, and now, while having reached a great age, his intellect is undimmed and his faculties are still acute, and surrounded by his family, he is enjoying that repose which he has rightly earned. Cephas B. Rogers was born in Saybrook, Conn., December 30th, 1836. His parents, Hervey and Elizabeth A. (Tryon^ Rogers, moved to Meriden to manage the Rogers Hotel, when their son Cephas B. was only thirteen years of age. His education was pursued in the schools of Meriden, but not steadily, for a part of his youth was spent in a neighboring factory manufacturing tinware and japanned goods. It was in that factory that young Rogers' energy and ability for busi- ness showed themselves, though so early in his life. Ten hours of toil did not satisfy him. He was up at four o'clock in the morning, did the chores about the factory and opened the japanning kiln, be- fore the work hours came on. The earnings of his overtime work netted him a considerable sum, in addition to his daily wages. His employers were pleased with the despatch he gave to the product of HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 613 the factory every day, and his earnings he carefully saved for future use. The way of promotion was now opened to him, though it was not yet known just what lines of industry he might follow for the future. The Meriden Lumber & Coal Company needed office help, and he became clerk for a while. He afterward completed his .school studies in the academy up-town. But his experience in hotel life, gained from his father's management, suggested a career for him; and he now had the education as well as the practical knowledge fitting a young man for the position of clerk. He was invited to the clerkship of the New Haven House, in the city of New Haven. He held that position for six years, and was there at the outbreak of the rebellion, and during the greater portion of the war. The position afforded him opportu- nity for making a wide acquaintance with men, and with political and state affairs. The New Haven House was the principal rendezvous of the Connecticut political and military leaders, and Mr. Rogers' ac- quaintance with them became fellow.ship. His wide knowledge of affairs and of men made him a valued partner. He accompanied Mr. Lincoln when that distinguished visitor made addresses in the state, and introduced men to him. It is remembered now that the non- chalance and good nature of Mr. Lincoln were manifest everywhere he went. He was sitting in fatigue attitude at the car stove, when a farmer who had boarded the train on the way to Meriden desired to meet Mr. Lincoln. Mr. Rogers inquired of him whether he would not like to meet " a genuine son of the soil " of the nutmeg state, and at the same time presented the North Haven farmer. Mr. Lincoln re- plied: " Well, Mr. , you look old enough to be one of the fathers of the soil rather than a son." Mr. Rogers' enthusiasm for the new party carried him upon the rostrum for the public discussion of the great questions of the day. His ready speech and quick apprehension and wide knowledge of the political situation made him an agreeable and effective public speaker. And when Mr. Lincoln was inaugurated president, Mr. Rogers visited Washington to share in the eclat of the great occasion. In 1863 Mr. Rogers left the New Haven House and took charge of the Wadawanock House of Stonington, and later of the St. Denis Hotel of New York city. Both of those managements were highly prosperous from a financial point of view, but the constant confine- ment and pressure of responsibility broke down his health, and he returned to Meriden for recuperation. It was during this restful period that the partnership of C. Rogers & Brothers was planned and entered into in February, 1866. His two brothers, Gilbert and Wilbur F., were skilled manufacturers of silver plated ware, and there appeared to be room in the busine.ss world for a new company and a new factory. Beginning small in 1866, the silver plating industry of C. Rogers & Brothers has now become one 614 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. of the principal manufacturing centers of the city of Meriden, and challenges the admiration of all familiar with its inception and growth. About three hundred hands are steadily employed. ' So successfully is the industry managed that the doors are never closed on week days, except for holidays and for inventory. The products of the factory are ranged in three departments: silver plated spoons, forks, knives and table ware — the manufacture beginning witli the metal from which the articles are finally made; casket trimmings and undertakers' supplies; furniture hardware. In one or more of these departments business is always brisk. The manufactured products of C. Rogers & Brothers have a world- wide reputation. The foreign shipments are large, going to Europe, Australia and South America. .So fully does the company have the confidence of its numerous and widely diffused patrons, and so ex- actly do all goods correspond to the representations made of them, that the entire business is conducted from the office of the company in Meriden. The Rogers brothers give their personal supervision to the working and product of all their great factory. By strict integrity, by honorable and prompt methods of btisiness, and by close attention to every department, the C. Rogers & Brothers company comtnends itself in all the markets of the world, and has won a reputation meas- ured by the constant growth of business from year to year. The aim of these three brothers in their manufacturing enterprise is not money-making for the money's sake, but chiefly for the good which may be done through it; so that the marked prosperity they have attained to is made to have a high moral end. They are not only prominent business men in Meriden, but are prominent in social and religious circles. They are Methodists, and have been greatly interested in the First ^Methodist Episcopal church, of which they are members. Cephas B. Rogers has been a member of the official board since 1866, and is tlie president of the board of trustees. He is promi- nent in his denomination at large, and his abilities give him standing in the deliberations of the governing bodies of the church. He is president of the Lay Conference and tru.stee of Wesleyan University in Middletown. In his own city of Meriden he has taken much interest in public matters. Public improvements and the schools of the city have en- gaged his thought and time, and for six years he was a valued member of the common council. He has also availed himself of the opportunity of foreign travel, visiting, in 1880, England and France. In 1870 he was married to Miss Margaret, daughter of Doctor Peter F. and Anna M. Clark, of New York city. Mrs. Rogers is a Christian lady, beloved in her church and esteemed highly in Meriden society. Their home is the Rogers homestead in ^leriden, beautifully f^r^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 615 located on North Colony street, and fitted up and kept with elegance of taste and expenditiire of means. John Sutijff was born in Wolcott, Conn., August 2d, 1802, and is the son of John and Eunice Sutliff. There were no unusual advan- tages environing his early life, such as forecast and quite secure a successful business career. His inheritance did not consist of wealth, but of such qualities as a sturdy physique, an indu.strious disposition, economical habits, a willing and intelligent mind, and an honest na- ture which could be trusted, without any entailment of disappointment attaching to the original trust. Endowed in this manner, he went to Meriden when he was about seventeen years of age, and worked fif- teen years for wages at the manufacturing of Ivor}' combs. It was during this period that he accumulated the initial capital, upon which his large fortune was built in after years. He now formed a partnership with three others for the manufac- ture of ivory combs, in the town of Southington, Conn. The business was there conducted with the least possible risk of loss. The combs were salable in the market, and the factory and power were engaged on such terms of eas\^ relinquishment, that if the hopes of the young men were not realized the business could be discontinued without loss. It was, however, progressing satisfactorily when one of his friends who had observed his business ability and habits, and who in part composed the firm of Foster, Merriam & Co., invited him to pur- chase an interest in the firm. He did so, and took the charge of a de- partment, himself and partners devoting their time and energies steadily to the development of their industry. The large business enterprise of Foster, Merriam & Co. was under- taken in 1835, and in 1866 it was incorporated under the lav/s of the state. Mr. Sutliff was made president. The great bulk of the manu- facture consi-sts of furniture castors, draw-pulls, hat and coat hooks, and various kinds of furniture trimmings, and music stool screws. The officers of the corporation are : President, John Sutliff ; vice- president, James R. Sutliff ; secretary and treasurer, George C. Mer- riam. At the time of Mr. Sutliff's entrance into the firm, the whole prod- uct of the factory was wrought out by only five or six hands. The growth since has been rapid. Every year has recorded enlargement, and never has the growth been more rapid than in these latest years. In 1891 about three hundred persons were employed, and the plant covers a large plot of ground in the central portion of the city of Meriden. It is one of the principal industries of the city, which can boast of a large proportion of large manufacturing plants. Mr. Sutliff's habits of industry and clo.se attention to business con- trol his daily life to the present time. At this writing (1891) he may be found in the factory, visiting all parts of it, and keeping an eye of care on the manufacture in general, throughout all the works. QIQ HIST(JRV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Mr. .Sutliff's principal business relations in the city of Meriden have been tho.se of a capitalist. He was for many years a director of the First National Bank, and is still a trustee of the City Savings Bank He has made large investments in the West as well as at home, and is never lacking in funds with which to aid persons who desire to secure loans of a few hundreds or thou.sands of dollars. The fortune so meagre at the beginning of his residence in ^lenden has become a great estate in these late years. Mr Sutliff has been twice married; first to Miss Mary Ann Dayton, of North Haven, Conn., November 22d, 1828. Their children are: Mrs. Mary Ann Higby, who died December 22d, 1859; John A. vSutliff and James R. Sutliff, vice-president of Foster, Merriara & Co. Mr. James R Sutliff married Miss Sarah Easton, and to them was born one dauo-hter. Miss Hattie E. SutliiT. Mr. John Sutliff was married the second time to Miss Rebecca Miles, of Cheshire, Conn., November 9th, 1842. Two children were the fruit of this union: Edgar E., who died in infancy, and Abby, who died at about four years of age. John T.-ut, M. D., was born February 16th, 1828, in the town of Trumbull, Fairfield county. Conn. Doctor Taifs ancestry was Scotch, though there is nothing in his personal appearance or speech to direcl an observer to his parentage. His good citizenship, his ster- ling integritv, and his religion, however, very naturally link on to tha^t race "descent. He has been a resident of Meriden, Conn., since 1854, and a leading physician during all those years. He has seen the growth of the greater part of Meriden, and shared m it as an in- terested, public-spirited citizen. His professional services have been sought for in nearly all of the older families of the town, with whom he has^not merely acquaintance, but often intimacy and endeared friend- ship. Besides, his practice h.as embraced many of the families more recently settled in the city. So that going to and fro, from side to side, of Meriden, he is better known in general than most persons, and none are more generally beloved than he. His early education was obtained in the common schools of the section where his boyhood was spent. His father was a manufacturer of fancy marble paper, and Doctor Tait aided him as a filial son m the manufacture until he was 18 years of age. At that time he formed a partnership with an older brother to carry on the same business. The partnership continued about two years. In those days the United States government exercised no sufficient protecting care over incip- ient and struggling industries, and manufacturers in foreign lands were allowed to flood American markets with their products. The wages of laborers in Germany were much lower than in this country, and the German manufacturers of fancy marble paper could undersell the producers of the same goods in our home markets, where a much higher daily wage was demanded by the workmen. Ana hence the young Tait brothers could not compete successfully with the import- ^ X. - ^7. - a HISTORY OF NEW IIAVKN COUXTV. 617 ers of foreign goods. Accordingly the partnership was terminated, and Doctor Tait at once resolved to gratify his thirst for an education. He took his share of the earnings of manufacture and repaired to Thomp.son's Academy, in Woodbury, Litchfield county, to fit himself for entrance to Yale University. He succeeded so well in his prepar- atory studies that in two years he was matriculated, and entered the arts course of the university in the class of 1854. But steady in-door life and hard stud\^ wore upon his physical strength, and he was obliged, after two years' residence at the university, to give over his purpose of graduating with his class. He must hasten to his special professional studies, or be unable to finish them. He went, in the fall of 1852, to the Eclectic Medical School of New York, and gradu- ated in 1854. He was now ready to enter upon his professional life, and watched for the opportunity under such conditions as would keep him out of doors much of the time. At that date Doctor Henry A. Archer was a practicing physician in Meriden, and needed an associate to attend to the out-door part of the business. It was just the opening Doctor Tait had been looking for. The office was situated a little west of Broad street, on what is now called East Main street. The center of the vil- lage of Meriden then lay a short distance to the eastward of the office, but now the center of the city has pas.sed to the westward along Main street, so that the location of Doctor Tait's office for a physi- cian's practice in Meriden, during this long series of years, could hardly be improved upon. This associate business arrangement continued for nearly four years, or until the spring of 1859. Doctor Tait then purchased the entire medical interest and real estate, 244 East Mam street, and suc- ceeded to the business which both had together prosecuted. It was a fortunate venture for him, especially the buying of the real estate, for it has increased in value several fold in the passing by of the years since the purchase was made. Indeed, this increase was noticed at once, and the value has steadily advanced, until now his estate, as a residence, is one of the most desirable and valuable in the city of Meriden. Doctor Tait has remained in this one location ever since the orig- inal purchase, having his office in one division of his house, and specially fitted up for the practitioner's use. He has remodelled the dwelling part .somewhat, has raised the entire walls, constructed a new roof and decorated the house throughout. Other new and fine residences have been built near by, on what was vacant land in 1854, and he finds him.self now in the very heart of the desirable resident portion of the city of Meriden. Doctor Tait married Mrs. Tibballs, «^'/ Catherine E. Chapman, No- vember 24th, 1859, daughter of Julius Chapman, of East Haddam, Conn. One daughter, Miss Flora Chapman Tait, was born to them, 618 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. April 14th, 1863, and never was there a happier family. But the fam- ily joy was so soon and so sadly broken intol On May 25th, 1872, Mrs. Tait died, and the light of wife and mother went out from the home. Mrs. Tait was a pleasing lady, much esteemed for her virtues and amiable qualities, quiet, unassuming, but still energetic and of high character, and much beloved. Her illness was brief, and many, besides her heart-stricken family, mourned for her as for a precious friend. In the year 1874, December SHth, Doctor Tait married Miss Laura A. Chapman, of East Haddam, who now lives and shares with him the high regard and esteem in which he is held. She was a sister of the first wife, and is much like her in those qualities which won for her so much love and esteem. And it is as true as rare to say that the little daughter soon discovered no difference of motherhood. Two other daughters have been born into the family: Nellie Chapman Tait, born June 26th, 1876, and Fanny Robbins Tait, born October 6th, 1878, who died in infancy, December 17th, 1878. Doctor Tait's library fills a considerable part of his roomy office, while books, magazines and papers lie about in abundance. One side of his ofifice is devoted to drugs and medicines, for he prefers to fill his own prescriptions. Herein may lie one of the secrets of his popu- larity among his patients. It has always been his aim to make his services as inexpensive as he could to his patrons, while yet giving them the highest skill and best results of medical knowledge. The response of the people to him for this has been a large and re- munerative practice, and a confiding intimacy as their " beloved phy- sician." In politics he has been a republican, from the days of Fremont, for whom he voted; and though often urged to allow himself to be brought out prominently by his party for distinguished party honors and service, he has steadily refused, preferring the quiet life of his profession to the noisy strife of politics. In business he has quietly pas.sed into positions of trust, being a director of the Fir.st National Bank of Meriden for many years, also of the Meriden Fire Insurance Company, and of the City Savings Bank. He is aLso a Free and xVccepted Ma.son, Meridian Chapter, No. 77, a member of the Center Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and al.so of the local flourishing order of Royal Arcanum, and of the Connecticut Eclectic Medical .Society. In religion himself and family are Congregationalists, members of the Center church, on Broad street. They are highly esteemed and prominent members, and their kindness and even generosity are known to many both within and without the church circle. Henry K. Wiirii;, manufacturer, Meriden, Conn., was biirn in Bol- ton, Conn., February 7th, 1822. Mr. White is an excellent illustration of a natural aptitude finding its calling in life. Genius not only car- -.-mm»^^ -ucJ^ HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. 619 ries out its own fortune, but first discovers the lines of life along which . the fortune lies. Mr. White's boyhood suggested the farmer's life, but his musical ta.stes determined the nature of his calling. He was first attracted by the singing schools of that date. Both voice and ear made him a proficient pupil in the science of music, and what he learned so quickly and gained the mastery of he was skilful in im- parting. Hence we find him at only 18 years of age teaching singing. school and holding musical conventions. His musical talent was not content with the exercise of the voice, but peered into the mysteries of instruments of music. He must familiarize himself with the mechanism of the piano and of the organ, and especially with those manipulations of the tense string and of the reed, which give musical chords. He could now tune either of those instruments by fifths, but found that the chords were not perfect when the whole key board had been adjusted. In 1841 an opportunity of musical culture, both practical and the- oretical, was seized upon, and he put himself for a year under the tuition of one of the most accomplished tenor singers of that date in the state. In the same year, also, he bargained with a professional tuner of pianos and organs to be taught the principles and methods of tuning those instruments. The conditions were hard enough, for, in addition to the price of fifty dollars for the instruction, he was en- joined from doing any tuning of either pianos or organs in Connecti- cut during the life of his instructor. But the world was wide, and Mr. White, in 1842. started out on a tour of other states, going westward through the Northern states as far as Chicago, and then turning southward as far as St. Louis, and then homeward, through Kentucky and the Central states. Upon his return home in 1845 he entered the employ of Dennison Smith, of Colchester, Conn. Mr. Smith had secured a seraphine, made in France, and undertook to manufacture instruments for the market in this country. Mr. White was the sort of aid needed in his factory, but he had not yet attained to the manufacturer's independence, and as all restrictions had been removed from his action in his native state, he began the manufacture of organs for himself in New London in 1847, when he was only 25 years of age. He was now familiar with the construction of quite all the pianos and reed instruments in this country, and was .skilled in the voicing of the latter and the tuning of both. He was then well equipped to undertake the manufacture of either, especially of reed instruments. The building of the cases in New London was done by cabinet- makers, under his supervision, while he put in the action and com- pleted the musical adjustment as to voice and tune. Just then the Carhart principle for reed instruments of exhau.st bellov/s and sailable reed board was brought to the attention of organ makers, and patent rights were offered for sale. 620 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Mr. White has the credit of suggesting to the discoverer that he himself make the reeds and reed boards and sell them to organ builders, and he was one of the first to use the new discovery in the construc- tion of organs; but in 1853 he accepted the urgent invitation of parties in Washington, N. J., to manufacture organs there. He did so until the breaking out of the war disturbed business and made it impossible to collect a large trust account due in the Southern states. He now went to Philadelphia, and until 1865 followed his early aptitude for tuning pianos and organs. At that time the great organ works of Jacob Estey, in Brattleboro, Vt., were developing to consider- able proportions, and Mr. White was called and put in charge of the tuning and action department. He was soon found to be .so well versed in organ building that he was consulted respecting designs for ■cases, as well as the internal construction and the musical quality. He continued in the employ of the E.stey Company at a high salary for more than twelve years. His sons were evidently following their father's industrial bent, the eldest, J. H. White, having already at- tained to a prominent and high priced position in the factory. The time had come for an independent business organization, in which Mr. White and his sons should figure more prominently than ever. The opportunity opened in Meriden, Conn., where capital waited to be controlled by Mr. White. The Wilcox & White Organ Company was organized in 1876, and business begun as soon as the large factory could be built. So pros- perous has the company been that though the original factory was large, and thought by its projectors to be all that would ever be needed, 21,000 feet of flooring space have since been added. About 150 hands are employed. Organs are sent to all the principal coun- tries of the world ; at the same time the home market is large. No pains is spared to give the highest quality of workmanship to all parts of the Wilcox & White organ, and it challenges competition. It is made in two general kinds, each kind embracing many styles: First, the manual organ ; second, the pneumatic symphony, a self-playing instrument of wonderful compass, perfect in execution as that of the most skilled musicians. To Mr. White himself is chiefly due the de- velopment of the Wilcox & White organ, though he himself disclaims so much credit and leaves the chief honor to his sons. As a citizen, Mr. White is much esteemed among all acquaintances, not only for his business thrift, but for his integrity and character and public spirit. His own residence, surrounded by his neighbors, among whom are his own sons, is an exhibit of the public spirit which animates both himself and them, for the street on which he lives is one of the most beautiful in the city of Meriden. He is a republican in politics and a Baptist in religious faith. He has been chosen to the city council, and in the al)sence of the mayor is made president /r^ tempore. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. fi21 September 2d, 1846, lie married Miss Lucy Cornwall, of Hartford, Conn. Three sons and one daughter have been born in the family. The son.s — James H., Edward H. and Howard — are all prominently connected with the company. James H. is president and treasurer; Edward H., superintendent of the tuning department, and Howard, superintendent of the organ construction department. To these young men is to be attributed much of the development and the present prosperity. The daughter, Mrs. Julia (White) Scott, is the wife of Winfield Scott, also prominently connected with the factory. They all live in close proximity to their parents, and form a very happy family group. Horace C. Wilcox, son of Elisha B. and Hepsibah (Cornwall) Wilcox, was born in Middletown, Westfield Parish, Conn., January 24th, 1824. He lived on his father's farm until he was twenty years old, attending school until he was eighteen. In his twentieth year he commenced peddling tinware, and followed this business for nearly two years.. In 1850 he came to Meriden and began .selling Britannia ware for Mr. James Frary, and finally furnished Mr. Frary with .'^tock, and took all of the goods that he manufactured. He followed this business for several years, taking also the goods manufactured by Messrs. William Lyman and John Munson, of Wallingford, and I. C. Lewis & Co. Mr. Wilcox took in partnership his brother, Dennis C. Wilcox, and under the firm name of H. C. Wilcox & Co., remained until Decem- ber, 1852, when the Meriden Britannia Company was formed. The company compri.ses Messrs. Horace and Dennis Wilcox, and the men for whom he had been selling goods. Mr. Lewis was elected presi- dent, and Mr. Wilcox secretary and treasurer. Mr. George R.Curtis, then the ca.shier of the Meriden Bank, was admitted into the company and filled the office of treasurer. Mr. Wilcox continuing secretary until 1865, when he was appointed president of the company. With the majority of Meriden's manufacturing and financial institutions, as well as its enterprises, Mr. Wilcox was closely identified, and he was always ready to put capital into any project that would advance the moral and material prosperity of the town and city in which he had spent the greater part of his life, and in the welfare of which he had an abiding interest. Mr. Wilcox was also president of the Wilcox & White Organ Company, and the Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad Company, the latter corporation being the outgrowth of the Meriden & Cromwell railroad, which was built almost exclu- sively through his efforts, and next to the Britannia Company he took a deeper interest in its succe.ss than any other institution with which he was identified. Mr. Wilcox was a director in the Meriden Silver Plate Company, Wilcox Silver Plate Company, Manning & Bowman Company, ^leriden Saddlery & Leather Company, .-Eolian Organ & Music Company, Meriden Hor.se Railroad Company, Rogers & Broth- 622 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ers, Waterbury; R. Wallace & .Sons. Wallino-ford: William Rogers & Son, Hartford; the Meriden Fire Insurance Company, Home Xational Bank, the Republican Publishing Company, and he had been a trus- tee of the City Savings Bank since its organization. He was also a director in the Walnut Grove Cemetery Association. While Mr. Wilcox was a hard working business man, he never shirked public duties, and made his influence feltm the various offices he held. He was an alderman when the city government was first organized, and the fifth mayor of the city, holding that office in 1875 and 1876. In 1877 he was elected state senator. He had no liking for political honors, and increasing business cares and failing health prevented him from accepting other offices in the gift of his towns- men. The principal trait in Mr. Wilcox's character was an indomit- able energy and perseverance. From a borrowed capital of three dollars with which he commenced business, he accumulated a very large property. He was a member of the First Congregational church, and was always one of its heaviest contributors; he was on the build- ing committee which had in charge the building of the present beau- tiful edifice. He was a member of the society committee up to 1884, and was on other important committees connected with that or- ganization. Mr. Wilcox was married August 9th, 1848, to Charlotte, daughter of Jabez Smith, of Westfield. By his first wife he had five children. The oldest daughter is the wife of W. P. Morgan, who has charge of the Meriden Britannia Company's business at San Francisco. George H. Wilcox, the oldest son, succeeded his father as manager of the Britannia Company. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Wilcox married Ellen, daughter of Edmund Parker. By her he had three children : Dwight P., Florence and Horace C, the latter having died. Mr. Wilcox had a stroke of paralysis in 1887, and was in poor health until a second stroke, which caused his death, August 27th, 1890. Grove Herrick Wh^son, M. D., one of the most prominent physi- cians of Meriden, was born in Stockbridge, Mass., in 1824. His par- ents were Joseph H. and Sally (Herrick) Wilson, descendants of two of the oldest and most honorable families in England and America. On his paternal side he comes through a long line of descent from the family of Reverend John Wilson, the first minister of Boston, whose posterity became illustrious in many states. The maternal ancestry of Doctor Wilson is traced to 'Eric the. Forester, of the royal house of Denmark, whose long: war*\'ith the Angles resulted in the cession to him of the counties of Leicester and Warwick, in England, where the 'Eric (or Herrick) family have, to this day, a manor at Great Stretton, and a perpetual pew in the cathedral at Leicester. Reverend William Her- rick, chaplain to Edward VI. and minister to the Sublime Porte under Elizabeth, was grandfather to Robert, the poet, and Sir William HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 623 Herrick, whose son, Henry, was the first member of that family to emigrate to America. He .settled in Salem, Mass., in 1029, and his grandson, Doctor Daniel Herrick, born in Preston, Conn., was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch. To the family of the above 'Eric also belonged the discoverer of Greenland and founder of Erics- fiord (now Julianshaab, Greenland), and whose son, Leif 'Erie, founded the .settlements at Martha's Vineyard and in Rhode Island, about the year 1000, this event being commemorated by a statue erected in Bos- ton. Later members of the Herrick family also attained eminent positions in public and private life. Doctor Grove H. Wilson was educated in the common schools of T\-ringham,and at Lee Academy, in Massachusetts, with a view to fit him for the teacher's profession. He subsequently successfully taught school in his native state and in Delaware, until his failing health warned him to seek other occupation. He now began the study of medicine, graduating from the Berkshire Medical Institution in 1849. After two years he adopted homoeopathy, and practiced his profession in North Adams and Conway, Mass., locating in Meriden during the hard times of 1857, when the future of that place was very un- promising. His professional career has here been very successful and uninterruptedly continued. He established a large and lucrative practice, his patronage at one time embracing more than two-thirds of the grand list of the town. For several years past he has been assisted in his professional duties by his only son, Edgar A. Wilson, M. D., who graduated from the L^niversity of Pennsylvania in 1881, and who was a practitioner at Rockville, Conn., several years before he came to Meriden, where his services have lightened his father's cares. Doctor G. H. Wilson was married to Margaret A. Adams, of Pencader Hundred, Del., and this son is the issue of that union. In addition to his activity as a practitioner, Doctor Wilson has contributed to the medical knowledge of the country by writing sev- eral original papers, and in 1882 published a monograph, in which he established the theory of the epidemic nature of intermittent fevers in New England. During the past ten years he has also served as a member of the Connecticut Board of Health, his long experience and keen observation being of great u.se to that body. All the doctor's tastes are in the direction of liberal and scientific culture, and he is well informed in modern mechanical progress and invention. He has frequently given talks to his townsmen on subjects of natural science, among them being the telephone and a phonograph invented by himself two years before Edison invented an instrument of that nature. The doctor has always maintained an unabated interest in public schools, and in 1863 successfully advocated the abolition of the " rate bill," and making the schools of the town absolutely free to every child in Meriden. The wisdom of this action on the part of the town was confirmed by the state, which within two years thereafter 624 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. passed a state law extending the same privilege to all the children of this commonwealth. Many other public interests have received his sanction or warm support, and he has not shunned the duties and cares of public office. He served the town as a member of the gen- eral assembly in 1880, and agam in 1882, his career in both sessions being beneficial to his constituents and creditable to himself. Living in a manufacturing community, the doctor has kept himself in touch with the life of the place, and is interested in several industries, serv- ing as the president and treasurer of a company organized for the manufacture of buckles and trimmings for arctic overshoes, etc. — a young but growing corporation. In the early years of his life Doctor Wilson united with the I\Iasonic order. He was the first commander of St. Elmo Commandery, No. 9, and passing through the chairs in order has attained to that of grand captain general of the Grand Commandery. He has taken the 32d degree in Lafayette Consistory, and is a member of Pyramid Temple. He is also an active member of the Ecclesiastical Society of the First Congregational church of Meriden, where he has been given oppor- ttmity to show his appreciation of religious truth. Although some- what independent in regard to theological systems, he has, without being a member of the Christian church, never failed of supporting the measures of the Gospel, and holds to a rigid morality in all the ways of life. His religious sentiments are exalted, and his thoughts upon such subjects, profound and liberal, are often evinced in his actions in his social and professional life. He served on the building committee of the present First Congregational church edifice — one of the finest in the state — which was greatly embellished by his artistic taste and effort to elevate the style of architecture. The finely orna- mented capitals, designed by him, are examples of his love for this work, and show his knowledge of sacred symbolism, expressing in carved and enduring stone the course of natural and revealed religion in the human heart. Doctor Wilson has a genial and benevolent nature, is a ready con- versationalist, loving controversial discussions, but is, withal, con.ser- vative in his speech and actions, and is justly considered an influential and popular citizen. Bertrand L. Yale is the son of Levi and Anna (Guy) Yale, and was born in Meriden, November 17th, 1820. Levi Yale was the son of Nathaniel, grandson of Thomas, and great-grand.son of David Yale, of Wrexham, Denbigh county, Wales, who married Ann Morton, daughter of Bishop Morton, of England, whose mother was daughter of Bishop Bonner. Upon the death of Mr. Yale she married The- ophilus Eaton, an opulent merchant of London, afterward governor of Connecticut. They, with David, Ann and Thomas, landed in Bos- ton in KilS, and in 10:57 removed to New Haven. Conn. Tiiomas re- moved to '■ W'allmgford plantation." and there resided until his- J"" ^*X:, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 625 death, honored with many public trusts. Captain Thomas Yale was a revolutionary soldier, having volunteered at the first call of the " Lexington alarm," and with him his sons old enough to go. Nathaniel went into the service later, being too young at the time of the call. Levi Yale was in the war of 1812, ensign of his company and commissary of the troops stationed along the coast from New Haven to Branford. He was twelve years in the Southern states merchandizing, and afterward was twelve j-ears postmaster in Meri- den, under Presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. He was representative to the general assembly, and held many honorary offices and trusts in INIeriden. The subject of this sketch, a son of Levi Yale, lived at home on the farm until twenty years old, when he commenced the manufac- ture of cigars in a small way, and afterward began bu.siness as a mer- chant tailor and dealer in furnishing goods. During this time he was appointed postmaster, which office he held eight years. In addi- tion to his other work, fire and life insurance were added, and this occupying so much of his time he disposed of his store and carried on the business of insurance for some 25 years. Mr. Yale then re- turned to his farm, which he has conducted since. Early in life he took an active part in politics; in those days to be a politician did not compromise a man's honesty; "boodle " was not in vogue, and " bar'lls " and " .soap " had not been introduced. For many years his business duties prevented Mr. Yale from active politi- cal work, until in 1888 he was induced to accept the nomination of alderman. He served on the finance and water committees, and in 1889, in addition to these, on the committee on by-laws. His finan- cial ability and sound common sen.se made him an invaluable mem- ber in the council. During his last year he acted as mayor pro tern. He was for many years a director in the ]SIeriden Bank, until he de- clined a reelection. Mr. Yale married, February 4th, 1861, Chloe Elizabeth Holcombe, daughter of Honorable Raynor Holcombe, of East Granby, Conn., and has one daughter, Jennie Holcombe Yale. PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS. Warren C. Atkins, son of Benjamin and Emily (Clark) Atkins, was born in Meriden in 1812. He worked in the shop of Ashbel Griswold at what was then called Clarksville, for seven years, then in the tin shop of Stedman & Clark for many years. On account of poor health he gave up the business, and has since confined himself to farming. He married Lavina E., daughter of Anson Bradley, of Branford, Conn. His father .served in the war of 1812. Francis Atwater was born in 1857 in Plymouth, Litchfield county, Conn., and was educated in the common .schools. For a long time he worked for Luther G. Riggs, who printed the McrUcn Recorder. Later, 39 626 HISTORY OP' NEW HAVEN COUNTV. in 1877, he started the Wallingford Forum, which he conducted for over one vear. After leaving Wallinofford, he went to Phenix, R. I., and to Red Bank, N. J., working in both places on weekly papers. In 1883 he went to Red Bluff, Cal., where he did local work on the Daily Sentinel, until its editor. Abraham Townsend, was shot by a political enemy. He then took charge of the editorial department, and ran the paper until 1884, when he came East and went into the job printing business, and in August of the same year started the Mericien Evening Star, a two cent paper, but on account of health had to give it up. The same year he published for other parties The Siindaj Wliisper, a Cheshire weekly, and also a Hartford Sunday morning paper. In 1886 he transferred his entire plant to the Journal Publishing Company, since which time he has devoted his entire time to its management and development. The growth of the company has been phenom- enal, and to-day it has the most complete establishment of its kind in the .state, including the publication of the Meriden Daily Journal, a large job printing business, book bindery, stereotyping and electro- typing plants. A. E. Austin was born in 1839, in North Haven, Conn., and is a son of Joseph and Celia (Foote) Austin. His father died when he was 14 years of age. He came to Meriden in 1868 and established himself in the butchering business, under the firm name of Coe & Austin, which continued about five years. The business was then sold to Charles Gretha, Mr. Coe going into the packing business and ^Ir. Austin into the livery and sale stable business, which he has since carried on. He married Ruth B., daughter of Eben J. Coe, of Middle- field, Conn. Ransom Baldwin, son of Ransom and vSarah (Twiss) Baldwin, was born in Meriden in 1836. He was brought lap on his father's farm, and has followed the wholesale and retail flour business for the past 20 years, with farming. He married Mary, daughter of Orrin Hall, of Wallingford, Conn. His grandfathers, James Baldwin and Joseph Twiss, both served in the revolutionary Vv-ar. James M. Bartlett, -son of A.shley and Mary (Fay) Bartlett, was born in 1828, in Vernon, \^t. His father moved to Worcester, Mass., when he was five years old, and a few years after moved to Northborough, Ma.ss., where James was brought up on a farm. He afterward went to Hartford, Conn., where he learned the telegraph business, and in 1849 came -to Meriden. He sent the first telegraphic dispatch that was sent out of Meriden. In 1857-8 he conducted the only livery business in Meriden. For eight years he was agent for Adams' Express Com- pany, al.so started the city baggage express, and for a long time car- ried on a teaming business, having at one time 23 horses. He has lately moved on his farm place, " The Merry Den," and is engaged in farming and stock raising. He has made many alterations and im- provements on his place, which is a delightful resort for summer HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 627 boarders. He married Siiia A., daughter of Lj'nian Hall, of Walling- ford, Conn. Le Grand Bevins, son of Alvin E. and Lua (Booth) Bevins, was born in 1839, in Meriden, Conn. He was educated at the Meriden Academy, and afterward went to Ohio, where he studied for a year preparing for college. At the beginning of the war in 1861 he en- listed in the 29th Ohio Volunteers, and served there three years. The last year of service he was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, stationed at Albany, N. Y. He married Jennie L., oldest daughter of Captain Henry H. Stiles, of North Haven. Conn. At the close of the war he engaged in the soda business at New Haven for one year, and afterward at Meriden for six years. After that, having taken stock in the Meriden Silver Plate Company, he entered their employ, hav- ing charge of the finishing department for eighteen years. He was elected to the common council in 1875, served one year as councilman and one as alderman, was again elected alderman in 1882, and re- elected in 1884 and 1886. He has been chairman of the committee of the Corner school district since 1883. In 1887 he was elected town agent and first selectman, which position he .still holds. Eli C. Birdsey, son of Eli C. and Rebecca C. (Wilcox) Birdsey, was born in 1843, in Meriden, and was educated in the common schools of Meriden and the high school of Middleborough, Mass. He was first employed in the dry goods business, and in 1865 established a hard- ware and crockery business, under the firm name of Birdsey & Miles, buying out Harrison W. Curtis. They were also manufacturers of stationers' hardware. In 1876 they dissolved partnership, Mr. Miles taking the manufacturing business and Mr. Birdsey the store busi- ness, which has since been running under the firm name of Birdsey & Foster. He married Catherine, daughter of Lyman Butler, of Meriden. William H. Booth, son of Henry D. and Eliza A. (Curtis) Booth, was born in 1834, in Philadelphia, Pa., and was educated in the Meri- den schools. His father located in Meriden when William H. was a child. The latter has served on the committee of East school district. He has always followed farming and butchering, on the farm where his father settled. He married Isabel A., daughter of Linus Wilcox, of Middletown, Conn. His father followed the sea for 22 years, as captain IS years. George H. Bowker was born in 1855, in Charle.stowa, N. H., and was educated in the schools of his native place. For the past twelve years he has been identified with the hotel business, first as the proprietor of the old Windsor, at Holyoke, Mass., which he ran from 1878 to 1888. In 1884 he opened the Winthrop Hotel, Meriden, afterward started the Mellin House, Fall River, Ma.ss., and later the Hotel Hamilton, at Holyoke, Ma.ss., all of which, in company with his brother, he .still carries on. 628 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. Leonard H. Bradley, son of Major and Rosalia (Baker) Bradley, was born in Branford, Conn., in 1S40. At the age of nine years he went to live with his uncle, remaining seven years. He then engaged as apprentice with J. W. Russell, carriage manufacturer, Meriden, and served four years, after which he went to Plainville for a year and from there enlisted in Company G, 6th Connecticut Volunteers, serv- ing four years. At the close of the war he returned to Meriden, con- tinuing to follow the carriage making business, and March 4th, 1889, established business for himself as a member of the firm of Stickney & Bradley. He married Martha M., daughter of William Talmage, of Cheshire, Conn. He was elected alderman in 188G and in 1888. J. H. Breckenridge, son of Reuben and Sylvia (Cutter) Brecken- ridge, was born in Ware, Mass., in 1826, and came to J^Ieriden in 1849. He was foreman of what was the Curtis, Morgan & Co. Lock Com- pany, then engaged in the machinery and tool manufacturing busi- ness which was later merged into the Meriden iSIachine Company. He afterward engaged in manufacturing powder flasks, etc., under firm name of Frary, Benham & Co., and then was for six years salesman for Edward Miller & Co. Li 1865 he erected the building where the Meriden Silver Plate Company are, and sold it to J. H. Canfield & Co., hardware manufacturers, of which firm he was a member. Li 1868 he built his present factory and manufactured special hardware and sheet metal goods, under the firm name of Breckenridge & Co., until 1886. In 1872 he sold out his manufacturing business and built a foundry which he ran for ten years, then began manufacturing again, also carrying on the foundry business. Since January, 1887, they have been manufacturers of gas fixtures and art metal goods. Mr. Breckenridge married Lydia, daughter of Drake Brockett, of Green, N. Y., formerly of Meriden. He has served as alderman two terms, and was first president of the Y. M. C. A., and connected with it for 15 years. J. R. Briggs, son of Delavan and Almira (Dockstader) Briggs, was born in New York city in 1859, and was educated in the public schools. He came to Meriden in 1885 and established the drug busi- ness which he has since carried on. He is also secretary of Sands Ventilating Fan Company. F. S. Brooks, son of Thomas and Louisa (Smith) Brooks, was born in 1857 in Meriden, and was educated in the common schools and at Yale Business College, New Haven. He has been employed for the pa.st 14 years by the Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company and for the past eight years has had charge of the salesroom. William (). Butler, .son of Eli and Juliette (Ives) Butler, was born in IS.'il in Meriden, educated in the Meriden schools, at the "Gun- nery," Washington, Conn., and at Williston Academy, Easthampton, Mass. He was first employed by the Wilcox Silver Plate Company, then engaged in the shoe business a number of years, and afterward HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 629 had charge of the Gas Company until the fall of 1887. He served as alderman one term. He married Nellie A., daughter of A. J. Fo.ster, of Westerly, R. I. Bela Carter, son of Silas J. and Ruth (Vining) Carter, was born February 6th, 1828. at Hardwick, Worcester county, Mass., and was educated in the common schools of his native place. He learned his trade in Palmer, Mass., in 1846, then spent two years in Springfield, Mass., and came to Meriden in 1850. In 1852 he established business for himself, and was the first in the state that put in paper hangings in connection with the painting business. He held the office of first selectman during the war, was councilman 1 year, chairman of school committee 6 years, treasurer of military fund 4 years, alderman for 4 successive years, assessor 6 years, and notary public for the past 30 years. When 16 years of age he began teaching penmanship. He married December 5th, 1850, Mary J., daughter of Captain Butler Barrett of Belchertown, Mass. J. H. Chase was born in 1847 in Minot, Maine. He came to Meri- den in 1886, and has since been superintendent and later also secre- tary of the ^-Eolian Organ & Music Company. He was for seven years with the Mason & Hamlin Organ Company, and has been in the Automatic Organ business since it started. He is married to Emma R., daughter of A. M. Hitchcock, of Boston, Mass. Henry J. Church, son of James and Hulda (Barnes) Church, was born in East Haven, Conn., August 1st, 1831. At the age of 17 he came to Meriden as apprentice for George R. Willmot, in the furni- ture and undertaking business, served his time and worked in Mr. Willmot's employ a few years. Afterward he worked for the Charles Parker Company a year or two, and about two years for Snow, Brooks & Co., manufacturers. He was next employed again in the furniture business up to the time the war broke out. He served three years in the 15th Connecticut Infantry, and after being mustered out, came home, and in the fall of 1865 bought out William M. Smith, then in the undertaking business, which he has since carried on, and which is the oldest undertaking establishment in Meriden. He married Elizabeth A., daughter of Luke T. and Elizabeth Draper, of Massa- chusetts. Since he has been in the bu.siness he has buried more people than the population of Meriden was at the time he started. E. B. Clark, .son of Lewis E. and Eliza (Benjamin) Clark, was born in 1841, in Milford, Conn., and was educated in the Milford schools and at boarding school at Dudley, Conn. He was for a time employed in New Haven as clerk in the grocery and meat business. He en- listed in the 27th Connecticut Volunteers, served his time, and in 1863 started a store in Birmingham, Conn. In the spring of 1865 he came to South Meriden, where he has since earned on the mercantile busi- ness, and for the past 15 years has been postmaster. He married Sarah L., daughter of Evans Williams, of Birmingham, Conn. His 630 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. father was a carriage painter by trade, but his health faihng, he en- gaged in farming, and died when E. B. was five years old. His grand- father was Thomas Clark. His great-grandfather, Elisha Clark, did service as coast guard during the revolutionary war. His great-grand- mother was a Beach, and lived to be 93 years of age. George L. Clark, son of Lyman and Mary S. (Highby) Clark, was born in 1841, in Westfield, Conn., and was educated in common schools and academy. He came with his father to Meriden when he was seven years old. He carried on the machine business four years, under the firm name of N. C. Stiles & Co., making power presses, dies and general machinery, afterward carried on the coal business for a few years, and for the past 15 years has dealt largely in horses from the West and North. He carries on the Silver City Stock Farm. When his father came to Meriden he took up his residence where George L. now resides. He was a carpenter and joiner by trade, but followed the lumber and coal business, and at one time ran a planing mill. He was born in Westfield, August 16th, 1810, and died in Meri- den, February 10th, 1884. George L. first married Fannie, daughter of Cyrus Burroughs, of Meriden. His present wife is Junietta M., daughter of David L. vSawyer, of Deep River, Conn. William S. Clark, .son of William L. and Elizabeth N. (Dunham) Clark, was born in Middletown, Conn., in 18o7, and was educated at the Middletown High vSchool. He apprenticed himself to the city en- gineer of Middletown, remaining with him for four years, and has since followed civil engineermg. His first railroad work was with the Air Line road, on bridge work, afterward on the Hartford & Con- necticut River extension, and later on the Meriden & Cromwell and Meriden & Waterbury roads. He was then elected street commis- sioner of the city of Middletown, and after serving in 'that capacity for 15 months, resigned to engage on work for the Meriden & Waterbury railroad, having charge of the first division of construction. He came to Meriden in 1887, was appointed city engineer in January, 1888, and reappomted in 1880, 1890 and 1891. John W.Coe, son of Ebenezer J. and Phebe (Birdsey) Coe, was born in Middlefield, Conn., in 1841. He was first employed with Parker Brothers in the butcher business, and afterward with Deacon John Yale. In 1801 he established business for himself under the firm name of Coe & Hall, which continued about three years. Afterward he started the city market firm of Coe & Cahill. Since 1875 he has carried on a wholesale butcher business under the firm name of Bar- tholomew & Coe. He married Sarah A., daughter of Elisha Williams, of Wallingford, Conn. He has for many years been a director in the First National Bank. W. R. Coe, son of Calvin and Harriet (Rice) Coe, was born in 1839, in Meriden, and was educated in the common schools and at SuSield Literary Institution, graduating in 1800. He then began business on HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 631 the farm where he was born, and remained there until 1870, when he located on the Bradley place, and in 1888 moved to his present place. He married Mary E., daughter of Amon Andrews, of Meriden. Amon Andrews ran the old grist mill known as Andrews' mill, which was also carried on by his father before him. C. H. Collins, son of Lyman and Elizabeth (Carter) Collins, was born in Meriden in 1823, was educated at John D. Post's Meriden Academy, and taught school one winter. He was employed in the office of Lsbell, Curtis & Co.. manufacturers of door handles and locks, afterward changed to Curtis, Morgan & Co., and later removed to Norwalk, Conn., and known as the Norwalk Lock Company. He continued with them about two years, then went to Hartford for about two years in the Yankee notion business, afterward engaged with Butler & Collins in the grocery busine.ss, then established for himself under the firm name of A. L. & C. H. Collins, afterward Collins & Co., then Collins & Brooks, then C. H. Collins. He after- ward was connected with J. Wilcox & Co., woolen manufacturers, for ten years, and in 1875 again started in the grocery business, which has since been carried on under the firm name of Collins & Miller. He was at one time a director in the Home National Bank, also in the J. Wilcox & Co. woolen manufacturing company. He married Sarah C, daughter of James S. Brooks, of Meriden. Reuben T. Cook, son of Ossian and Lucy (Pardee) Cook, was born in 1840 in Wallingford, Conn., and was educated in the common schools of Northford, and at Durham high school. He was brought up on his father's farm until IS years old, then learned the carpenter trade, and at the age of 21 carried on business in Wallingford for one year. In 1862 he came to Meriden, working in a meat market, then ran the up town branch of S. J. Hall's feed business, and later estab- lished a grocery business under the firm name of Ives & Cook, which continued for five years. Mr. Ives then sold his interest, and Mr. Cook continued the business alone for 11 years. February 11th, 1884, he established a wholesale fruit business under the firm name of Curtis & Cook, which is still carried on. Mr. Cook represented the town in the legislature in 1883, and the same year went to California with the St. Elmo Knights Templars. He has been selectman, and has since been elected to various offices, all of which he has declined. He married Elnora M., daughter of Richard Miller, of Meriden, and their children are: Althea M., Lulu (died in infancy), Florence and Vergil M. Robert H. Curtis was born in 1845 in Meriden, educated in the common schools of Meriden, and at Cheshire Academy, and graduated from Trinity College, Hartford, in the class of '68. He was principal of Plattsville graded school until 1873, and since that time has been .secretary and treasurer of the Meriden Silver Plate Company. He served two years as alderman, being chairman of finance committei., 682 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. afterward auditor, and for a number of years a member of board of school visitors. .Samuel Dodd, son of .Samuel and Frances (Bull) Dodd, was born in 1884, at Hartford, Conn., and was educated in the common and high schools of Hartford. He was for five years employed in the drug business of Lee & Butler, Hartford, was afterward in the City Bank, Hartford, as teller and discount clerk, and in 1857 came to Meriden as cashier in the Home National Bank. He is at present secretary and treasurer of the Wilcox Silver Plate Company. He is a director in the Home Bank and secretary and treasurer of the Meriden Gas Com- pany since its organization. He married Catherine, daughter of James vS. Brooks, of Meriden. Mr. Dodd has served as a member of the state legislature. E. J. Doolittle, son of Reverend E. J. and Jane E. (Sage) Doolittle, was born in Hebron, Conn., in 1845, and was educated at the Guilford Institute. He has been engaged in the manufacture of paper boxes in Meriden since 1862. He served as alderman two terms, as mayor for five consecutive terms, as state senator in 1887 and 1888. He is a director in the Home National Bank and the Meriden Fire Insurance Company. He married Martha W., daughter of George Couch, of Meriden. John E. Durand, son of George A. and Eunice (Clark) Durand.was born in 1883, in Cheshire, Conn., and was educated in the common schools. His father died when he was eight years old and he went to live with a farmer in Cheshire. When lo years of age he came to Meriden to work for a Mr. Griswold, bone- button maker, and lived with him and attended school in Hanover. He learned the joiner's trade, working for his brother, then went to Waterbury, finishing his , trade there and working for the Waterbury Lumber & Coal Com- pany for 17 years. In 1862 he enlisted in the 14th Connecticut Volunteers, serving a little over one year; was injured at Bell Plain Landing, Va., and discharged from the service with a pension from that day, April, 1868. Returning to Waterbury he remained there until 1869, when he came to Meriden and engaged with the Meriden Steam Mill & Lumber Company, of which he was secretary and treas- urer one year. He afterward traveled for one year for C. P. Colt, in the patent medicine business, was then elected constable of the town of Meriden, holding that office one year, and at the same time was engaged in the real estate business, which he has carried on ever since. He has been a Mason for 20 years, and is a member of the G. A. R. He married Roxanna S., daughter of Doctor M. D. Root, of Waterbury, and granddaughter of Elder Samuel Potter, who was the old pioneer Baptist preacher of Woodbridge and Salem. J. D. Eggleston, M. D., son of Jere and Louisa fCarew) Eggleston, was born in 1858 at Longmeadow, Mass. He was educated at Williston Seminary, Easthampton, at Williams College, Williamstown, Ma.ss., HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 633 and at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York city, grad- uating from the latter in 1879. He began practice at Windsor Locks, Conn., with Doctor S. R. Burnap, his preceptor. In 1880 he began practice in Meriden. He is a member of the state and county medical societies. He was elected to the board of aldermen in 1888, and is chairman of the health committee. He married Elizabeth C, daughter of Honorable Thomas Duncan, of Wind.sor, Conn. Frank P. Evarts. son of Philo G. and Jane P. (Seward) Evarts, was born in Hudson, N. Y., in 1846, and was educated at Oberlin, Ohio. In his early days he went West, and when the war broke out, came to Meriden and enlisted m the 12th Connecticut Yolunteers, serving two years and two months. He was elected alderman in 1889. He has been foreman for the Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company since 1871. He married Mary H., daughter of Doctor Woodbridge Bodwell, of Farmington, Conn. Charles L. Floto was born in Germany in 1838. and came to Amer- ica with his mother in 1848, locating at Warehouse Point, Conn. From there he went to Broad Brook, where he lived two and a half years, and then to Rockville. While in Broad Brook and Rockville he worked in the woolen mills. He then removed to Hotchkissville, remaining there four years; then to South Britain, then to Waterbury, and in 1857 came to Meriden to work for the Bradley & Hubbard Manufac- turing Company, in charge of the shade and lamp department, remain- ing in their employ for 17 years. He then worked as a clerk in a shoe store one year, then one year with Edward Miller & Co. He afterward bought out John A. Parker in the shoe business, which he ran for 12 years. On account of his health he sold out and took a trip to Europe, traveling most of the time until 1884, when he came home. In the winter of 1885 he went south, and returning to Meriden began improving his property and following the real estate business. In 1888 he again went to Europe. In 1889 he took a trip through the South and West. Since that time his attention has been given to building and attending to the improvement of his real estate. He built his present residence in 1864. His mother died in Meriden, aged 85. He married Mary U. Uschnig, of Austi-ia. Roger M. Ford, son of Roger Whiting and Emily (Moulthrop) Ford, was born in 18.34, in New Marlborough, Mass., was brought up on a farm, and was educated at North Haven, where he spent the most of his time after he was nine years of age. He came to Meriden in the winter of 1859. For two years before the war he ran an engine for the Meriden Britannia Company. At the commencement of the war the family moved to Newark. N. J. He was for a time in the internal revenue department. In 1868 he returned to Meriden and was em- ployed with the Wilcox Silver Plate Company, and afterward with the Meriden Britannia Company; was two years on the police force and one of the orio-inal members. He then went to Massachusetts for four 634 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTV. years, and returning to Meriden was employed by the Meriden Silver Plate Company. In 1878 he was again on the police force as patrol- man, and was appointed chief in February, 1883. He married Phebe A., daughter of Andrew N. Mason, of Colchester, Conn., a descendant of Captain John Mason. He enlisted ^pril 17th, 1861, for three months, as private in Company F, 1st Connecticut Volunteers; was mustered April 23d, 1861; promoted to corporal July 6th, 1861, at Falls Church, Va.; was at the battle of Bull Run, and was discharged July 31st, 1861. He enlisted September 21st, 1861, for three years, in Company K, Sth Connecticut Volunteers; was mustered in as second lieutenant vSeptember 22d, 1861; promoted to first lieutenant March 18th, at Newbern, and to captain of Company G, March 7th, 1803, at Newport News, Va.; and was discharged vSeptember 2d, 1864, at Annap- olis, Md., on account of wounds received at Petersburgh, Va., June 2r)th, 1804. He enlisted at New Haven January 3d, I860, as private in the Sth Connecticut Volunteers; was promoted to first sergeant. Company E, February 0th, 1865, at Chapins Farm, Va.; promoted to captain Company G, March 1st, 1865, and was mustered out December 12th, 1865. He was in the following battles: Roanoke Island, New- bern, Fort Macon, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburgh, Wall- thai Junction, Swift Creek, Drury's Bluff, and at the taking of Rich- mond, April 3d, 1865. F. E. Fowler, son of Dennis and JNIaria (Coe) Fowler, was born in Guilford, Conn., in 1845, and was educated at a private school in Mid- dlefield. Conn., and at Meriden Academy. He moved to Middlefield when 12 years of age, and was brought up on a farm. He started in the butcher business in Middletown when 22 years of age in the firm of Coe, Newell & Fowler, later Newell & Fowler. In 1883 he estab- lished business in Meriden under the firm name of Horton, Eaton & Fowler. Mr. Eaton sold his interest, and the firm has since been Horton & Fowler. Mr. Fowler married Sabina A., daughter of Harry Nettleton, of Durham, Conn. He was elected councilman in 1889. George B. Francis, youngest and only surviving child of Lyman and Mary ( Blaksley) Francis, grandson of Jacob, whose father, Jacob, was a son of Joseph Francis, was born in 1841. He is a farmer on the homestead of his father. He is a member of Meriden Grange, No. 29, P. of H. He married Emily J., daughter of Horace and Esther R. (John,son) Andrews. Their children are: Howard A., Willie L., born March IHth, 1890, died May 20th, 1890; and Clayton H., born July 23d, 1891. William Garlick, son of William and Harriet (Darien) Garlick, was born in 1847 in England, and came to America with his parents in 1849, locating in Meriden. He learned his trade of table knife finisher with his father, and first went to work in New Britain, as inspector at the Etna Works. Since 1871 he has worked at etching for the Meri- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 635 den Cutlery Company. He has been in the ice business since 1877. A Mr. Belden was the first one in the ice business, then came Carpen- ter & Goodwell, then William Garlick and Mr. Williams. William, Jr., bought his father out in 1877, and Mr. Williams in 1879. It is now a joint stock company. His father, after leaving the fac- tory, followed the nursery business, and died in 1880. His mother died in 1882. Mr. Garlick married Nellie M. Stevens, of South Mer- iden. L. F. Geisler was born in 1840 in Baltimore, Md., and was educated in the schools of New York, Brooklyn and Sandwich, Mass. He learned the trade of glass cutting in Sandwich, serving seven years, going from there to Boston, where he followed his trade. In 1861 he enlisted in the First Mas.sachusetts Regiment, and served three years. At the close of the war he went to New York and worked at his trade, and in 1867 came to Meriden, where he worked for Parker & Caspar, at glass cutting. In 1871 he established business for himself on Pratt street, and in 1876 built his present place on North Colony and Gris- wold streets, where he established the grocery business. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He married Marcella Kenelty, of Albany, N. Y., in 1870. Their children are : Mary E.. Kattie E., Francis P., Frederick L., Wil- liam H., Maud (died in infancy"), Josephine R., Ambrose and Charles. R. S. Gladwin, son of Joseph and Sarah (Doane) Gladwin, was born at Saybrook, Conn., in 1823. He learned the blacksmith trade at Deep River, Conn., bought out his emploj^er and carried on the business himself, for three years. Afterward he built a shop at Westbrook, remained there two years, and in 1844 came to Meriden, where he worked at his trade two or three years. He was afterward with Snow & Parker until 1849, and went to California in March of that year, remaining there three years and a half. Returning to Meriden he built a blacksmith shop, which he ran for a few years, then having taken stock in the company of Snow & Parker, and being a director in the company, he became foreman of their blacksmith shop. In 1861 he went to Europe to bring his wife home, who had gone there for her health. On his return he continued in charge of the forging department of the Parker shop until 1864, when he went to New Britain and started a shop for Landers, Frary & Clark. He remained there for 18 months, and returning to Meriden started a forging shop for himself in a part of the building now occupied by the Meriden Journal. He afterward bought the property where he built his present shop, and carried on the forging business under the name of Smith & Gladwin. Mr. Smith sold his interest, and the firm was Wetmore & Gladwin until 1872, when the United States Steel vShear Company was organized by Isaac C. Lewis, Lemuel J. Curtis, John Sutliff, S. H. Wood, A. C. Wetmore, R. S. Gladwin and others. At the end of six years the company was consolidated with the Miller Brothers Cutlery 636 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Company. Mr. Gladwin ha.s since been manufacturing metal shears. He was mayor of Meriden in 1869, also .served as councilman. He married Eunice A., daughter of David Averill, of Branford. Conn. F. P. Griswold, M. D.,.son of Samuel and Susan (Pratt) Griswold, was born in Essex, Conn., in 1850. He was educated in the common schools, and at the Sufiheld Institution. He graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York city in 1876, and afterward spent a year and a half in Bellevue Hospital. He first practiced medicine in Guilford, Conn., from 1877 to 1883, afterward spent .six months in Florida for his health, then spent six months at the Poly- clinic in New York, coming to Meriden in the fall of 1884, where he has since practiced. He is a member of county and city medical societies. He married Caroline P., daughter of AVilliam .Seward and Caroline Hull, of Madison, Conn. N. F. Griswold, son of Martin and Sarah (Fowler) Griswold, was born in 1824, in Lockport, N. Y. At the age of 11 years he was employed in a store in East Haddam, Conn. He came from Middle- town to Meriden when 16 years of age, where he learned his trade with Pomeroy & Ives, after which he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, for two years, then returned to Meriden. In 1849, during the gold excitement, he went to California for two or three years, returned to Meriden again and soon after went to Holyoke, Mass., engaging in the tin ware and stove bu.siness for a few years, then returned to Meriden, engaging with Pomeroy, Leonard & Co., tin ware manufacturers, in East Meri- den, for a few years. About 1857 he bought them out and carried on the business himself until about 1863, when he established the retail business in Meriden, running the manufacturing business in connec- tion, which he afterward sold out, carrying on the retail business only, since that time. After five or six years he took in a partner, and for a time the firm was Griswold & Searles. They dissolved, and Mr. Griswold carried on the business alone for a few years. Then Mr. Lewis, son of Isaac C. Lewis, became a partner, and the firm was Griswold & Lewis, later Griswold, Lewis & Glock, and still later Griswold, Richmond & Glock, until July 1st, 1889, when they organ- ized a stock company known as the Griswold, Richmond & Glock Cooperative Company; N. F. Cxriswold, president; John L. Richmond, treasurer; Charles C. Glock, superintendent. Mr. Griswold's first wife was Eliza, daughter of Ambro.se Williams, of Meriden. His present wife is Myra, daughter of Samuel Rockwell, of Hartford, Conn. George J. Grossman, son of Rudolph and Frances (Yost) Grossman, was born in 1847 in Hoechst, on the Maine, and came to America in 1867, working in New York, New Jersey, Boston and other places, until 1876, when he came to Meriden and bought out F. W. Shelley, who established the monument business in 1869, and which Mr. Grossman has since carried on. He married Madeline, daughterof Jacob Ku.ster, of Hartford, Conn. HISTORY OF NEW HAVKN COUNTY. 637 George H. Haas was born in Germany in 1829, came to America in 1854, and located in the town of Meriden near the Wallingford line. He worked in what was then vSanford's auger shop in Wallingford, where he remained 12 years. He moved to Yale.sville in 1857, and in 1864 located on his present farm in Meriden, continuing to work in the auger shop until about 18(38. Since that time he has been in the farming and milk business. He married Margaret, daughter of John Bader, of Germany, in 1854. She was a passenger on the same ship with him to this country. Their children are: Henry W., born 1855, in Meriden, married Mary C, daughter of Herman Duis, a native of New Orleans, but for the past 20 years a resident of Meriden; Albert F., died 1879; and Katie B. A. F. Hall, son of L. L. and Lucy A. (Bush) Hall, was born in 1841, at East Hampton, Conn., and was educated at the common and private schools of his native place, finishing his studies at Fall River, Mass. He was interested in the manufacture of horseshoe nails in New London for about two years, and was engaged a short time in manu- facturing in New Haven. In 18(59 he went to Canton, Ohio, and organized a stock company for the manufacture of steam engines and machinery, and was office manager and a director in the company. Afterward he was called to Montreal, Canada, in charge of the agency for the L^nion Mutual Life Insurance Company, which he conducted for six or .seven years. Since October, 1880, he has been with Man- ning, Bowman & Co., Aleriden. He enlLsted August 23d, 1862, in the 14th Connecticut Volunteers, served with that regiment through the battle of Antietam, was afterward transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps at New Haven, served three years and was discharged there, in 1865. He was elected councilman of the city of Meriden in 1888. He married Martha H., daughter of Byron W. Nichols, of New Haven. Reverend A. H. Hall, son of Samuel W. and Margaret B. (Knowl- ton) Hall, was born in Boston, Mass., March 7th, 1845, and graduated from Harvard University in 1867. He then spent three years in Eu- rope and the Orient, studying and ti'aveling, a part of the time study- ing at the LTniversity of Berlin. He afterward spent three years at the Theological Seminarv, Andover, Ma.ss. He was ordained and in- stalled pastor of the First Congregational church of Meriden in March, 1875, continuing there four years. After an interval of one year in Boston, he was called to the Center church, Meriden, in March, 1880, and has been pastor there since. Since 1880 he has spent six sum- mers in Europe; in 1891 was a delegate to the International Council of Congregationalists in London. His published pamphlets have been : "A Study of Mr. Froude's Historical Methods," 1887; "The Mission of the Church to Intelligence and Wealth," 1888; '"Studies in the Sermon on the Mount," 1891. He married Mary D., daughter of Deacon Ed- ward Twichell, of Plantsville, Conn. Mrs. Hall was educated at Abbott Female Seminarv, Andover, Mass. 638 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Erwin D. Hall, born in 1886 in New Marlborough, Mass., is a .son of Edward and Clarissa (Burnham) Hall. He was educated at the common schools and at Williams Academy, Stockbridge, Mass. He came to Meriden about J851, and was employed as foreman of the sewing machine department of the Charles Parker Company, and afterward engaged in the grocery business a .short time. He enlisted in the 8th Connecticut Regiment, and was appointed second lieuten- ant. On account of wounds received at the battle of Drurv's Bluff he was discharged, October Gth, 1&(>4, and then appointed in charge of the government bakery at Point Lookout, Md., where the troops were fed; also about 2r),0oo rebel prisoners. On his return to Meriden at the close of the war he married Lucy A., daughter of Captain Ben- jamin Latham, of Mystic Bridge, town of Stonington, Conn. He then engaged in the insurance business. He was town and city collector for four years. In April, 1877, he was appointed postmaster at Meri- den, and continued in office until February, 1886. He then resumed the insurance business, which he has since carried on. In May, 1890, he was elected secretary and treasurer of the Breckenridge Manufac- turing Company, and since then has given most of his time to the management of this concern. George L. Hall, son of Noah and Harriet ( Hotchkiss) Hall, was born in ]\Ieriden in 1822, in the same house where he has always lived, and was brought up on his father's farm. He taught school for 14 winters, working on the farm summers. He served as one of the committee on the high .school building, and also as committee of the Northeast school district. He married vSarah, daughter of Joseph Al- worth, of England, who came to America m 1843, his children coming two years later. He always followed the manufacturing business, and came from Great Barrington, Ma.ss., where he was employed in woolen manufacturing, to Meriden, entering the employ of Charles Parker, remaining until his death. Nekson Hall, son of Orrin and Annie G. (Hall) Hall, was born in Meriden in 1821, and remained on his father'.s farm until the age of 21, when he started in the peddling business, which he carried on for six years. He then began the manufacture of Britannia goods in Middletown. and from there went to Middlefield, and about 1853 sold out the business to the Meriden Britannia Company and came back to Meriden, locating on the old homestead, where he has since carried on farming. In 1873 he built his present hou.se near the site of the old one. He served on the board of relief several years. He married Alma E., daughter of Ira Preston, of Meriden. Russell Hall, .son of Orrin and Annie G. (Hall) Hall, was born in Meriden in 1835, and was brought up on his father's farm until he was 1!) years of age. He then started in the tin peddling business, which he followed for IS) years. About 1861 he located at his present place, where he has since been engaged in manufacturing peddlers' HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 639 supplies and tin ware, and dealing in all kinds of paper stock and metals, but of late 3'ears has given more attention to grocers' sup- plies, including tin and glass ware, wooden ware, cutlery, paper bags, paper of all kinds, etc. He was married, first, to Emily S., daughter of Ira Preston, of Meriden. His present wife is Mary E., daughter of Ransom Baldwin, of Meriden. Wilbur B. Hall, son of Lewis and Lucy M. (Birdsey) Hall, was borti in Meriden in 1860, and was educated in the common schools. He was employed for six years with the Wilcox vSilver Plate Company, Meriden, established business for him.self in 1882, and in 1885 built his present factory, where he is engaged in manufacturing silver plated and white metal goods. He married Lillie E., daughter of George Beckley, of Meriden. Daniel H. Hart, son of Samuel L and Abigail D. (Hall) Hart, was born in 1815 at Meriden. He was brought upon a farm, and was edu- cated in the common schools and at Suffield Institution. At the age of 21 he went to live on the farm of Daniel Hall, his grandfather on his mother's side, where he remained until after the war closed. He then located on his present farm, which was formerly owned and occu- pied by Isaac Lewis. He married Harriet G., daughter of Samuel Miller, of Middletown, Conn., in 1840. His grandfather, Benjamin Hart, was in the revolutionary war, and died at the age of 85. Ives W. Hart, son of Daniel H. and Harriet G. (Miller) Hart, was born in 1842 in Meriden, was educated at the Meriden Academ\\ and has always followed farming. He has been clerk of the East school district since 1885, and treasurer of Meriden Grange, No. 29, since its organization. Herman Hess, born April 4th, 1861, in Meriden, is a son of Fred- erick and Johanna (Yobke) Hess. He received a common school edu- cation. He was employed in the dry goods business about five years, was in the ticket and freight offices of the N. Y., N. H. & H. railroad five years, and was afterward employed for five years with the Meri- den Malleable Iron Company. In 1883 he was elected city auditor to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Frederick B. Derby; in October, 1886, was elected town clerk and registrar of vital statistics; was elected city clerk in December, 1886, and reelected each year since. He married Eugenia D., daughter of the late Norman W. Pomeroy, of Meriden. Fred. M. Hotchkiss, son of H. Dwight and Eliza (Smith) Hotchkiss, was born in Prospect, Conn., in 1846. He was employed by H. L. vSpencer, grocer, of Meriden, for two years. In 1868 he went to New Haven as bookkeeper in the wholesale grocery house of Yale & Bryan, remaining with them as bookkeeper three years, then went on the road as salesman. In 1869 he started in the brokerage business in New Haven, remaining about one year, then entered the employ of E. Henry Barnes, pork packer, and in 1871 established a wholesale C4() HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. and retail grocery business in Waterbury, continuing for six years. He spent the winters from LS?? to 1879 in the South on account of his health, devoting the rest of the time to settling the estate of his grandfather, David M. Hotchkiss. He afterward started on the road again for the wholesale grocery and importing house of J. D. Dewell & Co., New Haven, remaining with them until he started business in Meriden. Several years previous to leaving Dewell & Co., he had established a carriage repository and harness business, now known as the Meriden Harness Company, in Menden, and March 1st, 1889, established a wholesale grocery business. He is wholesale agent for some of the largest companies in the country. He is first vice-presi- dent of the Connecticut Commercial Travelers' Association, national director of the Travelers' Protective Association of America, and his voice is often heard on the floors of conventions of traveling men in defen.se of the commercial travelers and their interests. He married Nellie A., daughter of H. L. Spencer, of Meriden. H. E. Hubbard, born in 1844 in Haddam, Conn., is a son of Epaphro and Achsah (Dickinson) Hubbard. In 1866 he went to Hart- ford, engaging in the stair building busine.ss in the firm of C. B. May & Co. In 1872 he came to Meriden and established business for him- self on vState street, in what was known as the Old Meriden Steam Mill, which was burned in tlie summer of 1873. A year after he built a planing mill on Cherry .street, which was burned in 1875, and in 1877 or 1878 he built his present place on Center street. He married Lora B., daughter of Orrin Hale, of (rlastonbury. Conn. He was- alderman of the First ward two years, and once first selectman of the town. Oliver J. D. Hughes, M. D., son of Honorable John H. Hughes, of Bushey Park, Herts, England, and Sophie L. Tidblom, was born in the port of Buenos Aires, Argentine Republic, 37 years ago. He was educated at St. John's Grammar School, Buenos Aires, Royal Surrey Cadets, Peckham, London, Real Gymnasium, Mannheim and Heidel- berg University (degree Ph. B. 1871) Germany. He received the degree of M. D. from Long Island College Hospital in 1875. He passed the German Army Medical Board (3d Army) in 1870, and served through the Franco-German War (1870-71) in Third (Crown Prince's) Army, Medical Department; was decorated with Iron Cross, Baden Cross of Merit and war medal. He was house surgeon at Long Island College Hospital and Eastern District Hospital, Brooklyn, N. Y., hou.se surgeon and chief of staff at Marine Hospital, Stapleton, vStaten Island, N. Y., also assistant under Doctor Kitchen at Ward's Island Emigration A.sylum, N. Y., and was surgeon Pacific Mail Steamship Company, Mexican Alail, and inspector on board of health, Brooklyn, N. Y. He first went into private practice at Fultonville, N. Y., for a few months, then went to Brooklyn, N. V., and was asso- ciated with Doctor J. G. Johnson. From there he went into the HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 641 Mexican service, coming home to be married to Jennie W. Toothe of Brooklyn, N. Y., and returning with her to Mexico. He returned to the United States and settled in Meriden six years ago, at 38i West Main street. He has been town physician for four years, me.nber of board of school visitors, and health board and high school committee, and is a member of state, county and city medical societies. He erected his present residence in 1890 at SB East Main street. P. Ethan Hull, son of Cornelius and Polly (Rogers) Hull, was born in Meriden in 1836, and was educated at Meriden Academy. He was first employed in grocery and dry goods stores and afterward in the harness business. He then went West for one year selling lumber. Returning East he established himself in the stationers' hardware business, under the firm name of Hull & Co. He was afterward for 13 years with Miller Brothers Cutlery Company, and since that time has been superintendent of the Meriden Saddlery & Leather Com- pany. He has served two years in the council. He married Frances L., daughter of Ezra Pratt, of Meriden. His father was for a great many years in charge of the coffee mill department of the Charles Parker Company. John A. Hurley, born in 1854 at New Haven, Conn., is a son of William and Ellen (Ray) Hurley. He was employed in the dry goods bu.siness with Edward Malley, New Haven, Conn., from 1871 to 1879, and from January, 1879, was employed as bookkeeper for McMahon & Wren, wholesale liquor dealers, Bridgeport, Conn. He was admitted to the firm February 1st, 1886, the firm name becoming McMahon, Wren & Co., and went to Meriden June 1st, 1888, to take active part in the management of the Meriden Brewing Company. He married Margaret A., daughter of Thomas S. Byrne, of New Haven. The Meriden Brewing Company was organized in 1887. The members of the company were J. H. McMahon and P. W. Wren, of the wholesale liquor firm of McMahon, Wren & Co., Bridgeport, Conn., and W. E. Green and J. A. Hurley. The company advanced and developed more rapidly than any other brewery in the country. In a little over two years they built up a business that reached into every corner of this state, and that extended to all or nearly all the commercial centers of the country. It is the largest bi'ewery between New York and Boston, and posses.ses an annual producing capacity of 100,000 barrels. One great advantage it has over other breweries is that the beer is made from spring water obtained from wells located on the premises. Its plant is in every way superior to that of any other brewery in New England. Mr. Green left the concern January 1st, 1891. The com- pany, with A. Wintter & Co., of Bridgeport, formed a joint stock com- pany under the title of The Connecticut Breweries Company, October 18th, 1890. The corporation purchased all the property of both con- cerns. Peter W. Wren is president; A. Wintter, secretary and treas- urer; J. A. Hurley, manager of Meriden Brewery. 40 642 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Isaac B. Hyatt, son of Roswell and Elizabeth (Curtis) Hyatt, was born in 1848 in Norwalk, Conn., and was educated in the common schools. He enlisted in the 17th Connecticut Volunteers in January, 1864, and was mustered out in July, 186."). He then returned to Nor- walk and came to Meriden in 1867. He learned his trade of Britannia working- with the Meriden Britannia Company. Julius I. Ives, of South Meriden, son of Jotham and Mary R. (Way) Ives, was born in 1842 on the farm where he now lives, and was educated in the common schools. He went South for two winters and was in the lumber business, connected with the Wilmington Lumber Company. Since that time he has carried on farming. He married Mary A., daughter of William Johnson, of Middletown. His father was born in Meriden, located on his farm at South Meriden (then called Hanover) in 1830, and died in 1863. His mother died in 1878. James Kane, son of James and Mary (Keating') Kane, was born in 1830, in Ireland, and came to America when 15 years of age. His par- ents died in Ireland. After remaining a short time in New York he located at Hartford, Conn., where he learned his trade of James S. Hooker. He then went to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., as foreman for sev- eral contractors, among whom were William Harlow and Jared & Boyd, of Newburgh, N. Y., afterward returned to Hartford and was foreman for Joel Hills & Brother. In 1864 he came to Meriden and was foreman for Robert Oughton. In 1868 he established business for himself, and about 1881 returned to Hartford, on account of his health, where he carried on business until 188o, when he again came to Meriden, where he has since carried on business. In 1887 he went to Florida on account of his health, and while there superintended the mason work on the Ponce De Leon Hotel, at .St. Augustine. He was foreman on the Meriden woolen mill, built the ..-Eolian Organ & Music Company's factory, assisted in building the Meriden Britannia and the Wilcox & White Organ Company's buildings, erected buildings for Edward Miller & Co., built the convent school and addition to the Catholic church. On a wager that he could lay 3,000 brick in a day, he once performed what is called the greatest feat on record, at Bridgeport, by laying 3,500 brick in 5 hours and 35 minutes. He has served as councilman. He married Bridget, daughter of James and Mary Whalen, of Poughkeep.sie, N. Y., and their children are: James T., Robert E., William M., Joseph P., Mamie E. and Kittle B. James T. was born in 1862, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and was only two years old when he came to Meriden. He learned bis trade with his father, and has been a member of the firm of James Kane & Son for the past eight years. In 1888 he was elected alderman. Silas W. Kent, son of Chester G. and Polly (Bly) Kent, was born in 1850, in Remsen, Oneida county, N. Y., and was educated at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., graduating in 1872. He came to Mer- iden in 1873, and has since been connected with the Beecher Manufac- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 643 turing Company, and is now the manufacturer of the Blizzard horse shoe ice creeper. He married Mary E., daughter of Elisha and Rox- anna Chapman, of Southington.Conn. Wm. Wallace Lee was born July 20th, 1828, in Barkhamsted, Litchfield county. Conn., and is the second son in a family of five sons and one daughter that grew to maturity. He is of the fifth genera- tion from John Lee, who came from Colchester, England, in 1634, and was one of the original proprietors of Farmington, Conn., in 1641. His education was obtained in the common schools. He learned the machinist trade, and has always followed it as a journeyman. He was five years a constable, two years a justice of the peace, four years alderman and two years a member of the legislature. He was mar- ried, July 24th, 1851, to Mary Jane Carrington, of an old New Haven county family. They had three sons (all died young) and one daugh- ter, now the wife of Edwin E. Smith, business manager of the Mcri- den Republican. In politics Mr. Lee is a republican. He was a dele- gate to the first republican convention in Connecticut, and voted for Fremont, Lincoln and Horace Greeley. Isaac C. Lewis, son of Isaac and Esther (Beaumont) Lewis, was born in Meriden in 1812, and was educated in the common schools. He was first president of the Meriden Britannia Company, continuing in that office for 12 years. He represented the town in the legisla- ture four terms, and was twice mayor of Meriden. He married Har- riet, daughter of Noah Pomeroy, of Meriden. Lew Allen Lipsette was born in 1852 in New York city, and was educated at the College of New York. He came to Meriden about twenty years ago. He married Amelia E., daughter of Jacob Urick, of Meriden. He has editorial charge of the Meriden Daily Journal. George H. Lohmann, son of Carl and Minna (Taeger) Lohmann, was born in 1847. in Brunswick, Germany, was educated in the com- mon schools of his native town, and learned the wood engraving busi- ness. He came to America in 1872, locating first in New York, where he followed his trade for about three years. In 1875 he came to Mer- iden, establishing himself in the wood engraving business under the firm name of Sanford & Co., which continued for four years. In 1879 Mr. Lohmann made a contract with the Meriden Britannia Company as engraver. He was elected alderman m 1887. He married Annie Schrader, of Brunswick, Germany. Mr. Lohmann served one year in the German Prussian war. His father is a pensioner, having served the German government for 50 years. Reverend Paul F. M'Alenney, son of Bernard and Mary (Cassidy) M'Alenney, was born March 8th, 1848, in the north of Ireland. His father died in Ireland in 1851, and his mother and family came to America. They landed in New York, where they resided a short time, and then located in Waterbury, Conn., where they remained several years, and finally removed to Plainville, Conn., where the 644 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. mother died in 18G9. He went to live, when about twelve years of age, with relatives in Manchester, Conn., where he attended a public school for a short time. He learned the blacksmith trade, and having finished, returned to the home of his mother in Waterbury, moved to Plainville, and remained with the family until her death. He entered St. Francis' College, Brooklyn, N. Y., where he graduated with honors in 1871. The following year he studied at St. Bonaventure's College, Alleghany, N. Y. He completed his studies in Montreal College and the Grand vSeminary, and was ordained December 23d, 1876. His first charge was as assistant pastor of St. Peter's. Hartford, Conn., until August, 1881. He was appointed pastor of St. Paul's church, Kensing- ton, with Plainville as a mission. During his pastorate of Kensington and Plainville he paid over $.'),()(i() debt and made many needed im- provements in the former, and in the latter he organized the parish, secured the land, built the church of Our Lady of Mercy, and left the property, which cost about $l.'),0()i), entirely free of debt. He was ap- pointed pastor of St. Rose's church, Meriden, and took charge Febru- ary 22d,188o. During his years in Meriden he built the Church of the Holy Angels, South Meriden, erected a convent chapel for the Sisters, remodelled the schools and church, built a boiler house from which all the buildings are heated, purchased iiO acres of land at the city limit on Broad street, for a cemetery, and secured land in the western part of the city, where he intends soon to erect a church and school. John McWeeney, born in 1842 in Ireland, is a son of Thomas and Catherine (McKeon) McWeeney. He came to America in 185S. locat- ing in Branford, and came to Meriden in 1859. He was employed by the Meriden Cutlery Company for 16 years, and e.stablished a coal and wood business, under the firm name of McWeeney & Sabin, in 1873. He has also been engaged in the insurance business since 1886. He was elected councilman in 1887 and alderman in 1889, and has been a member of the town board of relief since 1886. He married Mary, daughter of Edward Burke, of Cheshire, Conn. C. J. Mansfield, M. D.. born in 1843 in Brooklyn, N. Y., is a .son of Charles and Eliza (Buckingham) Mansfield, the latter a cousin of Governor Buckingham, of Connecticut. He was educated at the high school, Sheffield, Mass., and graduated from New York Homeopathic Medical College in 1868. For two years he practiced in New York city, and in 1870 came to Meriden. He is a member of the Connecticut vState Medical Society. He married Emma, daughter of George W. Lyon, of Meriden. Edward M. Merriam, son of Alvah and Mary A. (Sperry) Merriam, was born November l.st, 1843, in Woodbury. Litchfield county, Conn., was educated in the .schools of Woodbury, Meriden, and Washington Academy, and has followed farming in Meriden. He has served as clerk and treasurer of Northwest school district. His father was born in Meriden on the farm where Edward M. lives, in 1799, was brought HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 645 up on the farm until 21. then started in the peddling business, which he followed until shortly after he settled again in Meriden, in 1861. After that he followed farming, and died in 1878. He kept store in Woodbury from 1880 to 18.50, where he manufactured goods and sent out peddlers, then followed the wholesale Yankee notion business for ten years. His grandfather, Amasa Merriam, bought the farm place in Meriden in 1795 for iJSOO. George C. Merriam, son of Nelson and Rosetta (Couch) Merriam, was born m Meriden in 1834, and received a common school educa- tion. In 1851 he went to New York in the employ of Hopkins, Allen & Co., remaining until 1859, then went to Wilmington, N. C, entering business as a member of the firm of J. M. McCarter & Co. The day Sumter was fired on he came home, and in Ji:ly, 1862, en- listed in and was appointed second lieutenant of Company A, 15th Connecticut Regiment. He was promoted to first lieutenant of Com- pany E, in 1864 was made captain in the 8th Regiment, and in 1865 was mustered out. At the expiration of a year he went to Vermont, engaging in the lumber business for two years, then returned to Mer- iden. After spending one year in the office of Foster, Merriam & Co., he went to Nevada, and two j^ears later returned to Meriden and en- tered the office of the Charles Parker Company, remaining there eight years. On the death of Albert Foster, he became secretary and treas- urer of Foster, Merriam & Co. He has served six years as councilman and two years as alderman. He married Helen R., daughter of Charles and Sarah Bradley. Eli I. Merriman, son of Ira and Elizabeth (Hubbard) Merriman, was born in Meriden in 1837, and was educated at the Meriden Acad- emy. He was clerk in the grocery business for Collins & Co. for about five years, then engaged in hoop skirt manufacturing in the firm of J. Wilcox & Co., which was afterward made a joint stock company for making balmoral skirts, Mr. Merriman being secretary and treasurer of the company. They afterward went into the woolen business as the Meriden Woolen Company, of which he was for five years secre- tary and treasurer. Since 1879 he has been secretary and treasurer of the Meriden Malleable Iron Company. He married Mary Ely, daugh- ter of N. F. and Nancy (Ely) Miller, of Bloomfield, Conn. Wallace A. Miles, son of Almeron and Caroline (Lawrence) Miles, was born in 1841 in Southington, Conn., where his parents temporar- ily resided, moving to Meriden when he was six months old. He was educated by private tutor and at Meriden Academy. He was first em- ployed as clerk in the Meriden post office under Postmasters Yale and Asel H. Curtis. He afterward for many years had charge of shipping for the Charles Parker Company, then went into the hardware and crockery business in the firm of Birdsey & Miles, who were also manu- facturers of stationers' hardware. In the spring of 1876 they dissolved partnership, Mr. Miles taking the manufacturing business, which he 646 HisT(mv OF new haven county. continued until 1888. He was collector of taxes for 1875. '76 and '77, has been assessor of town and city since 1877, is a member of the board of compensation for the city, to which place he was unani- mou.sly cho.sen by the city council in 1886, was a member of the legis- lature in 187.1, '76 and '77, and was elected mayor in 1888. He enlisted in the 27th Regiment in April, 1862, and went out in October, return- ing in August, 1863. He married Angeline Patterson, of Bloomfield, Conn. William H. Miller was born April 29th, 1822, at Ramapo Works, Rockland county, N. Y. He attended a private school until he was 16 years old, when he engaged with the Colts Patent Fire Arms Com- pany, at Paterson, N. J., to learn the trade of gun maker, continuing with them until the spring of 1841. He then went to Chicopee Falls, Mass., and was employed by the Ames Manufacturing Company in the manufacture of the Jenks breech loading carbine. In the fall of 1843 he went to Mill Creek, Pa., in the armory of a Mr. Nippes, who manufactured muskets for the government. In the spring of 1844 he engaged in company with Mr. Hosea Ball, to make the tools and start up the rifle manufactory at Cincinnati, O., of John Griffeth, who had a contract with the government to make 5,000 rifles. After completing this work, Mr Miller returned in the fall of 1844 to Paterson, and in the .spring of 1845 went to Chicopee, Ma.ss., to work on pin machinery for Charles Benedict and William Ball. In the fall of the same year he engaged at Springfield Armory, Mass., to work on tools for a new carbine under the superintendence of Cyrus Buckland. In the sum- mer of 1846 he was engaged by Colonel Samuel Colt to work on his pistols at Whitneyville, this county. When the business was removed to Hartford in 1847, Mr. Miller went with it as a contractor to make the lock work of pi.stols. While at Hartford Joshua Stevens (now president of the Stevens Tool & Fire Arms Company, of Chicopee Falls) and Mr. Miller made an improvement in revolving pistols and had it patented. In the fall of 1849 they formed what is called the Massachusetts Arms Company, and engaged in the manufacture of these pistols, which he continued until 1862, when he was engaged as superintendent of the gun manufactory of Parker, Snow, Brooks & Co., at Meriden. In 1864-5 he made .several inventions and improve- ments in fire arms, one of which is now the celebrated Parker Shot Gun. Another, invented in company with his brother, George W. Miller, is the cartridge extractor now u.sed in the Springfield musket. In 1848, in company with his brother, George W., Mr. Miller engaged in the manufacture of pocket cutlery, and in 1870 formed the Miller Brothers Cutlery. Company. He continued in that bu.siness until 1885. In January, 1886, Mr. Miller was appointed and commissioned as post- master at Meriden, which position he held until February, 1890. Henry L. Morehou.se, son of Cyrus A. and Cornelia (Canfield) More- house, was born in 1845 in New Milford, Conn., and graduated from HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 647 Eastman's College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He learned his trade in Bridgeport with his brother, and in 1869 established business for him self in New Haven. Since 1872 he has carried on the contracting and building business in Meriden. He married Mattie C, daughter of Charles D. Wright, of Meriden. George N Morse, son of Joseph and Lucj' (Hall) Morse, was born in Meriden October 16th, 1853, and was educated in the common schools of Meriden and at Connecticut Literary Institution, Suffield. He first worked in a paint store a short time, was afterward employed in the Meriden Britannia Company, then in the grocery business, and later with his father in the hardware business. After his father sold out he went to New York and worked for A. T. Stewart, and after- ward with the Whiting Manufacturing Company. Returning to Meriden, he established himself in the fire insurance business, which he carried on for ten years. He then engaged in the real estate business for one year in the West, and in January, 1884, e.stablished the furniture business in Meriden, which he has since carried on. He was elected to the senate in 1888 by the largest plurality ever given in his district for a democratic candidate. He ran for city clerk, also for alderman, and in 1889 was democratic candidate for mayor. He was correspondent for the New York Mirror and the Turf, Field & Farm, contributing a number of valuable articles to the latter; was delegate from his town at the state convention at Hartford, to choose delegates to the national convention, and was a member of Charter Oak Hose, Volunteer Fire Department. He is a descendant of John Morse, one of the founders of Wallingford in 1670, a deputy and com- missioner to the general court for 14 years, and who died in 1707 at the age of 103. On his maternal side, are Governor Johnathan Law, and Brenton Hall, first representative from Meriden in 1806. Mr. Morse married Mary A., daughter of John C. Byxbee, of Meriden. D. K. Murphy was born April 13th, 1841, in Rome, N. Y., and was educated at Springfield, Mass., where he lived from the time he was 2^ years old until about 21, when he learned the cigar making trade in Westfield, Mass., working at that until 1872. He then went into the millinery and fancy goods business for a year in Middletown, Conn., and in the fall of 1873 came to Meriden, and in January, 1874, established the millinery business in Meriden, which he carried on four years. Since that time he has been in the undertaking business, also fire insurance business since 1886. He served as a member of the water board two years. He married Anna B., daughter of Edward Comer, of Winchester, N. H., and for many years a resident of Keene, N. H. J. S. Norton, Jr., son of J. S. & Anna M. (Sage) Norton, was born in Guilford, Conn., January 31st, 1851. He left Guilford when he was 10 years of age and has since resided in Meriden. He entered the Home Bank in 1866, filling various positions up to cashier, which position he has held since 1881. 648 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Samuel D. Otis, M. D., son of Israel S. and Caroline (Dickinson) Otis, was born in 1856 at Old .Saybrook, Conn., was educated at the University of New York, graduating fi-om the medical department in 1876. He began practice in Tuckerton, N. J., and in the spring of 1877 located in Meriden, where he has since practiced. He is a member of state, county and cit}' medical societies. His preceptor was Doctor John H. Granniss, of Old Saybrook. He was elected alderman in 1887. He married Mary, daughter of Doctor Edward C. Newport, of Meriden. William Parker was born in 1825 in Hartford, Conn. His father moved from Hartford to Albany, N. Y., and from there to New Haven, where he died. William, at the age of 11 years, went to Wallingford, where he was brought upon a farm, and afterward worked in the shop of Hall & Elton. He established a livery business, under the firm name of Bartholomew & Parker. In ISHS he came to Meriden, where he also carried on the livery business for H> years in the rear of where the old Central Hotel stood. He afterward kept the Meriden House stables for five years, and in 1868 started the business on West Main street, which he sold out in 1873, on account of his health. He served four years in the council and was assessor two years. He married Nancy L. Whiting, of Branford, Conn. C. W. Patten, son of William and Louisa (Harrison) Patten, was born in 1845 at Montville, Conn., and was educated at old Bacon Acad- emy, Colchester. He worked for Clark & Smith, New London, Conn., for a number of years, and about 18 years ago came to Meriden and established a butcher business, which he has since continued. He married for his first wife Elizabeth, daughter of Allen Sisson, of Say- brook, Conn., and for his second Mary G., daughter of John Kinder, of Meriden. James M. Perkins, son of Russell G. and Sarah (Bartlett) Perkins, was born in 1828, in Ludlow, Mass. His father moved to Pittstown, N. Y., where James M. went to school. His father afterward moved to Franklin, N. Y. James M. learned his trade of carpenter and joiner in Oneonta, N. Y., and afterward engaged in putting in water wheels at different places on the Delaware. Later he was engineer on the New York & Erie railroad. He came to Meriden about 35 years ago, taking charge of the hammer forging at what was then Parker & Per- kins, now the Charles Parker Company, spoon shop. East Meriden, of which he is now superintendent. He has served on the board of re- lief. He married, first, Almira Allen, of Gilboa, N. Y. His present wife is Abby E., daughter of Edward O. Belden, of Meriden. Reverend J. T. Pettee was born in the town of Sharon, Norfolk county, Mass., .September 5th, 1822. His father was Tyler Pettee, son of Hezekiah and Chloe (Ware) Pettee, of Foxboro, Mass. His mother was Esther M., daughter of John Hews, of Foxboro, and Esther Mann, of Wrentham. Mr. Pettee was educated at the district school. Rice's Academy, Newton and lioUiston, Lowell high school and Wesleyan HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 649 University, Middietown, Conn. His life has been devoted to preach- ing, writing, superintending and teaching. He has served as judge of probate, selectman and school superintendent. He was married, October 26th, 1848. to Mariette R. Clark, of Meriden. They have had but one child, Emily Parker Pettee, deceased. Mr. Pettee is a democrat in politics and a Methodist in religion. August Pistorius, son of August and Charlotte (Weaver) Pistorius, was born in Prussia in 1829. He learned the tailoring trade in the city of Berlin, served from 1849 to 1853 in the Prussian army, and came to America in 1855, locating first in New Haven. In October, 1855, he came to Meriden and was employed by Joseph Stevens in the tailoring business. Mr. Pistorius started business in 1870 as a mem- ber of the firm of Pistorius & O'Neil, which continued one year, since which time he has conducted business alone. He married Catherine, •daughter of Conrad Fisher, of Germany. She died December, 1863. His present wife, Louisa, is a sister of his first wife. The children living by first wife are Henry and Charles, and by present wife: Louisa, Gus.sie, Annie, William, Minnie and Frederick. Mr. Pistorius has been Corner School District committee since 1883. He was one of the originators of the first German Lutheran church, was elected chairman of the meeting and afterward chairman of the trustees, which position he held while a member of that church. He was one of the original starters of the German Mutual Aid Society and held the office of treasurer for the first eleven years, afterward was presi- dent and is now trustee. He is a member of St. Elmo Commandery, No. 9, K. T., of Meriden, Conn. James T. Pomeroy. .son of Noah and Nancy (Merriman) Pomeroy, was born in Meriden in 1827, and was brought up on his father's farm, where he has always lived and followed farming. The old homestead is supposed to be nearly 200 years old, and was moved a short distance from the old site in 1882, when he built his present house. He mar- ried Delilah F., daughter of William H. Guild, who was engaged in the steam pump business for 35 years, in Brooklyn, N. Y., and who came to Meriden in 1846. Their children are: Leanora E., married J. H. Beckett, of Meriden; Nellie J., married R. J. Molloy, of Meriden; Carrie F., died 1881, and was the wife of David Flansburgh, of Meriden; and Charles Lewis and William H. Pomeroy. His father, Noah Pomeroy, was born in Saybrook, Conn., and was a son of Charles Pomeroy, a merchant of that place. The family trace their ancestry back to the eleventh century to a distinguished Norman knight, who fought at the battle of Hastings under William. After the death of his father, Noah Pomeroy moved with his mother to Meriden in 1818. In his early days he peddled tin ware, and afterward engaged in its manufacture, which he carried on for over 20 years. His sons after- ward conducted the business for about 18 years, when they sold out. His son, Norman, afterward engaged in the grocery business, which 650 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. he carried on up to within a few years of his death. Charles S. went West as a land agent, and also practiced law there. He was elected to congress from Iowa, and has since practiced law in Washington, D. C. James T. remained on the farm, which he has since carried on. Noah Pomeroy served as selectman many years, and justice of the peace by appointment of the state legislature, as long as it posses.sed the power to appoint, during his whole residence in Meriden. In 1832 he was elected to the house of representatives, and in 1837 to the senate. He was director in the Meriden Bank from its organization, and was chosen president in 1849, but resigned six months later. Reverend A. T. Randall, son of Reverend H. C. and Mary L. (Davis) Randall, was born September 23d, 18r)4, at Poquetannock, Conn. He graduated from St. Stephens College at Annandale, N. Y., in 1877, and from Berkeley Divinity School, Middletown, Conn., June 2d, 1880, and was ordained to the priesthood June 7th, 1881, at Litchfield, Conn. He came to Meriden as assistant to Doctor Deshon June 4th, 1880. The latter was rector for 33 years, and died January 1st, 1883. Mr- Randall had full charge of the parish from the death of Doctor Deshon until he was made rector at Easter, 1884. November 30th, 1888, the parish house was dedicated, built at a cost of $16,000, raised by sub- scription. T. L. Reilly was born in 1858 in New Britain, Conn., and was educated at the parochial school attached to St. Mary's church, and at the State normal school. New Britain, graduating in 1876. He imme- diately entered the office of Town Clerk Walsh, of New Britain, as assistant. In 1877 he came to Meriden and studied law in the ofifice of Judge Donahoe, now of Middletown; was afterward employed as bookkeeper for John F. Butler, and later in the packing department of the Meriden Britannia Company. In 1880 he became the Meriden correspondent of the New Haven Daily Union, afterward had charge of the local department of the Meriden Press-Recorder, was later connected with the Meriden Republican for three years, and then engaged with the Ne-cv Haven Register, doing their legislative work, remaining with them until the Meriden Journal PublishingCompany started, of which he has since been secretary and local editor. He married Marie E., daughter of M. Rowen, of Blackstone, Mass. M. G. Reynolds, son of Thomas and Ellen (Gill) Reynolds, was born in Ireland in 1838, and came to America in 1863, locating in New Haven. A few months later he came to Meriden and worked in an auger shop a short time, then worked at teaming. About 1865 he went West, where he was employed in the grocery business for about two years. He returned to New Haven, remaining about eight months, and in 1868 went to Wallingford, where he started the grocery busi- ness. In 1870 he came again to Meriden and established business at his present place on West Main street. He married Mary, daughter of Owen Campbell. He has been chairman of the committee of the HISTORY OF NEW KA.VEN COUNTY. 651 West school district since 1886, and was elected assessor in 1888, 1889 and 1890. John L. Richmond, son of Leonard and Edna (Wright) Richmond, was born in 1836 at Canaan, Conn., and was educated in the common schools, and at West Granville, Mass., where he went when young, remaining there until 18 years of age. He afterward located in Glas- tonbury, Conn., where he learned his trade. He came to Meriden in 1855, and from that time until 1877 (with the exception of the time he was in the war) was employed with the Meriden Britannia Company. In 1877 he bought Mr. Lewis' interest in the firm of Griswold, Lewis & Glock, the firm afterward being Griswold, Richmond & Glock until July 1st, 1889, when a stock company was organized under the name of the Griswold, Richmond & Glock Cooperative Company, with N. F. Griswold, president; John L. Richmond, treasurer, and Charles C. Glock, superintendent. Mr. Richmond served in the 3d Connecticut Volunteers, under Captain Jared R. Cook. He has served as alder- man and as councilman several years. He married Eunice E., daughter of Sherman Stone, of Durham, Conn. Charles L. Rockwell, son of Francis A. and Mary (Lee) Rockwell, was born in Ridgefield, Conn., was educated at Fort Edward Institute, N. Y., and has always been identified with banking business. He was teller of the National Bank of Norwalk, Conn., from 1863 to 1870, and has since been cashier of First National Bank of Meriden; is also a director in same, vice-president and trustee of City Savings Bank, treasurer and trustee of Meriden Trust & Safe Deposit Company, director of Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad Com- pany, and secretary and treasurer of the Meriden Horse Railroad Com- pany. He is also trustee of the Wesleyan University at Middletown, Conn. William F. Rockwell, son of Francis A. and Mary (Lee) Rockwell, was born in Ridgefield, Conn., in 1845, and was educated at a select school in Ridgefield, and at Fort Edward Institute, N. Y., where he prepared for college. He was first employed as assistant bookkeeper in a flour and grain house in New York city, and afterward had charge of the office for three years. In 1868 he established a general country store at Washington, N. J., under the firm name of Cummins, Rockwell & Co., which continued until 1873, and since that time he has been secretary and treasurer of the Miller Brothers Cutlery Com- pany, Meriden. He married Louise, daughter of J. D. Taylor, of Washington, N. J. T. S. Rust, son of Daniel and Ann (Haskell) Rust, was born in 1844 at Northampton, Mass., and was educated at Williston Seminary, Easthampton, Mass., his parents having moved there when he was a child. He is a machinist by trade, and during the early part of the war he returned to Northampton, where he worked on guns and gun machinery, afterward locating in Meriden, where he also worked 602 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. on guns and gun macliinery with Snow, Brooks & Co., now Parker Brothers. In 18G4 he began the practice of dentistry in Aleriden, succeeding D. S. Colton, who was his brother-in-law. He married Fannie M., daughter of Chaunceyand Miranda F. Colton, of Westfield, Mass. Henry Sabin, son of Colonel Horace and Emily (Grosvenor) Sabin. was born in Pomfret, Conn., in 1841, and was educated in the common schools. He was employed by the Meriden Cutlery Company for 22 years, and in 1873 established himself in the coal and wood business, as a member of the firm of McWeeney & vSabin. He was elected justice of the peace in 1886. His first wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Olney Burton, of Pomfret, Conn. His second wife was Myra, daughter of H. B. Harvey, of Pottsville, Pa. His present wife is Bertha, daughter of James Brooks Ely, of Meriden. Mr. Sabin enlisted in the 1st Conn. Cavalry, but was taken sick before the regiment left and had to return home. F. E. Sands, son of Jesse and i^Iary E. (Turner) Sands, was born in 1863, in New Fairfield, Conn. He was educated at Danbury, Conn., and at Yale College, graduating in 1885, as civil engineer. After graduating he was employed on the Nctv Haven Union staff, and in April, 1886, together with others, formed the Journal Publishing Com- pany, of which he is treasurer. H. S. Savage, son of Elliott and Sarah F. (»Southmayd) Savage, was born in 1861, in Meriden, was educated in the public schools, worked at surveying under S. C. Pierson for nearly three years, and since 1877 has been employed by the Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Com- pany, for the past four years in charge of invoice department. He was elected to the council in December, 1888. He married Alice A., daughter of James Self, of Meriden. Henry L. Schleiter, son of John and Catherine (Gilbert) Schleiter, was born in Rosendale, Germany, June 24th, 1830, and came to Amer- ica May 2d, 1847, locating in New London, Conn. He learned the boot and shoe business with A. D. Smith, remaining in his employ six years, and then established business for himself, continuing there until February 1st, 1869, when he located in Meriden, where he has since carried on the business. While in New London he was a mem- ber of the common council four years, and has served six years as a member of common council in Meriden. He was assessor of taxes one year, member of board of water commissioners four years, the last two years being president and superintendent, and afterward was elected superintendent, serving seven years, making nine years in all as superintendent of water works. He resigned on account of ill health, and was reelected in January, 1890. He enlisted April 2()th, 1861, as first lieutenant in Company A, 3d Regiment, Conn. N. G., serving three months at Fort Trumbull, and in the fall of 1861 he re- cruited a company and joined the 13th Connecticut Volunteers, as HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 653^ captain of Company I. The regiment went out with the New England division, commanded by Major-General B. F. Butler, and at New Or- leans his company was detached from the regiment and made special body guard to General Butler. Captain Schleiter resigned in 1803, on account of ill health contracted in the service. He married Adelia, daughter of Captain William Potter, of New London. August Schmelzer, born in 1841, in Germany, is a son of C. A. and Johanne (Wetzel) Schmelzer. He came to America in 1871, and located in Meriden, where he worked in the woolen mill, and afterward with the Charles Parker Company. He then went to Albany, N. Y., work- ing in a sash and blind factory, and in the fall of 1872 returned to Meriden and was again employed in the woolen mill from 1873 to 1879. From 1880 to 1889 he was employed by the Malleable Iron Com- pany. In 1873 he established a news agency, in 1874 added cigars and tobacco, in 1876 became agent for the German Lloyd Steamship Com- pany, and in 1878-9 for the Hamburg-American. He is a notary pub- lic, and also in the coal and wood business, buying out A. A. Beadle, June 1st, 1889. He married Flora, daughter of Glottlob Schoen, of Werdau, Germany. He was elected councilman in 1886, and reelected in 1888, and was also a member of the board of relief. J. G. Schwink, Jr., .son of J. G. and Barbara (Schaab) Schwink, was born in Yalesville, Conn., in 1857. He was brought up on his father's farm until 16 years of age, and like his father, has always followed the milk business with farming. In 1871 he came to Meriden with his parents. He married Lillian S., daughter of Charles and Sophia Grether. Her father carried on the butcher business in Meriden for many years. Mr. Schwink served as a member of the Southeast School District committee in 1886-7, and as treasurer in 1888. In 1889 he built his present residence, corner East Main street and Paddock avenue. His father came to America about 1850, locating in Yalesville. Plis mother before marriage was employed for a number of years in the family of Charles Parker, of Meriden. Mrs. vSchwink's uncle on her mother's side, John Dreher, and her mother were the only Germans in Meriden at that time, and were the organizers of the fir,st German Lutheran church in Meriden. Her mother was employed for seven years in the family of Noah Pomeroy. Her parents came to America, locating in Meriden about 1850. Isaac Skidgell, son of Nicholas and Amy (Van Wart) Skidgell.was born in 1822, at Tarrytown, N. Y., and was educated at the old Tarry- town Academy. He went to New York when 16 years of age and lived there until 1860, when he went to Bridgeport, Conn., as engineer for the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Company, remaining five years. In 1804 he came to Meriden and since that time has been engineer for the Meriden Britannia Company. He has followed steam engineering .since he was 16 years of age. He was elected boiler inspector in 1868 and has been reelected each year since. He 654 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. married Frances, daughter of Thomas and Frances Devoe, of New York. Edward W. .Smith, M. D., son of David and Fidelia (Parker) Smith, was born in Meriden in 1854. He graduated from Hopkins Grammar vSchool, New Haven, in 1874, and from Yale in 1878, and after attending medical school one year, he taught school for one year at Yalesville. He then entered McGill Medical College, Montreal, graduated in 1882, and returning to Meriden, immediately began practice. He is a member of State and County Medical Societies. He married Helen B., daughter of Oliver and Abby A. Rice, of Meriden, Conn. Oliver Rice was a native of Meriden. George W. Smith, son of Willis and Olive (Smith) Smith, was born in Wallingford, Conn., in 1825, graduated from Yale Law School in 1857, and immediately began practice in Meriden. He was justice of the peace continuously while in Meriden, and for many years probate judge. He was also justice of city court, and one of the trustees of the City Savings Bank. His first wife was Kate A., daughter of Lyman Carrier, of Canton, Conn. She died in 1882. His second wife was Mary A. Smith , whose father, Daniel Smith, was a native of Stoning- ton, Conn., and whose mother was Alona Abbott Smith, of Stonington, Conn., daughter of General Lyman Abbott, also of .Stonington, Conn. George W. Smith died in Meriden, Conn., Augu.st 21st. 189(». F. W. Stiles, son of Truman and Eliza (Wooding") Stiles, was born in 1849 in Meriden, was educated in the common schools and at New Haven Business College, and learned the carpenters and builder's trade when he was 15 years old, with his father, who was for many years in the business and at one time was foreman for the Lyon & Billard Company. Mr. Stiles makes a specialty of repairing dangerous and rmsafe buildings, and is the oldest contractor and carpenter builder that has been continuously in the business in Meriden. In 1884 he started house moving in connection with his building busi- nes.s, and is doing the principal work in that line. He was married in 1875 to Elizabeth J., daughter of John Aubrey, of Meriden. A. W. Tracy, M. D., born in 1846 in Ireland, is a son of Michael and Julia (Hannon) Tracy. He came to this country with his parents when three years old, locating in Island Pond, Essex county, Vt., where his parents still live. He attended St. Sulpie College, Montreal, and St. Charles College near Baltimore, and was graduated from McGill Col- lege, Montreal, in 1873. He began the practice of medicine in Island Pond, Vt. Since November, 1875, he has practiced in Meriden. He is a member of state and county medical societies. He married Margaret, daughter of Edward Broderick, of Willimantic, Conn. James C. Twichell, son of Dwight and Jane (Carter) Twichell, was born in Southington, Conn., in 1842. was educated at Lewis Academy, Southington. and came to Meriden in 1871. He was employed with the Meriden Malleable Iron Company for about eight years, and since HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 655 1878 has been engaged in the furniture business under the firm name of Smith & Twichell, succeeding Bowditch & Prudden. He was coun- cilman two years and was elected alderman in 1888. He married Ellen E., daughter of Edwin Gridley, of Southington. He enlisted in the 20th Regiment, was wounded at the battle of ChanceIlor.sville,and afterward transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps. He was mustered out in July, 1865. Waldo C. Twiss, son of Ira and Vincie (Andrew.s) Twiss, was born in Alontreal, Canada, in 1829, and was educated at Meriden Academy and SufBeld Institution. He has resided in Meriden since he was 7 years of age. He followed the house moving business for 25 years, and since 1875 has been engaged in the lumber business. He mar- ried Cornelia I., daughter of Watrous Ives, of Meriden. His father was a clock maker by trade, and was engaged in that business in Canada, when Waldo C. was born. He and his brothers were the first Yankees to attempt the manufacture of clocks in Canada. From 1839 to 1848 his father kept the old tavern in Meriden, having bought the property some years before. He afterward built several mills. His grandfather, Joseph Twiss, fought in the campaign at Saratoga and at the taking of Burgoyne. John Watson, son of John and Jane (Holt) Watson, was born in 1850, in Lawrence, Mass., and was educated at Roxbury Latin School. He came to Meriden in December, 1879, and has since been employed as cashier and head bookkeeper for the Meriden Silver Plate Com- pany. He was elected member of city council in December, 1889. He married Sadie A., daughter of Wilder Beal. of Boston, Mass. F. J. Wheeler, son of Everett and Maria (Curtis) Wheeler, was born in Stratford, Conn., in 1834. He learned the tinner's trade, and when he was 21 years of age went to school for one year, after which he worked at his trade in Waterbury for six years. In 1862 he came to ^leriden and bought out J. C. Smith, and has since carried on the business. He married Mary E., daughter of William L. Bennett, of Huntington, Conn. Henry S. Wilcox, son of Henry T. and Elizabeth W. (Scovil) Wil- cox, was born in 1835 at Meriden. His first experience in business was as bookkeeper for his father, who was in the manufacturing busi- ness. The factory was burned in 1853, and Henry became bookkeeper with the Meriden Hardware Company. In 1855 he started in the grocery business with his father, and in February, 1867, they started the drug business, under the firm name of H. T. Wilcox & Co. This is the oldest established drug business in Meriden. His father died in 1885. Mr. Wilcox has served three terms as town treasurer, and once as councilman. He married Jane E., daughter of Ira Merriman, of Meriden. Julius W. Yale, son of Julius and Polly N. (Wilcox) Yale, was born in 1834 in Meriden, on the old homestead. He has always followed 656 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. farming on the land originally settled by his great-great-grandfather,, and which has remained in the family for the five generations. He married Mary C, daughter of David Hobart, of Meriden, in 1862, and has five children. His ancestors, as connected with the county's his-. tory, are as follows: (1), Thomas Yale (a brother of Elihu Yale, from whom Yale University takes its name), was one of the original plant- ers of New Haven, and an active member of its first church. (2),. Thomas, Jr., born in 1678, was a planter in Wallingford, and active in town and church affairs. In 1729 he moved to Meriden, on land which has since become the Yale homestead, in the Southeast dis- trict of the town. He was active in both town and church affairs, in Meriden, as he had been in Wallingford. (8), Noah, born in 1723, died in 1803. (4), Joel, born in 17.")9, died in 1805. (Hi, Julius, born in 179;-), died in 1867. (6), Julius W., born in 1834. His son, Julius. H., born in 1863, is the sixth generation of the family cultivating the- original grant of land. Levi B. Yale, .son of Levi and Abigail E. (Bacon) Yale, was born March 25th, 1838, in the same house where he has always lived, at- tended school at the Meriden Academy, and married Frances E., daughter of Dedodatus Royce, of Berkshire, N. Y. His father was born April 11th, 1792, in Meriden, about one-fourth mile from the farm where Levi B. was born. He was first selectman seven years, a member of the legislature, and justice of the peace. He figured prominently during the agitation of the anti-slavery question, many times jeopardizing his life in defense of anti-slavery principles. He taught school for 14 winters, beginning when he was only 16 years old, and also taught singing school seven winters. He married Abi- gail E., daughter of Nathaniel Bacon, of Middletown, Conn. She died May 7th, 1845, and he afterward married Jennette, daughter of Dedo- datus Royce, of Berkshire, N. Y., who survived him. He died V'eh- ruary 18th, 1872. August Yost, son of Frederick and Catherine ( Wehrheim) Yost, was born in Germany in 1844, and came to America in 1855. He located at Warehouse Point, Conn., for a short time, then moved to Rockville, and was for 15 years employed in the New England Mills, the last four years as designer. In June, 1872, he established a bakery business in New Britain, Conn., and in September of the same year moved^,to Meriden, starting the bakery business on Liberty street, opposite the town hall, where he remained three years. In 1875 he locatedjatfhis present place on West Main street. He married Agnes, daughter^of George Naedele, of Germany. His father was a baker in Germany, and is still living at the ao-e of 83, and active. CHAPTER XII. THE TOWN OF CHESHIRE. Geographical and Descriptive. — Early Settlers. — Roads. — Taverns. — Small Pox.— Civil Organization. — Manufacturing Interests. — Mines and Mining. — Cheshire Village. — West Cheshire. — Brooksvale. — Mixville. — Cheshire Street — Other Localities. — Rail- roads. — Lodges and Societies. — Soldiers' Monument. — Educational and Professional Interests. — Cheshire Congiegational Church. — St. Peters Protestant Episcopal Church.— Cheshire Methodist Episcopal Church. — St. Bridget's Roman Catholic Church. — Biographical Sketches. THE town of Cheshire was settled under the jurisdiction of Wal- lingford, from which it was set off as a town in 1780, after hav- ing sustained the relation of a parish from 1723. The locality- was early regarded as favorable for the uses of the Wallingford planters and was called by them, " West Farms," the " West Society," or " New Cheshire " (in distinction from the old town in England) until the present name was adopted. The town is bounded north by Southington, in Hartford county; east by Meriden and Wallingford; south by Hamden; and west by Waterbury and Prospect.- It is about seven miles in length, north and south, and about four miles in width, the area being less than 16,000 square acres of land. The general surface is diversified by hills and valleys, and presents a most attractive landscape. In the central part the land appears in the form of an undulating plateau, from which flow the principal streams and along which are level lands, being in some localities of the nature of swamps. Hoppen's brook takes its rise southeast of the village; Mill river, northwest of the same locality and flowing through Hamden, in its southerly course, empties into the sound at New Haven, about fifteen miles distant. Flowing northeast, in the northwestern part, and emptying into the Quinnipiac, which cuts through the northeastern part of the town, is the Ten Mile river, which rises in Prospect. ALso coursing northeast and dropping their waters into the Quinnipiac are the Honey Pot and Broad Swamp brooks. The swamp through which it flows is several miles in extent. The valleys along these water courses are generally very fertile, the soil being a gravelly loam. On the hills the soil is less rich, but is admir- ably adapted for fruit culture and the grasses. There are some fine orchards and farms— and of all kinds, more than three hundred in number — a large proportion of the inhabitants being agriculturists. 41 658 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The following account of the early settlers of Cheshire was contrib- uted by Honorable E. R. Brown, of Cheshire, also author of articles on Roads, Taverns, Small Pox and Early Industries. In the southeast portion of the town and near the residence of Mrs. Silas Ives, Joseph Ives settled in the year 1694; the same year of his marriage to Esther Benedict. He was one of the first, if not the first settler, in what is now Cheshire. He was chcsen the first deacon of the Congregational church in 1724, and served the church in that capacity until the year 1739, at which time the second church edifice was erected. Deacon Ives was a very useful and devoted member of the infant parish. In this same house also his son Joseph and grand- son Titus resided. The latter was a revolutionary soldier and was with Washington's army at Harlem, N. Y., where he died in the year 1777. A letter written by his wife, and .se'nt to him at Harlem, during his last sickness, and also the gun used by him in the colonial struggle for independence, are now extant and are preserved as precious memorials by the family of Mrs. Silas Ives, who are descendants, who re.side withm a few feet of the old Ives homestead, and who own and occupy the same property that has been in the possession of Deacon Joseph Ives and his descendants for about 200 years. Near the present residence of H. C. Bristol was in early times the residence of Captain John Hotchkiss, who settled here in 1694, the same year of his marriage to Mary Chatterton. He evidently settled here nearly the same year that Deacon Joseph Ives located a short distance to the southward, these two families mentioned evidently being the two first families that located in what is now Cheshire. A son. Captain John Hotchkiss, Jr., married Mirriam Wood, and also resided here, and here died of the small-pox in the year 1732. Cap- tain Hotchkiss was prominent in the formation of the parish of New Cheshire in 1723, and was one of its officials until the time of his decease. A short distance east of where Samuel Mallory last lived, at top of hill, was formerly the home of Sergeant Caleb Matthew^s, who settled here about the year 171."). About this time he, in company with Cap- tain John Hotchkiss, purchased some 300 acres of land. A portion of this land they bought of Jonathan Atwater, and a part of Benjamin Beach, called second division land. The name of Caleb Matthews ap- pears among the first records of the Congregational society in 1723, where he was often elected to positions of influence. Sergeant Caleb Matthews married first, Elila, in 1715, and second, Elizabeth Frisbie, in 1736, the Reverend Mr. Whittlesey, of Wallingford, performing the ceremon\'. In the town cemetery, on an old brown stone, is recorded as follows: " Here lies ye body of Mr. Caleb Matthews. He died Aug. ye 23rd, 1755, in ye Slst year of his age." On a slate stone in close proximity is also inscribed: " Here lies ye body of Elila, being ye wife of .said Caleb Matthews, who died Jan. ye 17th, 173(5, in ye 27th year of her age." HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 659 In the southeast part of the town, and near where Albert Rice now lives, Matthew Bellamy settled about the j-ear 1708, at which time he was married to Sarah Wood, who died within a few years, and in 1722 he again married Mary Johnson. He was the father of Matthew Bel- lamy, who settled on Cheshire street; of Aaron Bellamy, who lived many years in this place, and who married Desire Parker in 1753, and was interested in working for several years the copper mine in this locality. Another son of the first mentioned Bellamy was Joseph, afterward known as Doctor Joseph Bellamy. He was born in 1719, graduated at Yale College in 1735, when but 16 years of age. He re- ceived his theological education largely under the instruction of the Reverend Samuel Hall, who was then the pastor here, and also the Reverend Mr. Whittlesey, who took a deep interest in this young student. At the age of 18 years he was licensed to preach, and in 1740 was ordained and installed as pastor of the Congregational church in Bethlehem, Conn. He became eminent as a public speaker and as a writer, possessing a strong and well disciplined mind. Cheshire with pride records his name among the most gifted of her sons. He died in Bethlehem, Conn., in the year 1790, in the 72d year of his age, and in the 50th year of his ministry. His last days were spent among the people where for so many years he had been a faithful and devoted minister, and where, under his instructions, a goodly number of young men were fitted for the gospel ministry. Nearly opposite the present residence of James White was in early times the residence of Henry Brooks and his son, Thomas. In the year 1685 Henry Brooks was conducting the blacksmith's business. He was a farrier and shoer of horses in Cromwell's army. He sold out his business in the mother country in the year 1687. Thomas, his son, in consideration of his father conveying to him one-half of his estate, took upon himself the maintenance of his father and mother during the term of their natural lives. William Tyler and Mary Tyler deeded to Thomas Brooks, in April, 1705, " 102 acres of land, 2nd Di- vision land, called the Lathrop farm, lying one mile from the New Haven Mill-River, and bounded South on Capt. John Hotchkiss, Jonah Hotchkiss and David vSmith. The .South West Corner a little pond, dated 2.3i'd April, 1705, and Eight Acres laid out on the East Side of the farm." From the above records, and from reports it would seem that Henry Brooks and Thomas Brooks, with their families, removed to Cheshire about the year 1705. They were from Cheshire, in Eng- land, and it is supposed by some (who furnish good reasons for the claimj that they were the ones who gave the name of Cheshire to this place. A vote of the First Ecclesiastical Society furnishes the evidence that at the house of Captain Thomas Brooks religious services were held previous to the erection of the first church in New Cheshire, in 1723. Thomas Brooks died of small-pox in 1732, and his loss was deeply felt by the new organization. Nearly all of the Brooks fami- 660 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. lies in Cheshire, of the different branches, trace their origin to this same Thomas Brooks, the descendants of whose sons are very numer- ous, and are scattered about in several different states of the Union. Several of them have become prominent in different positions in life. A few rods west of the residence of Thomas vSaults was in former times the residence of Henry Bristol, who was the first settler in what is now Cheshire, by the name of Bristol. He settled here early in 1700, and died in 1750. Henry Bristol was one of some 40 heads of families who colonized a section of the Connecticut forest claimed by the New Haven colony, which was at this time almost an unbroken forest, abounding in great oaks which some say were from "500 to 1,000 years old." It required not a little muscle and unflinching cour- age for a man with a family to .settle down for life in a forest so wild and forbidding. In the valley a short distance east were Indian wig- wams, and the calls of the Indians upon the pale faces were not un- frequent, asking tribute of them for the privilege of living in their midst, and of clearing up the land claimed by the red men as their legitimate po.ssession. In the house where Thomas Saults lives, Jona- than, a son of Henry, the original settler, and Gideon, a grandson, resided many years. The latter served six years in the war of the revolution, and was one of the tall and well built veterans selected to receive the arms of the British soldiers who surrendered at Yorktown. He was a strong built man, brave and generous. He was also an ardent patriot, and when once enlisting in Washington's army he .staid by it until the end of the war and until English domination in America had ceased. North of William Johnson's house, about the year 17:37, Ebenezer Atwater settled. One morning Mrs. Atwater was awakened by the shrill, pitiful cries of their pig, and hastily rushed to the window just in time to see a huge black bear jump out of the pen with the pig in its mouth. The neighborhood was soon aroused and started in pursuit. The bear took a .southeasterly course, crossing the fresh meadows, coming up on the ridge near the old Johnson homestead, where it was shot by Daniel Johnson. It was a large one and weighed over 200 pounds. It was divided among the neighbors who went in pursuit, and all went home well pleased with their day's exploit. East of the academy about li miles, and fronting the road a few rods south of the residence of William S. Baldwin, was formerly the old Tuttle homestead. Here Deacon Timothy Tuttle settled in 1706. He married the same year Thankful Doolittle. Here also his son, Ephraim Tuttle, resided, whose wife died of .small pox in the year 1732, and also .several families of his descendants made this place their home. vSome think this was the fir.st house erected in what is now Cheshire, but although among the first it is evident that a few at the .southern part of the town have the seniority. The descendants of Deacon Tuttle were numerous, many of whom resided for many years HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 661 in this locality, but to-day not a single person bearing the name of Tuttle resides in this portion of the town. Deacon Tuttle was the first moderator of the Congregational society, one of the building committee of the first church and one of its deacons for 16 year;;. The old pine tree now standing near this old house place, has been sighing its mournful requiem for nearly a century and a half of years. It has been a guiding point to many a traveler passing over this highway between this town and Meriden. In North Broad .swamp, and .sometime about 1700, the first settlers were, evidently, Caleb Hull, Doctor John Hull and Captain Samuel Hull,' all grandsons of Doctor John Hull, who came to Wallingford from Derby, where he had been the first physician. He was at that time already an old man, but in order to secure his settlement in the town, the authorities of Wallingford granted him a tract of choice ' too land which they supposed contained 700 acres; said land lying be- tween the north side of Broad swamp and the Quinnipiac river. This grant was more than a mile .square, and was known as " Doctor Hull's large farm," the Hulls and the Atwaters owning at one time a long stretch of land between the Quinnipiac river and what is now Copper valley. At the top of the hill east of the residence of Josiah Hull was a dwelling, which was the home of Caleb Hull. He married Mercy Benham in 1724 and settled here when but 28 years old. In 1710 he received from his grandfather. Doctor John Hull. 100 acres of land in this vicinity, on the condition that he should come and live with his grandfather until 21 years of age. or until his decease. Doctor John Hull died in 1711. It is evident that Caleb accepted, for the grant of the 1()(» acres of land to Caleb is a recorded transaction. Doctor John Hull settled east of the brook near the place known as the Ben Hull place. He married Sarah Ives in 1727, and evidently located here about that time. He was the father oi Doctor Zephania Hull, who moved to Bethlehem, and the grandfather of Andrew Hull, commonly known as Squire Hull. A hotel was kept at this place several years. Captain Samuel Hull married Sarah Hall in 1783, and settled still farther east. His house stood a short distance east of the Darius Hull place. Captain vSamuel was a great-grandfather of Josiah Hull, now a re.sident in the swamp, and the father of Jesse, who was six years a soldier in the war of the revolution. In the southeastern part of the town and nearly opposite the house of Warren Andrews was an old fashioned leanto house, a finely built one for those days, occupied first by Captain Elnathan Beach. He married Abigail Ufford, of Stratford, and settled here in 1720. She died in 1738, and in 1742 he married Hannah, daughter of Samuel Cook. Elnathan Beach was a man of great wealth for those days, and was of high standing in the new settlement. He presented the Con- gregational church with a bell for their meeting house, and by his last will left a bequest of several pounds as a fund for the relief of fl(32 HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. the poor of the parish of New Cheshire. On a. monumental tablet in the town cemetery may be seen the following tribute to his memory: " Here lies intered the body of Elnathan Beach, a gentleman who from a small beginning, by an honest industry and dilligent applica- tion to business, raised a very considerable estate. His liberal bene- factions to the parish of Cheshire will perpetuate his name, and as he was perhaps the first in Conn, who began a fund for the relief of the poor, so he deserves a particular place in the memory of all who wish well to mankind. He died Aug. 16, 1742, m the 4.')th year of his age." John Beach, a son of Elnathan, also resided here for many years. He was the father of Doctor Elnathan, Doctor Bildad, Doctor James and Abijah and others. John Beach was a very prominent citizen. He was elected to the position of the first selectman of the newly incorporated town of Cheshire in 1780, and was also its representative in 1782. Doctor Abraham Beach, also a son of Elnathan, was born at this place in 1743, and graduated at Yale College in 1757, when but 14 years of age. He afterward becarne a distinguished clergyman of the Episcopal church in the city of New York. A .short distance east of the late residence of Burritt Bradley, was formerly the home of Moses Bradley, who lived here in 1752. He had a son named Stephen Rowe Bradley, who was so full of mischief that his father could do nothing with him and so he concluded to send him to college. This arrangement was made, and the youthful .Stephen entered Yale College in the year 1772. Here the elements of mischief and sport so prominent in his character did not lie dormant, and many tricks are reported to have been played by him on college tutors and others, who were victims of his mischievous practices. .Stephen R. Bradley, with all his inclinations for sport, nevertheless graduated with honors at Yale College in the year 1775. He after- ward settled in Vermont, and became one of the most popular men in that state. He was elected to the United States senate, and continued a member for 16 years. He died at Walpole, N. H., in 1830, aged 75 years. How often it proves true that tho.se who in their youth seem reckless and ungovernable, after sowing their wild oats, .settle down to life's realities, and become the most useful and influential men. In the extreme southern portion of the town and a few rods south of Leander Bristol's place, Daniel Andrews settled in the year 1712. His wife died of small pox during the scourge that visited this place in the year 1732. A short distance north, on the old colony road, Thomas Ives settled at about the same time. A young lady rode over daily from Wallingford, bringing the dinners to the men at work clearing up the land near this place. One day she broke off a twig from a pear tree in starting, which she used for a whip when riding on horseback. Upon arriving at her destination she placed the twig in the damp ground near by. and it grew and bore pears, and lived to be over 15() years old. HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. 663 A short distance west of the Burritt Bradley place, Matthias Hitch" cock settled in 1710. He was a useful and prominent member of the early parish of New Cheshire. West of the late residence of Rier Bristol and a few rods south of the cider mill now standing, John Hitchcock, a brother of Matthias, settled in the year 1712, the same year of his marriage to Marlow Munson. He was a prominent official in the new settlement and was one of the first committees appointed to manage the affairs of the parish of New Cheshire in 1728. His descendants were numerous, several of them occupying positions of public prominence in the state and nation. The hill west of this place was known as Scotch hill. On the west side of this hill, a few rods north of the residence of Mrs. Alonzo Brooks, is a large rock, known as Scotch rock. Tradition informs us that a Scotchman, who had deserted from the English army, fled for safety to the large cave under this rock, and for several months made this cave his home and hiding place, the interior being much larger than it now appears. The names "Scotch hill," and "Scotch rock," were taken from this tradition of the Scotch refugee. West of Scotch hill, and near where Samuel H. Brooks now lives, his father, David, his grandfather, David, and his great-grandfather, Enos, resided. Enos was a son of Thomas, the first Brooks settler in the new settlement. David Brooks. A. M., was a son of Enos. He graduated at Yale College in the year 1765, was ordained to the work of the ministry, occasionally preached but was never settled over any church. He was a delegate to the state convention held in Hartford in January, 1788, to ratify and adopt the constitution of the United States, and was one of the 40 who voted against ratification. He was a soldier in the war of the revolution and was among the fir.st quota of men furnished by the parish of New Cheshire, entering the .service fir.st as a private .soldier, but afterward was duly appointed the quarter- master of his regiment. At the request of his kinsman, General David Wooster, he prepared and delivered a discourse in Derby, Conn., in the year 1774, on the religion of the revolution. This discour.se attracted much attention and was published and helped to move public opinion in favor of the struggle for independence. A short distance north of the Southwest district school house, on the west side of the road, Ephraim Cook formerly lived. He was a tanner and had several vats north of his house. He also had a large bark mill west of his house. He was a shoemaker by trade, and was the first Cook settler in this locality, locating here in 1727. He had numerous descendants, many of whom moved out to Burton, Ohio. The ditch dug through the hill near the old house place, and which can now be seen, was the work of Ephraim Hitchcock, who here dug for silver. He was one of the many who sought but never found. Near where Edward Doolittle now lives, in 1 730 Jahleel Law settled. 664 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. He was the son of Governor Jonathan La^^•, of Milford, and was the father of Esquire William Law, who was afterward a prominent citizen of this town, holding many positions of public trust. Near where Albert Stone resides, Thomas Curtiss settled in 1717. He was a prominent factor in the early settlement of New Cheshire. He was one of the committee appointed for building the first church in 1723. On the road running .southwest from the residence of Norman Beach is the place known as the (laius Hitchcock place, where David, the father of Gains, and also Peter, the grandfather of (jaius, resided. This house now standing was built by Peter Hitchcock in the year 1738. The rafters were taken from the first church built in the parish, and forming a part of the old house and its additions, are portions of the three Congregational churches which have been built in Cheshire. A deed is in existence in which Peter Hitchcock, Sr.. conveys to " Peter Hitchcock, Jr., J of an acre of land, in the South East Corner of the home lot, for the love, good will and affection he cherished for his son Peter." David Hitchcock, a son of the elder Peter, also resided here. He was a revolutionary soldier, was an officer, with the rank of cap- tain, and was afterward generally known as Captain David. He was a true patriot in word and in deed, believing in those principles of freedom and independence for the establishment of which he was will- ing to lay down his life. Amasa Hitchcock, another son of Peter, born in 1739, lived during the first part of his married life in the old leanto house, now standing a short distance north of his father's. He had a large family, twelve children in all, among whom was Amasa, who built and for many years dwelt in the house nearly opposite the Congregational green. He was the first postmaster of the town of Cheshire at a time when the letters were so few that Mr. Hitchcock pinned them to the window sashes, so that the names could be read from the outside, and persons could ascertain by this list whether or not they had such mail matter in the post office. Robert Hitchcock, a son, was here brought up. He graduated at West Point, and afterward became a naval officer of con- siderable distinction, having been promoted to the position of com- modore in the United States navy. Silas Hitchcock, another son of Amasa, Sr., occupied for many years the house built by Bishop Abraham Jarvis, and here his widow now resides. Silas Hitchcock was a successful merchant in this place for many years. He was a very useful and exemplary citizen, filling nearly every office of public trust in the town. He was a man kind in heart, charitable in expression, whom many loved, and around whose bier many mourned. To leave such a legacy to survivors is altogether more to be desired than thousands of gold and silver. He died in 1849. East of the center a few rods and near the factory of the Cheshire HISTORV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 665 Clock Company, Valentine Hitchcock, a brother of Amasa Hitchcock, Sr.. settled. He was born in 1741. He was the father of the Rever- end Roger Hitchcock, who also here resided until his death. He was ordained as pastor of the Congregational church in 1820. The salary voted him was $.TOO annually, of which he refused to take but $400, requesting that §100 be put at interest and the .same added annually to the principal and used if necessary in the future for the support of the gospel in the society. He lived but a few years and died greatly beloved by all who knew him. Reverend Reuben Hitchcock, another son of Valentine, was the pastor of a church in Georgia several years. He was also the president of an academy in that state for five years. Peter Hitchcock, another son of Valentine, graduated at Yale College in 1801, and studied law in Litchfield, Conn. After being admitted to the bar he moved to Burton, Ohio. He was sent to the legislature from that place in 1810, from 1812 to 1816 was a state senator, and was president of the senate for a time. In 1817 he was sent to the senate of the United States. He was judge of the supreme court from 1826 to 1852. He became one of the most distinguished men of the state of Ohio. Going through to Washington when first elected to Congress and being very plainly dre.ssed, and having stopped at a hotel for din- ner, at once the inquiry' was made by several loungers about the tav- ern, " Who is that seedy looking individual ?" Vevy soon seated in the parlor several gentlemen came in and accosted Mr. Hitchcock, calling him in turn jadge, general and senator. This greatly sur- prised the curious lookers on, who were led to conclude that they had greatly "missed their mark." Mr. Hitchcock went to Burton, Ohio, in the year 1806, with an ox team, consuming 40 days' time in the journey. A short distance south of the center and nearly opposite the resi- dence of W. A. Lanyon, Josiah Hotchkiss settled in 1712. He and his wife both died of the small-pox in 1732, and it is generally believed that the di.sease which proved so afflictive to the infant settlement, broke out at the home of this family. Near the residence of Samuel Kelsey, Deacon Stephen Hotchkiss settled in the year 1707, with his wife Elizabeth, who was a daughter of John Sperry, of New Haven. He was one of the deacons of the first church, which was erected in 1723, a few rods southwest of the residence of W. A. Lanyon, and was its deacon for 31 years; also in 1723 he was selected to " Sett the Psalms " on the vSabbath. In 1724 the society agreed with Deacon Stephen Hotchkiss to sweep the meeting house for one year for one pound lawful money. Near the residence of Doctor E. T. Cornwall, in an old-fashioned leanto house, Reverend Samuel Hall settled in 1723. He was the first pastor of the Congregational church or parish of New Cheshire, was ordained December 9th, 1724, and was its pastor until the year 1767, covering a period of 43 years, at which time Reverend John 666 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTV. Foot was ordained as colleague. Notwithstanding, Mr. Hall officiated nearly one-half of the time for nine years afterward, and then clo.sed his ministry with a discourse from Samuel xixiSS: " I am this day fourscore years old." He died February 2Cth, 1776, aged 81 years. Like a shock of corn fully ripe he was gathered to his fathers. Mr. Hall was well off financially for those times, even when he came to Cheshire, and was able to purchase land and erect buildings thereon. The green in front of the present Congregational church, and that part of the town cemetery west of the ravine was a portion of his benefactions to the parish of New Cheshire. Reverend Mr. Hall was an old light on the Dana controversy. His last .sermons were deliv- ered at a time which tried men's souls. Lexington, Concord and Bun- ker Hill had already met the smoke and carnage of battle, and so thrilled with patriotic enthusiasm was Cheshire's venerable pastor that he walked up and down the aisles of the old church, earnestly urging the young men to march as minute men to Boston to drive back the invading foe. The house now standing on this site was built by Doctor Thomas T. Cornwall, who practiced medicine in this town for many years, and who was a succe.ssful practitioner. Also in still later times this was the residence of the Honorable E. A. Cornwall, a son of the doctor, who was a very prominent and useful citizen, filling in his lifetime nearly everv position of public trust within the gift of his fellow citi- zens to bestow. He died in 1889. On the opposite corner, where now resides Seth Calhoun, the Rev- erend John Foot settled about the year 1767. He married Abigal, daughter of the Reverend vSamuel Hall, succeeded his father-in-law in the pastorate of the Congregational church and was its pastor from 17G7 to 1813, a period of 46 years. During his term of service he admitted to the church 549 persons, and officiated at 1,109 funerals. He died in the pastorate in the year 181:-}, after a long and useful service in the mini.stry of the word. It is related of Mr. Foot that when first settled as a colleague of Mr. Hall, then quite a 3'oung man, he was walking one day in the southern portion of the town, and meeting a man on the road with two dogs, he pleasantly accosted him with the usual salutation, and then a.sked him why he kept two dogs. The man replied: " For this reason; you will notice one of my dogs is getting old, and I got the other one as a colleague for him," Mr, Foot being in the .same position to Mr. Hall, saw the point at once, and even in his old age acknowledged it to be the sharpest turn he ever received, vSamuel A, Foot, LL,D,, a son of Reverend John Foot, also here resided for many years. He was born in 1780, graduated at Yale College in 1797, studied law and was admitted to the bar, but never actively practiced. In 1819, 1823 and in 1834, he was elected to con- gress, and in the latter year was elected governor of the state of HISTORY OK NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 667 Connecticut. The same year he received from Yale College the degree of LL.D. It was the land resolution introduced by Foot when in congress, which drew out the famous debate between Webster and Haines in 1830. He was also speaker of the house of represertatives in his native state for several terms. He died September 16th, 1846, aged 66 years, leaving behind the record of a highly useful life. Andrew, a son of Governor Foot, and now generally known as Admiral Andrew H. Foot, entered West Point Military Academy in 1822, where he staid but a few months, and in the latter part of the same year was transferred to the navy, his long coveted position. He entered as midshipman, was appointed lieutenant in 1831, promoted to commander in 1850, to commodore in 1861, and was exalted to the position of rear-admiral in 1862. In 1861, when the war was well under way, he had no hesitation as to his duty. This to him was as clear as the sun in the heavens. One day while discussing this matter with his brother, John A., he said, " Well brother John, tell me plainly, do you mean to fight? If you don't intend to do so, then don't express your opinion so loudly. As for me I intend to fight." He was an unswerving patriot, and his narne will go down to posterity engraven high on the temple of fame. John A. Foot, another son of the gover- nor, graduated at Yale, became a lawyer and afterward removed to Cleveland, Ohio, and now resides there beloved and honored in the place of his adoption. Augustus, another son of the governor, also moved to Cleveland, and there became a man of prominence in public matters and highly honored among his associates. A like record of honor, prosperity and usefulness, but few families enjoy, as seemed to fall to the families of Reverend John Foot and his son. Governor S. A. Foot, a record that will perpetuate their memory through suc- ceeding generations. Nearly opposite the Foot residence, where Miss Roxanna Hitch- cock now resides, Samuel Beach settled about the year 1758. He graduated at Yale College in the year 1757, studied law and practiced to some extent in Cheshire. He married Mary, daughter of Reverend Samuel Hall, for his first wife. He was a delegate to the convention of this state, held in Hartford, in the year 1788, for the purpose of ratifying the constitution of the United States, and ca.st his vote in the affirmative. He was chosen a deacon of the Congregational church in the year 1766, was sent to the state legislature five different years and was elected to several offices of public trust in his native town. Burrage Beach, a son of Deacon Samuel, also lived at the old home- stead during his lifetime. He graduated at Yale College in 1793, and afterward studied law with his father. He was for many years the leading lawyer in this vicinity. His excellent knowledge of law and ready wit, led many even in adjoining towns, to seek his legal services and counsel in judicial affairs. Esquire Beach, when quite advanced in years, met one day in the city of New Haven Alfred Blackman 668 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. then a rising young lawyer. Tlie squire ^yas carrying a large cane for support. Young Blackman noticing this, asked his aged friend if he was afraid of dogs. Squire Beach replied, " Oh, no ! I am not in the least afraid of dogs, but I am sometimes terribly annoyed by puppies." The house now occupied by E. R. Brown was built by Doctor Elnathan Beach, about the year ]7S(t. He married Abigal, a daughter of Reuben Atwater and here resided a few years. Also his brother, Doctor James Beach, occupied this house for a time and practiced medicine. Afterward this house was occupied by the Reverends Doctor Smith, Doctor Bowden and Doctor Bronson, clergymen of the Ejjiscopal church. In the south front room, it is stated the first Epis- copal missionary society was formed. From 1796, forward for several years, men of great mmds and rare intellectual attainments resided with their families under this roof, and this was known as a sort of theological center for the Episcopal church in its early history, where its bishops often resorted, and where weighty and important theolog- ical problems were .solved. In front of. the Reverend S. J. Horton's present residence formerly stood an old fashioned house built by Deacon Israel Bunnell, who settled here about the time this town was incorporated. He was a large land holder, owning about 4U() acres, extending from turnpike to the West mountain. He represented the town in the state legisla- ture six different years, was selectman several years and was a deacon of the Congregational church. He was a man highly esteemed for his works' sake. Mr. Bunnell, like many others in those days, held slaves, and on the records of this town appears the following: " Where- as application is made by Deacon Israel Bunnell to the subscribers, that he is desirous to emancipate and sett free his negro maid servant named Katie, about 30 years of age. We having examined the said Kate, find her to be desirous to become free, and that she is a person in good health, and do therefore grant liberty to said Bunnell, to emancipate & sett free said Kate. Dated Cheshire, Apl. Sth, 17!)4. Reuben Atwater, , ^. .^ Authority. John Peck, \ -" Wm. Law, j Elnathan Beach, -Selectmen." Selden Spencer, \ At the head of the .street, where Mrs. Hezekiah Rice lives, Eben- ezer Doolittle settled about the year 1700. Here also his son, Ebenezer, and grandson, Ebenezer, lived with their families in turn. Elkanah, a son of the last named, was a graduate of Yale College, his college diploma now being in the possession of his grandson, M. C. Doolittle. Nearly opposite the Congregational parsonage, Nathaniel Bunnell .settled in the year 1709. He married Desire Peck and was the first HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 669 Bunnell settler in what is now Cheshire. He died of the small pox in the year 1732, and is one of the persons alluded to by the Rever- end Samuel Hall in a discourse preached soon after, stating that his loss, with two others mentioned, would be to the infant .society, " like breeches of the sea." Here also his son. Lieutenant Ebenezer Bunnell, resided until his death. Nearly opposite the residence of N. S. Piatt Joseph Thompson settled, was a resident here at the formation of the parish of New Cheshire in 1723, and was its clerk for 24 years, from the time of its organization to the year 1747. He was one of the first members of the Congregational church formed soon after. In the year 1737, " By their vote the society agree to warn meetings by beating of the drum, from the hou.se of Abraham Barnes, to the house of Joseph Thompson, on Tuesday Eve and the next Tuesday evening to be the societv's meeting." Nearly opposite the house of E. P. Atwater, Colonel Benjamin Hall settled about the year 1727. He was for many years a justice of the peace and aggrieved persons were in the habit of going to him for counsel and it is stated that when he could not effect a settlement he would send the disagreeing parties to his brother, the Reverend vSamuel Hall, as a la.st resort. He married Abigal, daughter of Rev- erend Nathaniel Chauncey, of Durham. "Dec. ye 13, 1737, by their voat the society gave Capt. Hall liberty to build a pew, upon his own charges in the meeting house for himself and his family." The house now occupied by E. P. Atwater was built by Benjamin Hall for his son Benjamin. The latter married Mary Ives in 1752, graduated at Yale College in 1754, and was for many years a very prominent and useful member of the society of New Cheshire. A few rods north of the residence of G. D. Crane, Abraham Doolittle settled in 1710. He married Mary, daughter of Benjamin Lewis, and was the grandson of one of the first proprietors of Wallingford, who bore the same name. Here also lived for many years his grandson, Abner Doolittle, who was one of the first persons who swore off from the Congregational society and united with the Episcopalians, and was a prominent factor in the early history of that church in this place. A few rods south of the residence of William H. Doolittle, Doctor Benjamin Lewis resided in 1724. He married Esther, daughter of Caleb Matthews. A daughter of his married Titus Doolittle, grand- father of the late A. L. Doolittle. Doctor Lewis had many descend- ants. In the northwest part of the town and a short distance southeast of the late residence of Delos Hotchkiss, Sergeant Samuel Roys settled in the year 1728. He married Martha, daughter of Benjamin Moss. Near this residence formerly stood a rude stone monument some seven feet high, supposed to have been erected by the Indians in commem- 670 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. oration of a battle fought here, for on this ground prior to 1840, were found scores of Indian arrows and other implements of Indian warfare. Near where James Todd now resides, Benjamin Moss settled about the year 1728. North of the residence of Samuel A. Moss, Isaac Mo.ss settled in the year 1737. His son, Jesse Moss, was a revolutionary soldier. Near where Samuel A. Moss now lives his great-grandfather, Samuel, settled about the year 1784. His son, Thomas, was also a soldier in the war of the revolution and was a true patriot. In the North Center district, near where J. D. Walters resides, Joseph Benham settled about the year 1735. His son, Uri, and grandson, Joseph, also resided here. East of E. A. Atwater's a short distance, Abraham Atwater settled about the year 1738. Here also his son, Samuel, lived, and his grand- son, Flamen, each in turn resided with their families. The old house was demolished in the year 1890, having a history of over 150 years. On what is known as Peck lane Esquire John Peck settled about the year 1750. His house stood a short distance north of William Peck's present residence. He was one o( the first representatives from this town the first year of its incorporation in 1780, and was in- trusted with important interests. He was also one of its first select- men appointed the same year. He was trial justice for several years, and was held in high esteem by his fellow citizens. It is stated that he built at his own expense a portion of the present road, which is still called Peck lane. East of the academy and near where E. G. Doolittle now lives, Reuben Atwater settled about the year 1752. He married Sarah Hall in 1752. and Mary Russell in 1755. He was a very prominent member of the societ}' of New Cheshire, and also of the town after its incor- poration. He was sent to the legislature six different years. He was also at the head of the memorialists who petitioned the general assembly in 178(1, to be set off as a distinct town, and was one of the committee appointed to settle and adjust all differences that might arise, and also to fix the lines for dividing proposed town of Cheshire from the town of Wallingford. Here also his son-in-law, known as General Andrew Hull, after- ward resided. He was al.so prominent in civil and military affairs. He was sent to the legislattire 20 sessions and 11 different years. He was a superior military officer, holding the rank of brigadier-general of the 2d brigade. General Hull died in the year 1827, and was the marshall for the district of Connecticut at the time of his death. A short distance north of the Cheshire town house Moses Doolittle settled, also Andrew Hull, his grandson, generally known as Esquire Andrew Hull. He was born in 1754, came here when a child and lived here until his death in 1824. He was a very influential and useful citizen, was a member of the state legislature 3() different sessions and 19 different years, was first selectman several years, a constable for a HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 671 time, and trial justice for a series of years. He was a man of decided traits of character and held in high esteem by his fellow citizens. Naomi, a datighter and only child of Esquire Andrew Hull, married Captain William Brown, who was lost at sea in the brig "Trenton," with all his crew in the year 1811. Several heads of families from this town were among the number lost. In the northeast part of the town, extending along the line that divides Cheshire and Meriden, in the district known as Cheshire street, and near the present residence of George Baker, Deacon Ed- ward Parker settled about the year 1716. He was evidently one of the first settlers in this locality. He had nine sons, many of whom resided near their father; also one daughter, who married Timothy Hall; in the year 1748, and .settled near what is now known as the James Beach place. Deacon Edward Parker lived in a large leanto house built by his own hands. He was a joiner by trade, and built several houses in different parts of the town. He was employed to frame the Third Congregational church in what was then Branford (now Northford) in the year 1746. He was chosen deacon of the Congregational church in 1755, and well adorned this official station. In the year 1734, b}' vote of society, he was given the third seat in church. It is stated that on one occasion a sound resembling a groan was heard, as if pro- ceeding from under the hearth-stone. This, in those days of much superstition, foreboded evil, and the death of a child of Mr. Parker's very soon after added strength to this conviction. Another early settler on Cheshire street, so-called, was Sergeant Amos Matthews, who evidently settled here about the same time as did Deacon Parker, and was a man prominent in the new settlement. The descendants of Deacon Edward Parker were quite numerous 100 years ago. So many were they that this street was known in those days as Parker's street. Afterward the names of Hall, Bellamy, Twiss, Hough, Cowles, Miles, Smith, Curtiss, Yale, Seeley, Rice or Royce, Root, Matthews, Plymet, Bradley, Hendrick, Brooks, Beach, Newton and others appear as settlers on this .street so near the waters of the Great river, so- called. Charles Parker, a prominent manufacturer of Meriden, and an honored citizen, is a descendant of Deacon Edward Parker; and Na- thaniel Bradley, at the head of the Bradley & Hubbard Manufac- turing Company, also of the Silver City, and who ranks in wealth and influence among the foremost citizens of the city of Meriden, were both from and received their early training m this district. Here was a gri.st mill, tavern, saw mills, clothing works, tin shop, paint shop, store, school hou.se, cemetery, and many conveniences of a village. In fact here was more thrift and business enterprise than in any portion of the town outside of the center, and its relative importance in these matters was the reason for the name of Cheshire Street given to this section of the town a century ago, and by which its location has been 672 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. since known. But few, comparatively, of the descendants of any of the families heretofore mentioned are present residents of this local- ity; in fact less families now reside here and a smaller population than the facts of a century ago bear witness. The new railroad running from Cromwell to Waterbury and having a depot here, there is reason to believe, will furnish inspiration for a renewal of settlement, and that in consequence this place will more than regain its former prestige. It is difficult for us at the present day to even imagine the hard- ships our fathers experienced in travelling from one town to another. They were obliged to pass through swamps and marshes, to climb mountains and hills, to ford rivers or pass over on rafts, to cut down trees, to push their way often through thick underbrush, and the en- tanglement of vines, oftentimes with simply a " bridle path " to mark their way. Previous to the year 1802 no roads were made by bcing rounded from the center to the sides in turnpike form, as is the usual custom at the present day. Among the first roads built in what is now Cheshire were the fol- lowing, viz.: In 1(594 a highway at Btoad Swamp. In 1697 John Hitch- cock and John Parker were appointed to see what highways were needed to the Fresh Meadows and westward to Mill river. In 1702 two highways were built on the west side of the river: one by Ben- jamin Hull's, and one to run westward to the south side of Broad swamp, and the other at the north side of said swamp. Also a road to the east side of the West Rocks two rods wide for " footman and horses saddled." Also a highway adjoining the New Haven line from the river westward through the south part of what is now Cheshire and terminating on the West mountain, near Bethany. In several instances houses were erected before anj- roads were built near them. After a time parallel roads running north and south were surveyed and several of them built, while cross roads east and west were built one after another as .settlement demanded. An old house now stands near the residence of Lauren Cook, in the extreme south- western part of the town, said to have been erected 170 years ago and before the present road was cut through over the mountain. .Some of the most manifest changes in the location of the roads here were made on the line of the old colony road at the time of building the turnpike in the year 1800. The old colony road ran back of the present residence of Leander Bristol, .several rods from the Hamden line, coming out at road running west past the John vSears place. On this old road were five houses, all of which were created by early settlers. This road is clo.sed, and with the excejation of old wells furnishes no evidence of the former settlement. Also near the Pliney Hitchcock place the road ran farther west, which was also the case through a portion of the center of the village. Also the old colony road formerly ran ea.st of William H. Doolittle's throusfh the flat land known as HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 673 Tunxis Valley, east of the North Center district school house and east of E. P. Morgan's house, which now faces the east on the line of this old road. The old Isaac Moss place, which stood on the lot east of Sandy hill, also faced the east. This was an old-fashioned leanto house, which turned its long back on the turnpike for over 70 years. This road crossed the turnpike, connecting with the present road that runs past the Hiram Andrews place, a few rods west of the turnpike and terminating near the late residence of G. L. Hotchkiss. On Moss farms, going north from the residence of Samuel A. Moss, the old road ran farther east some ten roads for a distance of about one-quarter of a mile. On this road Sergeant Isaac Moss, an early settler, first located. An old road formerly ran south of the late residence of Charles Hall, in the western part of the town, running across to the Prospect road. On this road was a school house and several residences. On this road Aunt NinaWelton lived, who was unwearying in her search after the great " Carbuncle " which she felt sure was hidden among the rocks near her dwelling and which only waited to bestow upon the finder untold riches. .She searched for this night after night, her dim lantern flickering here and there, but she never found the jewel which she sought. This road is now closed in part, and the old road running west is but seldom used, and is but a cart path. Formerly the road from the present residence of Mrs. H. C. Ives, at West Cheshire, ran farther south than the present road, running back or south of William Munson's place and coming out near the notch. On this old road, now closed, Daniel Humiston, the ancestor of the Cheshire Humistons, aLso Joseph Beach and others lived. An old deed is now in the possession of J. L. Humiston, signed over 100 years ago by Esquire Andrew Hull, Colonel Ebenezer Hale and Israel Bunnell, then the selectmen of the town, conveying the land in this old road to Jesse Humiston. In the southeastern portion of the town, east of the late residence of Samuel Mallory, and east of Sperry hill, so-called, was formerly a road which ran across, coming out near the residence of H. C. Bristol. On this road Nathan and Ebenezer Benham and others lived in the past century. This road is now closed up and forms a part of a culti- vated field. From 1780 to 1820 taverns were much more numerous than at present. These taverns all kept ardent .spirits and tobacco, and as the mode of travelling was usually on horseback or in wagons of a very rude construction, it is evident these taverns were frequent resorts for the weary traveller in those days. One of the first taverns was kept by Matthew Bellamy, in the south- east part of the town, near where Albert Rice now lives. The follow- ing is on record: " In October, 1722, Matthew Bellamy petitioned the General Assembly t];iat as your petitioner is living within the town- 42 674 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ship of Wallingford, and living very near the place where the miners are at work, where there is many of them, and especially will be many now, and there being no other person within six or seven miles that can well find them entertainment except your petitioner, whereupon your petitioner with the next owners of the mines prayeth your peti- tioner may have a license by an act of this Assembly to keep a house of entertainment, that so your petitioner may without danger provide for and entertain the miners and others as need shall require, and your petitioner to be under the same penalty as other persons that are licensed by the Assembly Court." In the house standing nearly opposite the residence of Porter An- drews, known as the Enos Bassett place, a tavern or house of en- tertainment was kept about 100 years ago. The window through which drinks were pa.ssed and the shelf outside near the well can now be seen. Near the residence of Mrs. A. M. Beecher a tavern was kept in the year 1732 by Josiah Hotchkiss. It was evidently at his place that the small-pox broke out in the spring of the same year, at which time Mr. Hotchkiss and his wife died of that dread disease. At this place much public business was done in the interests of the new settlement. In the house now occupied by the widow of Burritt Bradley a tavern and also a store were kept for many years at the commence- ment of the present century. Abijah Beach built the house and here kept tavern for several years. Afterward Asa Tuttle was the pro- prietor for a number of years. In the year 1826, when the canal was first in process of building, a gang of men who were at work near where the Hamden poor house now stands, and who were then board- ing at Joel Merriman's, came up one evening to this tavern and store and called for whi.skey. Captain Asa Tuttle, fearing the results, re- fused them. At this denial they became angry and abused not only the proprietor, but all persons present. Titus Gaylord was standing on the steps outside, and their language to him was too insulting for him to bear. His anger was stirred within him. Stepping into the store he .selected an ax helve with the right hang to it, and stepping outside, where the gang were carousing, he marched into their midst, striking with his ax helve right and left and doing effec- tive work at each stroke. The intrudei's made a hasty retreat, and in the morning, when the field of battle was surveyed, a hat was found covered with blood and hair, and it was also found that one of the men was missing from Mr. Merriman's boarding house after this demonstration. Nearly opposite the Gaius Hitchcock house, in the South Center district, Waitsall Hotchkiss kept tavern about 100 years ago. Here fried cakes and gingerbread were sold to many a customer in all parts of the town. Fried cakes were here on sale at one cent each. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 675 A short distance north of the residence of Charles T. Hotchkiss, in the western part of the town, can now be seen an old shell of a house, where it is stated that Barney Munson kept tavern or a place of en- tertainment in the beginning of the present century. At this olace " flip " was sold quite freely at three cents a glass. In the extreme northwest portion of the town, in what is known as the John Hall place, nearly 100 years ago, William Hall kept tav- ern. This place was a noted resort for travellers. A cider mill stood near by, which was a very busy place in the fall season of each year. A short distance south a lane ran directly west to the mountain. Near the terminus of this lane a Mohav/k Indian lived 150 years ago. Here were two rocks near together, which he covered over and made habitable. He had committed some offense and had fled thither from his tribe in the Mohawk valley. North of this and near the Southington line Perry Langdon kept a place of public entertainment about the year 1820. Where Robert Minor now resides Lemuel Hall kept tavern about the year 1820, and for several years afterward. This tavern was a noted resort for 3^oung people even 70 years ago. One morning Mr. Hall noticed a flag fastened to the chimney of his house and offered a certain young man who is now living a rum sling if he would climb up and take it down. This was quite a temptation in those days, and the offer was accepted and the flag taken down in triumph. On the turnpike some two miles north of the center, which in recent years has been the residence of Deacon J. L. Baldwin, was a tavern kept by Andrew Hull and others some 50 or 60 years ago. This place was known as the Farmer's Home and has been so called by old people down to the present time. It is stated that the turnpike between this tavern commonly known at that time as the Farmer's Home and the center of the village, was so straight, that from the chamber looking south from the hotel on Sunday, could be plainly .seen, people coming out of the old (or Second Congregational) church, which stood full as far east of the present church as the main road. This indicated to the family the time to commence getting supper. On the .site of the present residence of Doctor E. T. Cornwall, the Reverend Samuel Hall settled about the year 1723. He was the first pastor of the Congregational church and served as such for 43 years. He died in the year 1776. Soon after his death his son, Jonathan Hall, kept a tavern in the old homestead for many years. He was followed by Doctor William L. Foot, who also kept a public house here for a few years. This was a noted resort for the town officials, who spent many an evening in this place, discussing matters of interest to the newly incorporated town. In the building now the residence of Mrs. Martin Brennan, was 670 . HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. some 100 years ago the leading public house of the place. It was erected by Abijah Beach, who here kept tavern for a number of years. Afterward Samuel Cook, Richard Gregory, Horatio Terrell, Jesse Nichols, vSamuel Thompson and others were the managers. In the third story was a hall fitted up by Mr. Beach for public use. Here courts, balls, exhibitions, shows, singing schools and almost all kinds of public entertainments were held. There are those now living who remember attending dancing school in this hall. The old hotel now apart of the Wallace House was built by Doctor Cornwall early in the present century and by him occupied as a resi- dence. Several years afterward Doctor Shelton purchased the property and resided here. i\bout 50 years ago this property was purchased by William Horton, who here kept a hotel for several years. He was followed by Levi Munson, who was proprietor until the year 1780, at which time the property was purchased by F. L. Wallace, who moved back the old hotel, built on the extensive addition in front, and making many improvements, as the building and grounds in front now appear. On the corner in front of the private residence of Reverend Doctor Horton, Deacon Israel Bunnell lived. He was a large landholder, and for many years a prominent official of the town. It was from him that Bunnell lane derived its name. He was sent to the legislature six dif- ferent sessions, and was also selectman for a number of years. Deacon Bunnell kept tavern in this place for several years, which was a very popular resort for the travelling public. On the opposite corner, where now stands the fine brick building known as Horton Hall, was formerly a hotel built early in the present century by Doctor William L. Foot, who kept it for a short time. Af- terward Benjamin Dowd Doolittle kept a public house here for quite a number of years. At this hotel courts of justice were often held, at the time Esquire Andrew Hull was the trying justice. In the year 1732 the small-pox broke out in the infant settlement, introduced there by an unknown hand. The disease broke out in the center of the village, generally believed to be at the house of Josiah Hotchkiss, a few rods from the meeting house, and near the present residence of Mrs. A. M. Beecher. This was then a house much fre- quented on all public occasions, and the disease being of an unusual kind, many opinions were expressed in reference to its nature. People went upon the Sabbath and other public days to see the sick, suppos- ing the disea.se to be the chicken-pox or swine-pox, or at least only an inflammation of the blood. After a time, however, when it began to spread, and many persons were sick with this disease, some were afraid it was really the small-pox. Persons were sent for to visit the sick who had had the disease, and they expressed the opinion it was not the small-pox, which only tended to make people more careless HISTORY OK NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 677 until Doctor Harpin, of Milford (being sent for), came and at once pronounced it the regular small-pox. At this time 124 persons were afflicted with this dreadful scourge, out of a population of about 350, or over one-third of the inhabi*^^ants. Out of this number 17 died, a large portion of them being among the most useful and influential members of the parish. The Reverend Samuel Hall, Cheshire's first pastor, was sick with the disease, after heroically devoting himself to the alleviation of the sufferings of his flock, losing an only son during the pestilence, and it is evident that many lives were spared through his personal exertions. In a discourse delivered by the Reverend Mr. Hall, entitled, " Bitter Afflictions, Remembered and Improved," after recovering sufficiently from the disease, he said, in speaking of the losses sus- tained: " Our losses by this fatal disease are to us like breeches of the sea. " So many were sick at one time that it was impossible to obtain nurses to care for the sick, or even help sufficient to properly bury the dead. The following persons fell as victims to this plague: (Died in April) — Ebenezer Johnson, Elizabeth Hotchkiss, Robert Hotchkiss, Mrs. Daniel Hotchkiss. (Died in May)— A child of Ebenezer Johnson, Captain John Hotchkiss, Ebenezer Johnson, Jr.. Ensign Nathaniel Bunnell, Eliphalat Johnson, a child of Matthias Hitchcock, Jo.siah Hotchkiss, Lieutenant Thomas Brooks, Mrs. Ephraim Tuttle, Na- thaniel Hitchcock, Mrs. Josiah Hotchkiss, a child of Josiah Hotchkiss, and a child of the Reverend Samuel Hall. The latter died May 17th, aged 5 months and 8 days. After skilled physicians and experienced nurses were employed but few died with the disorder. The sympathies of the colonists at other points were aroused by the sad accounts of this dread pestilence, and at a meeting of the general assembly in session the same year £50 was appropriated for the benefit of the sufferers at New Cheshire. The town of Wallingford was slow in heeding the petitions of the " West Farmers " when they prayed for parish privileges, and did not grant their oft-repeated request until April 30th, 1723. On that date the town " Voted that there shall be a village on the west side of the river, and their bounds shall be as follows: Beginning at the south- east of Samuel Cook, Jr., his farm, and thence running a .south line to New Haven bounds, and from said corner northward, taking in said Cook's farm and Matthew Bellainy's farm; thence a straight line tak- ing in Joseph Thompson, his farm; from thence northward, taking Atwater's, Jr., Tiler's and Doctor Hull's, their farms, at Broad Swamp; thence to Thomas Matthews' farm, over Stony River; thence in the east line his, to Matthews', his farm, taking in Joseph Curtis, his farm, and William Hendrick, his farm, to the north line of the village; with this proviso, that whatsoever farm or lot being cut by said line run- fi78 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ning across shall be to the town society or to the village, according to the owner's choice or habit." Under this arrangement the Congregational church and the first schools were established and maintained. But the inhabitants of this district, pari.sh or village early longed for and a.sked to be endowed with town privileges. December 1st, 1741, Colonel Benjamin Hall was appointed to petition the general assembly for that purpose, with- out avail. In 1769 and 1770 the petitions were urgently renewed, with no better success. December 16th, 1779, the consent of Walling- ford is asked, and April 18th, 1780, the assembly is once more besought to set the village aside as a separate town, and this time success attends the effort. The first town meeting was held June 7th, 1780. Major Reuben Atwater was the moderator, and the officers elected were: Town clerk, Samuel Beach; selectmen, John Beach, Timothy Hall, John Peck; con- stables, Lucius Tuttle, Jonathan Hall, Reuben Rice: grand jurors, Benjamin Hotchkiss, Jr., Matthew Bellamy, Ebenezer Doolittle, Benoni Hotchkiss, Benoni Plumb, Ephraim iSmith: listers, Captain Richard Rice, Lieutenant Benjamin Doolittle, Josiah Talmage, John Bryan, Asa Brunson; tythingmen, Amasa Hall, Seth Johnson; surveyors of highways. Doctor Gold Gift Norton, Aaron Williams, Abijah Hull, Titus Moss, Titus Hitchcock, Israel Bunnell, Jonathan Hall, Jr., Ben- nett Rice. Dimon Barnes, Ebenezer Parker, Moses Atwater, Jr., Isaac Brooks, Jr., Moses Blakeslee. As the town was organized in the troublous times of the revolution, much of its early action pertained to the struggle for independence. At the first meeting Major Reuben Atwater, Israel Bunnell and Jonah Hotchkiss were chosen a committee to supply the soldiers' families with provisions. The former and Samuel Beach, Esq., were also em- powered to ascertain the number of men from Cheshire at that time in the continental service, and to class the inhabitants of the town, agreeably to the act of the general assembly, authorizing such an enumeration. In November of the same year it was voted that the town should be divided into classes to fill up the continental army, and Captain Nathaniel Bunnell, Captain David Hitchcock, Captain Miles Hull, Captain Robert Martin and Captain Amos Hitchcock were appointed a committee to make such a division. It was also agreed to pay each enlisted man .serving in the continental army 20 shillings per month in silver. No account of the enlistments thus made appear on the records of the town. The following year a record was made showing that slaves were held by P>enoni Hotchki.ss, Jonathan Hall, Benjamin Atwater and Titus Atwater, and for many years records of births in the families of slaves were thus made. While the care of the poor of the town was a matter for frequent consideration at the annual meetings, more than sixty years elapsed HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 679 before a separate home for their maintenance was provided. January 3d, 1853, Julius Brooks, Ambrose E. Doolittle and Benajah Ives were appointed to purchase a suitable home for the indigent of the town. This purpose was not immediately realized, but in the course of a few years a poor farm was purchased, which, by a vote, November 5th, 1859, was constituted the " Town House of Correction." In 1884 the matter of selling the farm was agitated, but on being referred to the judgment of Bradley Miles, Julius Moss and Joseph P. Beach, they advised that new buildings be erected to make the farm serve its in- tended purposes. In 1889 the farm was valued at $4,700, and the per- sonal property on it at $2,718.15. The farm was maintained at an ex- pense of several thousand dollars per year, and more than $800 is ex- pended annually in aid for the outside poor. For many years the town had no fixed place to hold its meetings, but on the 4th of February, 1867, it was voted to build a hall on the triangular green, in front of the Congregational meeting house. Ed- ward A. Cornwall, Ambrose E. Doolittle and Daniel Judd were ap- pointed a building committee, witja instructions to use brick and have the house ready for use October 1st, 1867. But it was not fully com- pleted until later in that year, and January 6th, 1868, it was valued at $13,540. It is a roomy edifice, having offices in the first story, and a spacious hall, fitted for general gatherings, in the second. Efforts to build a new hall, made in recent years, have proved fruitless. But the old hall has been well repaired, and in 1889 was valued at $15,000. The burial place of the Congregational church has been practi- cally under the care of the town since its organization, and has be- come the public cemetery. It is well located, and while convenient to the village is by reason of its topography sufficiently retired to be peaceful. In the past ten years it has been much improved, an impetus in this direction having been given, in 1875, when Mrs. Daniel March donated §500 for that purpose. This fund was greatly increased by other donations, and some of it was used in extending the area of the cemetery. In 1889 it embraced about eight acres and was em- bellished by many fine monuments. In this cemetery are interred a number of pioneers, whose graves are marked by old stones of sim- ple construction, one bearing the date 1737. The inscriptions on others have become altogether illegible. Another fund has been started for the erection of a substantial stone gateway, which will still further beautify the grounds. The first centennial of the corporate establishment of the town was appropriately celebrated October 14th, 1880, when addresses were made upon the past, the present and the future of Cheshire, by E. R. Brown, Reverend Daniel March and others. By a vote of the town, January 2d, 1881, the proceedings were ordered to be published, but the measure failed of a successful realization. The judges in the probate district of Cheshire, which includes 680 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Prospect, have been, in the order named : Silas Hitchcock, William L. Foote, Elihu Yale, Asa J. Driggs, William T. Peters, William L. Hinman, Edward A. Cornwall, William T. Peters, William A. Wright, George R. Johnson, Bela E. Hotchkiss, Benjamin A. Jarvis, Myron C. Doolittle and Alonzo E. Smith. Since the organization of the town the following were elected to the office of town clerk: 1780-9, James Beach; 1790-1, Elnathan Beach: 1792-1830, Rufus Hitchcock: 1831-3, Edward A. Cornwall; 1834-9, William L. Foote; 1840-4, Edward A. Cornwall: 184."j-7, Charles Shel- ton; 1848-9, Silas Hitchcock; 1850-1, Edward A. Cornwall; 1852, Nehe- miah Banks; 1853-4, John D. Humi.ston; 1855, Benjamin H. Bradley; 1856-66, William L. Hinman; 1867, Asa J. Driggs; 1868-70, Thomas E. Cornwall; 1871, William T. Peters; 1872, Edward A. Cornwall; 1873-4, William T. Peters; 1875-7, Edward A. Cornwall; 1876-82, Milton C. Doolittle; 1883-4, Howard T. Mo.ss; 1885-9, Milton C. Doolittle. The following is a list of those who took the oath of freemen from the civil organization of the town, in 1780 until 1800: Warren Benham, Jason Hotchkiss, Ichabod Tuttle, Isaiah Hall, David Rice, Rufus Lines, John Peck, Jr., Obed Doolittle, James Upson, Stephen Parker, Asa Hitchcock, Moses Tuttle, Charles C. Hall, William Clark, Amasa Lewis, Thomas L^mberfield, Rufus Hitchcock, Reuben Preston, Henry Brooks, Jr., Merriam Hotchkiss, Edmund Goodyear. Levi Parker, Alexander M. Kirgan, Joseph Ives, John Williams, John Beecher, Zachariah Ives, Benjamin Beecher, Henry Brooks, Samuel Clark, Elnathan Beach, Reuben Hotchkiss, Zenas Andrews, Simon Grannis, Abel Matthews, Jr., Samuel Tuttle, Urbi Benham, Barnabas Lewis, Ebenezer Tuttle, David Curtiss, Isaac B. Moss, Andrew Hull, Zealous Bristol, John Beach, Samuel Doolittle, Silas Doolittle, Asa Peck, Ly- man Hotchkiss, Nathaniel Brown, Jesse Atwater. George Hall, Josiah Talmage, Amasa Hitchcock, Jr., Elias Gaylord, Stephen Cook, Burrage Miles, Samuel Williams, Jesse Humiston, Reverend Reuben Ives, Asahel Moss, Edmund Tuttle, William Starks, Lyman Hall, Burrage Beach, Benjamin Doolittle, Jr., Emalach Moss, Josephus Hotchkiss, Amasa Andrews, Morrison Merriam, Jared Ives, Joel Moss, James Barnes, Samuel x\twater, Gideon Brooks, Israel Hotchkiss, Caleb Todd, Joseph Hitchcock, Samuel Andrew Law, Joel Johnson, William Clark, Jr., Ebenezer Hough, Jabez Parker, Joseph Twiss, Levi Peck, Jehiel Bunnell, Oliver Parker, Cornelius B. Cook, Benjamin Hoppen, Job Sperry, Brizilla Cook, E. Doolittle, Bildad Beach, Abner Newton, Ly- man Parker, Titus Ives, Eber Adkins, Asahel Chittenden, Jared Burr, Urbi Benham, Jr., Titus Atwater, Aaron Cook, Salmon Throw, Jesse Ford, Samuel Sperry, Roswell Smith, Jared Newton, David Hitch- cock, Jr., Nathan Ford Parks, Abijah Beach, Phineas Ives, John Bris- tol, [oshua Brooks, Moses Hotchkiss, Amos Harrison Ives, John Ford, Andrew Hull Tuttle, John Plymont, Thomas Parker, Ama.sa Doolittle, Amos Hall, Samuel Peck, Thomas Curtiss, Jesse Ives, James Niel, George Hull. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEX COUNTY. 681 From the settlement of the town the ordinary mills have been carried on, but until recent decades manufacturing has been given a secondary place in the occupations of the inhabitants. Half a century ago the manufacture of oyster kegs was an active industry in the southwestern part of the town, where were from four to six shops, in which a number of coopers were employed. Amasa Preston thus acquired large means. The products were carried to Fair Haven by boats on the canal. Near that waterway Thomas and Julius Brooks had cooperages and on the old Cheshire turnpike Benajah Ives had another shop. '' Near the present hub works of Joel Moss, on Moss's Farms, nearly a century ago, Bethuel Flagg had carding, dressing and fulling works, and there made cloth of different kinds. He manufactured broadcloth of a fine quality, as well as that of a cheaper grade. Here were a grist mill and saw mill, as well as clothing works, and the place was at that time a flourishing settlement. About the same time, also, near the brass mill at Mixville, Amos Baldwin had fulling works, doing a busi- ness of 300 pounds a year. There also was a grist mill, and near by a tannery, where leather was manufactured quite extensively for those days. For many years a brisk business was done at the hub works by Joel and Lloyd Moss. "About seventy years ago Norton Beach had clothing works near the residence of Lauren Cook, which were afterward carried on by Enos Gaylord and Hiram Bradley. Large quantities of wool were consumed. The place has been vacated." In the northern portion of the town, a short distance north of the residence of Levi Doolittle, in about the year 1815, Button Beecher made fanning mills, some of which are yet in existence. Mr. Beecher afterward built a steamboat with a screw propeller — an invention of his own — and said to be the first of the kind ever built in this country. He worked on this about one year, and when finished the boat was taken from the saw mill in the western part of the town, where it was built, on wheels drawn by oxen, and carried over to the canal at Beachport, and with several notables on board, among whom were Governor Foot, Doctor Cornwall and Doctor Foot, a trial trip was made down the canal as far as Hamdeu. But the thing did not seem to be a success, the passengers being obliged to return to Cheshire on foot, and pronounced the whole .scheme a failure. New York parties, how- ever, took hold of the matter and the principle which Beecher's brain invented was, in the process of time, successfully utilized. " On Cheshire street Seth De Wolf manufactured tin ware exten- sively .sixty years ago, employing quite a number of hands and doing a prosperous business. There are those now living who remember of seeing thirteen tin peddlers' wagons loaded with tin ware from his manufactory, all starting out at the same time for a trip West and South. Several of these persons afterward became permanent settlers in the South." 682 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. In the same locality Nathan Booth and others made threshing- ma- chines, and subsequently wagon wheels were manufactured in that shop, which stood near the old Hull mill. That building, after stand- ing idle for some time, was occupied, in 1848, by Sherman Blakeslee and Bennet Jeralds, as millers and manufacturers of Britannia spoons, in which industry Blakeslee was a pioneer, having begun in 1839. This property was sold by Blakeslee to Walter Webb & Co., of South Meriden, for its water power privilege. In the early part of the present century John Kensett painted pic- tures and manufactured maps in a shop which stood nearly opposite the residence of H. T. Holcomb. Mr. Kensett afterward became a very celebrated painter. For a time Kensett and Doctor Shelton had a shop in which pictures were made on a large scale, a number of young women being employed as assistants under the direction of Mr. Ken- sett. The art of printing in colors destroyed that industry. Henry Merriman was a builder of the old time upright clocks, many of them being attractive as well as large, reaching from floor to ceiling, and they were much prized. The Cheshire Manufacturing Company is the oldest and most suc- cessful corporation in the town. It was chartered May 17th, 1850, and has since that time maintained its business at West Cheshire station of the Northampton railroad. Charles Hurd, a practical mechanic, Arad Welton and Titus B. Ives were some of the principal originators of the enterprise. The latter is the only original stockholder surviv- ing in the town. James Tulley and Ralph Guilford were among the early employees whose skill contributed to the success of the com- pany. Arad Welton, a conscientious but shrewd business man, was the first president of the company, and also acted as superintendent. Under his management a large surplus was accumulated, in addition to the handsome dividends paid, amounting in war times to 8(j per cent. He held the former position until his death, in 1870. N. T. Porter, of New York, succeeded him, and since 1882 Thomas Porter, of the same city, has been the president. The other officers of the company are: Titus B. Ives, treasurer and .superintendent; and F. A. Ives, secretary. At this time the capital stock is $43,000. The en- larged buildings of the company present a main structure 30 by 150 feet, three stories high. Fifty hands find occupation in the man- ufacture of fancy metal and covered buttons and brass stamped goods, which are sold by Porter Brothers, of New York, who are also supply agents of this cind The Cheshire Brass Companv. which was incorporated in Septem- ber, 1866, by the stockholders of the former company, with a capital of $40,000. A fine manufacturing site, on the Ten IMile river, at the lower part of Mixville, was secured, which was improved to meet the wants of the company. The buildings are of wood and the motor is water power. R. N. Welton is the superintendent of the twenty hands HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 683 employed, who manufacture annually a quarter of a million pounds of brass sheet and drawn brass wire goods. At this place and on the same .stream were also the works of the John Mix Manufacturing Company, which was incorporated April 7th, 1853. The head of the company, John Mix, was one of the pioneer manufacturers of the town. Some time about 1830 Edward A. Corn- wall had a small .shop, supplied with water power from the canal, below the second lock, in which were manufactured coffee mills. After a few years John Mix leased the shop and began making Britannia spoons in a small way, increasing his output as the years went by until thirty hands were employed. Titus Mix, a brother, came from Mid- dletown, and associated himself with the former in the old business, and the manufacture of gimlets and auger bits was also taken up. This continued until the abandonment of the canal destroyed the power in 1846, when the latter went to Prospect and John Mix to the place on Ten Mile river, which afterward became Mixville. The power there had been improved to operate a small grist mill, but he increased it and built new shops in which he manufactured bits and gimlets, forming the stock company in 1853. This company was succeeded by Walter Mix and William Bailey, and they, in turn, by Peck, Stow & Wilcox, who transferred the manufacture of these articles to South- ington, and the shops at Mixville were left idle. At West Cheshire, Samuel Hitchcock and others, as the Hitchcock Manufacturing Company, incorporated October 12th, 1858, began the manufacture of suspenders and web goods, soon having a flourishing business. A fine, four-story frame factory was erected and occupied until March, 1857, when the interest was sold to the Waterbury Su.s- pender Company, and work in Cheshire was soon after discontinued. The shop after being unused some time, was occupied as a branch factory of the Danbury Hat Company. In 1868 Samuel Hitchcock and others occupied it as the American Braid Company, which con- tinued operations several years. Later vegetable ivory buttons were there made, which interest was soon given up. Since 1887 James Harry has occupied the building in the manufacture of light carriage wood work, employing steam power and giving work to a small num- ber of men. The Cheshire Hardware Manufacturing Company was incorpor- ated March 2d, 1870, for the manufacture of axes, hatchets and other edge tools. Howard C. Ives was the president of the company and the moving spirit of the concern. Charles Rugg, a toolmaker of repute, was the superintendent, and as his name was .stamped upon the tools, the concern was frequently called the " Rugg Company." Shops were erected at West Cheshire, where more than 50 men found profitable employment until part of the buildings were burned down. With enlarged buildings and increased capital operations were again re.sumed and continued some time, when E. P. Dunham and others 684 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. became the lessees of the shops. Later they were occupied by Peck, Stow & Wilcox, who successfully operated several years, when they were again, in IISS/J, partially destroyed by fire, throwing a large num- ber of men out of work. Many of these followed the transfer of the works toSouthington.and the remaining Cheshire shops were vacated and became the property of Doctor E. T. Cornwall. Since 1888 the above buildings have been the factor}' of the D. A. A. Buck Company, which was organized in September of that year, with D. A. A. Buck, president; E. T. Cornwall, secretary and trea.s- urer; and since January, 1889, H. H. Rice has been associated with the company as a member. The capital stock is$15,0(M), and the company has become well established in the manufacture of toy and novelty specialties, many of them being the inventions of Mr. Buck. They give employment to more than fifty persons. The success at Cheshire encouraged, in the fall of 1889, the organization of the New Haven Novelty Company, as an offspring of this enterprise, for the purpose of manufacturing in that city a similar line of goods. In the village of Cheshire George J. Capewell had a factory for several years, about 1880, for the manufacture of specialties in hard- ware, and produced several patents which increased his fame and for- tune as an inventor. In 1883 he was instrumental in the organization of the Cheshire Watch Company, which was incorporated November 16th of that year, with a capital of $100,000. Of this amount $50,000 was paid to Arthur Hitchcock for his patented watch, whose move- ments were supposed to be especially advantageous, on account of their simplicity, but which unfortunately did not stand the test of time, and the company in consequence was soon seriously embar- rassed. The officers elected were: George J. Capewell, president ; E. R. Brown, secretary and treasurer; and D. A. A. Buck, superintendent. A fine factory site in the village of Cheshire was secured, upon which were erected brick buildings, which are reputed the best of the kind in the state. The main structure is two stories, and with the high, well lighted one-story wings, forms a structure about 30 by 200 feet, which is practically fire proof. In a separate building is the powerful steam motor which operates the fine machinery with which the fac- tory is supplied. Since its organization the capital of the company has been in- creased and practically a new pattern watch has been adopted as the standard of manufacture. This was winning favor as a time keeper in 1889, at which period George J. Capewell was president of the company, and W. A. Kiley secretary and treasurer. From 60 to 100 workmen were employed. The Cheshire Clock Company was incorporated November 28th, 1884, with a capital of $25,000. Arthur Hitchcock was one of the leading pnmioters of this enterprise, which was destined to have a short and discouraging existence. A fine site for the factorv was HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 685 secured near the watch factory, upon which a long, two-storj- frame building was erected, in which the manufacture of a good, low priced clock was begun: but before it could secure a place in the markets of the country, financial difficulties caused a suspension of operations, and much of the machinery has been removed. On the 12th of March, 1888, the heavy winds prevailing at that time wrecked a part of the building, w'hich has since been vacant. The Extension Water Guage Company, incorporated September 15th, 1880, and a few other manufacturing projects, failed of organi- zation, to the extent of being able to operate successfully, and their privileges were relinquished. The early settlers of old Wallingford were impressed with the belief that their numerous hills abounded with mineral wealth; and the evidences of the existence of the precious metals were ei;pecially abundant in what is now the southeastern part of Cheshire. Here fine specimens of copper appeared on the surface, which led to the discovery and opening of a mine, .some time about 1710. Near the same time another copper mine was opened at vSimsbur3^ and in 1712 the legislature of Connecticut enacted laws for the benefit and en- couragement of the owners of these two mines. At the latter place operations were carried on until the vein of copper was exhausted, and in the excavation thus formed was afterward constructed the cele- brated Newgate prison, which is said to have been of more practical benefit to the state than all the copper mined. The mine in Chesh- ire "was supposed to be the richest, but the miners were prevented from digging there on account of the great quantities of water which, after they had proceeded some depth, constantly flowed in upon them."* So promising were the mines considered that the original proprie- tors of the lands in Wallingford petitioned the legislature for an in- terest in the same, which was granted in May, 1712, when it was enacted that the heirs of the original proprietors should have an equal share in the mine already worked, and in all other mines which should be discovered on said lands. In October, 1718, the legislature ap- pointed three commissioners for the mining company, one of whom was Captain John Hall, to serve two years; and at the end of that period another board of commissioners took charge of the affairs, with power to close up the concern if found necessary. About this time it appears that the mine was worked to a considerable extent, for in October, 1722, Matthew Bellamy petitioned the legislature for privi- lege to keep an inn at his house, "very near the place where the min- ers are at work, where there is many of them and especyally will be many now," who would find it difficult to secure entertainment except through the petitioner. It is probable that the commis.sioners soon after availed themselves of the privileges of their appointment, and * Davis, p. 47. 686 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. decreed that work should be discontinued, and so far as is known neither the miners nor the company obtained an}' great benefit from these operations. Associated with these mines are traditions, which appear to lack foundation, that gold in considerablequantities was also found, which these foreign miners appropriated to themselves; and that a ship the owners had laden with copper ore to be sent to Eng- land to be smelted was lost at sea. These discouraging circum- stances, it is said, had much to do with the abandonment of the mines. In 17)16-7 a new company was formed to work these mines, on the land of Timothy Roys, on "Milking Yard hill." Benjamin Roys acted as clerk of the proprietors, and from his accounts it appears that they expended £S6 4s. 2d. in their operations, from November, 1736, until February, 1737. In April of the latter year nine persons as.sociated themselves formall)' as the company, and called the mine the "Golden Parlour." They released Arthur Rexford from his contract to sink new shafts, but in July, 1737, they secured George Bell to sink twelve feet in the "deeper shaft, nearest to Doctor Hough's." The company's expenditures up to this date amounted to .{^132 13s. Id. It is probable that the "Golden Parlour Mining Company" was no more successful in securing the hidden wealth than had been its predecessors, for one of the last minutes of the doings of the company pertained to an a.ssessment of the stockholders to liquidate expenses. It is likely that work was suspended soon after 1737, and that the company found neither gold nor enough copper to encourage it to continue. In the course of j'ears the mine holes or shafts became filled up, and some of them, while showing traces of their existence, have since remained undisturbed. But in 1854 A. Bellamy, a descendant of the old Mat- thew Bellamy family, reopened one of the shafts on " Alilking Yard hill" (now (xaylord hill) with the expectation of finding copper. Re- moving the earth, upon which large trees had grown, he found, at the depth of 80 feet, miners' tools and other evidences to show that it might not have been the intention to abandon the mine permanently. But after some effort he, too, relinquished the work without being re- paid for his trouble. About a mile north from this place is a locality which has been named " Copper Valley " by one of its citizens, George R.Johnson, who is a member of a family which has resided in that part of the town more than a century of years. Here the first improvements were made by the Parker, Bristol and Atwater families. One of the Parkers had a pioneer saw mill on a branch of the Broad brook, which rises in that section, and whose waters, it is claimed, were used to wash copper ore, mined in a small way, more than a century ago, and since that time. From the many Indian relics here found it is sup- posed that the Aborigines much frequented this place, probably to obtain the copper so readily found on the surface in many places. These indications caused many points to be prospected, and in several HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 687 mines considerable work was done, never, however, with profitable re- sults. The operations of the New York Copper Mining Company, of which William King was the superintendent, in more recent years, employed modern machinery and aroused expectations, which, how- ever, were short lived, as it soon became apparent that the veins were not large or rich enough to pay for developing them, and work was suspended inside of a year. The mining of barytes in Cheshire was attended with more profit- able results. Large deposits of this once valuable mineral were found in the southeastern and northwestern parts of the town, whose de- velopment at one time gave employment to hundreds of men, and in the course of operations brought nearly two millions of dollars into the town as wages. The Stamford Company alone, in the month of October, 1866, paid out $22,000 as wages to its workmen. One of the richest deposits of barytes was found by Professor Silli- man on the farm of Amos Bristol. This vvas mined about 1840, and later by N. H. Gaston; Joel Hunt and others, the output at first being small. In 1855 the Bristol mine was sold to the Stamford Mining & Manufacturing Company, which operated so extensively soon after the civil war that from sixty to seventy tons per day were shipped, and the products found a ready sale The affairs of the company in the town were managed by James Lanyon, an English miner, who came to Cheshire in 1844, as.sisted by his brothers, Joseph M. and Henry."' .Several hundred Cornish miners were employed by the Stamford Company, and half a dozen shafts were sunk, the deepest being 600 feet. For some time the barytes sold at $60 per ton, but declined to $10 per ton. This fact and the increased cost of mining, after the main veins were worked, forced the company to discontinue work in that section. The mineral had been drawn to Barytes station, on the Northampton railroad, distant two miles, to which place sup- plies were also brought for use at Jennie's hill,f which presented a most busy scene until about 1875. In the meantime Captain Peck and others had developed the barytes deposits northwest of the village of Cheshire, to which place the Stam- ford Company, under the direction of James Lanyon, now transferred its operations. Here the mineral was found at|a less depth, which per- mitted cheaper mining, several years. Four shafts were sunk, one being 300 feet deep, and quite a quantity of mineral was mined and loaded on the railroad, close at hand. Not much work was done at these mines after 1878, and after a few years more most of the miners removed, and what had once been the principal interest in the town was altogether suspended. Cheshire Village is on a high ridge of land, a little south and west of the central part of the town, and is sometimes called Cheshire Cen- *See sketch of life of James Lanyon in succeeding pages. +Named for an old colored woman who formerly lived in that locality. gt^g HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ter On either hand, east or west, the ground slopes gradually from Main street, which is elevated so as to overlook the greater part of the town which appears bordered bv West mountain, a rocky ledge, on the east, and the " Sleeping Giant " on the south. In the north the Hangino- hills of Meriden may be plainly seen. The immediate en- vironme'nts, consisting of orchards and fields, dotted with pleasant homes aid to make this one of the most attractive villages m the state The principal streets are well kept, and along some of them substantial walks have been built. Rows of stately elms line the main and other streets, and a neat green square, near the center, adds to the beauty of the scene. On the latter stands one of the finest soldiers monuments in the United States, erected to the memory of the de- fenders of the Union. A systematic planting of elm trees was begun about 18r)0 under the direction of the Reverend D. S. Rodman, and since that time the village has been greatly beautified by that mean.s. Cheshire village contains Congregational, Episcopal, Methodist and Catholic churches, a flourishing Episcopal academy, a good town hall a fine and commodious public house, several large factories and numerous attractive residences. Within its limits are .several good specimens of the quaint architecture of the last century, but others of the old-time buildings have been modernized. The inhabitants are intellio-ent and thriftv, and number nearly one thousand. Here have lived s'ome of the prominent families of the town, which have been those of Allen, Beach, Brooks, Bronson, Bristol, Baldwin, Cornwall, Doolittle Driggs, Foote, Fields, Hull. Hall, Hinman, Hitchcock, Ives, Jarvis, Law, Paddock, Street, Stevens, Shelton, Welton, Yale and others. ^„ , . Amono- those who discharged the duties of postmaster at Cheshire was Ama'a Hitchcock, at his house north of the central part of the villao-e At another period Elihu Yale was the postmaster, keeping it in the southern part of the village. Alfred S. Baldwin was a later official In 1862 E. R. Brown became the postmaster and continued until he was succeeded by Edward C. Andrews November 23d, 1885, who fir.st fitted up the post office at Cheshire on an enlarged scale. He supplied furniture having 2(H) call and 14 lock boxes, and was instru- mental in having the number of mails increased from three to five per day Since 1878, Cheshire has been a postal money order office. For more than a hundred years stores have been kept in the vil- lage ■ and some of the merchants of a more recent period have been Messrs. Upson, Allen, Hitchcock, Foot, Smith, E. R. Brown and George Keeler several continuing in trade many years. West Cheshire is a plea.santly located village on the Northampton railroad a little more than fifteen miles from New Haven and about one mile west from Cheshire Center. It contains a hotel, several stores, .shops and factories, a school house and about thirty other buildings. It first became a business point when the canal was com- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 689 pleted, in 1827, and for many years was known as Beachport. This name was given in compliment to Richard Beach, who owned a ware- house on the canal and was there engag-ed in business. The building he ocQupied was a low frame, projecting over the canal basin, and thus permitted the boats to load and unload inside the building. Before the building of the railroad in the Naugatuck valley, the shipping from this point was heavy, as large quantities of the freight for that section were here delivered and thence transported by trains. Richard Beach also had a store and in other ways was active in business. Be- coming embarrassed financially, warehousing was given up by Beach, and the store was kept by Edward A. Cornwall and Clement Peck. In the period of the canal— 1827 to 1846— several boats, owned by Cheshire parties, plied on that waterway. James V. Field had one for carrying barytes and Nathaniel Newell, running from Beachport, carried general freight. The last boat running from the latter place was in charge of W. H. Newell, and was built solely for freight pur- poses. Very few of the canal boats were supplied with cabins. When the Northampton railroad was built it followed, in a general way, the course of the canal, in many places u-sing the towpath, hence, from those circumstances, it was long known as the " Canal railroad." Cheshire station was established on the site of Beachport, and the growth of the village then began. Up to this time there were but few residences in the locality, the principal ones being those occupied by the Welton, Thompson and Field families. W. H. Newell was one of the early station agents and was also the postmaster of the West Cheshire office, since the establishment of which the village has prop- erly had its present name. Warren Doolittle was an earlier postmas- ter. Howard C. Ives, E. P. Dunham and Miss Sarah Ellis have been later officials, the latter in 1889. In the southwestern part of the town is the hamlet of Brooksvale, consisting of a few hou,ses and the post office, of which Miss Ella Brooks is the mistress. In the administration of President Cleveland the office was removed to the house of Robert Cook and kept as the South Cheshire office, but it has lately been re-established with the original name and is again kept in its old locality. Here are also small saw, grist and cider mills: and on Roaring brook are attractive waterfalls with fine surroundings, which have become a pleasant resort. Mixville is a hamlet in the western part of the town, on the Ten Mile river, and was begun by the Mix brothers. Here are .shops, a dozen residences, a fine school hou.se and a chapel for religious meet- ings. The post office is West Cheshire, two miles distant. In the northeastern part of the town, in the bend of the (Juinnip- iac river, is the hamlet of Cheshire Street, containing a chapel erected by the Adventists, small mechanic shops, a store and a cluster of farm residences. Ever since the settlement of the town that locality has 43 690 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. been a point of local interest, the neighboring farmers being among the leading citizens of Cheshire ; but its location near Meriden has prevented its becoming much of a business place. There is a fine iron bridge across the river, built about ten years ago at a cost of $1,600. South of the river is the Broad Brook neighborhood ; and still fur- ther south Johnson's Grove, on a hill 150 feet high, both being old localities. In the northwestern part are the Moss Farms and the Barnes neighborhood, which are also landmarks of note. Besides the Northampton railroad running through the town, north and south, the Meriden & Waterbury railroad passes diagonally through the northwestern part of the town, having several flag sta- tions where it crosses the principal highways. Temple Lodge, No. 16, F. & A. M., so far as now known, was the first Lodge of a secret order established in Cheshire. It was insti- tuted November 11th, 1790, at the house of Timothy Canfield, which was probably at the Center, its exact location being somewhat obscured by the lapse of so many years and the loss of early records. In Feb- ruary, 1791, the Lodge moved into a room fitted up for it in the tavern of Jonathan Hall, which stood on the site of the present residence of Doctor E. T. Cornwall. Next its place of meeting was over the store of Colonel Rufus Hitchcock, north of the church green. A still later home was found in one of the chambers of the public house of Abijah Beach, south of the green, where the Lodge surrendered its charter in 1838. This move was occasioned by the feeling against the order, consequent upon the disappearance of Morgan. The jewels were placed in the keeping of the Grand Lodge, and other property was taken in charge by Tyler Ebenezer Atwater. After the lapse of 25 years Temple Lodge was revived, through the efforts of Doctor Will- iam C. Williams and others, and some of the old property was re- .stored, including the first Bible used, which is now in the possession of the Lodge. After the restoration of the charter, in March, 1863, the Lodge be- gan holding its meetings in the hall of John A. Hitchcock (E. R. Brown's in 1889), and there continued until February 29th, 1872, when the present hall, in the building of H. C. Ives, at West Cheshire, was dedicated for its uses. The Masons have always had among their numbers some of the leading citizens of the town — men who were active in its affairs and progressive in those matters which had a tendency to advance the welfare of the community. The first master, in 1790, was David Bad- ger, an exemplary member of the Epi.scopal church, living at the Cen- ter. The senior warden was Abraham Ives, also an Episcopalian, by occupation a farmer, living in the n^)rthern part of the town. Tlie junior warden was a number of years a member of the same church. He was Moses Moss, of the Moss Farms, occupying the hou.se now owned by L. D. Moss. The first secretary was Timothy Canfield. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 691 The other charter members were: Justice Bellamy, Samuel Clark, John Martin, Ebenezer Tuttle and James Benham. The latter was the first tyler. Up to 1816 the Lodge had many additions to its membership from the leading families of this and adjoining towns, but after that year the accessions were less frequent, and six years later there was a de- cline of interest, from which the Lodge had not recovered when it yielded to the wave of anti-Masonry which swept so forcibly over the country that only a few of the strongest Lodges were able to withstand its shock. When it was discontinued, in 1838, 175 persons had been enrolled as members. Since the resumption of the meet- ings, in 1863, there have been about two hundred members, and, in December, 1889, there were 95 members on the rolls of the Lodge. A list of members who have served as masters of the Lodge in- cludes the names of David Badger, in 1790; Samuel Bellamy, in 1792; Doctor Elnathan Beach, in 1794; Selden vSpencer, in 1796, eight years; Levi Douglass, in 1804; John Plymate, in 1805; Stephen Jarvis, Doctor Charles Shelton, James Beach and Charles A. .Stanley. Noah Hotch- kiss was one of the early acting masters. Of the revived Lodge Doctor William C. Williams was the first master, filling the chair several years. The successive masters since 1865 have been: George A. Brooks, Edwin R. Lawton, William Butler, Martin Catran, J. W. Mix (late grand master of the State Lodge), Franklin P. Bates, Henry C. Higgins, Noah B. Welton, Charles B. Fervell, Fred. Doolittle and Henry E. Fervell. L. A. Thomas Lodge, No. 9, L O. O. F., was instituted at Cheshire village, July 23d, 1888, with 17 charter members, six having previously been connected with Hancock Lodge, of South Meriden, and eleven with the Plantsville Lodge. There were 24 initiates at the first meet- ing, and the principal officers elected were: William Fahl, N. G.; W. C. Daly, V. G.; George W. Keeler, S.; E. T. Cornwall, T. In 1889 Jesse Peck was the noble grand and George W. Keeler continued as secretary. Through his efforts, largely, the Lodge was established and has maintained itself so prosperously, having in December, 1889, 63 members. A fine Lodge room had been fitted up in the Center school house, at a cost of $500, and there was an accumulated fund of more than $700. This property was held in trust by A. S. Bennett, Emil Stineman and Augustus Hitchcock. Edward A. Doolittle Post, No.5,G. A. R., was mustered Aprill6th, 1881, with 24 members, but few of whom had previously been con- nected with a Grand Army Post. Franklin A. Hotchkiss was chosen the first commander, and Arthur E. Hotchkiss the adjutant. About 40 persons have been connected with the Post as members, the num- ber belonging in 1889 being 39; and the principal officers were: Com- mander, Alonzo E. Smith; vice-commander, Timothy Guilford; adju- 692 HISTORY OV NEW HAVEN COUNTY. tant, Edward Atwater. Pleasant quarters have been provided at Brown's Hall, at the Center. Meeting at the same place and closely connected with the above is Admiral Foote Camp, No. 34, Sons of Veterans, which was instituted in August, 1888, with 16 members. Half a dozen more persons have since joined the Camp. The first board of officers was composed of : Captain, C. C. Lord; first lieutenant, William Andrews; second lieuten- ant, William vSmith; adjutant, Whitney vSmith. A number of temperance organizations have been maintained in the town, doing effectual work for a space of time, then going down for want of active support and new membership. Among these have been Cheshire Lodge, No. 2, L O. G. T., from September 20th, 1862, until May, 1879; Equality Lodge, No. 132, L O. G. T., instituted in 1870 and continued for a few years; Crystal Spring Division, No. 28, Sons of Temperance, instituted January 28th. 1885, still continues its meetings, but with abated interest. The Cheshire Farmers' Club was organized January 20th, 1879, with C. S. Gillette, president; Edward A. Atwater, secretary and treasurer. About loO persons have belonged as members, and have derived sub- stantial benefit from the relation. In October of each year exhibi- tions of farm and orchard products are held in the E. P. Atwater lot; and spring sales of stock are held near the town hall, each occasion bringing together large crowds of interested spectators. In the winter lectures and social gatherings of an educational nature are main- tained. The last board of officers consisted of : J. D. Walter, presi- dent; Jesse N. Humiston and Daritis Stebbins, vice-presidents; Fred. Doolittle, secretary and treasurer. Cheshire Grange, No. 23, P. of H., was organized in January, 1885, at the residence of E. P. Atwater, north of the village, where its meet- ings have since been maintained. C. C. Lord was the first master and served two years, being succeeded by the present master, E. P. At- water, and J. N. Barnes, who also served two terms. E. P. Atwater has been the sole treasurer and one of the most active in promoting the cause of the order. The Grange has greatly prospered, its mem- bership increasing from a few persons to more than 200 in 1889, many of them being active workers. The .Soldiers' Monument is a handsome tribute to the valor and patriotism of the fallen heroes of the town, in the war for the Union, and occupies a prominent place on the village green, in front of the Congregational meeting house, where it is enclosed with a substantial iron fence. The purpose to build such a monument was formed in the summer of 1865, when the town tendered a reception to the returned volunteers of the Cheshire Company of the 20th Connecticut Regiment. On that occasion it was resolved that " a monument should be erected to the memory of those citizens of Cheshire who had lost their lives in defense of their country." Substantial encouragement HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. 693 to this laudable project was at once given by a native of the town, George A. Jarvis, of Brookl3'n, N. Y., who offered to donate $1,000 to further this end, if a similar amount would otherwise be raised. This was done by a Monument Association, composed of many citizens of the town, which raised $1,300 more. A design furnished by Robert W. Wright was selected for a monument, which was con.structed of Plymouth (Connecticut) granite, and consists of a large square base, semi-base, die and shaft of rectangular shape, the whole presenting a plain but not unattractive pile, more than twenty feet high. On one of the faces of the semi-base is cut in large letters the name of the martyr president, Lincoln ; and on the reverse side appears the name of the honored Admiral Foote, who was reared in this town. The dedication of the monument is on the west side of the die : Erected 1866 to perpetu.^te the Memory of those who Lost Their Lives in the war of The Rebellion. On the south face of the die are inscribed the names following: Lieut. Edward A. Doolittle. Corp. Titus Moss. Corp. John A. Peters. Corp. Thomas Simons. Reuben Benham. Lambert H. Benham. William Burke. James R. Baker. William Beadle. Willis Bunnell. Edward B. Dolph. John Lynch. William Wooding. On the east side are the names of : Edward Barker. Bernard Reynolds. George A. Barton. Fred. E. Hoadley. Julius H. Hotchkiss. George W. Ingham. Henry B. Munson. Charles Mulvey. Franklin Moss. Alex. Mercer. John McLaughlin. George W. Mitchell. Horace P. Rice. Benjamin Y. Beach. Nelson Beach. 694 HISTORY OK NEW HAVEN COUNTY. And on the north side appear these inscriptions : George Bristol. James Tucker. John L. Preston. Michael Reynolds. Albert F. Russell. Henry S. Stevens. Oliver T. Smith. Augustus Talmage. William Uhl. Edgar Upson. Patrick Welsh. Charles Beecher. Jared Bradley. Amasa L. Doolittle. This is one of the first soldiers' monuments in the Union, erected in memory of its defenders in the rebellion, and its dedication July 4th, 1866, was made the occasion of most impressive ceremonies. On the morning of that day a large concourse of people assembled in the village, animated by the dual purpose to celebrate the nation's inde- pendence and to pay homage to the men whose memory the monu- ment commemorates. (). T. Doolittle served as chief marshal ; Ed- ward A. Cornwall, Esq., was the president of the day; and the vice- presidents were : George A. Jarvis, Reverend E. Bull, Reverend O. P. Holcomb, Reverend S. J. Horton, Reverend Cyrus Pickett, Reverend J. H. Ward, Doctor W. T. Peters, Warren Doolittle, A. W. Welton, Nathan Booth, Joel Hinman, Seth Calhoun, Bradley Miles, William x\. Brown, Henry Hotchkiss, A. S. Baldwin, Benjamin A. Jarvis, Mark Bishop, Benajah Ives, Elam Cook, Lloyd Moss, James Lanyon, George Bristol, Burritt Bradley and Edward vStevens. The Reverend Edward Bull was the chaplain of the day. The orator was Colonel William B. Wooster, the former colonel of the 20th Regiment, who paid a glow- ing tribute to the men who had been under his command, and whose bravery was attested by courageous action on more than a score of battlefields, some of them the most hardly-contested in the war. A fine eulogy on the life of Admiral Andrew H. Foote was delivered by Profe,s.sor Hoppin, of Yale College, which was supplemented by the narration of some interesting reminiscences by a brother of the be- loved townsman, Hon. John A. Foote, of Cleveland, Ohio. Other exercises and diversions made it an occasion that will long be remem- bered as one of the most stirring and patriotic that has ever taken place in the town, impressing those present with the truth of General Sherman's maxim, that " Next to noble deeds, is the merit of com- memorating them." The parish of New Cheshire was active in establishing schools, and two houses were built as early as 1728. The schools were under the control of the ecclesiastical society until the town was organized. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 695 Under its corporate privileges a school tax of two farthings on the pound was levied in 1782, and the following appointed the school com- mittee: David Badger, Jared Hull, Asa Blakeslee, Jonathan Wain- ■wright, Jonah Hotchkiss, Oliver Bradley, .Samuel Atwater, Jr., Abner Bunnell, Jr., Amos Atwater, Robert Rice, Enos Tyler, Jeremiah Brooks, Nicholas Russell, David Hotchkiss, Jonas Hill, Asa Wilmot, each to serve in his respective neighborhood. It does not appear that the bounds of these districts were clearly defined until 1794, when they were described and placed in charge of these committeemen: No. 1, Asahel Hitchcock; No. 2, Amasa Lewis; No. 3, Bela Andrews; No. 4, Lucius Tuttle; No. 5, Ephraim Hitchcock; No. 6, Reuben Roys; No. 7, Amasa Clark; No. 8, Andrew Hull, Jr.; No. 9, Jonathan Hall, Jr.; Nos. 10 and 11, Josiah Talmage: No. 12, John Williams; No. 13, Dimon Barnes. After the lapse of nearly a hundred years the number of districts remained substantially the same, there being twelve in all, in 1889, having as district committeemen: No. 1, Reverend S. J. Horton; No. 2, Benjamin H. Peck; No. 3, Charles S. Gillette; No. 4, Edward A. Thompson; No. 5, Julius Moss; No. 6, Frederick W. Doolittle; No. 7, Henry W. Scott; No. 8, Franklin N. Hall; No. 9, Harrison A. Ives; No. 10, J. W. Moss; No. 11, Rienzi H. Stone; No. 12, C. R. Bannihr. The schools were maintained at an expense of $4,014.42, and 391 pupils were entitled to their privileges. Of the amount expended more than $3,000 was raised by a direct town tax. The tuition of each pupil in attendance cost about $12.75 per year. Teachers' salary $30 and $45 per month, but two males being employed. George R. Johnson, Charles T. Hotchkiss and Theodore A. Cook have been among the recent acting school visitors. Many of the school buildings are old, and should be replaced by new ones. The house at Mixville is of more recent construction, and has a modern appearance. Several select .schools of character have been maintained in the town. In the house built by the Reverend Whiting, near the Congre- gational meeting house, the Reverend Edward Bull lived many years after 1836, and fitted young men for college. In 1861 Miss Harriet E. Calhoun opened a .school for young ladies, in the old Parson Foote mansion, which she has since successfully maintained. The attendance averages twenty pupils per ses.sion, and instruction is imparted in the English, the French and mathematical studies. The Episcopal Academy of Connecticut is located at Cheshire village. After the war of the revolution a strong prejudice was manifested against the Episcopal church, as its members were sup- posed to have been in sympathy with the royalists; and there was, in consequence, no little intolerance of its adherents and those who held their views. In some instances they were prevented and denied 696 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. the rights to which they were entitled by their citizenship. Unfortu- nately this illiberal policy also prevailed at Yale, to the detriment of churchmen, to such an extent that the clergy of the diocese of Con- necticut were constrained to establish a college of their own, in which their religion should not only be tolerated, but should be en- couraged in its proper expression. In view of all the circumstances opposed to the inception of such an enterprise, it was a bold under- taking and one which could only have been inspired by their strong faith in their purposes and a devotion to their church. The move- ment which led to this project may have been brought about by the consecration of Doctor Seabury to the Episcopate, as he most keenly urged upon his brethren the need of such an institution. Accordingly, it was made a matter for the action of the diocese at its convention, February 15th, 1792, when it was voted " that the several clergy make inquiry of their neighboring towns and see what can be done toward erectmg an Episcopal Academy, and report at the next Convention." By 1794 the plan for such a school was fully developed and an ad- dress was prepared, pointing out the importance of establishing an academy and soliciting subscriptions for it. Wallingford, Stratford and Cheshire responded so favorably that the convention was encour- aged at its meeting, held at Stratford, Tune 8d, 1795, to decide to found such an institution. Proposals from the three towns were now so- licited, and in July, 1795, the committee appointed for that purpose met at the house of Major Bellamy, in Hamden, and decided that the academy should be located at Cheshire. At the .same convention the Reverend John Bowden, the Reverend Ashbel Baldon and S. W. Johnson, Esq., were appointed to provide for the temporary govern- ment of the academy, and to adopt a constitution for its future regu- lation, to be acted upon at the next meeting of the diocese. This con- vention was held at Cheshire, June 1st, 1796, which placed the institii- tion under the control of twenty trustees, who elected the Reverend John Bowden as the first principal. Meantime, the work of building a suitable school for an acad- emy had been begun. The corner stone was laid with Masonic honors, April 28th, 1796, on which occasion Reverend Reuben Ives and Reverend Tillotson Bronson delivered addresses. Through the . influence of the former more than any other the academy was located at Cheshire, thirty persons associating themselves for that purpose, and were designated the proprietors. Most of these were Episcopal- ians and were contributors not merely for the benefit of the town, but for the church. Others were Congregationalists who were actu- ated bv local considerations. The building cost i^7()2 lawful money, and was in beauty and convenience in advance of the architecture of its time. So substantially was it put up that it remains to this day with but a slightly modified exterior, and in the group of buildings is known as Bowden Hall. The interior has been .so much changed that HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 697 it bears but little resemblance to the original. " For many years this bumble building was the most celebrated seat of learning iii the state, ■under the control of churchmen, and until the establishment of Trin- ity College, it was both college and theological seminary for this and other dioceses." Although beginning with the scope of an academy, it was the in- tention of the founders to erect it into a college as soon as the finances would permit, and with this view some of the first books in the library — the gifts of private benevolence — were labelled, " Seabury College, in Connecticut." As a step in that direction an endowment fund was started, in 1797, and aid was solicited not only from churchmen in Connecticut, but from foreign parts. In the course of a few years a fund of $3,000 was secured. The academy, under the principalship of Doctor Bowden, prospered, and to give it still better standing the tru.s- tees, on the 14th of April, 180], petitioned the general assembly to be incorporated as a body politic. This was done at the May session, when the present title was authorized. At this time 60 students were in attendance, which number was soon increased and the institution prospered. Doctor Bowden was a divine of great learning, and was well fitted for the work in which he was engaged, instructing some of his students in the whole collegiate and theological courses. On the 12th of April, 1802, he resigned to accept a professorship in Columbia College, N. Y., which he held until his death in 1817. He was suc- ceeded as principal by Doctor William Smith. Under the direction of Doctor vSmith a new impetus was given to the movement to secure college privileges, which was encouraged by the improved financial condition of the academy. Much of the fund secured was the proceeds of a lottery, authorized b}' the assembly in October, 1802, which netted the institution about §12,000. This plan of raising money was at that time entirely consistent with Christian morality, and was generally in vogue to further public objects. The application to the assembly in 1804 for a college charter failed, and it was not again renewed until 1810, when it was also denied. Doubt- le.ss the proximity to Yale had much to do in influencing the legisla- tors to take this adverse action, and after another attempt to secure college privileges, the effort was abandoned, and the institution has since been content to sustain an academic position. In June, 1805, Doctor Smith resigned as principal, when the Rev- erend Tillotson Bronson was appointed, ■' and his name stands out most prominently in the history of the academy. He was simple as a child, yet of profound attainments. A correct scholar and deep thinker, he made a lasting impression upon the minds of his pupils, and we hear from their own lips of the love and respect they felt for him. Many a one who was favored by his instruction has stood by his grave in the cemetery and mourned as for a friend and father."* * Doctor Horton. 698 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Doctor Bronson died in 182G, in the 65th year of his age, and was buried at St. Peter's, Cheshire, where a monument to his memory has been erected. He was principal of the academy twenty years, and now, after the lapse of more than half a century, is still gratefully re- membered in connection with it. The history of the academy for the next ten years was one of de- clining interest, and for a time it was in such a languishing condition that its existence was only nominal. The principals m this period were Reverend Asa Cornwall, Doctor Henry M. Mason, Doctor C. F. Cruse, in 1831. and Doctor Bethel Judd, from 1832 to 1835. In 1880 the Reverend Allen C. Morgan became the principal, and under his administration a new impulse was given to the fortunes of the academy. He died suddenly, in 1838, and his loss was greatly felt by the friends of the institution, which was now taken charge of by the rector of St. Peter's Parish, the Reverend Ebenezer E. Beardsley- He was an excellent principal and under his care the academy pros- pered, but he felt constrained to resign m 1843 to resume his duties as mini.ster. Up to this time the pupils resided with private families in the village, but they were now brought under immediate super- vision in the family of the principal. Doctor Beardsley 's successor as principal was Reverend Seth B. Paddock, who evinced great fitness and faithfulness in that office until his death in 1852. He purchased the old Dowd Doolittle tavern, where the courts used to be held, and converted it into a boarding hall, the principal occupying part of the building as a home. Later this place became the property of the corporation and was known as the Senior House. After 1858 a dining hall was built by Principal Babcock as an addition, and in 18G3 Principal Horton caused a large three-story frame building to be put up in addition to former accom- modations. It was further improved in the summer and fall of 1873. .so that its conveniences and capacity were greatly increased, when, on the early morning of September 25th. 1873, the entire structure was destroyed by fire. Although for the time being a calamity, the loss of the building proved a blessing in disguLse, for in its stead was reared the handsome Horton Hall, one of the finest school buildings in the county. The edifice is a commodious three-story brick, attract- ively and conveniently arranged, and is the general home of the acad- emy. It was dedicated in July, 1874. After the death of Principal Paddock, in 1852, Reverend Hilliard Bryant was for a short time in charge, when Reverend Edward Bal- lard was elected principal. He was both a preacher and a teacher of influence, and after leaving the academy in 1858, became the superin- tendent of the schools of Maine. In 1858 the Reverend J. H. Babcock became the principal, and although able as a teacher and liberal in his ideas, he was unfortunate in his management, so that he resigned HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 699 in 1861. For one season the academy was closed and the pupils scattered. Under these discouraging circumstances the present efficient prin- cipal, the Reverend S. J. Horton, D.D., took charge of the academy January 1st, 1862. He brought with him as a nucleus his former school, consisting of fourteen boarding pupils, and from that meager number was reared the splendid school of to-day. Since his accession 267 young men have graduated with academic honors and the school has a yearly attendance of more than 75 students. The single build- ing of the last century has been improved and modernized, the cam- pus enlarged and made attractive, and the elegant buildings which now constitute the academy erected. These results were brought about mainly by the skill, tact and consecration to the cause of edu- cation and the church of the honored Doctor Horton, who has become inseparabl}^ identified with the welfare of the academy. In these projects he has had the hearty cooperation of the faculty of the acad- emy, composed of half a dozen instructors and the twenty members constituting the board of trustees. This was officered, in 1889, by the following : President, Right Reverend John Williams, D.D.; vice- president, Reverend Sanford J. Horton, D.D.; secretary, Prof. An- drew W. Phillips, Ph.D.; treasurer, Hon. George R. Curtiss. The academy has also received generous support from former stu- dents and friends of the institution. Conspicuous among these has been Horatio N. Slater, son of Samuel Slater, the pioneer cotton manu- facturer of America, whose benefactions to the academy have been more than $] 0,000. George A. Jarvis and Arad W. Welton have also been liberal in their gifts. Mrs. Lucy H. Boardman has founded and maintained a scholarship, which bears her name. In addition to Bowden Hall, originally built in 1796, and Horton Hall, built in 1873-4, and already described, the academy includes Beardsley Hall and Bronson Hall. The former was built in 1865, by S. J. Horton, D.D., and was designed for the younger pupils, but since 1867 has been the home of the principal. It is opposite the old acad- emy building and stands on several acres of tastefully laid out ground. The latter, built in 1866, at the suggestion of H. N. Slater, contains the chapel and the recitation rooms. It is substantial and attractive. These buildings afford ample accommodations and Horton Hall is lighted by gas and heated by steam. There are a library, cabinet and laboratory, while a large gymnasium affords opportunity for physical exercise. All the students are dressed in gray cloth uniforms, and a military drill is part of the daily exercise ; and that system is one of the disciplinary means of the institution. That feature of academic life was introduced and has been successfully maintained by the pres- ent principal, Doctor Horton. In 1889 Edward I. Williams was the academy commandant, and the two companies of the school were officered by the students. The .scheme of study covers a period of six 700 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. years and embraces classical, scientific, medical and business courses' whose graduates find ready admission into the colleges and universi- ties of the country. Proper religious instruction is combined with the mental and physical training, and the obiect for which the academy was estab- lished has not been forgotten, its promoters still believing "that the greatest good that can be done is to educate the heart in accordance with the teachings of the Divine Law." The first attorney in Cheshire of whom any account has been pre- served was Samuel Beach, a son of Elnathan Beach. He graduated from Yale in 1757, and besides practicing his profession, was active in the affairs of the town and the church, of which he was an honored deacon. He was a son-in-law of the Reverend Samuel Hall, the first pastor, who took a natural pride in the attainments and character of this truly worthy man. He was a delegate to the convention which formed the Constitution of the United .States. His son, Burrage Beach, who graduated from Yale in 1793, was also an attorney in Cheshire, where he died at the age of 70 years. The house the latter occupied, in the village, was long known as the " Old .Squire Beach place," and is still standing. .Stephen R. Bradley was born in Cheshire October 2()th, IIM, and graduated from Yale in 1775. Removing to Vermont, he became very popular, and was elected to the United .States .Senate in 1791, .serving sixteen years. He died in New Hampshire, aged 76 years. Peter Hitchcock, born in Cheshire October 19th, 1781, graduated from Yale in 1801. Three years later he was admitted to the bar and practiced several years in Cheshire. In 1806 he removed to Ohio, and there served as judge of the supreme court from 1826 until 1852. Samuel A. Foote, a .son of the Reverend John Foote, was born No- vember 8th, 1780. Graduating from Yale in 1797, he studied law and practiced to a limited extent in Cheshire. He married a daughter of General Andrew Hull, and was engaged in business in New Haven many years, but afterward lived in this town, He received many po- litical honors, and was elected governor of Connecticut. As a mem- ber of congress he introduced the celebrated " Foote Resolutions," which gave occasion for the Webster-Hayne debate. His son, John A., became an attorney at Cleveland, Ohio. Another son was Andrew Hull, honored as a distinguished admiral in the United States navy, and beloved for his manly character, Tilton E. Doolittle, a graduate from Yale in 1846, after practicing here a short time, moved to Meriden and thence to New Haven, where he took a prominent place at the bar. Other natives of the town who became attorneys were: Jonathan Law, Charles Kelsey, Lucian R. Hall, Azariah Winchell and William Atwater. William Kelsey, .son of Jo.seph Kelsey, was born in Hartford, Conn., in 1818. He graduated from the Episcopal Academy, Cheshire, and HISTORY OK NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 701 Yale Law School. He was admitted to the bar of New Haven county in 1S42, and has practiced law in Cheshire, Guilford, and four years in Winsted, Conn. He has served many years as justice of the peace. Mr. Kelsey was married in 1838 to Alma Hull, of Cheshire. They have had five children, three of whom are now living. An alphabetical list of persons who were physicians in the town, or who became practitioners elsewhere, shows the names of the fol- lowing: Doctors Jeremiah Atwater, Isaac Bartholomew, ElnathanBeach, Bildad Beach, James Beach, Pierre E. Brandier, Augustus Bristol. Ne- hemiah Banks, Thomas Tryon Cornwall, John Cornwall, Edward T. Cornwall, Myron N. Chamberlain, A.sa J. Driggs, Edgar B. Doolittle, Edward Fields, William Lambert Foote, Sydney Foote, John Alfred Foote, John Hull, Amos Hull, Zephaniah Hull, Amos Gould Hull, Henry Hitchcock, Henry L. Hitchcock, Henry Hotchkiss, Cyrus Humiston, Walter C. Hitchcock, William Horton, Benjamin Lewis, William Law, Henry Matthews, Darius Matthews, Edward Mills, Isaac Norton, Gold Gift Norton, William T. Peters. Henry vStreet, Charles Shelton, Edmund Tuttle, Anson Tuttle, Charles R. Upson .William C. Williams, William Edward Williams, George C. F. Williams, Henry Way, N. B. Welton, Edward Woodward. Of the foregoing. Doctor Isaac Bartholomew was one of the earliest practitioners in the town, coming from Branford and living in Che- shire until his death, in 1750. After this Doctor Elnathan Beach and Doctor Gold Gift* Norton appear as the most prominent physicians before the close of the last century. The former was the father of Samuel Beach and grandfather of Esquire Burrage Beach, two of the most prominent men in the affairs of the town, whose worth is well remembered. He lived in the center of the village and once pre- sented the Congregational church with a bell. Doctor Pierre E. Brandier, a native of the West Indies, born Sep- tember 18th, 1768, came to Cheshire some time about 1800, and skill- fully attended to a large practice until his death, August 26th, 18BL He is interred in St. Peter's cemetery. Doctor William Lambert Foote, a son of Parson Foote, was born in Cheshire in 1778, and on attaining manhood became a physician in the town, remaining until his death in 1849. His brother-in-law. Doctor Thomas Tryon Corn- wall, was a contemporary practitioner, and both were skilled in their profession. The latter was the father of Doctor John Cornwall, who practiced in Hamden, and grandfather of the present Doctor Edward T. Cornwall, a physician in Cheshire the past seven years. The Hulls, from Doctor John Hull down, for five generations have furnished able practitioners, most of them in Wallingford. Doctor Amos Gould Hull was the inventor of the celebrated Hull Truss. Doctor Charles Shelton was, in his day, eminent in his profession. He died in 1832, at the age of 50 years. Doctor Asa J. Driggs came * Also called Gould Gift. 702 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. next in the order of old physicians, and remained in the place until his death, not many years since. He was generall}' esteemed as a good practitioner. Doctor Edward Woodward, after being in practice several years, removed to Bristol, and was succeeded by the present Doctor Myron N. Chamberlain. About the .same time Doctor Charles R. Upson came, as also did Doctor Henry Way. The latter removed to Bristol. Since 1855 Doctor William C. Williams has been in successful practice at Cheshire. He was the father of Doctor William Edward Williams, who died in 1872. aged 22 years; and Doctor George C. F. Williams, surgeon on Ward's Lsland, N. Y., and now of Hartford. The first settlers of the present town were members of and tribu- tary to the church at Wallingford, at which place they attended divine worship many years. Naturally, in the course of time, and when their members had become greater, these " West Farmers," as they were called, sought to have these privileges more convenient to their homes. Hence, as early as 1718, Homer Brooks, Stephen Hotchkiss and Mat- thew Bellamy, in their behalf, petitioned the general assembly, com- plaining that, " By reason of the distance from the town and the diffi- culty in the way we are under great disadvantage to appear on the public worship of God, and also for Edicating our Children," and asked to be constituted a parish. Naturally, too, Wallingford was not at first friendly to that purpose, as it would weaken its own society. But the assembly appointed a committee to examine into the matter, which reported that it had found the number of families on the "West Farms" to be about 45, "including in ye numb'r sum few new beginners that have not familys." As the value of the estates these families owned was but £'2,000, the committee recommended that they remain with the town of Wallingford, and they continued to worship there. A plan was perfected, however, by which the children of the "West Farmers" could be taught in their own neighborhood, the teacher going from one section to another in turn, forming a sort of an itinerancy, so that all could be accommodated. A few years later it was deemed best to provide preaching at the "West Farms," and December 11th, 1722, the town (Wallingford) by its vote, granted liberty "to ye farmers of the west side of the river, so many as shall subscribe, to have a minister to preach among them for three months this year, and voted to give them six pounds." It is believed that these meetings and those subsequently held, be- fore a house of worship was provided, were at the houses of Captain John Hotchkiss and Thomas Brooks; and it is probable that Samuel Hall was the minister who first preached in what is now Cheshire. The evident success of the three months' preaching rendered this people still more anxious to have a society of their own. and they per- sisted in tlieir petitions until Wallingford granted it to them, by a vote April ;JOth, 1723, when it was ordered " that a village be estab- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 703 lished on the west side of the river," and thus, about 25 years after its settlement, was called into existence the first religious society, which formed "The Congregational Church in Cheshire." Upon this action of Wallingford, the seal of legislative approval was set at the May ses- sion following: but the people did not hold their meeting for organiz- ing until July ^nth, 1723, when they formed themselves into the " West Society in Wallingford." This name was changed, in 1724, to the " Society of New Cheshire," and still later the word AVw was dropped. Timothy Tuttle moderated at the meeting. Joseph Thompson was chosen clerk of the society and served until 1747. Thomas Brooks, Nathaniel Bunnell and John Hitchcock were the first society commit- tee and upon them devolved the work of establishing regular worship. Samuel Hall was secured to preach for them six months; and in No- vember Stephen Hotchkiss was appointed to "set the Psalms." Decem- ber 4th, 1723, it was decided to build a meeting house, 30 by 40 feet, and 18 feet posts. The selection of a site caused much trouble and the committeemen were obliged to petition the legislature to settle the matter for them. That body appointed a committee of three who chose a site, one-fourth of a mile south of the present meeting house, upon which was built the first house of worship in 1724. The money was raised by a levy of four pence upon every pound, and Joseph Thompson was appointed to "gather the rait." Caleb Matthews, Tim- othy Tuttle, Josiah Hotchkiss, Nathaniel Bunnell and Thomas Curtis acted as the building committee. The meeting house was very plain and was probably designed for temporary use, or until the society should be able to provide a better one. It was ready for occupancy in the fall of 1724 and in October of that year arrangements were made to form a church. Aleantime the society had not been inactive in re- gard to schools. January 10th, 1724, they appointed a committee to see to their school, and chose Elnathan Beach to collect the rates levied for their support. The preliminaries for organizing a church having been performed, the second Wednesday of December was set for the completion of the work and the ordination of their first pastor, who had continued to preach for the society. Accordingly on December 9th, 1724, eleven male and fifteen female members were constituted the church in New Cheshire, which was declared " to be according to ye establishment of ye Gov't. 1676." The Reverends Nathaniel Chauncey, of Durham, and Samuel Whittlesey, of Wallingford, assisted, and Samuel Hall was or- dained pa.stor. Joseph Ives and Stephen Hotchkiss were chosen as the first deacons. At this time, " Voted ye Holy Scriptures should be publickly read on ye Sabbath in God's House, as part of ye publick worship." But five persons dissented from that purpose. In 1725 a burial ground was opened, the pastor donating the land, and plans were made to build a school house. This could not be done at once, as the inhabitants living on what became known as Cheshire 704 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Street were unwilling and wanted a school in their own locality; and in 1726 they were given permission to have a school of their own. In 1728 the society compromised the matter by building two school houses, one in the northeastern part of the parish and the other near the meeting house. It had also been found necessary to increase the capacity of the meeting house, and in 1727 a gallery was added. After this was done, February 27th, 1728, "Voted to .seat the church and first to have respect to Thomas Beach, John Cook and Thomas Twist,'" so that they could better hear the preacher. In 1727 Ebenezer Johnson was chosen as the grave digger, to have five shillings for every grave dug, and seven years later the burial ground was fenced. Two years before, in 1732. the society was scourged by the smallpox, which broke out in a family living near the meeting house, and before the nature of the di-sease had become known, many persons were afflicted by it. Of the 300 persons com- posing the village, 124 were sick with the dreaded complaint and serv- ices in the church were for several months suspended. Notwithstand- ing .so many were sick and the service of medical men so rare, but 17 persons died. Yet among them were several who had been active in the affairs of the society, viz.: Captain John Hotchkiss, Captain Thomas Brooks, Ensign Nathaniel Bunnell, Eliphalet Johnson, Ebenezer John- son, Robert Hotchkiss, Ebenezer Johnson, Jr., Josiah Hotchkiss, Na- thaniel Hitchcock, Elizabeth Hotchkiss, the wives of Daniel Andrews, Ephraim Tuttle and Josiah Hotchkiss. The cemetery was thus early consecrated as the resting place of the loved ones of many homes, in- cluding also the infant son of Reverend vSamuel Hall. The pastor himself had been very sick and after the plague was over he preached an appropriate sermon, which was printed. In the first forty years of the use of the cemetery by Pastor Hall, he officiated at the burial of 626 persons. In 1890 a fine archway entrance to the cemetery was built, mostly by means furnished by Mrs. IMarch, and tablets were placed in the wall to her honor and to that of Reverend Hall. The society having outgrown the meeting house, it was voted, in 1786, to build a new one, 45 by 64 feet, and 24 feet between the joints. John Parker, Caleb Matthews, John Hull, Benjamin Dutton and Joshua Hotchkiss were selected as a committee to build it. A new site, more central and nearer to the cemetery, was presented by the Reverend Samuel Hall, upon which the house was built in 1788. This house stood a little east of wdiere the soldiers' monument now is, reaching into the present highway and fronted to the sovith. At the north end was the steeple. The pulpit was on the west side and over it was a sounding board. Directly in front, on the east side of the church, was the main entrance. Below the pulpit were seats for the deacons and the communion table. North of the pulpit were seats for old ladies; south were scats for old men, and in front of these the boys of the village were seated. Amasa Hitchcock recollected counting. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 705 about 17.53, as many as sixty boys occupying these seats on a single Sabbath. In 1765 the meeting house was repaired by putting cedar shingles on its foreside. A well was dug before the meeting house in 1778. In 1737 the society agreed to warn the meetings by having the "drum beat from Abraham Barne's to Capt. Joseph Thompson, on every Tuesday eve." In March, 1773, a bell weighing 450 pounds' was procured, and the use of the drum was given up. In 1797 it was voted that the church bell should be rung every day. at noon and at 9 o'clock p. M. After the old meeting house had been used the greater part of a century, a new one, the present house of worship, was begun in 1826. To give it a better location more land was purchased in the rear of the old lot, and the house was set upon this new ground, thus per- mitting the beautiful "green" which now graces the approach to the house. It is also a wooden building, and when the frame was raised Jesse Brooks, who was assisting in the work, was killed b}' being crushed between two heavy posts. The house cost $7,000, and was dedicated August 1st, 1827, the sermon being preached by Reverend David S. Ogden, of Southington. On that occasion a large and well- trained choir, led by Thomas A. Cornwall, furni.shed the music. This was an innovation upon the singing of the olden times. In 1731 the society "voted to sing that which is regular singing." In 1735, "voted to sing in ye public assembly ye Psalms of David in ye language of ye New Testament and applied to ye Christian State and worship by ye Watts." About 1847 the meeting house was so much damaged by a thunder storm that it required extensive repairs. At this time the pulpit was changed from the front of the audience room to the rear, and other alterations made. In 1863 the walls of the house were frescoed. A lecture room and ladies' parlor were built on the rear of the house a few years later. Since 1884 they have been put in attractive order and supplied with a piano. The audience room has also been thor- oughly renovated, and a fine organ was presented to the church by Frank Gaylord. In the fall of 1889 a good Seth Thomas striking clock was placed in the tower of the meeting house, and at this time the property of the church appeared to be in good condition. Among the adornments of the audience room are tablets placed m memory of the first and the second pastors of the church. The first pastor, Reverend vSamuel Hall, was born at Wallingford, October 4th, 1695, and was the .second son of Hon. John Hall, and grandson of Captain Samuel Hall. The latter was one of the founders of Wallingford, and the Hon. John Hall was, in his day, one of the most influential men of Connecticut, and being wealthy and public spirited, he gave all of his children a liberal education. His first .son, John, was also very prominent, and was the father of the Hon. Lyman 44 706 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Hal], governor of Georgia, who was one of the signers of the declara- tion of independence. Other members of the Hall family became illu.strioLis. vSamuel Hall was prepared for college by Reverend Samuel Whittlesey, and in 1716, graduated from Yale, in the last year it was at Saybrook. After serving as a tutor for that institution three years at Wethersfield (where were a body of students who had seceded during the controversy as to permanent location), he studied theology with Reverend Samuel Stoddard, of Northampton. Thence, after preaching some time before ordination, he became the first pastor of Cheshire church in October, 1724. The following Jan- uary he was married to Anne Law, daughter of Governor Jonathan Law, and settled in a homestead which stood on the site of the Edward A. Cornwall residence. Of his thirteen children a number grew to maturity, and daughters married into the Whittlesey, Williams, Beach and Foote families; the sons, who became well known, were Brenton (father of Doctor William Brenton Hall, noted for his heroism in the yellow fever outbreak along the Connecticut river), Elisha and Jona- than Hall. From these have descended many distinguished men, and their names are, in man}- instances, still honorably perpetuated in Cheshire. Mr. Hall was a vigorous "Old Light," and took an active part in- the great controversy attending the .settlement of Reverend James Dana over the Wallingford church. He was an active thinker and also an eloquent speaker, having power to hold his members together and greatly attached them to him. He preached his last sermon in October, 177;"), when he urged the minute men of Cheshire to patriotic action in driving the British foe from Boston, and when they responded he followed them, although in his Slst year, and inspired them with his presence. In the last ten years of his life the burden of the min- istry had passed to his son-in-law, John Foote, but he occa.sionally preached and maintained his interest in the church to the end. Reverend John Foote was born in Branford, in 1742. After grad- uating from Yale, in 1765, he studied theology under Reverend Samuel Hall, and married his daughter, November 19th, 1767. He was called to the ministry in Cheshire, December 2d, 1766, and was installed in March, 1767. Like his predecessor, he was possessed of more than ordinary ability to control a large congregation, but soon had to con- tend with many trying circumstances. The war of the revolution had not only crippled the resources of the people, but it had also cultivated the spirit of religious freedom and given, an impetus to the Epis- copal and other churches; and in 1782 a few began to petition for exemption from taxation to support the Congregational church. October ;?()th, 1789, Abner Doolittle " signed off " to Episcopacy, and was soon followed by Edward Tuttle. John Benham, Epaphrus Hall, HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 707 William Clark, Jr., Horace Hitchcock, Jesse Humiston and others. " Some to avoid paying taxes for the Cheshire Church secured certifi- cates from some Baptist or other minister that they were attending and helping support these other enterprises. "•■ In 1778 several members withdrew to form the church and society of Columbia (now Prospect), where a meeting house was erected and Reverend John Lewis was installed as the pa.stor. A short time after- ward a serious division of the church was threatened by a number of members, most of whom lived on Cheshire Street, although the disaf- fection extended to other parts of the parish. They were disinclined to accept the teachings of the new pastor as tacitly as they did those of the old one, and dissented from them. Of the.se Timothy Hall, Cap- tain Robert Rice and Job Yale were men of influence, and in 1780 they succeeded in having charges preferred against Mr. Foote. In a specified form some appear grave and others frivolous, but they re- ceived the attention of the Con.sociation of New Haven county, at meetings held in January, June and November, 1780, some of which were so largely attended that an adjournment from the house of Tim- othy Hall to the school house was necessary. The Consociation did not seem able to settle the matter and a new society was projected which had, besides those named above, as members: David Brooks, William Law, Josiah Smith, Enos Atwater, Gad Pond and Ephraim Cook. A new meeting house was begun on the site of the Episcopal pansonage at the Center, but it was never completed and was after- ward sold and was removed to a place near where Bunnell lane now runs, where it was used as a tannery. Mr. Foote, having been admon- ished by the Consociation, profited by the advice and so harmonized the discordant elements that the longer he continued as pastor the greater the respect and confidence of his people, and his ministry was as successful as that of his predecessor, extending over a period of 46 years. He had received ,549 persons into the church in the most try- ing times of the country's history. Being ill he asked for a colleague, m September, 1811, which was granted and an annuity of about two years' salary voted him; but he died before that time, universally esteemed. Mr. Foote built a house directly opposite the one occupied by his father-in-law, which in 1889 was still standing as the home of Seth Calhoun. Here he reared a large and talented family, whose fame has extended to all parts of the Union. The Reverend Humphrey H. Perrine, who followed Mr. Foote in the pastoral office, was ordained August 25th, 1813, and dismissed April 22d, 1816. The pulpit was now supplied for several years by Reverend Jere- miah Atwater, from April, 1816, until July, 1817; and Reverend N. Kellogg, for one year, from November, 1818. ♦Reverend E. C. Baldwin. 708 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. In September, 1820, the church ordained one of its own members as pastor — the Reverend Roger Hitchcock, who served acceptably until his death, January 81st, 1823. He was a son of Valentine Hitchcock and a brother of the Hon. Peter Hitchcock, of Ohio. After an interval. Reverend Luke Wood next supplied the pul- pit, from December, 1824, until 182(), and it was in this period that the new meeting house was begun and completed in 1827. The Reverend Joseph Whiting was the next regular pastor, being ordained October 24th, 1827, and after a ministry of nine years was dismissed December 29th, 1836. In his pastorate many were added to the church, which now entered upon a new era of prosperity. He built a new parsonage near the church, which embarrassed him, and as his salary was only $600 per year, he was constrained to move to the West, and at Ann Arbor, Michigan, had much to do with the founding of the vState University, where a monument to his memory stands in its campus. The Reverend Erastus Colton was the next minister, serving from his ordination, January 17th, 1838, until July 21st, 1843. The Reverend Daniel March, whose instruction books upon Bible topics have given him a wide reputation, was ordained April 22d, 1845, and dismissed November 9th, 1848. Then came Reverend Daniel S. Rodman, from October 16th, 1849, to December 27th, 1854: Clement W. Clapp, from May 22d, 1855, until May 11th, 1857; Charles Little, from January 8th, 1862, until June 13th, 1865; John M. Wolcott, from November 11th, 1869, until September 20th, 1876; Joseph H. Isham, from January 23d, 1878, till April 25th, 1882. The acting pastors of the church have been: Reverend David Root, from October, 1857, until April, 1859; John S. C. Abbott, from 1860, for about two years. He was followed in 1882 by Reverend E. C. Baldwin, who became the acting pastor and so continued until his death, April 27th, 1890. He was an able, honest and fearless man, having many qualities which made him an excellent minister. He was born in Milford in 1833. graduated from Union Theological Semi- nary in 1860, and was ordained to the ministry in the fall of that year as the pastor of the Bethlehem church. From 1865 until 1878 he served in a pastoral relation the church at Bran ford. Subsequently he was the editor of the Home World. Since August, 1890, the acting pastor of the Cheshire church has been Reverend J. P. Hoyt. In seasons when the church had no pastor the Yale College men frequently preached here, among those thus coming being Reverend N. W. Taylor and Reverend N. Porter, D.D., afterward the honored president of Yale. The Congregational ministers raised up in Cheshire have been: Abraham Beach, D.D., Jo.seph Bellamy, D.D., Herbert Bristol, Aaron Hall, Lyman Hall, Reuben Hitchcock, Roger Hitchcock, Reuben HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 709 Moss. Frederick William March, Asahel Stevens, George Edward Street, Jesse W. Brooks; and among those who attended the church and became ministers of other denominations were Aaron Beach, John Parker, David Brooks, Waitsell Munson, David Bristol, Allen Houo-h, Ransom Johnson and Reuben Ives. The deacons of the church and the years in which they were elected have been as follows: Jo.seph Ives and Stephen Hotchkiss, 1724; Timothy Tuttle, 1739; Edward Parker, 1755; Samuel Beach and Benjamin Hotchkiss, 1766; Benoni Plum and Isaac Bunnell, 1787; John Peck, 1809; Andrew Hull, Jr., 1813; Jared Moss and Roger Hitchcock, 1815; Cyrus Baldwin, 1820; Reuben W. Roys and William A. Brown, 1827; Irad Bronson, 1836; Merriam L. Hotchkiss, 1841; Jesse R.Brooks, 1859; Jared S. Baldwin, 1869; George Keeler, Edwin R. Brown and Norman S. Piatt, 1870; William L. Baldwin and Charles H. Hall, 1882; Frank N. Hall. 1888. In 1889 the church had 283 members, and the ofl&cers of the society were: Clerk, E. R. Brown; treasurer, George Keeler; committee, Henry Gaylord, E. P. Atwater and Titus B. Ives. St. Peter's Church (Protestant Episcopal) dates from about the middle of the eighteenth century. Among the early settlers of Chesh- ire were a number of churchmen who felt the influence of the minis- try of the rector of the church at Stratford — Doctor Johnson — and who were thus moved to have the forms of the church set up in their own midst. Joseph Moss was one of the readiest to espouse that idea, and gathering his neighbors together in the house of Zachariah Ives, he acted as lay reader of the "service." In 1751 Reverend Ichabod Camp visited the community and formed the persons thus accustomed to meet into an Episcopal society. It is probable that they were now visited at intervals by Doctor Johnson, Doctor Ichabod Camp and by other ministers, as missionaries of the "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," of London. As such Reverend Sam- uel Andrews came in 1761 and preached at stated periods, until his zeal as a loyalist in the revolution made him obnoxious to the patriots of this section, and after the war he moved to Nova Scotia. In 1760 Joseph Moss bought the property on which the place of worship stood, and aided by Henry Brooks, Sr., Zachariah Ives, Ben- jamin Lewis, Amos Matthews, Ebenezer Tuttle, Moses Tuttle and Isaac Tyler, built a small church, which better accommodated the in- creased membership of the society. In May, 1767, he deeded that ground and a part of the present cemetery to Amos Matthews and Henry Brooks, Sr., as the wardens of "St. Peter's Church," the con- sideration being £1 10s. "and love and good will to the church of the ever blessed Redeemer." He acted as parish clerk many years, and when no minister was in attendance continued to serve as lay reader. Thus he remained one of the principal members until his death, July 10th, 1775, at the age of 62 years. 710 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. The first church having become too small, a second building was erected in 1770, upon the site where the present church stands. It was a high structure, 42 feet square, and having galleries, was quite commodious. But in 1795 it was found necessary to enlarge it, and a steeple was also added. Owing to the above proportions, this gave the building an awkward appearance, and was not to be commended architecturally, as the steeple appeared more prominent than the church. After the lapse of about forty years this building was re- moved to give place to a new brick edifice, which was put up under the rectorship of Reverend E. E. Beardsley, and which was conse- crated August 1st, 1840. In an enlarged and greatly improved form, that is the building which is now the church of the parish. To the original structure a new chancel was added in 1864, which was moved back in 1875 to admit the new transepts to the church, built that year. At the same time the ceiling was ribbed. In 1881 the interior of the church was beautified and artistic furniture and memorial windows .supplied. In the tower was placed a fine-toned bell, weighing 3,874 pounds, which was the gift to the church of Mrs. P. S. Beers and her daughters, Mrs. N. S. Piatt and Mrs. M. N. Chamberlain. In 1886 the Reverend Doctor Horton presented a brass pulpit, and in 1889 the church received as a gift a handsome brass lectern from Mr. and ^Irs. Samuel Hitchcock, as a memorial to their daughter, Emily. These improvements were the means of creating a desire to see the church placed in a still better condition, and in the fall of 1888 a warm friend of the parish, residing in Brooklyn, N. Y., George A. Jarvis, offered to bear one-half of the expenses of whatever improvement might be made. The parish decided to build a new front to the old church, 18 by 60 feet and two stories high, which would form church rooms and a chapel. The old tower being removed, a new tower of .stone and brick, 70 feet high, massive and attractive, was added. The corner stone of this was laid by Bishop Williams, July 11th, 1889, and con- tains the contents of the old stone, laid in 1839, with appropriate addi- tions. The entire improvements, completed in the fall of 1889, have placed the building" in a thoroughly good condition, and it has become one of the best country churches in the state. Great credit for the successful completion of the work is due the young rector of the parish. Reverend J. F. vSe.xton. The entire church property and rec- tory are worth $20,000. Connected with the church is the well-kept St. Peter's Cemetery, embracing in 1889 several acres, and which is controlled by the vestry of the parish. A cemetery fund, established about 25 years ago, has been increased to $2,000, and its income permits the grounds to be kept in good condition. The cemetery contains some fine monuments, and there are interred among many other loved ones, the pioneer minister, Reverend Reuben Ives, Reverend S. II. Turner, of the New York HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 711 Theological Seminary, and the honored Doctor Bronson, who first gave the Episcopal Academy the character it enjoj's. For a long period after the establishment of the academy the head of the school was also the head of the parish, an arrangement pro- nounced by Doctor Beardsley as not advantageous to the church, as there was too great a dilTusion of interest. After the ministry of Reverend Samuel Andrews had terminated, in 1786, Reverend Reuben Ives became the pastor of the parish in 1788, and continued about thirty years, serving, also, in connection, other neighboring churches. He was a son of the Zachariah Ives before named, and was born in Cheshire in 1762. At the age of 24 he graduated from Yale, and the same year was admitted to deacon's orders, at Derby. He was a de- voted minister and a great lover of music, being one of the first to introduce chanting in Connecticut. He died October 17th, 1836. From 1820 for the next five years the church was supplied by Doctor Bron- son, principal of the academy, and the assistant teacher, Reverend Asa Cornwall. After 1825 the latter alone was the minister several years. From 1828 to 1834 the clergy were Reverends Henry M. Mason, C. F. Cruse and Doctor Judd. Since the latter period the following took charge of the interests of the church: 1835, Reverend E. E. Beardsley; 1841, William F. Morgan and Frederick Miller; 1843, E. E. Beard.sley; 1848, Joseph H. Nichols; 1852, Hilliard Bryant; 1865, Julius H. Ward; 1868, E. M. Pecke; 1873,W. B. Buckingham; 1876, O. H. Raftery; 1886, J. Frederick Sexton, having been the rector since June of that year. In furthering the work of the parish he published the " Rector's A.s- sistant," an attractive church magazine, setting forth its needs, and being also intended as an aid to devout life. In November, 1889, the parish had 138 families, which supplied 226 communicants. The Sunday school had 90 members, and Julius Moss was the superintendent. Joseph Moss also served many years in that capacity. The wardens were Joel Moss and Julius Mo.ss, the former serving at the age of 92 years. Lloyd Mo.ss and Ralph Guilford were wardens in former years. Howard T. Moss was the treasurer of the parish, and Milton C. Doolittle the clerk; the vestrymen were: Timothy Guilford, Henry S. Frost, Richard Valentine, Silas E. Jeralds, Charles T. Hotchkiss, Joseph P. Moss, J. Norris Barnes, Alexander W.Welton, Charles L. Russell, Jr., and J. William Moss. The parish sustams a branch of the " Church Temperance Society," a chapter of "The Brotherhood of St. Andrew," a Young Ladies' Guild, aid and missionary societies, and is active in all tho.se good works which characterize a live Christian church. In 1889 the amount of moneys raised for all purposes was more than $2,000. The Cheshire Methodist Episcopal Church was erected in 1834. As early as 1809 a class of Methodists was organized at Wallingford, which had among its members persons living in the town of Cheshire. In 1819 the first Methodist church in Hamden was built, and among 712 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. its worshippers were also persons belonging to Cheshire. About the same time Ransom Johnson, a devout local preacher, expounded the word of God to a small class in the school house on Cheshire street, and later held Methodist meetings in the village, where he had the zealous cooperation of Amasa Preston, whose pious life is still re- membered in the southwestern part of the town. In 1825 preaching was established in southeastern Cheshire, and since that year the town has been a part of the Methodist itinerancy. The appointment at the village was permanently taken up by Reverend Lucius Baldwin, in 1829, and from the preaching services in the old .school house has sprung the present church. The circuits in those days were large, and comprised so many appointments that meetings were held only at long intervals. In 1832 old Hamden cir- cuit embraced not only the three clas.ses of that town, with 71 members (some belonging to Cheshire), but those of Woodbridge, with 36 mem- bers; Prospect, with 45 members; Salem and Naugatuck, with 24 members; Cheshire, with 36 members; North Haven, with 18 mem- bers; Branford, with 10 members; and Wallingford, with 11 members. April 22d, 1834, the membership at Cheshire had so much increased that it had become a separate appointment, and the question of build- ing a church was taken up. On that day a building committee was appointed, consisting of Amasa Preston, Elias Dudley, Joseph Doo- little, David Brooks, William Hotchkiss, Delos Hotchkiss and A. M, Hitchcock. A lot of land, centrally located, was purchased of Jairus Bunnell, on which was built a brick structure, having the church architecture of that day, at a cost of $3,000. This was dedicated No- vember 22d, 1834, by Reverend Schuyler Seager. Repairs on the building were made in 1.859, at a cost of $1,200; in 1872, costing §800; and more recently, in the past year, which have placed the house in a comfortable condition. In 1881 a large fund was raised for the pur- pose of building a new church, but inability to agree upon details and the removal of many members caused the project to be abandoned. A parsonage was secured in 1866, at a cost of $2,500. Elias Dudley was the first class leader at the Center, and among the early members was Damaris Judd, who joined in August, 1833, and was faithful until his death, in April, 1880. Amasa Preston was one of the most active early members, and James Lanyon, the superin- tendent of the Baryta inines, sustained a similar relation in the more recent history of the church. His influence greatly strengthened the church, and a large proportion of the English miners became mem- bers of it. After the suspension of that interest, the membership was much dimini.shed by the removal of the miners. In 1889 there were 107 members reported. Notable revivals in the history of the church occurred in 1851, 1859, 1864, 1867-8, 1876 and 188!. In September of the latter year scores of persons were converted. The church has for many years maintained a Sunday school, which HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 713 is largely attended, and had, in 1889, Alfred S. Bennett as its superin- tendent. George R. Johnson was the .secretary of the board of trus- tees, and the church property was valued at $o,0(X). The ministers of the church, as appointees of the several confer- ences with which it has been connected, have been the following: From New Haven and Hamden circuit : 1825, Reverends Heman Bangs and J. Leach. From Hamden circuit: 1826, Elias Crawford 1827, Lucius Baldwin. From Hamden and Humphreysville circuit 1828, Eli Barnett and N. Kellogg; 1829, Eli Barnett and L. Baldwin 1830, J. Nixon; 1881, Smith Dayton; 1832, J. Hudson. In 1833 Cheshire circuit was established and has since been main- tained as a division of the conference: 1833-4, Reverend Asa Bush- nell; 1835, Hart F. Pease; 1836-7, J. A. Sillick; 1838, W. W. Brewer; 1839, C. F. Peton; 1840, A. F. Beach; 1841-2, Ira Abbott; 1843, J. B. Beach; 1844, S. W. Smith; 1845, S. W. Smith and G. A. Hubbell; 1846, J. E. Searles and R. H. Loomis; 1847-8, A. S. Hill; 1849, G. L. Fuller; 1850, Charles Gorse; 1851, Charles Gorse and A. S. Hill; 1852-3, L. P. Perry; 1854, supplies; 1855, B. Redford; 1856-7, L. Beach; 1858, C. Chit- tenden; 1859-60, H. N. Weed; 1861-2, Ira Abbott; 1863-5, F. B. Tower; 1866, supplies; 1867-8, Edward Cunningham; 1869, W. W. McGuire; 1870-1, E. S. Hibbard; 1872-4. David Nash; 1875, J. O. Munson; 1876-7, William Brj^ant; 1877-8, James W. Dean; 1879-80, Albert Booth; 1881. William R. Webster; 1882, Caleb Parker; 1883-5, A. V. R. Abbott; 1886-8, W. L. Holmes; 1889. G. A. Viets. St. Bridget's Church (Roman Catholic) was erected in 1859. Nearly forty years ago Father Tevens and other Catholic priests vis- ited the town to encourage the adherents of their religion, occasion- ally saying mass at their houses. One of the first services of this nature was at the house of Michael Garde, about a mile below the Center, and those attending were chiefly miners who had but recently come to Cheshire. Mass was said later in Baldwin's Hall (now part of Hotchkiss & Allen's store) by Father O'Reilly, and soon after a more permanent place of worship was found in the hall of the tavern of Martin Brennan, where services were statedly held until the church was erected. The movement which led to its building was started by Father Hugh J. O'Reilly, who purchased one acre of land in the northern part of the village, of Michael Garde, for church and ceme- tery purposes. On this lot the corner stone of a plain edifice was laid, in the summer of 1859, by Father Quinn, of Meriden. On Christmas of the same year it was first used to celebrate a mass appropriate to the day, by Father Callan, also from Meriden. In 1883 the church building was improved and beautified, a small turret being added and stained glass windows supplied. An appro- priate re-dedication by Bishop McMahon followed, November 4th, 1883, and it has since been attractively kept. In 1889 the members of the corporation were Hugh Brennan and Michael Mulvey. 714 HISTORY Or NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Cheshire has never been a separate parish, forming a part of a parish composed of the churches in Hamden, Sonthington or South Meriden. In 1889 it was connected parochially with the two latter churches, and Reverend Father Moore, of South Meriden, was the priest of the parish. The only resident priest at Cheshire was Father Drea, who lived in the Beadle place and served from here the churches at Hamden and Southington. At St. Bridget's mass is said every Sundav, and there are about 25 families connected with the church. BIOCR.'M'HIC.VL SKETCHES. Isaac Hobart Barnes is a representative of one of the oldest fami- lies in Cheshire. He was born in 1826 and is descended from John, born 1795; James, born 1773; Ambrose, born 1745; and James, who died in New Haven. Ambrose came to Cheshire in 1756 and settled on the farm that has been in possession of the Barnes fam- ily ever since, and a part of which is now owned by Isaac H. Am- brose married Beulah, daughter of Isaac Blakeslee. James married Margaret Bell, daughter of Elisha. John married Roxanna Peck, daughter of John. Lsaac H. married Delia T., daughter of Samuel Clark, of Milford, Conn. The family are Episcopalians. John R. Barnes, born May 20th, 1867, is a son of James, born July 17th, 1829, died February 3d, 1870; grandson of John, and great-grand- son of James, born April 16tli, 1773. James, second, married Sarah E. Pennewell. They have two sons; J. Norris, born March 12th, 1858, and John R. These sons are engaged in fruit growing in company with N. S. Piatt, under the firm name of Barnes, Piatt & Barnes. Their farm contains 100 acres. They make a specialty of raising peaches and other small fruit. They started their peach orchard m 1881 and have harvested three full crops of fruit from it. Benajah Beadle, born in Cheshire in 1815, died October 5th, 1890, was a son of Alford, who was born in Wallingford and settled in Cheshire about 1810. He raised a family of four sons, of whom Bena- jah was the third. His father was a carriage-maker, and built the second one-horse wagon made in Cheshire. Benajah learned the trade of carriage-maker and followed it for 52 3'ears. In all this time he was not away from his shop to exceed one month at any one time. He retired in 1886 and his son now carries on the business. Benajah was married in 1837 to Julia A. Hitchcock, of Cheshire. They had two sons, Henry and Edgar. Sherman Blakeslee, born in Watertown, Conn., in 1815, was a son of Maning Blakeslee, who moved to Prospect when Sherman was an infant, and died about 1833. He had eight children, of whom Sherman was the third. His early educational advantages were limited, but in after years he educated him.self and was a good business man. He was essentially a self-made man, with good common sense and native ability. He engaged in the manufacture of Britannia ware, and after- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 715 ward he was in the mercantile trade in Yalesville, Conn., about six years. He then moved to Chesliire and was connected with the John Mix Manufacturing Company 11 years, after which he again engaged in the mercantile trade in Cheshire. He remained in this place 14 years, when he retired on account of ill health about 1882. As a bu.si- ness men he was noted for his integrity, square dealing, honesty and uprightness. He was a quiet and unpretentious man and devoted him- self strictly to his own affairs. He married Nancy M. Mix in 1838. They had five children: Sherman, born 1840; Lauren, born 1841; George W., born 1844; Etta M., born 1846; and Laura E., born 1863. Lauren died in the 17th year of his age and Etta at the age of 19 years. Mr. and Mrs. Blakeslee celebrated their golden wedding in October, 1888. He died August 1st, 1891, at his home, after an illness of some months, at the age of 76 years, and leaves a wife and three children — Sherman, George and Laura. Rier Bristol, born in 1811, was a son of Uriah. They were both born in Cheshire. Rier married Abigail Munson. of Cheshire, and had three children: Antoinette, Alfred and Abbie. Alfred died in 1884. Antoinette married William S. Bates, of New York, who died in 1874. Rier Bristol died in 1871. He was engaged in agriculture and in manufacturing. He inherited the farm where a part of the baryta mines in this town was located. The two daughters live on the old homestead. Je.sse R. Brooks, born in Cheshire October 1st, 1820, was a .son of Jesse, grandson of Henry, and great-grandson of Henry, whose father, Thomas, was son of Henry. They were descendants of Henry Brooks, who came from England about 1670, settling first in New Haven. The family came from Cheshire, England. Five gen- erations have lived on the farm where Jesse R. now lives in Mix- ville. He has always been engaged in farming. He has been deacon of the Congregational church in Cheshire about 26 years. He has been twice married; first to Sarah C. Blakeslee in 1845. She died in 1852, leaving no children. His second wife was Louise A., daugh- ter of Anson Smith, of Cheshire. They have two children. The elder. Reverend Jesse W. Brooks, Ph.D., D.D., of Brooklyn, N. Y.. a graduate of Rutgers College and Union Theological Seminary, mar- ried Louise B. Upham, and has three children. Jesse R. Brooks' younger son, Henry S., is at present engaged with his collegiate studies. Samuel Hull Brooks, born in Cheshire in 1826, is a son of David, born in Cheshire in 1791; he a son of Reverend David, born in Cheshire in 1744; he a son of Enos, born in Cheshire in 1708; he a son of Lieutenant Thomas Brooks, born in Cheshire in 1678; he a son of Henry, who .settled in Cheshire about 1705. Samuel H. Brooks is a direct descendant of Abram Doolittle, one of the organ- izers of the town of Wallingford about 1670. Two brothers, Henry 716 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. and Thomas, came from New Haven and settled in Cheshire in 1705, and named the town Cheshire after Cheshire, England, their native place. The finst church service held in Cheshire was at the house of Henry Brooks. Micah, a son of Reverend David Brooks, moved to Western New York, and was elected to congress from there. He was known as General Micah Brooks. David, the father of .Samuel H. Brooks, married Linda Hull, and had nine children. Alonzo, the eldest, died in Brooks Vale in 1887. David, the second son, went to Philadelphia and was engaged in constructing the first telegraph line in the country, with S. F. B. Morse. He became widely known as an electrician, and invented an underground cable, for which the West- ern Union Telegraph Company paid him a large sum. Samuel H. went with him to Pennsylvania, and remained there about 15 years. He had charge of the telegraph office in the capitol at Harrisburg. He returned to Connecticut after the death of his younger brother, Edwin M., to the old Brooks homestead in Brooks Vale. This farm has remained in the possession of the Brooks family since 1730. On the farm is an immense rock, known as Scott's Rock, under which is a large cave in which the regicides Whaley and Gofife were secreted for some time. Samuel Hull Brooks married Mary Eliza Mather, of Troy, N. Y., a descendant from Cotton Mather. They have four chil- dren: E^liza Mather, Linda Hull, Heman Mather and Mary Mather. Brooks Vale was so named by Mr. Samuel Brooks, about 1847. His brother, Edwin M., was the first postmaster there, and Samuel suc- ceeded him in 18(iit, continued until 1885. His neice, Miss Ella M. Brooks, daughter of his brother, Alonzo, now has charge of the office. The Hull family came from Derbyshire, England, and settled in Wal- lingford about 1687. The first of the name was Doctor John Hull, from whom descended: Joseph, born in 1668; Caleb, born in 1695: Samuel, born in 1730: Samuel, born in 17.")'.): and Linda, mother of vSamuel Hull Brooks. Daniel A. A. Buck, born in Tunbridge, Vt., in 1840, is a son of Eri P. and Mary S. Buck. He removed to Weir Village, Mass., when five years old. At the age of 16 years he went to Clinton, Ma.ss., where he learned the trade of watchmaker and jeweller, remaining there seven years. Later he followed the same business about twelve years in Worcester, Mass. He invented the Waterbury watch in 1878, and went to Waterbury and helped to organize the Waterbury Watch Com- pany, remaining with that company seven years. In 1885 he came to Cheshire to superintend the Cheshire Watch Company, with which he was connected for two years. In 1888 he organized the D. A. A. Buck Company, for the manufacture of toys and novelties. The works of this company are at We.st Cheshire. Mr. Buck is president of the company. He was married in 1864 and again in 1881. He has two children by the first marriage — Nettie M. and Arthur A. — and two by the second — Ashley M. and Irving W. Mr. Buck is a member of the HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 717 Masonic order, and is president of the Republican Club of Cheshire, and a member of the Republican League of New Haven. In his younger days Mr. Buck invented and built the smallest steam engine in the world; engine, boiler and pump stand on a gold dollar. It was exhibited at the Centennial Exposition of 1S76, and attracted much attention. He has taken out as many as thirty patents on his inventions. George J. C.\pewell, son of Mark A. Capewell, was born in Bir- mingham, England, in 1843. The family reinoved to this country in 1845, and settled at Woodbury, Conn. The father was the founder of the business out of which grew, in later years, the Capewell Manu- facturing Compan}' of Woodbury, manufacturers of hunters' goods. George J. removed in 1859 to Waterbury, Conn., where he was em- ployed by the Scovill Manufacturing Company until 1860. He then entered the employ of Charles Johnson, manufacturer of fine machin- ery and tools, and continued with him until August, 1862, when he re- moved to Cheshire and assumed the duties of mechanical manager of the cloth button department of the Cheshire Manufacturing Company. About 1866 he invented the self-fastening cone button, the manu- facture of which has become an important and profitable industry. In the early part of 1870 Mr. Capewell engaged in manufacturing goods of his own invention, principally the Capewell Giant Nail Puller, an article which has become well known all over the civilized world. He also invented a number of other articles previous to 1876, when he began experimenting with automatic horse shoe nail ma- chinery, on which alone upwards of thirty patents have been granted him in this country and Europe. His latest patent on machinery of this description was granted in Europe in 1887. Mr. Capewell is vice- president and superintendent of the Capewell Horse Shoe Nail Com- pany, of Hartford, Conn., capital $200,000. On the 31st of December, 1889, he organized two companies in England— the Capewell Horse Shoe Nail Company (Limited), and the Capewell Continental Patent Company (Limited)— and is a director in both these companies. In ad- dition to the above he is also interested in several other manufacturing industries. Mr. Capewell was married March 20th, 1864, to Garafelia Hull of Cheshire. Three children have been born to them: Ida G., born in 1866; Mary A., 1871; and George J., Jr., 1876. In political preference Mr. Capewell is a republican, and the family are members of the Epis- copal church. Edw.\rl) Augustus Cornwall.— For nearly a hundred years the Cornwall family has been identified with the affairs of Cheshire, the subject of this .sketch being in his lifetime one of its foremost citi- zens. The ancestor of the family in this town and the father of Ed- ward A., was Doctor Thomas Tryon Cornwall, who located here as a medical practitioner in 1794. He was a son of Abijah Cornwall, 718 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. one of three brothers who emigrated from England in the last cen- tury and settled in Portland, Conn. In his practice here he was very succe.ssful, especially in the treatment of cancer, his fame bringing him patients from all parts of the state and from New York. To properly accommodate them he built, in 1816, a large house, a part of which was used as a sanitarium. In a remodelled condition this building is now the house of his great-grandson. Doctor Edward T. Cornwall. Not many years after his location in Cheshire Doctor Thomas Tryon Cornwall married Lucinda Foote, the talented daughter of Reverend John Foote, the second minister of the Congregational church in the town. This young lady was so highly educated by her father that, at the age of twelve years, she passed a preliminary examination for ad- mission into Yale, from whose instruction she was debarred by her sex. Her certificate, signed by President Ezra Stiles of Yale, showing that she was mentally qualified to enter the college classes, has been preserved by the Cornwall family, and is a curious relic. Of ten children born to this couple, but four attained mature age, viz.: Doctor John A., a practitioner in Hamden and Cheshire, who died in 1825, aged 28 years; Lucinda, who deceased as the wife of Doctor Charles Shelton, of Cheshire; Abigail, who died at the age of twenty years; and Edward Augustus, born November 21st, 1802, an account of whose life follows. Edward A. was educated at the Cheshire Academy, and was de- signed by his father for the medical profession. Ill health compelled him to relinquish that purpose, and he became a farmer at the village of Cheshire. For many years, however, nearly all his time was de- voted to public affairs. On the 11th of September, 1825, he married Eunice, daughter of Abijah and Jemima (Cornwall) Beach, of Chesh- ire, and after 64 years of married life she survives him. He died July 31st, 1889, full of honors and years. Four children were born to them, but one only reached the years of youth and manhood: Thomas Ed- ward, born December 8th, 1836, and died May 15th, 1873. The latter was married September 21st, 1857, to Mary E. Rice (born April 6th, 1838), and they were the parents of Doctor Edward Thomas, born Sep- tember 22d, 1858; and Mary E., born February 23d, 1865. Judge Edward A. Cornwall was honored by his townsmen to an unusual extent. He filled nearly all the minor offices of the town, and served as clerk fourteen years, treasurer sixteen years, and select- man ten years. He was judge of the probate district of Cheshire nine years. His service as a notary public extended from 1833 until his death. He was also a county commissioner one term, and was elected as a representative from Cheshire in the state legislature in 1831, '32, '33, '44, and again in '7:? and '74. In the session of 1833 his associate member was John A. Foote, son of Governor Foote, and after fifty years, in 1883, these two ex-legislators visited the house of represen- { 722 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. ily held a respectable position, and there is in that country a neat village bearing that name. His mother was Martha Miller, a daugh- ter of Philip Miller, also of the town of Rehoboth, and sister of Doctor Nathaniel Miller, who removed to Franklin, where he became one of the most distinguished physicians and surgeons in that part of the state, and was for many years the vice-president of the Massachusetts Medical Society. Others of the Millers also became prominent in professional life, and the family is one of the oldest in that portion of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Jabez and Martha Horton reared seven children, vSanford J. being their youngest child, and is now the only survivor. Early in his youth Doctor Horton evinced an inclination for pro- fessional life, and it was determined that he should be thoroughly educated. He prepared for college partly in Franklin Academy, but completed his studies for that end in the Worcester High School. Having increased his knowledge and experience meantime by teach- ing school himself, he entered Trinity College, at Hartford, from which he was graduated in ]S43; and in 1869 that institution bestowed upon him the degree of D. D., which he had well earned and which he has worthily honored. After leaving college he began preparation for the work of the ministry by studying theology in the Episcopal Semin- ary at Alexandria, Va., completing that course in two years. In August, 1845, he was ordained as deacon in the Protestant Episcopal church, in Providence, R. I., and as priest, in the same place, in 1846. In the same year he became rector of St. Andrew's chtirch (now the All Saint's Memorial church), at Providence. From 1848 to 1852 he was the rector of Grace church. New Bedford, Mass., and the next ten years succeeding he was the rector of St. Paul's church, in Windham, Conn. The last rectorship ended his active work in the ministry, buf he subsequently preached many times, in connection with his other duties, his discourses being thoughtful, vigorous and effective. Sev- eral of them, delivered on special occasions, have been published. As a minister he is esteemed a sound theologian, an able sermonizer and a pleasing and fluent speaker. The latter aptitude has well served him in his various addresses on many subjects not in the domain of his professional work, at meetings held in Cheshire and other places. On such occasions his speech has been most favorably heard, and was a potent factor in the cause in which it was evoked. Having been elected principal of the Episcopal Academy at Chesh- ire, Doctor Horton resigfned his charge at Windham and assumed his new duties January 1st, 1862, since which time he has been a citizen of this town. In this position he has achieved most creditable and note- worthy success. Under his energetic and prudent administration, continued more than thirty years, this old academy, founded in 1794, not only recovered its former prestige, which had given it local dis- tinction, but it became one of the foremost institutions of the kind %■£ HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. 723 m the entire southern part of New England. The number of stu- dents was increased four-fold, and the nature of the buildings was almost completely changed, being now one of the most e.xtensive and best equipped academies in the state. In his capacity as principal of the Cheshire Academy, Doctor Hor- ton has acquitted himself a wise teacher, a skillful disciplinarian and most efficient manager, his worth and merits being lovingly cherished by hosts of young men who have gone from this institution, half a score or more having completed its course yearly. His practical knowledge and able discernment enabled him to select an experienced corps of teachers, who loyally assisted him in thoroughly imparting the elements of an education which have made it possible for a large proportion of the former students to become successful professional and business men; and through the benevolent aid and kindly offices of Doctor Horton a number of deserving poor young men have also gone forth, well equipped for the duties of life. Their success is suf- ficient proof that his charity was not misapplied, and he has thus already received some of the rewards of a faithful teacher. Near the close of his 30th year he tendered his resignation as principal, to take effect July 1st, 1892. Doctor Horton has found time, amidst his duties as an educator, to cultivate his love for literary pursuits, and he has contributed a number of articles for current periodicals. His genius for poetry, although cultivated only to a limited degree, has found expression in some beautiful poems, several of which have been published and have been well appreciated. Especially fine is his poem, " The Real and the Ideal," dedicated to his friend and co-laborer in the cause of edu- cation, the Reverend Charles William Everest, which was published in 1877, but which was first read before the alumni of Trinity College, June 27th, 1866. His " Centennial Poem " and " Centennial Hymn," read November 11th, 1890, to the members of Temple Lodge of Masons (of which order he is also a member), are masterpieces in beauty of diction and clearness of expression, as the following lines from the poem and the hymn will show: " One hundred years ! No force can mortal bring To check the speed of time's on-sweeping wing, Gone like a meteor, from the pathless skies. A flash, and vanished from our wondering eyesi How brief a century to our sight appears Set side by side with God's eternal years; Or measured onward in the time to be, By countless ages that are ours to see! One Hundred Years! How short indeed the span. Compared with thousands since the world began! By centuries count we, as on hi.story's page We read the record of each passing age. Scan each event in panorainic view. The old soon passes, swiftly comes the new .'" 724 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. " O, God, our strength, whose gtiiding hand Through all our life appears, On Thee, alone, our hopes depend And wait the coming years. " Though ceaseless roll the wheels of time. Obedient to Thy will. As centuries come and centuries go, Thou art unchanging still. " Thy love Divine can never fail, . But, like a fountain's flow, Shall constant spread its streams around And all its gladness know. " The years eternal, God, are Thine, In this we rest secure, That Justice, Truth and Charity Most evermore endure." Reverend S. J. Horton, D.D., wa.s twice married. He wa.s first joined in wedlock September 14th, 1846, to Annie E., daughter of Pa.schal Allen, of Warren, Rhode Island, who died September 18th, 1850, leaving two sons: Paschal, born February 2d, 1848, educated at Cheshire and Brown University, now resides at Saugus, Mass.; and Nelson Leprelitte, born August 1st, 1850, living in Boston. For his second wife Doctor Horton married x\pril 20th, 1852, Sarah vS., daughter of James S. Wickham, of Hartford, Conn., by whom he had two children: a daughter, Mary Elizabeth, born ^lay 30th, 1859, who died June 7th, 1868, a most beautiful and lovable child; and a son, William Wickham, M. D., born November 8th, 1854. He was educated at Cheshire and the New York Medical University. Having inherited the Miller talent for surgery, he has become a very successful practi- tioner. He is now located at Bristol, Conn. In his relations to the community, where for a score and a half of years Reverend Doctor Horton has resided, he has shown himself a public-spirited citizen, and has thoroughly identified himself with the best interests of this town. He has actively promoted the improve- ment of Cheshire, aiding its material development by building up his own property, and encouraged the location and operation of manu- facturing industries, to afford occupation for his fellow townsmen. He is esteemed a just man and a kind neighbor, and the popular re- gard shown for him by the hundreds of students he has instructed, and who have gone abroad, is also felt by those who come in contact with him at his home. Henry Holchkiss, born in Prospect, Conn., September 24th, 1812, is a son of Dyer Hotchkiss, also born in Prospect. Dyer moved to Naugatuck when Henry was one and one-half years old. The latter stayed with his father until he was 23 years old, when he married Rosett Beecher, of Naugatuck, and moved to Sharon, Conn. He was O^- d?-91^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 725 engaged in hauling ore and iron there seven j'ears. Through the rascality of his employer he lost all his earnings, and left there $800 in debt. He removed to Waterbury, and engaged in teaming between that place and New Haven for eight years, and during that time paid his debts, and was able to move to Cheshire in 1853, and buy a farm there. In 1864 he moved to the farm on which he now resides, and contracted with the vStamford Manufacturing Company to draw the baryta from the mines to the railroad. He was thus engaged until 1873. During the first two years he drew 1,000 tons a month, for which he received from 75 to 95 cents a ton. He carted coal back from the railroad to the mines, receiving the same price per ton. He has had seven children. One son died in the army. Daniel Humiston was born in Cheshire September 23d, 1788. He was a son of Jesse and Lois (Doolittle) Humiston, who were descend- ants of early settlers in Wallingford, and had two sisters and two brothers: Lois, who died aged 20 years; Alma, who married Samuel Hall; Jesse A. and John, all of whom deceased in Cheshire, where the family became well known. At the age of three years young Daniel received a physical in- jury which it was thought would unfit him for the active work of farm life, when it was determined to prepare him for a profession. He now pursued a thorough course in the Episcopal Academ}^ of his native town, from which he graduated at the age of 17, his scholarship being highly commended by his teachers and classmates. His ailment having, meantime, much improved, he resolved to engage in farming, to which occupation he was always partial. He industriously pursued that vocation as his lifework, and was rewarded with a fair measure of success. When 28 years of age, June 16th, 1816, he married Juliana, a daughter of Jared and Achsah (Doolittle) Ives, also of Cheshire, and located on a farm of his own, in the southwestern part of the town, three miles from his father's homestead. Here, after a long but quiet life of usefulness, he died October 22d, 1865. His wife preceded him in death, December 23d, 1833. They had a family of three chil- dren: Chauncey I., who resided on the home farm until his death, November 11th, 1884; John D., who was a business man in New York city, where he died January 19th, 1867: and Julia A., the only daughter and surviving member of the family, who is now the owner of the homestead. Daniel Humi.ston was a modest, unobtrusive man, with no inclina- tion for public life, but his townsmen, appreciating his good qualities, called him to .serve in various offices, and in 1840 elected him as one of their representatives in the state legislature. In politics he was a whig, and later a republican. Mr. Humiston was reared a church- man, and until his death v/as a leading member of St. Peter's parish of Cheshire. He served on the board of vestrymen and for many years was the parish clerk. In the welfare of the church he was 726 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. warmly interested, and conformed his life to its precepts. In all his dealings he had the esteem of his fellow men, who loved and honored him for his force of character. The example of life richly deserves imitation, for the world is always made better by having in it such men as was Daniel Humiston. George R. Ives, born in Cheshire in 1841, is a sou of Charles Ives, whose children were: George R., Charles E., Mary C. and Lucy M. George R., the eldest, was brought up on the farm, and for a number of years worked at farming with his father. When 26 years old he commenced the business of market gardening, which he followed until 1884, when he gave it up on account of ill health and moved to the village of Cheshire. He was married in 1867, to Grace A. Hart, of Wallingford, Conn. They have one adopted son. Herbert D., born in 1874. Mr. Ives has served one term in the legislature, and has been selectman six years. Titus B. Ives, of Cheshire, is a descendant in line of John Ives, one of the first planters of Wallingford. One of his sons, Joseph, born in 1672, located in the southwestern part of the old Wallingford " West Farms," now Cheshire, in 1694, and was one of the very first settlers of this town. He was a deacon of the first church organized here, and in his day one of the leading and most useful men. His son, Joseph, was the father of sons named vStephen and Titus (the third generation in Cheshire). The latter was born in 1747 and died while a soldier in the revolution, at Harlem, in 1777. He left three sons: Joseph, Chauncey and Titus, who was the grandfather of Titus B. Ives. In 1796 Titus Ives married a daughter of the above Stephen Ives, and of their family of ten children six grew to mature years: Benajah, Joel, Stephen, Luther, Augustus and a daughter, who married Samuel "h. Hickox. The oldest son, Benajah, born February 26th, 1798, be- came one of the most usefiil men of the town in the present century, and was very influential. Benajah Ives was married to Mary A., daughter of Samuel Ufford Beach, of Cheshire, and lived in the Ives homestead, built in 1796, which was burned to the ground January 11th, 1891. For many years he carried on farming and the manufacture of oyster kegs, being suc- cessful in both occupations. He died much lamented July 29th, 1868; his widow, Mary A., deceased September 3d, 1879, at the ripe age of 80 years. Three of their children lived beyond the years of youth: Titus B., Frederick A., v^'ho died July 14th, 1858, aged 20 years; and Caroline, who married William Allen. Benajah Ives was a man of good spirits and many excellent parts. He was enterprising, active and possessed a fine judgment of affairs. The.se traits commended him to his townsmen, who called him to fill many offices of honor and trust. In addition to his services in many town offices, he was elected to the state legislature, as a representative :Et^flyT.aXe''Ma\f^- /2 Jh>^^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 727 from Cheshire, six terms, from 1828 to 1839, and was chosen state senator in 1840. By his associates in these bodies he was highly es- teemed. The superior court also appointed him a number of times to serve on boards of arbitration, and his advice on other matte'-s was much regarded. In the Congregational church and society he took an active interest and was one of the committee which selected the site for the present meeting hou.se. He also served these bodies in vari-' ous official capacities, and in every moral movement was on the side of truth and right. The only surviving son of Benajah Ives, Titus B., was born Febru- ary 26th, 1828, and spent his boyhood days on his father's farm, but since the early years of his manhood has been engaged in manufac- turing in his native town. On the first of June, 1857, he married Ann Eliza, daughter of John and Mary (Thompson) Peck, and they reared one son and one daughter: Frederick A., born March 21st, I860: and Mary C, born August 14th, 1863. Mr. Ives was one of the original subscribers to the capital stock of the Cheshire Manufacturing Company and at its organization, in 1850, became one of the directors. He has since served in that capacity and since 1885 has akso been the treasurer and superin- tendent. His son, Frederick A., is the secretary of the company, whose existence has been so long continued. Mr. Ives being of honest, publicspirited lineage, has preserved in his nature the best characteristics of his ancestors. He became an active member of the Congregational church and has served the town when it would best advance its welfare. His disposition has made him averse to public life, but he has been urged to fill a number of offices of trust and was elected by a republican con- stituency to the state legislature in 1870, 1876 and 1878. George Keeler, born in Ridgefiel^, Conn., in 1831, is the third son of Jeremiah and Hannah (Smith) Keeler. At the age of 15 years he began to learn the tinner's trade and finished at the age of 20. He first worked at Brewster Station, N. Y., a short time, then went to Waterbury, where he remained about five years, work- ing at his trade. In 1858 he came to Cheshire, where he has since resided. In August, 1862, he enlisted in the war of the rebellion, and served two and one-half years in the 20th Connecticut Volun- teers. In 1886 he added undertaking to his business and formed a partnership with his son, George W., under the firm style of George Keeler & Son. Mr. Keeler was married March 30th, 1858, to Sarah E. Ells, of Ansonia, Conn. They have ihree children: George W., Edwin J. and Mary L. Mr. and Mrs. Keeler are members of the Congregational church of Cheshire. J.\MES Lanyon was born in the parish of Ludgvan, County of Cornwall, in England, May 6th, 1817. He was a son of William and Mary Lanyon, who died in that parish, aged, re.spectively, 81 and 80 ■*. -^z A T^^z-*^-*^ -^^^^^"^^ HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 729 interests of his employers. He had, moreover, the rare faculty of suc- cessfully managing large numbers of unorganized men, so as to hold their good will, and was by them, as well as by his townsmen, greatly esteemed. Herbert J. Moss, born in Cheshire in 1856, is a son of Julius, and grandson of Joel, all natives of Cheshire. The family have been con- nected with the Episcopal church in Cheshire since 1700. Herbert J. was brought up a farmer and followed that business until he was 27 years old. He then engaged in the ice trade, and in 1884 he added the coal trade. His office is at the depot, West Cheshire. He handles about 1,000 tons of coal annually and 700 tons of ice. In 1879 he was married to Minnie A., daughter of Merwin Hemingway, of North Haven. They have three children: Walter H., Mildred H. and Beatrice G. Levi Munson, born in Cheshire in 1814, is the eldest .son of Levi Munson. He was educated at the common schools of Cheshire, and learned the wagon-maker's trade. He was clerk in the store of Wil- liam Horton about one year, after which he bought out the store and hotel where the Wallace House now stands. The Wallace House, now owned by Mr. Munson, was built by his son-in-law, F. L. Wallace. Mr. Munson has always been a successful business man, and has done much to build up the business of Cheshire. He has had five children, three of whom are now living: Tenna E., married to Frank L. Wallace; Irene D., married to J. C. Mathews, of New York; and Tilton D., who is married and has one son, Tilton L. William H. Newell, born in 1823 in Tinmouth. Rutland county, Vt., came to Cheshire with his father at the age of three years, and with the exception of four years has resided there since. He has been twice married; first to Amanda P. Blakeslee, who died in less than a year. His second wife was Orpha A. Buckmaster, of Shrewsbury, Vt. They were married in 1852 and have two daughters, Orpha and Mary. Mr. Newell has been engaged in blacksmithing most of his life. He was station agent two years. He has been ju.stice of the peace and constable in the town of Cheshire. Both Mr. and Mrs. Newell are members of the Congregational church of Cheshire, and he has been a member nearly 50 years. Joseph H. Rogers, born in Lyme, Conn., in 1804, is a son of James Rogers, who was a native of New London. Jo.seph was a self-edu- cated man. He began teaching school in his native town when 17 years old, and five years later he removed to New Haven, where he was engaged in teaching a boarding school fifteen years. In 1849 he took a voyage around Cape Horn, which he remembers with much pleasure, as he visited .several points of interest in South America and the gold mines in California. He went to Oregon in 1852 and re- mained there 20 years teaching. He was offered the highest position in two of the Oregon colleges, and a similar one in California. In 730 HISTORY OF NSW HAVEN COUNTY. 1879 he returned to Cheshire, where he built the house he now occu pies. He married, in 1837, Julia Upson, of Cheshire. They have two children: Joseph A., of Washington, D. C; and Julia C, who married Major G. W. Baird of the U. S. army. Alonzo E. Smith, born in Cheshire in 1835, is a son of Or.son and Lydia A. Smith. He was educated in the common schools and the Episcopal Academy of Cheshire. He commenced learning the car- penter's trade when 17 years old, and has followed it .since, with the exception of seven years, during which he was engaged in the manu- facturing business in Yalesville and Middletown, Conn. He has held the office of assessor of taxes and first selectman, represented the town in the legislature of 1872, was elected judge of probate in 1883, and is still serving in that office. His district comprises the towns of Chesh- ire and Prospect. He enlisted as private in Co. A, 20th Regiment, in August, 1862, and participated in all the marches and engagements of that regiment. He served to the close of the war, and was mustered out as sergeant. He was in the battles of Chancellorsville and Geitys- burgh with the army of the Potomac, and was transferred with his regiment to the army of the Cumberland, and was in the campaign of Chattanooga to Atlanta and Sherman's march to the sea. He was twice married; first in 1859, to Cynthia Tolles, of Plymouth. Shedied in 1860. His second wife was Mary A. Simons, of Cheshire, whom he married in 1861. They have two sons and two daughters. His grand- father, Thomas Judd, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was wounded in the battle of Lundy's Lane. His great-grandfather, Stephen Judd, was a soldier in the revolutionary war. Charles S. Spaulding, born in Norfolk, Conn., in 1837, is a son of Frederick A. Spaulding, a native of Massachusetts. Charles S. learned the trade of carpenter and builder when a young inan, and worked at that business until October, 1861, when he enlisted in the war of the rebellion, in Company E, 11th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers. His regiment was first assigned to Burnside's Coast Expedition. They were afterward detached and served some time in Peck's division, and were later transferred to the 18th Corps, and served in the department of Virginia. Mr. .Spaulding was discharged June 1st, 1865, on account of a wound through the left, side, received at the battle of Drury's Bluff. He took part in the battles of Newbern and Fredericksburg, and the siege of Suffolk; also in several skirmishes up the James river. After his discharge he was unable to work for four years, after which he again engaged in mechanical work in Thomaston. In December, 1885, he came to Cheshire, bought a farm, and has since resided here. He married Grace L. Merrill, of Thomaston, in 1875. They have three children: Jesse G., Anna M. and Ethel M. Franklin Wallace, bom in Prospect, Conn., in 1827, is a son of James and Urania Wallace. James was born in Massachu.setts, married in Prospect and .settled there. Franklin followed farming and team- HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 731 ing from Waterbury to Wallingford while he was in Prospect. James had nine children. The eldest, Robert, was a member of the firm of Wallace & Sons, manufacturers of silver ware in Wallingford. Frank- lin enlisted in the war of the rebellion in Company A, 20th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers. After serving seven months he was dis- charged on account of disability. He moved to Cheshire in 1858. He married, in 1845, Fanny Hall, of Wallingford, and they have three children: Lucy H., married Edwin R. Lawton, of New Haven; Frank- lin L., married Tina, daughter of Levi Munson; and Kate U., married Walter Mix, of Cheshire. CHAPTER XIII. THE TOWN OF PROSPECT. Geographical and Descriptive. — Civil Organization. — Town Officers. — The Roads. — Town Poor. — Business Interests. — Educational and Religious Interests — Biographical Sketches. THIS town was taken from Cheshire and Waterbur}', and was in- corported in 1827. For a number of years previous to that time it was known as the parish of Columbia. The present name was given in consequence of the town's elevated position, the many points of highland affording a prospect view, excelled nowhere in the county. The general surface has a mountainous aspect, with an appearance of sterility. Huge boulders crop out on every hand, and although some of the lands have been tilled more than a hun- dred years, there are but a few fields which are free from stones. A limited area has productive soil, where .some good crops are produced. Grazing and orchard products give occupation to many of the inhabi- tants of the town, whose population has steadily decreased. In 1880 there were 492 inhabitants, or only about one-half the number living in the town at the time of its organization; in 1890, 445. Prospect is about five miles long, from north to south, and a little more than four miles wide. Its principal stream is the Ten Mile river, rising near the center and flowing east and north through Cheshire into the Quinnipiac. It drains the lands between the Prospect hills and Cheshire mountains, which form the eastern boundary. In the northeastern part of the town its course is precipitous, and a number of .small water powers are afforded. West of the center hills Fulling Mill and Beacon Hill brooks receive the principal drainage, flowing thence into the Naugatuck river. Along these streams are the prin- cipal highways, which afford communication with the adjoining towns: Waterbury on the north, Cheshire on the east, and Naugatuck on the west. From the center it is five miles to the railway points in each of these towns. In 1888 the Meriden & Waterbury railroad was built through the northeastern part of Prospect, and a station having the name of the town, was there located. On the same road, near the Cheshire line, a pleasure resort for picnic purposes was also opened about the same time. The early history of the town is intimately blended with that of Waterbury and Cheshire, to which the reader is referred. The HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. 733 names of pioneer settlers appear in those towns and in the history of the churches. The May, 1827, general assembly, acting on the petition of the society of Columbia, filed the preceding month, granted corporate privileges, and created the town with the same bounds as those which the society had at that time. Samuel Peck was the moderator at the first election, held at the Congregational meeting house, June 11th, 1827, when the following were chosen: Town clerk, Edward Chitten- den; selectmen, Jared Burr, David Scott, Albert Hoppin; constables, Orrin Hotchkiss, Franklin D. Benham, Robert H. Bron,son, Andrew Smith: grand jurors, Gideon M. Hotchkiss, Lauren Preston, Eldad Hotchkiss, Jr.: pound keepers, Joseph Payne, David Scott, Guy Per- kins: town agents, Samuel Peck, Joseph I. Doolittle; treasurer, David Scott; sealer of weights, Isaac Bradley; sealer of measures, Ephraim Nettleton; fence viewers, Joseph Beecher, Lyman Hitchcock; assessors, Joseph L Doolittle, Benjamin Bronson, Benjamin Piatt; surveyors of highways, Stephen Bradley, Samuel Williams, Jr., Gideon M. Hotch- kiss, Samuel Peck, Ransom R. Russell, Olcott H. Payne, Garrett Gil- lett, Joel Brooks. Jared Burr, Esq., was appointed agent to assist the selectmen in settling affairs with Waterbury and Cheshire. Those elected to the office of town clerk since the organization of Prospect have been: 1828-30, Edward Chittenden; 1831, Franklin D. Benham; 1832-4, Ozra Collins; 1835-6, Aaron Austin; 1837-47, James vStreet; 1848-61, Samuel C. Bronson; 1862, Edwin R. Tyler; 1863-4, William M. Atwater; 1865, David Hawley; 1866-80, Richard Tyler; 1881, David B. Hotchkiss; 1882-9, David M. Plumb. Among those who held the office of selectman have been: Joseph Payne, William Mix, Libbeus vSanford, Benjamin Piatt, Isaac Bradley, George C. Piatt, Joseph I. Doolittle, Benjamin Bronson, Lauren Pres- ton, David R. Wilmot, Gideon M. Hotchkiss, Ransom Russell, Aaron Austin, D. M. Hotchkiss, John Gillett, H. D. Ru.ssell, A. S. Plumb, G. F. Tyler, D. R. Williams, G. D. Fenn, John R. Piatt, Benjamin Doo- little, Merritt Clark, Smith S. Clark, George Payne, H. A. Nettle- ton, Harris Piatt, William E. Morris, David B. Hotchkiss, James Bottomley. Thomas Wilmot moderated at many of the early town meetings. The construction and improvement of the roads have engaged the attention of the town more than any other matter. The appropria- tions for this object have, considering the means of the town, been very liberal, and those in care of the roads have generally been the leading citizens. The supervisors in 1890 were: Alfred Brooks, George D. Fenn, Lourie Richardson, Lewis Wooding, H. N. Clark, James Bottomley, Frank Allen, A. S. Plumb, Edgar Wallace, Levi ,Sanford, John Cook, Reuben Perkins. The care of the poor has required serious consideration. In 1832 and later the town appointed overseers to look after those who had 734 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. neglected their affairs, and who were through want, intemperance and idleness in danger of becoming; town charges. This means sometimes t> too proved effectual, but occasionally those supervised in that manner re- sented the care forced on them, and refused to submit to the authority of the overseers. The outlay for the town poor in 1889 was $225; and the expenditure for all purpo.ses was about $2,000. There was a funded indebtedness of $1,492, and the rate of taxation was 9^ mills, ■on a grand list of $162,652. At present there is but little occupation aside from the pursuit of agriculture. But formerly there were a number of small industries in the town which quickened the life of Prospect. Most of these were located upon the brooks already named. Among the more important ones were those on Ten Mile river (so- called), which is in Prospect nothing more than a smart brook. At the upper privilege on that stream William Mix had mills below a 24-foot fall, in which he also made Britannia ware. In that industry he was a pioneer, and was among the first in this country to bring to the aid of hand-work machinery which revolutionized old processes. He thus first employed a buffing wheel, operated by water power, to burnish the spoons and other ware he had cast. The novelty of the process — a wheel, so to speak, made of rags, putting on a better polish than hand rubbing — caused this little valley to become known as " Rag Hollow," by which name it has been known more than sixty years. William Mix also made German silver spoons of superior finish, and later manufactured metal buttons. He operated until he was an aged man, and at one time employed more than a score of persons. In 1890 this power was but little u.sed. The power next below was improved by Harris vSmith and Sherman Blakeslee, in the fall of 1839, also for the manufacture of spoons, coffee and tea pots of Britannia metal. vSmith soon withdrew, and Blake.slee alone manufactured, selling to David Hotchkiss and Robinson Williams. Later Bennet Jeralds and Eli Ives had that line of manufacture, from 1849 to 1854, and sold the business to Charles Parker, who transferred it to Yalesville. After that S. E. Jeralds manufactured a patent hoe ferrule, and associating E. R. Lawton with him, manufactured on an extensive .scale various kinds of sewing machine needles. At one time that busine.ss gave employment to forty people. The last named firm was engaged in a small way, in 1890, in manufacturing patent knife handles for the Meriden Cutlery Company. The power below this was used in the manufacture of matches by Wilcox, Tyler & Bronson, Ives & Bagley, and last by E. P. Dunham. The power is now but little used. Not far below the latter David R. Williams had a shop for the manufacture of suspender buckles and other notions, which he carried on several years. The property passed to Titus Mix, who had there small mills and shops. HISTOKY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 735 Near the center of the town Harris Smith manufactured umbrella trimmings, employing- a numberof people, until the interest declined. A more successful enterprise in the village was the hoe shop of Eben Tuttle, whose business grew to such proportions that it was transferred to Naugatuck to take the benefit of water power at that place. At the center the hoes were hammered out by hand, and some of them were ground and polished by power at Straitsville. These goods had a great reputation, and their manufacture led to important results. At and near the center match shops were owned and carried on by Richard Tyler, Samuel C. Bronson, Stephen H. Payne, John Bronson and others, all of which have long since been given up. Another abandoned industry is at Russell's pond, near the Naugatuck line, where H. D. Russell and others used the power to produce metal buttons, harness and carriage trimmings. With the decay and re- moval of these interests began the decline of the town, and there is now scarcely occupation for the ordinary mechanic pursuits. Although the town had a much larger amount of general business than at present, its location has prevented it from having large stores, etc. Trade has been confined to small shops, and the public houses were never important. A post office bearing the name of the tov.m is kept at the center, and has a daily mail from West Cheshire station. Among the postmasters have been: vSamnel C. Bronson, Richard Tyler, David Hawley, Luther Morse, David B. Hotchkiss and Mrs. Stephen A. Talmadge. The town appropriates $52 annually for the support of the office. At the post office is kepi: theO.Kford Circulating Library.which was established mainly through the efforts of Mrs. William H. Phipps. It has been open several years, has 220 volumes and is well patronized. Provision for schools was early made and the Society of Columbia maintamed several in the more thickly settled parts of the pari.sh, which were continued by the town. In more recent years but three schools have been kept up, each having instruction for thirty weeks in the fall and spring of the year. Several creditable select schools have been kept in the town, one being at the residence of Captain David M. Hotchkiss; another by Seabury Scott, at the old Castle tavern stand. Both were well patron- ized. The early religious history of the town is obscure. About the time of the revolution a number of people living on the west .side of Chesh- ire mountain complained of the distance they were required to travel to attend public worship in Cheshire. Others living more remote from the meeting house in Waterbury joined them later in a demand for a place of worship more convenient to their homes. The old .soci- eties failing to afford them relief, in 1778 a number separated them, selves from the Cheshire congregation and built a house of worship of their own on Cheshire mountain. They secured as their minister 736 HISTOKV OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. Reverend John Lewis, who was succeded by Reverend Benjamin Beach; and a man named Chatterton preached later. The meeting house was rude and was never finished, because there was a lack of means and but few members. These were called Scpdrntists, but pre- ferred to be known as Strict Congregationalists. This movement led to the formation of the Columbia Society and under its direction a more central place for a new meeting house was selected. Land on Prospect hill was purchased of Abraham Hotchkiss — one acre for a meeting house and a smaller quantity for a graveyard. It was deeded March 26th, 1795, in the presence of Ira Smith and Enos Tyler. A clause in the deed stipulated that if the major part of those using the house should be Congregationalists or Calvin ists, they should own the land. At this time, however, the majority were not Calvinists. On the 3d of March, 1795, the congregation had voted that the meeling house should be for the use of the Strict Congregationalists. It was long known as the Separatist meeting house, and ministers of other denominations sometimes occupied it. The plainness and simplicity of this building, which stood on the green, where is now the sign post, was .somewhat changed in 1801, when it was put into better shape and a steeple with bell added. Pews were also placed in the body of the house, in which the people of the society were seated according to their rates, as determined by the grand list. There appears to have been a steady drift toward regular Congre- gationalism, and on the 14th day of May, 1798, was organized the Con- gregational Church of Prospect, which body has perpetuated its exist- istence to the present time. The sixteen constituent members were Ephraim Smith, Joseph Matthews, Abraham Hotchkiss, Ira Smith, Eben Hotchkiss, Asahel Hotchkiss, Thankful Smith, Lois Matthews, Hannah Hotchkiss, Phebe Hotchkiss, Esther Ford, Mehitable Bying- ton, Damaris Tuttle, Oily Byington, Hannah Doolittle and Jerusha Hotchkiss. The ministers in attendance on this occasion were the Reverends John Foote, of Cheshire; Abraham Fowler, of Salem (Nau- gatuck); Benjamin Beach and Oliver Hitchcock. The clerk chosen was Ira Smith. Soon after this the old Separatist society was dissolved and many of the former members w-ere added to the church. In 1799 the addi- tions by letter were Frederick Hotchkiss, Tabitha Hotchkiss, Mrs. Ira Smith, Mrs. Bildad Porter, Nehemiah Smith, Benjamin Hotchkiss, Elizabeth Beecher, Esther Beecher, Myrinda Sanford, Deacon Gideon Hotchkiss, Molly Terrell and Elizabeth Tyler. The same year a num- ber were added on profession of faith, among them being Lydia Beecher, Jonah Hotchkiss and his wife, Robert Hotchki.ss, Mercy Hitchcock, Mary Tyler, Joel Hotchki.ss, Wooster Tuttle and Freelove Tuttle. In the course of the next few years there were added, among other members, John Hotchkiss, Ezra Hotchkiss, Jesse Wilmot and J a red Sanford. HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. 737 The Reverend Benjamin Beach supplied the new church tempora- rily, but, June 5th, 1798, Reverend Oliver Hitchcock was given a call, which he accepted. He was installed September 19th, 1798, at a meet- ing called for this purpose at the house of Ira Smith, when Doctor Trumbull and other prominent ministers were present. The church now entered upon its active work. In 1800 it adopted the Saybrook platform as part of its creed, to which it rigidly adhered. The private lives of the members were made to conform to a severe standard of morality and no frivolities of any kind were allowed. Mr. Hitchcock was the pastor of the church until January 12th, 1812, and it is said had to eke out his salary by laying up stone walls for some of the wealthier farmers, being very proficient at that work. It should be borne in mind that the parish was small and that not all those living in it contributed to the support of the minister. Many of the Separa- tists did not connect themselves with the church and declined to pay their rates, some preferring to worship with the Methodi.sts and others claiming membership with the church at Cheshire. Hence they filed their certificates to show their intentions. After the removal of Mr. Hitchcock to New York, the piilpit was supplied by Reverend David Bacon (father of Leonard Bacon) in 1813; Abraham Fowler, one year; Gideon Burt, in 18T5; and John Marsh, in 1816. The latter became a noted temperance worker after 1823. In May, 1817, Reverend Samuel Rich became the second settled pastor. In that year the old parsonage was repaired and a ministerial fund of $2,000 raised. This has aided to support the Gospel, and a part of the fund is still available. Mr. Rich was a strong-headed but nevertheless a successful minister, and while he remained there were several revivals, which increased the membership. In 1821 about seventy persons were added to the church. He was dismissed in May, 1824, after an unpleasant controversy in regard to his salary, which, it appears, was not fully paid at the time his pastorate ceased. As a consequence, there was no regular minister for several years, but only occasional preaching. On the 16th of May, 1827, Reverend John E. Bray was installed, and it is said that the singing and other services on that occasion were unusually impressive. He was dismissed in 1832. Again the pulpit was supplied by Reverend Peter Sampson, and in 1833 by Reverend James D. Chapman. The latter was here but a short time, when he became a believer in the doctrines of the Perfec- tionist, John H. Noyes, the founder of the Oneida community. Some of his members followed him in this belief, and when the Consociation revoked his license to preach and closed the pulpit against him, they went with him to a school house in the neighborhood, where they loyally stood by him. This had the effect of greatly weakening the church. Mr. Chapman lived in the town some time, and renouncing his Perfection ideas, his license was restored to him, and he preached in Wolcott in 1839 and in later years. 738 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. After Mr. Chapman, the ministers in Prospect were as follows : 1834-6, Reverend Sylvester Selden; 1836-7, Zephaniah Swift: 1837-9, Ammi Linsley; 1840-3, Edward Bull. In this period the church was so poor that the aid of the mission- ary society was necessary in order to maintain these supplies. During the ministry of Reverend Edward Bull, a period of growth began which assured the further existence of the church. In 1841 the town and the society united in a purpose to build a new meeting house, as the old one had become unfit for use. The town built the basement and the society, aided freely by Mr. Bull, who was a man of means, built the superstructure of the present edifice. A parsonage had been begun about the same time, which was completed during the ministry of Mr. Torrey. In 1870 the meeting house was thoroughly repaired and made more attractive; and again, in 1883, the basement was con- verted into a vestry room and a town hall, the repairs involving an outlay of $1,000. The parsonage had been fully repaired in 1878. Both buildings nicely served their purposes in 1890. In June, 1843, Reverend Reuben Torrey began a five years' pas- torate as the fourth settled minister, leaving in 1848. Then the pulpit was supplied by the following: 1848-9, Reverend John L. Ambler ; 1851-4, James Kilbourne; 1854-5, Asa M. Train; 1856-7, Joseph Payne; 1858-9, Asa AI. Train, the second time. In October, I860, Reverend William W. Atwater was installed as the fifth settled pastor,, and was dismissed January 31st, 1865. The following year Reverend Frederick Chapman began a ministry as acting pastor, which continued until 1871. Reverend Mr. Pyke suc- ceeded him from 1871 to 1874. In May of the latter year Reverend F. Countryman* became the pastor and continued until his resigna- tion, August 23d, 1877. The Reverend J. H. Beckwith preached a short time, and was followed, January 1st, 1878, by the present acting pastor. Reverend William H. Phipps, whose faithful service has been the means of preventing the dissolution of the church, when so many inaterial interests in the town have gone to decay. In 1890 the church had 90 members, and there was a Sunday school of 100 members, which had deacon G. B. Hotchkiss as its superintendent. The first deacon of the church was Gideon Hotchkiss. who served from 1799 until his death in 1807. He was born in Cheshire in 1716, and embraced religion in 1736. He soon after married and moved to Waterbiiry, living within the bounds of the Salem Society, from whose jurisdiction he was excepted. When the Columbia Society was formed he soon after became a member, and actively continued until his decease at the age of 91 years. His descendants were very num- erous and useful. He had 105 grandchildren and 155 great-grand- children in the fourth and fifth generations. The .second deacon, Ira Smith, was elected in 1807, but he was * Sketch compiled from a discourse by Reverend Frank Countryman. HISTORY OF NEW KAVEN COUNTY. 739 before that time active in the church and had been a leading Separat- ist. His home being central, many councils were there held. Another leader in church matters was Frederick Hotchkiss, who was elected a deacon in 1818. After several years he removed to New York city, where he was drowned. Another member of the Hotchkiss family- Gideon Mills— became interested in church affairs about 1832. He was especially a strong and progressive Sunday school worker. The other deacons elected were: 1826, Samuel Peck; 1834, Joseph Piatt; 1842, James Street; 1857, Whitney B. Dudley; 1864, Benjamin B. Brown; 1865, Gilbert B. Hotchkiss. The latter two have continued, being the deacons in 1890. One Congregational minister was raised up by the church, viz.. Rev- erend Henry Alanson Russell. It has been stated that Bishop Asbury, of the Methodist Episcopal church, visited old Waterbury in 1796 and preached in the Columbia Separatist meeting house. On the dissolution of that society, about 1800, not all the Separatists joined the regular church, but some be- came Methodists. These were visited occasionally by itinerant min- isters, who held meetings in private houses, some of which were occa- sions of unusual interest. Amos Hotchkiss, who had been an active Separatist, warmly espoused Methodism and threw open the doors of his house, and some of the first meetings were held there. Later meetings were held at the house of Thomas Benham, one half mile north of the village green. Hotchkiss died in 1820, but three of his sons — Woodward, Avera and Amos H. — became Methodists. The former married Polly Castle, a pious and zealous Methodist, who died in 1870, aged 100 years. He died in 1861, aged 86 years. Amos H. presented a lot on the south side of the square for a meeting house site. Daniel Hitchcock, a very devout man, was another Methodist. He had a prayer meeting room in his house. Other Methodists were: Milly Sanford, whose son, Herschell, was a local preacher; Mrs. Eunice Rowe, Abel Austin and wife, Warren Wilson and wife, Dimon Hitchcock and wife, Elisha Preston, Lauren Preston, a class leader, who moved to Cheshire; Ichabod Hitchcock, another class leader; and Jesse Beecher, a local preacher, who joined the Adventists. Others of the Alethodists also embraced that faith. The first public Methodist place of worship was the old Separatist meeting house, which was removed to a new site, on the south of the square. At that place Methodist meetings were held until 1858, when they were discontinued, and the organization was disbanded on account of the fewness of the members. Some of those who continued their residence in the town attended the churches in Bethany and Cheshire, while others became Adventists or found a spiritual home in the Congregational church. The Adventist chapel, at the Center, which is a .small but not un- attractive frame building, affords a place of worship for members of 740 HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY. that faith. It was built within the past .six years. The meetings previous to mat time were held in private houses, at "Rag Hollow" and other localities. Moses Chandler was one of the most active in the latter movement to give the denomination a permanent place in the town, and the meetings were for a time held at his house. Other members belong to the Tuttle, Tyler, Hotchkiss and Beecher families. In 1890 there were about a score of members, and Seth Woodruff was the minister. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Byron L. Morse was born in Prospect in 1859, and was educated in the common schools of that town. His parents were Harry and Sarah (Gillett) Morse. The former died in 1879. Byron L. was elected to the legislature in 1889 from the town of Prospect, and served on the committee of forfeited rights. He is engaged in farming. His parents had seven children: Byron L., George, John, Hattie, Walter (an electrician in Waterburyj, Mary and Alice. Byron L. belongs to the Mad River Grange, P. of H. His brother, George, was a member of the legislature in 1885. David B. Hotchkiss, born in Prospect in 1853, is a son of David M. and Hannah (Doolittle) Hotchkiss. The latter was first married to Henry Bristol, and had one son, Henry Bristol, now of New Haven. David and Hannah had two children: David B. and Julia E., who mar- ried F. A. Sanford. David M. was twice married. By his first wife he had eight children: Emily B., married Benjamin B. Brown, of Pros- pect; Laura, married A. S. Plumb; Henry K. and Hervey D., twins; Frederick, died when 24 yeai^s old; Edwin H., lives in New York; Berk- ley S., of Waterbury; and Richard N., of New Jersey. David B. mar- ried Nellie Hupman, of Windsor, N. Y., in 1878. They have four children: Luella, Mabel, Ruth and Treat. Mr. Hotchkiss has held several town offices, including selectman and justice of the peace. He is independent in politics. He is a member of the Mad River Grange, No. 71, P. of H. David M. was a .son of Frederick, he a son of David, he a son of Gideon, all natives of Prospect. The Hotchkiss family was one of the pioneer families of the town. David M. was noted in his time for being a strong abolitionist. He was instrumen- tal in forming the town and gave it the name of Prospect. He was first selectman during the war, and was twice sent to the legislature. He died in 1878. Edwin T. Mix, born in Cheshire in 1843, is a son of Titus Mix, who came from Wallingford and settled in Prospect. He was engaged in making boxes for the Ives & Judd Match Company. His son, Edwin T., has a factory in Rag Hollow, where he manufactures wagons and does a general repair business. 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