«5°^ ■ -, ,„...•-■•(■ iiiilist; CI,'*- ^;»^!;i:;';:: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. PRESENTED BY UNITED STATES OF AMEEIOA. . LITCHFIELD TC^j CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, JULY 4th, A. D. 1876. HISTORICAL ADDRESS GEORGE C. WOODRUFF. 1878 HARTFORD: PRESS OF THE CASE, LOCKWOOD & URAINAKD COMPANY. 1876. ■ L1L7 On the 17th day of June, 1876, the citizens of the Town of Litchfield, Conn., assembled at the Town Hall to provide for the proper celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of our National Independence, and by vote requested the Town of Morris (till recently a part of this town,) to unite with Litchfield in sucli celebration. A Committee composed of the Hon. Origen S. Seymour, J. Deming Perkins, CHiarles B. Andrews, George M. Woodruff, and Thomas L. Saltonstall, was appointed to make suitable arrange- ments. On the 19th day of June that committee reported as follows: LITOIIFIELI). The citizens' coiumittec appointed to aiTanjre for tlie coni- lueiuoratioii of the Centennial Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, present th6 following PROGRAMME. July 8. The village bells will he rung from 8 to 10 o'clock p, M,, and houses in the village illuminated during the same hours. July 4th. At sunrise the l»clls will be rung for one hour, and flags displayed from all houses during the day and evening. At 10 o'clock A. M. Public Exercises in the Congrega- tional Church, under the direction of Hon. 0. S. Seymour, President of the day. Prayer by the Rev, Allen McLean. Reading of the Declaration of Independence, by Hon. TiuJMAN Smith. Historical Address, by Hon. George C. Woodruff. At 2 o'clock p. M. Exhibition in the Court House of Revo- lutionary and Antiquarian Relics, which will be under the charge of a special committee, and to which contributions are solicited. At 8.30 P. M. General illumination, and fire balls on the Village Green. N. B. The citizens of Morris are particularly invited to unite with Litchfield, and contribute to the exhibition in the Court House. Litchfield, June 19, 1876. Tlie committee subsequently reported the Order of Exer- cises as follows, viz : CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. Order of Exercises, Congregational Church, Litchfield, Conn., July 4, 1876, 10 o'clock a.m. 1. Voluntary, — Organ and Cornet. 2. Reading of Centennial Proclamation, — Hon. 0. S. Seymour, President of the Day. 3-. Prayer, — Rev. Allen McLean. 4. Singing, — Choir and Congregation, Hymn, "America." 5. Reading op Declaration of Independence, — Hon. Truman Smith. 6. Singing, — Choir and Congregation, Selection from Whittier's Centennial Hymn. " Our father's God ! from out whose hand The centuries fall like grains of sand, We meet to-day, united, free — And loyal to our land and Thee — To thank Thee for the era done, And trust Thee for the opening one. " Here, where of old, by Thy design, The fathers spake that word of Thine Whose echo is the glad refrain Of rended bolt and falling chain ; To grace our festal time — from all The zones of earth our guests we call. " Be with us while the New World greets The Old World — thronging all its streets, Unveiling all its triumphs won By art or toil beneath the sun ; And unto common good ordain This rivalship of hand and hrain. "Oh! make Thou us, through centuries long, In peace secure, in justice strong; Around our gift of freedom draw The safeguard of thy ri;i;hteous law, And, cast in some dinner mould, Let the new cycle siiamc the old." 7. Historical Address, — Hon. George C. Woodruff. 8. Singing, — By the Choir, Keller's American Hymn. 9. Benediction. 10. Voluntary, — Organ and Cornet, National Airs. Citizewi Committee. — Hon. 0. S. Seymour, Chairman ; J. Deming Perkins, Charles B. Andrews, Geo. M. Woodruff, Thos. L. Saltonstall. Committee on Exhibition of Revolutio7iary Relics in the Court House. — Mrs. Ed. W. Seymour, Mrs. Harry W. Wes- sells, Mrs. Harriet Kilbourne, Geo. M. Woodruff, J. Deming Perkins. The programme was adopted and fully carried out, both on the evening of the 3d of July, and on the day and evening of the 4th. The illuminations and displays of fire-works were beautiful. The exhibition of Revolutionary and antiquarian relics was interesting beyond the most sanguine expectations of its pro- jectors. The exercises on the 4th, after the voluntary, were intro- duced by reading, by the president of the day, the following Proclamation of the President of the United States : A PROCLAMATION. The Centennial Anniversary of the day on which the people of the United States declared their right to a separate and equal station among the powers of the earth, seems to demand an exceptional observance. The founders of the government at its birth, and in its feebleness, invoked the blessings and the pro- tection of a Divine Providence. The thirteen colonies and three millions of people have expanded into a nation of strength and numbers, commanding the position which then was asserted, and for which fervent prayers were then oilered. It seems fitting that on the occurrence of tlie hundredth anniversary of our exist- ence as a nation, grateful acknowledgment should be made to Almighty God fur the protection and the bounties which He has vouchsafed our beloved country. I, therefore, invite the good people of the United States, on the npproaching 4tli day of July, in addition to the usual observances with which they are accustomed to greet the return of the day. further, in such manner and at such times as to their respective localities and religious associations may be most convenient, to mark its recurrence by some public religious and devout thanksgiving to Almighty God, for the blessings which have been bestowed on us as a nation during the century of our existence, and humbly to invoke a continuance of His favors and His protection. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal -of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this 26th day of June, A. D., 1876, and of the Independence of America the one hundredth. (Signed) U. S. GEANT. By the President. Hamilton Fish, Secretary of State. After a patriotic and fervent jjrayer by the Rev. Allen Mc- Lean, and singing, the Declaration of Independence was read by the Hon. Truman Smith, wlio read the same instrninent at a celebration in Litchfield just half a century ago. The read- ing was introduced and supplemented by appropriate remarks. What he said was received with marked attention and inter- est, and was eminently characteristic in manner and matter — indicating that the venerable gentleman still retained tlie vigor and power of his manhood. Then followed music by an exceedingly fine and well-in- structed choir, specially organized for the occasion, aided l)y the tioi'net and organ, admirably [)layed by Mr. Eugene W. Meafoy and Miss Ella Gibbud. IIISTOEIOA.I. ADDRESS GEORGE C. WOODRUFF. ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO. One hundred years ago these States, then colonies, com- posed of only three millions of people, declared themselves Free and Independent. They renounced all allegiance to the British crown, and defied the armies of Great Britain and the power of its king. In su}){)ort of such declaration our repre- sentatives, relying on tlie protection of Divine Providence, pledged their "lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor." It was an act of rebellion by colonies, young, feeble, and scat- tered, against, perhaps, the most powerful nation on earth. An act apparently rash, as well as rebellious, though justified by the result, and ultimately proving to be of the greatest good to the mother country, as well as to ourselves, and, as we believe, to the benefit of all mankind. The measure was not adopted without due deliberation. It was not the product of sudden excitement, but the conse- quence of a long train of abuses and despotic usurpations, by which the people had been educated up to the point of resist- ance. For years they had remonstrated with the British Govern- ment. For years had one colony or lesser community sym- pathized with other colonics or communities in their sulferings, until all rose as one, and declared they would no longer sub- mit to a government conducted with a view to its own aggran- dizement at their expense. This Declaration, so calm, so deliberate, so just, so bold, and so fearful in its consequences in case of failure, was made and signed by one of our own citizens. It is therefore emi- nently proper that we should preserve the memory of those local incidents, which led to and followed such action, and in which he, in common with his fellow townsmen, took a promi- nent part. And it is to be regretted that those incidents have not been collated by one able to give them, by his imag- ination and eloquence, that polish, beauty, and interest to which they are intrinsically entitled. It is a matter of history, well-known, that Connecticut, with its " Brother Jonathan," acted no inconsiderable part in the events preceding and during the war of the Revolution. And I hazard nothing in saying that Litchfield (which then included the present township of Morris) did its full share in establishing our national independence. And inasmuch as on an occasion like the present, a little " mutual admiration " may be pardonable, I shall perhaps be excused for reading from an article published in a prominent magazine several years since. The writer says: " There is no spot on this continent which has produced so many eminent, men, literary, intelligent, and practical, in proportion to its inhabitants, as the State of Connecticut. It appears, to sustain this assertion, that Connecticut has been the birth-place of one-twelfth of all the United States Senators; and Litchfield county alone, having a population of about one five-hundredth of the whole country, has given birth to thirteen of those Senators. Out of 8,200 Senators and Representatives, whose origin is given in Lanman's Dictionary, 252 were born in Connecticut, and 222 in Massachusetts, that State having a population averaging twice that of Connecti- cut." He then quotes the following story : A number of years ago, says a writer in the Democratic Age^ hapj)ening to be in Paris on the 4tli of July, with many other Americans, we agreed to celebrate " the clay" by a din- ner at the Hotel Meurice. Tliere were seventy-two of us in all. We had l)ut one guest. Tliis was M. de Tocqueville, who had then rendered himself famous l)y iiis great work upon de- mocracy in America. During the festivities of the evening, after the cloth had been removed, and speechifying had com- menced, some gentleman alluded en passant to the fact that he was born in Connecticut. " Connect-de-coot,'" exclaimed Monsieur dc Tocqueville, as he suddenly rose, with the enthusiasm of a Frenchman. " Vy, messieurs, I vill tell you, vid the permission of the presidents of this festival, von very leetnl story, and then I vill give you von grand sentiment to dat little State you call Connect-de- coot. Von day ven I was in de gallery of the House of Rep- resentatif, I held one map of tbe Confederation in my hand. Dere was one Icetle yellow spot dat dey call Connect-de-coot. I found by de Constitution he was entitled to six of his boys to represent him on dat floor. But ven I make de acquaint- ance pei'Honelle with de member, I lind dat more than tirty of the Representatif on dat floor was born in Connect-de-coot. And then ven 1 was in the gallery of the House of the Sena^, I find de Constitution permit Connect-de-coot to send two of his boys to represent him in dat Legislature. But once more ven I make de acquaintance pev^onelle of the Senator, I find nine of the Senator was born in Connect de-coot. So den, gentlemen, I have made my leetle speech ; now I will give you my grand sentiment : " Connect-de-coot, the leetle yellow spot dat make de clock- peddler, de schoolmaster, and de Senator. De first, give you time; the second, tell you what you do with him; and de sird make your law and your civilization ; " and then as he was resuming his seat amidst roars of laughter, he rose again, and with that peculiar gesticulation which characterizes all Frenchmen in moments of excitement, he shook his finger 10 tremulously over the assembled confreres, and exclaimed to the top of his voice, " Ah ! gentlemen, dat leetle yellow State you call Connect-de-coot, is one very great miracle to me." One hundred years ago this town was in its infancy. Scarcely fifty years had elapsed since white pioneers from the east had invaded the previously undisturbed domains of sav- age men and savage beasts. By grants from the aborigines, and from the legislature of the Colony of Connecticut, the title to the township of Litchfield became vested in the towns of Hartford and Wind- sor, and certain inhabitants of Farmington. In the year 1718, a company was formed for its settlement. The adventure was divided into sixty shares, three of which were reserved for pious uses — one to the first minister and his heirs forever — one for the use of the first minister and his successors — and one for the support of the school. The title was con- veyed to the adventurers, and in May, 1719, was confirmed by the legislature, which granted leave to settle a town at Bantam, to be called Litchfield. At the October session of the assembly of the same year, a court of probate for the town was ordered to be held at Woodbury. And at the October session, 1722, the town was annexed to Hartford County, The town was in length, east and west, eight miles, three quarters, and twenty-three rods, and in breadth seven miles and a half. The cost to the proprietors did not exceed one penny, three farthings per acre. In 1721, a formal patent of the town, signed by Gov. Salt- onstall, was granted by the Governor and Company of the Colony, to John Marsh and John Buell, and their partners.* * The families of John Marsh and John Buell intermarried. Their descend- ants had a family picnic in the grove of Mr. F. A. Marsh, on the shore of Ban- 11 A few individuals commenced the settlement of the town ill 1720. In 1721, a considerable number, chiefly from the towns of Hartford, Windsor, and Lebanoij, moved into the tract. The townsliip was divided among the proprietors, giv- ing- to each a home-lot of fifteen acres, as nearly as could con- veniently be done. The choice of home-lots was decided by lot. The lot fii'st selected was about half a mile south of the court liouse, and next to Middle street or Gallows lane, the second was half a mile further south, and on the corner op- posite the residence of Mr. Arthur D. Catlin, the third three- fourths of a mile west of the court house, known as the Strong place. Tiie eleventh choice was the lot thirty rods next west of the County House corner, which subsequently the town voted was not fit for building a house upon. Tlie Mansion House corner was the twentieth choice ; the corner now owned by Mrs. Bostwick the twenty-fifth choice, and the County House corner tlic thirty-third choice. Ten lots were selected on Chesnut Hill, southerly from the school-house, and the last choice (the 57th) was the lot on which is the dwelling-house of Mrs. A. C. Smith. The home-lot of the first minister was the corner lately owned by Mrs. Wellcr, deceased, and the twenty acre division appurtenant tliereto was laid adjoining on the north, and ex- tended to the north line of the land of Mr. Charles Jones. The highway from Bantam river, running westerly through the village, was laid out twenty rods wide, and called Meeting House street ; tliat now called North street twelve rods wide, and was called Town street ; that now called South street, tarn Lake, Sept. 3, 1846, at which at least 600 of the family were present, and the names of 581 were registered. Mrs. John Biiell died in 1768, having had 13 chil- dren, 101 grand-children, 274 grent grand-children, and 22 great-great grand children. Total 410, of whom 336 survived her. 12 eight rods wide, and was called Town Hill street, the east line of which terminated six rods east of the front of Mrs. Bost- wick's dwelling. Gallows lane, then Middle street, was twen- ty-eight rods wide. The highway running southerly from Mr. David DeForest's house, was named South Griswold street, and that running northerly North Griswold street. Prospect street, then called North street, was seventeen rods wide. The first church, court house, and school-house, stood nearly in the center of Meeting House street ; the court house about opposite the center of Town street, and the church east, and school-house west of the court house. The first white child born in Litchfield, was Eunice, the daughter of Jacob Griswold, afterwards the wife of Capt. Solomon Buell. She was born March 23, 1721. The first white male child born in Litchfield, was Gershom Gibbs, on the 28th of July, 1724. He was taken prisoner at Fort Wash- ington, in 1776, and died on board a British prison ship, on the 29th of December, of that year. Mrs. Mary Adams was born in Stratford, in 1698, and died here in 1803, aged 105. Mr. Reuben Dickinson was born in 1716, and died here in 1818, aged 102. Capt. Salmon Buell was born here in 1767, and died here in 1868. The first inhabitants of the town were particularly careful that none but persons of good character should be permitted to settle amoiig them. If a stranger made a purchase in the plantation a proviso was sometimes inserted in the deed, that the inhabitants should accept the purchaser, and that he should " run the risk of trouble from the grand Committee." On the 1st of April, 1724, it was voted. That the Committee of Hartford and Windsor choose inhabitants. In case any new are brought into town, and the town judge them not wholesome, then to be judged by indifferent men, and by 13 them judged good inliabitauts, tlic cost to l)o ])aid Ity Mtcli- field, if not, the cost to l)e i)aid I)y the committee tliat made choice of said inliabitauts. " The first founders Imilt log liouses. The settlement pro- ceeded as fast as could reasonal)ly be expected. During the frequent wars between England and France, the Canadians and Indians often harassed our borders, and Litchtield being a frontier town was exposed to their ravages." It is not strange that the natives, accustomed to rove over these beauti- ful hills, through these pleasant valleys, and about our delight- ful lakes, (gems in emerald,) should have viewed with jeal- ousy the approach of the white man. But of course our predecessors, the owners of the soil by fair ])urchase, stood on their defence. "Between the years 1720 and 1780, five houses were surrounded by pallisadocs. One of these stood on the ground near the present court house, another half a mile south, one cast and one west of the cen- ter, and one in South Farms. Soldiers were then stationed here to guard the inhabitants, both while they were at work in the field, and while they were attending public worship on the Sabbath." " In May 1722, Capt. Jacol) Griswold being at work alone in a field about one mile west of the present court house, two Indians suddenly rushed upon him from the woods, took him, pinioned his arms, and carried him ofT. " They traveled in a northerly direction, and the same day arrived in some part of the townshij) called Canaan, then a wilderness. .The Indians kindled a fire, and after bindinir their prisoner hand and foot, lay down to sleep. Griswold fortunately disengaging his hands and feet, while his arms were yet pinioned, seized their guns, and made his escape into the woods. After traveling a small distance, he sat down and 14 waited tlic dawn of day, and although his arms were still pin- ioned he carried both their guns. The savages awoke in tlie morning, and finding their prisoner gone immediately pursued him ; they soon overtook him and kept in sight of him the greater part of the day, while he was making liis way home- ward. When they came near he turned and pointed one of his pieces at them ; tliey tlien fell back. In this manner he traveled till near sunset, wlien he reached an eminence in an open field, about one mile northwest of the court house. He then discharged one of his guns, which immediately sum- moned the people to liis assistance. Tlie Indians fled, and Griswold safely returned to his family. " The capture of Griswold made the inhabitants more cau- tious for awhile, but their fears soon subsided. Afterwards, in 1723, Mr. Joseph Harris, a respectable inhabitant, was at work in the woods not far from the place where Griswold was taken, and being attacked l)y a party of Indians, attempted to make his escape. The Indians pursued liim, and finding that they could not overtake him, they shot him dead and scalped him. As Harris did not return the inliabitants were alarmed, and some search was made for him, but the darkness of the night checked their exertions. The next morning they found his body and gave it a decent burial. Harris was killed near the north end of the Plain, where the road turns to Milton, a little east of a school-house, and for a long time after this plain was called Harris' Plain."* The place of his interment remained unmarked for more than a century, but rested in the memory of the older inhabi- tants. He was buried in the west burial ground near the village of Litchfield. In 1830, a suitable monument, with an appropriate inscription, was erected at his grave by voluntary contribution. * Morris' statistical account of Litchfield. 15 The summer of 1724 was a period of excitement and alarm. The war between the Englisli and the French was then pre- vailing, and the latter used great elTorts to incite the northern Indians to attack the frontier settlements of the whites. The conduct of the Indians at the north and west during this year, and especially their hostile movements in the vicin- ity of Litchfield, induced the government to take such precau- tionary measures as the occasion demanded, in order to furnish protection to the weak and exposed settlements. A line of scouts was established extending from Litchfield to Turkey Hills, curving around the most northerly and westerly settlements in Simsbury. On the 4th of June, 1724, Capt. Richard Case of Simsbury was directed to employ ten men on this scouting party to rendezvous at Litchfield. They con- tinued in service until early in October.* During these difficulties some of the more timid of the inhabitants deserted their posts, and the interposition of the legislature was deemed necessary, and therefore the follow- ing enactment was made, viz. : " A General Court holden at New Haven, October 11, 1724, upon the memorial of the inhabitants of the town of Litcii- field, be it enacted and ordained, by the Governor, Assistants and Deputies in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that whosoever hath or ought to have been an inhabitant, and is a proprietor of any lands within the town of Litchfield, or have deserted and left said town since difii- culties have arisen there on account of an enemy, and shall neglect for the space of one month after the rising of this assembly to return to the said town and there abide, or send some man in their room or stead to perform and do the necessary duties of watching and warding and the like during * Phelps' History of Simsbury. 16 the continuance of the difficulties of the war, shall lose and forfeit all their right and estate in and upon any and all of the lands aforesaid, and their estate, right and interest therein, unto the corporation of Connecticut. And further, it is pro- vided, that if any other man being now a proprietor and inhabitant, or a proprietor and ought to have been an inhabi- tant in the said town,shallhereafter during the continuance of fear and danger of the enemy, desert and leave the said town, or neglect to repair thither, and there personally abide, without constantly providing some other sufficient person in his room and stead, there to perform all duties as before mentioned in the case of them who have already deserted, shall likewise forfeit their estate in and on all the lands in the town aforesaid unto this corporation. And further, it is provided, that upon complaint made to the Committee of War at Hartford of or against any such deserter, upon their satisfaction of the truth thereof, the said committee shall declare the forfeiture, and the said committee are enabled to admit any other person who shall go and abide there in the room of the deserter, and perform the necessary duties as aforesaid, and that he shall hereafter receive a grant from this Court of the estate escheated as aforesaid for his further confirmation therein. And it is further ordered, that five shillings per week shall be allowed for billeting soldiers in Litchfield for the summer past." In 1726, upon news of the Indian enemy coming down towards" our frontiers, the assembly resolved that thirty-five effective men be raised to march to Litchfield for its defence, to be under the command of Capt. John Marsh. Doctor Dwight, the former president of Yale College, wrote. " Not many years after the county of Litchfield began to be settled by the English, a strange Indian came one day into an inn in the town of Litchfield, in the dusk of the evening, 17 and requested the hostess to furnish him with some diink and supper. At the same time he observed lie could pay for neither as he had had no success in hunting, hut promised payment as soon as he should meet with better fortune. The hostess refused him both the drink and the supper ; called him a lazy good-for-nothing fellow; and told him she did not work so hard herself to throw away her earnings upon such creatures as he was. A man sat by and observed that the Indian, then turnuig about to leave so inhospitable a place, showed by his counte- nance that he was suffering very severely from want and weari- ness, and directed the hostess to supply him with what he wished, and engaged to pay the bill himself. She did so. When the Indian had finished his supper, he turned to his benefactor, thanked him, and assured him that he should remember his kindness, and whenever he was able would faith- fully recompense it. ***** Some .years after, the man who had befriended him had occasion to go some distance into the wilderness between Litchfield, then a frontier settlement, and Albany, when he was taken prisoner by an Indian scout and carried to Canada. When he arrived at the principal settlement of the ti-ibe on the southern border of the St. Lawrence, it was proposed by some of the captors that he should be put to death. During the consultation an old Indian woman demanded that he should be given up to her, that she might adopt him in the place of a son whom she had lost in the war. He was accord- ingl\ given to her, and lived through the ensuing winter in her family, experiencing the customary effects of savage hospitalty. The following summer as he was at work in the forest alone, an unknown Indian came up to him, and asked him to meet him 3 18 at a place which he pointed out, on a given day. The priso- ner agreed to the proposal, but not without some apprehensions that mischief was intended him. During the interval these apprehensions increased to such a degree as to dissuade him effectually from fulfilling his engagement. Soon after, the same Indian found him at his work again, and very gravely reproved him for not performing his promise. The man apologized, awkwardly enough, but ift the best manner in his power. The Indian told him he should be satisfied if he would meet him at the same place on a future day which he named. The man promised to meet him, and fulfilled his promise. When he arrived at the spot, he found the Indian provided with two muskets, ammunition for them, and knapsacks. The Indian ordered him to take one of each and follow him., The direction of their march was to the south. The man followed, without the least knowledge of what he was to do, or whither he was going, but concluded that if the Indian intended him harm, he would have dispatched hiju at the beginning, and at the worst he was as safe where he was as he could be in any other place. Within a short time, therefore, his fears subsided, although the Indian observed a profound and mysterious silence con- cerning the object of the expedition. In the day time they shot such game as came in their way, and at night kindled a fire by which they slept. After a tedious journey of many days they came one morning to the top of an eminence pre- senting a prospect of a cultivated country, in which was a number of houses. The Indian asked his companion, whether he knew the place. He replied eagerly that it was Litchfield. His guide then after reminding him that he had so many years before relieved the wants of a famishing Indian, at an inn in that town, subjoined, " I that Indian : now I pay you ; 19 m go home." Having said this he bade him adieu : and \\\o man joyfully returned to his own house." Mr. Kilhourn truly says, " It is difficult for us surrounded as we are with the blessings of peace and plenty, to realize that our predecessors amid these very scenes were thus ex- posed to the coml)ined evils of war and famine ; l)ringiug tlieir food through a distance of twenty miles; tilling their fields only when protected with an armed guard; men, women, and children, from time to time flying in alarm to the garrisons for safety ; and the whole adult population of the town compelled in turn to keep public watch and ward through a succession of years ; at the same time clearing oft' the forests, hunting wild beasts, and fighting the common enemy." The first settlers of this town l)rought with them from Lebanon the Rev. Timothy Collins, a candidate for tlie ministry, to preach for them. And at the first town meeting of which we have a record, viz : Nov. 6th, 1721, he was '" called to a settlement in this place in the work of the ministry."* He continued to be their minister till Nov. 15, 1752. On the 26th of February, 1753, this town gave the Rev. Judah Champion a call to settle here, which he accepted. He graduated at Yale College in the year 1751 ; was ordained July 4, 1758, continued his ministry till 1798, and received his salary till his death in 1810, his 82d year. He was succeeded by the Rev. Dan. Huntington, and he by the Rev. Dr. Lyman Beecher. Until the incorporation of the society of South Farms, the * At the May session of the Legislature in 17:22, " liberty was granted to Litch- field to embody into church estate with the approbation of the neighboring churches, and to settle an othodox minister among them." 20 town constituted but one ecclesiastical society, and all votes relating to ecclesiastical affairs were passed in Town meeting. One of the earliest measures of our forefathers was the erection of a church edifice. In April, 1723, the inhabitants voted to build their first church, which was finished in three years. It was 45 feet long, and 35 feet wide, and without a' steeple. At the raising, all the adult males in the whole town- ship sat on the sills at once. It stood in the center of the highway on the ground now occupied by the center park. In 1762, the second church, 60 by 45 feet, with a steeple, was completed, and was erected nearly on the same ground as that occupied by the first. Its location was established by the County Court. In 1829, a new church was finished upon the ground occupied by the present Congregational church. And in 1873, the present Congregational church was com- pleted and occupied. » The members of the Church of England in this town associated for public worship about the year 1746. The first religious service after the English ritual, was performed by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Johnson, President of King's College, N. Y. Their first church was erected in 1749, about one mile westerly from the Court House, and named " St. Michaels." Divine service was first performed in it by the Rev. Dr. Mansfield. Its first minister was the Rev. Solomon Palmer, a native of Branford, born in 1709, and graduated at Yale in 1729. He was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas Davies about the year 1763, and he by the Rev. James Nichols, Ashbel Baldwin, David Butler, Truman Marsh, and Isaac Jones, all now deceased, and by others still living. It appears by their records that the Episcopal Society in Litchfield was organized according to law October 26, 1784. Their second church was erected in tliis village, and was completed in 1812, and their third church, now standing, was 21 erected in 1850. They have churches also in Milton, and Bantam Falls. The society of South Farms (now ^Morris) was incorporated in 1767. Its first settled clergyman was the Rev. GeoVgc Beck with, who was succeeded by the Rev. Amos Chase. Previous to its incorporation, to wit, in 1748, the General Assembly Resolved, that the inhabitants of South Farms "shall and may have a meeting amongst themselves for public worship, three months in every year in the winter season." And in 1761, Resolved, that they "be allowed to have the gospel preached among them for four months in the winter season, and shall have liberty to build a meeting house." In 1764, they voted to build a winter house thirty- five feet long, and twenty-five feet wide, nine feet posts, pro- vided Justus Gibbs will do it for £70.10. It was soon erected. In 1785, the Society built a new church, which in 1844 was taken down, and a neat and tasteful edifice erected in more modern style.* The once celebrated Morris Academy was established in South Farms by James Morris, Esq., in 1790. The Society was constituted a town by act of the Legisla- ture in 1859. The Society of Northfield was incorporated in 1794, and the Rev. Joseph E. Camp was its first pastor. The Society of Milton was incorporated in 1795, and the Rev. Benjamin Judd was its first pastor. The church of the Methodist Episcopal Society in this village was erected in the year 1836. The dedication sermon was preached by Professor Holdrich of the Wesleyan University. The west burial ground, near the village, was reserved for * They voted to build their first school-house in 1747. 22 that purpose at the first settlement of the town. The East burial ground was laid out in 1T54, and the grounds of the Litchfield Cemetery Company were devoted to purposes of burial in 1866. This town was first represented in the General Assembly in 1740. Its first representatives were John Bird, and* Ebenezer Marsh.* For the encouragement of Fisheries it was, on the 12th of April, 1770, " on request of Capt. John Marsh consented, (by vote) that he might have the exclusive pickerel fishing in the Loon Fond, (so called,) for the space of twenty years next after this day, provided, he shall at his own expense procure pickerel to breed and propagate therein, in a reasonable time." It seems, however, that no advantage was taken of this privilege. Twenty-eight pickerel were first procured in the winter of 1809, from a pond in South wick, Mass., and put into Cranberry or Loon Pond. A few years since black bass were put into the great lake. The progeny of hotli have so increased that they are taken in considerable quantities in all our lakes. In 1784, the first newspaper press was established in Litch- field ; the paper issued was called the " Monitor," and in opposition thereto, the " Witness," was established in 1805. Slavery can hardly be said to have existed in this town during the present century. In the year 1800 only seven blacks were nominally slaves.f *The Grand List of the town was then $26,666J'„\, . In 1875, it was $1,935,- 170 ■'S'-. 10 t During the hitter jiiirt of the last century, the Blacks, in imitation of the Whites, chose for themselves a Governor, and other State officials. Their last Governor was Will, a resident of this town, whose obituary appears in the Moni- tor of Wednesday, March 6, 1793, as follows: "Died, on Thursday, of consump- tion, Will, a free negro (formerly owned by Major Seymour,) Governor of the 23 Miss Sarali Pierce opened a scliool in this town for the instruction of females in tlic year 1702, wliich very justly merited and acquired a distinguished reputation. The school continued under her superintendence for nearly forty years. It was incorporated in the year 1827, by the name of "The Litchheld Female Academy." The Hon. Tapping Reeve, one of the Judges of the Superior Court, commenced a law school in Litchfield, in the year 1784, and continued it till the year 1798, when James Gould, Esq., became joint instructor with Judge Reeve. The science of law was more systematically taught in this school, than in any other in the United States. Judge Reeve and Judge Gould continued to be joint instructors till the year 1820, after which Judge Gould lectured alone, being assisted in examina- tions by the Hon. Jabcz W. Huntington. Judge Gould closed his lectures in the year 1833. This school always enjoyed a high reputation, such as the talents and extensive legal attainments of the gentlemen who conducted the institution were calculated to give it. Young gentlemen from every section of the Union were educated here, and not a few have been distinguished as statesmen and jurists. Many books in times past were printed and published in this village. Among others a volume of Reports of cases in our Superior and Supreme courts from 1785 to 1788, was pub- lished here by the Hon. Epluaim Kirby in 1789. It was the first volume of Law Reports published in the United States. Connecticut derives from it the honor of having set an exam- Blacks in this vicinity. His integrity and faithfulness through life will, we hope, entitle him to the rewards of the good and faithful servant." 24 pie to her sister states, which it has been their just pride, and their high advantage to follow.* The village of Litchfield was incorporated in May 1818. and by its charter has the usual powers and privileges of a Borough. A branch of the Phoenix Bank at Hartford was established here in 1814, and was succeeded by the First National Bank of Litchfield. The Litchfield Mutual Fire Insurance Company was incor- porated in 1833 ; and the Litchfield Savings Society in 1850. The present court house was erected in tlie years IV 97 and 1798 ; and the present gaol and county house in the year 1812. Litchfield county was organized in 1751, and its one hun- dredth anniversary was celebrated at Litchfield on the 13th and 14th days of August, 1851. Citizens and returning emigrants from the county, assembled in great numbers. Speeches and addresses were made under a large tent in the west park, by the Hon. Samuel Church, Gov. Button, Dr. Horace Bushnell, Hon. Daniel S. Dickinson, Hon. Frederick A. Tallraadge, and others, and a poem was delivered by the Rev. John Pierpont. But as the object of this paper is not to give a complete history of this town from its first settlement, but simply a sketch thereof, more particularly with reference to events re- lating to the Revolution, I hasten to call your attention to that subject. And it will be well to bear in mind, that Litchfield was then an inland town remote from the princi[)al routes of travel, and in l774, including the town of Morris, and parts of Washing- ton and Torrington, it contained a population of only 1,554 persons. *lst Conn. Reports, p. 28. 25 An examination of" our ancient town lecords strikingly discloses the unanimity, zeal, sympathy, and spirit of'soH-sac- rifice which animated our Ibrelathei's ; yes, and our forenioth- ers, who did as much, and suffered as much in encourafrinuaranteed by the town ; bounties were granted them ; cloth- ing was provided for them, and provisions for their families. In the year 1777, eight continental battalions were raised in this State, of which the quota of this town was ninety-two. A large portion of those taken prisoners at Fort Washington were from this town, about thirty of whom died in the prison ships and other prisons in that city. Throughout the war our young men were constantly enlisted into the army. The militia were fully organized, and drafts were continually made upon them. In times of alarm they would turn out almost en masse. Our Litchfield troops were found at the capture of New York, on the Connecticut coast, on the Hudson, at Boston, at Ticonderoga, and Crown Point; at the surrenders of Burgoyne and Cornwallis, the capture of Stony Point, in the battles of White Plains, Trenton, and Princeton, and in almost every military transaction worthy of note during the eventful struggle. In tlie autumn of 1776, tliirty-six picked men were placed under the command of Capt. Beebe to aid in the defence of Fort Washington near New York. On the 16th of November, 31 as is well known, the fort, after a desperate resistance on the part of its defenders, fell into the liands of the British, and all the Americans were either killed or made prisoners. Their subsequent treatment and suflering is perhaps without a parallel in the history of the wais of any civilized nation. Ciowded into a narrow space without air, and for several days without food, contagion and death was the natural conse- quence. Fearful diseases broke out among them, and very few of the whole number survived the terrible ordeal. Only six out of thirty-six hale and hearty young men of the com- pany reached home. One of them, Oliver Woodruff, of South Farms, says : " We were marched to New York, and went into different prisons. Eight hundred and sixteen went into the new Bridewell, I among the rest. Some into the Sugar-house ; others into the Dutch Church. On Thursday morning they brought us a lit- tle provision, which was the first morsel we got to eat or drink after eating our breakfast on Saturday morning. "• We never drew as much provision for three days'-allowance as a man would eat at a common meal. I was there three months during that inclement season, and never saw any fire, except what was in the lamps of the city. There was not a pane of glass in the windows, and nothing to keep out the cold except the iron grates." Capt. Beebe, in consideration of his office, was allowed the limits of the city, but was compelled to provide himself with food, lodging, &c., or go without. He was accustomed to visit his men daily, but could do little to alleviate their wretched condition. He was not exchanged with the other prisoners, but was confined within the limits for about a year at his own expense." I have seen an affidavit made on the 3d of May, 1777, by 32 Mr. Thomas Catlin, of this town, (the father of the late Doc- tor Abel Catlin,) who was a lieutenant in the American army at New York in 1776, in which he gives the following accounts in substance, of the treatment of liimself and others by the British, viz: That he was taken prisoner by the British troops on New York Island, Sept. 15th, 1776, and confined with a great number in close gaol eleven days ; that he had no sustenance for forty-eight hours after he was taken ; that for eleven whole days they had only about two days allowance, and their pork was offensive to the smell. That forty-two were confined in one house till Fort Washington was taken, when the house was crowded with other prisoners, after which they were in- formed they should have two-thirds allowance, which consist- ed of very poor pork, bread — hard, mouldy, and wormy, made of canail and the dregs of flaxseed ; that the British troops had good bread. Brackish water was given to the prisoners, and he had seen $1.50 given for a common pail of water. That for near three months the common soldiers were con- fined in the churches, and in one were eight hundred and fifty. That about the 25th of December, 1776, he and about two hundred and twenty-five others were put on board the Glasgow at New York to be carried to Connecticut for ex- change. They were on board eleven days, and kept on black, coarse, broken bread, and less pork than before. Twenty- eight died during the eleven days ! They were treated with great cruelty, and liad no fire for sick or well. They were crowded between decks, and many died through hardship, ill usage, hunger, and cold. A letter written by Doctor Reuben Smith, of Litchfield, dated May 12th, 1777, relating to the Danbury alarm, states that, " Sunday morning, 27th April, about one o'clock, we 33 were alarmed ; oiii- people turned out spiritedly; came up with the enemy next day a little l)elovv Wilton meeting-liouse, and ))ursncd them aboard their shij)s. Paul Peck was killed in the last attack on the enemy." It is stated that on this occasion fourteen men, the last in Litchfield capable of bearhnj anna, were started at midnight to aid in repulsing the enemy. Of Paul Peck, alluded to in the letter of Doct. Smith, it is recorded, " that he was the most expei't hunter of the time in which he lived. At the Danbury alarm he put his long gun in order and followed the enemy to Compo on their retreat, and took a station l)chind a stone wall. Every shot told, until he was rushed upon by the enemy, who took his gun from him and dashed his l)rains out with it." He was killed April "i8th, 1777, aged seventy-five years. During the war, Litchfield was a place of deposit for pro- visions and other continental stores. Workshops for the army were established here. Prisoners of war were here confined. On the 21st of June, 1776, David Matthews, the English Mayor of New York, was arrested by order of General Wash- ington, in pursuance of authority from the New York Com- mittee, for dangerous designs and treasonable conspiracies. He was sent to Litchfield for safe custody, and while here he wrote to Mrs. Matthews, atFlatbush, a letter dated Litchfield, Aug. 12th, 1776, in which he says: "Ever since my arrival iiere I have been at the house of Capt. Moses Seymour, who, together with his wife, have be- haved in the most genteel, kind manner, and have done every- tiiing in their power to make my time as agreeable as possi- ble. He is a fine, merry fellow, and she is a warm Protest- ant; and if iiwas not the thoughts of home were continually in 5 34 my mind, I might be happy with my good landlord and his family." He adds, by way of postscript: "The Congress were much afraid I should run away if I had my liberty, but this good man, with whom I lodge, and who never heard of me before, has such an opinion of me that he has wrote to them that he will be answerable for me whenever they shall call for me." On the 19th of August, 1776, he was taken to Hartford, and on the next day wrote to the Secretary of the Convention of New York a letter dated, Hartford, Aug. 20th, 1776, in which he says: "It is verily believed throughout this colony that I was concerned in a plot to assassinate Gen. Washington, and to blow up the magazine in New York. ***** Solely owing to this report, I have been obliged to decamp from Litchfield, where I was stationed, and where the com- mittee thought my life was in imminent danger. I arrived here yesterday, and am shunned as much as Lucifer would be. * * * * Surely, if my life was to be made a sacrifice, there was a more gentlemanly way of doing it than of being sent into a country to be fired at from behind a barn or stone fence." On the 22d of the same month he was re-conveyed to Litchfield. The original order of Gov. Trumbull directs Capt. Moses Seymour to carry Mr. Matthews to Litchfield, and hold him in custody, permitting him to walk abroad for the benefit of the air, and to attend divine worship. To his letter of the 20th Mr. Matthews adds a postscript, dated the 22d, saying, "I am now on "my march back to Litchfield again. * * * What horrid treatment is this ? our conven- tion say I must be confined. It is too much for mortal man to bear. I am now to stand fire at Litchfield. May God spare my life to meet my enemies face to face." The British royalist evidently did not relish the atmosphere 35 of freedom prevailing at Hartford and Litchfield. Under date Litchfield, Sept. 26, 1776, he writes : " The committee liave heen compelled to request my removal in order to pacify some people. They insist I can hlow up this town. that I could. I would soon leave tlicm to themselves. The sherilT has given orders that I shall not approach the gaol, lest the doors should fly open and the prisoners escape. I should not have returned to this cold wilderness had not the sheriff of Haitford declared he must lock me up in gaol." The first pleasure-carriage l)rought into this town was l>y him presented to Mrs. Major Seymour, and was in use as late as A. D. 1812. The Mayor's traveling trunk is still here in the possession of the Hon. Origen S. Seymour, one of Major Seymour's descendants. It is stated in a letter received in London, from a British officer in New York, dated Deceml)er 2, 1776, that " Honest David Matthews, the Mayor, has made his escape, and arrived here this day." The tradition is, that the public authorities did not well know how to deal wit*!! his case, and that one day when he " walked abroad for the benefit of the air" he neglected to return ; very much to the satisfaction of all concerned in his detention. Doct. Smith, at the close of his letter of May 12, 1777, says: "Governor Franklin is confined in our gaol, and con- stant guard is kept. We trust he will find it difficult to escape should he attempt it." This gentleman was the Royal Governor of New Jersey, and was the only son of the distinguished Dr. Benjamin Franklin. He was accused of being a virulent enemy of the United Colonies, and in June, 1776, Congress directed that he should be sent to Connecticut under a guard. In July, 1776, he was sent by Gov. Trumbull to Wallingford to reside 36 on his parole, and was soon permitted to reside atMiddletown. But on the 80th of April, 1777, an order from Congress was received to confine Gov. Franklin, without pen, ink, or paper, and directed him to be conveyed under guard, by t\i~i Sheriff of Hartford County, forthwith to Litchfield jail. On the 19th of September, 1777, an order on the pay table was drawn in favor of Lynde Lord, Esq., for £100 towards the expense of the guard placed over Gov. Franklin. On the 15th of Janu- ary, 1778, another similar order was drawn in favor of Mr. Lord, who was the Sheriff of Litchfield County, The following account of him was published in 1856, viz : " Dr. Franklin's Only Son. — While the name of Franklin has been so prominently before the public of late, in connec- tion with the celebration at Boston, it may not be uninterest- ing to give some account of his only son, William, about whom we think little is known by the community at large. Unlike his father, whose chief claim to veneration is for the invaluable services he rendered his country in her greatest need, the son was from first to last a devoted loyalist. Before the Revolutionary War, he held many civil and military offi- ces of importance. At the commencement of the war he held the office of Governor of New Jersey, which appointment he received in 1763. When the difficulties between the mother couuntry and the colonies were coming to a crisis, he threw his whole influence in favor of loyalty, and endeavored to pre- vent the Legislative Assembly of New Jersey from sanctioning the proceedings of the General Congress of Philadelphia. These efforts however did but little to stay the tide of public sentiment in favor of resistance to tyranny, and soon involved him in difficulty. He was deposed from office by the whigs to give place to William Livingston, and sent a prisoner to Connecticut where he remained about two years. * * * Li 1778, he was exchanged, and soon after went to England. There he spent the remainder of his life, receiving a pension from the British Government for the losses he had sustained by his fidelity. 37 As might be expected, his opposition to the cause of liberty, so dear to the heart of his father, produced an estrangement between them. For years they had no intercourse. When, in 1784, the son wrote to his father, in liis reply Dr. Franklin says: "Nothing has ever hurt me so much, and affected me with such keen sensations, as to find myself deserted in my old age by my only son ; and not only deserted but to find him taking up arras against me in a cause wherein my good fame, fortune and life were all at stake." In his will also, he al- ludes to the j)art his son had acted. After making him some bequests, he adds : " The part he acted against me in the late war, which is of pui)lic notoriety, will account for my leaving him no more of an estate he endeavored to deprive me of." The patriotism of the father stands forth all the brighter, when contrasted with the desertion of the son." An elegant Equestrian statue of King George III, made of lead, richly gilded, was imported from London and erected in the city of New York, in the Bowling Green, at th.e lower end of Broadway, on the 21st day of August, 1770, amidst the discharge of cannon and music by the band. In 1776, it was thrown down and transported to Litchfield to be cast into bullets for the use of our army. The bullets were cast by ladies of Litchfield in the apple orchard of General Wolcott, now owned and occupied by Mrs. Harney. At a meeting of the inhabitants of Litchfield on the (Uh day of January, 1778, to take into consideration the articles of confederation, and perpetual union between the States, it was " looted, unanimously, that the said articles of confederation be approved, and that the representatives of said town be in- structed to use their influence and vote in General Assembly, to invest the delegates of this State with competent powers ultimately in the name and behalf of this State, in Continental Congress, to subscribe and confirm the said articles of confed- eration and perpetual union between the said States." 38 Up to this period, " Fair Wyoming on Susquehanna's side," called Westmoreland, was claimed as ours. Its jurors and justices were officers of this county, and its civil processes were directed to the Sheriff of Litchfield County, were returned to and decided by the courts held in this village, and are now among our records. Settled from Conneclicut, it may be imagined what grief and consternation pervaded us wlien the inhabitants of tliat infant settlement were massacred by the " Monster Brandt" and his Indian allies. During tlie Revolutionary war Litchfield was visited by Count Rochambenu in May, 1777, and by General La Fayette as the guest of Judge Reeve. And according to Mr. George Gibbs, on the evening of Saturday, August 28, 1780, Gen. Washington arrived here on his way from Hartford to West Point, and was entertained at the hospitable mansion of Gen. Wolcott, in South street (now Mrs. Harney's). He spent the night in the village, and on the following morning pro- ceeded westward, arriving at West Point about 11 o'clock on Monday morning. It was at this time that he discovered the treason of Benedict Arnold, who commanded at that post. The next year he was here, as appears from the following ex- tract from his diary. " May 18th, 1781, set out this day for an interview at Wethersfield, with Count de Rochambeau, and Admiral Barras. 19th. Breakfasted at Litchfield." Again he was here with Count Rochambeau. Mr. Kilbourn, in his history, says that at the period of which we are writing, " Litchfield was the home of a re- markable number of educated thinking men, some of whom were already distinguished, and others who were destined to act an important part in their country's history. Indeed no town in the State could boast of a community more refined and patriotic. Within our present borough limits resided 39 Oliver Wolcott, Andrew Adams, Reynold Marvin, Tapping Reeve, Isaac Baldwin, Samuel Lyman, Isaac Baldwin, Jr., Elisha Sheldon, John Pierce, Jr., Dr. Thomas Little, Lynde Lord, Rev, Timothy Collins, Rev. Judah Champion, Dr. Lem- uel Hopkins, Dr. Reuben Smith, Moses Seymour, Timothy Skinner, Abvaham Bradley, William Stanton, Ambrose Col- lins, Elijah Wadsworth, and Ephraim Kirby." To this goodly company were soon added Oliver Wolcott, Jr., Ashbel Baldwin, Ezckiel AVoodrulT, Julius Deming, Uriah Tracy, and Doct. Daniel Sheldon. Sixteen of the gentlemen named were graduated at Yale College, and one (Judge Reeve) at the College of New Jersey : three were members of the National Congress, or became such ; seven were captains in the Revolutionary war, and four rose to the rank of general officers ; two became Chief Jus- tices, and two Governors of the State.* * The following named persons, citizens of Litchfield, have occupied the public stations annexed to their respective names, viz : — Adams, Andrew, Chief Justice Superior Court. Allen, Ethan, General Revolutionary Army. Allen, John, Kepresentative in Congress. Allen, John W., Representative in Congress, Ohio. Beers, Seth P., Commissioner of School Fund. Beecher, Lyman, D.D., President Lane Seminary. Beecher, Edward, D.D., President Illinois College. Beecher, Henry W., Plymouth Cimrch, Brooklyn. Bird, John, Representative in Congress. Bradley, Abraham, Assistant Post Master General. Bradley, Phineas, Assistant Post Master (ieneral. Bushnell, Horace, D.D., Pastor and Author, Hartford. Catlin, Julius, Lt. Governor. Church, Samuel, Chief Justice Supreme Court. Collier, John A., Comptroller, Representative in Congress, N. Y. Dutlon, Henry, Governor, Judge Supreme Court. Ueming, Julius, Commissary Revolutionary War. Gould, James, Judge Supreme Court. Gould, William T., Judge, Georgia. Gould, George, Judge Supreme Court, N. Y. Hollister, G. H., Minister to Hayti. Holmes, Uriel, Judge, Representative in Congress. 40 The time will not suffice to embrace in this sketch bio- graphical notices of gentlemen residents of Litchfield, distin- guished for their patriotism, chivalry, and public spirit either in the field, or in the, perhaps, less conspicuous, though not less useful sphere of civil life. I must, however, be allowed to make an exception in the case of the B.ev. Judah Champion. He was in his prime dur- ing the war of the revolution. He was exceedingly loved and esteemed by his people ; was an ardent supporter of the po- Hubbard, John H., Representative in Congress. Huntington, Jabez W., Rep. and Senator in Congress, Judge Supreme Court. Huntington, Charles P., Judge Superior Court, Mass. Kirby, Ephraim, U. S. Judge, Mississippi. Lyon, Matthew, Representative in Congress, Vermont and Kentucky. Marvin, Reynold, King's Attorney. Miner, Phineas, Representative in Congress. Peck, William V., Judge Sup. Court, Ohio. Phelps, Samuel S., Judge, U. S. Senator, Vt. Pierpont, John, Poet, Pastor. Pierpont, Robert, Lt. Governor, Judge Supreme Court, Vt. Pierpont, John, Chief Judge Supreme Court, Vt. Reeve, Tapping, Chief Justice Supreme Court. Sanford, David C, Judge Supreme Court. Sedgwick, Albert, Commissioner of the School Fund. Seymour, Horatio, United States Senator, Vermont. Seymour, Origen S., Rep. in Congress, Chief Justice Supreme Court. Sheldon, Daniel, Secretary of Legation, France. Skinner, Roger, United States District Judge, N. Y. Skinner, Richard, Rep. in Congress, Chief Justice Sup. Court, Governor, Vt. Smith, Joseph L., United States Judge, East Florida. Smith, Truman, Representative and Senator in U. S. Congress. Strong, Jedediah, Representative in Congress. Tallmadge, Benjamin, Major Revolutionary Army, Rep. in Congress. Tallmadge, Frederick A., Recorder New York City. Tracy, Uriah, Representative and Senator in Congress. Wolcott, Oliver, Representative in Congress, Signer Declaration of Independ- ence, Governor. Wolcott, Oliver, Secretary of Treasury, U. S. Judge, Governor. Woodruff', Clark, Judge, Louisiana. Woodruff, George C, Representative in Congress. Woodruff; Lewis B., Judge Sup. Court, Court of Appeals, N. Y., and U. S. Circuit Court. Wright, John C, Representative in Congress, Judge, Ohio. 41 sition assumed in the Declaration of Independence, and per- haps no man in tliis vicinity, in the army or out of it, did more than he to encouraj^e the hearts and strengthen the hands of those engaged in the perilous conflict. He "threw himself with all his energy and burning eloquence into the struggle." Mr. Hollister in his history says, " When the whole country was in a state of alarm at the intelligence that Lord Cornwallis, with a large fleet and armaments, was approach- ing the American coast. Col. Tallmadge happened to pass through Litchfield with a regiment of cavalry. While there he attended pul>lic worship with his troops on Sunday, at the old meeting-house on the village green. The occasion. was deeply interesting and exciting. The Rev. Judah Champion, then the settled ministei- of the place — a man of great elo- quence, and of a high order of intellectual endowment — in view of the alarming crisis, thus invoked the sanction of Heaven : " Lord ! we view with terror the approach of the enemies of thy holy religion. Wilt thou send storm and tempest, to toss them upon the sea, and to overwhelm them upon the mighty deep, or to scatter them to the uttermost parts of the earth. But, peradventure, should any escape thy vengeance, collect them together again, Lord, as in the hollow of thy hand, and let thy lightnings play upon them. " We beseech thee, moreover, that thou do gird up the loins of these thy servants who are going forth to fight thy battles. Make them strong men that ' one shall chase a thousand, and two shall put ten thousand to flight.' Hold before them the shield with which thou was wont in the old time to protect thy chosen people. Give them swift feet, that they may pur- sue their enemies, and swords terrible as thy destroying Angel, that they may cleave them down when they have overtaken them. Preserve these servants of thine. Almighty God, and bring them once more to their homes and friends, if thou 6 42 canst do it consistently with thine high purposes. If, on the other hand, thou hast decreed that they shall die in battle, let thy spirit be present with them, and breathe upon them, that they may go up as a sweet sacrifice into the courts of thy temple, wliere are habitations prepared for them from the foundations of the world." On'Unothcr occasion, writes Mr, Headley : " One pleasant Salibath morning the congregation had gathered together and had just commenced the morning hymn, when, through the still streets, there came the sharp clatter of a horse's hoofs — always so ominous, at that time, of tidings from the army. As usual, when the courier arrived in any town on the Sabbath, he made straight for the " meeting-house." Reaching the door, he dismounted, and flinging the bridle over the horse's neck, entered the build- ing. The singing ceased, and every eye was turned on the stranger as he walked up the broad aisle and ascended the pulpit stairs. He handed Mr. Champion a paper, who, with a smile of triumph on his face, arose and read " St. JoJms is taJcen.'^ It must be remembered that this place had been besieged six weeks, till people began almost to despair of its ever being taken. The noble pastor, the moment he had finished the sentence, lifted his eyes to heaven and exclaimed: " Thank God for the victory." The chorister, sitting opposite the pulpit, in the gallery, clapped his hands and shouted : " Ame7i and Amen ! " For avrhile the joy was unrestrained, but the pastor soon checked it by saying : " There is some- thing more to be heard." He then read a lengthy communi- cation, stating that the army was in a suffering condition. It was now the latter part of November, and there, on the borders of Canada, the winter was already setting in, and yet the troops were about to march for Quebec to undergo the rigors of a winter campaign. It described in vivid language their suifering condition. They were destitute of clothing, without shoes or stockings, and yet were ordered to traverse the frozen fields of the north. The touching description lost none of its pathos as read by 43 the. pastor and commented on by him at its close. When he had finislied, there was hardly a dry eye in the house. Especially the women were overcome with emotion. As soon as the congregation was dismissed, a few prominent ladies were seen to gather round the young pastor with eager counte- nances. They were evidently asking him some questions, and it was equally evident, from his benevolent smile and nodding head, that he was answering them satisfactorily. Soon tliey began to move rapidly among the other women that, in turn, gathered into groups in earnest conversation. After a little while they all dispersed to their homes. When the congregation assembled for the afternoon service not a woman was in the church. The wives, mothers, and maidens liad laid aside their Sabbath apparel and drawn forth their spinning-wheels, set in motion their looms, and brought out their knitting-needles and hand cards, and the village suddenly became a hive of industry. On that usually still Puritan Sabbath afternoon there now rung out on every side the hum of the wheel and the click of the shuttle — sounds never before heard in Litchfield on the Sabbath day, and which con- trasted strangely with those of prayer and praise in the adjoining sanctuary. Yet both believed that they were serv- ing God. The women were working for those brave patriots wlio were about to march, destitute and barefoot, over the frozen ground to strike for freedom. Many years after, when a venerable old man, Mr. Champion was asked by his grand- daughter how he could approve such a desecration of the Sabbath. He turned on her a solemn look and replied simply: *' Mercy before sacrificed Ah, what a flood of light does such a scene as this, on a Sabbath afternoon in those strict times, throw on the state of feeling that existed. Is it wonderful that a revolution which had its springs so deep down in the human heart and was sustained by such prayers and such faith, should succeed ? Its true history is not to be found on the battle-field, but in these secluded villages and country parishes." Since the establishment of our national independence, this 44 town has been for the most part harmonious and prosperous. No events have occurred therein to make it notorious in history, and I may perhaps say in the words of another, "happy is that country whose history is uninteresting." And yet the veterans of the war of 1812 should not be forgotten. Some among us remember the inspiriting martial music which enlivened, and the snow white tents which dotted our streets, and the brave banner which floated over all, while this village was the station of Col. Joseph L. Smitli's battalion. Most of our soldiers in our " Second war of Independence," have passed away. One only, an octogenarian, one of our most respected citizens, may be seen daily traversing our streets, with a tread as firm and elastic as most men of half his years. And especially should it be remembered how the brave sons of Litchfield rushed to the rescue in the great rebellion of the last decade ; how the battle fields of Cold Harbor, and Petersburg, Chancellorville and Winchester, Antietam, and others, were fattened with the blood of our brave ones. Many veterans in the last struggle are still among us, but fifty-two of them, v.iiose names are inscribed on yonder monu- ment, " died in the front rank fighting for their country."* * It appears from the records . in the office of the Adjutant General of Con- necticut, that during the late civil war in 1861-1865, the town of Litchfield furnished three hundred soldiers at least, for the niilitarv service of the United States. This town also paid for the support of soldiers, and to encourage enlistments, during that war, besides bounties and wages paid by this State, and by the United States, the sum of --.... $31,540 and private individuals, ...... goo Total, ....... $32,340 3477r79 y-ejn^ ^'-'^^ ^^-^^^ V , ^ -.■.^.. ,^*'% •.^^' /\ '.- "* AT "Ov • <3 \r . »* ^^ jP-r. ^"-^^^ '^o^ .^^ 1 > . s • • . ^\ r>> - t • •^0^ '^o^ .^^ C\^ *