C" GENERAL H [STORY THE TOWN OF SHARON, LITCHFIELD COUNTY, CONN. From its First Settlement. BY CHARLES F. 5EDGWICK, A. M. THIRD EDITION. AMENIA, N. Y.: Ghables Walsh, Printer and Publisher. 1898. \u -^ c ^ ••:* ^ «^ CONTENTS. Contents . 7- Preface to First Edition..... 10—. Preface to Second Edition 11— 12 Preface to Third Edition 13— 14 Biographical Sketch of Author 15— Chapter I l"^"" ^^ Containing a Concise History of Events which Led to the Sale and Settlement of the Township. Chapter II ^^~ ^'^ An Account of the Measures Proposed and Ex- ecuted for the Sale and Settlement of the Town- ship. Chapter III ^^— ^^ Incorporation of the Town— First Town Meeting- List of Officers Chosen— Settlement of Rev. Peter Pratt— First Meeting House— Alarming Sickness. Chapter IV ^^— ^^ Indians in Sharon. Chapter V 43- 53 Ecclesiastical Affairs— Deposition of Mr. Pratt— His Subsequent Career— Litchfield County ; When Organized— Settlement of Mr. Searle— Ellsworth Society— Rev. Mr. Knibloe— Dismission of Mr. Searle. 8 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Chapter VI 53— 57 A History of the Moravian Missions in Sharon. Chapter VII 58— 66 Rev. Cotton Mather Smith — Census — Church of England Missions — Organization of the Episcopal Parish — Nevs^ Meeting House — Rev. George Whit- field. Chapter VIII 67— 76 Events of the Revolutionary War. Chapter IX 77— 85 Incidental Events — Disastrous Fire in Sharon Val- ley — Small Pox — Casualties— Shay's Rebellion- Excise Duties. Chapter X 86— 91 Methodist Society in Sharon. Chapter XI 92—103 History of the Ecclesiastical Society, Continued. Chapter XII 104—109 The War of the Rebellion. Chapter XIII 110—163 Biographical Notices — Family Sketches, Geneal- ologies, Etc. Appendix A 165—166 Form of Deeds Given by the Government's Com- mittee to the Purchasers of Rights to the Common Land in Sharon. Appendix B 167—170 Patent of the Town of Sharon. Appendix C 171—174 Rev. Cotton Mather Smith's Reply to Rev. Dr. Trumbull's Circular. Appendix D 175—176 Copy of the Deed by which the Indians Conveyed Away their Last Claim of Title to Lands in Sharon. Appendix E 177— List of Names of Soldiers of the Revolution, belonging to the Town of Sharon, who served in 1776, taken from the Controller's Books, in Hartford. history of the town op sharon. 9 Appendix F 178—181 Narrative of Adonijah Maxam. Appendix G 182—183 Graduates of Yale College who have been Citizens of Sharon. Appendix H 184— Names of the Children of the Rev. Cotton Mather Smith, with the dates of their decease. Appendix I 185—190 Roll of the Representatives from the Town of Sharon to the General Assembly. Appendix J 191—193 Town Officers. Appendix K 194— Hymn composed by the Hon. John Cotton Smith, and sung at the Celebration of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the First Town Meeting. Appendix L 195—198 History and Dedication of the Soldiers' Monument. Appendix M 199—302 The Hotchkiss Library. Appendix N 203—204 The Catholic Church in Sharon. PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. The Author of the following pages was requested by his fellow citizens of the town of Sharon to prepare an address to be delivered at the celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of their first town meeting, on the 22d day of December, 1839. This request was complied with, but the short period in which it was prepared rendered it, necessarily, in many respects imper- fect, and in some inaccurate. By the advice of many friends he has been induced to embody the facts connected with the History of the Town in the form here presented, and to commit the work to the press for the benefit of the inhabitants of liis adopted town. The labor of making the researches has necessarily occu- pied much time, and no effort has been spared to make the work accurate in its details. In preparing sketches of the many citizens of the town who are brought to notice in the last chapter, the personal history of more than two hundred individuals, many of whom have been dead for a half century, has been investi- gated, and many names which had long since gone into forgetfulness are brought to liglit. It is not unlikely that in this part of the work some errors may have intervened, but it is believed that in almost every instance accuracy has been attained. If the work shall prove interesting or useful to the citizens of the town, the labor incurred in its preparation will be well repaid. Sharon, March 1842, PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. It is now thirty-five years since the author published a His - tory of the Town of Sharon. He was appointed by his fellow townsmen to prepare an address to be delivered on the one hun- dredth anniversary of the first town meeting of the town. This led him to a partial but by no means thorough investigation of facts connected with the history of the town. Very little aid was obtained from public documents, other than the records of the town, and the principal reUance for items of history was upon the traditions handed down from the early settlers. Under these circumstances the work was committed to the press. The consequence was that in regard to the early history of the town, it was very defective, owing to the uncertainties of traditions and the barrenness of documentary proof. Since the book was published, the study into the history of local corporations has become very general, and the success which has in some cases attended such pursuits has encouraged the author to make more minute investigations into the facts relating to the early history of Sharon. In prosecuting this purpose he was greatly aided by the late Nathaniel Goodwin, Esq., of Hartford, who was an antiquarian of most scrupulous accuracy, and who delighted to extend his aid in the difl'usion of historical knowledge. Many of the documents thus obtained have been copied into this work, that the men of those times may give in their own language a history of their trials and success. 12 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. When the first book was pubUshed some were living who were acquainted with some of the early settlers of the town, and whose recollections extended back to the preaching of Whitfield and to the exciting times preceding the war of the Revolution. Many others then survived who took an active part in that war. The late Alpheus Jewett, Esq., was one of the party which was organized in Sharon, vrhich broke up and scattered a large body of tories who had gathered at Washing- ton Hollow, N. Y., in 1777, to welcome the coming of the British General, Burgoyne, then on his way with a large army from Canada. He was also in the battle at Compo in Fair- field, where Lieut. Samuel Elmer, Jun., was killed, and fur- nished the particulars of that battle as given in the body of this work. He had a remarkably retentive memory, and the aid which he furnished the author in gathering up the incidents in the history of the town is gratefully remembered. The same acknowledgment is due to the memory of the late Calvin Gay, Esq., from whom the author derived much aid in the prepara- tion of the notices of individuals noticed in the last chapter. These worthies of the olden time have all gone to their rest, but their statement of historical events occurring during their time furnish the only authentic information of many incidents in the annals of the town. It is only of late that the Author has been persuaded to prepare and publish this edition of the work. The strong in- terest expressed by the prominent citizens of Sharon for the embodiment of such additional facts as might be brought to light by further investigations into another edition of the work, has persuaded him to engage in the undertaking. If in any degree it answers the expectations of those who have urged the publication, he will feel much gratified. CHARLES F. SEDGWICK. PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. The Hon. Charles F. Sedgwick, A. M., from a large and valuable fund of information acquired through patient and pains- taking research, compiled a succinct and valuable historical work which was published as the History of Sharon. This first was delivered as an anniversary address and afterwards published in pamphlet form. Later the original matter, greatly amplified and added to, was given to the public in book form as the second edition, in 1877. Since that time the esteemed author has entered the life eternal. The second edition, published in 1877, has been completely exhausted for some years, and frequent demand hav- ing arisen for copies of a work so justly celebrated among local historical chronicles, the price of the very few copies available has risen to a large figure, and they are scarcely to be obtained at any price. The Publisher of the History now issues a Third Edition, with the consent and by authorization of the family of the author. The work has been preserved in its integrity, the only matter added being brief resumes in regard to the Soldiers' Mormment, the Hotchkiss Library and the Catholic Church, which have become notable features of Sharon, and worthy of mention in its history, and have come into being since Gen. Sedgwick's death. These will be found at the close of the book as Appendix L., Appendix M. and Appendix N. , respectively. The records of the ecclesias- tical and civil organizations of the town have been brought down 14 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. to date to be complete at this time. The Publisher has wislied to add also a little of illustration to the book, notably the portrait of the distinguished author as a frontispiece. It is a wise and proper thing for every community to preserve and cherish the traditions and facts of its early annals, and every year makes the possession of such an interesting and well-written local history as this more valuable. THE PUBLISHER. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR. Charles Frederick Sedgwick, son of John Andrews Sedgwick, was born at Cornwall Hollow, Conn., September 1, 1795. He belonged to a family distinguished both in this country and in England. His grandfather, General John Sedgwick, was Major in the Revolutionary army, and a Major-general of the State Militia, and was a direct descendant of the Puritan, Robert Sedgwick, who was one of Cromwell's most able Generals, and was the founder of the family in America, settling in Charles- town, Mass., about 163fi. Mr. Sedgwick graduated from Williams College in 1813, and studied law with Judge Cyrus Swan of Sharon, where he con- tinued in the practice of his profession. He held the office of State's Attorney for Litchfield County for eighteen years, and served in both branches of the Legislature of the State. He always took a great interest in military affairs, and for many years was Major general of the State Militia. Mr. Sedgwick married Betsy, eldest daughter of Judge Swan, in 1821. He died in Sharon, March 9th, 1883. He had ten children, and the youngest son, Cyrus Swan Sedgwick, still resides in the old family home. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. CHAPTER CONTAINING A CONCISE HISTORY OF EVENTS WHICH LED TO THE SALE AND SETTLEMENT OF THE TOWNSHIP. The North-western part of Connecticut was sold and settled at a much later period than any other portion of the state. As early as the year 1686, nearly all the lands in the Colony had been disposed of, except those lying north of Waterbury and Wood- bury, and west of Simsbury. Under the Charter of Charles II. , obtained in 1663, the Colony of Connecticut, though nominally dependent on the crown, enjoyed, in fact, a strictly Republican form of government ; the only service they were required to render to the crown of England being the one fifth part of the produce of such mines of gold and silver as should be discovered. Charles was succeeded by his brother, James II. , a prince of very arbitrary and vindictive propensities, and no sooner was he firm- ly seated on his throne, than he began to manifest his tyrannical disposition by causing the charters, which had been granted l)y his predecessors, to be vacated, and by assuming to himself the right of appointing governors for the different Colonies. It was feared by the people, that these Royal governors would seize upon all the public lands which had not been sold and granted by the Colony, and measures were taken to prevent such unjustifi- able proceedings. It was believed, that if the public lands were sold, and the title to them guaranteed by the governor and com- pany of the Colony, they could not be seized for the king, and under this impression, the land within the limits just mentioned IM IIISTOHY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. were on the; 3Gth day of January, 1(586, conveyed to the towns of liartford and Windsor. The grant, however, did not include the lands west of the Ousatonic River, the assembly probably s»i|)[)osing, that, on account of their great distance from the settleil parts of the Colony, they were beyond tlie reach of the royal governor's rapacity. In October, after the grant just men- tioned. Sir Edmund Andross came into the Colony, and by virtue of a commission fro:n King James, took upon himself the ad- ministration of the government, and continued in it about two years, or until tlie deposition of King James, when the people quietly i-esunied their ancient form of government under the Charter. The lands above mentioned being deemed of little value, and the more fertile parts of the State being but thinly populated, it was more than thirty years before any attempts were made to settle them. About the year 1732, the public attention was turned to the wetitern lands, as they were called ; and as they began to rise in value, the towns of Hartford and Windsor laid claim to them, under the ancient grant which had been made to them under the circumstances which have been mentioned. Tills claim created a strong excitement throughout the Colony, and a long and bitter controversy ensued, which resulted in a division of the lands between the towns and the Colony, the towns taking the eastern portion and the Colony the western. This contention with Hartford and Windsor had retarded the sale of the western lands, but that difiiculty was now adjusted, and the Assembly took measures, soon after 1730, to effect this object ; and for this purpose they were surveyed, and laid out into townships of suitable dimensions. At the session in May, 1733, Edmund Letcis, Esq., Capt. 8tep?ien Noble, and Mr. William (laylord,* were appointed a committee to view the Colony lands west of the Ousattmic River, and to lay out a township in the * Mr. Luwis, who whh placed at the head of this committee, belonged to Stratford, and was the Gount.v Surveyor of Fairfield County. He had liccii cinploycd through the whole of tlic prcccdiiiK year in surveying and riimiini,' tlu' liniindary line between the i-dldiiy of Conneeticut and the l)ni\ iiicr (if Nr\v York, which was a wcuk of \'irv u'rrat labor. He liad also b.'cn rini.l.iv.l. yi/ars before, in layinu' out ,-niiiitry grants in tlic south part of tlic tcrritorv, and of course was well ar.imuntcd witli all this region of coniitrv, tbrn in a stub' of nature. Mr. N'olil.' was tb,.' second son of Mr. John Noble of Xrw MiUor Committee, Wm. Gaylord, ) New Milford, October 9, 1732, HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 21 study of navigation, and made experiments and observations, based upon a treaty of partition made in 1683, but which liad never been carried out by actual survey, and persuaded liiniself tliat the boundary line, when surveyed, would run witliin about two miles of the Ousatonic River. In this belief, he purchased of MeUmni, the great Chief of all the Indian tribes in that region, whose residence was probably at Copake FlaU, N. Y., about twenty two thousand acres of land, more than seven thousand acres of which the survey of the boundary line showed to be in Connecticut. The boundaries were definitely traced in the treaty of purchase but in general terms they were as follows : The east line commenced at a place which the Indians called Wimpeting, at the western base of a range of mountains, about seven miles south of Sharon Village and from that point it followed the western base of the mountain range, northerly, to a point in Salisbury, a little east of Town Hill, so called. From that point the line ran northwesterly to the base of the mountain north of the Ore Hill, which in the Indian deed is called Pori- sumpsie, thence southwesterly to the foot of the mountain west of Spencer's Corner, then following that range southerly through theWassaic valley, to Sackett's other possessions. Looking at this territory in all its characteristics and resources, we can hardly conceive of any other which exceeds it in rural beauty or sources of wealth. He, believing that the whole tract was within the territory of New York, obtained a confirmation of his title from the Pro- vincial Government and from Queen Anne's Most Excellent Majesty. He exercised acts of ownersliip in different parts of the territory. He built a dwelling house in what is now called Sharon Valley, which stood west of the Ten Mile River, a little west of the Malleable Iron Works, and just within the territory of Connecticut. There he settled a tenant of the name of Baltus Lott, a Dutchman. There can be no doubt that the house oc- cupied by this individual was the first house built by a white man in Shai'on, and that he was the first white inhabitant of the town. Sackett also made other improvements in various portions of the lands claimed by him. But the running of the bound- ary line in 1731 showed him that a large and valuable portion of them were within the jurisdiction of Connecticut, and that so much of them would be lost to him unless he could obtain a con- firmation of his title from that colony. 32 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. He immediately commenced petitioning the General Court of Connecticut for the recognition of his title, and prosecuted his suit for nearly seven years. He urged, from time to time, his claims to the land for the reasons, that he had expended large sums of money in the purchase of it, in the full belief that it was in New York ; that he had braved many dangers during a long residence in the wilderness, encountered perils and priva- tions of various kinds, had built a grist mill for the benefit of the neighboring inhabitants ; and in various other ways urged a confirmation of his title. His petitions were uniformly rejected by the legislature, and he, after several years' of effort, satisfied that a further prosecution would be useless, abandoned it forever. But his tenant Baltus Lott held on to his possessions for sev- eral years after the town was settled, despite the many efforts of the proprietors to dislodge him and finally compelled them to pay him a liberal price for his improvements. The Colony of Connecticut ever made it a practice to deal justly by the Indian claimants before they attempted to dispose of .its lands by settlements. Treating Sackett's purchase as a nullity, the governor and company employed Thomas Lamb, who lived at Lime Rock, in Salisbury, to buy up the Iridian title to the lands in Sharon, and in October, 1738, he effected a pur- chase from the tribe claiming title to them, for about four hundred and fifty dollars. The indefiuiteness and uncertainty of this contract with Lamb, as to how much, if any, land was I'e- served to the Indians, afterwards as will be seen, caused no little trouble to the settlers It will be observed that the committee who laid out the township, mention in their report to the legislature that there had been laid out in country grants about four hundred acres of land. This was the designation given to lands patented by the Colony to individual purchasers. The land thus described was near Hitchcock's Corner. It was laid out in two parcels, one of three hundred acres to Samuel Orvis, of Farmington, and an- other of about one hundred acres to Jonathan Bird of the same town. Both pieces were surveyed by Mr. Lewis about the time of the original survey of the town. This grant included lands of the very first quality, and extended as far north as to in- clude the farm of the late Southard Hitchcock, Esq. Orvis and Bird never occupied their lands, but before 1784 sold them to one Daniel Jackson, and the patent was taken out in Jack- HISTOIJY OF THE TOWN OF SlIAUOX. 23 soil's iiaiiio, and the land for niaiiy years was called J(U'kwn'i< Patent. Daniel Jackson was the first New England iiuin who lived in Sharon. His house stood wliere the house lately owned by the Sharon Manufacturing Company stands. He was orig- inally from Newtown, in Fairfield County, but at the time of his purchase he resided in Dover, N. Y. His son Jehiel Jackson, who once lived where George Maxam now lives, in the Great Hal- kno, was the first white child born in Sharon. Mr. Jackson lived but a few years in town. In February, 1739, he sold his patent to Garret Winegar, and removed to Great Barrington, Mass. CHAPTER II. AN ACCOUNT OF THE MEASURES PROPOSED AND EXECUTED FOR THE SALE AND SETTLEMENT OF THE TOWNSHIP. At the session of the Assembly in May, 1738, it was ordered that the township should be sold at public auction at New Haven on the second Wednesday of the following October. Samuel Eels, Esq., Joseph Whiting and Capt. Isaac Dickerman were appointed a committee for that purpose. It was divided into fifty-three rights, or shares, as they were called, one of which was given to the first minister, one was reserved for the use of the ministry in the town, and one for the support of schools, and the debts accruing from the sale were secured by the bonds of the purchasers, and when collected the avails were divided among the other towns in the colony for the support of schools therein. The following is a list of the original pur- chasers of the town : Nathaniel Skinner, Ichabod Foot, Thomas Skinner, Stephen Calkin, Nathaniel Skinner, Jr., Samuel Hutchinson, Samuel Calkin, 2 rights, Timothy Pierce, 3 rights, Samuel Gillet, James Smith, Joshua Lyon, Ebenezer Mudge, Joseph Skinner, John Sprague, John Pardee, Samuel Butler, 3 rights, Niles Coleman, Benjamin Johns, Matthew Judd, James Talmadge, F TIIK TOWN (»F Jabez Crii)i)on, Daniel Hunt, William (jroodricli, 2 rights, Thomas Spafford, Jonathan Petit, John Goold, Zephaniah Swift, Benjamin Owen, Joseph Parke, Ebenezer Norton, o rights Joseph Holley, Samuel Comstock, Caleb Chappel, Jonathan Peck, Josiah Gillet, Jr. Jonathan Case, Samuel Beach, Moses Case, Joseph Monroe, John Woodin. Eben Case, These purchasers formed a legal corporation, whose desig- nation was and is, TJiC, Propi'ktors of the Common and Undivided Land in the Toirnship of Sharon. The clerks of the corporation have been Ntdlianiel Skinner, John Williams, Daniel Gris- ivold, Samuel Canfield, Samuel E. Everitt and Eben W. Chaffee. The corporation had power to set out to each proprietor in sev- eralty his share of the lands, and at different times they have been thus deeded, and each right has furnished to its owner nearly seven hundred acres of land. The average price of each right was about one thousand dollars, and each deed to the purchaser contained the following condition, which would ensure the speedy occupancy of the lands : " Always provided, and these presents, are upon this con- dition, that if the said — , shall by himself or his agent, within the space of two full years next after the date thereof, enter upon the said granted premises, build and finish an house thereon not less than eighteen feet square, and seven feet stud, subdue, clear, and fence six acres of said land, and continue thereon for the space of three successive years, commencing after the two years aforesaid, (unless prevented by deatli or inevitable Providences,) and do perform all duties and orders, pay all taxes that, shall be granted, then the aforesaid deed shall remain in full force and virtue. " The records do not show how much, if any of the pur- chase money was paid on the sale, or that any other security than the personal bond of the purchaser were required before giving the deeds. Of the original proprietors these became inhabitants of the town : Nathaniel Skinner, John Sprague, Nathaniel Skinner, Jr. John Pardee, Joseph Skinner, Jabez Crippen, * 4 26 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Stephen Calkin, William Goodrich, Samuel Hutchinson, Jonathan Petit, James Smith, Joseph Parke, Ebenezer Mudge, James Talmadge, Joseph Holley, Daniel Hunt, All the above names have become extinct in the town ex- cept those of Pardee and Calkin, each of which is represented by a bachelor, one of the age of eighty-six years, and the other not in a condition to afford much hope of progeny. There are many now remaining in the town who are descendants from the first proprietors through female lineage. Many of the original purchasers sold their rights to those who were also among the first settlers of the town. Some of them were as follows : — John Williams, David Hamilton, Ebenezer Jackson, Thomas Hamlin, Jonathan Dunham, Bartholomew Heath, Caleb Jewett, Samuel Hulburt, Obadiah Chapman, Jonathan Lord, Caleb Strong, John Marvin, John Corbet, Jonathan Rowley, Caleb Curtice, Matthew St. John, Ebenezer Frisbie, John Tickner, Benjamin Fuller, Bazaleel Tyler, John Gay, George Way, Immediately after the sale of the township, a number of the purchasers came on for the purpose of exploring, and to determine in what part of the town the settlement should be made. After exploring the lands and viewing their situation, it was found that the centre of the township was very unfavorably situated for the town plot. It was on a high ridge of land, where the face of the country was forbidding and un- comfortable. After mature deliberation, it was determined to fix the settlement on a street, laid out from Jackson's Patent to Salisbury line, and the place designed for the center, or site of the public buildings, was laid out in squares of a half mile each. All the individuals who came on to explore in the fall of 1738, returned to their families except one, who was William Goodrich. He brought his family with him, and spent the winter, which was a very severe one, with no other neighbors HISTORY Ol' THK TOWN OF SHAltON. 27 than the Indians, nearer than the Dutch settlements in tlie Oblong. The next Sjjring, however, brt)ught a large aeeession to the number of inhabitants, and from that period the settle- ment of the town may be said to have connnenced. The first division was into lots of about eighty acres each, which was to furnish the Home lot or residence of the proprie- tor. A Committee was appointed to lay out a lot ot eighty acres, which was called the Standard lot, and all the other lots were made to conform to this in value, the quantity to be more or less according to the quality. Some of the home lots were laid out wholly on one side of the street, and some on both sides, according to the situation of the land. The Standard lot was the one adjoining Jackson's Patent, owned by the late Charles T. Lovell. The settlers principally located on the main street leading from Jackson's Patent, now Hitchcock's Cornier, to Salisbury. Some, however, settled on the mountain and some in the valley, and in the course of a j-ear or two nearly the whole territory of the finst society was occupied. A large pro- portion of the first inhabitants of Sharon were from Lebanon and Colchester, in the county of Windham ; some few were from Norwalk and Stamford, in Fairfield county, and several families were from the Old Plymouth Colony. As they removed into the town they located themselves upon the several Home- lots which they had taken up, and by the next fall, were all comfortably provided with homes and other necessaries. CHAPTER 111. INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN — FIRST TOWN MEETING — LIST OF OFFICERS CHOSEN — SETTLEMENT OF REV. PETER PRATT — FIRST MEETING HOUSE— ALARMING SICKNESS. During the process of locating and settling the township, the inhabitants enjoyed no corporate privileges, nor had the town received any other name than that given it by the com- mittee who laid it out in 1733. After so many inhabitants liad removed into the town as came in the Spring and Summer of 1739, it became important that they should be invested with the usual privileges of Towns, and they should receive a cor- porate name. A meeting was accordingly holden, and Captain Jonathan Dunham was ap^jointed agent to make application to the assembly for a charter, with the usual privileges of Towns. The character, principles and expectations of the settlers are forcibly illustrated in their petition to the Assembly for an Act of Incorporation, which is as follows : — To the Honorable, the Governor, Council and Representatives in General Court assembled at New Haven, 2d Thursday of October, Anno Domini, 1739 ; — "The memorial of the subscribers hereunto, being the per- sons who, by your Honors' favor were allowed to purchase the southernmost township on the west side of the Ousatonic River, which we have presumed to call by the name of Sharon, HISTORY OF THK TOWN OF SHARON. 29 liuinbly showeth that the settlers on said tract of laiul arc d.-iily increasing in numbers, and that there are at tliis prc'sent time twenty-eight families settled there, and a considerable munlu'r that are not head of families, and all are united in a desire that the plan may have your Honors' favor, protection and en- couragement ; that we may proceed with courage and resolution, not only to advance our estate, and temi>oral interest, but also the interest of religion there, and for that we humbly pray,— 1. "That we may be formed as a Town, and have the same privileges as are allowed and granted to other Towns in this Colony. 2. "That we may have your Honors' allowance to call and settle some orthodox minister of the gospel among us. This we the earlier ask, because we have a young gentleman now with us, in whom we think we can all unite, and who we think would be willing to undergo the difficulties of settling a wilder- ness country, that he might be instrumental in building up the interest of Christ there. Your Honors granting the favors prayed for will engage your memorialists ever to pray. The petition was granted and the following is a copy of the act of incorporation : — " Anno Eegni Regis Georgii Secundi 30. Connecticut Colony — " At a General Assembly holden at New Haven, in his Maj- esty's Colony of Connecticut, in New England in America, on the second Thursday of October, being the 11th day of said month, and continued by several adjournments until the IJlst day of the same month, annoque Domini 1739. Upon the memoi'ial of the inhabitants of the southernmost town on the west side of the Ousatonic river, showing to the assembly the number of settlers now in said town, and the circumstances they are under, and praying for the countenance and favor of this assembly, first in allowing them to be formed as a town, and to have the privileges of other towns in this colony, also to call and settle some orthodox minister in the work of the ministry among them. "Resolved by this Assembly, that the inhabitants of said town, qualified as the law directs, shall have and enjoy all such rights and privileges, and have such powers as are usually granted to other towns in this colony and that said inhabitants shallhave liberty to call and settle some orthodox minister of 80 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. the gospel in the work of the ministry in that place, taking the advice of the ministers of the neighboring churclies, and that the town hereafter be called by the name of Sharon. And cajj- tain Jonathan Dunham of said town, is hereby appointed and empowered to cause the inhabitants of said town to meet in said town on the second Wednesday of December next, to choose town officers in said town for the year ensuing. " Captain Dunham, in pursuance of the authority given him, warned the first town meeting, and the town was fully organized for municipal purposes. For the information of the pi'esent generation, and to show in what way the business of this meet- ing was conducted, its proceedings are here copied from the records, preserving accui-ately the orthography of the original. "The Inhabitance of Sharon aplying Themselves to the Genral assembly in October Last Past for Town Priviledges Cap Dunham was mad Choice of to Eepresent the Town to the Assembly, and having obtained the Desiar of the town he being ordered by the Assembly to Warn tlie Inhabitance in order To Chuse town officers which Being Dune the Inhabitance being met on the 11 day of December In ye yeare 1739 at the house of Nath U. Skinner In Sharon And then opened the meeting as the Law Dricts ' ' Cap Dunham Was Chosen moderator "Leu Jabez Creppen John Sprague and Cap Jonathan Dunham Was Chosen Select men for the year insewing " Nath Skinner Was Chosen town Clark "James Smith was Chosen Constable and Sworn as the Law Directs ' ' George Way was Chosen Granjuery and sworn as the Law Directs "Ebenezer Mudg William Tickner Ebenezer flfrisbie and Cornelius hamlin Was Chosen Surveys of high Ways and Sworn as the Law Directs ' ' Jeremiah foster Samuel Mudg and Thomas Creppen Was Chosen fence vewers and sworn as the Law Directs ' ' Samuel Comstock Was Chosen Colector "Nathl Skinner Jun Was Chosen Leather Sealer " Nathl. Skinner Jonathan Dunham and John Sprague Was Chosen a Com'tt. to go after a Minister. "Nathl. Skinner and Lew. Jabez Creppen chosen a Com'tt. to Lay out a Beuriug Place. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 31 " It was further voted that a Note or Warning In writing set uj) at The house of John Sprague and Nathl. Skinner and at Garrit winegars mill Six Days before a town meeting Given Reasons of Said Meeting, Siiall be a Lawful Warning for a town meeting. "farther voted that Swin haven a Ring in their noses Shall be accounted an orderly Greater." We have seen that at the first town meetings measures were taken to procure a minister to preach the gospel to the inhabitants. They evidently contemplated the employment of a minister in the early settlement of the Town, and such, too, it seems was the intention of the Assembly in sequestering two rights for the support of the gospel. This aid was afforded in order to assist a community which must necessarily have been weak and feeble in its infancy, in having a supply of the Word of Life, and the benefit of religious ordinances. Prompted by these encouragements, the first inhabitants of Sharon took early measures to settle a minister. The committee appointed at the first town meeting made application to Mr. Peter Pratt, of Lebanon, a candidate for the ministry, and graduate of Yale College, of the class of 1736, and on the 8th day of January, 1740, the Town called him "upon trial for some convenient time," and laid a tax of fifteen shillings on a right for the pay- ment of his services. His labors were acceptable to the people, and on the 14th day of March following, he was invited to settle over the church and congregation in the work of the ministry. The Town voted him a salary which would amount to about two hundred dollars per annum.* Mr. Goodrich and * Town meeting. Januar.v 8, 17!0. Voted that Mr. Peter Pratt shall be called by us upon trial for some convenient time. Voted that Deacon Nathanitil Skinner, Capt. Dunham and John Sprague, shall be a committee to call Mr. Peter Pratt for some couvonient time of probation for the settling in the work of the ministry, and tliat said committee is authorized to agree with him for nis wages. March 14, 1740- Voted to call Mr. Peter Pratt to the work of the ministry among ns in order to ordination. March 20, 1740. Voted to Mr. Pratt for his stated salary 210 poiinds a year in money which is as silver at 29 shillings per ounce, and for this year 140 pounds, and to rise ten pounds a year until it comes to the 210 pounds, and there to stand during the time of his ministry among us. Voted, that if Mr. Pratfs necessity calls, and the ability of the town will allow it, then to give him more. . „ ,^ _^ ^ March 25, 1740. Voted that the day for the ordination of liev. Peter Pratt shall be the last Wednesday of April next. Voted that Capt. Dunham, Nath. Skinner, Mr. Goodrich, Mr. Sprague, Mr. Way are a committee to order the affairs for the ordination ot Mr. Pratt. ■52 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Mr. Sprague were appointed to treat with Mr. Pratt and to present to him the offers of the town. These were accepted by him, and the time fixed for the ordination was the last Wed- nesday in April. It is supposed that it took place at that time, and that the services were performed in a private dwelling, as no place of public worship had been provided at that time. The records of the Congregational Church in Sharon for the first fifteen years are lost. The exact date of the organization of the Church cannot, therefore, be determined. At a meet- ing of the Church in Westchester, a parish of Colchester, Conn., on the 28th day of April, 1740, Nathaniel Skinner (deacon), Jonathan Dunham, Jabez Crippen, Benjamin Fuller, Nathaniel Skinner, Jr., Thomas Skinner, David Skinner, Jonathan Skinner, Jabez Crippen, Jr., Samuel Mudge, Micah Mudge, Cornelius Hamlin, Alexander Spencer and Josiah Skinner "received letters of recommendation, in order to be embodied into a Church at Sharon, where they have for some time resided." At a meeting of the same Church, on May 18, 1740, (about three weeks after the former meeting) Jeremiah Foster, Mary Foster, Mary Skinner, Content Fuller, Elizabeth Skinner, Abigail Mudge, Mary Hampton, Mary Dunham, Mary Skin- ner, Jr., Eunice Mudge, Elizabeth Dunham, Lydia Crippen, Deborah Crippen, Thankful Crippen, Waitstill Heath, Abigail Skinner, Patience Fuller, Hannah Dunham and Martha Mudge received a letter of recommendation ' 'to the Church in Sharon, " which indicates that this Church was oi'ganized between the meetings of the church in Westchester. The ministry being thus established, the next business in order was to provide a place of public worship ; and to this object the attention of the Town was soon turned. On the 23d of June, 1740, the town voted to build a meeting house at some convenient time, 55 feet by 45, and 22 feet posts. This would have been a large house for those times, and as it was probably fovmd to be more expensive than the circumstances of the town would authorize, it was abandoned for that year. In the mean- time the inhabitants met alternately on the Sabbath, for public woi'ship, at the house of Captain Dunham, and at the house of Mr. Pardee, and in the milder season of the year the meetings were held in Mr. Pardee's barn. For tempory accommodation, and until a better house could be provided, it was voted, in the Spring of 1741, to build a meeting house of logs or poles, 36 feet HISTORY OF Tin: TOWN OK siiAiioN. ;j;j by 20. Where this temporary log meeting house stood is not now known It was used but a short time, as while it was building, measures were being taken by the town to build a house, which should be of sufficient dimensions to accommodate all the wor- shippers. It was voted that the new house should be 45 feet by 35, and 30 feet posts, and Capt. Dunham, Ensign Spragne and Ser- geant Pardee were appointed a committee to superintend its erec- tion. A committee appointed by the government, consisting of John Bostwick, of New Milford, and Samuel Lewis and John Mills of Kent, were called upon to fix its location, and it was de- termined that it should be erected in the middle of the street, directly opposite the tavern now kept by Mr. Perry Loucks. The building was commenced early in the spring of 1742, and in the course of the season it was so far completed, as that public meet- ings were held in it in the following October. But it was five or six years before it was finished and glazed. The Hon. Philip Livingston, who had become a large owner of real estate in the town, generously offered to give a bell for the use of the meeting house, pi'ovided the town would build a steeple. It was voted that this should be done at the north end of the meeting house, and Messrs. Dunham, Pardee and Hutchinson were appointed a committee to return the thanks of the town to Mr. Livingston for his munificent offer. For some reason the bell was never procured, nor t.lie steeple erected. The meeting house stood about twenty-five years, when it was foimd too small for public accommodation. The first year (1739) was one of great promise and prosperity. The population rapidly increased and the productions of the soil richly rewarded the toil of its cultivators, but the month of May 1742 was marked by the commencement of a wasting sickness which overwhelmed the settlers with distress and threatened the entire breaking up of the enterprise. This calamity put it out of their power to comply with the condition of their bonds, and in their extremity they made application to the Assembly for relief. The following is a copy of their memorial, drawn up by the Rev, Mr. Pratt, which is a remarkable specimen of suppliant elociuence. It was addressed to the Assembly in the usual way and proceeded to say : " That notwithstanding the smiles of Divine Providence upon us at our first settling in this place, in which we thankfully en- couraged ourselves, vet so numerous have been the frowns, and 34 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. SO heavy the strokes of the Almighty in the year past, and so dark is the countenance of our present state, that we have not only been brought to uncommon continued distress, but even to despair of future prosperity unless relieved by your Honors' favor. In May last it pleased tlie Almightj^ to send a nervous fever among us, which continued eleven months, in which time more than one hundred and twenty persons were long confined with it, some have lain more than one hundred daj^s. some eighty, many sixty, and few have been capable of business in forty days after they were seized with the distemper. By reason of which, many were unable to plow for wheat in the year past, many who had plowed were unable to sow, and some who had sowed una- ble to secure it by fence, and much wheat that was ripe, rotted on the ground. By reason of the sickness of the people, which was not only exceeding expensive to the persons and families sick, but also to those who were in health, their time being taken up in tending those that were sick, many of whom were obliged to suffer for want of help. Twenty are dead, many widows and fatherless children are left among us, not a man but that has sustained loss — many who were more than level with the world are impover- ished. The distress of the winter has been exceeding great and impoverishing. Our cattle are so destroyed that there Is not a cow left to half the families in the town, and now many men are obliged to leave their business at home and go twenty miles to labor for bread and corn, and so must continue to do until har- vest, so that we are not now able to take up our bonds without being wrecked in our estates, some torn, others quite broke, so that not above three-quarters of us can save our home lots and pay our purchase. Neither can we maintain our minister or build our Meeting House, but must quit the place, or become tenants, we and our children, to neighboring rich merchants who are seeking our lands, but at their own price. " Therefore, we, a withering branch of this commonwealth, and the poor of this colony, would now humbly pray for your Honors' assistance and gracious notice. And as our industrious improvements have been the admiration of all who have beheld our settlement, and far exceeding any other instance of late plan- tation, weti'ust we may not after three years' toil, sickness and want, be turned off from our lands ; become tenants, or seek another settlement under worse circumstances than when we settled in this place, which tliat your Honors would take into your wise HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SIIAHON. m consideration, and upon it f^raciously act toward ns. is tlio car- nest and necessary prayer of your Honors' dutiful and humble memorialists." The second application was successful to this extent, that the time for the payment of the bonds was extended some two or three years, and thus the settlers were able to meet their pay- ments without further embarrassments. These memorials explain how Philip Livingston and Martin Hoffman became large owners of real estate in Sharon at an early day, a fact which befoi'e was obscure. They were undoubtedly the rich neiglihoring merchants referred to in the memorial. The representatives of Philip Livingston are still proprietors of the common land in Sharon. The first death recorded of those residing in Sharon, is that oi Miriam, the wife of Williavi Goodrich, Jun., which occurred on the 22d of April, 1740. The following persons also, as appears of record, departed this life during the same season, viz. : Asa Rood, David Skinner, Mary, wife of Nath. Skinner, Esq,, Deacon Hezekiah King, Ben- jamin Fuller, Jonathan Dioihavi, Jim., Daniel Bouton, Daniel Bouton, Jim., in all nine persons. The first person born in the town after Jehiel Jackson, before mentioned, was Sarah Bates, daughter to John and Anna Bates. She was afterwards the wife of John Randall, and lived to a very advanced age. The first marriage in the town w^as that of Elnathan Goodrich to Elizabeth Showers. It was celebrated on New Year's Day, January 1, 1740. It is supposed . that Nathaniel Skinner and Hezekiah King were the first deacons of the church. Deacon King, however, died during the first year, and was probably succeeded by Jona- than Elmer. The first pound was erected where Mr. Jay S. Can- field formerly lived. It would seem from the votes on this subject and also in relation to the location of the meeting house, that there was some strife between the inhabitants, as to where the centre should be established. Some were for having it fixed half a mile south of the place finally established, but the decision of the government's committee seems to have quieted all difliculty on the subject. CHAPTER IV. INDIANS IN SHARON. There was a somewhat numerous tribe of Indians in Sharon before its settlement by the white inhabitants. Their principal village was on the eastern border of Indian Pond, in the north- west corner of the town, where they had considerable clearings. The Indian name of this pond was Weequagnock. There were numbers of them too on the borders of the other pond, and in the valley of the Ten Mile River. The Indian name of this stream was Webotuek. They were never sufficiently numerous to prove dangerous to the safety of the settlers, but their dis- satisfaction because of the refusal of the proprietors to ac- knowledge their claims to a certain quantity of land which they insisted was reserved to them in their sale to Thomas Lamb, and the agitation of that matter for nearly fifteen years was a cause of fear and anxiety to their immediate neighbors during that period. The matter was brought before the Assembly by a joint memorial of the Proprietors and Indians, presented in 1742, which will at once give an explanation of the pending troubles, and which was in the words following : — To the Honorable, the General Assembly of the Colony of Con- necticut, in General Court assembled, at Hartford, in said Colony, on the second thursday in May, A. D. 1743. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 37 "The memorial of Peter Pratt, Nathaniel Skinner and Jona^ than Dunham, agents for said town, and Stephen Nequitimamjh Nanhoon, and others of the Indian nations, residing in said Sharon, humbly showeth — ' ' That they, the said Stejyhen Nequitimaugh NanJuxm, and others of the Indian natives, residing in Sharon, were the proper owners of the lands contained in the said township of Sharon, and Salisbury, adjoining to said Sharon, and that a considerable part of said lands was honorably purchased of said Indians, and paid for by Thomas Lamb of said Salisbury, and that he, the said Lamb, in negotiating the said purchases of said Indians, did take advantage of their ignorance, and as tliey have since understood, did obtain a deed or deeds from them or some of them for more of said land than ever tiiey sold or intended to sell to said Lamb, and particularly the place at the northwest corner of said Sharon, where the said Indians live and improve, and always designed to reserve to themselves for a settlement, besides several other parcels that have never been sold to the English ; That the Government's Committee have obtained the rights purchased by said Lamb of the Indians, and have sold all the lands in the townships of Salisbury and Sharon to the propi'ietors of said Towns, who are now improving and are entering on the said lands still claimed by the said Indians, which has aroused a great deal of uneasiness among the Indians, they looking upon themselves defrauded of their rights. "That many of the Proprietors of Sharon are likewise inclined to believe, that the said Indians, who were the proper owners of said land, did never, to this day sell to the said Lamb or to this government, all the lands in said Sharon or Salisbury, but that they have still an honest right to that said tract where the said Indians now live, as also to one mile in width across the south end of said town of Sharon, and that they are willing the said tract where the Indians now live should be restored to them and confirmed to the said Indians, though the Proprietors have purchased the same of the government. Provided they can have it made good to them by other reasona- ble satisfaction. "Whereupon your Honors' memorialists humbly pray that the Honorable Assembly would take the case into their consider- ation and would appoint a Committee to repair to Sharon to hear do HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. and examine and to enquire into the claims of the said Indians, and purchases that have been obtained from them either by the said Lamb or others, with power to agree, settle and determine all matters of difference and controversy relating to the premi- ses, and for the quieting the said Proprietors and the said Indians, or that your Honors would in some other way, as in your wisdom you shall think fit, find a remedy. "Your memorialists further show, that there is a very con- siderable number of said Indians, living at said noithwest corner of said Sharon, and others not far from them, that ai-e desirous of being instructed in the Doctrines of the Gospel ; to be taught to read the Holy Scriptui'es, and be informed of the way of salvation therein revealed ; and that their children may be educated accord- ing to Christianity ; which your memorialists also recommend to your Honors' consideration, hoping that your Honors will be inclined to do something towards their encouragement ; and your Honors' memorialists as in duty bound shall ever pray. Dated in Hartford this 13th day of May A. D., 1743." Upon this memorial a committee was appointed, consisting of the Hon. Thomas Fitch, afterwards Governor of the Colony, Daniel Edwards, Esq., of Hartford, afterwards a judge of the Superior Court, and Robert Walker, Esq. , of Hartford, who was a large proprietor of the lands in Salisbury, whose duty it should be to investigate the subject matter of the memorial ; and they met the parties in Sharon, on the 11th day of October, 1742, and heard them by their interpreters and witnesses. They made a long and elaborate report in which they gave a history of Lamb's purchase ; and believing that the Indians had misunderstood the bargain, reccommended that a certain quan- tity, not exceeding fifty acres should be set off to them ; that some equivalent should be allowed the proprietors, and that some provision should be made for the religious teachings of the Indians. The Assembly approved the views of the Committee and re- quested Mr. Pratt, the minister of Sharon, to devote some time to the advancement of the spiritual interests of the tribe, but as they made no provision to remunerate the proprietors, no final ad- justment of the difficulty was effected. The Indian improve- ments contained some ninety acres, and besides this, they demanded a large tract on the adjoining mountains for fire- wood. HISTOKY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 39 To this tlie proprietors would not consent witliout a compensation from the government, and tlie old troubles returned witli in- creased acrimony. In 1745 another effort was made to call the attention of the Assembly to these Indian troubles. The proprietors of Sharon advised tlieir Honors that the Indians were uneasy and restless, in view of the state of their affairs, and they added : "We can't but think needful for some proper care, in this difficult time, to be taken. " This memorial was continued in the Assembly till 1710, when William Preston of Woodbury, and Samuel Canfield, of New Mil- ford, were appointed a committee to lay out the Indian lands by metes and bounds. This connnittee, in the prosecution of their duties, employed the celebrated Roger Sherman, then a humble shoemaker at New Milford, to lay out the Indian lands, in liis capacity of Covin ty Surveyor, and to mark out definitely their boundaries. All this was accomplished by Mr. Sherman ; but nothing was done to remunerate the proprietors, and both parties were left to contest their rights as best they could. The Indians were stimulated in their quarrel by certain disorderly persons, who made them believe they were their special friends, whose counsels were prevalent in shaping their course. Under the guidance of those persons, they were emboldened to resistance, and gave great uneasiness and trouble to the proprietors. One VanArenan, a Dutchman, pretended to make a new purchase of their lands, and it became necessary to take strong measures to prevent open and forcible collision. This state of things portend- ed so much danger that Governor Law found it necessary to issue a formal Proclamation to the intruders, warning them that their Indian titles were worthless, and that the rights of the pro- prietors would be protected at all hazards. About the year 1750, Thomas Barnes moved into the town from New Fairfield, in Fairfield County, and purchased a large tract of land in the neighborhood of the Indian territory. In the course of a year or two, he persuaded the Indians to sell out their lands to him, and took a formal deed of their possessions from two of their chiefs, Nequitimaugli and Bartholomew. It was contrary to law to take deeds of the Indian proprietors in that way, but the Legislature, on the petition of Barnes, confirmed his title, and he took possession of the disputed territory, the Indians having gone to other parts. They carried with them, ho\ve\er, a 40 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. deep sense of the wrongs they had suffered, and some of them were often back among the inhabitants, complaining that they had been overreached, and often giving significant hints of the resentment which was rankling in their bosoms. The old French war commenced about this time, and the stories of Indian atroci- ties which were borne on every breeze, filled the whole country with terror and alarm. Four persons were murdered about this time, between Stockbridge and Lenox, and this, with other alarming incidents, produced a veiy general consternation in Sharon. In 1754 one Thomas Jones had purchased a tract of land near the Indian Pond, which had been claimed by the Indians, and built a log house upon it. His family were frequently disturbed in the night season by what they supposed to be the noise of In- dians about the house, and an armed guard was kept there during nights for several weeks. A memorial was presented to the Assembly, detailing the causes of danger from the Indians, by which the settlers were alarmed, and the statements of the mem- orial were fortified by the depositions of some half dozen j^ersons, who kept the guard, detailing with minuteness the incidents of one night. The testimony of one witness was as follows : — "John Palmer, of lawful age, testifieth and saith, that some time ago I came to dwell, as a hired man, with the above named Mr. Thomas Jones, and have been a member of his family in the time of the late disturbances, which he has testified about, but have not seen any Indians but one night, when I was upon the watch with several other men, but have frequently heard their whoops and whistles near his house, which noises of the Indians I am well acquainted with, having been a considerable time a captive among them and released from them last May. The time when I saw the Indians near Mr. Jones's was the latter part of the Sabbath day night before last. He came and put his head partly in at the door way, against a blanket that hung before the door. This he did twice. A man near me proposed to shoot, but I prevented him, hoping for a fairer shot, but he not coming there again, I went to the side of the house and looked through a crack between the logs of which the house was made, and saw an Indian but a few rods from the house, it being clear moon light. I then put my gun through the crack and shot, but not haying advantage to take good sight, suppose I did not hit him. I then went to a place cut out for a window and HISTORY OF TIIIC TOWN OF SHARON. 41 saw him clearly, and shot again with a gun that was put into my hands, and supposed I had killed him, for I thought lie fell down, upon which I took another man's gun and went out to see what I could discern, but not finding him at the place, scouted some time for him, at length discovered him at a small distance behind a tree. I endeavoi-ed to shoot again, but my gun missed fire. I called to know if any one of the company was near me, when one man came to me. He went further in search of him and presently had a sight of him, when the other man presently shot. Afterwards I shot at him again, but don't know that we hit him, except my second shot. I supposed him to be much wounded then, for he walked very poorly, stooping near the ground, his left hand holding up his blanket to his right side and his right arm hanging as if it was broken. But the men all coming out of the house after I had shot the last time, I run to the house, fearing lest some other Indians might get into the house in our absence and kill the women and children, so I saw the Indians no more. I saw no more Indians, but one of the company said he saw another, which by his account I believe he did. I have since seen no more, but heard their whoops and whistles as aforesaid. Dated October 14, 1754, and sworn before John Williams Justice of the Peace." Such is a specimen of the exciting incidents of the early years of the history of the Town. The peace between England and France in 17G1 pvit an end to all Indian claims. There is no tradition or record bearing upon the history of the Town, which has any reference to the old French War other than these Indian alarms, except the simple fact that Colonel Elmore, of the War of the Revolution, was a Lieutenant in the service in the previous war. CHAPTER V. ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS— DEPOSITION OF MR. PRATT— HIS SUB- SEQUENT CAREER — LITCHFIELD COUNTY ORGANIZED — SETTLEMENT OF MR. SEARLE— ELLSWORTH SOCIETY — REV. MR. KNIBLOE — DISMISSION OF MR. SEARLE. We have seen that Rev. Mr. Pratt was ordained in April, 1740, as the first minister of Sharon. The people were well united in him, and he settled under fair prospects of a long and useful ministry. He was married soon after his settlement to Mrs. Mary Metcalf, of Lebanon, and had several children. It would seem that the town showed him several acts of kindness, such as furnishing him his firewood, paying the expenses of hiring a horse for a journey to Lebanon, and in various other ways show- ing him marks of their respect and confidence. But a dark cloud soon obscured the cheering prospects of Mr. Pratt, and his ministry soon terminated in disgrace. It was soon found that he was addicted to intemperate drinking, and the most painful sen- sations were produced, as this fact, at first only suspected, was verified by indubitable indications. It is probable that his conduct was borne with for some time after it became evident that this habit was growing upon him, in the hope that the admonitions of his friends and his own sense of propriety might reform him. The first intimation of displeasure on the part of the town, which appears on record, is a vote passed on the 9th HISTOUY OF THE TOWN OF SIIAKON. 43 cl;iy of Jiuniary, 171(5, vvhon it was scilinmly votvd that they wouUl not abide by the agreement witli him in relation to fur- nishing him with fire- wood. His conduct was borne with, how- ever, for about two years longer, when liis intemperance became so notorious as to forbid furtlier tolerance. A committee appointed by the town for that purpose, made a complaint to the association of New Haven county, accusing Mr. Pratt of habitual and incurable intemperance, offering to ]n-ove the charges pre- ferred, and requesting an investigation by the Rev. body to whom the complaint was made. Mr. Pratt was cited to appear before the association at a place then called Westlmry, now Watertown, on the 13th day of October, 1747, to answer to the charges preferred against him, and the town were notified to appear and prosecute the complaint. The particulars of the trial are not knovvai, but it resulted in a deci'ee by the association, that the pastoral relation between Mr. Pratt and the people of Sharon should be dissolved, and tliat he should be prohibited from the further exercise of ministerial functions.* Thus ended the ministry of the liev. Peter Pratt. Like others who have been the subjects of ecclesi- astical censure, he seems to have been dissatisfied with the result and to have made an effort to procure another hearing, in the hope of being restored to his former standing in the ministry. He invited the town to join him in calling the association together for that purpose, and himself offered to bear the expense * Town Meeting, Jannary 9, 1746. Further it was put to vote whether the town would abide by the original agreement with Mr. Peter Pratt na to the article of fire-wood, that is to say, whether they will annually procure, cut, and draw home for him his tire-wood, voted in the negative. Town Meeting, Sept. 17, 1747. Voted that we will choose a committee to send to the moderator of the association; at the same meeting Matthew St. .John, John Gay, Lieut. John Pardee. Deaeim Ebeiiezer Jackson, Jon- athan Davis, Deacon Ebenezer Frisbie, Jacob Parst meet- ings of the proprietors, a vote was passed, directing tlieir com- mittee to lay out highways and lots in that part of the town with a view to the establishment of a distinct religious society. The town voted, as early as 1753, to set off a new society, with nearly the same limits as the present society of Ellsworth occupies. * The reason why the division of the ecclesiastical corporation was so long postponed was that the parties could never agree as to the limits of the new society. Those who petitioned that a new society should be formed, required that the dividing line should run north and south through the whole length of the township. The majority of the town, on the other hand, would never consent to this arrangement, and thus the controversy was continued for near half a century. In 1767, a committee of the General Assembly was sent out to examine the situation of the town with reference to a new society, and John Williams, Simeon Smith, John Canfield, Ebenezer Gay and Samuel Elmer, were ap- pointed a committee to wait upon them, but nothing was done. The people on the mountain were allowed some privileges from * Town Meeting, April 8, 17.53. Upon the motion made by the people in : easterly part of the town for a new society, voted that we are willing a society should be set off by a line agreed upon by a committee that shall 1)0 chosen to make such aline. Messrs. Samuel Hutchinson, David Hamilton, and John Marvine, chosen to be a committee for the purpose aforesaid. Voted that this meeting be adjourned for the space of t)ne hour, and then the meeting opened again according to adjournment, and the aforesaid committee made a report to the meeting of a line, by them agreed upon, for a new society, and it is as follows, viz., beginning at the southeast corner of the lot on which Woolstone Brockway lives, being in the south line of the township, from thence the line runs noctherly straight to the northeast corner of Deacon Frisbie's land, where he now lives, thence running according as the highway runs that comes out easterly of and near to Jehiel Pardee's house, where he now dwells, and then a straight line northerly to the middle of the north line of Caleb Sti'ong's lot on which he now dwells, and then easterly, as the highway runs, to Deacon Ebenezer Jackson's, then northerly and then turning easterly as the highway runs by John Gray's till it comes to where the road crosses the Great Hollow Brook, and from thence a due east line till it comes to Ousatonic river. Voted that the above said report of the Committee is accepted. May 3, 1753. It was put to vote whether we will grant the request of those who move for a new line, for a new society different from what was before granted and it was universally negatived. 48 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. time to time, to enable them to hire preaching in the Winter season. A part of their ministerial taxes wei'e abated, and for a number of years an annual vote of the town was passed, author- izing the minister to preach one Sabbath in each of the three Winter months in that part of the town. By this assistance from the town, and by individual subscription they were generally supplied with preaching four months in the year. The meetings in olden times were holden at the house now occupied by Charles Dean, known in tradition as the Esq. St. John place. The subject of the formation of an Ecclesiastical Society in the southeasterly part of the town was agitated, without favor- able result till May, 1800, when the Legislature incorporated a new society, embracing part of Sharon, and a small part of Kent, by the name of 'Ellsworth. The Act of Incorporation defines its boundaries as follows : "Beginning at Hart's Bridge, which lies across the Ousatonic River, and then southerly, as the river runs, to the southeast corner of Sharon, then westerly on the south line of the town of Sharon about one mile, to the summit of the mountain, and supposed to be the northeast corner of Nathan Skiff's land, then south two hundred and forty rods, then a parallel line with the south line of the town of Sharon to the line of the State of New York, then northward on the line of said State of New York to the dwelling house of Perez Doty, then northeasterly to the northeast corner of Samuel Peet's land, then northeasterly to a maple tree in the fork of the road, near Daniel Ackly's, then easterly still to the north part of Stephen Parsons' dwelling house, from thence northeasterly to said Hart's Bridge." The first meeting house erected for the use of this society was located near the cemetery on the Ellsworth turnpike, but it was removed to its present location, and the vote of the parish has kept it there, although the subject of its return to the former site, was once seriously agitated. A new meeting house was erected in 1838, which was occupied by the society until the 17th of January, 1847, when in the night season it was consumed by fire— Sabbath worship had been held in it the previous day, and it is supposed that it took fire from want of proper care in the person having charge of the building. A new meeting house was built the next year, which is still occupied by the society as its place of public worship. The Congregational Church in Ellsworth was organized on the 15th day of March, 1803, by an Ecclesiastical Council of which the Rev. Peter Starr, HISTOKY OF TFIK TOWN OF SHARON. 49 of WaiTen, was moderator. The following is a list of the mem- bers embraced in the original organization, and of thi' cliuiciies from which they were received into the newly organized cluirch : Samuel Young, from Church in Sharon. Martha Young, from Church in Sharon. Ebenezer Everett, from Church in Sharon. Lucy Everett, from Church in Sharon. Timothy St. John, from Church in Sharon. Anna Rice, from Church in Sharon. Silas Newton, from Church in Kent. Bathsheba Newton, from Church in Kent. Enoch Parsons, from Church in Sharon. Abigail Parsons, from Church in Sharon. Stephen Skitf, from Church in Kent, Dennis Skiff, from Church in Kent Mary Chaffee, from Church in Sharon, Anna Studley, from Church in Sharon. Phinehas Benjamin, from Church in Sharon, Jemimah Benjamin, from Church in Sharon. Benjamin Young, from Church in Sharon. Mehitable Young, from Church in Sharon. Joel Chaffee, from Church in Sharon, Dolly Chaffee, from Church in Sharon. Calvin Peck, from Church in Greenwich. Betty Peck, from Church in Greenwich, Rebecca Foster, from Church in Sharon. Prudence Frink, from Church in Sharon. Hepsibah Swift, from Church in Kent Esther Skiff from Church in Kent. Silas St. John, from Church in Sharon. Abigail St. John, from Church in Sharon. The following named clergymen have been pastors of the Church : Daniel Parker, ordained May 26, 1802. Orange Lyman, ordained August 26, 1813. Frederick Gridley, ordained June 7, 1820. John W. Beecher, installed Dec. 1, 1841. Wm. J. Alger, ordained Feb. 4, 1852. Robt. D. Gardner, installed June 9, 1858. John D, Stevenson, ordained Oct. 26, 1875. 50 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. The following is a list of the Deacons : Silas St. John, chosen July 1, 1802. Abel Woodward, chosen May 3, 1805. Amos Seymour, chosen Sept. 6, 180(i. Jabez Swift, chosen Jan. 17, 1812. Calvin Peck, chosen July 3, 1829. Nathan Dunbar, chosen June 2, 1839. Abel C. Woodward, chosen June 2, 1839. William Everett, chosen June 2, 1839. Gibbs W. Skiff, chosen March 4, 1859. [The following ministers have served the church as stated supply since Rev. Mr. Stevenson : Rev. Erwin C. Hull, March, 1880— Feb., 1885. Rev. Robert Sharp, June, 1885— Oct. 1, 1885. Rev. John H. Mueller, June, 1886— Sept. 26, 1888. Rev. E. Chalmers Haynes, July 26, 1889— June, 1890. Rev. Idrys Jones, May 3, 1891— Nov., 1892 Rev. Evore Evans, May, 1895— Oct. 1, 1897. Rev. Giles F. Goodenough, Jan. 1, 1898. The following have been chosen deacons since 1876 : Charles B. Everitt, June 17, 1881 ; re appointed July 11, 1886. Everitt S. Dunbar, July 2, 1881 ; re-appointed July 11, 1886. (died July July 22, 1892.) Albert L. Hall, July 1, 1894. Charles C. Dean, July 1, 1894. The 3d day of July, 1900, will complete one hundred years since the Ellsworth Ecclesiastical Society was organized. — Publisher.] Another religious society was formed at an early day at the south part of the town, embracing inhabitants of both colonies. The meeting house stood near the colony line, and was known for many years by the name of the Round Top Meeting House. The Rev. Ebenezer Knibloe was its minister for more than twenty- five years. This gentleman was from Scotland. During the rebellion in that country, in the year 1745, he favored the interests of the Pretender, and upon the defeat of the forces of that unfortunate prince, Mr. Knibloe removed to this country. He first settled on the west part of Philli^ys Patent, in Putnam county. New York, but after a stay there of about two years, he removed to this town and gathered the church and society at the Corner. He lived at the place formerly occupied by his grandson, Philo Knibloe. He was a sound, sensible man, a good preacher, and HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 51 apparently a sinc'(>re Christian. At the commencement of the revolutionary war, lie rather favored the pretensions of tlie British liing, for which reason his congregation became dis- affected, and he relinquished ministerial performances. He died of consumption on the 2()th day of December, 1785, at the age of fifty-six. The Round Top Meeting House was built previous to 1755, and in 1786 was removed to the present site of the Oblong Presbyterian Church. The Rev. Mr. Searl possessed in a good degree, the confi- dence and affection of his people. He had been settled over them but a short time, however, before his health began to fail, and early in the second year of his ministry he was absent a part of the time on that account. The town employed other preachers to supply the pulpit during the interruption of his labors, in the hope that his health might be restored and his ministry continued. His health, however, continued to decline to such a degree, that he deemed it his duty to withdraw from pastoral performances, and on the 4th day of June, 1754, he was dismissed with the reluctant consent of the town. * Thus in the short space of fifteen years * Town Meeting, Sept. 6, 1753. Deacon Ebenezer Jackson and Deacon Ebenezer Frisbie chosen a committee to endeavor to obtain preaching among 118 for the space of two months from this time. Mr. Searl having agreed to relinquish his salary for that purpose. Voted that said com- mittee advise with the Rev. Mr. Searl to whom to apply. Town Meeting, April 8, 1754. Put to vote whether, considering Mr. Searl's infirm state of health, we are willing that he should be absent from us for the space of half a year from this time, the whole or such part of the time as he shall think best, in order to use means to recover his health, and to pay him a salary for the same time, upon his endeavoring to procure for us as much assistance from the neighboring ministers as they shall be willing to afford. Passed in the negative. Voted that Capt. Matthew St- John, Messrs. Nathaniel Skinner, Jona- than Hunter, Thomas Barnes, and David Hamilton be a committee to go and discourse with Mr. Searl, and see if he will make some abatement of some part of his salary for that time when he shall be absent, and to make report to this meeting at such time as it may be adjourned to. Town Meeting, April 18, 1754. Upon a motion made by the Ilev. Mr. Searl to the town in town meeting, that considering his low and_ infirm state of health he has had thoughts of applying to the consociation in May next for advice whether it be not best for him to be dismissed from his pastoral relation to this church and people, and also to apply to said consociation for a dismission upon condition they judge it best. Voted that if Mr. Searl does make up his mind as abovesaid, that Lieut. John Pardee be a committee to accompany him, and to represent and act for this town at said consociation and to hear their determination. Town Meeting, June 7, 17.54. Whereas, the Reverend Moderator or the paid consociation of this county has sent us a notification to appear before said consociation at their meeting at our meeeting house, on the fourth Tuesday of June instant, to offer reasons, if any we have, why the Rev. Mr. Searl. considering his want of bodily health, &c., should not he dismissed from his pastoral relation to this town according to his desire. Voted that Messrs. John Williams, John Pardee, John Gay, Jolni Marvine, and Jonathan Hunter be a committee to represent tins town before said consociation at their meeting and to inform thein that wc have a dear regard for the Ilev. Mr. Searl, and the thoughts of his being r}2 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. the ministry in the town was twice made vacant. Mr. Searl soon after left the town, believing that his usefulness as a minister of the gospel was at an end, and under the apprehension that his days on earth would be few. He returned to Simsbury, and con- trary to the anticipations which were entertained at the time of his dismissal from Sharon, he recovered his health, and on the 17th day of January, 1758, he was installed minister oiStoneharn, Mass., in the vicinity of Boston. He remained in the ministry there, until the 24th day of April, 1776, when he was dismissed.* The reasons for his second dismissal were assigned in the follow- ing words : ' 'The difficulty of the times, whereby there was not a probable prospect for the support for his family, but more especially on account of his ill health, occasioned by easterly winds." He afterwards removed to Stoitg/iton, Mass., where he died in 1787. He had one son of the name of Samuel, who grad- uated at Yale College in 1781, and who was a young man of extraordinary talents and high promise, but who died at an early age. Mr. Searl, himself, was a man of respectable abilities, and of an elevated standing in the ministry. He was a member of an important ecclesiastical council, which assembled at New Haven, in October, 1751, to settle some disputes which had arisen in one of the churches in that town, and which consisted of some of the most eminent clergymen in the colony, to wit : John Graham, J('(h (Jidh Mills, Philemon Bobbins, Daniel Humphreys, Ebenezer ITA/Vc, FJfii:n- Wheelock, Benjamin Pomeroy, Benajah Case, Joseph Bcllmiiii, Samuel Hopkins, James Sproat, Jonathan Lee, and Jolm Searl. dismissed from us lie witli great weight on our minds, yet considering his great weakness and long I'ontinued bodily indisposition, we know not what to say uthiiwisc thuii to entreat the venerable consociation to take the matter nniKr their ciiiisideration and to determine what they think is duty in present eiieunistances, that is what they judge is like to be most for the glory of God, and the greatest interest both of the Rev. Mr. Searl and of this people. Town Meeting, June 25, 1754. Voted that Messrs. John Williams, Ebenezer Jackson and Ebenezer Frisbie be a committee to apply to the Reverend Elders present, for advice whom to apply to, to preach with us, either for present occasional preaching, or to settle with us, and also to act upon said advice. *A correspondent near Stoneham writes as follows— " From widow Rebecca Hays, aged 85, a native of Btoughton, and the oldest person in town, I learn that Mr. Searl married Hepsibah Duncan, of Stoughton, Mass. ; that he had two sons, Samuel and John, and two daughters, Betsey and Fanny. Mrs Hays says he was a learned man, very orthodox, wrote very good sermons, and was i^raiid for telling stories. His delivery was very dull. She thinks he was ii"t very active in relation to pastoral labors, and is of opinion tliat some of his discourses were printed, but is not certain. She says that it was tlie (ii)iiiioii at the time that he left Stoneham for fear (if the liiitisli. He was net settled in Stoughton, but used to go out on iireachiiiLT ami niissiuiiarv tmii-s for a few weeks or a month at a time.- It is stated by Dr. Dwiglit, in his travels, that Mr. Searl and the late Judge Noble of Williamstown, Mass., were the first persons that ever ascended Saddle Mountain, in Williamstowu, the highest peak in Massa- chUBSetts. CHAPTER VI. A HISTORY OF THE MORA^^A^" MISSIONS IN SHARON. The diligent and successful labors of the Moravians for the conversion to Christianity of the Indians in Sharon, is an item in the history of the town well worthy of record. This body of Christians established a mission among the Indians in this region as early as 1740. Their special fields of labor were at Shekomeko {Pine Plains), in New York, and at Wequagnock (Sharon) and Schaticook (Kent), in Connecticut. The first minister who labored here and established the Mission was the Rev. Christian Henry Ranch. He was succeeded in 1742 by the Rev. Gottheb Buetner, who labored in the Mission until his death, in 174o, at the age of twenty -eight years. He was buried in the field of his labors, and his memory is well preserved by an enduring monu- ment and an appropriate epitaph. If the fact were not weU authenticated as a matter of history, it would scarcely be credited now. that the Mission was broken up in 1745 by the government of New York, from the beUef that the missionaries were Jesuits and Papists, and emissaries of the Pope and the French King. On the occurrence of this event many of the Christian Indians of Shekomeko joined the tribes of Sharon. Several clergymen labored here at stated periods, up to 1749. In that year David Bruce, then the missionary here, died and was buried in the beau- tiful field of his labor, on the eastern shore of the Indian Puud. 54 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. He was a Scotchman from Edinburgh. He was not a clergyman in the Moravian sense, but an assistant. He acted rather as a teacher or catechist. He laboi-ed in the Mission at Sharon but a few months. As everything relating to his history isinteiesting, a more extended notice of him is copied from Loskiel's History of Moravian Missioners : "Brother David Brvice was now appointed to the care of the Christian Indians at Schaticook and Wequagnock, who, since the forementioned visit of the bishop, had formed a regular settlement. He resided chiefly in a house at Wequagnock, belonging to the brethren called Gnadansee (Lake of Grace), but sometimes resided at Schaticook, whence he paid visits to Westenhunk by invitation of the head chief of the Mohikan Nation, sowing the seeds of the gospel wherever he came, but as he was not ordained, Bishop Camerhoff, with brother Beyold went again to Wequagnock to strengthen the brethren and to administer the sacraments there. Twenty Indians were added to the church by baptism. Brother Bruce remained in this station till his happy departure out of time, which, to the great grief of the Indian congregation, took place this year. He was remarkably cheerful during his illness, and his conversation edified all who saw him. Perceiving that his end approached, he called the Indian brethren present to his bedside, and pressing their hands to his breast, besought them fervently to remain faithful unto the end, and immediately fell asleep in the Lord. His funeral was committed to one of the assistants, who delivered a powerful discourse upon the solemn occasion to the company present, among whom were many white people, who had often heard our late brother's testimony of the truth, with blessing," So reads the book and so died the missionary. The exact date of his death was July 9, 1749. The Missionary at Schaticook, in 1753, wrote as follows : "They have permitted me to put a stone on Brother David's grave, and enclose it with a fence. " The stone was in good preservation in 1825, but has since been broken into many fragments. What remains of it is in the possession of the Moravian Historical Society of Nazareth, Penn. It contained the following epitaph : David Bruce, From Edinburgh in Scotland. Minister of The Brethren's Church, Among the Indians. Departed 1749. \ HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 5.") The Indians of Sharon having sold their lands in IToG and dispersed to different parts of the country, the Mission was then abandoned by the brethren ; but a congregation of white people built a meeting house on the western border of the Indian Pond, on land now owned by Col". Hiraui Clark, and retained the serv- ices of one of the Missionaries, the Rev. Joseph Powel, until his death in 1774. It will be observed that all the missionaries wdio labored here were under the direction of the Moravian authorities at Bethany, Penn. , from whom they received their appointments. After the breaking up of the Mission here, and the death or removal of the missionaries, missionary stations were established in parts of the country west of Bethany, and for nearly a century the scene of the labors and place of the graves of the faithful and devoted mission - aries in this region had passed from the knowledge of the Moravians at Bethany ; and it was owing to investigations made by the Rev. William J. McCord, and the Rev. Sheldon Davis, of Dutchess County, that this tield of missionary labor, so interest- ing in Moravian history, was brought to their knowledge. The Moravian Historical Society, at Nazareth, Penn., on the 11th day of July, 1859, determined to mark the resting places of the missionaries, by the erection of suitable monuments, and thus to revive and perpetuate their memories, so long neglected and for- gotten. These monuments were set up under the direction of the Rev. Mr. Davis and of Benson J. Lossing, Esq. , and a single mon- ument over the remains of David Bruce is for a memorial of him and of the Rev Joseph Powel. The inscriptions on that monu- ment were as follows : (On the north side.) Joseph Powel, A Minister of the Gospel, in the Church of tlie United Brethren. Born in 1710, Near White Church, Shropshire, England. Died Sept 23, 1774, At Sichem in the Oblong, Dutchess Co., N. Y. 56 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. (On the south side.) David Bruce, A Minister of the Gospel, in the Church of the United Brethren, from Edinburgh, in Scotland. Died July 9. 1749, At the Wechquadnock Mission, Dutchess Co., N. Y. (On the east side.) How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace. That bringeth good tidings of good. That publisheth salvation. Isaiah lii, 7. (On the went side.) Erected by the Moravian Historical Society, October 6, 1859. Solemn and impressive, as well as instructive services, per- formed by the Moravians from Bethany, were rendered at the dedication of that monument, on the 6th day of October, 1859. As the remains of the missionaries liad been committed to the grave without the performance of the cherished rites of that body of Christians, it was deemed appropriate that those portions of the Moravian ritual which relate to death and the resurrection should be employed in the ceremonies. For the same reason the Easter Morning Litany which is prayed annually on Moravian burying grounds, and the choral music of trombonists, a characteristic element of Moravian obsequies, were added to the programme of religious exercises. The services were held in the open field in which the monument stands, and were performed by the Bishop and several Moravian clergymen, with a select band of trombon- ists and choir of singers, in the presence of some seventeen hundred people. The venerable Bishop WoUe had the principal HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 57 charge, and his white locks, his clerical costume and his solemn and deliberate utterances, with a slight German accent, of the various portions of the Moravian funeral ritual, with tlie earnest and solemn responses from the people and from the trombonists gave an indescribable interest to the ceremonies. After an his- torical discourse by the Rev. Mr. DeSchweinitz, in which a minute history of the Mission and missionaries was given, the following stanzas from the Moravian Hymnal were sung by the congregation : How sweetly these our brethren sleep, Enjoying endless peace, The grave in which their Saviour lay Is now their resting place. Naught can disturb these heirs of life. All earthly cares are lied, To be with Christ was their desire, And now they're perfected. To Father, Son and Holy Ghost, One God, whom we adore. Be glory as it was, is now. And shall be evermore. And thus ended the solemn burial services. CHAPTER VII. REV. COTTON MATHER SMITH— CENSUS -CHURCH OF ENGLAND MISSIONS — ORGANIZATION OF THE EPISCOPAL PARISH — NEW MEETING HOUSE — REV. GEORGE WHITFIELD. In the course of the summer of 1754, the Reverend Cotton Mather Smith, of Suffield, was employed by the town, to preach as a candidate for settlement. He came upon the recommenda- tion of Matthew St. John, who had been an inhabitant of Sharon, but who had now removed to Suflfield, where he became acquainted with Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith was a descendant of the Rev. Henry Smith, the first minister of Wethersfield, who came from England in 1638.* The mother of Mr. Smith was a daughter of Atherton Mather, a cousin of the celebrated Cotton Mather, .and she died in this town at a very advanced age. Mr. Smith was born at Suffield, October 16th, 1731, and graduated at Yale College in 1751. He spent the year previous to his visiting Sharon at Stock- bridge, Massachusetts, with the very celebrated Jonathan Edwards, engaged in the benevolent duties of instructing the In- dians. Mr. Smith preached as a candidate for more than a year, * In a record of Daniel CuBhing, the third town clerk of Hingham, Massachusetts, is tins riitry :—" 31r. Henry Smith and his ^7ife ami three sons, and two dan,i,'litii-s, and thrrc iinii s(i-\ ;i nts and two maid servants, and Thomas Mayer, caiue fi-oni II ' *i r Hall, in Norfolk, and settled in New Hingham 1638.'' Henry Smith had a son lehabod, who was the fatlier of Samuel Smith, and this last named gentleman was the father of liev. Cotton Mather Smith. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 59 and in the meantime boarded with John Gay, Esq., at the; north part of the town. He was ordained minister of Sharon on the 28th day of August, 1755.* He purchased the place which was •Town Meeting. Deo. V^. 1751. Vi>ti'il. Tliat Deacon Ebenezer Jackson, Deacon Ehcnczcr iM-isl.ir and .John Uillianis. lie a (■..niniittee to see if tliey can agree with ^ir Sniitli to |)itaeli witli iis some time longer, and in the meantime to advise ^\itll tlie eoniiuittee .f tlu; Association respecting giving him a call to settle in tlie nnnistiy witli us, and to make report to the meeting at such time to wliieli it ma.v l)e adjourned. Town Meeting, Jannarv S, Kf).'). Voted that we will give Mr. Cotton Mather Smith a call to settle in the work of the gospel ministry with ns. Voted, That otir tornier committee, viz., the two deacons and John Williams, Esq- be continued to In onr committee and that they inform Mr. Smith that the town have votey tliine heavenly aid, Intliis weak state of flesh and blood ; I laid nu- duwn and slept secure ; My peace they daily discompose, Notdeathshoiilii uiakemyheartafraid But my defence and hope is God. Though I should wake and rise no more. Tired with the burdens of the day, But God sustained me all the night, To thee I rais'd an evening cry ; Salvation doth to God belong : Thou heardst when I began to pray, He raised my hand to S'ie the light. And thine almighty help was nigh. And make liis praise my morning song. Mr. Whitfield died in about three months from this time, at Newbury- port, Mass. CHAPTER VIII. EVENTS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. We have now arrived at the period of the commencement of the Revohitionary War. The citizens of Sharon, almost with- out exception, partook largely of the feeling which pervaded the whole country, at the commencement of the struggle. Parson Smith, like the other clergymen of the day, was a most ardent and decided whig ; and his personal influence contributed, not a little, to lead the public mind in the right channel. In his public ministrations, too, there was mingled much of the stirring patriotism of the times. In the prayers which were offered, and in the praises which were sung, there were interspersed many allusions to the tyrannical edicts of the British King, and to the degraded and suffering condition of the colonies. Hymns were written, and music was composed, which were used for public worship on the Sabbath, the effect of which would seem to be to stir up martial, rather than devotional feehngs, and to excite in the worshipers the deepest hatred of their oppressors. The following stanza was the commencement of one of the hymns which was frequently sung for Sabbath worship : — "Let tyrants shake their iron rod, And slavery clank their Railing chains, We fear them not, we trust in God, New England's God forever reigns." The intelligence of the battle of Lexington was brouglit to Sharon on the Sabbath, and Mr. Smith, at the close of the morning exercises, announced it from the pulpit, and made 68 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. some remarks tending to arouse the spirit of the congregation to firmness and to resistance. Immediately after the congre- gation was dismissed, the militia and volunteers, to the number of one hundred men, paraded on the west side of the street, south of the meeting house, and prepared to march immediately to the scene of action. David Downs, Esq., was Caj^tain, James Brewster, Lieutenant, and David Gould, Ensign. After further deliberation, however, it was determined to send Lieutenant Brewster to Litchfield, to enquire more fully into the accuracy of the intelligence, and whether the service of the militia would be required immediately. Lieut. Brewster * performed this mission, and learning that the British had returned to Boston, and that no pressing necessity existed for further military aid, it was determined not to march, until further hostile movements on the part of the enemy should render it necessary. The General Assembly was forthwith convened, and a large military force raised. One company was raised in Sharon and its vicinity. Samuel Elmore received a Major's commission, and also had the command of this company. Amos Chappell was the Lieutenant. The last survivors of this company were Thomas Heath and Adonijah Maxam. Deacon Isaac Chamberlain, Capt. Sylvanus Gibbs, and Mr. Ebe Everitt, lately deceased, were also members of this company, as were William Gray, Samuel Lewis, Jr. , and David Goff. This company vs^as attached to a regiment which marched to the northward in 1775, for the conquest of Canada, under Genei'al Montgomery. Before St Johns was taken, it was determined, by Colonels Allen and Brown, to make an attempt upon the city of Montreal with a few volunteers, if they could be obtained. The troops were paraded, and Allen marched in front of the Connecticut line, and invited volunteers to join him. Of the soldiers who belonged to Sharon, Adonijah Maxam, David Goff, William Gray and Samuel Lewis, stepped forward, and offered to share in the perils of the expedition. It was arranged between Allen and Brown, that the latter should land on the island, below the city, while Allen, with about eighty men, should land above the city, and there wait until they should hear the firing from Brown's party, when they were to rush on to the attack. Allen crossed the river St. Lawrence with his detach- * This young gentleman was at this time a clerk in Colonel Gay's store. He was originally from Windham, and came to Sharon in A. D 1770, with his mother, who was the second wife of Captain Caleb Jewitt. He died, much lamented, of consumption, on the 22d day of February, 1777. HISTOHY OV THE TOWN OF SHAROX. 0!) ment on the evening of the 24th of September, on ii raft, and waited in the expectation of hearing the firing from Brown's party through the whole night, but he waited in vain. For some reason tlie expedition on Brown's part had failed, and the morning light found Allen altogether in the power of the enemy. This rash adventurer, however, determined to defend himself to the last extremity against the seven or eight hundred men that were brought against him, and he fought until twenty-five of his men were killed, and seven wounded, when he and his brave associates, including Maxam, Golf, Gray and Lewis, from Sharon, and one Roger Moore, of Salisbury, were compelled to surrender. They were loaded with irons, and sent to England, for the avowed object of receiving the sentence and punishment of traitors. The threat of retaliatory measures, however, on the part of the Americans, prevented such summary proceedings against them, and after being kept in close confinement, in England and Ireland, during the winter, the prisoners just named were brought back to New York in the spring of 177(5. They were confined, in an old chui-ch, with a large number of others, who had been taken during the campaign, at Fort Washington, and other places. From this place the persons above named contrived to make their escape within a few days after they were put into confinement. The old church in which they were confined was surrounded by a high fence, and thus a little daily out door exercise was allowed the prisoners. While enjoying this liberty, William Gray managed to loosen one of the long planks of which the fence was made, but did not re- move it, and the appearance of things were so little disturbed by the act of Gray, that it escaped the observation of the officers in charge of the prisoners. Through the opening in the fence, thus made practicable, the five soldiers above named made their escape as soon as it was sufficiently dark to conceal their oper- ations. They had been habited in sailor's clothes during their captivity, and on this account they were less liable to be detected. They divided into two parties, Maxam and Moore forming the one, and Gray, Golf and Lewis the other. The three latter very soon found means to land on Long Island, and from thence passed over the Sound to the Continent, and returned to their fiiends in Sharon. Maxam and Moore had more difficulty. They were two or three days in the city before they found it possible to leave it, and after landing on Long Island they sufiiered much from hunger. After traveling several days, they TO HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. found means to embark in a boat on the Sound, and to reach Saybrook. Their return to Sharon astonished their friends, who having learned from Gray and his comrades the circumstances of their escape from confinement, and having heard nothing f urtlier from them, liad concluded that they had been retaken by the British. The last survivor of this band of sufferers was Mr. Adonijah Maxam, who died at the age of 97 years. In the campaign of 1775, Parson Smith went with the army to the northward, as Chaplain to Col. Hinman's regiment, and spent several months in the service. There was one soldier from Sharon, who joined the expedi- tion led by General Arnold through the wilderness of Kenne- bec, to Canada, whose name was Alexander Spencer.- He died, however, on the march, from sickness. The exigencies of the times calling for a large army at the commencement of 1776, a large number of men, more than one hundred, enlisted fi"om the town of Sharon. One company marched for Canada. It was commanded by Captain David Downs, already mentioned. The first lieutenant was Adonijah Griswold, and the second lieutenant was David Doty. The last survivors of this company, which was a large one, were Joel Chafi'ee and Adonijah Pangman, of Cornwall. Charles Gillet, another member of the company, was killed near The Cedars, so called, by a party of Indians in ambush, as he was riding along the road, having gone on some business connected with his duty as commissarJ^ The other soldiers raised in Sharon for the campaign of 1776, were distributed among three other companies, and all marched for New York, against which an attack by the British was now apprehended. Of one company. Dr. Simeon Smith, was captain ; of another, Elijah Foster was captain ; and of the third, Nathaniel Hamlin was lieutenant These companies were in the campaign of 1776, under General Washington on Long Island and in the vicinity of New York, and shared in the fatigues and pei'ils of that disastrous period. David Wood, Nathaniel Buel, Josiah Coleman, Jabez Jennings, Asaliel Somers, John Randall, Jr., and Thomas Ackley were taken prisoners at Fort Washington, of whom Wood and Ackley died during their captivity, and Buel and Coleman on their return. The British having obtained possession of New York, General Washington determined to make an effort to dislodge them during the winter which followed the unfortunate campaigns of 1776. For this purpose a large military force was raised in the fall of that year HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 71 for two months service, and one company was enlisted in Sharon. WiUiam Boland was captain, Hezekiah Frisbie, lieutenant, and Azariah Griswold, ensign. As the period of enlistment was so short, there was no difficulty in filling the company. The survivors of this company were Messrs. Adonijah Maxam and Thomas Heatli. New York was not attacked, and the company was discharged at Kingsbridge, at the expiration of their term of service. The forces that had hitherto been called into the service were raised on the authority of the State. To provide for the cam - paign of 1777, Congress undertook to raise an army, which was called the Continental army ; and of this army, two regiments, Swift's and Bradley's, were raised in the western x^art of Con- necticut. Of one comjiany, David Strong was appointed lieu- tenant, and he enlisted a number of recruits, one of whom, David Goodrich, was killed at the battle of Brandywine, in the subsequent campaign. Of another company, Reuben Calkin was lieutenant, and a number of men enlisted under him. There are none now remaining of either company. A large depot of provisions and military stores had been established at Danbury, and in the month of April, an expedi- tion was sent out from New York to destroy them. It was com- manded by Major General Tryon, of the British army, and con- sisted of two thousand men. They landed at a place called Compo, in the southwest part of the town of Fairfield, and pro- ceeding through the towns of Weston and Redding, reached Danbury, and effected then* object, which was the destruction of the stores. The most active measures were taken to spread the alarm through the adjacent country, and to collect the militia to repel the invaders. On the evening of the 26th of April, a messenger arrived in this town bringing the intelli- gence, and requiring the immediate marching of such forces as could be collected, to meet the enemy. The bell commenced tolling, and it was kept tolling through the night, and it was a night of great terror and solemnity. Colonel Ebenezer Gay, who then commanded the militia in this vicinity, gathered together as many troops as could be collected on so short notice, and marched for the scene of action ; and on the morning of the 28th reached Danbury, and finding that the British had retreated, pursued them. The route which the British had taken on their retreat, brought them on the west side of the Saugatuck River, which empties into the Sound a mile or two west of Compo, where their fleet lay. They were intercepted in their attempt to i.i HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. reach the bridge over this stream, by General Arnold, who was then in command of a few regular troops, and were guided by some tories to a fording place, a little higher up, — and it was while they were marching up on the west side of the stream to reach this fording place, tliat they were first observed by the troops from Sharon, who were endeavoring to reach the bridge, and to join the corps under Arnold. As the British marched by them on the low grounds which bordered on the river, Adonijah Maxam, who had not forgotten the injuries which were heaped upon him w^hile a prisoner in England, begged permission of the commanding officer to steal down the hill from the left flank and shoot a few of them. He was strictly forbidden, however, to execute this perilous undertaking. The Briti&h marched by unmolested, and our troops took undisputed possession of the bridge. The enemy came down on the east side of the river, and having taken ground a little to the east of the bridge, fired upon our men who were stationed there. Arnold, perceiving the danger to which his men were exposed, brought his artillery to bear vipon the new position of the enemy, and firing upon them over the heads of such of his men as were upon the bridge, soon drove them beyond the reach of his cannon. They took new ground a little to the southeast of their first position, and it was determined to attack them there with small arms. A few regular troops under Arnold, commenced the action with great bravery, and our men at the bridge were ordered to join them. They marched up the hill with a good degree of resolution, to sustain tlie regular troops. As they came within the reach of the enemy's musketry, however, some one, and it was never known who, cried out retreat. As this word was uttered, Lieutenant Samuel Elmer, Jr.,* perceiving the effect it was producing, and the * This brave young officer was a son of Colonel Samuel Elmer, and a lieutenant in the New York line of the continental army. He had returned home on a short furlough the very day the intelligence of the invasion of Danbury was received in Sharon, and was one of the first to volunteer to drive off the enemy. He was buried on the spot where he was killed, by two of his comrades soon after the battle. His body was afterwards re- moved to the burying yard at Green's Fai-m where it reposes to this day. EPITAPH. "Lieut. Samuel Elmer, son to Col. Samuel Elmer of Sharon, was killed at Fairfield, fighting for the liberties of his country, April 28th, 1777, in the 25th year of his age. Our youthfiil hero, bold in arms. His country's cause his l)osom warms ; To save her rights foml u> ciiLraL.'c, And guard her from a t\ ra nt -^ i ;i-e. Flies to ye field of bloo.l un.l .1. .ah, And gloriously resigns iiis bicalli. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 73 trepidation whicli was takiiij;- hold of his comrades, st(>p])ed up on a stone wall, and cried out, "for God' >i sake, men, don't re- treat, don't run, march up the hill and drive them off." He had barely uttered these words, when he was shot through the body. The only words he spoke afterwards, were addressed to his uncle, Mr. George Pardee, who was near him: "Uncle George," said he, "I am a dead man." A general retreat of our men then followed ; and the British, being left unmolested, marched to their shipping, and sailed for New York. A large depot of provisions had been established in this town early in the war. The storehouse stood a little west of the Messrs. Goodwins, on tlie old road that formerly ran through their land, before the present turnpike road was established, and a guard was constantly kept at the dei)ot during the war. The fate of the stores at Danbury caused much apprehension for the safety of those here. There were frequent alarms and the citizens fre- qviently collected in arms to defend the public property at the storehouse. On one Sabbath day, during the sermon, Jonathan Gillett, who lived directly oj^posite the meeting house, came out of his house during the public service, and proclaimed with a loud voice that the British were coming. A dense smoke was seen rising beyond Tower Hill, a mountain in the state of New York, a few miles southwest of Sharon, and the belief was general that the enemy was at hand. Parson Smith was foremost in exhorting the people to firmness and resistance, and he entreated them to stand firm, not only as soldiers of the cross, but as soldiers of their country and of liberty. The alarm, however, proved to be groundless. The approach of a large British army from Canada, under General Burgoyne, and the expedition vip the North River, under General Vaughan, filled the whole country with terror and des- pondency, and frequent alarms were spread, requiring the constant and active duty of the militia. The tories, too, in Dutchess county. New York, where they were numerous, took courage from the prospect of success which the progress of the British arms afforded, and embodied themselves into a formidable force. Information was brought to this town during the summer that four hundred of them had assembled at Carpenter's, as it was then called, now Washington Hollow, and that they were threat- ening destruction to all the whigs in the neighborhood. An expedition was immediately set on foot to break up the gang. Volunteers to the number of fifty or sixty immediately assembled. * 10 li HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. They marched for the Hollow, and were joined by others in their progress, so that when they arrived at Bloom's Mills, which is about four miles north of the Hollow, their numbers amounted to two hundred men. There they encamped for the night, and marched the next morning to attack the tories. They found them paraded in the meadow just north of the public house, and marching up with spirit, fired upon them. The tories fled imme- diately and as many as could made their escape. About thirty or forty of them, however, were made prisoners, and brought to this town, and locked up in the old church at the head of the street. They were taken to Exeter, in New Hampshire, where they were kept in close confinement for two years. This pro- ceeding broke up the gang, and no further trouble was had from this class of persons during the war. A company of light horse, which belonged to Sharon and its vicinity, were kept on duty during the whole summer of 1777, on the North River, watching the motions of the enemy in that quarter. It was commanded by Captain Dutcher, of Salisbury, and David Boland, of Sharon, was the cornet of the company. The smoke of burning Kingston was distinctly seen from our mountain when It was destroyed by the Hessian troops. Adonijah Maxam belonged to this company. A large number of men marched from this town under the command of Colonel Gay, to the northward, to oppose the pro- gress of Burgoyne's army, and shared in all the conflicts which preceded its surrender.* John HolUster, one of the soldiers from this town, was killed at the battle of Stillwater, on the 7th of October. The intelligence of the surrender of Burgoyne's army was re- ceived here under circumstances which produced a deep impi-es- sion. Nothing had been heard respecting the state of afiiairs at Saratoga excepting that two severe battles had been fought with- out any very decisive result. This state of uncertainty produced extreme anxiety regarding the issue of the campaign, and many trembled at the prospect of defeat and disgrace to the American arms. The firmness and confidence of Parson Smith, however, never forsook him, and he did everything in his power to rouse the drooping spirits of his people. On Sabbath, the day of * The following is the record of an adjourned church meeting, holden on the 23d of September, 1777 : " Met according to adjoiirnment, but by rea- son of a great number being called off into ye service of their country, and but a few members met, adjourned to the 4th Tuesday of November next ensuing." HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 75 October, he preached a sermon from Isaiah xxi. II : " WafclniuDi, vhdt of the night? the watchman saitfi the morning cometh." The discourse was entirely adapted to the condition of public atTairs. He dwelt much upon the indications, wliich the dealings of Prov- idence afforded, that a bright and glorious morning was about to dawn upon a long night of defeat and disaster. He told the con- gregation that he believed they would soon hear of a signal victory crowning the arms of America, and exhorted them to trust with an unshaken and fearless confidence in that God who he doubted not would soon appear for the deliverance of his people, and crown with success the efforts of the friends of liberty in this country. Before the congregation was dismissed, a mes- senger arrived, bringing the intelligence of the surrender of Burgoyne's army. Parson Smith read the letter from the pulpit, and a flood of joy burst upon the assembly. During the next year a large part of Burgoyne's army was marched through this town on their way to the south. They were met here by a i-egiment of continental troops under the command of Lieut. Colonel Jameson, who was afterwards somewhat con- spicuous in the affairs connected with the capture of Major Andre, and who here took charge of the prisoners.* One of Burgoyne's soldiers, by the name of Robert Gibbs, a Scotchman from Dundee, who was wounded and taken in the battle immediately preceding Burgoyne's surrender, was here left by his comrades. He died at the age of 94. After the campaign of 1777, the seat of the war was removed to so great a distance that no further call was made for the militia of the town, except for the purpose of keeping guard on the sea coast. The burdens and privations of a pecuniary kind, however, which are incident to a state of war, were borne by the people of this town without a murmur, and the almost unanimous feeling in favor of the cause which marked the commencement of the war, continued with unabated ardor to the close of it. The records of the County Court show that several of the citizens of Sharon were delinquent in responding to the calls for temporary service in the army, but it does not appear that their neglect was owing to any want of fidelity to the cause of the * A large proportion of the prisoners of this detachment were Hessians. They were subjected to the most severe discipline, and were entirely iiioflen- sive. Each regiment was furnished with a chaplain and divme service was frequently performed. They encamped here over night, and when they started in the morning, the whole body sang devotional innsic on the march. Governor Smith informed the author that he, then a lad, followed them some miles to hear their singing. Il 76 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. country, but it was probably for some reasons which were deemed satisfactory to themselves, but which were not deemed sufficient by the Court. Abner Curtice, David HoUister, Elijah Pardee, and Apollos Smith were each fined £10 and costs of prosecution "for refusing to muster and march to the assistance of the conti- nental army," about the time of the apprehended invasion of this part of the country by Burgoyne's army. Stephen Sears was fined £10 for not marching to the relief of Peekskill. Theo- dore Elmer, Thomas Hamlin, Jun., Joseph Barrows, Jesse Goodrich, Amasa Hamlin, Robert Whitcomb, David HoUister. James Henry and Nathaniel Curtis, were prosecuted for the same offences, but were able to show good reasons why they had not reported for muster, and were discharged. CLOCK TOWER ( Opposite Inn.) CHAPTER IX. INCIDENTAL EVENTS— DISASTROUS FIRE IN SHARON VALLEY- SMALL POX — CASUALTIES— SHAYS' REBELLION— EXCISE DUTIES. On the night of January 27, 1775, a disastrous incendiary fire occurred on the premises of Joel Hervey, in Sharon Valley, which destroyed two barns and a threshing mill with a large quantity of grain and hay, with seven good horses. Suspicion attached to one John Thomas, a transient person, as the perpetra- tor of the offence, and at the February term of the Superior Court, 1776, sufficient proof had been brought to light to bring him to trial. He was convicted, and the following warrant for the execution of the sentence passed upon him by the court, will show the particulars of the crime laid to his charge, and the form of prosecution in those early days. Independence not having been then declared the proceedings were in the name of the King. To Litchfield County Sherif or his Deputy Greeting Whereas the Grandjurors of our Soverign Lord the King for the County of Litchfield upon their oath present that one John Thomas a Transient person now Confined in the Common Goal in said Litchfield not having the fear of God before his eyes but being moved and seduced by the Instigation of the Devil did at Sharon in said County in the night season next after the 27th day of January 1775 Voluntaryly feloniously and of his malice forethought with force and arms carry a Quantity of Fire into and therewith inkindle and set on fire two Certain Barns and one Tlireshing Mill in which there was tlien and there Contained Seven good horses and a large quantity AVheat Rye and Hay 78 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. all being in said Sharon to the Value of four Hundred pounds lawfull money, all being the property of Joel Hervey of said Sharon, and that by means of said Johns Siting fire as aforesaid the said Buildings, Horses Wheat Rye and Hay were consumed and utterly destroyed contrary to the Law of this Colony and the Rights of mankind, and Said John Thomas being brought before this Court and araigned for Tryal and by a Verdict of the Jury was found Guilty. Whereupon this Court gave judgment that the said John Thomas sit upon a Gallows for the space of one hour with a Rope round Ins neck, and Tyed to a Cart and be whipt on the naked body in four of the most public places in the Town of Litchfield to the number of Thirt}' nine Stripes and find sure- ties for his good behavior with one Surety in the penal Sum of one Hundred pound lawfull money for his future good behavior and pay the cost of prosecution Taxed at, £26,lo.8 and stand committed till this judgment is fullfilled W^hereof execution re- mains to be done. These are therefore in his majesty's name to command j'ou that you have the sd. John Thomas forth from the Common Goal to the place of Execution and cause him to set upon a Gallows for the space of one hour and also cause him to be whijjt on the naked body Thirty nine stripes at four publick places in the Town of Litchfield at the Tail of a Cart and then commit him to said Goal and him there safely keep until the M'hole of said Judg- ment be fulfilled, fail but make due Return with your doings thereon according to Law. Dated Litchfield February the 18th 1776. per Order of Court WM. PITKIN, Clerk P. T. Litchfield 21st February 1776. Then by virtue of the within execution I caused the within named John Thomas to be taken f i-om the common Goal in Litchfield to the place of Execution and there set upon a Gallows with a Rope Round his neck for the full term of one hour and Then tied to the Tail of a cart and Transported to four of the most public places in the town of Litchfield and there whipped on his naked body Thirty nine stripes in the whole according to the within Direc- tions. Fees 40s. Test LYNDE LORD, Sheriff. In the winter season of 1770, Isaac Corbee and his wife, two aged, indigent people, were supported by the town and were boarded in the family of John Randall, who lived where William E. Marsh now lives. They retired to bed of an evening, in apparent good health, the weather being very cold, and in the morning both were fou^nd dead in their bed, the current of life in both having ceased to flow at the same time. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 79 From the Connecticut Joarnal published at New Haven : Sharon, Feb. 15, 1781. This morning the wife of William Hendrick Levo was found dead in the street, a sucking child about tliree months old, lying dead by her side. Being under straightened circumstances, she went to town, about three miles, in order to procure something for the comfort of her famil}^ and carried her little infant in her arms. On her return, the evening before, she went into a house to warm ; the weather being extreme cold, she was prevailed on to tarry, though very much against her inclination, being greatly exercised for her children she had left at home, the eldest not being above ten years, her husband gone to mill, and she was doubtf id of his return. In the night she arose unbeknown to any of the family. She had travelled homeward about three-quarters of a mile, and was found dead in the manner described, within about ten rods of an house. Some were ready to conclude she had made too free vise of strong drink, which occasioned her per- ishing in this manner ; but upon a careful enquiry it appears to be without foundation, and that her death was occasioned h\ the extremity of the season. The place where tlie body of the woman referred to was found was within about ten rods of the house of Merills McLean, on the highway leading west from his house over the hill to Sharon Street. In the month of November, 1784, the wife of Joseph Mar- chant, who lived where George Gay now lives, visited some friends in the state of Massachusetts. Soon after her return she was taken sick, and died after a short illness. The physicians differed as to the nature of the disorder. There is a tradition that the first person to pronounce the case to be one of small jiox was Mrs. Cynthia Deming, the mother of Doctor Ralph Deming, who had seen several patients while suffering under that malady, and who gave kind ministries to Mrs. Marchant during her illness, but the attending physician decided that it was a severe case of fever. Her funeral was attended on the Sabbath, and a large number of the inhabitants were present. It was soon rumored that one of the physicians had intimated an opinion that she had died of the small pox, and the most intense anxiety was felt on the subject. All doubt, however, was soon dissipated by the breaking out of the disorder in various parts of the town. A tijne of great and overwhelming distress followed, and nearly thirty persons died within a month or two. Such a scene of dis- tress and mortality had never before been experienced in the town, and the terrors which the pestilence excited were long remembered. oU HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. The following are the names of some of the victims of that terrible scourge. In the uptown neighborhood, Amos Mar- chant, Perez Gay, Lydia Waldo, Mr. David Elmer, Eunice Jennings and her sister. On the mountain Mrs. Nathaniel Hamlin, Betsey Downs, and Erastus Downs. In the down- town neighborhood, Samuel Doty and wife, and John Bates and wife, and besides these there were a large number of children who died of the disorder. The spirit of dissatisfaction with the existing state of things which prevailed through a portion of New England, soon after the close of the revolutionary war, and which finallv resvilted in open resistance to the constituted authorities in the western part of Massachusetts, affected, in some degree, the public mind in Sharon. Many things conspired to produce discontent and uneasiness, and the records of the town give a clue to some of the causes which agitated the community. At a town meeting legallj^ warned and held in Sharon, on the 9th day of October, 1786, for the purpose of instructing the representatives, it was voted : — 1. That it is the mind of the town that a paper currency be struck. 2. That the table of fees be reduced to the old standard. 3. That there be no deputy sheriffs in the state. At a town meeting legally warned and held in Sharon on the 22d day of February, 1787, for the purpose of presenting a petition to the General Assembly for the emission of a paper currency, voted — 1. Whether they would do anything about it? Voted in the affirmative. 2. Voted that the draught laid before the town relating to the premises, is accepted and approved, as the mind of the town, and that the same be put in the public prints. In the spring of 1787, during the existence of the insurrec- tion under Shays, in Massachusetts, Doctor John Hulbert, who resided in the town of Alford, Berkshire county, Mass., and who was an active partisan of Shays, came to Sharon for the purpose of awakening a similar spirit in this vicinity, and of producing an efficient co-operation. Having received his medical education here, and possessing qualities calculated to give effect to his representations, Hulbert soon succeeded in organizing a considerable number of men under the guidance of one William Mitchell, who was constituted their captain, and who, in as private a manner as possible, and chiefly in the night season, trained and drilled them for service. HISTOJiY OF THIC TOWN OF SHARON. 81 Dr. llulbert was tlic fatlier of the late Hon. John W. IIul- bert, a counsellor of much eminence, and a distinguished member of congress from the Berkshire district, Mass. , and who, after a splendid professional and political career, died suddenly, in 18:51, at Auburn, N. Y., where he then resided. Capt. Mitchell was a clothier 1)3' trade. He came to Sharon from Farmington, now Bristol, in the spring of 1783. He owned and improved the clothier's woi'ks lately owned by Capt. James Gaj', one mile SQutheast of the meeting house in the first society. The rebellion had been thoroughly suppressed in the eastern part of Massachusetts, in 1786, but early in 1787, the spirit of insubordination was very prevalent in Berkshire county. It does not appear that it was very prevalent in Connecticut except here in Sharon. The Hon Theodore Sedgwick, of Stockbridge, then a member of the Continental Congress, was a firm friend of the government, and watched with constant vigilance the move- ments of the rebels. Being made aware of the movements of Dr. Hulbert, in Sharon, he sent the following letter by express to his brother, the late General John Sedgwick, of Cornwall, who then commanded the Fourteenth Regiment of Connecticut Militia :— Great Bakrington, 13 May 1787. My Dear Sir: — I am here this morning in consequence of the desire of Col. Newell. The scoundrels, confiding in the strength which they possess in the States of Connecticut, N. York and Vermont, are meditating an invasion of this county, and publickly threaten ruin and desolation to the friends of Government. They boast much of the aid they expect from your quarter. Mr. Bliss is dispatched, he can relate to you our circvuustances and the information we have received, and the means of procuring it. Our situation is critical and we must be greatly distressed if the other governments permit the rebels to machinate, while they are idle spectators of their practices. We are here informed that men are openly enlisting in your county particularly in Sharon. This is beyond a doubt the case in the state of New York. Is there no means of calling such daring aggressors to ac- count? Is Government indeed incapable of making resistance or indifferent to the ruin and distress of their neighbors? I know you will do everything in your power, let me know what is so. * 11 0» HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHAROX. I should have wrote to General Wolcott, but suppose him in Hartford. I pray you to take such measures as your prudence will dictate — make my duty to my mother and love to the family— Mrs. S. is pretty well. I am dear Br. your affec. THEODORE SEDGWICK. John Sedgwick, Esq., Cornwall. On the receipt of tlie foregoing on the day of its date, Colonel Sedgwick issued the following order : Regimental Orders. Cornwall, May, 13, 1787. To the Commanding Officers of Companies of the 14th Ililitia, Regiment, State of Connecticut. Gentlemen : — I have this moment rec'd by express from Great Barrmgton that Parsons & Day, two principals under Shays, are returned and now publickly inlisting hien in the State of New York, where, with the states of Vermont and Con- necticut, their dependence lies — and that they are now inlisting men for the same purpose in Sharon in this County. We must not be tame spectators of introducing civil discord into this State, which must be the case if we suffer our citizens to assist the rebels there : Should any attempt to march, you and every citizen of this State will be justified both in the sight of God and man to repel with force any such attempts by seizing and securing the perpetrators thereof and any who may be assisting therein. You will also hold yourselves and men in readiness to march well equipt, on the shortest notice. Should any considerable number march from this state to join the Rebels in Massachusetts, I shall undoubtedly soon have orders in a short time to march the Regiment to the support of government there. You must be determined in this matter, suppress the first eruption. In this perhaps Massachusetts has failed more than anything else. I will be answerable for any consequences in executing this order. If anything material transpires pray give me notice. JOHN SEDGWICK, LtCol. Comdt. The Legislature being then in session, and being advised of these proceedings, immediately took measures to suj)press the rebellion as appears by the following record of its proceedings : Whereas this Assembly has received information that one Mitchell of Sharon and one Tanner of the State of New York have been and now are attempting to stir up and excite the people in some parts of the county of Litchfield to join the Insurgents in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and have actually enlisted a number of men for that purpose in the town of Sharon, and that said Mitcliell receives his advice and orders HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SIIAROX. ft8 from a Doct. Hiirlbutt and Doct. P.arnos late inhabitants of sd. comnionwealth now resident in sd. Sharon, and that sundry ])ers()ns in sd. Sharon and also in the town of Norfolk are vn- devonring to raise insurrections and disturbance amono- tiie people : Thereupon, Resolved by this Assembly, That Col. Sam'l Canfield be and he is hereby appointed and directed immediately to i-epair to the county of Litchfield and confer with Gen'l Swift and such other gentlemen as he sliall judK^' pi'<>i)er. and having gained such information and advice as may l)e in his power, thereupon to cause to be apprehended and brouglit l)ef()r(! proper authority to be examined in the premises and dealt with according to law the aforesaid Mitchell, Tanner, HurU)utt and Barnes, and such other persons as shall be thought necessary ; and also to take every other legal and prudent measure as may be judged expedient to quiet the disorders that appear to be i)]-e valent among the people, and for the establishment of govern- ment and good order in the most effectual manner. And it is further resolved. That his Excellency the governor be and he is herebj^ requested to issue orders to Brigadier (ien'l Swift to call forth the whole or part of the military force under his command (in case the same shall be necessary) in order to stop or prevent any insurrections of the people and also prevent their joining said insurgents. The committee on their way hither called on the State's Attorney, at Litchfield, took warrants grounded on his official information, and with the Sheriff of the county, made their appearance here before any one was apprized of their mission, much less of their approach. Hulbert, Mitchell, and two others were arrested and taken to Litchfield, for examination. Hulbert was prosecuted under the act against "vagrants, vagabonds, and common beggars," but on his solemn promise to leave the state forthwith, he was suffered to depart. The others being charged with treasonable practices were bound over to the next term of the superior court. Thus, by the seasonable measure of the government, the spirit of insubordination was effectually quelled, and as the suppression of the insurrection in Massachusetts followed not long after, the prosecutions against Mitciiell and others were discontinued. The following account of these proceedings is copied from a Litchfield paper of May 21, 1788. "Last Thursday evening arrived in this town from Hart ford. Colonel Samuel Canfield and Uriah Tracy, Esci- , with orders from the General Assembly to repair to the town of Sharon, and put a stop to the insurrection that appeared to be raising in that town. The same evening they set off, accompanied by the sheriff and one of his deputies, and arrived at Sharon about daybreak, 84 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. and soon after arrested five persons who were supposed to be the principal actors and abettors in the insurrection. They were conducted to and safely lodged in our goal on Saturday last, in order for examination. It is hoped the early and spirited exertion of our Assembly will prevent any further disturbance in that town. Much praise is due to the gentlemen employed on that occasion for their prudence, humanity and judicious proceedings.'' There was a decided majority of the voters in this town who were opposed to the adoption of the Federal Constitution. Josiah Coleman and Jonathan Gillett were the delegates from this town to the convention which was called to pass upon the question of its ratification in January, 1788. Those gentlemen voted against its adoption and when it was acted upon in a subsequent town meeting, the majority was large against it. From July 1, 1786, to January 1, 1787, Sharon paid excise duties to Abraham Bradley, Collector, £40.16.1^ From January 1, 1887, to July 1, 1787 38. 4.7 From January 1, 1788, to July 1, 1788, 20. 3.4 George King paid the largest amount of any one person at any one time being 19. 9.4 Nathaniel Hamlin paid 19. 4 2 At a regimental training in Sharon, on the 20th day of Sep- tember, A. D. 1805, an altercation occured betweed Zenas Beebe, of Sharon, and Aner Ives, of Kent, which was consummated by the stabbing of Ives by Beebe with a bayonet, inflicting a mortal wound, of which Ives died at the end of a week. There were mitigating circumstances in the case which relieved Beebe from the charge of willful murder, but it was a clear case of man- slaughter. By a singular blunder of the foreman of the jury, he was pronounced not guilty of any offence. The jury had agreed upon the verdict to be recorded to be — "Not guilty of murder ; but guilty of manslaughter." The foreman rendered the first part of the verdict, but stopped there. The subsequent pro- ceedings in the matter are copied from the Records of the Court. ' ' After the verdict was rendered the foreman informed the court that the verdict which the jury had intended to return and had agreed on was — that that the said Beebe was not guilty of murder, but by mistake he had omitted to return and state the whole finding of the jury and desired to be directed by the court, whether the verdict and whole finding of the jury as agreed ui^on HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHAllON. 85 by thein, and as he designed at first to have stated the same, would then be made and returned. On consideration it was adjudged by the court, that tiie verdict Of the jury as returned and recorded by them could not be explained or altered." Beebe was defended by tw-o of the ablest lawyers in the state, Nathaniel Smith, of Woodbury, and David Daggett, of New Haven. At the term of the Superior Court holden February, A. D. 1820, Beebe was tried for an assault, with intent to kill Amasa Maxam, and found guilty. He was sentenced to confinement in the old Newgate prison for two years, but died before the expiration of his sentence. CHAPTER X. METHODIST SOCIETY IN SHAEON. The first preaching in Sharon by clergymen of the Methodist connection was in 1788. A Mr. Cook, an Enghshman, preached once or twice at Samuel Hitchcock's, in the south part of the town, and attracted considerable attention by his bold and stir- ring appeals to the conscience of his hearers. He also preached once or twice in the ball-room in Callow's tavern, which stood on the lot now owned by Robert S. Noyes, Esq. It was said that some of the authorities of the town intimated to the tavern-keeper that another license would not be granted to him, if he opened his doors again to the preacher. Very soon Freeborn Garrettson, who was the Presiding Elder in an adjoining district in the state of New York, was invited by Mr. Sylvanus Hanchett, who then lived where Alden Bi-yan now lives, to hold meetings at his house. An interesting discussion took place, at one of these meetings, between Parson Smith and Mr Garretson, which excit- ed much attention at the time. It related to the disputed points which divided the two denominations of which they were minis- ters. It is not supposed, however, that any good results followed the controversy. The Rev. Fitch Reed collected some facts and published the result of his investigations many years ago, relating to the intro- duction of Methodism into Sharon, which are undoubtedly HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHAKOX. 87 authentic, as they were obtained from hving witnesses, and which are of much interest to the present generation of that denomination in the town. The following is copied from Mr. Reed's statements : "Mr. Alpheus Jewett, father of the late Rev. William Jewett, of the New York Conference, and the late Hon. Judge Jewett, of Skaneatles, New York, and his wife were the first persons wlio joined the Methodist church in Connecticut. Freeborn Garretson was the first Methodist preacher who visited that section. Jesse Lee soon after formed a Society in the south part of the State. These facts I learned from Rev. William Jewett, and they were afterwards confirmed to me by his father and mother. The young Society in Sharon was supplied with preaching once in two weeks, in the afternoon of a week day. Mr. Jewett was a farmer, and in the season of haying and harvest employed a number of extra laborers. He always invited his workmen to accompany him to preaching, and they usually went. One day a Mr. Maxam, a poor man, declined thus going for the reason that he was poor and could not aflford to lose the time. On Mr. Jewett's offering to pay him for the time thus spent, lie went, was awakened and converted and lived to extreme old age, a faithful and useful member of tiie church. A colored man. Black Harry, as he was called, a local preach- er, often accompanied Mr. Garretson in his travels. Harry once spent two or three weeks in Sharon, and made himself very useful in preaching. Some unprincipled person invented and circulated an infamous story about him, and as it involved an alleged crime against the peace and good order of society, he was arrested and brought to trial before the civil authorities. The crowd assembled to witness the proceedings was so great that the court was held in the Congregational Church on the public green. The result was that not a shadotB of criminality ims proved against him, and he was honorably discharged. Andrew Harpending, a traveling preacher of some note, happened to be present, and as the people began to leave the church, he procured a table and taking his stand upon it in the open air, preached one of his characteristic sermons, loud, fearless and earnest. A young lady, living half a mile south, not being permitted to attend the meetings, stood at an open upper window and there distinctly heai'd the preaching, and under its influence was brought to a saving knowledge of God. So God often works in unexpected ways and "makes the wrath of man to praise him." 88 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. As the Methodist Society in Sharon is located contiguous to the State of New York, it has always been connected with circuits and districts in that State. The circuits for many years extended into the counties of Dutcliess and Columbia, and rendered nec- essary a triweekly travel of some two hundred miles for the preachers. As the preachers increased in numbers, and the means of their support were multiplied, the circuits were diminished in extent, and the appointments for preaching were more frequent. Meetings were held at private houses, and the preaching place in Sharon was at Mr. Jewett's. The old gentleman used to speak with great satisfaction of the large numbers of Methodist minis- ters, including Bishop Asbury, whom he had entertained at his house. Tlie society has never been destitute of regular preaching since its formation. The first camp meeting in Connecticut was holden in the summer of 1805, in a grove near the road leading north from Austin Cartwright's, and such a success attended the proceedings that another was holden the next year near the house of Mr. Jewett. The exercises on both occasions were marked by the intensely earnest preaching, the fervent prayers, and the loud and lofty singing of God's praise, wliich characterized the early worship of that most remarkable body of Christians. Mr. Gar- retson had the charge of both meetings as Presiding Elder of the district. The camp meetings for the two succeeding years were held in Goshen . The society erected, in 1808, a meeting house, in Caulkinstown, so called. It stood facing the termination of the highway leading from Mr. Jewett's north to that locality, and it was their place of worship for nearly thirty years. And when in subsequent years, the progress of the society and the wants of the church demanded more enlarged accommodations, it was interesting to observe the lingering fondness with which the older members of the society cherished the memory of the scenes of spiritual joy and growth in grace, which religious exercises in that old tabernacle of the Lord had promoted and cherished. It had become amiable in their cherished recollections. When, in 1835, it was deemed advisable to erect a new house of worship, it was found necessary to organize the society accord- ing to the existing statute of the state. The law in that respect has since been altered, so that the ecclesiastical organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church becomes a legal organization under HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 89 the laws of the state. An enrolhiient of members was had, whicli was afterwards organized into a legal Ecclesiastical Society, in due form of law. The following is a cop.y of the Article of enrollment and the appended names of the members, which must be deemed well worthy Of preservation by their successors in all time to come. We, the subscribers, for the purpose of availing ourselves of the, rights, powers and privileges of a certain statute law of the state of Connecticut, entitled " An act relating to religious soci- eties and congregations," and for the maintenance of public religious worship in the town of Sharon, in the county of Litch- jBeld, and State aforesaid, accoi'ding to the forms and usages of the Methodist Episcopal Church, do, by voluntary Association of ourselves, for the purposes aforesaid, hereby institute and estab- lish a religious society or congregation to be known and called by the name of the Methodist Episcopal Society in Sharon, and do hereby enroll ourselves as members of said Society, to be governed by all the laws regulating said societies except that of taxation. — Witness our hands — Zaccheus W. Bissell, James Calkin, Ira Williams, Horace Reed, Elijah H. Williams, Merrills McLean, John Williams, James R. Jenkins, Daniel G. Miller, Ezra H. Bartram, Samuel Roberts, Jr. , Hector W. Roberts, Samuel Fenn, Edgar J. Reed, Jr. , John Senigo, Miles B. Lewis, Ely Rowley, Alden Bryan, Frederick A. Hotchkiss, Dennis Brusie, Henry Williams, Gilbert Bryan, David H. Cole, D. Gibson. The following is a recoixl of the proceedings of the first meet ing of the Society : "At a meeting of the INIethodist Episcopal Society of Sharon, holden on the 13th day of January, A. D., 1835, in pursuance of a warrant under the hand of Charles F. Sedgwick, Justice of the Peace for the Covmty of Litchfield — " Rev. Julius Field was chosen moderator. "Zaccheus W. Bissell chosen clerk pro tern, and duly sworn. "Horace Reed was chosen clerk for the year ensuing of the Society. "Elijah H. Williams was chosen treasurer for the year ensuing. * 12 90 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. " Zaccheus W. Bissell, Ira Williams, Richard Clark were appointed a Society committee for the j^ear ensuing. "Richard Clark, Ira Williams, Zaccheus W. Bissell were ap- pointed trustees of the Society. " Virgil B. Roberts, Horace Reed, Zaccheus W. Bissell, Ira Williams and Elijah H. Williams were appointed a building com- mittee. ' ' Voted, that the church about to be erected by this Society shall be located in Sharon Village, on such piece of land as may be purchased by this Society for the erection of saul church, and of which a deed shall be executed by the owner of said land to the Society, for the purpose aforesaid." The new church building was erected and finished in 1836. In the subsequent Spring it was dedicated to religious use and worship, with appropriate ceremonies, by the Rev. Nathan Bangs, D. D., an eminent clergyman of the denomination, whose family in the early years of his ministry had lived in the town while he was fulfilling his appointment as preacher on this circuit. The house has been altered and improved in many respects since its first erection, and is now, probably, the most costly and tasteful church of that denomination in the county of Litchfield. The following is a list of the preachers who have supplied the pulpit in Sharon since 1828 : David Miller, Wm. S. Stillwell, Phinehas Cook, Lucius H. King, Billy Hibbard, M. R. Lent, Aaron Pearce, D. B. Turner, Theodore Clark, Benj. M. Adams, T. Sparks, Elbert Osborne, Julius Fields, Joel Croft, J. B. Wakely, Jason Wells, Richard Wymond, Clark Fuller, Sanford Washburn, D. Gibson, George D. Sutton, Wm. S. Stillwell, Fitch Reed, G. Daniels, D. Holmes, H. B. Mead, Wm. K. Stopford, Ira Ferris, Hart F. Pease, Wm. Stevens, Fitch Reed, Clai'k Eggleston, S. N. Vail, S. J. McCutcheon. UISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 91 [The following have served the church as pastors since Mr. McCutcheon. —Publisher. ] H. C. Humphrey, Chester J. Hoj^t, Charles B. Landon, James H. Michell, Benjamin N. Lewis, Frederick T. Angevine, Robert Hunt, Simon Stephens. CHAPTER XI. HISTORY OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL SOCIETY CONTINUED. It will have been observed that during the early years of the history of the town, ecclesiastical affairs were the subject of business in the town meetings. Churches were built, pastors settled, and taxes laid for their support in the same manner that all other public expenses were provided for. This method of the support of religious institutions was continued long after the dissenters had become numerous, and after they had been re- lieved from taxes levied for the support of the Standing Order. Before the close of the last century, the inconvenience of con- ducting ecclesiastical and civil business by one organization had become so great, that a law was passed, authorizing the for. mation of ecclesiastical societies in the different towns, from which all secular business was to be excluded, and turned over to the towns in their corporate capacity. The law required, that on the application of a certain number of the principal inhabi- tants of a society thus pi-oposed to be organized, a warrant might be issued by a Justice of the Peace, summoning the members to meet at the place of holding town meetings, to organize the society, and assume the charge of ecclesiastical affairs in the town. The warrant in this case was issued by David Downs, Esq., a Justice of the Peace on the application of — Pelatiah Pierce, Silas St. John, Paul Smith, Jr. Thomas St. John, Nathaniel Lowrey, Eliphalet Martin, David Gay, Edmund Bennett. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 93 At this first meeting of tlie society, Deacon Isaac Cliam berlain, Mr. Pelatiah Pierce and David Dowais. Esq., were chosen Society's Committee, to act in society matters in the same capacity as selectmen act in the town affairs. Colonel Samuel Canfield was chosen society's clerk, which office he held till 1805, when Dr. Samuel Rockwell was chosen clerk, which office he held till 1836. Richard Smith, Esq., was then chosen clerk and has held the office till the present time. Parson Smith, wlien in the maturity of his powers, was deemed one of the best preach- ers of his time, in the ministerial circle with which he was connected. Other elements of character combined to make him very strong in the affection and respect of his people, and when old age with its attendant infirmities came upon him, it does not appear that the parish entertained any desire for a change of its clerical relations. The first movement in that direction was from Parson Smith himself. At a meeting of the society, holden on the 1st Monday of Marcli, 1803, the following communication, from the minister, was laid before the meeting : To the Church and first Society in Sharon — Beloved brethren and friends : — The fifth of October last completed a period of seven and forty years since I first came into this town to labor witli you in the work of the gospel ministry ; however I was not ordained to that sacred work until the 28th of August following. During this length of time, I have labored with you by night and by day, in season and out of season. I could have wished that my labors might have proved more successful, but this was not in my power to command, however sincerely desired and ardently prayed for ; and now, at length, worn down with age and bodily infirmities, I find myself unable to discharge the duties of that sacred office in such a manner as would be most useful and beneficial to j'ou. The support of the gospel ministry will richly compensate for the good derived to Society, as it respects the life that now is, but if we take eternity into view, it becomes an object of infinite mag- nitude and importance. It is therefore, Brethren, my sincere desire, that you would invite and call in some suitable person to take part with me in the evangelical ministry, as a colleague, and fellow laborer in this vineyard of our common Lord ; and I shall always be ready to afford you my assistance, so far as my strength and abilities will permit. And that the burden of support might not be too great, I offer to resign my salary except the parsonage money, which is about twenty pounds ten shillings, and nine pounds ten shillings in addition, which will amount to one hundred dollars, whenever another minister shall be settled in this place. 94 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. This small compensation you will not think unreasonable to grant towards my support and comfort during the remainder of my days, which in all probability will be but of short continuance. And if any other method can be devised which will be more agreeable to the church and society, it shall meet with my hearty concurrence. May the great Head of the Church guide and direct you in this important affair, and that the result may be for the honor of God, the interest of the Redeemer's kingdom, your present peace and future tranquility and happiness, is the most devout wish and fervent prayer of your sincere friend and aged pastor and teacher. COTTON M. SMITH, Sharon, Feb. 9, 1802. The only action taken by the society at its first meeting called to consider the application of Parson Smith, was a vote directing the committee to hire some person to assist him in preaching, but at a subsequent meeting held April 13, 1802, the society voted to comply with his request. During the two years which elapsed before the settlement of a colleague, Mr. Smith must have preached for a considerable portion of the time, as the society paid him two hundred and twenty dollars for his services for the first year, and two hundred and eighty seven dollars for the second. At a meeting of the society, holden on the 3d day of October, 1803, it was voted that a committee be directed to hire the Eev. David L. Perry, or some other person, if he is not to be obtained, till further orders from the society, and to give more importance to the measure, it was voted that Deacon Paul Smith, Captain Samuel Pardee and Deacon Benjamin Hamlin be appointed a committee to assist the present committee to hire some person to assist in preaching. At a meeting holden on the 3d day of January, 1804, Mr. Abraham Beecher moved, that the society wish Mr. David L. Perry to settle as colleague with the Rev. Cotton Mather Smith in the work of the ministry. This motion was postponed to a future meeting, and the committee were directed to hire Mr. Perry for six Sabbaths. At an .adjourned meeting holden on the 16th day of January, A. D. 1804, the motion was unanimously passed, with an offer of a yearly salary of five hundred dollars. This was then as large a salary as was paid to any minister in the consociation. Mr. Perry signified his acceptance of the call, and the first Wed- nesday in June, 1804, being the 6th day of the month, was appointed for the ordination. It took place according to the appointment, and the following is the order of exercises : HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 95 IModerator of the Consociation — Rev. Amaria R. Robbins of Norfolk. Introductory prayer — By the Rev. Samuel J. Mills, of Torringford. Sermon — Rev. David Perry, of Richmond, Mass., father of the candidate. Consecrating praj'er — Rev. Joel Bordwell, of Kent ; Revs. Smith, Perry, Robbins and Mills, imposing hands. Charge to the Pastor — By Rev. Cotton Mather Smith, his colleague. Right hand of fellowship— Rev. Joseph W. Crossman, of Salisbury. Concluding prayer— Rev. Jeremiah Hallock, of Canton. The Rev. Mr. Smith continued in the ministry in Sharon until the 27th day of November, 1806, when the venerable and beloved pastor went down to the grave. After the settlement of Mr. Perry he preached but seldom. He however delivered a sermon on the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination, which made the occasion one of the most tender and affecting interest. Tlie character of this excellent man is well and very truly sujnmed up in the epitaph inscribed upon his monument, which is as follows : — The Rev. Cotton Mather Smith, Born in Suffield, Oct. 16, 17B1, orda'ned in Sharon, August 28, 1755, died Nov. 27, 1806, in the 76th year of his age and o2d of his ministry. Sound in the faith, in life and conversation as becometh the Gospel, in doctrine incorrupt ; in manner forcible and persuasive ; A fond husband ; a tender father ; an unvarying friend ; Having for more than fifty years, earnestly contended for the faith once delivered to the saints, he is gone to render his final account to the great captain of his salvation. People of his charge, he still speaks to you in a voice awful as death, solemn as the grave. Prepare to meet your God. The Rev. David L. Perry was born at Harwinton, Conn., on the 21st of June, 1777. He was the son of the Rev. David Perry, who was then the minister of Harwinton, but who was afterwards and for many years settled at Richmond, Mass. He was a grad- uate of Williams College of the class of 1798, and for three years, commencing in October, 1800, was a tutor in that institution. He studied divinity with the Rev. Dr. Backvis, of Somers, Conn., and upon the vmanimous invitation of the church and society in this town, he settled here in the ministry as before stated. Soon after his settlement, he married the only daughter of the Rev. Dr. Strong, minister of the first church in Hartford, by whom he had ten children. 96 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Soon after his settlement in Sharon, he purchased of Deacon Paul Smith forty acres of land lying on the east side of the town street, including that now owned by Mr. Henry J. Taylor. On this he erected a very neat and commodious brick dwelling house, w-hich has been very much enlarged by subsequent owners, and which was his home during his life. The good taste of Mr. Perry in improving the grounds and beautifying the adjoining appur- tenances have made it one of the most admired and desirable family residences in Sharon. He continued in the ministry here until his death on the 25th day of October, 1835, having been sud- denly cut off by a stroke of apoplexy. He was a man of very pure cliaracter and of respectable talents, and he died much lamented by the people of liis charge and his brethren in the ministry. Up to the year 1807 all the expenses of the Society had been provided for by the levy of a tax on the polls and property real and personal of the members, except the income of the small fund arising from the sale of the original parsonage right. At the annual meeting of the Society in 1807, an important change in the method of providing funds was adopted. It was voted to rent the pews for one year to the highest bidder. This was so great an innovation that there were serious fears of its failure. The first committee appointed to sell the pews were Isaac Hunt, George King, Isaac Chamberlain, Samuel Rockwell and Paul Smith, Jun. The proceedings were a success, and that method of raising money for the expenses of the Society has been contin- ued, with a few temporary exceptions, to the present time. In the year 1813, it had become apparent that the society was growing weaker in its means of supporting the necessary expenses of its institutions, and that the congregation was growing less in numbers. The emigration of its menabers and the increase of dissenters contributed largely to that result. Anxious for the maintenance of the Puritan system and for the continuance of the administration of gospel ordinances in their time-honored method in Sharon, the men of property in the parish undertook to raise, by subscription, a permanent fund, to be safely invested in securities by real estate, the income of which was to be applied to the payment of the expenses of the society. The whole sum was subscribed before the matter was brought before the society for its acceptance. The articles of subscription were drawn up in the most careful manner, to insure the safety of the investments, and to direct the use of the fund to the HISTORY OF TIIIC TOWN OF SHARON. 97 l)uri)oses intended by the donors. Tlie church is allowed to change its form of administration from Congregational to Pres- byterian, but in other respects all deviations from the strictest rules of old New England Puritanism are forbidden. At a society's meeting holden on the first day of November, 1813, the fund was transferred to the society and accepted by it upon the terms and conditions specified in the article of subscription. It was placed in the care of the committee of the society. The amount subscribed in the first instance was over four thousand dollars. The old parsonage fund amounted to a little more than one thousand dollars, and several subscriptions, legacies and donations have been added since, so that the present amount of the fund is about seven thousand dollars. Of this sum, two thousand dollars have been invested in the parsonage. There were forty subscribers to the fund article, and the following is a list of the names of those who subscribed fifty dollars and over : John Cotton Smith and son $700.00 Paul Smith, Jr. and sons 300.00 Calvin Noyes, 300.00 Cyrus Swan, 200.00 Benj. Hamlin and sons 200.00 Isaac Chamberlain, 150.00 Edmund Bennett, 150.00 Samuel Rockwell andsons 150.00 Samuel Pardee and son, 160.00 George King, 150 00 Joseph Orton, 100.00 David Gould 100.00 Hezekiah Goodwin, 100.00 Nathaniel Hamlin, 140.00 Aunt Sterling 100.00 Abraham Beecher, for son Amos, 100 . 00 David Gould, Jr.,.. 200.00 Abraham Pratt 100.00 John W. Smith, 80.00 Abner Burnham, 70.00 Samuel Beecher and sons, CO. 00 Simeon Lyman, 80.00 Benj. Reid, 60.00 Mary Noyes 50.00 Chas. Elliot, 50.00 * 13 yo HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Rebecca Patchin, 50.00 Israel White, 50.00 Silas A. Gray, 50.00 Chas. F. Sedgwick 50.00 Prudence Reid 50.00 Jacob Chamberlain, 50.00 This fund has been of very great utility to the society, giving stability to its proceedings and encouraging accession to its membership. A stove was first set up in the meeting house in 1818, against a strong opposition from some of the older members of the congregation. The first twenty years of Mr. Perry's ministry passed with- out anything to mark it with any peculiainties. Several reviv- als of religion attended the faithfulness of his ministry, and added to the membership of the church. Times had so changed that those who disliked the ministry, instead of making their dislike known through their votes in the meetings of the society, would leave it without reproach, and unite with some other denomina- tion of Christians, and the society thus left, though weakened in numbers by their secession, was strengthened by the unity which it occasioned. Emigration, too, had caused the withdrawal of much strength from the parish. A revival of religion in 1823 added some one hundred members to the church, which gave it unwonted stability, and encouraged efforts to build up the society. A great want of the society had been for many years a new place of worship. The old church, standing in the main street, was out of repair, and in no way conformed with the require- ments of modern taste or convenience. Encouraged by the smiles of the Divine favor, and by the unity of sentiment in favor of the measure, the society under- took, in 1823, to erect a substantial and costly edifice for the worship of God. At a society's meeting, holden on the 20th day of October of that year, it was voted that John Cotton Smith, Ed- mund Bennett, Samuel Rockwell, Isaac Chamberlain and Charles F. Sedgwick be a committee to enquire into the expediency to prepare a plan and furnish an estimate of the probable expense of building a new house of worship, and report to the next adjourn- ed meeting. On the 18th of November following, the committee HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. QJ) reported to an adjourned meeting of the society tliat it was inex- pedient to repair the old churcli. Thej^ also recommended to the society to instruct the society's committee to collect such inform- ation and make such estimates of the expense necessai-y to build a new church, as shall be necessary, and to report to a future meeting of the society. At the annual meeting of the society, in October 13, 1833, the following resolution was adopted, two thirds of the voters being in the vote : Resolved. That whereas the present House of Worship in this Society is so far decayed as to be unfit for use or repair, it is expedient to erect by subscription, a new edifice for the worship of God. Resolved, That Samuel Rockwell, Henry Reed, William M. Smith and Charles F. Sedgwick be a committee to solicit sub- scriptions for a sum not less than four thousand dollars for the foregoing object. This meeting was adjourned for two weeks, and at the adjourned meeting, the committee for obtaining subscriptions reported such success that a veiy strong vote was passed to pro- ceed in the erection of a new house of worsiiip without further delay. It was further voted that a committee be appointed to adopt a place for this proposed building, to determine whether it should be constructed of brick or stone ; to make the necessary contracts for the erection and completion thereof, and to dispose of the old meeting house so as best to subserve the interests of the society in building another ; the committee to consist of nine members, to be chosen by ballot, a majority of whom were to be competent for the transaction of business. The following named persons were appointed upon this committee : John Cotton Smith, Isaac Chamberlain, Samuel Rockwell, Edmund Bennett, Hezekiah Goodwin, Charles F. Sedgwick, Cyi'us Swan, Aaron Read. William M. Smith, It was further provided that the committee should select three of their number, to superintend the building of the house, and to collect and pay over to the treasurer of the society the monies subscribed for that purpose. The persons selected as this sub-committee were Hezekiah Goodwin, William M. Smith and Charles F. Sedgwick. It was determined to build the walls of the house of brick, on a stone underpinning, and a contract 100 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. was made with William Watson, of New Milford, a builder of high repute and long experience, to do the mason work of the house. The woodwork was contracted to be done by James Jennings, of Weston, in New Fairfield county, who had been known here as a builder of churches by his having been em- ployed in such service in North Canaan and Warren a short time before. Both these gentlemen fulfilled their contracts to the entire satisfaction of the committee and of the society, and all the expenses of the building were promptly met by the parish. The following is a copy of the subscription paper to raise the money to build the meeting house, with the names of those who subscribed to the amount of fifty dollars or over : Sharon, October 13th, 1822. \Miereas, the house dedicated to divine worship in the first Ecclesiastical Society in Sharon is so far destroyed as to be unfit for use or repair. Therefore, to erect a suitable edifice for the service of Al- mighty God, according to the Congregational or Presbyterian system of faith and worship, the walls to be constructed of brick or stone, under the direction of the committee of said society, and to be located on land now owned by Samuel Rockwell, Esq., near the site of the present house ; we, the subscribers, do severally engage to pay to such committee the sums annexed to our respective names ; one-half part thereof on the first of May next, and the remainder on the first day of November then following. Provided nevertheless that unless the amount of four thousand dollars shall be subscribed for the foregoing object, the present article shall not be obligatory on the subscribers, but shall be deemed of no effect. John Cotton Smith and son, $1100.00 Calvin Noyes, 300.00 Paul Smith and son 210.00 Samuel Rockwell, for site and expenses, 262.00 David Gould, Jr.. 125.00 Aaron Reed 125.00 Alanson Wheeler 110.00 Isaac Chamberlain and son, 100.00 Samuel Beecher 100.00 Cyrus Swan, 115.00 David Gould, 100.00 Hezekiah Goodwin, 120.00 Amy Chapman, 100.00 Simeon Lyman, 100.00 Edmund Bennett, 100.00 HISTORY OP THE TOWN OF SHARON. 101 George King, 100.00 Benjamin Reed, 95.00 Clias. Elliott, 87.00 Benj. and Ebenezer Hamlin , 70.00 Joshua Lovell 75.00 Henry Reed, 62.00 Calvin Gay, 60.00 Daniel Lowrey 60.00 Abraham Pratt, 60.00 Israel Cowles and son, 50.00 Joseph Orton, 50.00 Lois Sears and children 50.00 Isaac Lyman, 50.00 Charles Van Dusen, 50 . 00 Mary Noyes and son 50.00 Geo. King, Jr 50.00 Robert R. Beecher 50.00 C. and R. B. Cole, 50.00 Tarsus Botsford, 50.00 Benj. Lines, 50.00 In the Spring of 1863 the subject of a thorough repair and alteration of the church was agitated, and received the approval of nearly all the members of the society. At a meeting holden on May 29, 1863, Charles Sears, John C. Terrett, Aaron R. Smith, Asahel A. Hotchkiss and Henry M. Gillette were appointed a committee to adopt a plan of the proposed repairs, and in their report made to a subsequent meeting they, or a majority of them, were authorized to proceed with such repairs and im- provements, both inside and outside, wherein the subscriptions for that pux'pose should become binding, and also to construct a lecture room, whenever a subscription of sufficient funds could be obtained. While the church was being repaired, the use of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church was kindly offered for congregational Sabbath worship in the afternoon. Both congregations were every way well accommodated, and wei'e much enlarged during the continuance of the arrangement, and friendly feelings between them prevailed throughout the whole time thus occupied. The proceedings of the committee in repairing the church were prosecuted with so much vigor, that it was occupied by the society, for public worship, on the 6th day of March, 1864. 102 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SUAIiON. It was dedicated by appropriate ceremonies on the 2d of March, 1864, an historical sermon being preached by the pastor, the Rev. Mr. McLaughlin. The whole expense of repairing, painting and furnishing the house was four thousand and fifty -four dollars, and provision was made to meet that whole sum before the house was occupied. The next indispensable item in the supply of the wants of the society was a parsonage, and on the 18th day of June, 1866, it was voted, notwithstanding the great expense incurred in repairing and improving the church, to incur the greater ex- pense of building a costly and beautiful parsonage. Joseph Bostwick, Aaron R. Smith, William W. Knight, Gilbert L. Smith and Hiram Weed were appointed a committee, to examine sites and raise money by suhscriptions, to procure a parsonage and other appropriate buildings. This committee selected the site now occupied by the building, and on the 16th day of July Henry M. Gillette, Joseph Bostwick, Aaron R. Smith, Gilbert L. Smith and Charles Sears were appointed a committee to go forward and erect the building. Some dissatisfaction with the choice of a site and other matters pertaining to the erection of the building exhibited itself, and another meeting was called to I'eview, and perhaps reverse the proceedings of the last one ; but the young and enterprising men of the parish had the matter in hand, and the society sustained their movement by a large majority. The whole expense of the building was $5,784, which was promptly met by the parish. It has also expended more than one thousand dollars in the purchase and improvement of their organ, but it is now entirely free from debt. The following named gentlemen have been pastors of the church since Mr. Perry's death, for the times indicated : Rev. Mason Grosvenor, installed Sept. 28, 1836 ; dismissed May 14, 1839. Rev. Grove L. Brownell, installed May 20, 1840 ; dismissed August 1, 1848. Rev. Thomas G. Carver, installed Oct. 1, 1851 ; dismissed August 6, 1853. Rev. Leonard E. Lathrop, installed July 18, 1854 ; died August 20, 1857. Rev. Daniel D. T. McLaughlin, installed January 18, 1859 ; dismissed June 7, 1865. Rev. Alexander B, Bullions, D. D. , the present incumbent, was installed May 38, 1868. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 103 [ The following have served the church as pastors, since Rev. Dr. Bullions : Rev. Edward Strong, 1879—1880. Rev. James R. Bourne Nov. 1880— May 1890. Rey. Gerald Stanley Lee, Nov. 1890— Sept. 1893. Rev. Edward O. Dyer, Dec. 1893 (present incumbent.)] The following named persons have held the office of deacon in the church : Nathaniel Skinner, elected in 1739. Ebenezer Jackson, elected in 1739. Matthew St. John, elected in 1745. Jonathan Elmer, elected in 1746. Ebenezer Frisbie, elected in 1755. John Williams, elected in 1766. Timothy Carvier, elected in 1766. Daniel Griswold, elected in 1774. Gain Miller, elected in 1781. Joseph Landon, elected in 1781. Benjamin Hamlin, elected in 1793. Paul Smith, Jr. , elected in 1793. Isaac Chamberlain, elected in 1799. Aaron Read, elected in 1812. William Mather Smith, elected in 1838. Charles Sears, elected in 1854. John Cotton Terrett, elected in 1864. Abel C. Woodward, elected in 1874. Edward F. Gillette, elected in 1874. [ The following is to be added to list of Deacons : George A. Kelsey, elected in 1878.] CHAPTER XII. THE WAR OF THE REBELLION. The feeling in favor of sustaining the government in putting down the rebellion of 1861, was very strong in Sharon. If there were any who favored weak measures and a vacillating policy, in dealing with the insurgents, they were very few and scarcely known to the great body of the people. During the first year of the war, volunteering was very prompt to the full number re- quired to answer the calls of the government. When in 1862 the government found it necessary to require of the volunteers a longer term of service, a draft from the military subjects was resorted to to supply the demand, and the following named persons were the first conscripts from Sharon : Gordon J. Peet, Frederick Northrup, Cyrenus Hunter, Charles P. St. John, Albert F. Roberts, Charles B. Everitt, "William E. Brown, Joshua B. Chaffee, Albert Scott, Ezekiel S.Whitney, Don P. Griswold, John VanDusen, Newton Bump, George D. Williams, Aaron H. Dunbar, Charles W. Reed, George W. Birdsell. Richard Woodward, William E. Marsh, Asa Smith, Chesterfield Chapman, Wm. Bush, HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 105 Hilan B. Eggleston, Ricliard F. Everitt, Elias B. Reed, Henry Bush, William Chapman, Baldwin Reed, 2d, James Kelly, Charles Hotchkiss. All of the above named procured substitutes, except William Chapman, who was a son of the late Lovell W. Chapman, and who died in the hospital in Washington within a few weeks after being mustered into the service. The town of Sharon had in the field, at different times, during the war, more than two hundred of its citizens or their substitutes, and her quota of soldiers was never deficient. The following is a roll of the soldiers who served in the army, and were credited to Sharon in the Adjutant General's office. Many of the names are familiar to the citizens, and most of the strange names were borne by substitutes. John Anderson, Thomas R. Albro, Stephen B. Allen, Paul August, Wm. Abbott, Lewis R. Ashman, Samuel J. Alexander, Bradford B. Brown, Geo. M. Bennett, Wm. H. Bowen, Daniel Buxton, Rich. Beebe, killed in battk Chas. Barley, Myron Buttolph, Samuel Beeman, Chas. Bayard, Harry Belmont, George Brown, Edward Baker, Nelson Bush, William Bush, Henry Bush, E. J. Brazee, Seymour Buckley, John Colder, Angevine Cook, John Brown, Henry Burke, Enoch B. Benedict, Frederick S. Beebe, Lorenzo C. Buttolph Wm. Brazee, John Bates, Richard Booth, Joseph Belore, Chas. Brown, Wm. Bartlett. Newton Bowen, N. Chapman, Edward H. Cross, John Chase, John Curtin, Michael Curley, Wm. CHnton, Jas. B. Capron, Chas. F. Cain, George I. Conklin, Henry Cain, Jerome Chapman, Edwin Cain, Michael Henry, John Hevley, 106 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Henry A. Chapman, George Clinton, James Carl, Joshua B. Chaffee, Chas. E.Cole, Wm. Chapman, died in Julius N. Coje. Wm. Clark, Gustin Champlin, Charles Chapman, Michael Cullen, Geo. Cook, Thomas Coliby, Henry S. Dean, Jas Doyle, Jas. H. Divine, Edmund Divine, John Dunbar, John B. Derich, Thomas Doty, Edmund Dean, Everitt Dunbar, Garrett Dean, Jas. Doty, William Frazier, Peter Foster, Newell P. Foot, John Frawley, Carl Freidland, Michael Frawley, Wm. Fitzgerald, Peter Gimlet, Thomas Garvin, Wm. H. Gaul, Chauncey Griffin, Geo. Gaston, Horace R. Griswold. John Grady, Fred'k D. Holmes, Charles F. Hinman, Edward E. Hoffman, N. L. Holmes, Chas. H. Hamlin, David Hector, Geo. W. Hall, Joshua B. Hoxie, Peter Honey, hospital. Wm. H. Ingraham, Chas. Ingersoll, Nathan H. Jewitt, William Johnson, Henry Johns, Harvey Johns, Gilbert Ingraham, Andrew Jackson, killed in battle Jas. B. Johnson. Thos. Jones, Wm. C. Jacobs, Jas. R. Jenkins, Galls Juans, Elijah Johns, Elmore F. Jenks, Martin B. Jenkins, Michael Kelly, Chas. King, Fred'k King, Patrick Kinnej'-, John Kelley, Henry Kelly, Gilbert E. Lake, Walstein Loundsbury, William H. Logan, John Lynch, Chas. Loretta, Jos. B. Loper, Stephen Mclntyre, Oakley Middlebrooks, Wm. Mooney, Joseph Marline, James McMaster, Christopher Muller, Cyrus Mitchell, John H. Mitchell, Andrew Morehouse, HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON, 107 Cai'lo Mosier, Jose Mayor, August Mitjen, John Mentin, Wm. H. Norton, Smith Olaw, Geo. D. Palmer, John F. Peck, John Pahner, Miles Pedro, Shephard Packliard, Sanford B. Pahner, Sheldon F. Prout, John Qixinn, Albert Robinsdn, Dayton Reed, Chas. J. Reed, Isaac L. Reed, Ralph Rowley, Chas. E. Reea, John Rogers, John Ryan, Thos. Redding, Milo Reynolds, John Rowley, Robert A. Sedgwick, Wm. Shephard, Dwight D. Studley, Geo. W. Studley, Elisha Soule, John Stephenson, Edward Saunders, Josiah Starr, Lewis H. Starr, Jas. Sullivan, Jas. Sinton. Geo. C. Skiff, James Savoy, Chester Slover, Wm. A. Smith, Wm. Smith, Almond Slover, Robert Shea, Wm. Smith, Lyman Teator, Chas. P. Traver, Chas. H. Treadway, John Tuttle, David Taylor, John Taylor, John Thomj)3on, John Tracy, Henry Tohoff , Henry Valentine, Wm. Waldron. Elmore E. Waldron, Henry Wheeler, Joseph Wheeler, Benj. Wilson, Peter Welch, Wm. Waters. Chas. Witham, Ransom Welton, Lockwood Waldron, Thomas Wilson, Horace C. Warner, Chas. L. Wardwell, Edmund Whitney, James Wilton, Geo. Williams, Fred'k White, Napoleon Wilson. At a town meeting, held at the Town Hall in Sharon July 20, 1862, Samuel Roberts, Esq., Moderator, the following preamble and votes were passed : Whereas, Under the late call of the President of the United States for the additional force of three hundred thousand volun- teers to put down the unrighteous and wicked rebellion, to restore 108 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. the supremacy of law and order in our land, and happiness to our beloved country ; it becomes the duty of this town to raise about thirty volunteers as her quota ; and whereas it is desirable and necessary that said number shall be put into the field without delay. Therefore, As an expression of the loyalty of the citizens of this town and of their willingness and determination to meet this and all other demands made upon them either by the chief mag- istrate of the Republic, or the executive of our State, to support and sustain our government in this the hour of its peril, and to enable the government (so far as it is our duty) to prosecute the war to a speedy and triumphant issue — to expedite volunteering to the number aforesaid, Voted, 1st. That the selectmen of Sharon be and are hereby authorized to pay to each volunteer, who shall enlist to make the quota of Sharon, under the late call of the President the simi of one hundred dollars, and to pay the same as soon as they are mustered and accepted by the United States, and that the select- men draw their orders on the town treasurer for such sums. Voted, 2d. That in case the Secretary of War or the Execu- tive of the United States, or of this State, shall fix or recommend a sum to be uniformly paid to volunteers, as bounty, through this State, or the United States, the selectmen are hereby directed to comply with such request, provided that the bounty of any volunteer in this town shall not be reduced after he has enrolled his name. Voted, 3d. That, if there shall not be sufficient money in the town treasury for the aforesaid purpose, the treasurer be and is hereby authorized to borrow, on account of said town, so much as will make up such deficiency for the period of one year. Voted, 4th. That the selectmen and the town clerk elect some person who shall be an inliabitant of th is town, and recom- mend him to the Governor of this State as a suitable person to be appointed as a recruiting officer in this town, and a commissioned officer in such company as the Sharon quota may be i^laced ; and in making such choice they shall consider his efficiency as a re- cruiting officer, his ability to command and his probable accept- ance by such company. Voted, 5th. That our representatives, Asahel A. Hotchkiss and John Henry Per Lee, be and are hereby appointed a commit- tee to co-operate and assist said recruiting officer. Voted, 6th. That the selectmen make a written report of their doings in the premises at the next annual town meeting. The following resolutions were adopted, as expressive of the sense of the meeting : Resolved, That we look upon the present as the crisis of the rebellion, a crisis from which we see no deliverance other than in the most prompt and energetic action. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. lU!) Resolved, That every person and everj' community of doubt- ful loyalty should be regarded as disloyal, and the announcement should be made that we rely on no qualified Unionists to aid in this contest for great principles, but must only in the truly loyal, who will sacrifice property, life and even opinion for the common good. Resolved, That the time has fully come when we must strike for our national life, using every weapon God hath given us, and calling to our aid every person who can be drawn from the rebels or added to our cause. That a proclamation of the commander-in-chief declaring the provisions of the recent law of Congress to be the sentiments of the government, and that they will be enforced, would secure to the Union cause thous- ands of laborers, thousands of fighting men, and millions of co- operating well-wishers, that the welfare of our country, the lives of loyal soldiers, and the happiness of loyal families all over the free States, demand the proclamation. Resolved, That every day's delay complicates our relations, both foreign and domestic, gives the rebels strength, and is wasting hundreds of good and true men, and it is far better that every rebel should perish than that one more loyal soldier should die. And, therefore, it is that we, with entire unanimity, most respectfully and earnestly call upon the President to act in his capacity as Commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and immediately issue tlie order which will take from the rebels their great source of strength, while it will di- minish their army by calling to the defence of their homes large numbers of rebel ofiicers and men, and to assure the President that in this, as in every act of his administration, the people of the free States will sustain the policy, while the whole civilized world will applaud the Proclamation of Emancipation. Eecorded by HARRY LOCKWOOD. Town Clerk. CHAPTER XIII. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES— FAMILY SKETCHES, GENEALOGIES, ETC. Abel, David, was from Lebanon, and came to Sharon in 1760. He purchased of John Eoberts the lot of land on which Earl M. Cartwrigbt now resides. He had five sons, Sluman, David, William, John and Andrew. William was a soldier in the revolutionary war and a pensioner. Mr. Abel died June 23, 1781, at the age of 60. The name of the neighborhood called Abel street was derived from him. Ackley, Thomas, from Chatham, came to Sharon, in 1768. He purchased of Phineas Post, of Lebanon, the thirty-second lot in the first hundred acre division. He lived on the Ellsworth turnpike, where William Whitney now lives. He had three sons, Thomas, David and Abraham. Thomas entered the revolutionary army in 1776, and was taken prisoner at capture of Fort Washington. He died during his captivity. Mr. Ackley, the father, died Nov. 6th, 1793, at the age of 67. Atherton, James, was an early settler from Coventry. He lived near the place now owned by Zalmon S. Hunt, Esq., south of Hitchcock's Corner. He had five sons, John, David, James, Simon and Moses. The family removed from the town in the course of a few years to Newton, N. J. Avery, William, was from Lyme, in 1777. He was a hatter by trade, and lived in Ellsworth, on the Perkins place, so called. He married a sister of Captain Isaiah Everett. He removed to Doanesburgh, N. Y. , early in the present century, where he died. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Ill Bacon, Jacob, was fx'om Canaan, in 1741, and lived where Charles Benton now lives. He was a large landholder ; he re- moved to Salisbury in 1748. Badcock, Zebulon, was from Coventry, and came to Sharon in 1745. He settled near where Dwight St. John now lives, but in 1747 he bought the seventeenth home lot, known as thePatchen place, now occupied by George H. Chase, Esq., and lived there nearly forty years. He afterwards returned to Coventry. Bailey, Joseph, was from Lebanon, and came to Sharon in 1774. He purchased of Samuel Chapman, the farm on which his son, the late Deacon Joseph Bailey, resided, in Ellsworth. He died Sept. 15, 1802, at the age of 69. He had three sons, Joseph, Peletiah and Benjamin, who resided in the town and died there. Barnes, Thomas, was an early settler in the northwest part of the town, and lived near the present residence of Mr. Roswell H. Hazzard. He came into the town in 1750. He had three sons, Thomas, Dan and Jonah. He died in 1760. Thomas, the oldest son, lived on the same place until his death, March 7, 1807, at the age of 74. Dan lived in the town of Amenia, N. Y. Jonah, the youngest son, was a physician, and a man of great wit and shrewdness. He lived at what is now called the Evertson place, west of the Governor house. Barrows, David, came from Mansfield, before the revolution- ary war. He lived where Adonijah Maxam lived. He had no children. He died on the 6th day of January, 1815, at the age of eighty-three. Barrows, Amos, was a brother of the preceding, and lived many years where Stephen White lately lived, in the Great Hol- low. He kept a tavern, and was accidentally killed by falling from the hay loft in his barn, on the 5th day of December, 1779, at the age of 50 years. Barstow, Seth, was from Rochester, Mass., in 1771. He lived at the lower end of Abel street, where his grandson, Seth B. St. John now lives. He had five sons, Allen, Samuel, Seth, Gam- aliel and Charles. Samuel was a physician, who formerly lived in Great Barrington, Mass., and who died there in 1813. Gamal- iel was also a physician, residing in Broome county, N. Y. He was a member of Congress, and a member of the Senate and Treasurer of the State of New York. Mr. Barstow, the father, died in 1832. iri HISTOUY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Bates, John, was one of the first settlers of the town. He lived a little below Henry Reed's present residence. His daughter, Sarah, who was born on the 25th day of February, 1789, was the first white child born in Sharon, except Jehiel Jackson. She was afterwards the wife of John Randall. Mr. Bates and his wife both died of the small pox, when it prevailed in the town in December, 1784. Beard, Nathan, was from Milton, in Litchfield. He came to Sharon in 1779. He purchased of the administrators of Charles Gillet, the farm on which the late John Jackson lived, and there resided. He for several years carried on the forge in Hutchinson Hollow. He died in 1792. He had a large family, of w^hom James Beard was the youngest son. Beardslee, John, was from Newtown, in 1760. He married a daughter of Cornelius Knickerbacker, and lived many years at the Sprague place, where the late Charles Prindle resided. Bennet, Capt. Edmund, was from the parish of Columbia, in Lebanon, and came to Sharon soon after the revolutionary war. He was a blacksmith by trade, and by his industry and economy accumulated a handsome estate. He lived on the mountain, two miles east of the meeting house. His wife was a daughter of Charles Gillet, who was killed in Canada in the revolutionary w^ar. He was for many j-ears town treasurer and held many im- portant oifices in the town. He died on the 1st of December, 1829, at the age of seventy -four. One of his sons, Hon. Milo L, Bennett, was a judge of the supreme court of Vermont. Betts, James, was from Norwalk and came to Sharon at an early day. He lived near the Sprague place, in the Gay district. He died in 1758. He had two sons, Ezekiel and Zophar, the latter of whom officiated for many years as chorister in Mr. Smith's congregation. Zophar Betts died the 2d day of May, 1778, at tlie aged af forty-four. Blackman, Dr. Simeon, was from Newtown, and came to Sharon in 1789, and settled on the mountain, where John Jack son, Sr., lives. He studied medicine with Dr. Shepherd, of New- town, and here acquired eminence and distinction in his pro- fessional career. He enjoyed a large share of the public con- fidence, and represented the town in the legislature at five sessions. He was an Episcopalian by religious profession, and in his last will beqvieathed to the society in Sharon, of which he was a member, the sum of two hundred dollars as a fund for the support of preaching. He died of dropsy on the 16th of August, 1812, at the age of fifty-three. He left no children. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHAKOK. 113 Boardman, Benjamin, came to Sharon in 1742, and settled where Edwin N. Hai'twell now lives. He sold the place to James Warren, in 1748. and built on the spot where Dwight Hotchkiss now lives. He had one son, Thaddeus Boardman, who lived on the west border of Mudge Pond. In 1786 the elder and younger Boardman sold their real estate to Frederick Lord, of Hartford, and removed to the west. Bogai'dus, Jacob, merchant, came to Sharon from Amenia, N. Y., in 1764. He lived in the old brick house, known as the Taylor house, a little north of Gov. Smith's. He was a Dutch- man, and built the large Dutch barn, which within a few years stood in close contiguity with the town street, near his dwelling- house. He sold his place in 1775, to Ebenezer Dibble, and again returned to the State of New York. He built the large brick house, one mile w^est of the village, now owned by Mr. Morehouse. Boland, David, was from Woodbury, in 1767. He was a Scotchman by birth, and purchased of Samuel Dunham, the tenth home-lot, originally Samuel Hutchinson's, being the same on which the old stone house owned by Anson Boland stood. He had two sons, William and David, both of whom were offi- cers in the revolutionary army. He was possessed of a valua- ble real estate, which by his last will he gave to his grandsons. Reuben and John Boland, during their lives, remainder to their eldest male heirs. His Epitaph. In memory of David Boland, who died Aug. 31, 1780, aged seventy -nine. The stage of life when once passed o'er, Fixes our state to change no more. Our work is great and must be done, An heaven to win, an hell to shun. Then seize the promise while you may, Nor lose one moment by delay. Botsford, Ephraim, was from Newtown, and came to Sharon in 1765. He purchased of Daniel Baldwin a tract of land in the north part of the town, opposite Homer Pardee's, and lived there until his death in 1795. He had two sons, Elnathan and Ephraim, the former of whom died in 1783, and the latter in 1831. * 15 Hi HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. His Epitaph. In memory of Mr. Ephraim Botsford, Who departed this life Dec. 5th, 1795, aged seventy-four. When you, my friends, this tomb draw near. Bedew my urn with one kind tear ; Then look by faith to realms above. Where all is harmony and love. Epitaph on Wolcott, son of Ephraim Botsford, who died Sept. 1, 1785, aged eleven. The youth who late with vigor shone. Now lies interred beneath this stone. From death's arrest no age is free, Prepare, my friends to follow me. Bouton, Daniel, was from Stamford, and was the first settler on the lot owned by the late Cyrus Swan, Esq. He died Nov. 14, 1740, at an early age. His widow. Elizabeth, afterwards married Abel Munn, who died in 1758. She continued to occupy the house of her first husband long after she became a widow the second time. She was often spoken of by aged people as old Mother Munn. Brockway, Walston, the first of the Brockway family in Sharon, came from Branford in 1752. He settled in the south- west part of the town, near the line of Kent, and died there in 1813, at the age of ninety. His son, the late Asa Brockway, was a soldier of the revolution and a pensioner. Buel, Eliphalet, was from Salisbury, and was brother of the late Col. Nathaniel Buel, of that town. He came to Sharon in 1767, and settled where Homer Pardee lived. He died of the small-pox, on the 5th of February, 1777, aged forty-nine. His only son, Nathaniel, died a prisoner in New York, a short time before, and his wife soon after, of the same disease. Their common fate is commemorated in the following Epitaph. The only son is gone but twenty days. The indulgent father follows him to ye grave Where we must all repair ; alas, how soon Our morning sun goes down at noon. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 115 The son and husband both are gone, The mother and the wife, how soon Must yield to death, and here to lie To tell the living they must die. Burr, Walter, was from Fairfield. He lived at what is called the Burr place, in the Valley, now owned by the Mallea- ble Iron Company, and owned a very valuable farm, a great portion of which is in the State of New York. He died in 1802. Calkin, Lieut. Stephen, was from Lebanon, and was an original proprietor of the town. He drew the thirty-first home- lot and lived where Abraham Weed lately lived. He had seven sons, Stephen, Joseph, Elijah, Timothy, Amos, Justus and David, all of whom settled in the town, and most of them in the same neighborhood with their father. The neighborhood which is called Calkinstown, perpetuates their name. Mr. Calkin died in 1781. He was the grand-father of the late James Calkin and Justus Calkin. Camp, Abel, from New Milford, came to Sharon in 1769. He lived on the mountain where the late Capt. Bennett resided, and remained in town about twenty years. Canfield, Hon. John, was a son of Samuel Canfield, of New Milford, Avho was one of the judges of the county court, for Litchfield county, and a deacon of the church in New Milford. Mr. Canfield was born at New Milford in 1740, and graduated at Yale College in 1762. He studied law and established himself in the practice of his profession in this town, in 1765, being the first lawyer that lived here. He purchased of Parson Smith, the lot next south of Judge Sterling's, and built the old brick house owned by that gentleman. Mr. Canfield enjoyed an enviable reputation and was holden in high estimation by his fellow citizens. He represented the town in the legislature at ten different sessions. He was a professor of religion and en- joyed the reputation of a sincere and humble Christian. In 1786 he was elected a member of the Continental Congress, and had he Hved to take his seat in that body, would probably have been a distinguished member. He died, however, on the 20th day of October, 1786, at the age of forty-six. The grief of the community at his death was general and deep, and the old men in after years spoke of him with unbounded confidence and attachment. He left but one son, John M. Canfield, Esq., who resided at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., and a number of daughters. The Hon. John C. Spencer, Secretary of War, was his grandson. llfi HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. His Epitaph. Sacred to the memory of the Hon. John Canfield, A member of Congress from tliis State, who died the 26th day of October, A. D. 1786, in the forty-sixth year of his age. 'Tis not for hfeless stone to tell thy worth, A partner's heart the deep impression wears, Thy orphans oft, around this hallowed earth. Shall tell a father's love with speaking tears, And numerous friends who swelled the tide of grief. Thy great and generous deeds shall oft relate, Thus through revolving years thy name shall live, 'Till to immortal life, this slumbering dust shall wake. Canfield, Hon. Judson, was a son of Col. Samuel Canfield, of New Milford, and a nephew of Hon. John Canfield. He graduated at Yale College in 1782. He came to Sharon in 1787, and commenced the practice of law. He built the house now occupied by J. P. and G. D. Goodwin and lived there. He was a member of the house of representatives at seventeen sessions, and for several years a member of the council. He was also a judge of the court of common pleas. He left Sharon in 1815, and removed to the State of Ohio, where he died in 1839, at the age of more than eighty years. Canfield, Col. Samuel, was a brother of the preceding, and came to Sharon in early life. He was an assistant commissary of issues in the war of the revolution, and towards the close of his life drew a handsome pension. He was for many years a merchant of extensive business, and was town clerk from 1792 to 1815, having succeeded Daniel Griswold, Esq., in that office. He was a member of the assembly at several sessions. He died while on a visit at Ppughkeepsie, N. Y. , on the first day of Octo- ber, 1837, at the age of eighty three. Carrier, Deacon Timothy, was from Colchester, in 1747. He bought of Jacob Bacon a part of the twelfth home lot, where Charles Benton now lives. He was appointed a deacon of the church in 1766, which office he held until his death. He had one son who survived him, and he removed from the town soon after the decease of his father. He died on the 22d of February, 1781, at the age of eighty-two. His wife died about the same time, and the stone which marks their resting place has upon it the following : HISTORY OP THE TOWN OF SHARON. 117 Epitajih. Here man and wife, secure from strife, Lie slumbering side by side, Though death's cold hands dissolved the bands, It could not them divide. This tomb shall burst and yield its trust, This pair will live again, With purer love to soar above. Where joj's immortal reign. Cartwright, Nicholas, was the common ancestor of the Cait- w right family, which have been numerous in the town. He was originally from Barnstable. Massachusetts, and lived a short time on Philip's Patent, now South-East, New York. He came to Sharon in 1756, and settled near the place where Austin Cart- wright now lives. He was baptized in September, 1781, when he was nearly eighty years of age. He died in May, 1782. He had three sons Reuben, Christopher and Samuel. Reuben lived where George W. Peck lived. He died, leaving a numerous family, in May, 1790, aged forty. Christopher lived near David Curtis's late residence, and before the revolutionary war he removed to Shaftsbury, Vermont. In 1775 he joined the army under General Montgomery, and was in the battle of Quebec, in which Mont- gomery fell. He died of small-pox, in the American camp, on the Island of Orleans, before the retreat from Canada. Samuel lived where Austin Cartwright now lives. He was also in the army with his brother Christopher, but escaped his untimely end. He lived to a good old age, and died January 17th, 1819, aged seventy-eight. He left two sons, Nicholas and Anson, who are both now deceased. Chaffee, Joshua, was from Mansfield, and came to Sharon in 1755. He married the only child of Matthew St. John, Jr., and first settled where John B. Smith now lives. In 1760 he removed to Ellsworth, where his son Joel S. Chaffee lived. He died in 1789, aged fifty-six. He left three sons, Joel, Matthew and Joshua B. Matthew died soon after the death of his father. Joshua B. died in 1832. He was at the time of his death one of the magistrates of the town. Chamberlain, Deacon Isaac, was born in New Marlborough, Mass., and came to Sharon with his step-father, Mr. John HoUis- ter, in 1756. He was a carpenter and joiner by trade. He married a daughter of Jonathan Sprague, and had sevex'al children. He 118 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. entered the armv early in the revolutionary war, and was sergeant of artificers. He was appointed deacon of the Congregational Church in 1799, which office he held till his death. He was a man of strong mind, of great decision of character, and for many years was one of the pillars of the town. His Epitaph. Deacon Isaac Chamberlain, a patriot of 76, A soldier of the revolution, and for many years of his subsequent life an officer of the first church in Sharon. Born in New Marlborough, Mass., Oct. 24, 1756, died at Sharon, July 14, 1833. Grounded and settled in the faith. — St. Paul. Chapman, Obadiah, was from Colchester, and came to Sharon in 1741. He settled in the south part of the town, opposite Fred- ei'ick Carter's present residence, He was the owner of a large real estate. He died in 1761. He left four sons, Obadiah, Pelatiah, Matthias and Robert. Obadiah died in 1763. Pelallah was the father of the late William Chapman, and he died in 1759. His widow afterwards married Dr. Ashbel Goodrich. Robert, the youngest son, and the survivor of them all, was a soldier in the old French war, and after his return from the service settled in the southwest part of the town, where his son, the late Elijah Chapman, lived. He died in 1814, at the age of eighty. He was the father of the late Obadiah Chapman. Chapman, Samuel, was from Colchester. He came with the first settlers. He settled on the forty-sixth home-lot, near John Jackson's. He afterwards removed to the lower end of Abel street where his grandson, Caleb Chapman, lived. He had three sons, Samuel, Ezekiel and Nehemiah. Caleb Chapman is a son of the last named. Ezekiel died a soldier in the French war. Chappel, Amos, was a son of Caleb Chappel, of Lebanon, one of the original proprietors. He came to Sharon in 1760, and settled in Ellsworth, where Charles B. Everitt lives. Church, Jehiel, was from Great Barrington, Mass., and lived a little north of the late Adolphus Everett's. He died May 1, 1819, at the age of seventy-seven. He had nine children. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHAROX. 110 Cluxton, Samuel, was originally from the old Plymouth colony. He came to Sharon in early life. He lived where Ansel Cartwright lived. He was a faithful soldier in the revo- lutionary war and died in 1820. Cole, Caleb, was from Norwalk, and came to Sharon in 1748. He settled on the place now owned by his great grandson, Albert Cole. He had sons, Zebulon, Matthew and David, which last named was the father of Caleb Cole and Richard B. Cole. He died in«1780. Coleman, Josiah, came from Hebron in 1771. He lived near where Austin Cartwright lives. He was a son of Noah Coleman, of Colchester, one of the original proprietors of the township. He was a practical surveyor, and was considerably employed in that business. He was a member of the General Assembly in October, 1783, and in May, 1784, and again in May, 1788. He was also a delegate to the convention which ratified ■ the Constitution of the United States, to the adoption of which he was very strongly opposed. One of his sons, Josiah, was taken prisoner at Fort Washington, in 1776, and on his return from captivity died at Milford, January 8th, 1777, of disease contracted in the British prison-ships. He had four other sons, Aaron, Elihu, Jesse and Amasa. The eldest, Dr. Aaron Coleman, lived at Warren, to a very advanced age. Mr. Coleman died February 23, 1813, aged eighty. Epitaph. When rocks dissolve and skies in smoke decay, Rise, sleeping dust, to an unclouded day. Comstock, Samuel, was from Lyme, and came into Sharon with the first settlers. He built a log house directly opposite John B. Smith's dwelling house, and a cluster of apple-trees which he planted the first year, is still standing. He was the first collector of taxes in the town, and was a highly respecta- ble man. He sold his place in 1748 to Deacon Matthew St. John, of Norwalk, and himself removed to New Fairfield. His home-lot was the thirty-second. Conkling, Capt. Benjamin, was from Norwalk, and lived for many years where Charles VanDeusen lived, in the Valley. He was often appointed selectman of the town, as well as to other ofiices. He afterwards lived in Vermont for several years. 130 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. but towards the close of life returned to Hitchcock's Corner, where he died on the 1st of October, 1833, at the age of eighty- six. He was the father of Dr. Ebenezer H. Conkling, who formerly lived at Hitchcock's Corner. Corbet, John, was the first settler at the place where the late Samuel Petit lived, in the north part of the town, now owned bj^ George Lamb. He was from Lebanon, in 1743. He built a saw-mill, at an early day, near Abel Benedict's. He afterwards lived on the mountain at the Elderkin placq, so called, near Elijah Marsh's former residence. Crippen, Jabez, was from Colchester, and was an original proprietor of the township. He drew the twenty-first home lot, and his house stood on the ground now occupied by the Grosvenor house, so called, nearly opposite Governor Smith's. He was the first selectman ever chosen in the town. He had sons, Jabez, John, Samuel, Thomas and Joseph. His son Thomas lived where Milo R. Calkin now lives. About the year 1753, the father removed with several of his sons, into Amenia, N. Y., near where the late Jonathan Pennoyer lived ; and that neighbor- hood was formerly called Crippentown. Mr. Crippen died at Manchester, Vermont, about 1785. Crocker, Oliver, was from Lebanon, before the revolution- ary war. He settled where Philander Abel now lives, and died April 13, 1813, at the age of eighty-one. His widow died recently, at the age of more than ninety years. He left no son. Curtice, Caleb, was from Hebron and was an original pro- prietor. He drew the thirtieth home-lot, and lived where Ezra H. Bartram, Esq., now lives. He had sons, Caleb, Jeremiah, Daniel and Nathaniel. Caleb lived at the Lockwood place, near John S. Jewett's. Jeremiah lived at the Hanchet place, now occupied by A. Bryan, and Daniel at the place owned by the late Capt. Gibbs. Nathaniel lived on the home-lot. He was killed by the kick of a horse, October 19, 1803. Mr. Curtice, the elder, died November 30, 1777. at the age of seventy-four. Curtis, Seth, was from Danbury, and came to Sharon in 1783. He lived where George W. Peck formerly lived. He was the father of the late Noah Curtis, and of the late David Curtis. He died March 37, 1804, at the age of sixty-seven. Day, Thomas, was from Colchester and came to Sharon in 1755. He lived where Thomas N. Lucas, Esq., now lives on the mountain. He had two sons, Jonathan and Jeremiah, the IIISTOliY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 121 former of whom died in early life. Ilis younger son, Jeremiah, was educated at Yale College and graduated in 1756. Soon after he left college he was married, and settled in the town as a farmer. He was a constable in 1765 and 1766, and selectman the latter year. He was representative to the Assembly in October, 1766, and in May, 1767. His wife died in August, 1767, and soon after that event he turned his attention to the ministry. He was, for many years, the minister of the parish of New Preston, in Washington. He was the father of the Rev. Jeremiah Day, D. D. , President of Yale College, and the Hon Thomas Day, for many years Secretary of the State of Connecticut. Epitaph. In memory of Mr. Jonathan Day, who departed this life January 8, 1763. Spectator ! here you see Exemplified in me. What you must shortly be . In memory of Mrs. Sarah Day, the late amiable coxsort of the Rev. Jeremiah Day, who departed this life Aug. 35, 1767. She gives life, but O, pitiable consideration ! gives it at the expense of her own, and at once becomes a mother and a corpse. Flere et meminisse relicturn est. In memory of Mr. Thomas Day, Died February 28, 1773, aged eighty-two. Life how short, Eternity how long ! Davis, Jonathan, was from Rutland, Mass., and came to Sharon in 1746. He purchased of Jacob Bacon, the sixth home- lot, opposite the stone house formerly owned by Anson Poland, He sold this property in 1750, and purchased a large tract of land below Hitchcock's Corner. He had one son, Ezra, who died in early life, leaving a widow and three children. Mr. Davis afterward lived over the line, in Oblong, but where he died is not known. * 16 122 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Delano, Deacon Thomas, was from Wareham, Mass. He lived a short time in Tolland, and came to Sharon in 1759. He settled in the southwest part of the town. The name was originally spelt De La Noy. Mr. Delano was chosen deacon of Mr. Knibloe's church in 1767. He died September 8th, 1803, aged seventy-seven. He had two sons, Jethit) and Stephen, the latter of whom died in 1840, at the age of more than ninety years. Epitaph. In memory of Jethro Delano, who died July 17, 1787, aged twenty-nine. Virtue alone to him did give, The gift of knowing how to live ; A pattern to the growing youth, A never failing friend of truth. Deming, Daniel, M-as from Saybrook, and came to Sharon in 1783. He purchased of Amos Tyler, the place where his widow afterwards lived. He was the father of Stephen Deming, Esq. , late of Litchfield, and Dr. Ralph Deming of Sharon. He died May 15, 1816, at the age of sixty-six. Dibble, Capt. Ebenezer, was from Salisbury in 1776. He lived in the Great Hollow, near,the watering place. He sold his farm to Adonijah Maxam in 1795, and removed to Saratoga county, N. Y. Dibble, Ebenezer, was a son of Rev. Ebenezer Dibble, of Stamford, formerly Episcopal missionary in Sharon. He was a merchant and owned the brick house now known as the Taylor house. In 1781 he sold out to Robert G. Livingston, Esq., of New York, and removed to Pine Plains, N. Y. , whei-e he died. He was the father of the late Fyler Dibble, Esq. . Dotey, Capt. Samuel, was the ancestor of the Dotey family. He was from the old Plymouth colony, and came to Sharon in 1747. He lived a little south of Dwight St. John's. He practised surveying. He and his wife were both cut off by the small-pox in 1784. He had a son, David, who was a physician, and lived near Hitchcock's Corner, and was for a while a captain in the revolutionary service. He died February 9, 1817, at the age of seventy-six. HISTORY OF THK TOWN OF SHARON. 123 Downs, David, Esq., was from New Haven, and came to Sharon about the year 1768. He married a daughter of Mr. Thomas Day, and settled on the mountain near John Jackson, Jr. He was a tailor by trade. He was captain of a comi)any in the revolutionary service, and was, with his company, taken prisoner at the Cedars in' Canada, in 1776. He was for many years one of the magistrates of the town, and one of its representatives in the Assembh^ at eleven sessions. He had several sons who main- tained a highly respectable character, but there are none of his descendants remaining in the town. He died December 13, 1813, at the age of seventy-seven. Dunham, Capt. Jonathan, was from Colchester, and was a leading man in the first settlement of the town. He lived opposite Richard Smith's, and there kept the first tavern in the town. He was the agent to the Assembly to procure the incorporation of the the township, and was appointed to call the first town meeting. He was standing moderator of all the town meetings holden during his life time, and selectman of the town during the same period. His race, however, was a short one, as he died on the 38th day of February, 1745, at the age of fifty-nine. He had sev- eral sons, one of whom, Samuel, built the stone house formerly owned by Anson Boland. Capt. Dvxnham's grave stone is the oldest one in our church yard. Elliott, Samuel S., was fi"om Killingworth and came to Sharon in 17S0. He purchased of his brother-in-law, Reuben Hopkins, the place where Henry Reed now lives. His wife was the daugh- ter of Col. John Williams. He was the father of John A. Elliott, formerly a very worthy citizen of the town. He died on the 22d day of April, 1812, at the age of sixty. Elmer, Deacon Jonathan, was from Norwalk, and came to Sharon in 1746. He first purchased of Caleb Jewett, the lot on which Gov. Smith lived, and there resided till 1751, when he sold it to Jonathan Gillett, and removed to what is now called the Martin place, near the stone bridge. There he lived till his death Januai-y 5, 1758, at the age of seventy-three. He was highly respected as an officer in the church, and as a member of society. He had several sons, who lived in town, but there are none of his descendants, bearing his name, remaining among us. Elmer, Martin, was a son of the preceding, and was a cooper by trade, and a Baptist by religious profession. He lived a bach- elor, and died on the 8th day of August, 1778, at the age of seventy-three. The following epitaph is said to be highly expres- sive of his character : 124 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. In silent shade, Here lies the dust Of him who made The Lord his trust. Elmer, Colonel Samuel, was a son of Deacon J. Elmer and was a brave officer in the revolutionary war. He was appointed a major in Col. Hinman's regiment, in 1775, and was engaged in active duty in the campaign of that year. The next year he was appointed a colonel in the New York line, and continued in com- mand of a regiment while he remained in the army. He lived in the town until about 1801, when he removed to the town of Elmore, in Vermont, where he remained until his death. He was the father of John Elmore, Esq., of Canaan.* Everett, Ebenezer, was from Hebron in 1745, and settled where Adolphus Everett lived. He had three sons, Isaiah, Ebe and Eliphalet, the two latter of whom were revolutionary soldiers. Eliphalet was for several years the steward of General Washing- ton's military family. He lived many years where Everett Dunbar now lives, in Ellsworth, but spent the latter part of his life in Watertown, N. Y. Isaiah Everett died August 4, 1834, at the age of eighty-two, leaving sons Adolphus, Asa, Gamaliel, Russell and William. Ebe Everett died January 5, 1840, at the age of eighty- six, leaving sons, Samuel E., Augustus, Elmore and John. Everett, John, was a brother of Ebenezer Everett, and came to Sharon from Windham in 1757. He was a blacksmith by trade, and lived on the road which formerly led north from Joel Whit- ford's, now discontinued. He had but one child, a daughter, who married Ebenezer Sprague. Mr. Evei-ett went to Ohio, in the early settlement of that state, and died there. Foster, David, was from Lebanon in 1750. He lived on the place which v^^as occupied by the late John Jackson, who was his son-in-law. He was a leading man in the affairs of the town for many years. He was a member of the Assembly at the October sessions in 1763 and 1764, and selectman eight years. He died in 1793. * Col. Elmer's name was by mistake spelt Elmore, in the commission he received from Congress, and from that circumstance, he adopted the latter method of spelling it, and it has been continued by the family till the pres- ent time. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 125 Foster, Elijah, was a son of the preceding, and was a highly- respectable man. He lived where John Jackson now lives, and was an early favorite of the town. He was for many years a constable. He entered the Continental army as a lieutenant in the campaign of 1776, and was in active service till the clo.se of the yeai-. His Epitaph. Here lies the body of Lieut. Elijah Foster, who died of the small-pox, January 14, 1777, in the forty second year of his age, on his return from the army. Inspired with freedom and her virtuous cause, To save his country from a tyrant's laws, Resolved an end to the unnatural strife, And in the glorious conflict, lost his life. Frisbie, Deacon Ebenezer, was from Branford, and was the first settler at the place occupied by the late Benjamin Bailey, on the Ellsworth turnpike. He came to Sharon with the first settlers, and being a surveyor, he was much employed in laying out lands in the early location of the township. He was town clerk from December, 1743, to January, 1746, and one of the deacons of the church nearly the whole time of his residence in the town. He had one son, Caj^t. Hezekiah Frisbie, who settled whei'e Aai'on Dunbar now lives, in Ellsworth. He died October 2Q, 1793, aged eighty-nine. Epitaph. How short is life we mortals see, How long is vast eternity, In time prepare for death and be Happy to all eternity. Deacon Frisbie was buried in the Ellsworth grave yard. Fuller, Benjamin, was from Colchester, and came with the first settlers. He lived on the next lot below Governor Smith's. He was among the first who died in the town, having departed this life in December, 1740. His widow afterwards married Nathaniel Skinner, Esq. He had three sons, Matthew, Josiah and Benjamin, the latter of whom was the father of the late Capt. John Fuller. 136 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Gager, Dr. Samuel R., was born at Norwich, May 23, 1763, and was an assistant surgeon in the navy in the revolutionary war. Soon after the close of the war he visited England. He established himself in Sharon in the practice of surgery in 1788. He was long celebrated in his profession, and was much respected as a citizen. He represented the town in the Assembly in the years 1831, 1832 and 1829. He was also for many years a justice of the peace. He died August 4th, 1835.* Gallow, Joseph was from Hudson, N. Y. , in 1785. He owned and occupied the place where R. W. Noyes now lives, and kept a tavern there for many years. He finally returned to Hudson, where he died. Gay, John, Esq. , was born in Dedham, Mass. , and in early life settled in Litchfield, and was among the first white inhabi- tants of that town. In 1743 he came to Sharon, and purchased of Israel Holley, the thirty-ninth home-lot, which was in the north part of the town. His house stood nearly opposite the present res- idence of his great-great-grandson, George Gay, Esq., and was standing till within a few years. Mr. Gay w^as a highly respecta- ble man, and lived to the advanced age of ninety-four. He died on the 6th of August, 1792. He had sons, John, Ebenezer, Fisher and Perez. John was the father of the late Capt. Daniel Gay. He died January 1, 1776, at the age of forty-eight. Ebenezer was a merchant, and built the brick house lately owned by Reuben K. Hunt. He was a colonel in the militia, and frequently command- ed detachments in the revolutionary war. He was the father of the late Mr. David Gay. He died July 16, 1787, at the age of six- ty-one. Fisher Gay settled in Farmington, where his descendants now reside. He died in the city of New York, early in the revolutionary war. Perez Gay died of small-pox in 1784. He was the father of Calvin Gay, Esq. Gibbs, Job, was from Wareham, Mass. , and came to Sharon in 1747. His house was the one next south of the Governor's mansion. Mr. Gibbs was a merchant and did a large business for those times. He had three sons, Sylvanus, Heman and Job. Capt. Sylvanus Gibbs, the eldest, was an officer in the revolu- tionary war, and died on the 19th of June, 1834, at the age of eighty-one. *It is worthy of remark that William Gager, the ancestor of the Gager family in this state, was of the same proftBsion as Lis descendant here noticed. Governor Dudley calls him a "right f,'(>(ll.v iiian and a skillful chyrurgeon." His son John came to Connecticut \vitli the younger Gov. Winthrop, and settled in New London, and from him Dr. Gager descended. HISTORY OP THE TOWN OF SHAROX. 127 Epitaph. Here lies interred ye body of Job Gibbs. He died of ye small- pox, Dec. in ye 18th, 1760, in ye 37th year of his age. I'm here confined, as you must be, Oh then prepare to follow me, Because from death no age is free, Get faith in God's eternal Son, In him there is salvation. Boast not thyself of coming time, Because to morrow is not thine. Seek then, to-day, that you may find. Gillett, Jonathan, was from Colchester, in 1745. He lived in several places during his early years, but finally established hiiiiself, in 1753, where George Skinner now lives. Here he resided thirty years, and kept a tavern. He sold his place in 1783, and purchased of Timothy Carrier, Jun., the place where Charles Benton now lives, where he resided till his death. He was representative to the Assembly at the May and October sessions in 1788, and a delegate to the convention called to ratify the constitution of the United States. His wife was a daughter of Thomas Day, and sister of Rev. Jeremiah Day, of New Preston. Mr. Gillett died December 31, 1814, at the age of eighty-nine. Gillett, Charles, was a brother of the preceding, and came to Sharon from Colchester, in 1755. He was a blacksmith by trade, and settled where John C. Loucks now lives. He was town treasurer from 1760 to 1771, when he removed to the mountain, having purchased of Rev. Jeremiah Day, of New Preston, the place lately owned by John Jackson. He enlisted into Capt. Downs' company, and marched to the northward in 1776. While the army lay at the Cedars, in Canada, he was killed by a party of Indians, lying in ambush, as he was riding out on business connected with his duty as commissary. He left several children, one of whom was the wife of the late Capt. Edmund Bennett. Gillson, Eleazer, was from Goshen, Orange county, N. Y., and came to Sharon in 1784. He had been a soldier in the revolutionary war, and settled a little north of Elijah Juckett's. He was one of the first emigrants to Ohio, and the first mail carrier on the post road between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. He carried the whole mail in his pocket on foot. He died at the age of nearly ninety years. 138 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OE SHARON. Goodrich, William, was the ancestor of the Goodrich family, which has been quite numerous in the town. He was originally from Wethersfield, and first moved to Litchfield, where he remained ten years. He afterwards removed to Shefiield, Mass., and when the townshiij of Sharon was sold, he became the purchaser of two rights. He bi'ought his family to the town in the fall of 1738, and built a hut near the outlet of Mudge Pond. Here he spent the winter, with no neighbors, except Indians, nearer than the Dutch settlements at Leedsville. He went to mill on foot, during the winter, once to New Milford, and once to Red Hook, N. Y. , on snow shoes, and carried his wheat on his back. That he was a sincere christian we may well believe from the introductory clause in his last will and testament, the first recorded on the probate records for the district of Litchfield. After speaking of the uncertaintj' of life as a reason for making his will, he says : " wherefore, committing my body to the dust, from whence it was taken, and my soul to the bosom of my dear Lord Jesus Christ, hoping and believing that he will raise me up with all his saints at the glorious morning of the resurrection, I give, &c, " Mr. Goodrich died on the 31st day of March, 1748, at the age of fifty-six. He had sons, Samuel, Jared, William, El- nathan, David, Elisha, and Solomon, and their descendants have been very numerous. His wife survived him about seven years, and one tombstone marks the resting place of both, on which is inscribed the following Epitaph. Here lies the husband and the wife, Interred beneath this double tomb. This double witness may suffice To prove that death will be our doom. Goodwin, John P., was from Hartford, and came to Sharon in 1784. He lived whei'e Myron Dakin now lives, and died on the 5th of May, 1807, aged eighty-two. He had three sons, William, John P., and Hezekiah, the last of whom was a man much re- spected and beloved. He was a corporal in the continental army, and was eight years in the service. His discharge, under the hand of General Washington, spoke highly of his merits. He was a representative to the Assembly in May, 1818. He was killed at the raising of a small building, belonging to Benjamin HISTORY OF Tin-: TOWN OF SHARON. 121) Hollistcr, Esq., on the 15th of May, 1833, and his untimely end was deeply lamented. He died at the age of seventy-two. John P. Goodwin and George D. Goodwin are his surviving sons. Gould, John, was an original proprietor, from Hebron, and drew the thirty-fourth home-lot, the same on which Jacob Benson now lives. His house stood on the hill west of Benson's f)resent dwelling house. He appears to have been at one time a man of handsome estate, but in old age became poor, and was supported by the town. He was grave digger for many years. He died about 1782. Gould, Job, was from New Milford, in 1763, and purchased of Deacon Jackson, the place on the mountain lately owned by his grandson, Major David Gould — now by John Jackson. He had two sons, Job and David, the former of whom settled in Mudge- town, near Baldwin Reed's, and the latter remained on the mountain. Mr. Gould, the elder, died February 37, 1795, at the age of ninety-five. His son, David, died April 19, 1824, at the age of seventy-seven. Job, Jun., died at the time indicated in the following Epitaph. Sacred to the memory of Job Gould, Jun. , Who died April 19, 1794, aged fiftj^-nine. O painful thought, yet we must know, The grave's the place where all must go. If dear, good, wise and just they be, Yet death's their lot, as here we see. Gray, John, was from Scotland, and came to Sharon in 17-13. He first settled in the Valley, and his house stood on the bank, a little east of the Valley store. In 1748, he sold this place to Abel Wood, and removed to the mountain, a little east of the Gould place, where he died in 1761. He left sons, John, Silas, Darius and William. Darius was the father of the late Silas A. Gray, Esq. The revolutionary services of William have been described in a former page. Gregory, Joseph, was from Norwalk in 1759. He lived wliere Joel C. Whitford now fives. He was a merchant for many years. He removed to CatskiU, N. Y., where he died. He had sons, Stephen, Justus, Ebenezer, Uriah, Elias and Daniel. Griswold, Ephraim, was an early settler, and lived where Richard Woodward now lives. He had three sons, Azariah, David and Jabez. He removed to Spencertown, N. Y., before * 17 130 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. the revolution. Azariah Griswold was a subaltern officer in the revolutionary army. He lived where John Boyd, Esq., now lives. He sold this place in 1786 to John Foster. Griswold, Daniel, Esq., was from Norwich in 1756. He lived where Richard Smith, Esq. , now lives. He was a physician and pursued the practice of his profession for many years. He was appointed a justice of the peace at an early day. On the death of Col. Williams, in 1774, he was appointed town clerk, which office he held until his death. He also succeeded the latter gen- tleman as deacon in the church. Epitaph. Sacred to the memory of Daniel Griswold, Esq., who departed this life Dec. 23, 1792, aged sixty-six. The wise, the good, the virtuous and the just. Lies here entomb'd to moulder into dust. But death must yield, resign the mouldering clay. To shine and sparkle in eternal day. Griswold, Francis, was a brother of the preceding, and came to Sharon in 1762. He was a tanner and currier by trade, and he lived on the corner a little north of Solomon Bierce's. His tannery was near his house, where the cider mill stood. He died November 6, 1778, at the age of forty-three. Griswold, Capt. Adonijah, another brother of Daniel Gris- wold, Esq., came to Sharon in 1762. He settled in Mudgetown where Solomon Bierce now lives. He was a lieutenant in Capt. Down's company in 1776. He died Sept. 19, 1807, at the age of sixty eight. He had three sons, Adonijah, Chester and John, the latter of whom lived in Tompkins county, N. Y. Hamilton, David, was from Lebanon, and was the first settler on the place owned by Judge Sterling. He afterwards lived opposite Governor Smith's. He appears to have been the great land speculator of the day, his name appearing on the records, as the grantor or grantee in deeds, more frequently than any other. He was also for a time deputy sheriff. He died in 1781, leaving sons, Dudley, John and Joseph. Joseph was a physician, and practiced medicine in the town for several years. Dudley formerly lived where William Marsh now lives. Mr. Hamilton HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. UJl disposed of most of his real estate in town previous to his death. He was largely interested in land in Vermont, and in what was called the Susquehannah Purchase. Hamlin, Cornelius, was an early settler from Wareham, Massachusetts and lived near Mrs. Hunt's. He afterwards lived in the Hollow, near the iron works, in which he was a part owner. He also lived for a while near the head of Mudge Pond. In 1760 he removed to Spencertown, New York, but soon returned, and here spent his days. He had one son, Cornelius, wlio died in early life. Hamlin, Deacon Ebenezer, was also from Wareham, and first lived where George Skinner now lives. He afterwards removed to the south part of the town, below Hitchcock's Corner. By his last will, he left 24 pounds old tenor bills, for the support of the gospel in the Congregational society at the Corner. He had sons, Ebenezer, Thomas, Isaac and Lewis. Thomas was the grandfather of Philo Hamlin, who is the only descendant of Deacon Hamlin now remaining in the town. Deacon Hamlin died in 1755. Hamlin, Deacon Benjamin, was son of Deacon Eleazer Hamlin, of Fredericksburgh, now Carmel in Putnam county. New York. He came to Sharon in 1780, and lived at different places in the northwest part of the town. He was elected Deacon of the Congregational Church in 1793, and held the office till his death. He maintained a very pure and spotless character, and died universally lamented. Epitaph. The remains of Benjamin Hamlin, Seniour Deacon of the first Church of Christ in Sharon, whose piety, meekness, and sweetness of temper, rendered him alike a blessing to the church, an ornament to society, and the delight of his acquaintance. This eminent servant of God, expired in full assurance of a blessed immortality, on the 6th Oct., 1830, in the 61st year of his age. Hanchet, Sylvanus, was from Salisbury, in 1769. He lived where Alden Bryan now lives. He is celebrated as being the first person who formally invited the Methodist preachers into Sharon, in 1788. It was at his house that the first Methodist society was 132 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. formed, by Rev. Freeborn Garretson, and where public worship was celebrated for several years. He removed to the state of New York many years since, where he died. Harvey, Joel, was from New Milf ord, in 1742, and settled in the Valley. He built a grist mill, which stood more than sixty years. He also built the stone house, in the Valley, in 1747. He was a large landholder, and had a very numerous family, many of whom died of the consumption. Mr. Harvey died Dec. 26, 1796, at the age of 84. His Epitaph : All nations must, Return to dust. Hatch, Capt. Ebenezer, was from Kent, in 1768. He lived on the place now owned by Zalmon S. Hunt, Esq., below Hitchcock's Corner. He was a respectable man, and served many years as selectman, and in other important offices. He left the town many years since. Heath, Bartholomew, was from Lebanon, and was among the first settlers. He lived in the north part of the town, where Bird Reed now lives. Epitaph. In memory of Mr. Bartholomew Heath, who died Feb. 11, 1789, in ye 79th year of his age. My glass is run, my days are spent. The fleeting moments heaven hath sent ; And now to God I yield my breath. And calmly fall asleep in death. Hide, David, was from Lebanon, in 1748. He purchased of Samuel Gillet the 41st home lot, the same on which Homer Pardee lived. He was appointed constable in 1750, and served in that capacity, and as collector, ten years. He was also a deputy sheriff for several years. Hide, William, was from Lebanon, in 1759. He lived where Charles Reed now lives. He had two sons, Eleazer and William W. He died Dec. 26, 1770, at the age of fifty. Hitchcock, Samuel, was from Norwalk, in 1752. He pur- chased of Jonathan Gillett the place where Gov. Smith lived, and resided there five years. He then removed to the south part of the town, where his son, the late Asa Hitchcock lived, and there spent -the remainder of his days. It was at his house that the HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 133 first Methodist sermon preaclied in the town was delivered. He died January 1, 1794, at the age of sixty-eiglit. He had seven sons, Samuel, Thomas, Solomon, Amariah, Penuel, Stephen and Asa. The latter died Dec. 26, 1829, at the age of fifty-nine. Holley, Israel, was an early settler, from Stamford. He tirst owned and lived in the 89th home lot, whicli he sold to John Gay, Esq. , in 1743, and removed to the Great Hollow. He there lived on the place lately owned by Capt. Dibble. He had two sons, Israel and Nathaniel. Holley, Joseph, was from Stamford, and was the original owner of one-half of the 36th home lot, the same on which the late George Bissell afterwards lived. This he sold, in 1743, to John Sprague, and he afterwards lived in Turkey Hollow, a little north of Elijah Juckett's. He had three sons, Jonathan, John and Sylvanus. Jonathan removed to Richmond, Massa- chusetts. Sylvanus lived near the outlet of Indian Pond. John, who was the second son, was the father of Luther Holley. Esq. , who was for many years an eminent citizen of the town of Salisbury. This last named gentleman was born in Turkey Hollow in 1752. HoUister, Josiah, from Glastenbury, was the common ances- tor of the HoUister family which resided in the south part of the town. He purchased of Matthew Judd, in 1742, ihe 2d home lot, the same on which John B. Lovell lived. He had two sons, Josiah and Samuel. Josiah settled on the home lot, and Samuel settled where Elijah Juckett now lives. Josiah had two sons, John and Benjamin. Benjamin settled in Oblong, New York, near the present village of Leedsville, where his descendants yet remain. He died Oct. 3, 1801, at the age of 74. Lieut John HoUister died May 19, 1769, at the age of fifty, leaving sons, Jeremiah, David, John, Nathan and Josiah. John was killed at the battle of Stillwater, in 1777. David became the owner of a large and valuable real estate. He lived where Enoch Lambert lived. He was the father of the late John J. HoUister, and of Joseph L. HoUister, who was the last survivor of this once large large family. Epitaph. In memory of David HoUister, who departed this life Feb. 20, 1807, in the 53d year of his age. Alas ! how soon all earthly joys are fled. Our dearest friend is buried with the dead . In vain we mourn, in vain the loss deplore, In vain look back to what he was before. From us he's gone, on earth he's seen no more. 134 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Hollister, Samuel, from whom the family of that name in the south-east part of the town are descended, was from the parish of Kensington, in Farmington, now Berlin. In 1744 he pur- chased of Dr. George Hollo way, of Cornwall, one hundred acres of land on the Ousatonic River, which had formerly been laid out to Joseph Skinner. There he settled and died. He had two sons, Gershom and Elisha. Gei'shom was unfortunately killed at the raising of a barn, in Cornwall, in 1792. Elisha lived to an advanced age, and died in 1815. He left sons, Samuel, Elisha, Amos and Asahel. There are many of his descendants yet remaining in that neighborhood. Hunt, Rev. Aaron, who for the last thirty years of his life was a citizen of Sharon, was a Methodist clergyman, of high standing in that denomination of Christians, and whose repu- tation is eminent among the early lights of the church. He commenced preaching in 1791, and for more than fifty years was an able, active and efficient itinerant minister. On retiring from active duty, he purchased the farm now owned by his son, Zalmon S. Hunt, Esq. , south of Hitchcock's Corner, which was his home for the remainder of his life. There he died April 25th, 1858, aged ninety years and one month. His biographer says of him, that he had a clear, strong intellect, was an earnest Christian and an able and highly successful minister. Hunt, Daniel, was from Lebanon, at the earliest settlement of the town. He lived on the mountain, at what was called the Randall house, now the residence of Wm. S. Marsh. He after- wards lived at the Tanner place, near Augustus L. Peck's. He removed to Vermont before he died. One of his daughters, who was the mother of Dr. Sears, lived to the age of ninety-four years. Another daughter was the mother of Dr. Ralph Deming. Hunt, Phineas, a brother of the preceding, was f I'om Lebanon in 1747. He bought of Caleb Chappell, the farm on which his descendants resided, in Ellsworth. He had but one son, the late Phineas Hunt, to whom, by his will, he gave all his estate. He died August 22, 1787, at the age of 72. The son died Oct. 38, 1827, at the age of 69. Hunter, Jonathan, was from Wareham, Massachusetts, where he had been deacon of the church. He came to Sharon in 1747, and purchased of Benjamin Richmond the farm on which Benja- min Sears lived. His wife was a daughter of Deacon Ebenezer Hamlin. He died in 1762. He had two sons, David and Jona- than, who removed, soon after his decease, to Stillwater, New York. His widow afterwards married Lieut. John Pardee. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 135 Hunter, Ebenezer, was from Norwich, about the year 1760. He lived on the mountain, in the southwest part of the town. His son, Nathaniel Hunter, was a soldier in the Revolutionary Hurlburt, Capt. Samuel, was fi'om Lebanon in 1743. He pur- chased of Caleb Strong, the west half of the 25th home lot, on which Charles L. Prindle now lives. He was the first merchant in the town. He was at one time possessed of a large and valua- ble estate, but before the close of his life he was reduced to poverty. He died June 4, 1789, aged seventy-seven. Hutchinson, Samuel, Esq., was one of the first settlers, and the second magistrate in the town. He was from Lebanon, and drew the 10th home lot, the same on w-hich the stone house owned by Anson Boland stood. In 1751 he sold that place, and purchased the first minister's lot of the Rev. Peter Pratt. His house stood where Perry Loucks' tavern now stands. In 1763 he removed to Spencertown, New York, where it is supposed he died. He had three sons, Samuel, Ezra and Solomon, the two latter of whom settled in this town, and gave the name to Hutch- inson Hollow, where they lived. Jackson, Deacon Ebenezer, was from Norwalk, and settled on the 42d home lot, now owned by John Jackson, on the moun- tain. He was early chosen Deacon of the church, and was a highly reputable and useful man. He had six sons, Ebenezer, Joshua, John, Abraham. Stephen and Joseph, most of whom settled in the eastern part of the town. In 1763 he sold his home lot to Job Gould, and from that time lived with one of his sons at the River, till his death, in 1766. An uncommon incident attaches to the farm on which he settled, in the fact, that it has been held by owners of the family of Jackson and Gould from the first ownership by Deacon Jackson to the present time. Jewett, Capt. Caleb, was from Norwich, now Lisbon, in 1743. He first purchased and occupied the lot on which Gov. Smith lived, but in 1744 he sold it to Deacon Elmer, and bought of Sam- uel Chapman, the farm on the mountain now owned by his grandson, John S. Jewett. He was selectman of the town twelve years, and Representative to the Assembly at eleven sessions. He had sous, Caleb, Nathan, Thaddeus and Alpheus, the last of whom after a life of much public employment, and of great usefulness, died at the age of eighty -six. 136 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Epitaph. In memory of Capt. Caleb Jewett, who died Jan. 18, 1778, in the 68th year of his age. Let not the dead forgotten Ue, Lest we forget that we must die. Jennings, Joseph, was from Fairfield in 1771. He lived at the place lately owned by George Bissell. He died August 5, 1780, at the age of sixty-four. He left sons, Justin, Reuben, Charles and Joseph. They all left town soon after the death of their father. Johns, Benjamin, was an early settler in the Valley, and lived on the Burr place. He sold out in 1752 to Samuel Smith, and removed into the State of New York, near the late residence of Moses Clark, in North East. He died of the small-pox. Jones, Evan, vras the first settler upon the place owned by Deacon William M. Smith, which was the old parsonage of Par- son Smith. He came with the first settlers, from Hebron, and remained in the town till 1750, when he sold out to the Rev. John Searl. Juckett, Elijah, was originally from old Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. He served faithfully and honorably through the Revolutionary war, and was a sergeant in the light infantry under General LaFayette. He was in the severe conflict at Stony Point, when that post was taken by General Wayne, as well as in several other battles. He was a pensioner under the act of 1818. He died in 1839, at the age of seventy-eight. Kellogg, Oliver, Esq., was from Sheffield, Massachusetts, and settled in Sharon in 1788. He was a clothier by trade, and lived at Hitchcock's Corner. He was a highly respectable and influen- tial citizen, and was a representative to the Assembly at sixteen sessions. He was also for many years one of the magistrates of the town. He died Sept. 17, 1830, at the age of seventy. Ketcham, Elihu, was the first settler on the Bates place, so called, now owned by Mr. Liner. This he sold in 1748 to John Marvin, Jr. From that time to 1753 he lived near the school house in the Boland district, when he left the town. King, George, was from Windsor, in 1784. He had pre- viously been connected with the commissary department of the army, and at the close of the war established himself as a merchant, in company with Eli Mills. He prosecuted business HISTORY OF THE TOWN OP SHARON. 137 with great success for many years, and accumulated a large and valuable estate. He died Nov. 31, 1831, at the age of seventy- seven. Knibloe, Rev. Ebenezer, some account of this gentleman is given in a foregoing part of this work. It may here be added that he had three sons, William, Elijah and John P., all of whom were cut off within a few weeks of each other, by the epidemic which swept over the town in 1812. Knickerbacker, Cornelius, was one of the early Dvitch in- habitants of Salisbury, and lived at the Furnace Village. In 1748 he exchanged farms with Capt. John Sprague, and took possession of the 37th home lot, where the Messrs. Prindle now live, in Gay street. The pond now called Beardslee Pond, was for many years called Knickerbacker's Pond, from its vicinity to his residence. He died March 3, 1776, at the age of eighty- four. Lake, Joseph, was a soldier in the old French war, and in the war of the Revolution. He came to Sharon from Stratford, in 1772, and purchased of Jabez Hamlin the place where his son, Andrew Lake, lived, near the Indian Pond. He lived for many of the last years of his life, in the eastern part of the town, where William Stone, Esq., now lives. He died April 24, 1813, at the age of seventy -four. Landers, Joseph, was from Wareham, Massachusetts, in 1748. He bought of Caleb Chappell the 8th home lot, on which Dr. Ralph Deming now lives. He died on the 5th day of August, 1781, at the advanced age of ninety -four. His wife, who died the preceding January, reached the age of ninety-seven. Their Epitaph. Behold and see this wonder here, This couple lived full seventy year In wedlock bands ; now yield to death. Ninety odd years 'tis from their birth. Landers, Joseph, Jr., was a son of the preceding, and lived with his father on the 8th home lot. He was appointed a deacon of the church in 1781, in the place of Deacon Frisbie, resigned, which office he retained till his death. He was a representative to the Assembly at the May session in 1783, * 18 138 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Epitaph. In inemory of Deacon Joseph Landers, who died August 31, 1801, aged 79. Entomb'd in earth, beneath this stone, My aged body lies at rest, With this terrestrial ball I've done. And now reside among the blest. Far from confusion here I lie, And calmly rest my hoary head ; My loving friends, prepare to die. For there's no peace but with the dead. Lewis, Samuel, was from Hebron, in 1743. He was the first settler on the 9th lot in the first hundred acre division, the same where Ichabod Everitt now lives, in Ellsworth. He continued in town about thirty years, and then removed to New Ashford, Massachusetts. His son, Samuel Lewis, Jr. , was a soldier in the early part of the Revolutionary war, and a history of his captivity in England, and his escape, is given in the former part of this work. He died soon after his return, leaving a wife and three children. Lillie, David, was from Windham, in 1765. He settled in Gay street, and built the house now owned by Mr. Prindle. He removed to Ohio about the year 1800. Lockwood, Nathaniel, was from New Canaan, in 1784, and purchased the farm on the mountain known as the Lock- wood place, near Mr. Jewett's. He died Feb. 26, 1785, at the age of thirty-three, of consumption. His widow afterwards married John Williams. Lord, Jonathan, was from Colchester, and was one of the first inhabitants of Ellsworth, where he settled in 1743. He lived where Horace Dunbar, Esq., now lives. He died in 1760. Lord, Joseph, Esq., was a son of the preceding, and came to the town with his father in 1743. He was for many years the only Justice of the Peace in Ellsworth. He was for several years a selectman, and member of the Assembly in October, 1777. He died Oct. 28, 1778, at the age of fifty-eight. He was the first person buried in the burying yard now used in Ellsworth. HISTORY OP THE TOWN OF SHARON. 139 Lott, Baltus. This individual appears to liave been a squatter upon the pubhc lands before the township was sold. He was probably a Dutchman, and had taken possession of a considerable tract of land in Connecticut and New York, and had erected a house and barrack, and made considerable clear- ings. His territory embraced what is now called the Burr farm. The proprietors made many efforts to remove him, but he resisted them all until March 1743, when Joseph Skinner purchased his possessions for 300 pounds old tenor, and he went away. He afterwards lived in the north part of Amenia, New York. Lovell, John, came to this part of the country from Roch- ester, Mass., in 1745. He first settled in Oblong, New York, where George H. Swift, Esq., now lives. In 1770 he removed to Sharon, and purchased of David Boland the 2d home lot, where his great-grandson, Chaflfee Lovell now lives. He died Nov. 3, 1789, at the age of fifty-eight. His only son, Captain Joshua Lovell, who was a respectable citizen of the town, lived upon the same place until his death, in February 1838, at the age of seventy-one. Lovell, Joseph, was from Rochester, Massachusetts. He first settled in Kent, but in 1767 he purchased the 35th lot in the first hundred acre division, of Samuel HoUister, Jr. He lived at what was formerly known as the Cluxton place, on the road leading east from Caleb Chapman's. He had two sons, Levi and Joseph. Manrow, Joseph, was from Norwalk, in 1744. He settled on the corner opposite John S. Jewett's, and the old orchard which he planted is still standing. In 1750 he exchanged farms with Matthew Fuller, and removed to the mountain, near David Curtis'. In 1752 he sold this place to John Jackson, and became the owner of a grist-mill near the Bates place. This property he sold in 1757 to David Hamilton, and removed from the town. Manrow, Noah, was for more than forty years an inhabitant of Mudgetown. He came from Salisbury in 1751. He lived on the borders of the Pond, in a house lately destroyed by fire, then owned by Capt. Benjamin Lines. He died May 5, 1793, at the age of sixty-four. He left sons, Noah, Younglove, Daniel, and Philo. Marchant, Amos, from Newtown, came to Sharon in 1773. He bought of Ebenezer Sprague the home lot on which Cal- vin Gay, Esq., lived, and built the brick house owned by that 140 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. gentleman. He was one of the victims of the small-pox, which swept over the town with such terrible severity in 1784. He had sons, Joseph, Ashbel, Wheeler and Elijah. Epitaph. In memory of Amos Marchant, who died of the small-pox Dec. 19, 1784, aged 63. Though death be potent as a king. And wounds with his envenom'd sting, Yet faith fresh vigor will impart, To rob the tyrant of his dart. Marriner, Capt. Ephraim, was from Colchester, in 1765. He settled in Abel street, where Stephen Tickner lived, and lived there until 1786. He then removed to the north part of the town, and resided there till his death in 1810. He was a member of the Assembly in May 1787, and in May and October 1788. He had two sons, Ephraim and Buel, who removed to Yates Co. , New York, several years since. Marsh, Pelatiah, was from Lebanon in 1764. He settled in the east part of the town, where his grandson, Elijah Marsh, lived. He died April 8, 1790, at the age of eighty-three. His son, Jesse Marsh, father of Elijah Marsh, lived at the same place, and died October 25, 1833. at the age of eighty. Martin, EUphalet, was from Windham in 1786. He first set- tled where Adonijah Maxam lived in the Hollow, which place had previously been owned by David Barrows. He afterwards pur- chased of Dr. Samuel Rockwell, the Elmer place, near the stone bridge, where he resided till his death. He was much employed in the business of the town. He died April 11, 1801, at the age of forty-seven. Marvin, John, Jr. , was from Norwalk in 1748. He bought of EUhu Ketcham, the farm called the Bates place, about one mile easterly from the meeting house, and lived there. He was also a part owner in the iron works at the mouth of Mudge pond. In 1753, he sold the Bates place to his father, who then removed to the town, and who died Feb. 9, 1774, at the age of ninety-six. Mr. Marvin was a member of Assembly in May 1756 and 1768. In 1770 he removed to Brook Haven, Long Island, where he resided till his death in 1783. HISTOEY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 141 Maxam, Adonijah, was from the old Colony in 1748. The name, in the early records, is spelt Muxam, and is so pronounced by elderly people at the present day, Mr. Maxam settled where Orrin Abel lived on the Ellsworth turnpike, where he died in 1760. He left four sons, Samuel, Benjamin, Adonijah and Jacob. The third son, Adonijah, after having gone through the active and perilous services of the revolutionary war, which have been detailed in a preceding chapter, died at the age of ninety-seven years. (Front.) Adonijah Maxam, Born at Sharon, Dec. 28, 1754. Died Nov. 23, 1850. JE 97 years. (Reverse.) As a true Patriot he served his country faithfully in the war of the Revolution. As a friend he was warm and constant in his attachments, while he was strongly opposed to those he deemed the enemies of his country and of the Christian faith. As an honest man, a useful citizen and a devoted Christian he lived respected and died lamented. Millard, Joshua, was from Cornwall, in 1768. He was the first settler upon the place now owned by Robert Buckley, in Ellsworth. He remained in town about thirty years, and then i-emoved to Egremont, Mass. Miller, Henry, was from Branford, in 1750. He was the first settler on the farm now owned by Deacon Jabez Swift, on the Ousatonic river, and his house, the remains of which are still vis- ible, was on the old road that formerly led north from Swift's bridge. He afterwards lived in Kent. He was the grandfather of Hubbel Miller, Esq., of Kent. Miller, Deacon Gain, was born in Ireland, in 1716. He came to Sharon in 1763, and purchased of Daniel Hunt, the place for- merly occupied as a poor house, near Frederick Parson's, where he resided during his life. He was elected deacon July 6, 1781, which office he resigned in August, 1799, and the late Deacon Chamberlain was chosen in his place. He left one son, the late Thomas Miller, who was the father of the late Daniel Miller. 142 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Epitaph. In memory of Deacon Gain Miller, who died Nov. 16, 1809, aged ninety-three. I've long'd to join the heavenly song, Of anthems ever new. To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, And bid the world adieu. Mudge, Ebenezer, was one of the original proprietors of the town, and was from Colchester. He drew the twenty-fifth home lot, lying on both sides of town street, and embracing the place now owned by Charles L. Prindle and Baldwin Reed on the west, and by Deacon A. C. Woodward, Estate of Reuben Hunt, Mr. Terrett and Mr. Skinner, on the east. In 1743 he settled on the western border of Skinner's Pond, as it was then called. Here he lived until his death April 21, 1758, at the age of seventy-five. He had six sons, viz. : Samuel. Mica, Abraham, Ebenezer, Jarvis and Joseph. Samuel lived on the place now owned by Baldwin Reed. 2d, w-hich he sold in 1772, to Job Gould, Jun. Mica hved a while in Ellsworth, and was a part owner of the first mill near Wm. Emons's. He removed to Albany county, New York, in 1758. Abraham lived at the Griswold place, now owned by Sol- omon Bierce. Ebenezer removed to Canaan in 1763, where he lived till 1775 when he removed to New Ashford, Mass. Jarvis settled on the homestead, but he soon sold it to Noah Munroe, and left the town. Thus, this numerous and respectable family had all left the town previous to the revolutionary war, but the beautifnl lake on whose borders they settled will commemorate their name through all succeeding time. North, Capt. Thomas, was from Wethersfield in 1743. He was one of the first proprietors of the iron works in the Hollow. He lived on the twenty-sixth home lot, known as the Captain Patchen place, now pwned by Mr. Chase, He served as select- man for several years. He removed into the state of New York in 1753. Noyes, Calvin, was from Lyme, and was a direct descendant of the Rev. Mr. Noyes, the first minister of that town. He came to Sharon in 1792, and purchased a large and valuable real estate in the neighborhood of Benedict's mill, where he resided. He was distinguished for his public spirit, and for his many acts of pri- vate charity. He lived a bachelor, and for the last few years of his life was entirely blind. By his last will he gave the greater HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 143 part of his estate to the Congregational society in Sharon, the American Education Society, the Connecticut Missionary Society and the Connecticut Bible Society. Each of those societies has received nearly seventeen hundred dollars from his estate. He died at the residence of his brother, Deacon Moses Noyes, in Poultney, Vt., January 32, 1831, at the age of eighty. Noyes, Selden, was a younger brother of the preceding, and came with him from Lyme in 1793. He lived where Clark M. Juckett now lives. He was cut off in early life by consumption. He left sons, Milton, Selden and John. Epitaph. Sacred to the memoiy of Selden Noyes, who died July 5, 1804, aged thirty-four years. Though death's cold stroke the bond has broke. That joined the hand and heart, Yet should they stand at Christ's right hand. They never more can part. Orton, John, was from Litchfield, in 1764. He married a daughter of Deacon Joseph Landers, and settled on the place now owned by George R. Woodward, which originally belonged to John Davis. He left two sons, Joseph and Luther. Epitaph. In memory of John Orton, who died April i), 1785, in the forty-second year of his age. In prime of life he yields his breath. While weeping friends lament his death. But death must yield, his dust restore. Where friends shall meet but weep no more. Pardee, Lieut. John, the patriarch of the numerous family of Pardee, in Sharon, was from Norwalk, and was an original proprietor. He was a shoemaker and tanner by occupation, and settled near the stone bridge, north of the meetinghouse. He was a leading and prominent man in all the affairs of the town, and was a very large landholder. He was one of the first representatives of the town in the legislature, being elected such in October, 1755, when the the town was first represented in 144 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. that body ; and he was chosen to that office at six sessions. He died July 13, 17G6, aged sixty-nine. He had six sons who settled in the town, and whose descendants are very numerous, viz, : Thomas, Jehiel, John, James, George and Moses. Thomas settled on the mountain, where Josiah Brown now lives, and he was the father of the late Capt. Samuel Pardee. He died August 1, 1806, at the age of eighty-four. Jehiel settled where Clark Pardee lived, and was grandfather to the last named gentleman. John settled in the Great Hollow, and he was the father of the late Isaac Pardee, Esq. James lived on the home lot, and built the brick hovise now known as the Pardee house. George and Moses lived just north of the stone bridge. Thomas and James were members of the Assembly several times, as was their nephew, the late Isaac Pardee, Esq. This last named gentleman died, very suddenly, on the 8th day of May, 1835, at the age of seventy-six. Park, Joseph, was from Middletown and was the first settler on the place owned by the heirs of the late Samuel Beecher. He sold his farm in 1746 to Nathaniel Richards, and removed to Salisbury. He had two sons. Smith and Daniel. Smith lived near George White's, until 1780, when he sold the place to Benjamin Conklin, and removed to New Canaan, N. Y., where he died. Daniel lived where Mr. E. Mallery now lives, until 1763, when he sold the place to John Pennoyer, and left the town. Parsons, Capt. Enoch, was from Newtown, in 1763. He was a carpenter by trade, and settled where his great grandson, Fred- erick L. Parsons, now lives. Being a man of more than a com- mon education for those days, he was appointed, for many years, to "line the psalm," agreeable to the ancient manner of singing in public worship. He served as selectman and constable for several years, and was a member of the Assembly in October, 1795. He died October 1, 1829, aged eighty-nine. He left four sons, Stephen, Freeman, Enoch and Amideus. . Patchen, Abel, was from Welton, in 1782 He purchased of Zebulon Badcock the south half of the twenty-sixth home-lot, originally Deacon Skinner's, and kept a public house during his life. He was a representative to the Assembly in October, 1798, and May, 1799. He died April 9, 1805, at the age of fifty-three. He had one son Stephen, who emigrated to Vermont in early life. His three daughters, Mrs. Skilf , Mrs. Lowry and Mrs. Chase, all widows, are now deceased. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHAUOX. Uo Peck, Dr. Abner, was a physician, and came to Sliaron in 1751, from Salisbury. He purchased a place of Luke St. Jolm, a little south of Joel L. Whitfoxxl's. He was cut off by the small- pox October, 11, 1756, leaving a widow and two daughters. Pennoyer, John, came from Stamford m 1742. He purchased a part of the twenty-second home-lot, originally owned by Samuel Calkin, being the place where the late Gen. Augustine Taylor lived. He sold this place in 1749, to his son John, and removed to the state of New York, where the late Charles Wright lived, in the toAvn of North East. He returned to Sharon in 17G9, and purchased the place at the head of the street, now owned by Chesterfield King. He died December 11, 1785, at the age of seventy-eight. He had sons, Jonathan, John, Joseph and Jacob. Jonathan died in 1761. John built the brick house, known as the Taylor House, and also the one formerly owned by Dr. John W. Smith, in w-hich latter place he kept a tavern. In 1785 he removed to Hudson, N. Y. , where he died. Joseph settled in the town of North East, N. Y., and he was the father of the late Jonathan Pennoyer. Jacob, the youngest son, owned the place now owned by Geo. Skinner. He was killed on the 18th of May, 1814, on the top of King Hill, so called, by the oversetting of his wagon, at the age of seventy-six. Petit, Jonathan, was from Stamford, at the earliest settle- ment of the town. He owned the thirty-second home lot, and he lived on the road which is now discontinued, leading north from Joel C. Whitford's. He vpas much employed in public affairs. He was constable nine years. He died in 1773, at an advanced age. Petit, Samuel, was a son of John Petit, of Stamford, and a nephew of the preceding. He lived in the north part of the town near Benedict's mill. He died on the 8th day of July, 1836, aged eighty-eight. He left one son, Gideon, who died without issue January 1, 1839, aged fifty-seven. Petit, Joel, was a brother of the preceding, and was for many years an inhabitant of Sharon. He lived to a very advanced age. His son, Joel T Petit, Esq., was a young gentleman of great promise, who was educated for the law, and settled in the town. After a short professional career he died of consumption, Septem- ber 13, 1807, aged thirty-two. Pratt, Jonathan, was originally from the old Plymouth col- ony, and came to Sharon in 1753. He first lived in the Hollow, near the outlet of Mudge Pond, and was a partner in the iron * 19 146 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. works. In 1754 he removed to the south part of the town, and settled where Stephen Knibloe now lives. He died February 17, 1781, aged sixty-one. Pratt, Capt. Abraham, was from Say brook, in 1783. He pur- chased of Moses Reed the place on which he lived, in the north part of the town, now owned by James Landon, and commenced business as a shoemaker. He acquired a handsome estate, and enjoyed a large share of the public confidence. He served as selectman for many years, and was otherwise much employed in the business of the town. He died much lamented, on the 2d of March, 1840, aged eighty-one. His only surviving child was the wife of Henry Reed, Esq., of Ohio. All his other childi-en were cut off by consumption in early life. Quitterfield, Abner, is supposed to have come from Norwalk, in 1752. He lived in the south part of the town, on the road leading from the school house to George R. Woodward's. He removed to Stillwater, N. Y., in 1768. Randall, John, was from Wareham, Mass., in 1753. His wife, who was the daughter of John Bates, was the first female and the second child born in the town. He lived on the farm now owned by William S. Marsh, a little south of Mr. Jewett's. He died of a cancer, May 19, 1807, at the age of eighty-two. Raymond, Daniel, came from Woodbury, in 1748. He lived on the place formerly occupied by Zenas Beebe, below Geoi-ge R. Woodward's. He sold out to Deacon Landers, in 1760, and left the town. Reed, Moses, was the first settler on the place lately owned by Capt. Abraham Pratt. He came to Sharon in 1743, and died November 17, 1786, at the age of ninety. He left one son, Moses Reed, Jr. Rexford, Arthur, was from Wallingford, in 1757. He lived in Ellsworth, a little south of Enoch P. Everett's. He had four sons, Arthur, Joseph, Daniel and Benjamin. Rice, Asa, was from Wallingford, now Meriden, in 1774. He lived in Ellsworth, where Enoch P. Everett now lives. He died in 1785, leaving sons, Asa, Seth, Isaac and Barnabas. Richards, Nathaniel, was from Norwich, in 1744, and settled on the lot lately owned by Samuel Beecher, now apart of Charles Benton's farm. He died in 1763, and the property passed into the hands of George White. There are none of his descendants now remaining in the town. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 147 Richmond, Benjamin, was one of the first propi-ietors and settlers, and came to Sharon in 1742. He lived a short distance below Dwight St. John's, and died in 1766. He had one son Ed- ward, who removed to Spencertown, N. Y., in 1757. Roberts, Nathaniel, was froin Salisbury in 1759. He lived in Abel street, a little nortli of Stephen Tickner's. He died July 15, 1766, at the age of fifty-five. He left sons, John, William, Leb- beus and Amos. Roberts, Samuel, Esq., was from Windsor, and came to Sharon, in 1784, as a hired man to George King. He had a suc- cessful career in the acquisition of property. He was the owner, at his death, of a large and valuable real estate. He was at one time a magistrate of the town, and twice its representative in the General Assembly. He left sons, Samuel, Hector and Virgil B. , the two last of whom are yet living. Rockwell, Dr. Samuel, was born in East Windsor, February 18, 1759. While he was young his father removed to Colebrook, and was one of the first settlers of that township. In 1776 he was in the army, for which he drew a pension, after 1831. He entered Yale College in 1779, but soon left that institution and commenced the study of medicine, under the celebrated Dr. Lemuel Hopkins. He settled in Sharon in 1784, and, except about five years, when he lived in Salisbury, remained here till his death, which occurred on the 24th of June, 1836, at the age of seventy-seven. He represented the town in the legislature at the session in 1815. Rowlee, Jonathan, was from East Haddam, in 1741, and lived near Richard Woodward's. He staid in town but a short time. He removed to Kent, and lived a little north of the meeting- house. He died in 1772, leaving sons, Simeon, Jonathan, Levi, Judah and Issacher, several of whom settled in and near Sharon. Levi lived where Roswell H. Hazzard now lives. He died of can- cer, November 23, 1805, at the age of seventy-three. Simeon was the father of Mrs. Hamlin, widow of Deacon Benjamin Hamlin. St. John, Deacon, Matthew, was from Nor walk in 1745. He bought of Samuel Comstock the thirty-second home-lot, now owned by D. L. and J. B. Siuith. He was one of the deacons of the church, and was several years one of the selectmen of the town. He died August 3, 1755, at the age of 69. He had four sons, who bore the names of the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Matthew removed to Sufiield. His only 148 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. child was the mother of Joel Chaflfee. Mark lived where George Bissell formerly lived. Luke was a tailor by trade, and lived where Josiah Hull lived. These last two removed to Stockbridge, Mass. John lived a little south of Joel C. Whitford's. He died Dec. 30, 1784, at the age of sixty-two. St. John, Timothy, came from Norwalk, in 1756. He lived where C. M. Dean now lives. He died November 28, 1806, at the age of seventy-four. His only son, Daniel St. John, Esq., re- moved to Hartford, where he lived much respected to a very advanced age. St. John, Daniel, was a brother of the preceding, and came to Sharon in 1761. He lived where the late Ezekiel St. John lived. He was a blacksmith by occupation. He died in 1781, leaving sons, Thomas, Lewis, Uriah and Caleb. St. John, Silas, was also a brother of Timothy and Daniel St. John. He lived in Ellsworth near the place where his grandson, Henry St. John, now lives. He was the first deacon of the church in Ellsworth, and was for several years town treasurer. He died September 21, 1805, at the age of sixty-four. Sanford, Amos, was from Newtown, in 1768. He lived oppo- site Frederick L. Parson's present residence. He died December 19, 1777, aged forty-four, leaving sons, David, Ezra, John, Samuel, Caleb, Salmon and Amos. Sears, Capt. Stephen, was originally from Barnstable, Mass. His parents settled at a place called Jo's Hill, in the town of South East, Putnam county, N. Y. He came to Sharon in 1760. He lived where his grandson, Benjamin Sears, lived. He was a car- penter and joiner by trade, and in that capacity superintended the erection of the meeting house built in 1768. He died of the yellow fever in New York, where he was at work at his trade, in 1791. He was the father of Dr. John Sears. His widow died February 8, 1834, at the age of ninety-four. Shepherd, Dr. Asher, came from Hartford, in 1772, and was a partner with Dr. Simeon Smith, in the druggist business. He built the house known as the Gi'osvenor house, opposite Richard Smith's, in 1774. In 1778 he removed to Bennington, Vt. , and kept a druggist store successively at Bennington and Rutland, where he died in 1788. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OV SHARON. 149 Skiff, Benjamin, was from the town of Cliilmark, on the island of Martha's Vinej^arcl, and came to Sharon in 1774. He lived in Ellsworth, where Giles Skiff now lives. He died Feb- ruary 20, 1811, at the age of seventy-four. He had sons, Walter, John, Seth and Benjamin. Skiff, Samuel, was a cousin of the preceding and came from the same place. He lived where Gibbs Skiff now lives. He died in 1835, leaving sons, Samuel, Arvin, Gibbs and Asa. Skinner, Nathaniel, Esq., was from Colchester, and was one of the first and principal proprietors of the township. He drew the twenty-sixth home lot, known as the Patchen place, where Mr. Chase now lives. He was ths first magistrate, first town clerk a,nd first deacon of the church. He remained in town until 1760, when he removed to Salisbury, and was an owner of the mill now known as Benedict's mill. He had sons, Nathaniel, Thomas, Joseph and Josiah. There are none of the family now residing in the town. Smith, Rev. Cotton Mather. Many allusions have been made, in the foregoing pages, to the labors and influence of Parson Smith, in laying the foundations of society and shaping the early institutions of the town, as well as in giving impor- tance to some portions of its history. It is thought that the following extract from an address, delivered by the Rev. Abel McEwing, of New London, at the centennial of the consocia- tion of Litchfield County, in 1853, will be acceptable to the reader, as pointing out facts of history and elements of character not before alluded to. It is unfortunate that the traditional error, that Parson Smith's mother was a daughter of Cotton Mather, had not been detected befoi-e the publication of Dr. McEwing's address. She was a daughter of Atherton Mather, a cousin of Cotton Mather. "The Rev. Cotton Mather Smith was, by the original Con- sociation of the County, ordained pastor of the church in Sharon, Aug. 23d, 1755. This office he held until his death Nov. 27th, 1806. The name of Mr. Smith excites a curiosity, especially in a New Englander, to inquire after this minister's ancestry. Had he been only Mr. Smith he might have been born anywhere, or he might have descended from some man in almost any place, but when we read or hear the title or name, Rev. Cotton Mather Smith, our mind is carried back to the very early history of New England, and to some of the chief actors in its early scenes. The paternal ancestry of this pastor of Sharon we trace back to 150 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHAEON. his great-great grandfather, the Rev. Henry Smith, who was a minister of the gospel in Wethersfield. He was a conspicuous actor in the memorable scene of 1639, when the inhabitants of Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield constituted themselves the commonwealth called Connecticut. England, a paternal estate and an eligible position in society, he left that in this new land he might enjoy the rights of conscience. His will, published in the Colonial Records, informs us that he died in the year 1648. His great-grandson, Samuel Smith, Esq., of Suflfield, married Jerusha Mather, and who was she ? "The daughter of Rev. Cotton Mather, of Boston, grand- daughter of the Rev. Increase Mather, and great-grand daughter of the Rev. Richard Mather, of Dorchester, who fled from England for conscience sake. The Rev. John Cotton, the very distinguished minister of the gospel in Boston, was the father of the wife of Increase Mather, and thus the great grandfather of the lady who became Mrs. Smith, of Suffield. Her son, born October 16, 1741, she named Cotton Mather, and early did she destine him for the sacred profession of his ancestors. At Yale College, when he gradviated, 1751, he was distinguished for amiable temper, bodily activity, graceful manners, industry and elegant literature. His studies preparatory for the ministry were prosecuted under the instruction of the Rev. Mr. Woodbridge, of Hatfield, Mass. He became pastor of the church in Sharon fifteen years after the first settlement of that town, having for his predecessor in office Mr Searle. When Mr. Smith preached as a candidate in Sharon, a Mr. King, called Merchant King, was an admiring hearer, and with becoming enthusiasm co-operated with the people at large in compassing the settlement of the candidate. Soon after this, however, the merchant was occasionally caught drowsing under a sermon. 'How is this?' a neighbor enquired; ' I thought you were an admirer of Mr. Smith.' ' Yes,' Mr. King replied ; ' I am. I attended to him until I saw that he was a workman ; since then I have given it up to him. ' " Soon after his settlement in Sharon, Mr. Smith connected himself in marriage with the second daughter of the Rev. William Worthington, of Saybrook. This lady gladdened the heart of her husband, made his household happy and respectable, and added much to the efficiency and popularity of his ministry. The children of the family were six, the youngest of whom, the only son who became an adult, was the Hon. John Cotton Smith, one of the governors of Connecticut. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. l.jl " At the commencement of his pastoral labors, Mr. Smith found his charge a people divided in religious opinions, in habits to a great extent immoral, and scattered over a parish nine miles by seven in its dimensions. A field for usefulness this was for a young minister, who brouglit into it talents and influence which were appropriate. Bland and courteous in manners, sound in religious inculcations, uncompromising in moral habits and requii'ements, much in his study and often in the families of his people, he harmonized and reformed their faith and social habits, and gained such hold of their hearts that they retained his ministry, and gave deference to his counsels, to the close of his life. Somewhat acquainted with medicine, but more because he had the heart of the good Samaritan, he was sure to be with his parishioners when sick, and never by the sick was the presence of a minister more cordially welcomed. Religious counsels and prayers did not comprise all his ministrations on these occasions. A very distressing prevalence of the small pox at one season put all his benevolence, contrivance, activity, and fortitude in requisition. It was winter ; houses for the sick could not be obtained in the parish ; seven hundred persons were subject to the disease within the space of two months. For nineteen successive days and nights, the humble imitator of Him who went about ' healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people' put not off his clothes for rest. Here was something in addition to good preaching to make a minister popular among his own parishioners. "After he had been twenty years in the pastoral ofifice, that great event, the American Revolution, occurred. It found Mr. Smith in the maturity of his powers, wielding within his sphere, a great influence. He had dedicated himself to the Christian ministry, but this did not make him too sacred to give himself to his country. His brethren, the Congregational clergymen of New England, were, at large, distinguished patriots, in the struggle of their nation for independence and free government. None among them in the incipient move- ments of the Revolution, or in providing for the hardships and conflicts of the war, brought the people of their charges up to a higher tone of action than did the pastor of Sharon. His sermons, his prayers, the hymns which he gave to the choir were impulsive to patriotism. When news of a battle, such as that of Lexington ; or the news of a victory, such as Burgoyne's surrender, reached Mr. Smith, he electrified his congregation by an echo of 152 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. the tidings from the pulpit. Anxiety for the issue of the war inflamed his bosom to such a heat that this domestic action did not satisfy him. Into the memorable campaign of 1775 he entered as chaplain to a regiment in the northern army. His influence in producing order and good morals in the camp, in consoling the sick and in inspiriting the army with firmness and intrepidity attracted the attention of Gen. Schuyler, the commander-in-chief, and secured from this worthy officer a respectful friendship for Mr. Smith for the residue of his life. Few men ever made more of domestic life than the subject of this sketch. As a husband and a father he sweetened his home, elevated his family ; as a father he may be said to have magni- fied his oflS.ce. Paul, an apostle to the Gentiles, sought the salvation of the Jews. Mr. Smith, a father in full to his own children, was also a father to the orphan children of his parish. Of no less than eighteen of those isolated young creatures had he the principal charge, and ten of them have often been sitting at his table at a time. The theology of Mr. Smith was that of the Calvinistic school. A polish of style and a sweetness of affection gave interest to his preaching, while fidelity to the conscience of his hearers gave it power. He was among the few pastors who lived to preach their half century sermon. He looked down upon a few of the survivors of the early years of his ministry upon the middle-aged and youth whom he had begotten in the gospel, and upon the mass whom he had indoctrinated from the Bible, and to the God of all, he said in the text chosen for the occasion — Now lettest thou thy servant depart in i^eace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. — Luke ii, 29-30. This sermon was preached one year before his death. In it he stated that in the course of his ministry he had preached more than four thousand public discourses, besides more than fifteen hundred at funerals and other special occasions. He preached for the last time on the first Sabbath of January, 1806. From this time he languished with a submissive spirit until a disease, which terminated his life Nov. 27th of the same year." Smith, Hon. John Cotton, the most eminent citizen of the town, was a son of Rev. Cotton Mather Smith, and was born February 13, A. D. 1765. He was graduated at Yale College in 1783, admitted to the bar of Litchfield county in 1786. and mar- ried to Miss Margaret Evertson, of Amenia, N. Y., in October of the same year. Their only child, the late William M. Smith, Esq. , was born in August, 1787. Mr. Smith was soon introduced into HISTORY OF TUE TOWN OF SIXAKOX. 153 the active duties of his profession in his native town, by reason of the pecuniary embarrassments of the community, in consequence of the Revolutionary war, and particularly from the extensive and embarrassed affairs of his uncle, Dr. Simeon Smith, who removed to Vermont, leaving the management of his extensive and complicated concerns in the hands of his young and inexper- ienced nephew. Through unwearied exertions he was able to extricate the affairs of his uncle from a nearly hopeless condition by the f viU payment of all just demands against him, and leaving him at last in the enjoyment of a handsome estate . It is but justice to his uncle to say, that he, having no children of his own, made ample compensation to his nephew, by the bequest in his will of a large and valuable estate. He was first elected to the legislature in 1793, and was very frequently a member, and twice speaker before 1800, when he was elected a member of Congress. There he remained six years, when the declining health of his father compelled his resignation. He was immediately elected to the legislature of the State, and represented the town without intermission till 1809, and held the place of speaker at each ses- sion. He was then elected to the Council, and in the October session of the same year, was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court. In 1811 he was elected Lieutenant Governor, and in 1813 Governor of his native state. In this office he was continued till 1817, when the public voice demanded a change in the form of the government of the State, and the substitution of a written con- stitution for the less stable provisions of the Charter of King Charles the 2d. Governor Smith, not sympathizing with the majority on this question, retired to private life and lived, for nearly thirty yeai's, a private citizen of Sharon. In public life, he was never appointed to a position which he was not fully competent to fill. As a presiding officer in a deliberative assembly he had no peer, and although while he was a member of Congress, except for one short term, he was associated in principle and feeling with the minority, he was called upon to preside in com- mittee of the whole more frequently than any other member. The late Luther Holley, an eminent citizen of Salisbury, who had been a member of the Legislature when Governor Smith was speaker, once remarked that he had never seen a man who could take a paper from the table and lay it back again so handsomely as could John Cotton Smith. * 30 154 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. In private life Governor Smith was a fine specimen of tiie polished christian gentleman. He devoted some of his time to reviewing the studies of his early life, and in the preparation of useful and entertaining articles for the more elevated literary periodicals. He was for several years President of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and of the Ameri- can Bible Society, which latter office he retained till his death, which occurred on the 7th day of December, A. D. 1845, when he had nearly reached the age of eighty -one years. His funeral was attended on the 9th, by a large and sympa- thizing audience, and a very appropriate discourse was delivered by the Rev. Grove L. Brownell, then Congregational pastor at Sharon, from I Sam., xxv., i. At the grave, the Rev. Mr. An- drews, then of Kent, uttered the following remarks, which found a response in every heart : ' ' I return thanks, in behalf of the mourners for all the kind- ness you have shown to our departed friend during his sickness, and for the honors you have now paid to his memory. We all feel that a great man has fallen in Israel. Beyond the bosom of his family, in whose inmost affections his memory will be em- balmed ; beyond the circle of his townsmen, among whom most of his blameless and dignified life was passed ; beyond the border of his native State, which delighted to honor him, and which he faithfully served in many and most distinguished stations, even throughout our common country, whose counsels he helped to guide in times of darkness and peril ; and especially in the Church of God, to which he freely gave the light of his wisdom and the aid of his benefactions, will his death be mourned as a calamity. One of the noblest of the men of the former and bet- ter age has been taken from us, and ' we ne'er shall look upon his like again. ' But our joy and boast this day is, not that he was a statesman of enlarged insight ; not that he was a scholar of refined taste ; not that he was a gentleman in whose deportment dignity and courtesy were so remarkably blended, ' the observed of all observers;' but that he was a meek and humble disciple of Christ, rejoicing in the consolations, reverencing the ordinances and laboring for the advancement of the Christian Faith. And we ha.ve laid him in the grave in the hope of a blessed resurrection, assured that the spirit which now rests in peace, shall, at the coming of our King, be reunited to the body, then raised and glorified after the likeness of our Lord. Amen." HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 155 Smith, James, was from Bolton, and was one of the original proprietors. He drew the eighteenth home lot, which lay on both sides of the town street, and bounding south on the high- way leading by Dwight St. John's. Mr. Smith was the first person ever chosen constable in the town, and was elected to that office for three successive years. In 1747 he removed to the north part of North East, N. Y., where he lived to a great age. Smith, Theophilus, was a brother of the preceding, and first lived near where Dr. Deming now lives. In 1749 he bought of Mica Mudge the grist mill known as Gay's mill, which stood near Merrills McLean's present residence. He sold this in 1757, to Colonel Ebenezer Gay, and removed to the southeast part of the town, near where Lorin Emons lived. He was one of the owners of the grist- mill and saw-mill near his house. He died in 1799. He had two sons, Theophilus and Levi, who are both now deceased. * Smith, Samuel, was from the Great Nine Partners, N. Y., and came to Sharon in 1754. He was a blacksmith by tirade, and lived on the Burr place, in the valley. He was a selectman for several years. He sold his property in Sharon in 1766, to Joel Harvey, and returned to the state of New York. He lived in the large house which was lately standing on De La Vergne's Hill, and kept a tavern there for many years. Smith, Dr. Simeon, was a younger brother of the Rev. Cotton Mather Smith. He came to Sharon about 1756, and w^as a physician of extensive practice. He kept a large store of drugs and medicines, importing his articles direct from London. In 1776 he commanded a company of six months men, and was on service in the vicinity of New- York. He was a large land- holder and built the large stone house now known as the Gover- nor's House. He represented the town in the Legislature at several sessions. He went to West Haven, Vt., in 1787, and there resided till his death, in February, 1804. He left no children. He was a man of great activity and enterprise. Smith, Paul, was the youngest brother of Eev. Cotton M. Smith, and came to Sharon in 1770. He lived in the house originally built by Job Gibbs, next north of Jay S. Canfield's, • Another brother of this family, of the name of Azariah, settled in the town of North East, N. Y., near the present residence of Douglass Clark, Esq. He was the grandfather of Dr. John W. Smith, formerly living in Sharon. 156 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. now demolislied. He was a constable of the town for a great number of years. He died March 38, 1825, at the age of ninety. Smith, Dr. Phineas, was a son of Dan Smith, an elder brother of Rev. Cotton M. Smith. He came to Sliaron when young, and resided with his uncle Dr Simeon Smith, by whom he was educated as a physician. He relinquished the practice and engaged in mercantile pui-suits. He built the house owned by the late Cyrus Swan, Esq. He died June 4, 1794, at the age of forty. Smith, ApoUos, was the younger brother of Phineas Smith, who came to Sharon in early life, and resided with his uncle. Dr. Smith, by whom he was assisted in establishing an exten- sive pottery before the revolutionary war, which proved a profit- able business. He built the brick house owned by Dwight St. John. He removed to West Haven, Vt., in 1802, where he died a few years after. Smith, Deacon Paul, Jr., was a son of Paul Smith, and was born in Suffield, in 1763. He came to Sharon with his father, and resided here until his death. He was elected a deacon of the church in 1793, and discharged the duties of that office with great fidelity and acceptance for forty-six years. He was a man of great sweetness of temper, modest and unobtrusive in his manners, and the principles of the holy religion which he professed were beautifully exhibited in his daily walk. He died without an enemy on the 30th day of September, 1838. He had sons, Seabury, Chauncey and Richard. Chauncey died in Missouri some years since. Smith, David, was from Litchfield, and came to Sharon in 1801. He Uved on the Ousatonic river, where his son, the late Hon Horatio Smith, resided. He joined the Society of Friends in 1781, and is supposed to be the only member of that society that ever resided in Shai'on. He died April 3d, 1826, at the age of seventy-three. He left sons, David, John, Horatio, Ransom and Gad— the latter was a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of decided promise, who was cut off by consumption in early life. Spafford, Thomas, was an original proprietor, from Lebanon, and drew the thirteenth home lot, on which Samuel Beecher lived. Not being satisfied with his lot he availed himself of the privilege accorded to each proprietor of throwing it into the com- mon stock, and in lieu of it laid out a home lot about half a mile HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. l-")'*' west of the meeting house, formerly owned by Deacon Wilham M. Smith. He died in 1753. There are none of his descendants in the town. Spencer, Alexander, was one of the first settlers from East Haddam, and he lived opposite Dwight St. John's present resi- dence. In 1760 he removed to Oblong, N. Y., where he died the next year. He had but one son, Alexander Spencer, Jr., who was a volunteer in Arnold's expedition to Quebec, in 1775, through the wilderness of Kennebeck. He died on the march. Sprague, Capt. John, was from Lebanon, in 1739. He drew the thirty-seventh home lot, on which the Messrs. Prindle now live. He was a selectman for several years, and what is singular his he could not write his name. The words, " John+Sprague " are mark appended to many official documents on our records. He built the first frame house in the town. In 1748 he exchanged farms with Cornelius Knickerbacker, and removed to Furnace Village in Salisbury. He afterwards removed to Canaan, where he died in 1760. He had three sons, Jonathan, Ebenezer and John, the last of whom went to Canaan with his father. Jonathan settled where James Landon, Jr., lives, and lived to the advanced age of ninety-four. Ebenezer lived where Bird Reed lives. Sterling, Hon. Ansel, was born in Lyme, and settled in Sharon as a lawyer in 1808, where he spent his life. As a lawyer his forensic abihty was of a high order, nor was he deficient in legal science. His language flowed readily and rapidly, and sometimes his appeals to the jury were very effective. He held a seat in Congress for two terms. He died November 5th, 1853, at the age of seventy-three years, leaving a large estate to his numerous family. Stedman, Robert, was one of the first settlers and came to Sharon in 1743. He Uved on the road leading west from Anson Boland's, and the barn which he erected is still standing. In 1783 he removed to Rupert, Vermont. Strong, Caleb, was from Colchester, in 1743. He first settled on the mountain near Calvin Jackson's, which place he sold to Thomas Day in 1755. He afterwards lived near Freeman W. Parsons.' He was a large landholder at different times, but he died poor. im HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Epitaph. In memory of Mr. Caleb Strong, who died August 22, 1789, aged seventy-six. Our mortal breath Must yield to death. Strong, Josiah, was originally from Colchester, but lived awhile in Litchfield. He came to Sharon in 1747, and settled where Richard Woodward now lives. He died of the small-pox in 1761, leaving sons, Josiah, Elijah, Solomon, David and Joseph. He was a selectman of the town for several years. David was a lieutenant in the continental army. Strong, Josiah Jun., was a son of the preceding, and was born in Sharon, June 16, 1758. His life was eventful as illus- trating the dangers and sufferings of a revolutionary soldier, in the course of two years active service. He enlisted into Capt. Down's company in 1776, and marched to Canada. He was taken prisoner with the rest of the company, at the Cedars, on the 19th of May following. They were released by General Arnold, on his return from Quebec, and Mr. Strong returned to Sharon. He immediately enlisted into Captain Smith's com- pany, and joined the army under General Washington. He was in the battles of White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Brandy wine and Germantown, in which last action he was so severely wounded in the leg as to render amputation necessary. He was, of course, compelled to leave the army, but he carried with him an honorable discharge from General Washington. He was placed upon the roll of invalid pensioners. He died lately at Geneva, N. Y. Studley, Joshua, was from Hanover, Mass., in 1771. He settled in the south part of Ellsworth. He died November 22, 1810, at the age of sixty eight. He left two sons, Gideon and Tchabod. Swain, John, was from Branford, in 1745. He lived near the place where Rossi ter B. Hopkins now lives. He died in 1755, leaving sons, Daniel, James, Isaac and Jonathan. Swan, Cyrus, Esq., was born in Stonington, in 1770. He was in early life engaged in mercantile pursuits, in the District of Maine. He afterwards pursued the study of law, and estab- lished himself in the practice in this town in 1798. He was a successful practitioner, and acquired a respectable standing at the bar. He died August 20, 1835, aged sixty-five. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 1")9 Swetlaud, Rowland, was the first settler on the place where Lyman Merwin lives. He sold his place in 1768, to Daniel Cur- tice, and removed to the Lyman place in the Great Hollow, where he died. Taylor, Gen. Augustine, was from New Millord in 1784. He purchased of Robert G. Livingston, who had come to Sharon during the revolutionary war, the place now called the Taylor place, where he resided until 1815, when he left the town. He rose to the rank of major general in the militia, and for awhile commanded the troops which were stationed for the defence of New London, during the late war with England. He died soon after he removed. Thurston, Amos, lived in the Great Hollow, near the school- house. He came to Sharon in 1768, and remained here until 1785, when he sold his place to Ebenezer Dibble, and removed to Ballstown, N. Y. Tickner, William, was from Lebanon in 1739. He drew the thirty-eighth home-lot, next north of Mr. Sprague's, in Gay Street. He was a respectable man. He died in 1760, leaving sons, William, Jonathan and Daniel, who all left town soon after the death of their father, Tickner, John, was a brother of the preceding, and came from Lebanon in 1749. He settled in the Great Hollow, on land which his father had previously bought of Bezaleel Tyler. He died at the age of forty-nine. He left sons, John, Benajah, EUsha and David. Benajah was the father of Dr. Benajah Tickner of the U. S. navy, and of Dr. Luther Tickner, of Salisbury. Tobey, Elisha, was from the old Plymouth colony. He lived for many years where Stephen Kuibloe now lives. In 1793 he removed to Alford, Mass. He died in Salisbury, on his way to visit his friends in Sharon. He had sons, Jonathan, Barnabas, Heman, Sylvanus, Ephraim, EUsha and Benjamin. Tyler, Bezaleel, was from Branford, and was the first settler on the place now owned and occupied by Dr. Deming. He died August 29, 1760, at the age of seventy-seven. He left sons, Bezaleel, Benjamin, Amos, Charles, Gideon, Timothy and Nathaniel. Waldo, Cyprian, was from Windham in 1770. He purchased of Gideon HoUister, a part of the thirty-sixth home-lot, where Virgil B. Roberts now lives. He resided there till his death m 1797. He left sons, Alfred, Bradford, David R. and Zaccheus. 160 HISTORY OP THE TOWN OF SHARON. Warren, Lieut. James, lived on the place now owned and occupied by Edwin N. Hartwell. He had no children. He died May 14, 1788, aged seventy -six. Way, George, was from Lyme. He settled opposite the Deforest house in the Gay district, and lived tliere for a number of years. He was the first grand-juror in the town. He had one son, John, who lived on the hill west of Frederick L. Par- sons. ' White, George, was from Wareham, Mass., and was the first settler on the place owned by Chesterfield Chapman. He came to Sharon in 1747. He had three sons, John, George and Archelaus. John x-emoved to Alvord, Mass., where he died in 1775. He was the father of the late Solomon White, and grandfather of George White, now living. White, Israel, was from Danbury in 1775. He settled in the Great Hollow, where he purchased a large and valuable farm of David Wood. Mr. White died in 1820, at the age of eighty nine. He had sons, James, John, Sanford, Israel and Steplien, and his descendants yet remaining in the town are numerous. Wilson, Capt. John, came to Sharon after the revolutionary war, from Westchester County, N. Y. He finally settled in the southeast part of Sharon, on a farm formerly owned by Phinehas Benjamin, now by Daniel Hall, Esq. He enlisted into the army of the revolution early in the war, and served faithfully till peace was proclaimed. He was a man of intelligence, a Baptist by religious profession, and of much weight of character among his acquaintance. He died Jan 20, 1849, at the age of eighty-six years. Williams, Col. John, was originally a physician, and came to Sharon in 1743, from Lebanon. He was for many years a very distinguished inhabitant of the town. He lived nearly opposite Judge Sterling's, and the house which he occupied was standing sixty years since. He was elected town clerk in the fall of 1745, which office he held twenty-nine successive years, till his death. Previous to his appointment the records had been badly kept, and a good part of them are very unintelligible ; but from the time they passed into his hands they were kept with great accuracy. It would seem, that for nearly thirty years, he wrote almost eveiy deed which passed title to real estate in Sharon, judging from the fact that they were nearly all witnessed by him, and acknowl- edged before him, and it is interesting to observe with what remarkable accuracy and strict legal propriety they are all HISTORY OF THE TOWN OP SHARON. 161 expressed. He held the office of selectman seventeen years, and was chosen member of the Assembly at twenty-seven different sessions, being the first ever chosen to that office in the town. "When the county of Litchfield was organized in 1751, he was appointed one of the judges of the county court, and in about five years afterwards was made chief judge. He was also the first judge of probate for the district of Sharon, which was established in 1755, which office he held while he lived. He also went through several military grades, and for several years commanded a regiment of colonial militia. He was a man of tall and slender frame, but of great gravity and very dignified deportment, and his word was law. He was a deacon in the church from June, 1766, till his death. He died on Sunday, March 14, 1774, at the age of sixty -eight, and as it was in the exciting times which immediately preceded the revolution, and he had been a military character, he was buried with mihtary honors. His sword was borne upon his coffin, and vollies of musketry were fired over his grave. The funeral services were performed under the direction of Capt. David Downs. He left a number of children, but none remain among us. The late John A. ElUott was his grandson. Wood, Abel, was from Wareham, Mass., in 1748. He set- tled in the valley, on the lot now owned by Chauncey More- house, which he purchased of John Gray. He died January 20, 1798, at the age of eighty-six. He had three sons, Ephraim, Ehjah, and Barnabas^ the two latter of whom lived to a very advanced age. Elijah Wood was a grandson of Abel Wood. Wood, David, was from Ridgefield, and was the first settler upon what is called the White place, in the Great Hollow. He came to Sharon in 1754, and in 1777, sold his place to Israel White, of Danbury, and removed to Ballstown, N. Y. He had sons, David, Stephen, Caleb and Benjamin. David was taken prisoner at Fort Washington, in 1776, and died in the prison ship at New York. Caleb died in Sharon. Stephen and Benja- min removed to Ballstown with their father. Woodruff, Elias, was from Southampton, Long Island, in 1768. He purchased a part of the ninth home-lot of Amos Tyler, and lived on it till his death, June 17, 1807, at the age of seventy. His house stood a little north of Dr. Deming's present residence. He left sons, Daniel, James Ithamir, Salmon and Evart, of whom Daniel is the only one remaining in town. * 31 lbs HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Woodward, Deacon Abel, came from Watertown to Sharon in 1798. He was a citizen of Ellsworth, and maintained a highly reputable standing in that community during his protracted life. He died March 5, 1849, aged nearly seventy-eight years. He had sons, David W., Abel C, and George R., the two latter of whom still survive. APPENDIXES. APPENDIX A. FORM OF DEEDS GIVEN BY THE GOVERNMENT S COMMITTEE TO THE PURCHASERS OF RIGHTS TO THE COMMON LAND IN SHARON. "Whereas, by an act of the General Assembly, held at New- Haven, October 13th, 1737, entitled — ' An act foi- the ordering and directing the sale and settlement of all the townships in the Western Lands,' among other things it is enacted that the southwest townships in said lands, on the west side of the Ousatonic River, shall be vendued and sold at the Court House, in New Haven, to the highest bidder (being inhabitants of the Colony) on the third Wednesday of October next, at one of the clock afternoon, and continue by adjournment till the whole be sold by Samuel Ells, Esq., Joseph Whiting and Capt. Isaac Dickerman. They or any two of them to be a committee in the name of the Governor and Company to sell the Rights, take Bonds, and give deeds with Defeasance, &c. Therefore know ye that we, the said Samuel Ells, Joseph Whiting and Isaac Dickerman, by virtue of the Power and Authority to be granted in said act, for and in consideration of the sum of three hundred and sixty-one pounds, to be in hand paid before the ensealing hereof, by Jonathan Peck of WaUingford, in the County of New Haven, and Colony of Connecticut, the receipt whereof we do hereby acknowledge, and thereupon in the name of the Govern- ment and Company of said Colony, do Give, Grant, Bargain, 166 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Sell, confirm, convey and Confirm unto the said Jona Peck, his Heirs and Assignees forever, One Right, Share or Allotment in the Township aforesaid, the same being divided into fifty-three Equal Shares or Allotments, (exclusive of the Land granted to the College, and all former Grants of the General Assembly that are surveyed and recorded in the public Records of the Colony, and are lying in said Township) with the priveledges and appurtenances thereof or thereunto anywise belonging. To Have and to Hold the said granted Premises with all and Singular the Appurtenances thereof, unto the said Jona Peck, His Heirs and Assigns in manner and form following, that is to say that at and until the ensealing hereof. We by virtue of the power and authority to us granted as above have good Right to sell and dispose of the said granted premises, in manner aforesaid, and that the same is and shall be a good and indefeasible Estate of Inheritance in Fee Simple and is free from all Incumbrances whatsoever, always provided, and these Presents are upon this condition, that if the said Jona Peck shall by Himself or his agent within the space of the full year next after the date hereof, enter upon the said granted premises, build and finish a House thereon, not less than Eighteen feet Square and Seven feet stud, Subdue, clear and fence six acres of said land, and continue thereon for the space of three successive years, commencing after the two years aforesaid (unless prevented by death or inevitable Providence), and do and perform all Duties and Orders, pay all Taxes that shall be granted. Then the aforesaid Deed shall remain in full force and virtue, but in default or neglect of all or either of the said articles the same shall be void and of none effect. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals, this 18th day of January, Anno Domini 1738. Signed, Sealed and Dd. In presence of John Prout, ) Samuel Ells, l. s. VConn. ss New Haven. Jos. Whiting, l. s. JosiAH Robinson, ) Isaac Dickerm an, l.s. Then personally appeared Messrs. Sam'i Ells, Joseph Whiting, Isaac Dickerman, the ensealers of the above Instrument, and ac- knowledged the same to be their free and voluntary act and Deed before me, John Prout, Justice Peace. " APPENDIX B. PATENT OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. "The Governour and Company of the English Colony of Con- neecticut, in New England, in America : To all to ivhom these presents shall come. "Greeting: — Whereas, The said Governour and Company in General court assembled, at Hartford, on the 11th day of May, A. D. 1732, did order that a township should be laid out in the Southwest parts of the country lands, on the west side of the Ousatonic River, and appointed Messrs. Edniond Lewis, Stephen Noble and William Gaylord a committee to lay out the same. ' 'And, Whereas, In pursuance of said order, the said commit- tee laid out the same, and bounded it as follows, viz. : Beginning at the Southwest corner of the township of M., it being a stake set in the ground and many stones laid to it, standing on the east side of a pond ; from thence the line runs south 12 degrees 30 minutes west, with the line of partition between the Province of New York and the Colony of Connecticut, nine miles to a heap of stones laid on a rock, being in the aforesaid line of partition between the province of New York and the Colony of Connecti- cut, and is about two miles east of Captain Sackett's dwelling house, which is the southwest corner bound of said township ; and from thence the south line runs E. 10 ® 30s. four miles and 168 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. one-half and one hundred and fifteen rods, to the Ousatonic Rivrer, where they marked a white ash tree and laid many stones to it, for the southeast corner bounds of said township, and marked many trees and made many monuments in the said south line, which township in their survey is called the township of N. S., and is bounded north on the township of M., south on country lands, west on the aforesaid line of partition between the Province of New York and colony of Connecticut, and east on the Ousatonic River, as by the return of said committee bear- ing date October 7th, A. D. 1733, entered on the records of said colony Liber. 4th for patents. Deeds and survey of land, folio 472-3, in the Secretary's ofiice, reference thereto being had more fully and at large may appear. "And, Whereas, The said Governour and Company in Gen- eral Court assembled, at Hartford, on the 10th day of May, A. D. 1733, did enact that said township, among the townships then lately laid out, should be disposed of and settled according to such time and regulations as the said assembly should order. And Whereas, The said Governour and Company in General Court assembled, at New Haven, A. D. 1737, by their act did order that township should be divided into fifty-three rights, one of which should be for the use of the ministry that should be settled in said town, according to the regulation in said act provided, one for the first gospel minister settled as aforesaid, and one other right for the support of the school in said town, and ordered that fifty of said rights should be sold, and that the other three rights should be for the uses aforesaid ; and that the committee by said act ap- pointed should sell, and, in the name of the Governour and Com- pany aforesaid, execute deeds of conveyance of the said several rights to the purchasers thereof respectively, with conditions to such deed annexed according to the directions in the said act con- tained. And, Whereas, The said committee, in pursuance of and according to said act, have sold, and by their several deeds under their hands and seals, have granted unto Samuel Hutchinson, Nathaniel Skinner, John Sprague, John Pardee, and to the rest of the original purchasers of rights in said township, fifty rights or fifty-third parts of said township, upon condition as aforesaid, which township is now called and known by the name of Sharon. And, Whereas, Mr. Peter Pratt is settled in the ministry in said town, according to the directions aforesaid, their heirs or assigns having performed the conditions in the said deed expressed, and now moving for a more full confirmation of the said lands sold and granted them as aforesaid. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 101» " Now know ye, that the said Governour and Company, by virtue of the powers granted and derived to them by His late majesty, King Charles the Second, of blessed memory, in and by his Letters Patent, under the great seal of England, bearing date the three and twentieth day of April, in the fourteenth year of his reign, and in presence of the several acts and orders of assem bly before in these acts referred to, have therefore given, granted and confirmed, and by these presents do fully, freely and abso- lutely give, grant, ratify and confirm for themselves and their successors unto, to the said Samuel Hutchinson, Nathaniel Skinner, John Sprague, John Pardee, and to the rest of the origi- nal purchasers aforesaid, and to their heirs and assigns and such as legally represent or hold under them, in proportion to their respective purchases, and in such proportion as their assignees and legal representatives do hold under them as aforesaid, the said fifty rights or fifty third parts, and to the said Peter Pratt, the said settled minister, the said one right or fifty-third part of all the lands in the township of Sharon aforesaid, and the said two rights ordered for the use of the ministry and school in said town, which two rights are hereby granted and confirmed unto the said purchasers and the said Peter Pratt, their heirs and assigns to and for the use aforesaid, and all and singular the lands, trees, woods, underwoods, ponds, rivers, fishings, fowlings, huntings, mines, minerals and pi"ecious stones within the said township, and all the rights, royalties, powers, privileges, profits and serv- ices to the premises belonging. To have and to hold the said granted, or hereby intended to be granted, premises together with the privileges and appurtenances thereof, unto the said Samuel Hutchinson, Nathaniel Skinner, John Sprague, John Pardee and Peter Pratt, and to the rest of the said purchasers, and to their heirs and assigns and such as legally represent and hold under them in manner as aforesaid, and to their only use, benefit and behoof as aforesaid forever, as a good, sure, and indefeasible es- tate in fee simple to be holden of our sovereign Lord the King, his heirs and successors as of his majesty's manor of East Green- wich, in the County of Kent and Kingdom of England, in fee and common socage, and not in capite nor by Knights Service, yielding and paying therefor to his majesty King George the Second, his heirs and successors, only the fifth part of all the ore of gold and silver that shall be there gotten or obtained, in lieu of all other services, duties and demands. * 22 170 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. ' ' In witness whereof the said Governour and Company have caused these presents to be signed by the Governour and Secre- tary, and the public seal of the said Colony to be affixed. Dated in Hartford, the 26th day of May, Anno Domini, 1747. J. LAW, Governor. "By order of the Governour and Company of the Colony of Connecticut in General Court assembled, May, Anno Domini, 1747. "GEORGE WYLLYS, Secretary. "Received May 30th, 1747, and here recorded. "Test— GEORGE WYLLYS, Secretary." APPENDIX C. The Rev. Dr. Trumbull, the historian of Connecticut, before entering upon his great work of publishing a history of the State, issued a circular, asking for information on matters pertaining to his undertaking, which was extensively circulated through the State. The following is the reply of Parson Smith : "Sharon, April 24, 1800. "Rev'd Sr.— " I noticed in the Connecticut Courant, printed by Hudson and Goodwin, a No. of historical queries which you requested might be answered. In compliance with your request have sent you the following answers : "Q. 1 When did the settlement of the town commence ? Who and whence were the first principal settlers ? " A. The town of Sharon began its settlement in the spring of 1739. Between 14 and 20 families from Colchester and Leba- non began the settlement. The next spring after a larger No. from the county of New Haven. "Q. 2. When was the first church gathered, &c. ? " In answer to this query I must inform you, that when I was introduced into the Ministry in this place I found no Chh. Record : however, I took pains to collect the No. of Chh. members, and found them to be about 45 ; whereof 25 were male members. 172 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Mr. Pratt was ordained the first minister soon after the settle- ment of the town — and continued in the ministry for 4 or 5 years and then was dismissed for intemperance and silenced — since dead. "Mr. Searl was ordained a few years after, and continued in the ministry for 4 or 5 years, and was dismissed on account of his ill state of health — since dead. "I was ordained on the 28th August 1755. "Q. 4. How many parishes, &c. ? "Answer. One at present ; though a committee has been appointed by the Gen'I Assembly to set off another parish ; and have reported in favour of it — and the matter is to be laid before the Assembly in May session for a confirmation. " Q. 5. When did the worship of God according to the mode of the Chh. of England, &c. ? "A. When I came to this place, there were 15 families that belonged to that Com'n. They erected a decent Chh. to meet in. Mr. Da vies was their first minister. He soon died, and was suc- ceeded by Mr. Palmer — since dead. ' ' In the time of the late revolutionary war the Chh. house fell, and never was rebuilt. The members dispersed, so that now there is but two or three families that belong to that Com'n re- maining amongst us, and they have no meeting for public worship. ' ' Mr. Davies and Mr. Palmer both received orders from England, and had the Charge of New Milford, Litchfield, Sharon, &c. "Q. 6. What public libraries, &c. ? "A, A small library was procured in the time of the late war, which consisted of about 60 vols, but the books but few of them were valuable. It is now in contemplation to procure a large and useful library ; but the business is not as yet completed. "Q. 7. Wt. schools, «&c. ? ' ' We have at present in the town twelve schools. We have an Academy that has been in good repute ; but of late we have failed in having good instructors, which has proved very injur- ious ; so y. now it is become no more than a common school. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 173 "Q. 8. What No. of Printers, &c. ? "A. We have one Printer and one press introduced this spring in April. About 500 papers are printed weekly— the title of the Paper, Rural Gazette, printed by Elliot Hopkins— the size of the paper between Hartford and Litchfield. "Q. 10. What Iron Works, &c. ? "A. We have at present but one Iron-works, and but little business done in it. We have had as many as 5 forges ; but all gone to decay except one. "Q. 13. When was the separate, &c. ? ' A. We have no separate Chh. We have a few baptists. They were formed into a church a few years past ; but now they have no preacher among them, their members decrease ; and meet but rarely among themselves for public worship — they attend divine service among the standing churches in general. "P. S. lam mistaken as to Mr. Davies and Mr. Palmer. Mr. Palmer was the first minister, and Mr. Davies was his suc- cessor. " Previous to the settlement already mentioned, there were between two and three hundred Indians that resided in the North- west part of the town in two villages : the one by the side of a large pond, now known by the name of the Indian Pond, which consisted of about twenty -five wigwaiTis ; the other village was situated in a large meadow at the south end of a large pond, now known by the name of Mudge Pond, containing about ten or fifteen huts or wigwams. These Indians were under direction of five chiefs called Mughoca. They had an Idol which they worshipped [as] God, and committed to the care of an old Squaw. This Idol, though inferior to the great God that governed the world, was neverthe- less invested with power sufficient to repel those evils brought upon 'em by Mutonto, or the Devil : and in case he refused or neglected to afford them his assistance, they would severely chastise him. "Their diversions on horseback ; their ceremonies when they bury their dead ; and their customs about marrying are not so materially different from those of other natives of this country as merit particular attention. ' ' These Indians were of a superior size, and probably part of the Stockbridge tribe. 174 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. "About 30 years past, there was a water-mill erected by Mr. Joel Harvey for thrashing and cleaning wheat. One man could thrash and clean about 40 bushels a day. This mill and barn ad' joining were consumed by fire, and never as yet repaired ; but the proprietor has of late determined to rebuild them. " Wishing the divine blessing in your future attempt to com- plete the history of Connecticut, I subscribe, vsdth much esteem, your friend and brother, COTTON M. SMITH. " [Superscribed,] Rev'd Benjamin Trumbull, D. D. "North Haven." APPENDIX D. The following is a copy of the deed by which the Indians conveyed away their last claim of title to lands in Sharon : ' ' To all People to wliom these presents shall come — greeting : "Know ye that We, Nequitimaug, alias Moses, andBartholo- mous, alias Bartholomew, Indian Inhabitants of the Town of Sharon, in Litchfield County, in the Colony of Connecticut, in New England, for the consideration of fifty Pounds, current money of the Province of New York, received to our full satisfac- tion of Thomas Barns, of Sharon, aforesaid, do give, grant, bar- gain, sell and confirm unto the said Thomas Barns, his Heirs and assigns, a Certain tract or Parcel of land lying and being in the township of Sharon aforesaid, and containing by estimation fifty acres, be the same more or less, abutting South upon the land said Thomas Barns bought of Joseph Skinner ; North upon Salisbury line ; West upon the Pond called the Indian Pond, and extending East so far as to take in all Our improvements in said Township of Sharon, it being the whole of what Land We claim in said Township. To Have and To Hold the above Granted and Bargain- ed premises with the appurtenances thereof, unto Him, the said Thomas Barns his Heirs and Assigns forever, to his and their own proper use and behoof ; and also, We, the said Moses and Bar- tholomew, do for ourselves and our heirs covenant with the said Thomas Barns his Heirs and Assigns, that at and until the enseal- ing of these presents. We are well seized of these premises as a good indefeasible estate in Fee Simple, and have good Right to 176 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Bargain and sell in same manner and form as is above written, and that the same is free from all incumbrances whatsoever, and Furthermore, We, the said Moses and Bartholomew, by these presents bind ourselves and our heirs forever, to warrant and defend the above Granted and Bargained Premises to Him, the said Thomas Barns His Heirs and Assigns, against all Claim and Demand of any Person or Persons Whatsoever. In Witness whereof We hereunto set our hands and seals the 24th Day of July, 1752, in the 26th year of his Majesty's Reign. Signed, Sealed and Dd. In pi-esence of John Hamilton. John Williams. his alias Moses X Nequitimaug, mark. his alias Bartholomus Bartholomew." mark, " LlTCHFiELb County, ss.— Sharon, July 24th, 1752, then personally appeared the Indians called Moses and Bartholomew, the ensealers of the within written instrument, and acknowledged the same to be their voluntary act and deed. Coram, John Williams, Juss. Pace. " Ree'd July 24th, 1752, and entered. S. John Williams, Register." APPENDIX E. The following list of names of soldiers of the Revolution belonging to Sharon, who served in 1775, were taken from the Controller's Books, in Hartford : Reuben Cartwright, David Manning, Reuben Calkin, Sergt. Jehiel Jackson, Jude Bill, Zenas Goodrich, John Hollister, Isaac Chamberlain,-- Solomon Goodrich, Southard Swetland, Aaron Swetland, Sylvanus Gibbs, Wm. Goodrich, Corporal, Ebe Everett, John Tickner, Jesse Calkin, Asa Rogers, David Ackley, Elisha Calkin, Thomas Heath. 23 APPENDIX F. Something has been said in our narrative of the events of the Revolutionary war of the services and sufferings of Adonijah Maxam in that great conflict of arms. The following, copied from the proceedings of the Court of Probate for the District of Sharon, gives his own statement of the particular events of his military career : " State of Connecticut, County of Litchfield, ss, — Probate District of Sharon. " At a Court of Probate, hoi den at Salisbury, within and for the District of Sharon, on the 30th day of July, A. D. 1832. Present SAMUEL CHURCH, Esq., Judge. " On this 30th day of July, A. D. 1832, Personally appeared in open Court, before the Court of Probate for the District of Sharon, the same being a Court of Record now sitting, Adonijah Maxam, a resident of the town of Sharon, in the County of Litch- field and State of Connecticut and Probate District of Sharon, aged seventy-eight years ; who being first duly sworn according to law, doth, on his oath, make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832 : ' That he was born in the said town of Sharon, in the year 1754. I have no record of my age, except what appears in my Bible and what may be on the Record of the said town of Sharon. I resided in the said town of Sharon, when called into the service HISTOUY OF THE TOWN OP SHARON. 179 of the United States, and have, ever since the close of the Revo- kitionary war, resided in the said town of Sharon. I entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as hereinafter stated : On the 8th day of May, as I think, and in the year 1775, I entered the 3d Company of the 4th Regiment, and served by order of the General Assembly of Con- necticut, under Major Samuel Elmore, of said Sharon. There were two Lieutenants belonging to the company, viz. : Amos Chappel, of said Sharon, and Parmalee, of Bethlehem. The Ensign was Shephard. The Colonel of the regiment to which I was attached, was Colonel Hinman of Woodbury, in said County. "We marched in the said month of May to Lake George, from thence to Ticonderoga, and from thence to Crown Point, in the State of New York. A part of our Regiment lay at Ticonder- oga, but our company was stationed at Crown Point. We remained at Crown Point, keeping guard and other duties, about three month ; from thence I was inarched with the quarter part of our Regiment to Isle au Noix, in Lake Champlain. General Montgomery was there, and General McDougal, and Capt. McCracken, and Maj. Brown were with us at Isle au Noix. We staid at this place but few days, when we went with General or Col. McDougal, Major Elmore and other officers, in order to go around St. Johns, but we failed, and returned to Isle au Noix. A few days afterwards Capt. Watson, of Canaan, Capt. McCracken, of the New York troops, and Major Brown, went with a large party of men, of whom I was one, for the purpose of penetrating through the woods, to Chambly, in Canada. W^e lay at Chambly a few days, and then I went to keep guard below Chambly. Col. Ethan Allen came to us there. We crossed the St. Lawrence river in the night, with Colonel Allen, a little below Montreal, and while preparing breakfast, the British force came upon us. We retreated, and finally I was, with Colonel Ethan Allen and others, taken prisoner by the enemy. We were put on board a sloop in the river St. Lawrence, and put in irons two by t%vo ; we were sent to Quebec, and kept in a prison ship till the last of November, 1775 ; from thence we were carried to Falmouth, in England, staid there fifteen days ; from thence we were sent to Cork, in Ireland, staid there about two weeks. Here Col. Allen was put aboard of a different ship from me. We next made land in Lisbon, in Portugal. During this voyage the prisoners were relieved from irons, and performed duty on ship board. From thence we made land next on the coast of North Carolina ; thence 180 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. we were sent to Halifax, in Nova Scotia, where we were kept during the Summer of 1776. In the fall we were sent to the City of New York. We lay in the harbor of New York when Fort Washington was taken ; we heard the firing distinctly. We were afterwards confined in the French Church in New York City. From thence two of us, that is, myself and Roger Moore, of Salisbury, made our escape to Long Island, and from thence made our way to Saybrook, in Connecticut, and from there home to Sharon in the month of December. 1776, having been absent from home eighteen months. After this I was out at several alarms ; but I enlisted in the New York troops for nine months in the month of May, 1778. I was then residing in said Sharon. Our Lieutenant Colonel's name was Wisonf eldt, a Dutchman. His son was Lieutenant of the Company to which I belonged. The Major's name was Fish, the Colonel's name was Van Cortlandt, and in the Brigade of General Poor. I enlisted in Rhinebeck, in the State of New York, and soon after I joined the army at "Val- ley Forge. We staid at Valley Forge until the British forces evacuated Philadelphia. We pursued them ; Gen'l Washington, Fayette, Steuben, Lee and others were with the army. I was engaged soon after in the battle at Monmouth. From thence the army, and I with them, marched to White Plains, in the State of New York. Our Regiment then marched up and crossed the North River at Poughkeepsie, and went through New Paltz, to a place called then Mumbaccor, and there we were stationed thro' the Winter, until the expiration of my term of enlistment, and was then discharged, but had no written discharge, nor have I any written document by which I can prove this service, nor do I know of any person now living, whose testimony I can procure, who can certify to this service. ' ' I am well known in the town of Sharon, aforesaid, to Hon. John Cotton Smith, Hon. Ansel Sterling, Hon. Chas. F. Sedg- wick, Cyrus Swan, Esq. , and many others who can testify as to my character for veracity, and their belief of my services as a soldier in the Revolution. And I hereby relinquish every claim whatever to a pension or annuity, except the present, and declare that my name is not on the pension roll of the Agency of any State.' " Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid. ADONIJAH MAXAM. history of the town of sharon. 181 Pension Office, April 17, 1857. ' ' I certify that the foregoing paper is a correct copy from the original, on file in this office. J. E. HEATH, Commissioner." APPENDIX G. The following are the graduates of colleges who have been citizens of Sharon : YALE COTJ^KGE. NAME. WHEN NAME. WHEN GRADUATED. GRADUATED. Peter Pratt, 1736 Milo L. Bennett, 1811 John Searle, 1745 William E. Gould, 1811 Jonathan Elmer, 1747 Milo L. North, 1813 Daniel Griswold, 1747 Ebenezer Blackman, 1817 Cotton Mather Smith, 1751 William Rockwell, 1822 Jeremiah Day, 1756 Milton P. Orton, 1824 Thomas Davies, 1758 Richai-d Smith, 1825 Fisher Gay, 1759 John M. S. Perry, 1827 John Canfield, 1762 John Cotton Smith, 1830 Augustine Taylor, 1776 Milo N. Miles, 1831 Judson Canfield, 1782 Robert D. Gardner, 1833 John Cotton Smith, 1783 David C. Perry, 1833 Daniel Parker, 1798 Dan'l D. T. McLaughlin, 1834 Alanson Hamlin, 1799 John T. Andrew, 1839 William A. Taylor, 1803 George T. Pierce, 1843 William M. Smith, 1805 Henry Roberts, 1866 1 Henry J. Canfield, 1806 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OP SHARON. WILLIAMS COLLEGE. 183 NAME. WHEN NAME. WHEN GRADUATED. GRADUATED. Vinton Gould, 1797 Charles F. Sedgwick, 1813 David L. Perry, 1798 Chauncey G. Smith, 1814 David Beecher, 1804 Judah Ely, 1820 Cyrus W. Gray, 1809 John Cotton Territt, 1833 Orange Lyman, 1809 William R. Territt. 1871 UNION COLLEGE. Alexander B. Bullions, 1842 UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF VERMONT. Grove L. Brownell, 1813 HARVARD COLLEGE. John Williams, 1725 MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE. VERMONT. Rev. Leonard E. Lathrop, APPENDIX H. The following are the names of the children of the Rev. Cotton Mather Smith, with the dates of their decease : Elizabeth Smith, Juliana Smith, Thomas Mather Smith, John Cotton Smith, Lucretia Smith, Mary Smith, born June 20, 1759, died Jan. — , 1788. " Feb. 12, 1761, " June 25. 1823. " July 2, 1763, " Apr. 18, 1782. " Feb. 12, 1765, " Dec. 7, 1845. " July 20, 1767, " 1773. " Feb. 16, 1769, " Dec. 10. 1801. APPENDIX I. The following is a roll of the Representatives from the town of Sharon, to the General Assembly, commencing in 1755, when the town was first represented : 1755 1757 1758 1759 MAY SESSION. 1756 John Marvin, John Williams, Josiah Strong. John Williams, Samuel Dunham. OCTOBER SESSION. John Williams, John Pardee. John Williams, John Pardee. John Williams, Josiah Strong. John Williams, John Pardee. 1760 1761 1762 1763 1764 Samuel Dunham, John Pardee. Caleb Jewitt, John Gay. John Williams, John Pardee. John Williams, Caleb Jewett. John Williams, Caleb Jewitt. * 24 Josiah Strong, Caleb Jewitt. John Williams, John Pardee. John Williams, Caleb Jewitt. John Williams, David Foster. John Williams, David Foster. 186 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. MAY SESSION. OCTOBER SESSION. 1765 John WilliamR, Caleb Jewitt. Caleb Jewitt. 1766 John WUliams, John Williams, Caleb Jewitt. Jeremiah Day. 1767 John Williams, John Williams, Jeremiah Day. Simeon Smith. 1768 John Marvin, John WiUiams, Thomas Pardee. Thomas Pardee. 1769 John Williams, John Williams, James Pardee. Thomas Pardee. * 1770 Simeon Smith, John Williams, Thomas Pardee. Caleb Jewitt. 1771 John WUUams, John Williams, Simeon Smith. Simeon Smith. 1773 John Williams, John Williams, Simeon Smith. Simeon Smith. 1773 John Williams, James Pardee. James Pardee. 1774 James Pardee, Ebenezer Gay, Ebenezer Gay. Thomas Pardee. 1775 Ebenezer Gay, John Canfield, James Pardee. Caleb Jewitt. 1776 John Canfield, Ebenezer Gay, Caleb Jewett. James Pardee. 1777 John Canfield, James Pardee, Simeon Smith. Joseph Lord. > 1778 Ebenezer Gay, Ebenezer Gay, James Pardee. David Downs. 1779 John Canfield, John Canfield, Samuel Elmore. Ebenezer Gay. 1780 Samuel Elmore, Samuel Canfield, 1781 James Pardee. David Downs. ' Samuel Elmore. 1782 David Downs, John Canfield, Joseph Landers. David Downs. 1783 Simeon Smith, Ebenezer Gay, David Downs. Josiah Coleman. ' 1784 Ebenezer Gay, John Canfield, Josiah Coleman. Simeon Smith. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 187 MAY SESSION. 1785 John Canfield, Simeon Smith. 1786 John Canfield, Simeon Smith. 1787 Jonathan Gillet, Ephraim Marriner. 1788 Ephraim Marriner, Josiah Coleman, f"^ 1789 1790 1791 1793 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 David Downs, Isaac Pardee. David Downs, Isaac Pardee. Phineas Smith, Augustine Taylor, Phineas Smith, Judson Canfield. Judson Canfield, John C. Smith. Samuel Canfield, David Downs. David Downs, James Pardee. Samuel Canfield, John C. Smith. John C. Smith, Oliver Kellogg. John C. Smith, Oliver Kellogg. John C. Smith, Abel Patchen. John C. Smith, Oliver Kellogg. Oliver Kellogg, George King. Judson Canfield, Augustine Taylor. Judson Canfield, Daniel St. John. Judson Canfield, Isaac Pardee. OCTOBER SESSION. John Canfield, Simeon Smith. Simeon Smith. Jonathan Gillet. Ephraim Marriner, David Downs. David Downs, Isaac Pardee. Augustine Taj^lor, Phineas Smith. I'hineas Smith, Judson Canfield. Augustine Taylor, Judson Canfield. David Downs, Samuel Canfield. Samuel Canfield, David Downs. Samuel Canfield, Enoch Parsons, John C. Smith, Augustine Taylor. John C. Smith, Samuel Canfield. John C. Smith, Abel Patchen. John C. Smith, Isaac Pardee. John C. Smith, George King. Augustine Taylor, Isaac Pardee. Judson Canfield, Augustine Taylor. Judson Canfield, Daniel St. John. Judson Canfield, Isaac Pardee. 188 HISTORY OP THE TOWN OF SHARON. MAY SESSION. OCTOBER SESSIO 1805 Judson Canfield, Isaac Pardee, laaflc Pardee. Daniel St. John. «- 1806 Judson Canfield, Judson Canfield, Isaac Pardee. John C. Smith. 1807 John C. Smith, John C. Smith, Judson Canfield. Daniel St. John. ^ 1808 John C. Smith, John C. Smith, Judson Canfield. Judson Canfield. 1809 John C. Smith, Isaac Pardee, Judson Canfield. Simeon Blackman. 1810 Simeon Blackman, Cyrus Swan, Oliver Kellogg. Simeon Blackman. 1811 Simeon Blackman, Simeon Blackman, OUver Kellogg. Samuel E. Everitt. 1813 Oliver KeUogg, Isaac Pardee, Samuel E. Everitt. Samuel E. Everitt. 1813 Oliver Kellogg, Cyrus Swan, Samuel E. Everitt. Samuel E. Everitt. 1814 Oliver Kellogg, Cyrus Swan, Samuel E. Everitt. Samuel E. Everitt. 1815 Oliver Kellogg, Samuel Rockwell, Ansel Sterling. Daniel St. John. ^ 1816 Ohver Kellogg, Cyrus Swan, Samuel Rockwell. Israel Camp. 1817 Oliver Kellogg, Oliver Kellogg, Israel Camp. Thomas St. John. 1818 Hezekiah Goodwin, Oliver Kellogg, Thomas St John. Ansel Sterling. 1819 Oliver Kellogg, Ansel Sterling, 1820 Oliver Kellogg, Ansel Sterling. 1821 Ansel Sterling, Samuel R. Gager. 1822 Samuel R. Gager, Samuel Roberts. 1823 Samuel Roberts, Horatio Smith. 1824 Horatio Smith, Cyrus Swan. 1825 Ansel Sterling, Cyrus Swan. 1826 Ansel Sterling, Horatio Smith. 1827 Cyrus Swan, Calvin Gay. 1828 Cyrus Swan, Calvin Gay. 1829 Ansel Sterling, Samuel R. Gager. 1830 Charles F. Sedgwick Clark Chapman. 1831 Charles F. Sedgwick. Israel Camp. UlSTOHY OF THE TOWN OF SUAUON. 189 1882 Israel Camp, Samuel E. Everitt. 1833 Clark Chapnan, John C. Smith, Jr. 1834 Horatio Smith, John C. Smith, Jr. 1835 Ansel Sterling, Ralph Deming. 1836 Ansel Sterling, Zacheus W. Bissell. 1837 Ansel Sterling, Elmore Everett. 1838 Elmore Everett, Alanson Wheeler. 1839 Alanson Wheeler, Ralph Deming. 1840 Elmore Everitt, Horace Reed. 1841 Zacheus W. Bissell, Richard Smith, 1842 John Cotton Smith, Jr., Eleazer Jenkins. 1843 Lorenzo D. Smith, William Everett. 1844 No choice. 1845 Charles Sears, William Knibloe. 1846 John P. Goodwin, Elmore Everett. 1847 John P. Goodwin, Charles Sears. 1848 Ransom Smith, John Woodruff. 1849 Ransom Smith, James Orr. 1850 David S. Cartwright, Southard Hitchcock. 1851 John S. Jewett, Gibbs W. Skiff. 1852 George D. Goodwin, Chauncey Reed, Jr. 1853 John C. Smith, Zacheus W. Bissell. 1854 John C. Smith, George B. Bates. 1855 Norman E. Wlieeler, Horace Dunbar. 1856 Henry V. King, Henry St. John. 1857 Fitch Landon, James A. Bierce. 1858 Erastus A, Deming, Charles M. Parsons. 1859 Myron Dakin, Seth B. St. John. 1860 Henry T. Finch, Chesterfield Chapman. 1861 Reuben K. Hunt, Joel S. Chaffee. 1862 Asahel A. Hotchkiss, John H. FerLee. 1863 Harry Lockwood, David F. Lambert. 1864 Nathan Dunbar, Fitch Landon. 1865 Edwin N. Hartwell, Miles B. Lewis. 1866 Zacheus W. Bissell, David F. Smith. 1867 George D. Goodwin, Ralph Deming. 1868 Walter M. Patterson, Isaac N. Bartram. 1869 Edgar J. Reed, David L. Smith. 1870 John C. Smith, Baldwin Reed, 2d. 1871 Hilan Middlebrooks, Charles E. B. Hatch. 1872 George D. Goodwin, Isaac N. Bartram. 1873 John Boyd, Robert D. Livingston. 190 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 1874 Herman C. Rowley, Ichabod S. Everitt. 1875 William E. Marsh, Baldwin Reed, 2d. 1876 John Cotton Smith, Isaac N. Bartram. 1877 Seymour A. Frayer, George M. Walton. 1878 John B. Smith, Gilbert L. Smith. 1879 Erastus A. Deming, Clark M. Juckett. 1880 Robert E. Goodwin, Daniel Hall. 1881 George D. Goodwin, Myron F. Whitney. 1882 Edgar J. Reed, William Dakin. 1883 Abel Benedict,* Edwin M. Winchester. 1884 Nelson C. Willson, Charles C. Gordon. 1885 Erastus A. Deming, James M. Reed. 1886 Isaac N. Bartram, Albert M. Card. 1887 Isaac N. Bartram, Hilan Middlebrook. 1889 Baldwin Reed, J. Dwight St. John. 1891 Isaac N. Bartram, Albert M. Card. 1893 Charles C. Gordon, Seymour L. Hollister. 1895 George E. Buckley, Lawrence VanAlstyne. 1897 Simeon B. Jewett, Myron F. Whitney. OF THE governor's COUNCIL. Judson Canfield, John Cotton Smith. SENATORS. Ralph Deming, Horatio Smith, Charles F. Sedgwick, Isaac N. Bartram. JUDGES OF THE COUNTY COURT. John Williams, Judson Canfield, Cyrus Swan, Ansel Sterling. • Died before taking his seat. APPENDIX J. TOWN OFFICERS. The following persons have officiated as magistrates in the town : Nathaniel Skinner, Samuel Hutchinson, John WiUiams, Daniel Griswold, Joseph Lord, John Gay, John Canfield, David Downs, Isaac Pardee, Augustine Taylor, Judson Canfield, John Cotton Smith, Daniel St. John, Calvin Gay, Samuel E. Everitt, Oliver Kellogg, Cyrus Swan, Ansel Sterling, Samuel Rockwell, Horatio Smith, Samuel Roberts, Stephen Deming, Stephen Heath, Israel Camp, Charles F. Sedgwick, Oliver Kellogg, Jun. , Jacob Chamberlain, Ebenezer Blackman, Joshua B. Chaffee, Richard Smith, Benjamin HoUister, Alanson Wheeler, John W. McKoy, Ransom Smith, Zaccheus W. Bissell, Samuel Roberts, Jun. Silas A. Gray, William Everett, Daniel Parsons, Ralph Deming, 193 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Zalmon S. Hunt, Orrin Hutchinson, Andrew Lake, John Williams, Southard Hitchcock, Amos Prindle, James Orr, Eliakim S. Stoddard, Jr. Eben W. Chaffee, Harry Lockwood, Norman E. Wheeler, John T. Andrew, Fitch Landon, Garry S. Moray, Samuel Elliot, Cyrus W. Gray, William Stone, Horace Dunbar, Samuel S. Woodward, Ezra H. Bartram, Thomas N. Lucas, Heber Knibloe, Walter M. Patterson, Judson St. John, Charles E. B. Hatch, Philo Juckett, Edgar J. R. Reed, George Chamberlain, Robert D. Livingston, Charles L. Prindle, Daniel Hall, Chauncey W. Morehouse, Thomas Sterling, J. Wade Hughes, Clark M. Juckett, Thomas Wilbur. WiUard Baker, Isaac N. Bartram, John Wike, Albert M. Card, Frank W. Dakin, Joseph Ryan, Elijah Juckett, H. F. Landon, Albert Scott, James B. Wilbur, Charles C. Dean, Louis E. Schwab. TOWN CLERKS. Nathaniel Skinner, Ebenezer Frisbie, John Williams, Daniel Griswold, Samuel Canfleld, Israel Camp, George King, Jun., Henry H. Quintard, Erastus H. Winchester, James Orr, Harry Lockwood, James E. Watson, Aaron R. Smith, Samuel L. Gager, Robert E. Goodwin, Charles C. Gordon, J. Wade Hughes. E. H. Bartram, R. E. Goodwin, Charles H. Marvin, R. E. Goodwin, H. C. Rowley. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OP SHARON. The following Attorneys and Counsellors-at-Law have prac- ticed in the town : John Canfield, Judson Canfield, John Cotton Smith. Cyrus Swan, Joel T. Petit, William G. Williams, Ansel Sterling, Charles R. Brown, Chauncey Smith, Ebenezer Blackman, Charles F. Sedgwick, Eliakim Stoddard, Frederick J. Fenn, Richard Smith, James Orr, Walter M. Patterson, J. Wade Hughes, Willard Baker. PHYSICIANS. John Williams, Abner Peck, John Lee, Ashbel Goodrich, David Doty, Jonah Barnes, Phineas Smith, Samuel R. Gager, Samuel Rockwell, Simeon Blackman, Nathaniel Lowrey, John W. Smith, John Sears, Curtiss J. Hurd, Daniel Griswold, Simeon Smith, Joseph Hamilton, Elmore Everitt, Milo L. North, Ebenezer H. Conklin, Jehiel Abbott, Russell Everett, Ralph Deming, Horace A. Buttolph, Nathan S. Perry, Chauncey Reed, Jr., WilUam W. Knight, Charles H. Shears, B. W. Munson, C. W. Bassett, R. P. Knight. APPENDIX K. The following Hymn, composed by the Hon. John Cotton Smith, was sung at the Celebration of the One Hundredth Anni- versary of the First Town Meeting, December 33, 1839 : O bless the Lord, whose mighty hand Led our forefathers o'er the main. To spread throughout this distant land, Fair freedom's just and gentle reign. Not cold, nor want, nor foes array 'd. Could the firm Pilgrim's zeal restrain. They trusted in their Saviour's aid. Nor did His servants trust in vain. Through dangers, toils, and anxious cares, God was their guai'dian and their stay ; And gave in answer to their prayers, The blessings we enjoy this day. One century round these hills and plains. Have the Redeemer's praises rung, Still let them rise in lofty strains, From every heart and every tongue. APPENDIX L. HISTORY AND DEDICATION OF THE SOLDIERS MONUMENT. For many years prior to 1885 the citizens of the town of Sharon had felt that something should be done toward the erec- tion of a suitable monument to commemorate and perpetuate the memory of the noble deeds and sacrifices made in the late war of the Rebellion by those of her citizens who laid down their lives for their country's cause. No decided step toward such an end was taken until the year 1885, when Miss Emily O. Wheeler, of New York city, presented to some interested citizens the plans and design for the beautiful piece of workmanship which now stands at the head of the village street. After consideration by some prominent citizens and members of the John M. Gregory Post, No. 59, G. A. R., "a petition for the calling of a town meeting was duly prepared and circulated, and in due time a meeting of the citizens of the town was warned for the 23d day of January, 1885, to consider and take action in the matter. At the meeting, which was a very large and enthusiastic one, a resolution was introduced providing for the erection of the monument according to the plans and design presented, and, after many fervent remarks, the following resolution was adopted : 196 HISTOEY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. Resolved, That the sum of one thousand dollars be, and the same is hereby appi-opriated, by the town of Sharon, for the pur- pose of erecting to the memory of the honored dead, who enlisted from the town and who perished in the late war of the Rebellion, a monument in accordance with the design and plans as furnished by Miss Emily O. Wheeler, and that L. VanAlstyne Nelson C. Willson and Everett S. Dunbar be and are hereby appointed a com- mittee to locate and erect said monument, and the selectmen of 8aid town are hereby further authorized and empowered to draw their orders on the treasurer of said town for a sum, not exceed- ing $1000, for the aforesaid purpose. Work was immediately begun upon the monument, and the John M. Gregory Post, No. 59, G. A. R., at a meeting called for that purpose, made arrangements for suitable dedicatory exercises. The Post also appointed the following committees to carry on the work of preparation for the dedicatory exercises : Com- mittee on speakers— N. C. Willson and Chas. E. Benton. Fi- nances — Abel R. Woodward, Myron F. Whitney and H. C. Rowley. Ceremonies — Dr. W. W. Knight and L. VanAlstyne. The furnishing of the collation, on the day of dedication, was left to the ladies of Sharon, as they were never known to fail on such occasions, and this conclusion was fully warranted by the bountiful repast they furnished. The monument was in due time completed and approved by the selectmen of the town, and the 6tli day of August, 1885, was set for the unveiling and dedication of the same. The day dawned bright and beautiful and proved to be all that could be desired. The procession, which was composed of three posts of the G. A. R. , two bands, and the speakers of the day, formed at 10 a. m., and marched past the monument to the speakers' stand. After the rendering of " Hail Columbia," by the Sharon cor- net band, the Rev. Jas. R. Bourne, chairman of the day, made a few introductory remarks and introduced Rev. Dr. C. C. Tiffany, of New York city, who presented the monument, on' behalf of the selectmen, to the John M. Gregory Post No. 59, G. A. R. The "Star Spangled Banner" was then rendered by the Lakeville cornet band, followed by a dedicatory prayer by Rev. C. B. Landon, former pastor of the M. E. Church in Sharon (whose earnest advocacy at the town meeting did much to secure the monument). The Chairman then said he would introduce the HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 197 next speaker, and if his words were as eloquent as his armless sleeve, as no doubt they would be, our hearts would be deeply moved. Col. A. H. Fenu of Winsted then made the dedicatory address. At the close of his speech, Col. Fenn read the following verses composed for the occasion by a lady in Sharon, Mrs. John C. Terrett: DEDICATORY VERSES. Forget them not ! the brave who sleep On distant fields, on yonder hill, It is our solemn trust to keep Undimmed their memory still. When the first fearful warning note Came floating o'er our quiet vale. Echoing from every mountain top, Borne on each swelling gale. Roused by no trumpet's thrilling peal, Bid by no tyrant's word of power, Freely they went at their country's call. In her dark and perilous hour. Our offerings we gratefully bring. And reverently place on each tomb. The fair, early blossoms of Spring, In fragrance and beauty to bloom. Bright emblems of hope for an hour. Then their glory and freshness must fade, A memorial lasting we rear To our mourned and honored dead. In its strength may it proudly stand, In silence the record to bear, Of each name of our patriot band, On, on, through the coming year. Then followed a salute of three rounds by David S. Cowles Post, No. 60, G. A. R., and the " Red, White and Blue," by the Sharon cornet band, after which the chairman said he would in- troduce the orator of the occasion, who, twenty years ago, tasted southern hospitality very different from what he would now re- ceive should he pay a second visit to Richmond. Rev. Dr. Hiram Eddy, of Canaan, then delivered the oration. 198 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. The exercises were concluded by the benediction pronounced by the chairman. Then the procession re-formed and marched back to the Town Hall, where, after the blessing was asked by the Rev. Dr. Eddy, all, numbering between six and seven hundred, were bountifully served by the ladies. Thus ended a day which has become one of the bright portions of the history of Sharon. The following are the inscriptions and names on the mon- ument : SOUTH FACE. Erected by The town of Sharon In memory of the brave Men who enlisted from This township, and fell In the struggle to maintain The Union. Anno Domino, mdccclxxxv. NORTH FACE. Charles Chapman, Theodore F. Woodward, William H. Gaul, Philo L. Cole, Charles M. Douglass, Julius Cole, George C. Skiff, Franklin L. Wickwire. EAST FACE. Dwight Studley, William Slover, Charles Tread way, John Eby Edward Whitney, George King, Henry Frink, William Parret, Charles J. Reed, Wiliam Chapman. WEST FACE. Andrew Jackson, Edwin Carr, Barney Kinney, Henry McArthur, William Bush, Henry Bush, James Doyle, James Malone, Chester Slover, Milo Reynolds. APPENDIX M. THE H0TCHKI8S LIBRARY. There are few lovelier scenes in this country of fair land- scapes than the vista of wide green common and lofty overarch- ing elms which even Sharon's most casual visitor carries away with him, forever a picturesque memory. To add still another attraction to Sharon's stately street, of which she is so justly proud, Mrs. Hotchkiss, a former resident of the town, some time since announced her intention of placing here a memorial library in honor of her husband, Benjamin Berkeley Hotchkiss, who was born in Watertown, Conn., Oct. 1st, 1836, removed to Sharon when three years of age, and died in Paris, France, February 14, 1885. The formal opening of the library took place September 13, 1893, about a year after work was begun on the building. The structure is of grey limestone found in the township, the trimmings of white limestone coming from a quarry in Salisbury. The illustration, which will be found elsewhere, represents the exterior architecture— a building of simple yet dignified character, refreshingly free from much of the tasteless over-ornamentation of the present day. The architect was Mr. Bruce Price of New York. The general superintendent of the work was James Lire, of Norfolk ; the wood- work was done by D. N. Eggleston of Sharon, and the stone- work by John Flynn of Barrington, Mass. 200 HISTOKY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. On entering the visitor passes through a vestibule, adorned with a fine oil portrait of Mr. Hotchkiss, into a large and cheer- ful apartment, which extends in the centre to the peaked roof. On the sides are galleries with many -shelved alcoves, doubtless designed for the uses of posterity — and the authors of the coming century. For the present generation ample provision has been made in the six alcoves on the ground floor. Just in- side the vestibule, on either side, are two staircases, which ascend to a common landing, then again separating, meet in a broad platform which overlooks the lower floor of the library. Here one gains a beautiful view of the rear corner of the library, a bay of symmetrical proportions, in which stands, on a pedestal, a bust of Mr. Hotchkiss, executed in Paris, 1879, by Ezekiel. The reading rooms occupy the north and south bays of the building, on the lower floor. Upstairs there are corresponding rooms, which as yet have not been appropriated to any special purpose. On the occasion of the summer receptions they serve effectively as places of provision for physical longings — but, no doubt, as the atmosphere created by the library stimulates higher intellectual development, here will be found ideal surroundings for places of literary refreshment, which, by the way, many of our country towns distressingly lack. Where could be found more suitable environments for a class i-eading the masterpieces of literature, or familiarizing themselves with the annals of some great nation ? The reading rooms correspond in size and in general furnish- ings. The walls are wainscoted in quartered oak — the floor, chairs, tables and desks being of the same material. On the walls hang beautiful etchings and photographs, many of the latter being reproductions of national scenery. Some of the photo- graphs are most artistically colored, with a fastidious skill and charming effect. The ample window space, characterizing the whole building, is here the means of flooding the reading rooms w^ith sunshine — there being five windows, in every case a panel of stained glass surmounting the square sashes. The panels in the north room bear the names of Homer, Virgil, Moliere, and Goethe, while the central window is devoted to a medallion of Dante, his brow wreathed with the laurel crown of fame. The south room commemorates the genius of our English speaking race, Chaucer, Shakespere, Milton and Franklin, while the cen- tral window enshrines the familiar and beloved features of our own Longfellow. HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. 301 Even without the snap and crackle of burning logs, one's glance cannot but rest admiringly on the fire-places of cream glazed brick, with just a line of dark to emphasize the arch of Mexican onyx banding the hearth. The andirons and other appointments are of wrought iron. The quotation comes to mind : " Old wood to burn, " Old friends to trust, " Old authors to read," for on the table lie our old friends— the wreathed pillars of Harper's Magazine, the golden -covered Scribner, while yonder in the alcoves are our old authors, true and tried literary compan- ions. On the long table devoted to literature we find the New York Tribune, the New York World and the New York Press. Of weekly publications there are Harper's Bazar, Harper's Young People, Life, Scientific American and the Amenia Times. St. Nicholas and the Review of Reviews are monthly visitors to the table. The reading rooms are open from two to five o'clock daily in the afternoon, and from five to seven three evenings in the week. All inhabitants of the town of Sharon are free to avail themsel es of the reading rooms' privileges. Works of fiction comprise one -third of the books in the library. History, biography and poetry are represented by about an equal number of volumes, and taken together form a collection slightly larger than the works of fiction. The remaining vol- umes are variously classed under the head of juvenile books, works of travel, works of theology, philosophy, philology, sociology, the useful and fine arts. There is also a case containing valuable reference works — encyclopedias, dictionaries and similar helps. At the opening of the library there were 2,640 volumes placed on the shelves. The number has now somewhat increased. The library is open to members who pay a small annual fee as a help toward defraying expenses. Books may be retained two weeks, with the privileges of renewal. At the time of writing there are a gratifying number of names on the roll of membership. The library and grounds are deeded to an association of fifteen people, all residents of Sharon. The names of these trus- tees are as follows : Dr. W. W. Knight, Dr. C. W. Bassett, E. B. Reed, G. M. Walton, C. C. Gordon, A. M. Card, Luther Brown, F. W. Dakin, Willard Baker, C. Albert Schwab, E. F. Gillette, Miss Ruth Prindle, Mrs. Flora A. Ryan, Mrs. Anna Reed and Miss Fanny Taylor. »U» HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. From this number are chosen an executive committee of five, who are responsible for the management of the Ubrary. The oflScers are : Dr. W. W. Knight, President ; Miss Ruth Prindle, Vice-President ; C. A. Schwab, Secretary; Willard Baker, Treasurer. The courtesy and efficiency which Mrs. Flqra A. Ryan brings to bear in her duties as Librarian cannot fail to make a success of her work. The library, besides being a moniunent of generous thought- fulness for some with limited opportunities, is moreover an elevating and purifying influience to the community. There comes to mind a memory of an Eastern tale, of how a rich mer- chant, the possessor of countless wealth in merchandise and camels, was filled with benevolent desires, and sought of a prophet the way to do a true and lasting good. " Dig a well, my son," was the answer of the venerable wise one, " for not only will that afford comfort now, but coming gen- erations, wearied with long journeying over burning sands, shall there refresh and reinvigorate themselves, and bless the hand that brought water out of the desert." APPENDIX N. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN SHARON. The spiritual interests of Catholics in Sharon were first min- istered to by Rev. Father Kelly of Falls Village, this town being a part of that parish at that time. The " first mass " was offered in a small one-storied house, painted red, on the road to Ells- worth, then occupied by James Dunning. This continued to be the place of Cathohc worship, at long and irregular intervals, for some years. The next house to be honored in this way, which is now entirely obliterated, stood o'ershadowed by the furnace in the Valley. We next find the Catholics of Sharon assembling for worship in the upper story of the old brick paint shop on Gay street, nearly opposite the new schoolhouse. During these years religious service was only held once or twice a year. In 1858 the old tannery was offered by Mr. Sears, and religious service was held there. About twenty years ago mass began to be celebrated in the schoolhouse in the Valley, but this soon proved too small to accommodate the increasing number of Catholics, who began to assemble in the present Town Hall. Here they continued to worship and receive the sacraments of the Church at more regular intervals and much more frequently until the erection, in 1884, of the little church. This stands about midway between Sharon Street and the Valley. Meantime two important changes had taken place in the parish. In the seventies Rev. H. J. Lynch left Falls Village and began to reside in Lakeville. This brought the 204 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON. priests near to Sharon, and enabled them to officiate there more frequently. In the year 1882 a new parish came into existence at Cornwall Bridge, and Sharon was cut off from Lakeville and made a part of the new parish. The first rector of this newly- established district was Mr. Sheridan, who erected a beautiful Uttle church and had it dedicated in 1884. His successors were Rev. W. J. Doolan (four years). Rev. Mr. Sheehan (one year), Rev. M. F. Rigney, (two years), Rev. Mr. Cray (one year) and Rev. J. T. Walsh, the present incumbent (1898), who came in the summer of 1895, and became pastor resident in Sharon in Janu- ary, 1896. A parochial residence was then secured and St. Bernard's became the parochial church, Cornwall Bridf becoming a mission. The parish of St. Bernard now consists yj- the towns of Sharon, Cornwall, Kent and Warren. The 21st day of July, 1897, was a red-letter day in the history of St. Bernard's church. On that day, for the first time, the solemn rite of confirmation was administered by the Right Rev'd M. Tierney, D. D. , Bishop of the Hartford Diocese, I