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A

HISTORICAL ADDRESS

DELIVERED IN

FRANKLIN, CONNECTICUT,
OCTOBER 14th, 1868,

on the

Two Hundredth Anniversary

of the

Settlement of the Town,

One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary

ECCLESIASTICAL ORGANIZATIONS.

By ashbel woodward, m. d.

Second Edition,

TuTTLE, Morehouse & Taylor, Printers,
new haven. '
1870.

Note. — The accompanying map gives the location of the first settlers of
Franklin. It covers a period extending from 1663, when the lands of West
Farms were partly apportioned among the Original Proprietors of Norwich,
to 1725, by which time the population had become tolerably numerous. In the
Historical Address and in its appended notes, the reader will find the time
and order of arrival of these settlers. The present inhabitants will alsr'-
ceive by a glance at the map who were the first owners of the farms,
they now occupy, and, if they are curious to follow up the clue thus furni
they can, by consultation of the records, trace the succession of owners do>,
to themselves. The various names of places then in vogue are also g've
Some of these are still retained, while others have been long in disuse.
The preparation of this map has involved a vast amount of labor. It is the
result of investigations extending over a series of years, and to which the
writer was led in connection with other historical studies. In its preparation
the early deeds of the town of Norwich have been minutely explored, as well
as a great number of private papers and deeds in the possession of diflferent
families. The series of papers on file in the State Library have also afforded
valuable assistance. Not a little information has also been obtained from the
examination of the ordinary records of the same date, which, in their records
of votes respecting particular sections of the town, of allotments to different
individuals, of the location of roads, of the running of district lines, &c., &c..
Have incidentally furnished decisive evidence. By the collation of these dif
ferent authorities facts have been elicited which could not have been obtained
from any single source. No location has been given which is not sup
ported either by the direct evidence of the deeds or by strong collateral
evidence. The map may claim, therefore, to present a truthful representation of the
town during the first half century of its history, and the writer ventures to
hope that this study of a former generation will afford to the present one a
pleasure equal to that which it has given to himself. A. W.

CONT E NTS.

Preliminary Meetings, - - 5
Opening Hymn, by Miss F. M. Caulkins,
''^ress of Welcome, by Ashbel Woodward, M.D., 9
jorical Address, by Ashbel Woodward, M.D., 1 1
^loTEs TO Historical Address —
Note A. — Indian Deed of Norwich, 45
Note B. — Indian Names, - 46
Note C. — List of original Proprietors of Norwich, 48
Note D. — Brief Notices of the principal original
Settlers of West Farms, now Franklin, 49
Note E. — College Graduates, - 64
Note F. — List of Clergymen raised up in Franklin,
with brief sketches of some that have
deceased, . - 65
Note G. — Physicians of West Farms, now Franklin, ¦]¦]
Note H. — Sketches of individuals not included in
clerical and medical professions, 83
Note I. — List of Missionaries, - - 88
Note J. — Portipaug Society, 89
Index of Names, - - "93

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
On page 23, the 16th line from the top, for 1610 read 1710.
On page 37, the 5th line from the top, for 1608 read 1708,
On page 43, the 7th line from the top, for Edward read Ezra.
On page 51, the 16th line from the top, for Get-once read Yet-once.
On page 56, the 19th line from the top, for she read he.
On page 78, the last line, add the character & so as to read £3,

Preliminary Meetings.

At a meeting of the Congregational church of Franklin,
Conn., August 30th, 1867, it was voted to celebrate the
approaching one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of its
organization with appropriate exercises, and the follow
ing committee were appointed to make the necessary
arrangements : — Ashbel Woodward, M. D., Chairman ;
Joseph I. Hyde, Clerk ; P. O. Smith, H. W. Kingsley and
Dan Hastings. The Ecclesiastical Society voted unani
mously, September 30th, 1867, to commemorate its own
organization in conjunction with the celebration of the
one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the church.
At a subsequent meeting of the committee of arrange
ments, Ashbel Woodward, M. D., was invited to deliver
the Historical Address. It was also' voted to hold the
anniversary celebration on Wednesday, October 7th,
1868.* As the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the settlement
of the town had but shortly elapsed, it was afterwards
thought proper to include the history of the town within
the scope of the Historical Address.

* It subsequently became known that the American Board of Commis
sioners for Foreign Missions were to hold their annual meeting at Norwich
city during the first week of October, i858, and it was, therefore, deemed
advisable to defer the anniversary exercises till the second Wednesday of
October. Fortunately the organization of the church took place on the second
Wednesday of October, 1718, and we were thereby enabled in a certain sense
to celebrate upon the anniversary of the date of its organization, although
there was an actual discrepancy of one week ; the celebration occurring
October 14, while the organization took place October 8th.

September 13th, 1868, the committee of arrangements
appointed the following special committees :
On Collation. — Herman H. Willes, Amos F. Royce,
Wm. M. Converse, Charles A. Kingsley, James C. Wood
ward, Ezra L. Smith and E. Eugene Ayer.
On Fi?iance. — William B. Hyde, John O. Smith, Bela
T. Hastings, Amos F. Royce, and Lavius A. Robinson.
Oji Reception. — Henry W. Kingsley, Oliver L. Johnson,
Lovell K. Smith, Samuel G. Hartshorn, Owen S. Smith,
Ezra L. Smith, Dan Hastings and Charles A. Kingsley.
On Music. — Hezekiah Huntington, Prentice O. Smith,
and Rev. F. C. Jones.

Anniversary Exercises.

The morning of October 14th, 1868, opened with threat
ening clouds and damp, cutting winds. But, notwithstand
ing the inauspicious weather, the church was crowded at
an early hour with the returning sons and daughters of
Franklin, some of whom had journeyed from beyond the
Mississippi to join in the festivities of the day, while others
had come back gray-haired men to once more grasp hands
with the playmates with whom they had parted half a
century before.
At half-past ten o'clock, the Hon. Ephraim H. Hyde,
of Stafford, Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, was
introduced as president of the day, by the pastor, and the
exercises of the occasion were opened with an invocation
by Rev. E. W. Oilman.
The following hymn, written by Miss F. M. Caulkins,
of New London, was then sung by the Choir,
OPENING HYMN
For the Celebration of the 1 f^oth Anniversary of the first Organization
of Religious Worship in Franklin, Conn,
BY MISS F. M. caulkins.
Church of our fathers, hail !
Long on this sacred height.
Thy shining courts o'er hill and dale
Have shed celestial light,
A few worn pilgrims here
Their altar reared to God :
Here first the Burning-bush they saw.
Here bloomed the Almond rod.

The watchmen of the land.
Like stars before us rise : —
For seventy years one faithful hand
Was pointed to the skies.
And still thy garments shine.
With plenteous grace bedewed :
Rich are the clusters of thy vine.
Thy sons a multitude.
For blessings so supreme.
Our grateful songs we raise ;
Lift high, sound deep the joyful theme.
Awake, O voice of Praise !
Now, Lord, in triumph come !
Here shed thy spirit free.
That each may bear a blessing home
From this, our jubilee.
After the singing of the opening hymn, the chairman
of the committee of arrangements, Ashbel Woodward,
M. D., delivered the following

Address of Welcome.

Sons and Daughters of Franklin :^
In behalf of the committee of arrangements for cele
brating this anniversary occasion, I greet you with a
cordial welcome. It affords me no ordinary gratification
to welcome you to a full participation in all the pleasant
memories and amenities which this hallowed re-union is
suited to call forth. I welcome you to the hospitalities
of our homes, which were once the homes of your fathers
and your fathers' fathers. And to all who have upon this
auspicious morning favored us by your presence, I would
extend the warmest welcome of our hearts.
It is profitable to turn aside occasionally from the stir
ring scenes of the hour to contemplate the virtues of those
who have lived before us. No people can become per
manently great and prosperous unless they revere the
memory of a virtuous ancestry. This feeling underlies
the sentiment of patriotism and inspires the self-devotion
of the hero. If the Roman of the empire was not ashamed
to acknowledge his descent from the robber band who
founded the eternal city ; if the Briton proudly traces his
lineage to the Danish and Saxon pirates of the mediasval
period, surely we may well rejoice that our blood is de
rived from a religious, heroic, God-fearing ancestry.
Amid perils and privations they sowed the precious seed,
upborne by a lofty faith even in the darkest hours of trial
and adversity. Reflecting upon the piety, and courage.

ID
and resolution of our fathers who laid the foundations
here, we shall not only appreciate more fully the greatness
of their work, but be the better fitted to carry it onward
toward final fulfillment.
Our town, secluded and sparsely settled by an agricul
tural people, has borne an unconspicuous part in history.
Yet she has given to the country not a few who have
risen to high positions of honor and usefulness. Trained
in the virtues of the puritans, her sons and their descend
ants have ennobled this, their birth-place.
But not to detain you with further words, allow me to
extend to you, one and all, the earnest and sincere wel
come of our hearts.
The address of welcome was succeeded by reading of
the scriptures, Isaiah xxxv, and prayer by Rev. H. P.
Arms, D. D.
After further singing by the choir, came the Historical
Address.

Historical Address,

BY

AsHBEL Woodward, M. D.

Introductory Note.

The author of the following address is unwilling to permit this
memorial volume to go to press without acknowledging that its tardy
appearance is due almost entirely to himself. Actively devoted to a
profession which precludes all system in the improvement of moments
devoted to non-professional research, he has only been enabled to seize
upon detached fragments of time to accomplish the little that was originally
contemplated. In preparing the accompanying notes, almost constant recourse has
been had to the local records, which fortunately are full and in a good
state of preservation. All the early papers now on file in the public
offices at the State Capitol, relating to our history in colonial times, have
been examined and much valuable information has been obtained there
from. The late Miss F. M. Caulkins, in collecting materials for her invalu
able LListory of Norwich, availed herself of all known sources of infor
mation, and left comparatively little for other gleaners. Frequent refer
ence has been had to her writings, which have afforded very valuable
aid in the preparation of these sketches.
The writer also feels greatly indebted to the late chancellor Wal
worth, not only for information which he kindly furnished as a corres
pondent, but for many important statistical facts embodied in his
Genealogy of the Hyde Family, a work involving vast labor, and
including in its scope many of the families resident in this place.
He also feels under great obligations to Rev. Dr. Sprague, of Albany,
for information communicated by letter, and for the aid afforded by his
printed volumes.
He would also acknowledge information furnished by Rev. Jesse
Fillmore, of Providence, Rev. E. B. Huntington, of Stamford, Prof.
Gilman and F. B. Dexter, of Yale College, and others.
He would also add that he feels under great obligations to Hon. J.
H. Trumbull, President of the Conn. Historical Society, for assistance
upon the obscure subject of Indian names.
The mechanical execution of the accompanying map was entrusted to
Mr. Andrew B. Smith, Post Master at Franklin.
Franklin, April 14th, 1869.

Historical Address.

The Society whose anniversary we celebrate to-day,
embraces territory purchased of the Indians in the month
of June, 1659. Originally this region lay within the
domain of the Narragansett, but he, at some unknown
period, was driven back by the irruption of a fierce tribe
from the north, who swept down with an impetuosity
which even his might could not withstand. These new
comers, settling upon the banks of the stream afterwards
called by their name, the Pequot or Thames, issued forth
from thence conquering and to conquer, a living terror
far and near, until overwhelmed in the memorable de
struction of 1637. The Mohegans, an uneasy clan of the
Pequots and a traitorous aid in their overthrow, rose
Phoenix-like from the ruins of their race, and had become
in 1^59 a powerful tribe dwelling about the headwaters
of the Thames and extending thence into the interior.
Their territory was the fairest in New England. Nature
here lavished in stream and vale the means of easy sub
sistence, while in scenes of rugged grandeur ceaselessly
blending with others of quiet repose, she spoke in such
tones of captivating eloquence to her first children as she
does to-day to those who have ears to listen. But nowhere
in this broad domain was her hand more generous or her
smile more winsome than over the region which greets the
eye from the spot whereon we stand. Here pure streams,
flowing with increased volume beneath the shade of the

14
primeval forest, sparkled through valleys from whose
genial soil the three sister spirits, guardians of the red
man's board, the spirit of Corn, of the Bean and of the
Vine, drew the kindliest support. Over the hills above,
ranged the deer, bear, wolf and fox, while the encircling
streams furnished still choicer food in their abundant
supplies of salmon, shad and trout. Here, then, was joy
to the full for the red man, and the abundant remains of
his art join with tradition in pronouncing this his favorite
abode. In these valleys, long before they felt the white
man's tread, the summer wind rustled through the com
plaining corn, the woods re-echoed to the huntsman's
joyous shout, or anon the war-whoop rung out from hill
to hill, and the streams ran red with blood. Again, where,
perhaps, this very church rears heavenward its spire,
weird companies have circled round the council fire in
celebration of their mystic rites, or in the golden harvest
time, led by the gratitude which yearly draws us hither,
have gathered from far and near to return thanks to the
Great Spirit for bounteous seasons, and to bespeak his
continued kindness. But this aboriginal form of society,
with its bright alike with its dark side, be it spoken, van
ished so quickly away that only the faintest glimpses of it
are preserved for us, and we hasten on into more certain
periods. Doubtless the people of Saybrook were familiar with
the charms and advantages of this region long before a
colony was actually led hither. Major John Mason, the
leading spirit in that settlement, had had abundant oppor
tunity in his frequent expeditions through the wilderness
and his long intimacy with Uncas, to learn the nature of
the sachem's possessions ; and it was doubtless the enthu
siastic admiration of this tireless man that prevailed upon
his fellow colonists to abandon their homes, just beginning

IS
to requite the toil of years, and plunge again into the
heart of the wilderness.
In May, 1659, the General Assembly authorized the
planting of a colony in the Mohegan country ; and the
following month Uncas and his brother Wawequa, for the
consideration of seventy pounds, ceded a portion of their
domain nine miles square, and including within its limits
the present towns of Norwich, Franklin, Bozrah, Lisbon
and Sprague, with small portions of adjoining towns.
Preliminary arrangements are at once effected, and the
next spring the thirty-five proprietors, under the guidance
of Major Mason and Rev. James Fitch, remove from
Saybrook hither, and establish themselves at what is now
known as Norwich Town. The first year or two are
busily employed in erecting dwellings and subduing the
wilderness about them. These done, other matters press
upon the attention. Young men are growing up in their
midst, full of the energy begotten by struggles with
nature in a new land, who will quickly be ready to plunge
still deeper into the shades of the forest, there to hew out
their own fortunes. New comers, also, from abroad
must soon be crowded onward beyond the existing
bounds, while the needs of the present population suggest
the clearing up of outlying lands for pasturage and culti
vation. The meadows and uplands of West Farms, as
this portion of Norwich was long known, are most
accessible and inviting. Accordingly, in Sixteen Hundred
and Sixty-Three, the desirable portions are parcelled out
among the occupants of the Town Plot, to be improved
by them, or, if they see fit, passed over into other hands.
Nor is it long before the smoke curls up here and there
from the center of a little clearing, in indication of actual
occupation. Soon John Ayer, the famous hunter, Indian
fighter and guide, pushes up the Beaver brook and pitches,

i6
his tent in the gap of the hills, a wild and solitary place
exactly to his taste and perpetuating by its name the
memory of his many daring exploits in its vicinity. Job
Hunnewell, William Moore and others, follow in his
footsteps, and settle up and down the different streams.
These first comers, unused to the restraints of civilization,
when, in a few years, neighbors begin to crowd upon them,
sigh again for the freedom of the forest, and most of them
pass on into the unbroken wilderness. Yet these same
men were the actual pioneers in the settlement of West
Farms, and carry back the history of this portion of the
nine miles square almost to the days of the original settle
ment at the Town Plot. Nearly coeval with the arrival
of these men here, Samuel Hyde, John Birchard,
John Johnson and John Tracy move out from the
Town Plot and settle upon the lands that fell to them in
the division of 1663.
Two hundred years ago ! Who of us can realize the
change, or depict the life of those adventurous men, here
in the very heart of the wilderness, shut in on every side
by the gloom of the primeval forest, and environed by
countless perils ? From the surrounding shades savage
beasts are ready to pounce upon their herds and
trample down their crops, or, at some unguarded moment,
the war-whoop may ring out the death knell of unpro
tected wives and children. Life is a constant struggle
with hardship and danger. Scarcely are the toilsome
beginnings over and a slight degree of comfort attained,
when King Phillip's war bursts forth, to rage with unin
terrupted fury for many months, The compacted settle
ments are stricken with deadly fear. Young and old rush
to arms. Heavy guards are maintained night and day.
Yet with the utmost vigilance a forlorn dread settles upon
¦every heart ; dread lest their stoutest defences avail not

17
against the wiles of the Narragansett chief. What, then,
must be the feelings, the sickening despair of the lonely
family upon the frontier, cut off from the assistance of
neighbors and friends, and to whom the appearance of the
foe is the precursor of inevitable death ; death, too, under
all the tortures that devilish cunning can devise ? We,
whose fortunes have fallen upon peaceful times, but faintly
realize the horrors of those early days. No woman in
the absence of her husband at his daily toil, could feel
sure that in his stead a mangled corpse would not come
back to her at night. No father in parting from his wife
and children could shake off the dread that his returning
footsteps might bring him to smouldering ruins and the
charred remains of dear ones. Life was a burthen, to be
flung off with joy but for the interests of others bound up
in it. Amid such scenes did the fathers lay the founda
tions of our goodly town, and many of our richest bless
ings are due to the heroic spirit that could endure and
grow strong by battling with adversity.
With the downfall of King Phillip, in 1676, sank the
last great Indian power in New England, Peace is now
assured, and under her fostering influences the West
Farms receive fresh life. The next year Joshua Abel
removes from Dedham hither, and establishes himself at
the foot of the hill, directly below our present church.
Benjamin and John Armstrong, Nathaniel Rudd and
others follow rapidly, and the place soon begins to wear
the air of civilization. Before 1690, crops of grain wave
over many a field but lately torn from the embrace of the
forest, wood-paths have expanded into highways — one
leading to Portipaug, one up the central valley and over
Middle hill, and another along the long and elevated crest,
then known as Little Lebanon — and the victories of civili
zation over barbarism appear on every hand. A glance at

the surrounding country will, perhaps, place the antiquity
of the West Farms in clearer light. While they already
boast a thriving and populous community, rapidly extend
ing their conquests over nature, other ancient towns that
hold early and honorable place in the annals of the State,
have not yet come into existence. Windham is still Nau-
besetuck, or, at most, contains but a single log cabin, and
Lebanon is an unbroken wilderness. Even over the nine
miles square, save about the Town Plot, there are else
where only a few straggling settlers. In this vicinity
Franklin claims an actual history, antedated only by the
settlement at the Town Plot.
Each returning year brings its additions to the popula
tion. Among others, one after another, the names of
Hyde, Birchard, Edgerton, Smith, Waterman, Hunt
ington, Tracy, Royce, Gager and Mason are added
to the list, all sons or connected with the first pro
prietors, and so many links to bind more closely together
the communities of the Town Plot and the West Farms,
though, in fact, they are already as one people, gathering
in the same church, forming a single civil body, and
marching forth shoulder to shoulder wherever the duties
•of those warlike days might call. Indeed, until the final
separation in 1786, though to a less degree after the for
mation of this Society, the history of Franklin is to be
found in the history of Norwich. Her inhabitants consti
tute no small portion of the body politic, have a voice in
all civil matters, bear off their portion of the offices and
their full share of the heavy burthens consequent upon
early citizenship. If their history be merged in the his
tory of the older and larger town, we must not forget
that they have a history,^ nay, occupy an important place
in the annals of the period.
Yet, in face of these blending influences, it will not

19
seem strange that the people of the West Farms should
Soon tire of a straggling existence upon the outskirts of a
distant society, and long for greater independence. After
several years of fruitless effort, their wishes are at length
gratified by permission, in 1716, to organize a separate
Ecclesiastical Society. But, before passing to the new
organization, shall we hastily glance at this locality a cen
tury and a half ago? It is jocularly called the " Place of
the Seven Hills," and though most of their different names
have long been in disuse, the hills still tower up in silent
witness of the peculiar fitness of the term. On the east
stands Portipaug hill, flanked on one side by Pleasure hill
and on the other by Hearthstone hill, so called from its
excellent hearthstones ; from the center rises Center or
Middle (now Great) hill, noted for its Dragon's Hole*
and the picturesqueness of the surrounding scenery ; west

* We subjoin the following description of this natural curiosity from a manu
script account by Rev. Dr. Nott. " August 5, 1800, I went, in company with
Rev. John Ellis and four students, to view the Dragon's Hole. The ascent of
the mountain from the east is laborious for about a quarter of a mile. The mouth
of the cavern is between two ledges of rocks, that on the right being about
35 feet in height and the left one about 20. The space between them is about
30 feet, and covered with rocks of various shapes and sizes thrown together
in such a manner as to bring to mind those lines more celebrated for wit than
piety — ' Nature, having spent all her store,
' Heaped up rocks — she could do no more.'
The descent from the general surface of those promiscuous rocks to the mouth
of the cavern is about 10 feet. The first room, which is something in the form
of a parallelogram, is 12 feet in length, 9 in breadth, and 6 in height. The
passage from the first to the second room is 9 feet long, 3 1-2 high, and 2 wide.
The second room is not so large. Its length is 9 1-2 feet, wid^th 4, and height
6 feet. From the second room there is an opening to two others, one on the
right, the other on the left. The one on the right is 5 feet high, 7 1-2 long,
and 3 1-2 wide. The room on the left is 5 feet high, 9 long, and 4 wide.
From this there is a narrow passage on the left into which my son entered,
12 feet in length and 2 in width. From one extremity of the cavern to the
other is about 40 feet."

20
of Middle is what is now known as Meeting House hill,
looming up above its neighbors, in seeming forgetfulness
of the doubtful honor of the sobriquet of Misery hill,
sometimes applied to its southern terminus ; beyond this
lies Little Lebanon, and still farther west, Blue hill com
pletes the mystic seven.
To one gazing off from this Meeting House hill, or
journeying hence in different directions, the prospect is
essentially that which greets the eye to-day. True, the
roads are not so easy, or the lands so smooth, or the
dwellings so comfortable and commodious as now.
Blackened stumps still protrude from many a clearing.
The log cabin has not yet begun its westward march, and
occasionally a wigwam peeps out from some sunny nook,
or Ashbow and his clan are seen pursuing their game
across the fields. No church spire bids the dwellers in
these valleys lift their thoughts toward heaven. No
grave-yard whitens yonder plain. Nor are there school
houses yet at every turn. New England's mighty enginery,
destined in the course of time to revolutionize the world.
Perhaps one of us transported back to this early day
would be struck most by the Great Pine Swamp, an
immense extent of pines skirting the eastern base of
Meeting House hill, and spreading out through the whole
length and breadth of the valley. Yet, after all, the
changes which these hundred and fifty years have wrought,
are not so great that we should fail to recognize our
honored town or cease to feel at home within her borders.
The cultivated lands are, mainly, the same as now ; the
farm houses occupy the same positions ; nay, if we knock
for entrance, a cordial welcome awaits us from the grand
fathers and great-grandfathers of those who preside over
the self same hearths to-day. Starting near the Society
line and going north, the traveler first passes the residence

!''bjrG£Periiie-.

rev: sa}£UE]_: NO'

i^ASrCROFTHE :Ot-!r.RE'".A^ r

21
of Capt. Joseph Tracy, a grandson of Lieut. Thomas
Tracy, and ancestor of the late Dr. Philemon Tracy,
If he chances to take the Portipaug road he will soon
pass the residence of Serj. Nathaniel Rudd; then that of
Samuel Hartshorne, situated upon the spot occupied
by successive generations of the family to the present
day ; next that of Lieut. Thomas Hazen, under the
family name till recently ; and at the head of the lane,
upon the right, the homestead of Dr. David Hartshorne,
father of Samuel Hartshorne below, the first physician
of the society, and a most exemplary man ; he then passes
successively, the houses of Benjamin and John Arm
strong ; and if he still keeps to the right he will pass the
place of Capt. John Fillmore, ancestor of President
Fillmore, and noted for his encounter with the pirates ;
and, near by, the residence of Samuel Griswold ; and
finally cross the Shetucket at Elderkin's (now Lord's)
bridge, near which lives John Elderkin, and are located
the saw and gristmill for that section ; or, taking the left
hand road, winding around through Portipaug, he passes,
among others, the places of Increase Mosely, Doctor
John Sabin, and Joseph Ayer and his son Joseph ; and
climbing upon Pleasure hill, finds there the farms of
Jacob Hyde and David Ladd. Returning to the start
ing point and following the Windham road, our traveler
passes at Rudd hill what soon became the residence of
Nathaniel Rudd, Jr. ; soon observes at a short distance
upon the right, that of the ist Thomas Hyde, and a little
farther off that of John Pember, afterwards society
sexton, as were his son and grandson after him ; and still
farther on in that direction, upon Birchard's plain, the
residence of James Birchard ; reaches at the foot of
Middle hill the house of Joshua Abell, and, climbing
the hill by the old and tortuous way, the more direct

22
route being yet unopened, passes on the ascent John
Badger, at the top, the Kingsbury Mansion, and so
successively, Serj, Winslow Tracy, William Hogskin,
John Gager, Jonathan Hartshorne, a brother of David,
Joseph Downer and Joseph Reynolds, Returning south
ward and journeying up Lebanon road, our traveler
first passes the home of Serj, Obadiah Smith, and still
farther along, at the foot of Little Lebanon hill, that
of Jabez Hyde, first clerk of the society ; ascending
the hill, that of Samuel Crocker, from whom that portion
of the hill now takes its name ; at the top of the hill, the
Huntington mansion, then occupied by Christopher
Huntington ; farther on, John Tracy ; next, Joseph
Edgerton ; and farther on, at the other end of the hill,
the first Jeremiah Mason, Returning into West Farms
by the Blue hill road, he passes on Blue hill the farms of
Samuel Pettis, Serj, Israel Lathrop and Ebeneezer
Johnson ; then, descending through the Hollow, and
passing the mill of Thomas Sluman, and on the ascent,
the farm of the mysterious Micah Rood, he finds on the
brow of Meeting House hill, the Capt, John Lothrup
place, and still farther on, in front of our present parson
age, the then Arnold place, afterwards occupied by Rev,
Henry Willes, and upon the opposite corner, the dwell
ing of Benjamin Peck, Nor are these all. During his
tour the dwellings of many others have caught his eye,
some of them not unknown to us, though of less interest
to the present generation, the rest long since forgotten.
More than once, perhaps, in his walk, he has been startled
by the warning of the rattlesnake ; or, if his visit fall in
springtime, urged to join in the annual expeditions against
these terrible pests of the settlement,* Lingering awhile,
* Rattlesnakes were for many years the pest of the settlement. It is said
that they nearly frightened away the first settler at Portipaug by their frequent

23
he will find ample chance for nobler sport in the frequent
forays against the bears and wolves, still numerous enough
to endanger the safety of the herds. Would that in his
stead we might tarry for a time, and, gathering round
some cheerful hearth, observe the homely, though genial
customs of the day, learn of the topics that interest our
sturdy sires, and be quickened in fidelity to conviction,
by the story of their own and their fathers' heroic
struggles to maintain the truth.
It will be seen from this survey, that the West Farms
are at length fully prepared for a more independent exis
tence. They now number nearly fifty families,* and the
burthens of connection with a society whose center is so
distant are far greater than would be those of maintaining
a separate organization, while the benefits are correspond
ingly less. As early as 1610 the discontent with the
existing arrangement creates a strong desire for a new
township, and finds actual expression in a petition to the
town for leave to organize a separate society. For some
reason no definite action is taken upon this petition.
But six years later the project is crowned with success.
On the nineteenth of September, 1716, the inhabitants
of the town of Norwich agree in general town meeting,
" that the West Farmers be allowed to be a society by
themselves, "t The next step is to secure incorporation
by the General Assembly, and to this end the following
petition is preferred to that body : —

visits to his cabin. For a long time a large bounty was offered for their
destruction, and several of the early days of May were annually devoted to
hunting them.
* Several families are known to have been here at this time who are unrep
resented on the petition to the General Assembly.
f Upon ye petition of ye West Farmers in Nowich, pleading to be a society
by themselves, the inhabitants now met in general Town meeting, September
19th, 1716. And having considered sd Petition, do agree yt ye sd West

24
To the Honour^'" the Govern'", Council & Representatives
in General Court, assembled at New Haven, Octo
ber nth, 1716.
May it please y"" Hon''^
We, the inhabitants of the town of Norwich, comonly
called the West Farmers of Norwich, Having obtained the
consent of sd town, to be a distinct society, after having
the allowance of this Hon^'" Court ; as appears by their
vote dated Septemb'' 19th, 1716, Do now pray y'^ Hon''^ to
grant and constitute us a distinct society, according to the
line agreed upon in the above referred to vote, with those
privileges and imunities, which to y'^ wisdom shall seem
needful to the promoting the end of our being a separate
society. And herein we have great hopes of the favor of
this Hon^'® Assembly, forasmuch as the flourishing of re
ligion is our only motive, upon the publick institutions
of which it is scarce possible for us to attend in Norwich,
being several of us seven or eight & but two or three
within four miles of the place of publick worship.
And to this application to y' Hon" we are also encour
aged by the smiles of Providence in increasing our inhab
itants to the number of above forty families & trust that
by the continuance of the same divine favour we shall
increase yet much more, & especially, if we have the
smiles of heaven to incline y'^ Hon" to grant this, our hum
ble request, which will remove the great discouragement
to sober inhabitants settling among us.
Y"" Petitioners shall ever Pray, &c.

Farmers be allowed to be a society by themselves, destinct from ye Town
Plot. [The bounds of sd society ; to begin at the mouth of Beaver brook,
then by a line to Doct. Hartshorne's house, thence to Scotch Cap gate, then
to ye river, then by ye river to Lebanon line and by Lebanon to Shoatuck
(Shetucket) river, by ye river to ye first station.]
A True Coppy of Record, Test : R. BUSHNELL, Clerk.

25

Daniel Wicom,
John Elderkin, Jun"^,
lucres Mosely,
Thomas Wood,
John Waterman,
Thomas Hazzen,
Obadiah Smith,
Israll Lothrup,
Joseph Kingsbery, Jun"",
Ebeneezer Johnson,
Joseph Baker,
Joseph Downer, Jr.,
Joseph Downer,
Johnathan Hartshorne,
Johnathan Roice,
Thomas Hide,
Thomas Hazzen,
Benjamin Armstrong,
Samuel Raymond,
John Armstrong,
John Johnson,

Jacob Hazzen,
Joseph Edgerton,
Christopher Huntington,
Daniel Rockwell,
John Hazen,
Tho : Stoder,
Samuel Edgerton,
Joseph Kingsbery,
Winslow Tracy,
Nathaniel Badger,
John Badger,
Joseph Renalls, Jun"",
Samuel Lad,
Nathaniel Lad,
david Lad,
Thomas Sluman,
Samuel Hide, Jur,
Joseph Ayer,
Joseph Ayer, Jr.,
Johnathan Lad, '
Sims Langly.

This petition is readily sanctioned by the legislature,
and our society therefore dates its existence from October,
1716, it being the second society organized in the old nine
miles square, and so designated till the division of the
town in 1786. At first its territorial limits were quite
extensive. In addition to most of the present town of
Franklin, it also embraced the western half of the present
town of Sprague, and the eastern part of New Concord,
afterwards known as Bozrah, in all about three times its •
extent at the abolition of the territorial jurisdictions of
ecclesiastical societies.
Measures are at once taken to put the new society into.
active operation. The first meeting is held November

26
1st ; Serj. Nathaniel Rudd, Lieut. Thomas Hazen and Serj,
Obadiah Smith, are chosen society committee, and Jabez
Hide (by a remarkable coincidence direct ancestor of our
present clerk) society clerk ; it is voted to proceed to the
erection of a church edifice ; to call a minister, and, till
the building is ready, to meet for divine worship at pri
vate dwellings. The services thus held alternate between
the houses of James Birchard and Dr. David Hartshorne.
Meanwhile, work upon the new edifice is pushed forward
as rapidly as possible. The timber is felled upon the hill,
and the frame set up near by, " down att ye walnut bush
where ye path comes up ye hill," and in the locality occu
pied by the two following churches. The land was the
gift of Joshua Abel. But with the limited means at the
command of the society, progress is necessarily slow,
and it is not till the next summer that the building
receives its outside covering and floors ; this done, the
pulpit and seats of the old church at the Town Plot are pro
cured for temporary use, and the first services held within
its walls. During the warm weather up to this time, the
congregation had gathered in Benjamin Peck's barn.
Hungering for the living truth, they stripped off" the dry
husks of form, having not yet learned the faith which feeds
upon external things alone. Two years after, the lower
portion of the house is finished off", and in 1729 galleries
are added, when the edifice, slowly erected out of scanty
means by sacrifice and self-denial, can, at length, be pro
nounced complete.
The early gatherings in private dwellings and the
unfinished church, are under the exclusive control of the
society. It is not till the second Wednesday of October,
1 71 8, one Hundred and Fifty years ago to-day, on oc
casion of the ordination of Rev. Henry Willes, that a
church is organized as co-ordinate with the society in the

27
management of religious affairs.* This society, therefore,
is two years older than the church connected with it —
not an uncommon occurrence in the early history of our
State. The society supplies the more material elements
which come first in point of time. Being an incorporate
body, it can purchase and hold property, and is especially
designed to provide a place for public worship and to
defray the cost of maintaining the gospel ordinances
therein, matters which the church, a body unrecognized
at law, cannot well arrange, though they are of the first
importance. Naturally, then, the organization of a society
is the first step, and frequently, in primitive days,
the church was not gathered till long afterward ; the
society maintained all the ordinances except the com
munion and baptism, for which the people had to resort
to some neighboring church. Thus, for instance, in Lyme
the society ranked some thirty years prior to the church.
But other concerns besides the building of a meeting

* We subjoin the following petition extracted from the Archives of Con
necticut.
To the Honbt^ Gurdon Saltonstall, Governr in and over his Ma^^ colloney of
Connecticut in New England. And .... The Honb^s the councill and the
Representatives in General Court Assembled at Hartford this eighth of
May, 1718.
The Humble Petition of the Inhabitants of that Part of Norwich which is
called or ... . known by the name of West Farmers within the Colloney of
Connecticut Aforesaid, Humbly Sheweth.
That whereas this HonWe Court at their Session at New Haven In ye month
of October In ye year 1716, In answer to ye petition, To us sd Inhabitants
Did Grant us Liberty to be a society by ourselves, which Petition or Liberty
being granted, we have Invited The Rev"* Mr. Henry Willes to preach ye gos
pel Amongst us ; who having been with us some time on probation — we have
now mutually agreed with him In order to settlement Amongst us In the work
of The Ministry.

Signed in ye behalf of ye
Society,
David Hartshorne,
Thomas Sluman.

Wherefore we, your most Humble Petitioners,
crave and earnestly desire this HonM« Court's Ap
probation And Consent to proceed to ordination,
and an allowance to Imbody ourselves Into Church
Estate.

28
house and engagement of a pastor demand immediate
attention. In former days the interests of education were
entrusted to the care of the different societies, and with
the happiest results. The same conscientious fidelity to
duty which impelled our fathers to maintain the ordinances
of religion at any sacrifice, impelled them also to stud the
land with school houses, that an intelligent faith might be
within grasp of all, and that the state might be planted on
the sure foundation of popular education. One of the
first acts of the society relates to a society school. This
school is located upon Meeting House hill and kept open
six months of the year. A portion of the cost is defrayed
by the state, but the society also contributes freely, voting
annually to this object twenty-five or thirty pounds. Yet
the best endeavors could provide the youth of that day
with no royal road to learning. However able the in
structor, or diligent the scholar, the want of cheap and
systematic text books was a formidable barrier to high
attainment. Not infrequently the teacher owned the
only arithmetic or grammar to be found in the school.
In this society the distant scholars encountered the
additional obstacle of a walk of three or four miles morn
ing and night. This inconvenience led, in 1727, to the
division of the society into four school districts ; Porti
paug, Upper Windham road. Lower Windham road and
Lebanon road. But the population was too scanty for the
maintenance of separate schools, and the division re
mained inoperative till, in 1 729, this difficulty was curiously
obviated by a school which traveled from district to dis
trict, keeping six weeks in each. This migratory school
proved a complete success. All were delighted with it,
and for many seasons the pedagogue continued his itin
erant sway.
Still other matters press upon the attention from the

29
very outset, some of them trivial in themselves, though
highly important as illustrations of the extensive functions
of the early societies. Thus, our own society had dele
gated to it additional powers which resembled those
of our present town government. While it could impose
taxes upon the entire community and had control of
schools, its records show that it also engaged in such civil
affairs as the laying out of highways, and even went so
far as to build a public pound. Burying grounds were
also under its charge, and the society early took care to
provide a suitable cemetery. The spot selected was upon
"the playne "* where Benjamin Peck had previously
buried a daughter. This ground, twice afterward en
larged, is the one in use at the present day. For many
years it was the only regular cemetery in the society,
though a few graves were dug, at an early day, upon a
sandy knoll jutting into the Great Pine Swamp, and now
commonly called the Indian Burying Ground.
All in all, for the first few years the young society
flourished finely. The tide of prosperity, however, could
not flow on forever, and in 1734 tbe current changes.
That year the General Assembly permit the people of
New Concord (the western part of the society) to procure
preaching by themselves, and two years later incorporate
them into a distinct society. Deprived thereby of a fifth
of her territory, the parent society resists the movement
vigorously, and, could she have foreseen the endless
troubles destined to follow in its train, would, doubtless,
have staked her all upon the issue ; for this secession
proved the first cause of twenty years of the most turbu
lent commotion, and of a second more vital change. The
society had, by this time, outgrown the first chUrch, which

The Plain was then usually called " Birchard's Plain.''

30
was probably a rude affair, and were nearly agreed upon
the propriety of building a new one, when the withdrawal
of New Concord gave an unexpected turn to the matter.
Before her withdrawal the church had stood in the exact
center of the society, but now it was thrown a mile to one
side, and this trifling change proved sufficient to develop
a bitter controversy as to the location of the new church,
and to arouse an ^tna of feeling which twenty years were
powerless to assauge. About half of the society contend
for the old location, while the other half strenuously main
tain that the new building ought to stand farther east, in
the real center. It is voted to build upon the old spot,
rescinded, voted again, and then, as a temporary com
promise, to repair and enlarge the present building ; but
this proposition shares the fate of the rest, and at the end
of several years of constant agitation, the society finds
itself at a perfect standstill. Finally, as the only egress,
a majority petition the General Assembly for a committee
to come and settle the disputed point. The committee
sent in response to this petition, visit West Farms in the
fall of 1 741, spend two days in hearing the opposing
parties, and report : " (i). That it is necessary that a new
meeting house should be erected in said society ; (2), that
it will best accommodate the greater part of the people
there, and tend most to peace to have the same built on
the hill where the old meeting house stands, and as follows,
viz. : that the south-westerly corner be laid about twenty
feet west of an old chestnut stub yt is about forty feet from
the southwest corner of the old meeting house, and to extend
toward ye old meeting house in ye length as far as may be
convenient, and to the northward of sd stump in ye
width." This report meets the approval of the legislature,
and the society is directed to build upon the spot selected.
Though the disputed points have now been authorita-

31
tively settled, the troubles are by no means at an end.
Old jealousies and animosities still lurk behind, and render
the erection of the new edifice as difficult as was the se
lection of the spot on which it should stand. The sound
ing board used to bear in bold, black figures, the date of
174s, but the reports of the clerk to the General Assembly
show that it was not completed till after 1747.
Not a few of the audience will readily recall this second
church, with its immense sounding board, the wonder of
boyish days, its double row of high backed pews running
around the sides, and enclosing in the center two tiers of
slips, between which ran the broad main aisle, leading up
to the Deacons' Seat, and the little antique pulpit, cush
ioned with gray and hung round with long, black tassels,
that used to sway in the summer wind like a pall. In the
center were seated the aged people, husbands and wives
on opposite sides, while the younger families gathered in
the surrounding pews, and the young unmarried people
ranged themselves in pert, prim rows in either gallery,
the men on the right and the women on the left. Behind
these were the wall pews of the galleries, so lofty that
their chance occupants seemed, as it were, suspended in
huge boxes from the ceiling. Conspicuous in front was
the Deacons' Seat, and high above it the pulpit, from
which for many years successive pastors had proclaimed
the word of life. All was plain, simple, and tinged, per
haps, with a sombre air. The church was plain, the
people were plain, and the message of the preacher fell with
a plain earnestness that went direct to every heart. Alto
gether, it was a fair type of the puritan congregation as it
had earlier existed over all New England, and yet a con
gregation how worthy of imitation in their devout
attention, and their religious zeal, that worked like leaven
through the entire community, bringing «'rr)/ man, woman

32
and child unto the house of God, and fairly realizing the
words of ancient writ, " All the people praised the Lord."
But hark, the roll of a drum announces the approaching
hour of worship, and along the converging roads the
people may be seen climbing to the sanctuary. From
the South, the Hydes, Hartshornes, Rudds and Rogerses ;
from the East, the Barkers, Fillmores, Ayreses, Ladds,
Elderkins, Birchards, Armstrongs and Pembers ; from the
North, the Kingsburys, Edgertons, Badgers, Downers,
Gagers, Barstows and Tracys ; from the West, the Hunt-
ingtons, Johnsons, Slumans, Roods, Lathrops, Crockers,
Pettises, Tracys and Masons are drawing near. The men
on horseback with their wives behind them, the children
and poorer people on foot, slowly and thoughtfully are
wending their way to the house of God. As they
approach, glance at them. The men are arrayed in pow
dered wigs, ruffled shirts, elaborately embroidered waist
coats with white lappels, knee breeches, silk stockings
and silver buckled shoes. Their wives; with hair piled
up " in curls on curls before and mounted to a formidable
tower " appear entirely in garments of domestic fabrica
tion, cut in a manner betokening an eye in their wearers
for the prevailing fashion, which certainly will compare
favorably in capriciousness with post-colonial days. En
tering, in either corner is posted a tything man, with long
slender rod in hand, to preserve order, while the deacons
are already standing in their conspicuous pew. But see,
the drum has ceased its roll, and the pastor approaches
across the green, and with slow and measured step enters
the church. Instantly all noise is hushed, the deacons
quietly and reverently take their seats, the tything men
lay aside their rods, and the congregation waits in order
for the opening of the service. Rev. Mr. Willes calls out
the number of a Hymn and reads : —

33
" Hierusalem, my happy home !
When shall I come to thee !
When shall my sorrowes have an end,
Thy joyes when shall I see? "
Immediately Deacon Kingsbury, (as books were not
abundant at that day), "deacons off" the line, Artemus
Downer, the schoolmaster, strikes up some favorite tune,
and the entire congregation, young and old, perhaps with
not the best of harmony, but yet with earnest tones,
respond — " Hierusalem, my happy home !
When shall I come to thee ! "
The hymn concluded, the people rise and stand during
the prayer that follows. This finished, they resume their
seats, the pastor sets up his hour glass, announces his
text, and reads on from a cramped and dingy manuscript
till the sands are run, to the great edification of his hearers,
who listen with unabstracted gaze, save when the tything
man, Judah Smith, comes up the aisle to reprove Talatha
Morgan for " laughing and playing,"* A short prayer

* To Ebenr Hartshorne, of Norwich, in New London County, one of his
Majesty's Justices of the peace for sd county, comes Judah Smith of sd
Norwich, one of the Tything men chosen by ye sd Town of Norwich for ye
west Society in said Norwich, and Informs and upon oath presents that
Talatha Morgan of sd Norwich, single woman, Did on ye 24th day of Feb
ruary last, it being ye Sabbath or Lord's day, prophane sd Lord's day in ye
meeting house in ye west society in ye time of ye forenoon service on sd day by
her Rude and Indecent Behaviour in Laughing and playing in ye time of sd
service, which Doings of ye sd Talatha is against ye peace of our Sovereign
Lord, the King, his Crown and Dignity, and contrary to the Statute in such
case made and provided. Dated at Norwich, ye 19th Day of April, A. D.
1747, and in ye 20th year of his Majesty's Reign.
Take for evidences, Judah Smith, Tything Man, Cibel Waterman ye wife of
Ebenr Waterman, Jun' , and Judah Smith. Both of sd Norwich.
1747, April 28, the above named Talatha Morgan appeared personally and
pleaded guilty to ye above presentment, and sentenced to pay a fine £0, 3, o,
and £0, I, o, cost for her above transgression, by me ye above named Justice.
 which fine and cost is paid.

34
follows the sermon, ending in the benediction, the closing
word of which has barely fallen from the pastor's lips,
when, from his corner, the tything man cries in sharp,
quick tones, " James Elderkin and Betty Waterman intend
marriage;" and so the congregation break up, and wend
their way homeward, to meditate upon the lessons of the
sermon, though some, perhaps, to wonder why and when
Miss Betty Waterman is to become Mrs. James Elderkin,
And here we will linger a moment over a custom long
since abandoned ; the custom of seating the church. In
early times, the expenses of the society were met by a
direct tax, instead of a levy on the pews and slips, and
these were consequently free. But to preserve the gravity
and decorum of the assembly, to secure the nearer and
conspicuous seats for aged listeners, and to prevent assur
ance from pushing aside honest worth, a committee was
annually appointed to assign permanent seats to the con
gregation, in accordance with their ideas of propriety,
though in conformity to the general rule of " age and
estate." This office of virtually pronouncing upon the
worth and respectability of the different members of the
community was no enviable one, and many were the
jealousies enkindled by it, not infrequently resulting in sev
eral seatings of the church before a satisfactory one could
be obtained. It is related that a certain worthy individual,
entering the society under unfavorable prejudices, was
assigned an obscure seat in a remote corner, and, that
though he afterwards proved a most valuable acquisition
to the society, he always clung to his humble seat, to the
great discomfiture of the committee who had put so low
an estimate upon his worth.
"Very fortunately, a number of the reports of these
committees have been preserved, and we are thereby

35
furnished with the exact arrangement of the congrega
tions of a century ago. These seatings also show us, seated
side by side, year after year, the immediate ancestors of
such a galaxy of distinguished men as probably few other
country towns in the land can boast of as her own. Here
were habitually seated the ancestors of Hon. Millard
Fillmore, late President of the United States ; the father
and grandfather of Hon. Uriah Tracy, United States
Senator from Connecticut and President of the Senate ;
the ancestors of Hon. L. F. S. Foster, United States
Senator from Connecticut and also President of the
Senate ; of Hon. Jeremiah Mason, United States Senator
from New Hampshire ; of the Hon. Abel Huntington,
Uri Tracy, Phineas L. Tracy and Albert H. Tracy, mem
bers of Congress from the State of New York ; of Hon.
Alfred P. Edgerton, member of Congress from Indiana ;
of Hon. John Tracy, Lieut. Governor of New York ; of
Hon. Ephraim H. Hyde, present Lieut. Governor of
Connecticut ; of Rev. Azel Backus, Pres't of Hamilton
college ; of Rev. Charles Backus, Professor of Divinity in
Yale college ; and of several other distinguished members
of the clerical profession, as well as of many more who have
attained honorable eminence in the different walks of life.
These persons were generally to the manor born, but when
otherwise, their ancestral homes can all be pointed within
our territorial limits and most of them have blood relatives
in our midst.
It is a favorite theme of congratulation among the sons
of Connecticut, that their state has given birth to so many
of the men who have been prominent in the history of the
nation ; and surely, no town of our extent, in this grand
old state of Connecticut, can furnish a prouder list than
our own. Our society, then, may well rejoice that she
has helped to form the characters of men who have been

36
so potent in moulding our country's destiny, and that
through them her humble influence has been felt through
out the length and breadth of the land.
We have already stated that the action of the committee
sent out by the General Assembly in 1741, failed to quiet
the troubled elements of the society. The feelings and
convictions of the contending parties were too firm to be
easily yielded, and the eastern party, believing as they
did, that their rights had been wholly ignored, became
even more dicontented than before. The next year,
1742, a large number of memorialists, headed by John
Durkee and Jacob Hyde, petition the General Assembly,
saying that the church now being erected by the Assem
bly's order, is unjustly located on one side of the society,
at an unreasonable distance from their homes, and that the
inconvenience of journeying thither to church will be far
greater than the burthen of maintaining a separate organ
ization, and praying, therefore, for liberty to withdraw
and form a separate society. The Assembly, unwilling to
reflect upon the action of its committee, negative the
petition. Nothing daunted, two years after, the same
memorialists prefer the same petition, and again fail.
Two petitions sent in in 1745 from the north-eastern and
south-eastern parts of the society, meet a similar fate.
But the popular mind is too deeply roused to be disheart
ened by these continued rebuff's, and the next year sixty
voters renew the petition, and this time so far prevail that
Jonathan Trumble, John Ledyard and Christopher Avery
are sent out to West Farms to adjust their difficulties.
The efforts of this committee prove ineffectual, though
after their visit the controversy takes an unexpected turn.
Thomas Dennison, an itinerant preacher, had entered the
society some time before, and in the prevailing distraction
gathered a goodly number of disciples. What his par-

J.A.o:^^elIL. k t

OF FRANKLIN, CONN

TO^. rOB.TYTEAB.S, IK COMMI SSIOW, IN THE MILITAB_T SERVICE

37
ticular tenets were, is uncertain, but it is evident that he
added fresh fuel to the strife, and contributed in no small
degree to the change which it assumed soon after his
arrival. It seems that Rev. Henry Willes stood upon the
Cambridge Platform of 1608, in which we may presume
he received the tacit support of the society, as no opposi
tion to his views had ever appeared. Of a sudden, how
ever, we find half of the society in arms against their pastor
for his adhesion to the Cambridge Platform, and the other
half as zealous in his support. The old proposition for a
division, which doubtless lay at the bottom of this theo
logical war, now starts up in a new form. In 1748 the
General Assembly is petitioned to divide West Farms
into two societies, one to be planted on the Cambridge,
the other on the Saybrook Platform. In response to this
novel memorial, a committee is sent out, who recommend
no change. Four years later, another committee is sent
out for the same object, and with the same result. The
society had now for fifteen years been engaged in uninter
rupted strife, during which the arbitration of the legisla
ture had been continually invoked, but always with unsat
isfactory results, and both parties wisely concluded that
their troubles, if ever settled, must be settled by them
selves and not by the interference of a higher power.
Accordingly, we find no more petitions to the General
Assembly. Yet the bitterness and ill will, the discord
and dissension, are in no wise at an end. For a while the
seceders, being in the minority, accomplish no visible
result. But after a few years the majority apparently
become convinced that separation alone can restore peace
and tranquillity, and in March, 1758, consent to the for
mation of a new society, provided a boundary line and
the number of inhabitants to be setoff, can be agreed upon.
Such is the testy temper, however, that it is as difficult to
3

38
agree upon the boundary line as it has been upon sep
aration, and it is not till 1761 that this point can be
arranged, when, upon the 23d of March, a line is at length
fixed upon.* These proceedings receive the ready sanc
tion of the legislature, and the new society is incorporated
as the Norwich Eighth or Portipaug society.
Thus, after twenty years of constant strife, at length
dawned peace. These years may be called, emphatically,
the stormy period in the history of our society. Before,
as after, its proceedings were invariably marked by har
mony and unanimity, but during the interval there was a
display of feeling unparalleled for bitterness and persist
ency in the ecclesiastical annals of Connecticut. The
issue was doubtless best for all concerned, for the existing
breach was too wide to be ever healed. Yet the loss to
our society in territory and numbers was a serious one.
New Concord and the Eighth Society combined, stripped
her of over half of her territory, and quite half of her
grand list.

* " The dividing line shall be as follows ; to begin in the Dividing Line
between the first society in sd Norwich and sd west society at such a place
that to run to the Grist Mill of Mr. Timothy Ayer, will pass near the south
side of the Dwelling House of David Ladd, then from sd Grist Mill to the
Dwelling House of Mr John Squire in sd society, then the same course to sd
Norwich Town Line." Petition to the Legislature.
The signers of this petition were ; —

Joseph Bingham,
John Fillmore,
Joseph Tenney,
Joseph Rudd,
Joseph Hide,
Saml Badger,
Daniel Ladd,
Jabez Rous,
Benajah Sabin,
James Elderkin,
Saml Raymond,
Eliphalet Fox,
Asa Armstrong,
David Lad,

Simon Abel,
Saml Kingsley,
Andrew French,
Saml Ladd, Junr,
Jeremiah Armstrong,
Alpheus Abell,
Wm. Brett,
Joseph Ayre, Jr.,
Johnathan Pitcher,
Benja Armstrong,
Simon Chapman,
Thomas Hazen,
John Kingsley,
Ephraim Brett.

Ezekiel Ladd,
Joseph Ayer,
John Barker,
Jacob Hide, Jr.,
John Squire,
Abner Ladd,
Barnabus Lothrup,
Timothy Ayer,
Richard Haskin,
Josiah Wood,
Leander Lothrup,
Simon Peck,
Daniel Story,

39
Scarcely are domestic troubles at an end, when public
calamities break upon the land, and the men of our society
are called upon to shoulder arms. Through the French
war and the long and toilsome Revolution that followed,
they shrank not from their share of the heavy burthens.
As Connecticut was first among the states in her contribu
tions of men and money, as Norwich was second to no
town in Connecticut, so West Farms, an integral por
tion of the old town of Norwich, met manfully the duties
of those trying days. Having then no political existence,
her deeds were swallowed up in those of the larger com
munity to which she was attached, and hence receive little
mention in the local histories. Her volunteers marched
forth as Norwich volunteers; as citizens of Norwich, her
inhabitants met the heavy levies which the necessities of
the time so often imposed. Why may we not, then, also
claim a share in the laurels which Norwich won ? But
we may also point with pride to particular individuals.
Our society can boast of having furnished, perhaps, the
only chaplain. Rev. John Ellis, who remained in the war
from its beginning to its close. Mr. Ellis hastened to join
the army at Roxbury, in the fall of 1775, and faithfully
followed it through all its vicissitudes, especially doing
much to cheer the drooping spirits of his comrades during
the long and gloomy winter at Valley Forge. Here Lieut.
Jacob Kingsbury began his long and honorable military
career, serving with distinction during the entire seven
years of the war. Captains Asa Hartshorne, Ebenezer
Hartshorne and Joshua Barker were also in the army
for different periods, while upon the water. West Farms
was well represented by the exploits of Captain James
Hyde. Dr. Luther Waterman was attached as surgeon
to the forces under Colonel Knowlton in the campaign of
1776.

40
The close of the Revolution left the society in a greatly
embarrassed condition. During its progress she had con
tributed freely of her men and means, entering into the
contest with such absorbing enthusiasm as left no room
for the consideration of private or local interests, and at
its close she found herself utterly prostrated, her school
houses decayed, the education of her sons neglected, (says
Dr. Nott, " so far as I can recollect, there was not a man
that pretended to understand grammar or geography,")
her farms run to weeds, and her people heavily loaded
with debt. At no time in her history had her prospects
been more wretched. A fortunate concurrence of circum
stances, however, soon placed her upon her feet, and
restored her wonted prosperity. In 1782, Rev. Samuel
Nott, at the unanimous request of both church and
society, was settled as their pastor. Mr. Nott was a wise,
judicious man, eminently fitted to harmonize any discord
ant feeling which might exist, and fitted by his energy to
infuse fresh life into the prevailing stagnation. Another
happy event was the incorporation of the West and Eighth
societies as a separate town, which severed the connection
of West Farms with Norwich, and ensured a more efficient
management of local affairs than they had before received.
Perhaps too much praise cannot be bestowed upon the
efforts of Rev. Mr. Nott to ameliorate the condition of his
people. Scrupulously faithful in the discharge of pastoral
duties, he also did a vast deal toward the education of the
younger members of his parish, affording them opportuni
ties of which they gladly availed themselves. During
his long ministry more than forty young men were fitted
for college under his care, twenty of them belonging to
this town, and " between two and three hundred gentle
men, ladies or children " were educated in whole or in

41
part.'''" As an instructor, Dr. Nott was popular and
singularly successful, and Franklin became the place
where quite a galaxy of distinguished men received their
education. Here were gathered under his charge at
different times, Dr. Eliphalet Nott, President of Union
college, the brilliant but erratic General Wm. Eaton,
Lieut. Gov. Tracy, of New York, and many others who
have since achieved distinguished success in the different
walks of life. Though moving in a humble sphere, Dr.
Nott, by means of his teachings and wholesome counsels,
wielded a power for good in the land which it has been
the privilege of few to surpass. It was mainly due to his
influence that the Franklin Library was established, in
1794, an institution which flourished for forty years and
furnished, for the times, a good collection of miscellaneous
works. Under these different salutary influences the
society rapidly retrieved her lost ground, and by the
beginning of the present century was, perhaps, as flourish
ing as ever.
During the present century the society has witnessed
few changes. At its commencement she had attained a
settled state, and since then her affairs have flowed on
smoothly and prosperously, but so quietly that few marked
events arrest the attention. One after another, of her ex
tended civil powers have dropped from her grasp, so that
she is now a purely voluntary organization, but the loss is
more than compensated by the steadily increasing pros
perity of her community, and we may safely say that her
condition was never more hopeful than to-day. The lib
erality of former members and friends has also helped to
to build up her walls, and we cannot pass on without a
tribute to their memory. Deacon Dyer McCall died May
* Dr. Nott's Half Century Sermon.

42
19th, 1838, crowning a life of benevolence by bequeath
ing the bulk of his fortune to various charitable organiza
tions, of which this society was the recipient of one
quarter, a sum amounting to Two Thousand dollars.
Eleven years later his wife, Lucy, dying, added a similar
sum to the fund of the society.* In 1838, also. Miss
"Yelina Sanford bequeathed her entire estate to the society,
thereby adding another thousand to its funds. In 1863,
Ezra Chappel, Esq., of New London, a gentleman of whole-
souled benevolence, generously stayed our hands in a time
of difficulty by contributing Fifteen Hundred dollars for
building purposes. In this connection we cannot omit to
mention David Edgerton who died in 1768, leaving all
his real estate forever to be improved for schooling youth
in this society to the latest generation. Mr. Edgerton
was a strong pillar of the society in his own day, and the
rich blessings flowing from his gift are a proud monument
to the wisdom and foresight of the giver. Joshua Abel
was another donor to the society, he having given the
ground on which our first three churches stood. Let us
ever hold in grateful remembrance the memory of these
different benefactors, the fruits of whose benevolence we
enjoy to-day, and whose charity, the noblest of all human
qualities, certainly entitles them to the highest place in
our calendar.
But the different churches afford the surest landmarks
for denoting the successive epochs of our history. The
second church, erected in 1745, battled from its bleak
eminence with storms and winds for nearly a century, but
finally had to yield, and, in 1836, gave wa}' to a more
modern structure, located midway between the places of

* This 1 idy also made a small bequest for the support of the poor of the
church,

43
the first and second churches. This third church had barely
attained a quarter of the age of its predecessor, when in
its turn it had to make wa}^ for the fourth church, the one
in which we are at present assembled, and which was
erected in 1863, a short distance below the location of the
other churches. The same year the society was enabled,
by the generosity of the late Edward Chappel of New
London, (to whom allusion has already been made), a chris
tian gentleman of unmeasured benevolence, and grand
father of our present pastor, to erect a parsonage. This
parsonage affords convenient data for locating our first
three churches. The second church appears to have
stood upon the exact location of the parsonage, the first
church immediately East, and the third church imme
diately West.
We have thus followed the history of this community
from the time when the first settlers pitched their tents in
these valleys, down through two centuries to the present
day. We have seen the solitude of the wilderness broken
by the first log cabin, we have seen the forests gradually
recede before the advance of civilization, and the rugged
wildness of nature slowly exchanged for a more peace
ful beauty, till at length our hills have been crowned with
the ameliorations of progress, our valleys filled with the
hum of industry, and the echoes of the war whoop
drowned in the shriek of the locomotive and the clatter
of machinery.
Through all these mighty changes, this society has
been working potently for good. Through all these
years she has kept a beacon fire alive upon this hill top,
and drawn up hither generation after generation, to wor
ship God. By the inspiration of her presence, she has
made this community ever a virtuous, Heaven-fearing
people, and rendered those who have gone forth from

44
here valiant to do battle for the right. Surely, then, her
part has been well done. Within her own sphere she has
faithfully discharged her duties, and who shall measure
her influence through those sons reared up and sent forth
to fill exalted stations in other and wider spheres. Let us
see to it that she declines not in our hands.

Notes to the Historical Address.

Note A,
INDIAN DEED OF NOR"WICH,
Deed from Onkos, and his sons Oneco and Attawanhood, Sachems of
Mohegan, of a tract of Land nine miles square, for the settlement of
the town of Norwich, Anno Domini 1659,
As this Deed covers every foot of territory now within the limits of
the town of Franklin, and as portions of this ancient domain have
never been alienated, but are still in the occupancy of the descendants of
the original Proprietors, it has been deemed proper to insert it in this
place.
DEED.
Know All men that Onkos, Owaneco and Attawanhood, Sachems of
Mohegan, have bargained, sold and passed over, and doe by these
presents, bargain, sell and pass over unto the Towne and Inhabitants of
Norwich, nine miles square of lands, lyeing and being at Moheagen and
the partes thereunto adjoyning, with all ponds, rivers, woods, quarries,
mines with all Royalties, privileges and appurtenances thereunto belong
ing, to them the sayd Inhabitants of Norwich, their heirs and successors
forever — the sayd lands are to be bounded as followeth, (viz.,) to the
southward on the west side (of) the Great River commonly called Mon-
heag River, ye line is to begin at the Brooke falling into the head of
Trading Cove, and soe to run west norwest seven miles ; — from thence
the line is to run nor-noreast nine miles ; and on the east side of the
foresayd River to the southward, the line is to joyne with New-London
Bounds as it is now laid out and soe to run east Two miles from the
foresayd River, and so from thence the line is to Run nor-noreast nine
miles, and from thence to Run nor-norwest nine miles to meet the
western line. In consideration whereof the sayd Onkos, Owaneco, and
Attawanhood doe acknowledg to have received of the parties aforesayd,
the full (and juste) sum of seventy pounds, and doe promise and engage

46
ourselves, heirs and successors, to warrant the sayd Bargain and sale to
the aforesayd parties, their heirs and successors and them to defend from
all ciaimes or molestations from any whatsoever. In witness whereof
wee have hereunto set our hands this sixth day of June, Anno 1659.
Onkos, his C'^ marke.
Witness hereunto,
John Mason, / Owaneco, his ^^^v^ marke.

Thomas Tracy.

Attawanhood, his <>A marke.

(This Deed is Recorded in the Country Booke^ August 20th, 1663 :
as Atteste, JOHN ALLYN, Sec'y.)

Note B,
INDIAN NAMES,
Almost the only enduring memorials of the Aborigines are the few
geographical names which survived their decay, and which still remain,
constantly reminding us that our streams and hills were once the haunts
of a different race of men. Too often these names fall meaningless
upon the ear, charming us by their mellifluence but wholly unintelligible.
Yet we may be sure that they were primarily significant, and in many
cases, like so much else in Indian thought, the products of bright fancies,
so that, could we once arrive at their hidden meaning, its poetry would
often prove delightful and offer pleasant glimpses into that form of so
ciety of which they are the only remnants.
But the difficulties in the way are very great. The early scribes
wrote Indian as lawlessly as they wrote English, and unquestionably our
pronunciation of many names of places is very different from the Indian
pronunciation. They are clipped at one end or both, — anglicized or
euphonized — until their identity is sometimes quite lost. To decipher
the meaning of confused words in a dead and but imperfectly recorded
language is surely no easy or certain task. Thus premising, we offer the
following suggestions upon the Indian Names in this vicinity.*
* For these suggestions the writer is indebted to Hon. J. Hammond Trum
bull, of Hartford, a gentleman who has given much time and talent to the
study of the Indian language, and who is our best authority in all questions
pertaining to it.

47
1. Shetucket. The termination shows this to be the name of a place,
not of the river. In the old records it is sometimes written SJiowtackett
(Conn. Col. Records, iii, 479) and Showattukkct. In Owaneco's Res
ervation, (1669), " Shawtuck river " is named. Shawtuck — et n' on'
or ' near 't\ie Shawtuck. Tuk signifies ' n'wr.' The first syllable,
Shaw or She, means either 'three' or 'between.' It is impossible to
say which ; for the form is a corrupt one, — and the two words have in
Indian (as in many other languages) the same radical. Shetucket
\She — tuck — et) signifies " at the three rivers," (the place of the three
rivers), or " at the between rivers " (the place between rivers) ; more
probably the latter. Either name would be appropriate, as the reader
will perceive.
Roger Williams mentions the ^ -amxiishowatuck-oogi, who lived at
"Wunnaj-Z/fTwa^KCy^-gut or, as elsewhere written, showaiuck-gxxt. These
were " the furthermost Nipnet men," and lived, probably, among
the rivers, or " between the rivers," north of the Massachusetts line,
Shetucket is with little doubt another form of the same name, in its
contract form.
2. Yantic. Old forms, Yantuck, Yontahque and (in record of
Uncas's deed) Yomtacke. We incline to derive it from yan, ' four '
and tuk, ' river '; but there is nearly an equal probability that it is from
Yode, on, or • at that side '; the river [which comes in] at that side,
[or, according to the locus of the speaker, at this side] of the main
river; i. e., 'The river from one side,' or lateral tributary. The mode
of entrance of this stream into the Thames might very naturally suggest
this name.
3. Susquetomscot. Otherwise, Sukskotumskot. The two last syl
lables, omscot, mean, certainly, ' at the rock,' — but the prefix, susquet,
is doubtful. This prefix qualifies ompsk [^lomsc,) 'rock.' For exam
ple, soggohtunkan-ompsk, the flint rock ; tomheganompsk, the axe
rock (or rock from which tomahawks were made,) &c. But we cannot
fix confidently the meaning of susquet or sukskot. The Susquetomscot
is our wildest and rockiest stream, and it would be highly interesting to
know from what circumstance connected with its rockiness it drew its
name. We naturally infer that the name is in some way connected with
the rocky gorge near the Peck Hollow Railroad Station.
4, Pootapaug or Pautipaug. This name was also given to a part of,
or place in, what is now Essex, — and is written Pauta-, Porti- and Petti-
-paug, -pog, and -pawag. Eliot has almost the exact word, pootuppog

iXiA. pootuppag, for ' a bay,' in Joshua xv : 2, 5. The primary significa
tion seems to be, a recess or ' corner ' of water. Foot sai means a cor
ner, i. e., interior, not salient ; the space included. Literally, pootup-
paug, which Ehot translates ' bay,' signifies ' corner-water,' nearly equiv
alent perhaps to our word 'cove.' In Essex this name is appropriate,
but why it should have been attached to any portion of Franklin is
difficult to see.

Note C.

The following is a complete list of the Thirty-five Original Proprie
tors who settled Norwich in 1660.
These names necessarily occur so often under note D, that a pub
lished list will doubtless be found convenient for reference. When not
prefixed by an asterisk, they were surviving in January, in the year
1700,
Rev, James Fitch, the first minister of
Norwich,
*Major John Mason, afterwards Lt, Gov,
of Connecticut,
Deacon Thomas Adgate,
Lieut, William Backus, Jr,,
'Stephen Backus, brother of Wm., Jr.,
above,
*John Baldwin,
*John Birchard,
*Thomas Bliss,
Morgan Bowers,
*Richard Edgerton,
*Francis Griswold,
'Christopher Huntington,
Deacon Simon Huntington, brother of
Christopher, above,
* William Hyde,
*Samuel Hyde, son of William, above,
Lieut. Thomas Leffingwell,
'Doctor John Olmstead,
John Post, son-in-law of Wm. Hyde,
Thomas Post,
John Reynolds,
*Lieut. Thomas Tracy,
*Thomas Bingham, a minor in 1660,
'Stephen Gifford, a minor in 1660,
'Thomas Howard, a minor in 1660,
John Tracy, a minor in 1660, son of Lt.
Thomas Tracy,
'Josiah Reed, a minor in 1660.

These settlers came
from Saybrook and East
Saybrook (now Lyme),
to Norwich, Anno Dom
ini 1660.

49

'Robert Allyn,
*Deacon Hugh Calkins,
*John Calkins, son of Dea. Hugh, above,
'Jonathan Royce, son-in-law of Dea. Hugh
Calkins,
'John Gager,
'John Pease,
'Nehemiah Smith.

These settlers came
from New London to
Norwich, Anno Domini
1660.

'John Bradford,
'Ensign Thomas Waterman, a minor in
1660,

These settlers came
from Marshfield, Mass,,
to Norwich, Anno Dom
ini 1660,

Note D,
Brief notices of the principal original settlers of West
Farms, now Franklin,
Abell, yoshua, came hither from Dedham, Mass., before 1670. He
settled in the valley east of Meeting House hill, and became a very
considerable land holder. His dwelling was near the present residence
of Henry W. Kingsley, but upon the opposite side of the highway.
The lot upon which the first Meeting House was erected, and which is
now connected with the parsonage, was a gift from him to the society.
He married Mehetabel, a daughter of Nehemiah Smith, one of the
original Thirty-Five (35) Proprietors of Norwich. He had six daugh
ters, several of whom were married to first comers. He died March 17th,
1724, in the 77th year of his age. He left no son. His brothers Caleb
and Benjamin came to the Colony with him, but settled in other parts
of Norwich.
Armstrong, Benjamin, son of Jonathan of Westerly, R. I., became
a settler in 1682. His dwelling was nearly opposite to the entrance to
the lane leading to the residence of Geo. E. Starkweather. He died
Jan. loth, 1717-18, leaving sons Benjamin, John, Joseph and Stephen.
y^ohn Armstrong married, in 1710, Anne Worth and remained upon
the paternal homestead, where he had twelve children. His descend
ants have been numerous and most of the families in the vicinity bearing
the name are of his line. He was often entrusted with office in the
Society which he always worthily filled. He died in 1748.
Arnold, J^ohn, was a land holder both by grant and purchase, as early
as 1683. After a long occupancy he finally alienated his estate and

so
removed to Windham. The "Arnold Place" afterwards became the
homestead of Rev. Henry Willes. It is now occupied by Dr. Stephen
Sweet. Ayer, yohn, born in England, was brought to this country while an
infant, in 1630, by his parents, who located at Haverhill, Mass. He
married. May 5, 1646, Sarah Williams, of Haverhill, and had by her
five children. He married for second wife, at Haverhill, March 26,
1663, Mary Moodam, by whom he had one child. Soon after his
second marriage he became involved in serious personal difficulties with
the Massachusetts Indians, and to save his life moved secretly and alone
to West Farms, The exact year of his arrival is uncertain, but without
doubt it was as early as 1665, and he maybe safely called the first white
settler of the town. His location was Ayer's Gap, Here he hved by
himself for many years, pursuing his favorite vocation of hunting and
trapping with great success. It is said that in the chase and all the
mysteries of woodcraft, his skill and sagacity fully equalled that of the
Indians, between whom and himself there was, indeed, a constant rivalry,
which not infrequently ripened into open warfare. Many are the tra
ditions of this strange man, lingering around the scenes of his life, and
his adventures with Indians and wild beasts still form the theme of
numerous stories related with zest around the winter's fire. These
stories, without exception, delineate him as a man of striking eccentri
cities, butwitha), of great endurance, heroic fortitude and a rare presence
of mind that never forsook him in time of danger.
Rattlesnakes were the only foes whom John Ayer feared. These
swarmed into his cabin in such numbers from the surrounding ledges,
that he was almost in despair, and thought of abandoning the place.
But a friend in Massachusetts urged him first to try the efficiency of
hogs in destroying the reptiles. Accordingly, Ayer procured several
hogs from the nearest settlement, and these soon effectually rid his
premises of his troublesome visitors.
His son Joseph, born at Haverhill, March 16, 1658, married, Nov,
24, 1686, Sarah Corliss, of Haverhill, where he continued till about the
year 1700, when he removed to West Farms to reside with his father,
now well stricken in years, bringing with him his youngest two sons,
Joseph and Timothy, The descendants of Mr, Ayer still remain in
Franklin, Backus, Lieut. William, yr., the Proprietor, had sons William,
John, Joseph and Nathaniel.
Nathaniel Backus married Elizabeth Tracy and settled at West Farms.

51
His dwelling was where Col. T, G. Kingsley now resides. Jabez, their
fourth child, born in Aug. 1712, married Eunice Kingsbury and remained
upon the paternal homestead. He was the father of Rev. Charles
Backus, D. D., the acute and able theologian. The Rev, Azel Backus,
D, D., first President of Hamilton College, also descended from him
through his eldest son Jabez, being his grandson.
Badger, yohn, came early to West Farms from Newbury, Mass, His
place was on Center Hill on the old road leading north from the resi
dence of the late Backus Smith. He had a son, Samuel, but the name
has long been extinct in the town. For site of dwelling see accompany
ing map.
Barstow, yob, a son of John, of Scituate, Mass, was born March 8,
1679. He came hither early in life and settled where Joseph I. Hyde
now resides. This place had previously been in the occupancy of
Joseph Reynolds. He married Rebecca, a daughter of Joseph Bushnell,
and had sons Jonathan, Ebenezer and Get-once, and daughter Jerusha.
His name often appears upon the records of the Society in honorable
relations. Bingham, Dea. Thomas, an original Proprietor of Norwich in 1 660,
and the common ancestor of the Connecticut families of the name, was
the son of Thomas and Mary Bingham, of Shefiield, England, and was
born about 1642. He married Mary Rudd and became an early
resident of Windham, His son, Thomas, born December 11, 1667,
married Hannah Backus and succeeded to the privileges of his father as
a proprietor in Norwich, Their eldest son Thomas, of the third gen
eration, born Nov, 20, 1692, married Hannah Edgerton and settled at
West Farms, His dwelling was located where the late Tommy Hyde
resided. The name is not to be found upon the records of a later date
than 1737,
Birchard, yohn, was born on the other side of the water in 1628,
and emigrated to the New World with his father, Thomas Birchard, at
the age of seven years. After residing successively at Hartford and
Saybrook, he came to Norwich in 1660 as one of the original thirty-five
Proprietors, He was much esteemed by his fellow townsmen and by the
citizens generally, serving as Town Clerk, Justice of the Peace, Deputy
to the General Court and, for a time, Clerk of the County Court, He
married Christian Andrews, July 1st, 1653, by whom he had fourteen
(14) children. He married for a second wife Jane, the widow of Sam-

52
uel Hyde, the Proprietor, and became the guardian of her minor chil
dren. He resided for a time at West Farms upon the original Hyde
domain where O, L, Johnson now lives. He subsequently removed to
Lebanon where he died in 1702.
Birchard, yames, son of the above, was born in Norwich, July 1 6th,
1665, He early became a resident in West Farms. His dwelling was
on " Birchard's Playne " a short distance south of the Franklin Cemetery
and upon the same side of the highway. Public worship was sometimes
held at his house on the Sabbath, before the completion of the First
Church, He seems to have been an estimable member of society. He
married Elizabeth Beckwith, by whom he had ten children. His long
and useful life was ended here, but none of his name or blood now reside
within the limits of the town.
Crocker, Samuel, was a son of Thomas, of New London, where he
was born in 1677. He early purchased twenty acres of land of Capt.
Joseph Tracy, on Little Lebanon hill, now Crocker hill. His dwelling
was located upon the slope of the hill, about midway from the base to the
summit, upon the west side of the highway. He seems to have been an
active and influential member of the settlement. In 1716 he served
on an important committee, and his name often appeared upon the records
of the society at later dates. In 1722 he served as a selectman. He
had children, Samuel, John, Jabez and Hannah, but his descendants of
the name have long since ceased to be residents of the place.
Downer, yoseph, Seii., settled at West Farms before 1700, His res
idence was upon the old road in the north part of the Society, wfiich is
now discontinued. For site of dwelling see accompanying map.
He had sons, Andrew, Richard and Joseph, who were active at the
organization of the Society. They all married and probably all settled at
West Farms, where their names are to be found as late as 1737.
Durkee, Dea. yohn, son of John, of Ipswich, Mass., was born Nov.
23d, 1689. He at first settled at Gloucester in his native state, but about
1720 removed to West Farms. He purchased lands of John Waterman,
Jr., upon Portipaug hill, and his dwelling was located a short distance
south of where Charles T. Hazen now lives, and upon the same side of
the highway. His wife, Mary, died in 1732. He married for a second
wife in 1738, Hannah Adgate.
In 1735, he was elected to the office of deacon in the West Farms
church. His descendants have not been numerous.

53
Elderkin, yohn, Carpenter and Millwright, we find successively at
Boston, Dedham, New-London, and finally at Norwich, in 1664, He
was termed one of the second class of Proprietors, and had two home
lots granted to him.
yohn Elderkin, yr., eldest son of the above, early became a settler
upon the west bank of the Shetucket river near Lord's (then Elderkin's)
Bridge, and his dwelling was located upon the precise spot that is now
occupied by the large boarding house of the Messrs. A. & W. Sprague,
in the village of Baltic, He was the proprietor of the saw and grain
mills near by. He often acted officially in the new society, and was
particularly designated to direct in the layout of suitable highways or
roads from the outskirts of the settlement to the church. The name
long since disappeared from our records,
Edgerton, Samuel, was the third son and fifth child of Richard,
another of the Thirty-Five Proprietors of Norwich. He was born in
May, 1670, and probably settled at West Farms before 1700. He
erected his dwelling where James C, Griswold now lives. He was a
petitioner for a separate ecclesiastical organization in 1716, and afterwards
was frequently elected to fill important offices in the gift of the society.
In 1703 he married Alice Ripley, of Windham, David, his sixth son,
born Aug, 28, 1718, was the founder of the Edgerton School Fund,
For his place of residence see accompanying map,
Edgerton, yoseph, was a younger brother of the above, being the
fourth son of Richard, He also settled at West Farms shortly before
1 700, His location was upon Lebanon Road and his dwelling was where
the late Guilbert Lamb formerly resided. He was also a petitioner for a
new ecclesiastical organization and was often entrusted with office. He
married, in 1702, Experience Pratt, and had several children. He was
the ancestor of Bela Edgerton, Esq,, and of Hon, Alfred P, Edgerton,
late member of Congress from Indiana,
Fillmore, Capt. yohn, son of John Fillmore, "Mariner," of Ipswich,
Mass,, was born March 18, 1702. At an early age he was apprenticed
to a ship carpenter in Boston, where, constantly meeting with seafaring
men, he soon imbibed a longing for their mode of life. After several
years of pleading he at length wrung from his mother a reluctant consent,
and shipped in the spring of 1723 for a fishing voyage upon the sloop
"Dolphin," of Cape Ann,
The following August the " Dolphin " was surprised and captured off
Newfoundland by the notorious pirate, Capt. John Phillips. One of the
4

54
pirate's crew happening to be an old acquaintance of Fillmore, repre
sented to the Captain that he would prove a valuable acquisition to the
crew if he could be induced to join them. Accordingly, young Fillmore
was taken oftj but promised his liberty after two months of faithful service.
At the expiration of the appointed time, he demanded his liberty, which
was denied him for some frivolous reason. The Captain, however,
promised upon his honor to liberate him at the end of three additional
months. But at the expiration of these months, Phillips positively
refused to release him, and Fillmore determined to effect his own escape
at the earliest opportunity.
One night, about nine months after his capture, the pirates had a grand
carousal and retired at a late hour. This seemed a favorable opportunity,
and Fillmore determined to secure posession of the ship with the assist
ance of three fellow prisoners, one of whom, however, was overcome
with fear at the decisive moment, so that but three individuals were left
to cope with the entire crew. They knew that the pirates after their
drinking would not rise till late in the morning, and made their arrange
ments to attack them when they should first come upon deck, making use
of the carpenter's tools for weapons. About noon the Captain, Master,
Boatswain and Quartermaster came upon deck. Soon the Master pro
ceeded to take an observation, the Captain and Boatswain engaged in
conversation and the Quartermaster returned to the cabin. Now was
the moment. The three officers upon deck are felled by unexpected
blows, and the Quartermaster rushing from the cabin meets a similar fate.
The officers being thus disposed of it is a comparatively easy matter to
compel the surrender of the crev/ who are still all below.
The vessel was taken direct to Boston by this little band of heroes,
where they arrived May 3, 1724. The crew were convicted of piracy by
a court of admiralty. This court presented Mr. Fillmore with a gun,
silver hiked sword and curious tobacco box which belonged to Captain
Phillips, and also with the silver shoe and knee buckles, and two gold rings
which he used to wear. These trophies of a worthy ancestor are still
preserved among his descendants,
Mr. Fillmore never returned to the sea. He married, Nov, 24, 1724,
Mary Spiller, of Ipswich, and removed to Norwich West Farms. Here
he continued to reside through a long life, strong in the confidence of his
townsmen. He died Feb. 22, 1777.
Gager, yohn, the Proprietor, was the son of Dr. William Gager, who
came to this country with Gov. Winthrop in 1630, and died the same
year, John Gager, the original Proprietor as above, had sons John and
Samuel, besides six daughters, John, the eldest son, died without issue.

55
Samuel removed to New Concord, John, the eldest son of Samuel,
settled at West Farms, and his dwelling was where Henry L, M. Ladd
now resides. He married Jerusha, a daughter of Job Barstow, and has
had a good number of descendants who have been useful and reliable
members of society.
Griswold, Samuel, son of Capt, Samuel, and grandson of Lieut.
Francis Griswold, an original Proprietor of Norwich, was born about
1689, When a young man, he settled in the eastern section of West
Farms in what is now the village of Baltic, and his dwelling was located
where the Baltic House now stands. He was the ancestor of the late
Caleb Griswold,
Hartshorne, Dea. David, was the sixth son of Thomas, of Reading,
Mass,, where he was born Oct, 18, 1657, He married, 1680, Rebecca,
daughter of John Batchelor, and had four sons and one daughter. His
latest residence in the Bay State was at Medfield, He purchased lands
at West Farms in 1697, of Ensign Thomas Waterman, and removed
thither soon afterwards. His place of residence was where Geo, E,
Starkweather now lives. He was one of the original deacons of the church,
selectman in 1 709, and foremost in civil and ecclesiastical affairs till his
death, in 1738. His descendants have been numerous and respectable.
Of their number maybe mentioned the brave Capt, Asa Hartshorne, who
was slain at the battle of the Miamis, Aug, 20, 1794, See Note G.
Hartshorne, yonathan, was an elder brother of the above, and they
accompanied each other to the new settlement. His place of residence
was upon the old Windham road where Horatio Hyde now lives. His
name often appears upon the records of the society in connection with
official trusts. The late Dr, Elijah Hartshorne was one of his descend
ants, Hazen, Lieut. Thomas, emigrated from Boxford, Mass,, to West
Farms near the commencement of the last century, and settled upon the
place which is now in the occupancy of E. P. Ladd, and which was held
and improved by his descendants for several generations, and which has
been but recently ahenated. He was one of the Society Committee in
1716, and frequently held office thereafter. At this period, men of ma
ture years and ripe experience had the preference for important official
positions. His wife Mary died in 1727, and he himself eight years later. He
now has descendants in the place and vicinity.

56
Huntington, Christopher , one of the original Thirty-Five Proprietors
of Norwich, was born in England about 1630, and emigrated to this
country with his parents a few years later. He was a son of William
and a grandson of Simon Huntington and Margaret Baret, He married,
1652, Ruth Rockwell of Windsor, and Christopher, his fourth child was
born Nov, 1, 1660. This was the first male child born in Norwich,
Christopher, son of the first born male of Norwich and grandson of
Christopher the Proprietor, settled at West Farms upon domain now in
the occupancy of Azariah Huntington, his great-grandson. He was a
pillar in the church and society in his day. Several of his descendancs
have held official positions in the church. Rev. Asahel, of Topsfield,
Mass., the father of Judge Huntington of Salem was of his line of
descent. Hyde, Samuel, another of the Thirty-five Proprietors, was the only ¦
son of William, also a Proprietor, and was born at Hartford in 1636.
He married, 1659, Jane, daughter of Thomas Lee, of East Saybrook,
now Lyme, and in the month of August of the year following, had
daughter Elizabeth, who was the first female child born in Norwich of
English descent. Shortly afterward she removed to West Farms, where,
probably, his six remaining children were all born. He settled in the
valley east of Meeting House hill and his dwelling was upon the site
where O. L. Johnson, one of his descendants, now lives. He died in
1677. Hyde, yohn, second son of the above, born at West Farms 1667,
Married Experience Abell and settled at Wawekus Hill, But his fourth
son, Capt. Matthew Hyde married Elizabeth Huntington and returned
to West Farms which became permanently his place of residence. For
site of his dwelling see accompanying map.
His descendants have been numerous and respectable. The late Rev.
Eli Hyde was of the number.
Hyde, Thomas, fourth son of Samuel, born at West Farms in July,
1672, married Mary Backus arid remained upon the paternal homestead.
He was familiarly called the First Thomas Hyde. His eldest son born
in 1699 the Second, and Capt, Thomas, firstborn of the "second'"
Thomas, and father of the late Jared Hyde, the Third Thomas Hyde.
He was a useful member of society and his descendants have been nu
merous and highly respectable. Of some of the more distinguished may
be mentioned the names of Rev. Alvan Hyde, D. D., of Rev. John
Hyde, of Rev. Lavius Hyde and of the Hon. E. H. Hyde, present
Lieut. Gov. of the State,

57
Hyde, Capt. yabez, the fifth and youngest son of Samuel, was born at
West Farms, 1677, He married Elizabeth, youngest daughter of Captain
Richard Bushnell, and had his dwelling at the foot of Crocker Hill upon
Lebanon road, where Dwight Fargo now resides. He was the first Clerk
of the society, and continued to hold the office for a long term of years.
He was also a Justice of the Peace and represented the town of Norwich
thirteen sessions in the Colonial Legislature, He was the owner of a
large landed estate and was accounted a prosperous farmer. He died
Sept 5, 1762, His descendants have been numerous and have filled an
important place in society here and elsewhere. The late Judge John
Hyde, and Lewis Hyde, Esq,, both of Norwich, were of his line of
descent. yohnson, yohn, was at West Farms as early as 1677, His place
was in " Lebanon Valley," and his dwelling upon the site now occupied
by the mansion of Bela T, Hastings. William and Ebenezer were
probably his sons, and Dea. Isaac Johnson was his grandson. His de
scendants, though not numerous, have filled no unimportant place in
society, Kingsbury, Dea. yoseph, came early from Haverhill, Mass., to West
Farms, with wife Love (Ayer) and sons Joseph and Ephraim. He erected
his dwelling upon Middle of Center Hill on domain that has never been
alienated by his descendants of the name. He was chairman of the
meeting at which the society was organized in 1716, and was chosen one
of the first deacons of the church two years later. He died in 1741, His
son, Capt. Joseph Kingsbury, succeeded him as an officer of the church
in 1735, and also held other important trusts, being selectman in 1723,
and a representative to the General Court five sessions, from 1731 to
1742. He married Ruth Dennison, who, at the time of her decease at
the age of 93 years, left 231 descendants.
The descendants of Joseph Kingsbury, Sen,, have been numerous and
have done not a little to shape the history of the town, Andrew, of
Hartford, for a long time State Treasurer, and the late Col, Jacob, of
Franklin, and Judge John, of Waterbury, were of the number,
Ladd, David, was an early settler and resided upon Pleasure Hill on
the same premises that were owned and occupied till very recently by
his descendant, Joseph D. Ladd. He married Mary Waters and had
sons, Samuel, Ezekiel and Joseph,
Ladd, Nathaniel, was also an early settler and resided upon the place
lately occupied by Benjamin Blackman. He was an individual of con

58
siderable prominence in civil and ecclesiastical affairs, having served as
selectman in 1721 and having been chosen to important offices in the
society. He married and had several children born here, but ceased to
be a resident about 1728. This place was subsequently owned and
improved by David Ladd, probably a brother of Nathaniel.
Lathrop, Israel, third son of Samuel, who emigrated to Norwich as
one of the second class of Proprietors in 1668, and grandson of Rev.
John, an Independent minister in London, and afterwards in Scituate
and Barnstable, had seven sons who, according to tradition, settled upon
seven hills,
William Lathrop, second son of Israel, settled on Plain Hill and had
ten sons. The late Jesse Lathrop of this place was his grandson, John
L, Motley, the Historian, descended from him through Rev, John
Lathrop, D, D,, of Boston,
Serj. Israel Lathrop, yr., another son of Israel, came to West
Farms early and settled upon Blue Hill, His dwelling was upon the
eastern declivity of the hill. For its particular site see accompanying
map, Capt. yohn Lathrop, also son of Israel, Sen,, settled early upon
Meeting House Hill. His dwelling was near the present residence of
Joseph A. Griffin. Clergymen and distinguished individuals from
abroad were often his guests during their temporary sojourn in the place.
The names of Serj. Israel, Jr., and Capt. John Lathrop often appear
upon the records of the Society, which would indicate that they ren
dered important services which were duly appreciated.
Those bearing the name of Lathrop in this vicinity at this day, de
scended from William and Israel, Jr.
Mason, yeremiah, son of David and Dorothy (Hobert) Mason,
grandson of Lieut. Daniel, and great-grandson of the famous Major
John Mason, early settled at West Farms upon lands bordering upon
Lebanon, This estate is still in the name, and his dwelling was upon
the same site if it is not the same structure that is now occupied by his
lineal descendant, James F, Mason. His name often appears upon the
records and always in relations that would show him to be a leading
man. He was the ancestor of the late Hon. Jeremiah Mason, United
States Senator from New Hampshire.
Mosely, Increase, was an early settler at West Farms. He probably
resided where the tenant house of John Frink now stands. He was one

59
of the petitioners for a society organization in 1716, and his name there
after occasionally appears upon the early records. He died in 1731.
Had a son Increase, born in 1712, who married Deborah Tracy, of
Windham, and removed to Woodbury about 1740 where he became a
distinguished civilian. Also had a son Peabody, born in 1724, who.
married Mary, the eldest daughter of Captain Jacob Hyde, and became
a Baptist clergyman. His field of labor was first at Norwich. He
afterwards preached at Mansfield and Granby in this State. About the
year 1780 he joined the society of Shakers at New Lebanon, New York.
Peck, Benjamin, was a descendant of Henry, of New Haven, and
came hither before 1700, His dwelling was where the house of H. H,
Willes now stands. The stated worship on the Sabbath was held at
Benjamin Peck's house in the winter and at his barn in the summer,
till the first church was ready for use.
In 1720 the Society ""Voted Benjamin Peck 1; shillings for half an
acre of land on Birchard's Playne, where he buried his daughter Eliza
beth, for a Burying Place." This early action of the Society resulted
in the permanent location of the Franklin Cemetery, which has been
twice enlarged since. The selection proved to be most judicious. He
died in 1742, His offspring has been somewhat numerous — the late
Capt, Bela Peck, of Norwich, being of the number,
Pember, yohn, was the son of Thomas and Agnes Pember, of New
London, where he was born in 1698, He married, 1716, Mary,
daughter of the First Thomas Hyde. He became the first sexton at
West Farms, This office was successively filled by his descendants for
several generations. His dwelling was where Col. G. Pendleton now
resides. He died in 1783. Although his descendants have not been
numerous, the name is still to be found in the town.
Pettis, Samuel, was an early settler on Blue Hill, His descendants
have successivaly improved the same estate till recently. The late
Peter Pettis, who inherited both the homestead and the peculiarities of
his ancestor, was the last to bear the name.
Reynolds, yoseph, son of Joseph and grandson of John, the Proprie
tor, was an early settler at West Farms, and had his dwelling where
Joseph I, Hyde now resides. He married in 1717, Hannah Bingham.
In 1723 he served as a member of the Prudential Committee of the
Society but soon afterwards alienated his estate to Job Barstow, and the
name disappeared from the records.

6o
Rood, Micah, the youngest son of Thomas Rood, who was an early
settler upon the east side of the Shetucket, removed in 1699 to West
Farms, and located in Peck Hollow. Micah had upon his farm an
apple tree which bore large, fair fruit, but always with a red globule,
like a clot of blood, near the center of each apple. The apple, which
has become a great favorite in this vicinity^ and is called the Mike apple,
from its originator,* still retains this peculiarity and is the object of
much curious inquiry. The drop of blood invariably found in every
apple is a standing wonder in childhood's days, and the story of its
origin handed down from father to son for over a hundred years, has at
length grown to be a fixed tradition, implicitly received. As the story
runs, a pedlar entered town, vending such costly and luxurious wares as
had never before been seen in the settlement. The simple Micah,
dazzled by the display, invited the pedlar to his house, and at an evil
moment plunged a knife to his heart beneath this very tree, so that
his life blood flowed down and mingled with its roots. The next
spring its blossoms changed from snowy white to red, and in August
when the apples came tumbling down, large and yellow and juicy, hor
ror of horrors, there hung in every one a drop of blood. There they lay
before the terrified Micah, the evidences of his now never to be forgot
ten deed. With nature in springtime and autumn so strangely promp
ting the goadings of his conscience, who shall wonder that the simple-
hearted Micah should change into a morose and melancholy man, and
lead an accursed life } Such was the fact. Time went for naught but
the memory of his crime, business was neglected, and soon from a pros
perous farmer he became a pauper, dependent upon the charities of the
community. In 1717 he was glad to increase his slender means by
assuming charge of the meeting house, receiving therefor a peck of corn
yearly from each family in the society. |
Of his last years and pauper's death the records tell briefly but sig
nificantly : —
July 5, 1727. The inhabitants do now, by their vote, agree to allow
to each man that watches with Micah Rood, two shillings per night.
Also to those who have attended sd Rood by day, three shillings per day.
December 17, 1728, , To Jacob Hyde for digging Micah Rood's
grave, £0, 4s, od.

* Thirty years ago it was called indifferently the Mike, or the Rood apple,
but now the former name has generally obtained.
t October ye first day, 1717. Ye society agreed by their vote yt each
family shall give Micah Rood a Peck of Corn for sweeping ye Meeting House
one year.

6i
In face of the facts, who shall pronounce the story of Micah Rood a
fiction, or think it too strange that Nature should thus record her horror
of human crime .'
Rudd, Serj. Nathaniel, was a son of Jonathan, of Saybrook. He
early settled at West Farms, and his dwelling was on the Portipaug
Road a short distance north of Smith's Corners. He was chairman
of the first committee elected by the society after its organization, and
besides, took a prominent part in the civil affairs of the settlement.
By first marriage in 1685 to Mary Post, he had son Jonathan and three
daughters. By second marriage in 1705-6 to Abigail Hartshorne, had
son Nathaniel and other children. He died in 1727.
Rudd, yonathan, eldest son of the above, was born at West Farms,
May 22, 1693. He married, Oct. 27, 1720, Joanna Gregory of Strat
ford, and had five children. His name often occurs upon the records
of the society in official relations. His almost life -long residence was
in a rural situation on the hill in a north-westerly direction from that of
his father. He died in 1772. Five years afterwards his late dwelling
was used as a pest house where soldiers from the army were inoculated
and treated for small pox. It was then that his son Jonathan, at the
time the occupant of the premises, fell a victim to that disease.
It was in this secluded retreat, with wild surroundings, that the young
and talented Ebenezer Hartshorne first met the amiable and accomplished
Miss Miriam Gregory, of Stratford, whom he afterwards wedded and
with whom he lived for a period of sixty-five years in the enjoyment of
domestic bliss unalloyed. Their early and romantic correspondence is
still extant.
Rudd, Nathaniel, yun., son of Serj. Nathaniel, had his dwelling
where John Q. Cross now lives. He married, Dec. 22, 1730, Mary
Backus, and had a numerous family of children.
Sabin, Capt. yohn, was born in Pomfret, Conn., 1696. He came to
West Farms soon after the organization of the society, and had his res
idence where John Frink now lives. He acted a prominent part in civil
and ecclesiastical affairs in his time. His death occurred March 28,
1742. He was a maternal ancestor of Hon. L. F. S. Foster.
See Physicians, Note G,
Sluman, Thomas, son of Thomas and Sarah (Bliss) Sluman, was an
ear^y settler at West Farms, and had his residence and place of busines
near the Peck Hollow station on the -New London and Northern Rail

62
Road, where he had a saw and corn mill for this part of the settlement.
His name is on the petition for the organization of a new society in
1716, and two years later he acted upon a committee which petitioned
the General Assembly for the organization of a church. Although he
took an active part in ecclesiastical affairs in his day, the name has long
since ceased to be found upon the records.
Smith, Serj. Obadiah, afterwards called Captain, was a son of Edward,
and a grand-nephew of Nehemiah Smith, the Proprietor. He married
a daughter of Joshua Abell, and early settled at West Farms. His
dwelling was where Edward A. Allyn now resides. He was one of the
petitioners for the organization of a new society, and a member of the
first committee of the society after its organization. He was active and
useful in the settlement to the time of his death in 1727, at the age of
50 years. His descendants, though not numerous, have ever been found
in the place. He was the ancestor of the late Rev. Joshua Smith, and
of A. B. Smith, now Postmaster of Franklin.
Tracy, Lieut. Thomas, the Proprietor, came from Tewksbury in Glou
cestershire, to New England in 1636. After residing for a short time at
Salem, Mass., he removed to Wethersfield, Conn., and a few years later
to Saybrook. When a resident at this place in 1645, he, with others,
relieved Uncas, the Sachem of Mohegan, with provisions when he was
besieged at Shattuck's Point by Pessechus, Sachem of the Narragansets ;
which led to the subsequent grant of the town of Norwich in 1659.
In 1660 he came to Norwich as one of the pioneer settlers. He was
evidently a leading man in this new locality, for in addition to other
important appointments which he received, his name is on the roll of
the Legislature as a representative from Norwich at twenty-seven sessions.
By his first marriage to the widow of Edward Mason, at Wethersfield,
he had six sons and a daughter. He died Nov. 7, 1685, at the age of
75 years.
Tracy, Capt. yohn, eldest son of the above, born about 1643, was
also classed as one of the Thirty-five Proprietors of Norwich. He
settled very early at West Farms and had his dwelling where the late
Almond Tracy resided. He was a Justice of the Peace, and represented
the town of Norwich six sessions in the Colonial legislature. He
married, June 10, 1670, Mary Winslow, a niece of Gov. Edward
Winslow of Plymouth, and had sons John, Joseph and Winslow. He
died in 1702, leaving an estate of between three and four thousand
acres of land.

63
Tracy, yohn, zd, eldest son of the above, born 1673, married Eliza
beth Leffingwell, and settled upon the paternal homestead where his
descendants continue to reside to the present time. He was the ances
tor of Hon. Uri Tracy, a member of Congress from the State of New
York, and of Hon. John Tracy, for six years Lieut. Gov. of the same
state. Governor Tracy was the sixth John Tracy, each of his prede
cessors of the name representing a generation. These six John Tracys
were in the line of primogeniture, and all natives of West Farms, except
the first, who was the Proprietor,
Tracy, Capt. yoseph, second son of John, the Proprietor, was born
at West Farms, April 20, 1682, and had his dwelling near the residence
of the late J, W, Kingsley, He was a Justice of the Peace and repre
sentative of the town several sessions in the Colonial legislature. He
married, Dec. 31, 1705, Mary, daughter of Caleb Abell, and had ten
children. His second son, Dr, Elisha Tracy, graduated at Yale college
in 1738, became a distinguished physician and settled near the Town
Plot ; was the father of the late Dr, Philemon Tracy and the ancestor
of the Honorables Phineas Lyman Tracy and Albert Haller Tracy,
both of whom were members of Congress from the State of^ New York,
Tracy, Serj. Winslow, third son of John, the Proprietor, was born
. at West Farms, Feb. 9, 1689. He married Rachel Ripley, and had his
dwelling upon Windham road a short distance north of the Kingsbury
mansion. He was a petitioner for a new ecclesiastical organization, and
was for a long time an active and influential member of society. Col.
Uriah Tracy, member of Congress and United States Senator from
Connecticut, was his grandson.
Waterman, Thomas, the Proprietor, was the second son of Robert,
of Marshfield, where he was born, 1644. He married Miriam, daughter
of Lieut. Thomas Tracy, and had sons Thomas and John. Thomas,
the eldest, married, June 20, 1691, Elizabeth Allyn, and had seven sons
and two daughters. Ensign Thomas Waterman, the eldest, settled at
West Farms, and had his residence on the old Waterman road north
west of the church. His name often appears upon the early records, and
his homestead was successively occupied by several generations of his
descendants, but none of his name or blood remain in the place.
Other individuals early appeared in the settlement whom we have not
been able definitely to locate. Of these we would particularly mention
William Moore, Jonathan Crain and Peter Cross. These persons were
at most but temporary residents. The last two probably removed to
that part of Windham which is now Mansfield.

64
Thomas Wood, the carpenter, Jonathan Roise (Royce), John Harris,
Ebenezer Case and John Hutchens appeared at a later day. These
individuals, also, after a residence of a few years, removed to other
localities.

Note E,
COLLEGE GRADUATES,
This list is designed to include the names of those graduates of the
different colleges of the country who have been raised up in Franklin,
and who are generally natives of the place. When not to the manor
born, their immediate and generally more remote ancestors have been so
identified with the history of the town as to make it proper that their
names should find a place in our catalogue,
Yale College,
1738 — Doctor Elisha Tracy,
1763 — Sanford Kingsbury,
1767 — Jonathan Kingsbury,
1769 — Reverend David Avery,
1769 — Reverend Charles Backus, D, D,,
1777 — John Barker, M. D.,
1778 — Honorable Uriah Tracy,
1786 — Reverend Jonathan Ellis,
1786 — Honorable John Kingsbury,
1787 — Reverend Azel Backus, D. D.,
1 788 — Honorable Jeremiah Mason, LL. D.,
1789 — Honorable Uri Tracy,
1803 — Reverend EU Hyde,
1803 — Reverend John Hyde,
1806 — Doctor John Hazen,
1815 — Reverend Elijah Hartshorne,
1 8 1 7 — David Nevins Lord,
1819 — Honorable Asahel Hiintington,
1833 — Reverend Joshua Smith,
1843 — Reverend Robert Palmer Stanton,
1846 — Reverend Joseph Willes Backus,
I 850 — Reverend George Sherman Converse,
1855 — P. Henry Woodward,
1867 — Richard William Woodward,

65
Dartmouth College,
1785 — Reverend Alvan Hyde, D, D,,
1786 — Reverend Asahel Huntington,
1788 — Reverend Oliver Ayer,
1794 — Reverend Jabez Munsell,
1815 — Elisha Huntington, M. D,
Middlebury College.
1809 — Bela Edgerton,
Williams College,
1813 — Reverend Lavius Hyde.
Brown University.
1795— Reverend Eliphalet Nott, D. D., LL.D,,
1 828 — Honorable LaFayette S. Foster, LL,D,
Amherst College,
1824 — Reverend Beaufort Ladd,
Union College,
1808 — Reverend Samuel Nott, Jr,,
1809 — Reverend David Huntington,
1822 — Reverend Stephen Tertius Nott,
1831 — Orsamus H. Marshall, A. M.,
1834 — Reverend Albert T. Chester, D, D,,
1846 — Reverend John W. Nott,
1849 — Anson Gleason Chester, A. M.

Note F,
A list of the Clergyman who have been raised up in
Franklin, with brief sketches of some that have deceased,
Avery, Rev. David, son of John and Lydia (Smith) Avery, was
born at West Farms, April 5, 1746. He became hopefully pious at an
early age under the preaching of Whitfield, and shortly afterwards en
tered Moor's Indian Charity School in Lebanon with special reference
to a collegiate education. By close application while here he was
enabled to enter college a year in advance, and graduated at Yale in

66
1769. While in college he improved his vacations in instructing Indian
youth in various localities. His theological education was under the
direction of Rev. Eleazer Wheelock, D. D., of Dartmouth College,
This having been completed, he was ordained as a missionary to the
Oneida Indians, Aug, 29, 1771, As the result of an accident he was
compelled to abandon this field of labor and return to New England,
Two years later, March 25, 1773, he was installed at Gaysboro', (now
Windsor, Vt.,), and from April 18, 1776 to Feb. 1, 1780, he served
as a chaplain in the army.
After leaving the army he lived and preached at Wrentham, Mass,,
and various other places, till in 1 8 1 7 he was invited to settle at Middle-
town, Va, On the evening of a day of fasting, preparatory to his in
stallation, he was seized with typhus fever which soon carried him off.
He married, Oct. 10, 1782, Hannah Chaplain of Mansfield, (now
Chaplain), who with several children survived him.
Mr, Avery is said to have been tall, portly and commanding in
appearance, with a prominent Roman countenance. In his disposition
he was generous and warm hearted, being emphatically a gentleman of
the old school. He preached extemporaneously, using at most but short
notes. His language was copious and diffuse, his voice clear and sono
rous, and his articulation so distinct that it was a common saying in the
army that every soldier in the brigade could hear all that he said.
Ayer, Rev. Oliver, son of Joseph, Jr., and Mary (Bailey) Ayer, was
born at West Farms, Nov. 14, 1765. He fitted for college under the
instruction of Rev. Samuel Nott, his pastor, and graduated at Dart
mouth in 1788. Having completed his theological course also with
Rev. Samuel Nott, he was ordained at West Stockbridge, Mass., May
29, 1793, Here he remained, greatly beloved by his people till June
14, 1807, when he was dismissed. He was subsEquently settled at Au
gusta, Richland and Sandy Creek, all in the State of New York, and
was everywhere held in esteem for his ministerial fidelity. He died at
Richland in July, 1832, at the ripe age of 6j years. While at West
Stockbridge he married Phebe, a daughter of Elijah Brown of that
place, who survived him.
Backus, Rev. Azel, D. D., of the sixth generation from William
Backus, Sen., the Proprietor, was born at West Farms, October 13,
1765. He was the son of Jabez, Jr., and Deborah (Fanning) Backus,
both of whom are said to have been persons of great excellence of
character. His father dying when he was only five years of age, be-
bueathed to him a farm, which he says, " I wisely exchanged for an
education in college." He graduated at Yale in the class of 1787.

67
While in college he had sceptical tendencies ; but his uncle. Rev.
Charles Backus, D. D., by his faithful efforts won him from infidelity
and reared him up for the ministry. He was ordained April 6th,
1791, as the immediate successor of Dr. Bellamy, at Bethlehem, where
he not only labored faithfully as a pastor, but also instituted and con
ducted a school of considerable celebrity, at which a large number of
young men were prepared for admission to college.
In Sept., 1812, Dr. Backus was elected first President of Hamilton
College. His mature experience in the instruction and management of
young men was doubtless greatly auxiliary to his success in this some
what similar, though more extensive field of labor.
He was a man of an original cast of thought, distinguished by sus
ceptibility and ardor of feeling ; was possessed, withal, of brilliant talents
and rose rapidly in popular favor, for while comparatively a young man
he was selected by the senior Gov. Oliver Wolcott to preach the
annual election sermon before the Legisluture of Conn. This appoint
ment was fulfilled with very marked ability in 1798. In June, 1808, he
was chosen moderator of the General Association of Conn., and two
years later he was honored with the degree of Doctor of Divinity from
the college in New Jersey.
Duyckinck remarks, that " His biography remains to be written in a
manner worthy of the part which he sustained in caring for the first
wants of a college," etc., and adds, that " A careful memoir written
somewhat after the manner of Xenophon's Memorabilia, or Boswell's
Johnson, would be welcomed by. many readers."
Dr. Backus died Dec, 9, 1817, of typhus fever, which then prevailed
in the college and vicinity. He married, in 1791, Melicent Demming,
of Wethersfield, who with five children survived him. His daughter,
Mary Ann, became the first wife of Hon. Gerret Smith, of Peterboro.
For a list of his publications reference may be had to Dr. Sprague's
Annals of the Pulpit, Vol. II, page 283.
Backus, Rev. Charles, D. D., of the fifth generation from William
Backus, Sen., the Proprietor, was born at West Farms, Nov. 4, 1749.
He was the third son of Jabez, Sen., and Eunice (Kingsbury) Backus,
both of whom he lost in childhood, but through the assistance of friends
he was enabled to obtain a thorough classical education, and graduated
at Yale in 1769, While in college he had a high reputation both for
scholarship and deportment, Pres't Dwight, his classmate, said of him,
"I have not known a wiser man," His theological education was
under the direction of Levi Hart, D, D., of Preston, In 1775 he was

68
ordained to the pastoral charge of the congregational church in Somers,
Conn,, in which place he remained till his death, Dec, 30, 1803. The
sermon at his ordination was preached by Rev, John Ellis, of West Farms,
His high reputation as a theologian procured for him invitations from
Yale and Dartmouth Colleges to occupy the chair of Theology in each
of these institutions. These in each instance he modestly declined.
But his eminence as an instructor drew around him many who were
designed for the ministry. Nearly fifty young men were at different
times members of his theological school. Among them were Dr.
Woods, of Andover, Dr, Hyde, of Lee, Dr, Cooley of Granville,
Pres't Moore, of Amherst College and many others of nearly equal dis
tinction. In 1801 he received the honorary degree of D, D., from
Williams College. Shortly after his settlement at Somers he was married
to Bethia, daughter of Jacob Hill, of Cambridge, Mass. Jabez, their
only child, died suddenly while a member of Yale College, March 16,
1794, in his seventeenth year.
The publications of Dr. Backus were numerous. From 1785 to
1798, he published twelve distinct sermons, besides five discourses on
the divine authority of the scriptures, in 1797. For a more particular
description reference may be had to Dr. Sprague's Annals, Vol. II, p. 62.
Backus, Rev. yoseph W., is now pastor of the Congregational
Church at Thomaston, Conn,
Chester, Rev. Albert T., D. D., is a Presbyterian clergyman ; resides
in Buffalo, N. Y., and is Principal of a flourishing female academy
located in that city.
Converse, Rev. George S., is an Episcopal clergyman and at the
present time is Rector of St. James' church, at Roxbury, Mass.
Ellis, Rev. yonathan, sixth son of Rev. John Ellis, was born at
West Farms, April 1 1, 1762. He fitted fur college under the instruc
tion of his father and graduated at Yale in the class of 1786. Devoting
the requisite period to a theological course of reading, he was ordained
pastor of the congregational church at Topsham, Maine, in 1789,
This connection continued till 1810, when he was dismissed, and on
the following year deposed from the ministry on account of charges
against his moral character. He was actively interested in the estab
lishment of Bowdoin College and a candidate for the Professorship of
Languages, and would probably have succeeded in securing the situation
except for the " Harvard " influence which was brought to bear upon

X'-tfS:-;

-^s>

69
the appointment. He was a good linguist and quite a number of
scholars were prepared for admission to college under his instruction.
It is said that he was also something of a poet. He published a eulogy
in verse on Washington, delivered Feb. 22, 1800.
After residing a few years at Bath, he left his eastern home unaccom
panied by any merftber of his family, and never returned. Previous to
1827, letters were occasionally received from him, but later his family
had no trace of his whereabouts. For a time he was engaged in teaching
in Pennsylvania, but when last heard from was in Delaware. He
married, in 1790, Mary Fulton, of Topsham, by whom he had ten
children. She lived to an advanced age. One son, Asher Ellis, re
ceived the degree of M. D., at Bowdoin College in 1832, and settled
at Brunswick, Maine, Another son. Rev, Robert Fulton Ellis, became
a Baptist clergyman,
Ellis, Rev. Stephen, son of Stephen and Rebecca (Huntington)
Ellis, was born at Franklin, April 16, 1801, At an early age his parents
removed to Pennsylvania, Shortly afterwards he left his home and
entered the school of a maternal cousin. Rev, John C. Rudd, D. D,,
at Elizabethtown, New Jersey, where he remained as pupil and assist
ant teacher for about ten years. Having thus acquired a tolerably
thorough preliminary education, he entered upon the study of theology
under the direction of a Presbyterian clergyman in Elizabethtown,
where by close application he made rapid progress. In 1830 he was
licensed by the New London Association at New London, and soon
thereafter preached his first sermon at Franklin. After preaching
three years at West Stafford, Conn., where he declined an invitation to
settle permanently in the ministry, and two or three years in Susque
hanna county, Pennsylvania, he was finally ordained at Great Bend,
Pa., in 1836, After several years of faithful service at this place, he
removed to Delaware county. New York, first to the town of Meredith,
and finally to the village of Davenport, where he died Aug. 13, 1848,
of dysentery. He was everywhere esteemed as a faithful pastor. He
also labored actively and heartily to advance the benevolent enterprises
of the age, even to the end of life. In 1831, he married Lydia A,
Mott, a resident of his native place, who with one daughter survives
him, Fillmore, Rev. Amaziah, eldest son of Comfort and Zerviah (Bos-
worth) Fillmore, and grandson of the famous Capt. John Fillmore, was
Dorn at West Farms, Sept, 26, 1765, and early became a local preacher
of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was licensed as an exhorter,
5

JO
March 2, 1799, at Norwich, by Shadrich Bostwick, Presiding Elder,
ordained Deacon June 6, 1810, by Bishop Asbury, and ordained an
Elder June 13, 1823, at Providence, by Bishop George, He preached
many years before he was ordained Deacon or Elder, but his labors
were then and afterwards confined to his native town and the immediate
vicinity. He died April 5, 1 847,
Fillmore, Rev. Comfort Day, youngest brother of the above, was
born at Franklin, July 8, 1792, and also became a local Methodist
preacher. He took ministerial license about 1828, and Deacon's orders
in 1834, from Bishop Hedding. He also received from the same
prelate. Elder's orders in 1845. His field of labor was in his native
town and vicinity. His services were particularly sought for upon
funeral occasions. In 1848 he removed to the adjoining town of Lis
bon, and again in 1859, to Norwich, where he died July 9, 1867.
Fillmore, Rev. Daniel, eldest son of Rev. Amaziah Fillmore, was
born at Franklin, Dec. 29, 1787. Having well improved such advan
tages as the common district schools of Connecticut then afforded for
an education, he joined the Methodist Itinerancy in June, 1811, and
was appointed to the Falmouth circuit in Maine. He early rose to an
honorable position among his brethren, and filled many of the most
important stations in New England, as at Portland, Me., Portsmouth,
N, H,, Boston, Charlestown, Lynn, Nantucket and New Bedford,
Mass., and Providence, R. I. To each of these stations he was re-ap
pointed and remained two years at each term. He was for many years
Secretary of the New England Conference, the duties of which office
he discharged with distinguished ability. He was also an ardent and
active friend of education in the chuirch, and for several years performed
the duties of financial agent of the Wesleyan University for the Prov
idence Conference,
As one of the founders of Methodism, he most cheerfully shared in
the labors, struggles and poverty of its early years, and lived to witness
its successes and triumphs ; and to but few men in New England is this
branch of the church more indebted for its present prosperity. In
185 2 ^^ "^^^ P*^' upon the superannuated list. It may be said of him,
that he was one of the first generation of Methodist preachers in New
England, most of whom have passed away. He died at Providence,
R, I,, Aug, 13, 1858, leaving an example of christian faithfulness and
ministerial fidelity worthy of imitation.
Fillmore Rev. Hiel, fourth son of Rev, Amaziah Fillmore, was born
at Franklin, July 27, 1795, and became a local preacher of the Metho ¦

71
dist Episcopal Church, as did his father before him. In 1823 he was
authorized to exhort and hold meetings, by Isaac Jennison, a circuit
preacher. In 1832 he was ordained a Deacon at Proyidence, by Bishop
Hedding, and in 1846 was ordained an Elder at Norwich Falls, by
Bishop Waugh. He preached and performed other ministerial labors
in his own town and neighborhood as his services were required. He
died at Norwich, whither he had removed a few years previous, July
27, 1862.
Fillmore, Rev. yesse, is a Methodist clergyman, who now resides at
Providence, Rhode Island.
Hartshorne, Rev. Elijah, yr., son of Doctor Elijah Hartshorne, was
born at Franklin in 1 790, Under the instruction of his pastor. Rev,
Samuel Nott, he was prepared for college and graduated at Yale in the
class of 1815, A few years later he was licensed as a preacher, and
temporarily supplied many pulpits in the vicinity, but was never or
dained. He died at Franklin, Sept. 19, 1840, unmarried,
Huntington, Rev. Asahel, son of Barnabas and Anne (Wright)
Huntington, of the sixth generation from Simon Huntington, the emi
grant ancestor of the family, was born at West Farms, March 17, 1761.
He was prepared for college under the teaching of his pastor. Rev.
Samuel Nott, and entered Dartmouth where he graduated in 1786 with
the i rst honors of his class. His theological studies were pursued under
instruction of the Rev. Doctors Backus, of Somers, and Hart, of Gris
wold. He was ordained and settled as pastor of the congregational
church at Topsfield, Mass., Nov. 12, 1789, After a faithful ministry
of nearly twenty-four years to a devoted people, he died suddenly at
this plac , April 22, 1813, of malignant sore throat. He married, June
2, 1791, Alethea, daughter of Doctor Elisha Lord, of Pomfret, Conn.
The late Doctor Elisha Huntington, of Lowell, and the Hon. Asahel
Huntington, of Salem, were his sons,
Huntington, Rev. David, son of Ezra and Elizabeth (Huntington)
Huntington, of the sixth generation from Simon Huntington, the im
migrant ancestor of the family, was born at Franklin, April 24, 1788.
He was prepared for college under the instruction of Rev. Samuel Nott,
and entered Union at Schenectady, where he graduated in 1809. He
studied theology, and was ordained Deacon of the Protestant Episcopal
Church, by Bishop Hobart, in Trinity church. New York City in 1812;
and was ordained Priest in St, Paul's church, at Charlton, N. Y., three

72
years later. He was a devoted Episcopalian, though it is said that he
did not class himself either with the High Church or Low Church
party, maintaining that those who went beyond, or fell below the
accepted standards of the church, were equally in error. For several
of his last years he resided at Harpersville, N. Y., without parochial
charge. He died at this place, April 9, 1855.
Hyde, Rev. Alvan, D. D., son of Joseph Hyde by his first wife,
Abigail Abell, being of the sixth generation from William Hyde, the
Proprietor, was born at West Farms, Feb. 2, 1768, He was prepared
for college by his pastor. Rev, Samuel Nott, and graduated at Dart
mouth in the class of 1788, In the autumn of 1789, he placed him
self under the instruction of the Rev. (afterwards Dr.) Charles Backus,
of Somers, as a theological teacher, and was licensed to preach by the
Tolland Association of Congregational ministers the year following.
At the earnest solicitation of the church and society in Lee, Mass,, he
was ordained to the work of the gospel ministry in that place, June
6, 1792, The sermon on the occasion was preached by Rev, (after
wards Dr,) Samuel Nott,
It is said that Dr, Hyde's manner in the pulpit was solemn, grave
and earnest, but never impassioned. He spoke as one who felt that
" he must give account," and whose only aim was to win souls to Christ
by a clear and simple presentation of gospel truth. He had a high
reputation as a theological teacher, and assisted, at different times, be
tween thirty and forty young men in their preparation for the ministry.
He was also an active friend and patron of Williams College, and was
in some way officially connected with that institution for more than
thirty years. He died at his post, at Lee, Dec. 4, 1833, after an
eminently successful ministry of more than forty-one years' continuance.
An interesting memoir of him was published in 1835, In April, 1703,
he was married to Lucy, daughter of Benjamin Fessenden of Sandwich,
Mass, Of their eleven children only six survived the father.
Of his publications a list may be found in Dr, Sprague's Annals,
Vol, II, page 303,
Hyde, Rev. Charles, is a Congregational clergyman who has retired
from the pastoral office and now resides at Ellington, Conn,
Hyde, Rev. Eli, third son of Eli and Rhoda (Lathrop) Hyde, and
great-grandson of John Hyde of the third generation, was born at
West Farms, Jan. 20th, 1778, He was prepared for college by his
pastor. Rev, Samuel Nott, and graduated at Yale in the class of 1803.

73
After a thorough theological course of reading under the instruction of
Rev, Doctors Calvin Chapin, of Wethersfield, and Ciprian Strong, of
Chatham, he was ordained as a Presbyterian clergyman, at Oxford, N.
Y., in the spring of 1808. After a ministry of about four years at this
place, he was dismissed, and afterwards, in the summer of 1 8 1 2, he de
voted several months to missionary labor in northern New York, then
but sparsely settled. The next year he was installed in the ministry at
Amenia in the same State, and subsequently at Salem, Conn., and Salis
bury, Vt. As a religious teacher, he was eminently sound and scrip
tural in his theological views, and as a pastor, faithful and devoted to
his consecrated work. He died at Franklin, Oct. 3, 1856. In Nov.
1807, he was married to Sarah, daughter of Rev. Samuel Nott, who still
survives him,
Hyde, Rev. yohn, eldest son of Vaniah and Rebecca (Barker)
Hyde, and great-grandson of Thomas Hyde of the third generation
from William, the Proprietor, was born at West Farms, July 7, 1776,
Having been prepared for college by his pastor. Rev, Samuel Nott, he
entered Yale, where he graduated in the class of 1803, After devoting
the usual period to a theological course under Rev, Asahel Hooker,
then of Goshen, but afterwards of Norwich, Conn,, he was ordained
pastor of the Congregational church at Hamden, Conn., in April,
1806, which charge he resigned after a ministry of about five years.
He was installed in 1812 pastor of the church in Preston, Conn., where
he remained fifteen years. He was then dismissed, and in the spring
of 1828 was again installed at North Wilbraham, Mass., where he re
mained about five years. After this he preached in various places, but
did not again become a settled pastor. Mr. Hyde died at Franklin,
much respected and beloved, Aug. 14, 1848, aged 72 years. He mar
ried, April 22, 1806, Susan, daughter of Rev. Samuel Nott. She
died at West Killingly in 1842.
Hyde, Rev. Lavius, third son of Joseph Hyde by his second wife,
Julitta Abell, and great-grandson of Thomas of the third generation,
being the sixth from William Hyde, the Proprietor, was born at Frank
lin, Jan. 29, 1789. He graduated at Williams College in 1813, studied
theology at Andover, and was ordained pastor of the Congregational
church at Salisbury, Conn., in 1818, In 1824 he was installed over
the church in Bolton, Conn., and was afterwards pastor at Ellington,
Conn., Wayland and Becket, Mass., and was finally re-settled at Bolton,
When 70 years of age, in accordance with a previously expressed pur
pose, he retired from the pastoral office and became a resident at Vernon,
Mr, Hyde was a man of extensive research and of rare attainments.

74
He was the author of an interesting memoir of his half-brother. Rev,
Alvan Hyde, D. D., published in 1835, and was the friend and literary
executor of Carlos Wilcox, and published his biography, with selections
from his writings. He was possessed of much warmth of religious feeling,
and was everywhere regarded as a faithful and devoted pastor, He died
at Vernon, April 3, 1865. He was married in 1818, to Alice Bradley, of
Stockbridge, Mass., who, with one son and three daughters, survives him.
Ladd, Rev. Beaufort, is a retired Congregational clergyman who,
at the present time, resides at Victory, Cayuga county, N. Y.
Moseley, Rev. Peabody, son of Increase and Mary Moseley, born at
West Farms, Aug. 19, 1724, became a Baptist clergyman and resided
and preached successively at Norwich, Mansfield, and Granby, Conn.
He married Mary, eldest daughter of Capt. Jacob Hyde, Aug. 2, 1748.
About the year 1780, he and his wife and a part of his children, joined
the society of Shakers at New Lebanon, N. Y,, where he died in Sept,,
1791, Mrs. Moseley survived him about 25 years, and finally died
with the Shakers at New Lebanon.
Munsell, Rev. yabez, youngest son of Henry and Sarah (Hyde)
Munsell, was born at West Farms, about 1769. He was prepared for
college under Rev. Samuel Nott, and graduated at Dartmouth in the
class of 1794; took a second degree at Yale in 1799; was settled as a
Congregational minister at Gill, Mass., in 1802 ; resigned his charge in
1805, and removed to Richmond, Va., where he died in 1832.
Nott, Rev. Eliphalet, D. D., son of Stephen and Deborah (Selden)
Nott, being of the fifth generation from John Nott, Sen., of Wethers
field, was born at Ashford, Conn., June 25, 1773, but Frankhn early
became his adopted home. It is said that he was favored with an ex
cellent mother ; and it is, doubtless, due to the fostering care of this
tireless woman, that the foundations for his future eminence were early
and securely laid. His subsequent preliminary education was acquired
mainly under the instruction of his brother. Rev. Samuel Nott, D. D.
Although he received the degree of Master of Arts from Brown Uni
versity in 1795, he had not the benefit of a regular collegiate course of
instruction ; but the want of this, however, was compensated by a
natural facility in acquiring knowledge. Having studied theology under
the Rev. Joel Benedict, D. D., of Plainfield, Conn., he was licensed
and sent out as a Missionary to Central New York. Not long after
wards, he established himself as a clergyman and principal of an acad
emy at Cherry Valley, then a frontier settlement in that state. In

75
1 798 he become pastor of the Presbyterian church, in Albany, where
he remained for the next six years, and at this period he had few equals
in pulpit eloquence in the country. In 1804 he delivered his very
eloquent discourse upon the death of Hamilton which, doubtless, secured
his appointment in that year, as fourth President of Union College,
He continued to manage the affairs of this Institution with extraordi
nary ability for a period of more than sixty years, and under his guid
ance such men as Francis Wayland, William H, Seward and Judge
Kent, were raised up to shed luster upon the present age.
President Nott, in his intercourse with his pupils, had the rare faculty
of inspiring in them a sense of self-respect, and o calling forth their
earnest, manly qualities of head and heart. Of an original cast of mind,
developed by elaborate culture, he had large inventive powers, which I e
did not fail to devote to useful purposes, for he took out, at different
times, more than thirty patents for the generation and application of
heat, including that for the celebrated stove bearing his name.
He died at Schenectady, Jan, 29, 1866, aged 92 years.
His published works are. Addresses to Young Men, Temperance Ad
dresses, and a volume of Sermons,
Nott, Rev. yohn W., is an Episcopal clergyman; resides at Frost-
burgh, Md,, and is without parochial charge. He is at present employed
in teaching,
Nott, Rev. Samuel, yr., son of Rev. Samuel Nott, D. D., and
Lucretia (Taylor) Nott, was born in Franklin, Sept. 11, 1788. He
was prepared for college by his father, and entered Union, where he
graduated in 1808. He then entered the theological seminary at
Andover, where he remained about one year. Having obtained a min
isterial license, he preached in various pulpits during the next two or
three years, after which he was ordained in the Tabernacle church, at
Salem, Mass., Feb. 6, 1812, with Newell, Judson, Hall and Rice, and
the same month sailed for Calcutta to enter the foreign field as a mis
sionary to the heathen, being one of the little band of pioneers sent
forth by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions,
then but recently organized. He returned from India to this country
in Aug., 1816. Shortly afterwards he took charge of a school composed
of young ladies, in the city of New York, which he continued to con
duct till the spring of 1823, when he removed to Galway, in the same
state, and became the pastor of the Presbyterian church in that place.
This relation was dissolved in 1829, when he removed to Wareham,
Mass., and became the pastor of the Congregational church in that

76
town. He was dismissed from this charge in 1846, but continued to
reside in the place for the next twenty years, employed much of the
time in teaching. The last year of his life was passed at the residence
of his son, in Hartford, Conn., where he died June 1, 1869. He mar
ried, Feb. 8, 1812, Roxanna Peck, also of Franklin, who with their
seven children survives him.
His published works, most of which appeared at an early date, are
"Sermons for Children," 3 vols. ; " Sermons from the Fowls of the Air
and Lilies of the Field "; " Sermons on Public Worship "; " Appeal
to the Temperate "; " Temperance and Religion "; " Freedom of the
Mind "; " The Telescope "; " A Sermon on the Idolatry of the
Hindoos "; " A Discourse on the Death of President Harrison "; etc.
Nott, Rev. Stephen T., youngest son of Rev. Samuel Nott, D. D.,
was born at Franklin, June 20, 1802. He fitted for college under the
instruction of his father, and graduated at Union in 1822. He also
acquired a competent knowledge of theology under the paternal roof;
obtained a ministerial license from the New London Association of
Congregational ministers, and preached in a number of pulpits in this
and the adjoining States, but was never ordained. He died at the
family mansion in Franklin, July 23, 1828, unmarried.
Prentice, Rev. Erastus L., is a Methodist clergyman ; belongs to
the New York Conference, and resides at Poughkeepsie in that State.
Rudd, Rev. yohn Churchill, D. D., son of Jonathan and Mary
(Huntington) Rudd, was born at West Farms, May 24, 1779, He
was prepared for Yale College by Rev, Samuel Nott, but from adverse
circumstances he was prevented from taking a collegiate course. He
was educated a congregationalist, but it is said that he felt some difficulty,
even at an early period, respecting the distinctive features of Calvinism,
and the result of his reading and reflection was only to establish him
in the Episcopal system ; and he was accordingly admitted to Deacon's
Orders, by Bishop Moore in 1805, and to Priests' Orders by the same
venerable prelate the year following. After a few months of missionary
labor on Long Island, at the suggestion of Bishop Moore, he took charge
of St, John's Parish, Elizabethtown, N. J., and shortly afterwards was
instituted its rector. While at this place, he edited the " Churchman's
Magazine," a religious periodical. In 1826 he resigned his charge in
consequence of failing health and voice, and removed to Auburn, N. Y.,
to take charge of an academy. The year following he commenced
another religious periodical, " The Gospel Messenger," which he con-

77
tinned to conduct to the end of his life. In 1822 he received the
honorary degree of D, D,, from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr,
Rudd died at Utica, N, Y,, Nov, 15, 1848, He married, in 1803,
Phebe Eliza, daughter of Edward Bennet, of Shrewsbury, N, J,, but
had no children.
Smith, Rev. yoshua, second son of Joshua and Elizabeth (Harts
horne) Smith, was born at Franklin, March 1, 1809. After a thorough
preparation for college, he graduated at Yale in the class of 1833, He
was subsequently employed for some time in teaching, and then entered
the theological seminary at Alexandria, Va., to qualify himself for the
ministry of the Protestant Episcopal Church. After graduating at the
seminary, he was ordained Deacon by the Rt. Rev. Richard Channing
Moore, Jan. 10, 1840, and shortly after went as a missionary of the
Protestant Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, to Cape Palmas,
Western Africa, He returned to the United States in 1844, and re
sided successively at Batavia, Rochester and Buffalo, N. Y., and finally
removed to Newark, N, J,, in 1853, He was ordained Priest by Bishop
Doane, April 28, 1863, and took charge of a colored congregation in
Newark, where he died Aug. 19, 1865, unmarried.
Stanton, Rev. Robert P., is now pastor of the Congregational church
at Greenville, Conn,
Willes, Rev. Daniel, E., is an Episcopal clergyman, and resides at
Hobart, Albany county, N. Y,

Note G.
PHYSICIANS OF WEST FARMS, NOW FRANKLIN.
The medical profession in ancient Norwich was more than respectable ;
was distinguished. As practitioners, several of its members had few
¦superiors in the country, and West Farms had her full proportion of
men of ability. The first that we shall notice as coming under our
observation, was
Dr. yohn Olmstead, or Holmstead, who came to Norwich from
Saybrook with the colony of settlers in 1660, and was classed as one of
the Original Proprietors. Though originally located at the Town Plot,
he was, for a considerable time, the sole physician of the settlement at
West Farms. He was something of a surgeon, and is said to have had
considerable skill in the treatment of wounds, particularly those caused

78
by the bite of the rattlesnake. He was fond of frontier life and enjoyed
in a high degree the sports of the chase. He died in 1686.
Dr. Solomon Tracy was the next physician in the order of time.
He was the fifth son of Lieut. Thomas, and came to Norwich in 1660 with
his father, at the age of nine years. When of suitable age he was in
structed in the healing art by Dr. Olmstead, and located in business at
the Town Plot. As his elder brother, John, had settled at West Farms,
he was drawn thither, and for a considerable time was the sole physician
in this section. He died July 9, 1732.
Dr. David Hartshorne was the earHest physician who actually settled
at Norwich West Farms. Dr. Hartshorne was born in Reading, Massa
chusetts, 1656. He first located in business in his native town, where
he continued till about the year 1700, when he removed to this place.
In his new field of labor he was highly esteemed as a physician, and was
a leading man both in civil and ecclesiastical affairs. He was also one of
the original deacons of the church, and generally held in trust the funds
of the society. Dr. Hartshorne died November 3d, 1738.
Dr. Robert Bell, from Ipswich, father-in-law of Capt. John Fillmore,
was a cotemporary of Dr. Hartshorne, and was located near the present
village of Baltic. He died Aug. 23, 1727,
Dr. yohn Sabin was born in Pomfret, Windham county, Connecti
cut, 1696. Removing early to Portapaug, he acquired an extensive
practice. Upon his tombstone it is stated that he was captain of one
of the Norwich foot companies. The fact that he was several times
deputed as agent to transact important business with the legislature,
shows that he was held in estimation. He married for second wife,
Nov. 3d, 1730, Hannah Starr, of Dedham; died March 2d, 1742.
Dr. Sabin was the ancestor of Hon. LaFayette S. Foster, U. S. Sen
ator from Connecticut and Vice President of the Senate.
Dr. Thomas Warden should certainly be noticed as among the early
physicians at West Farms. He was a son of Samuel Worden, read
medicine with Dr. Hartshorne, and resided upon the hillside a short dis
tance south-west from the village of Baltic. Although his advantages
were slender and his location obscure, and although his death occurred
more than a century ago, (1759,) yet his name has been handed down
to our own time in connection with a prescription which he originally
used in his practice. Dec. 17, 1728, the town voted to Dr. Thomas
Worden " for travel and Medisons applied to Ebenezer Hunter's child,
3-"

79
As indicating the public solicitude early manifested for the unfortu
nate poor, we add a few items from the records. —
"Jan. 4, 1726-7, voted to allow Dr. David Hartshorne, for services
to Gaylor, £0. 7s. od."
"To Thomas Blythe, for tending Gaylor, £2. 2s. od."
"To 13 watchers with Gaylor, 2S. each per night, £2. 2S. od."
December 19, 1727, "To Thomas Blythe, for digging Gaylor's
grave, £0. 5s. od."
July 5, 1727, "The inhabitants do now by their vote, agree to allow
to each man that watches with Micah Rood, two shillings per night.
Also to those who have attended said Rood by the day, three shillings
per day,"
"Dec. 17, 1728, to Jacob Hyde, for digging Micah Rood's grave,
£0. 4s, od."
Dr. Theophilus Rogers was born at Lynn, Massachusetts, October
4th, 1699, the sixth in descent from John Rogers, the proto-martyr,
who was burned at Smithfield, February 4th, 1555. Dr. Rogers studied
his profession, and practiced for a while, in Boston. Afterwards he
removed to Norwich West Farms, where he entered upon a wide sphere
of usefulness. Dr. Roger's name has come down to us in connection
with striking eccentricities. While he possessed firmness and good
judgment as a physician, his natural timidity was excessive. It is said
that he built his house, which is still standing, [the residence of the late
Jason W, Kingsley] very low between joints in order to avoid danger
from high winds, and covered the windows with wooden shutters, to
keep out the glare of lightning. Whenever called abroad in the night,
he preferred to have some one accompany him. He died Sept. 29,
1753. His wife died on the 17th of November, of the same year, and
both sleep in one grave.
Dr. Ezekiel Rogers, eldest son of the above, was born October 2,
1723. Talented and amiable, he entered upon his professional career
with bright prospects. But the hopes of many friends were doomed to
disappointment, for in the flower of youth he died, Nov. 11, 1745.
Dr. yohn Barker, whose residence was located in the eastern part
of the West Farms Society, was the eldest son of John and Hannah
(Brewster) Barker, and was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, in 1729.
The ordinary school advantages of that day he carefully improved. As
a medical student in the office of Dr. Joseph Perkins, his close appHca-
tion, keen insight into the mysteries of disease, and particularly his

8o
quick and accurate interpretation of equivocal symptoms, gave certain
promise of future success. Commencing business in 1750, he labored
in the same field for more than forty years, till stricken down by sudden
death. As a physician. Dr. Barker enjoyed an enviable popularity, both
with the public and the profession. He was extensively employed in
consultation throughout eastern Connecticut, and great deference was
yielded to his opinions.
He was one of the original memorialists who petitioned the legisla
ture for a medical society. Not discouraged by that attempt, he and
his compeers persevered till, ten or twelve years later, their efforts
resulted in the organization of a voluntary association, with Dr. Barker
for its first President. To this position he was annually re-elected so
long as he lived.
Many anecdotes of Dr. Barker are still preserved. For these we
have no room. But even without collateral evidence, these would show
that he was a man of sparkling wit, quick perceptions, sound common
sense, and not least, generous heart. It was to these strong and noble
traits of character that he owed his success, for he was not graced with
elegance of person or polish of manner, nor did his pointed repartees
derive their force from any fastidious selection of words. His careless
and slovenly habits led a cotemporary to remark, —
" Barker, a. diamond, was both coarse and rough.
But yet a diamond was, of sterling worth."
He died June 13, 1791, of cholera morbus. On the 1 9th of September
following. Dr. Philemon Tracy, by appointment, delivered a eulogy on
his life and character, before the New London Co. Medical Society.
Dr. Obadiah Kingsbury, son of Ephraim Kingsbury, was born at
West Farms, 1735. He studied with Dr. Barker, and located in his
native parish. Though dying in 1776, at an early age, he accumulated,
by his industry, a handsome estate.
Dr. Nathaniel Hyde was born at West Farms, 1 746, and was the
fourth son of Abner Hyde. He studied with Dr. Barker, who had mar
ried his sister, and located in West Farms near the residence of the late
Tommy Hyde. He was a judicious practitioner, though his remedies
were chiefly of a domestic character. His field of labor was limited,
and he had abundant leisure, which was devoted to reading and medita
tion. The English classics were his favorite field, and he could recite
the whole of Paradise Lost from memory. He is said to have done most
of his business on foot. Dr. Hyde never married; died 1832,

Dr. Benjamin Ellis, son of Rev. John Ellis, was born at West
Farms, 1752, He studied with Dr. Joshua Downer of Preston, and
settling at West Farms, acquired an extensive practice, particularly in
the department of obstetrics. Dr, Ellis died in 1825,
Dr. Elijah Hartshorne was born at West Farms, 1754. He studied
with Dr. Phillip Turner, and located in the southern part of his native
society. Dr. Hartshorne was a careful and judicious practitioner. His
field was a circumscribed one, and he did his business on foot. His
death occurred in 1839,
These three cotemporaries were succeeded by Dr. Reuben Burgess,
who died in 1833.
The Writer located in Franklin, in 1829, and has been the sole
practitioner of the place since 1833.
Thus much for the resident physiciaijs of Franklin. We subjoin
brief notices of those natives of Franklin who have located as physicians
in other places : —
Dr. Christopher Huntington was the eldest son of Christopher, of West
Farms, and grandson of Christopher, the first male child born in Norwich,
Dr, Huntington located in Bozrah, and appears to have been the sole phy
sician of New Concord, during its early history; died in 1800,
He married, September 29, 1748, Sarah Bingham, and had six chil
dren, of whom the youngest, Christopher, became a physician.
Dr. Theophilus Rogers, yr., was the son of Dr. Theophilus Rogers,
of West Farms, with whom he studied his professson. He located at
Bean Hill. The labors of an extensive practice, he performed, accord
ing to the usual custom, on horseback. In the revolution. Dr. Rogers
was a staunch whig, a member of the committee of safety, and very
active in the cause of liberty.
He married, March 25, 1754, Penelope Jarvis, of Roxbury, and had
one son and three daughters. He died, September 29, 1801, aged 70,
He was noted for rigid adherence to etiquette and nicety in matters of
dress and appearance. Habitual courtesy, gracefiil manners, and skill in
the winsome play of conversation, threw a charm around his presence
which was felt alike by young and old.
The name and family have been distinguished in both the medical
and clerical professions, on each side of the Atlantic,
Dr. Elisha Tracy, son of Captain Joseph Tracy, was born at West
Farms., in 1712, and graduated at Yale College in 1738, It was the

82
wish of his friends that he should enter the ministry, but yielding to his
own predelictions, he commenced the study of medicine under the di
rection of Dr. Theophilus Rogers, Sen., and settled in business in Nor
wich. He possessed thorough classical scholarship, and was well versed
in medical liierature.
In 177s, Dr. Tracy was appointed one of the members of a commit
tee to examine all candidates applying for situations in the army, either
as surgeons or assistant surgeons.
For his earnest advocacy of inoculation for small pox, he encountered
a storm of prejudice and persecution. By two grand jurors of the
county he was presented "for communicating the small pox, by inocu
lation, to Elijah Lathrop and Benjamin Ward, both of Norwich, afore
said, and sundry other persons, against the peace, and contrary to the
laws of this state." Pleading guilty to the charge, he was held in a
recognizance of sixty pounds, to appear and answer before the county
court. He was fortunate, however, in living to see his own views very
generally adopted by the community.
Dr, Tracy was the author of the inscription in memory of Samuel,
Uncas,* that brought to light the obscure Indian word, " Wauregan,"
which has since acquired great local popularity.
After an active Hfe of forty-five years, he died, in 1783, widely be
loved and lamented.
Dr. Samuel H. Barker, son of Dr. John Barker, born at West
Farms, in 1753, studied medicine with his father, and located in busi
ness at Lebanon Crank, now Columbia, where he died, June 11, 1794,
much lamented.
In an obituary notice by one of his pupils, we find the following : —
" If worth and merit from death's jaws could save.
Barker, our friend, had always shunned the grave."
Dr. Phineas Hyde, son of Phineas Hyde and maternal grandson of
Dr. Theophilus Rogers, was born at West Farms, 1 749, He practiced
successively at Poquetanock and ystic. During the Revolution he was
a surgeon in the service both in the army and navy, i e died in 1820,

* The epitaph is as follows : —
" For beauty, wit, for sterling sense,
For temper mild, for eloquence,
For courage bold, for things wauregan,
He was the glory of Moheagan —
Whose death has caused great lamentation
Both in ye English and ye Indian nation."

83
Dr. Luther Waterman was born at West Farms about 1750. He
married Jerusha, daugherof his preceptor. Dr. Barker, He was attached
as surgeon to the forces under Colonel Knowlton, during the campaign
of 1776, After the war he removed to the west.
Dr. Gurdon Huntington, son of Dea. Barnabas, was born at West
Farms, in 1768, His preliminary studies were under the direction of
his pastor. Rev, Samuel Nott, and in medicine he was the pupil of Dr,
Lord, He located in business at Unadilla, N, Y,, where he died,
July 13, 1847,
Dr. Asher Huntington, son of Ezra, was born at West Farms, Feb.
25, 1770, He studied medicine under the direction of Dr. Philemon
Tracy, and commenced practi e i 1 Preston, Conn., but not very long
afterwards removed to Chenango, N, Y,, where he died, in 1833,
Dr. Abel Huntington was born at West Farms, 1777. He located
at East Hampton, Long Island, was a member of the New York
senate, and from 1833 to 1837 represented his district in congress, be
sides filling other offices from time to time, and always worthily. Died,
1858,

Note H,
Biographical sketches of individuals not included in
the clerical or medical professions.
Foster, LaFayette S., LL.D., was born at Franklin, Nov. 22d,
1806, being a direct descendant of the famous Capt. Miles Standish,
and also a lineal descendant of Doctor John Sabin, an early phy
sician at West Farms. He graduated at Brown University in 1828;
became a lawyer by profession, and located in business in Norwich, where
he now resides. He was a member of the General Assembly of Connec
ticut for six sessions, between 1839 and 1854, during three of which he
was Speaker of the House ; was Mayor of the city of Norwich several
years, and was chosen a senator in congress for a term o' six years fro i
March 4, 1855, Having been re-elected to that office, he remained in
the senate for a period of twelve years, during the last two of which
h was President of that body, and acting Vice President of the United
States, and in the event of a vacancy would have become President by
virtue of his office. He has recently been elected to the Professorship
of Law, in Yale College,

84
Fillmore, Hon. Millard, eldest son of Nathaniel Fillmore, and
great-grandson of Captain John Fillmore, (of whom a brief notice has
already been given,) was born, Jan, 7, 1800, not in Franklin, but Sum
mer Hill, N, Y, Though not a native of Franklin, the Fillmore fam
ily has so long resided in this locality, and been so identified with its
history, that by common consent we claim this distinguished individual
as belonging to us.
At the age of nineteen years he commenced the study of law, and
four years later was admitted to the bar and entered upon his profes
sional career at Aurora, N, Y. His political life commenced with his
election to the State Assembly in 1829, at about which period he
removed to Buffalo, where he now resides. In 1832, he was elected to
Congress, and continued to hold a seat in the national legislature, with
one or two short interruptions, till 1843, when he declined a re-election.
In 1847 he was elected to the office of Comptroller of the State, and
the next year was nominated by the whig party as their candidate for
Vice President, and was elected to that office in the autumn following.
In March, 1849, he assumed the duties of his new position, where he
remained till the death of President Taylor, in July, 1850, by which
event he was elevated to the presidential chair. His term of office
expired in 1853, after which he retired from public life,
Hyde, Lieut. Governor Ephraim H., was born at Stafford, Conn,
He is a lineal descendant of the first Thomas Hyde of West Farms, now
Franklin, who was of the third generation from William the Proprietor,
Gov. Hyde's tastes naturally incline to agriculture, and he has devoted
the greater part of his life to this pursuit. He has probably been the
pioneer of scientific agriculture in this state. He was one of the earliest
breeders of Durham stock, and in 1851 began to breed the celebrated
Devon stock, and is now the largest breeder in New England, if not in
the United States. When Gov. Hyde began breeding imported stock, the
sentiment of farmers generally was strongly against it. But, with one or two
associates, he persevered, and soon fully established the superiority of the
new animals. It is not too much to say that this demonstration of the ca
pabilities of stock culture has revolutionized the ideas, if not yet the
practice, of the entire farming community of the state. Gov, Hyde also
early advocated a greater application of scientific knowledge to the culture
of crops, and has been an earnest worker in this field, where the majority
of our farmers strangely reject the aid which science stands ready to
offer. He was one of a few who received a charter for the Conn. State
Agricultural Society, in 1852, and has been connected with the Society
in an official capacity since its organization, and since 1859, as president.

^c

^rZ^o^i?

LIEUT. " DV. OF CON

85
He was also active in securing the organization of the State Board of
Agriculture, in 1866, and has been Vice President of the Board from
the first. He was also zealous in forming the Tolland Co, Agricultural
Society, and has been its chief officer for a majority of the years.
Gov, Hyde is not an active politician, though he has often been called
to political office. He was several times the representative of Stafford
in the legislature, and in 1867 was elected Lieutenant Governor of the
State, to which office he was re-elected the following year.
Kingsbury, Col. yacob, was born at Norwich West Farms, June 6,
1756, and was a great-grandson of Joseph Kingsbury, Sr., one of the
first deacons of the West Farms church. This ancestor was a resident
at Haverhill, Mass., at the time of the Indian massacre in 1708, whence,
in June of the same year, he removed with his wife. Love (Ayer,) to
West Farms, We may presume that he was drawn hither by the influ
ence of the veteran, John Ayer, a kinsman of his wife. On the ma
ternal side Col, Kingsbury was descended from Gen. Daniel Dennison,
Gov. Thomas Dudley and Sir Richard Saltonstall, prominent members
of the early colonies.
The ringing call that sounded from Concord over the land, met a
quick response from him, and he at once hastened to join the army at
Roxbury, and enlisted in the company commanded by his cousin, Capt,
Asa Kingsbury, He remained constantly in service, and was, in 1780,
commissioned Ensign, in which capacity he served till the end of the
war. At its close he was promoted to a Lieutenantcy, and assigned to
the western army, where he continued uninterruptedly for fourteen years.
During the last nine years of this period, to use his own words, he was
"not absent from military duty one hour." This frontier service in
those days of ambuscades and massacres, when the posts were weak and
widely separated, but the foe numerous and ever on the alert, was one
of the greatest toil and danger. Ceaseless vigilance was the only price
of safety. He here received the well earned promotions of Captain and
Major. The following General Order bears witnesss to the soldierly
qualities of Lieut, Kingsbury, and well illustrates the exigencies of the
early border service. Fort Washington, 14th January, 1791.
Extract of General Orders :
The General is highly pleased with the cool and spirited conduct
displayed by Lieutenant Kingsbury in repulsing a body of about 300
savages, who surrounded Dunlap's station on Monday morning last and
6

86
besieged it, endeavoring to set it on fire with their arrows, and keeping
up a heavy fire against his small party for the space of twenty-five hours,
##**## This spirited defence made by Lieut, Kingsbury,
with so small a force as 35 men total, old and young, sick and well, and
in such bad works, reflects the greatest credit upon him and his party.
The General returns his thanks to him, and directs that the Adjutant
transmit him a copy of these orders by the first conveyance,
JOS, HARMAR, Brig. General.
In 1799 he returned to Connecticut upon a furlough, where he spent
the two following years in the recruiting service, and married his wife.
Miss Sally P, Ellis, But in 1802, he was again ordered to the frontier,
and stationed among the Creek Indians, in Georgia, Toward the close
of the following year he was appointed Lieut, Colonel, and transferred
to the western army, whence he was shortly transferred to the south
western army, where he remained for several years, and in 1809 became
Colonel. His services in the south-west covered the years in which
Aaron Burr figured largely in that section. Burr called several times at
the headquarters of Col. Kingsbury, and was evidently anxious to enlist
his sympathies. But the two never met. Col, Kingsbury regarded
him with suspicion, and was unwilling to compromise his own honor by
intercourse with him.
Very early in the war of 1812, Col, Kingsbury was stationed at
Detroit, and, as he once stated to the writer, was offered the command
at that post which subsequently devolved upon Gen, Hull, and which
he himself could not accept, as he was unable to leave his quarters
on account of sickness. He was afterwards assigned to the command of
Fort Adams, in Newport harbor. While in command at this post, he
was appointed Inspector General of the New England forces, in which
capacity he served till the close of the war, when he retired to his home
in Franklin, He died at Franklin, July 1, 1837,
Colonel Kingsbury was a man of unswerving honor and integrity,
and followed unflinchingly the path of duty. These qualities were
strikingly exemplified throughout the nearly fifty years of his military
life, and won for him universal respect and esteem. In the Senate of
the United States, Gen, William H, Harrison, mentioning him as the first
Captain under whom he served, truly remarked, that neither "Rome
nor Sparta ever produced a better soldier,"
Mason, yeremiah, LL.D., was born at Lebanon Conn,, April 27,
1 768, but his father and several of his elder sisters were born at West

87
Farms, at the old family mansion. He was the second son of Col,
Jeremiah Mason, and a lineal descendant of Major John Mason, Des
tined for an education and for professional life, he entered Yale College,
where he graduated with high honors in 1788, After devoting several
years to study in the law office of the Hon, Stephen Rowe Bradley, of
Vermont, he was admitted to the bar in that state in 1791, and shortly
afterwards commenced his professional career at Walpole, N, H., but
was soon inclined by his rapidly growing popularity to seek a broader
field for practice, and removed to Portsmouth in the same State, where
he became the personal and, as the event proved, life-long friend of
Daniel Webster, In 1802 he was appointed Attorney General of that
State, and from 1813 to 1817 was a leading member of the United
States Senate, but resigned his seat for the purpose of devoting himself
more exclusively to his profession, in which he was profoundly learned,
particularly in the department of common law.
He removed to Boston in 1832, where he died in 1848, He will be
remembered by many as the learned and successful advocate of Rev,
Ephraim K, Avery, when on trial for the murder of Sarah Maria
Cornell, Tracy, Hon. Uriah, son of Eliphalet and great-grandson of John
Tracy, the Proprietor, was born at West Farms, Feb. 2, 1755, Being
destined for professional life he entered Yale College, where he gradu
ated in 1778 ; afterwards read law in Litchfield; settled in that town,
and soon rose to eminence in his profession. He often represented his
town in the State Legislature, and in 1793 was Speaker of the
House. He was a representative in Congress from 1793 to 1796, and
from that time onward to 1807 was a leading member of the United
States Senate, and a part of the time President pro, tem. of that branch
of Congress. He was also a Major-General of militia, and is said to
have been an instructive and agreeable companion, ' He died at the
national capitol, July 19, 1807, and was the first to be interred in the
congressional burying ground.

Note I.
We append a list of missionaries raised up in Franklin. As the lists
heretofore published have been more or less inaccurate, we extend the
present list so as to embrace the whole of the original town of Norwich,

Year.

Narae.

Mission.

1761-

—Rev. Samson Occum,

Oneida,

1766-

—Rev. Samuel Kirtland,

Oneida.

1771-

—Rev. David Avery,

Oneida.

1795-

-Rev. Eliphalet Nott, D. D.,

Central Kew York,

1806-

-Rev. John Churchill Rudd, D D.,

Long Island,

1812-

-Rev. Samuel Nott, Jr.,

Mahratta,

1812-

-Mrs. Nott, (Roxana Peck,)

Mahratta,

1812-

-Rev. Eli Hyde,

Northern New York

1819-

—Rev. Miron Winslow,

Ceylon,

l8lg-

—Mrs. Winslow, (Harriet L. Lathrop,)

Ceylon,

1820-

-Rev. William Potter,

Cherokee,

1825-

—Rev. William H, Manwaring,

Cherokee,

1826-

—Rev, Anson Gleason,

Choctaw.

1826-

-Mrs. Gleason, (B. W. Tracy,)

Choctaw.

1827-

-Mrs. Gulic, (Fanny H. Thomas,)

Sandwich Islands,

1827-

-Mrs. EH Smith, (Sarah L. Huntington,)

Syria,

1835-

-Mrs. Perry, (Harriet L. Lathrop,)

Ceylon,

1835-

-Rev. James T. Dickinson,

Singapore,

1836-

-Rev, William Tracy,

Madura,

1836-

-Mrs. Cherry, (Charlotte H. Lathrop,)

Madura.

1839-

-Mrs. Brewer, (Laura L. Giddings,)

Oregon.

1839-

-Mrs. Cherry, (Jane E, Lathrop,)

Ceylon.

1840-

-Rev, Joshua Smith,

Africa,

1844-

-Miss Lucinda Downer,

Choctaw.

1844-

-Miss Susan Tracy,

Choctaw.

1848-

-Mrs, C, C, Copeland, (Cornelia Ladd,)

Choctaw,

1849-

-Miss Eunice Starr,

Choctaw,

1852-

-Miss EHzabeth Backus,

Choctaw,

1852-

-Mrs. H. B. Haskell, (Sarah J, Brewster,)

Assyrian Mission.

1852-

-Rev, Nathan L, Lord, M, D,,

Ceylon.

185s-

-Rev, William Aitchison,

China,

1860-

-Rev. WilHam F. Arms,

Bulgaria,

89
Note J,
The Portipaug, or Norwich Eighth Society,
A history of West Farms, or the second society in Norwich, would
evidently be incomplete without further allusion to the ecclesiastical
history of the eighth society, and a brief sketch of that organization
will now be attempted. We have seen that a bitter sectional contro
versy existed in the second society for a period of about twenty years,
during which time the second church edifice was erected, near the site
of the first, in the face of fierce and constant opposition; the factious
minority adding to their other opposition, threats of separation, and
frequently petitioning the society and General Assembly to that effect.
At length, both parties having tired of agitation, it was voted in society
meeting', in 1758, "that a number of inhabitants in the north-east part
of the Society have leave to withdraw and form a separate organization."
This action of the society was confirmed in 1761, when what was ori
ginally the north-eastern section of the second, became the eighth society
in Norwich. The boundary lines were essentially the same as those that
have existed in our own day. The eighth society held its first meeting,
June 29, 1761, at which Capt, Jacob Hyde was chosen Moderator,
William Brett, Clerk, and Capt, Jacob Hyde, Capt, Benajah Sabin and
Capt, John Fillmore, a committee.
As the individuals constituting the disaffected party counted upon a
final separation as only a question of time, they were careful to secure
the material composing the first church edifice when it was removed to
make room for the second. This was subsequently erected upon a rise
of ground a short distance south-east of the residence of Austin Ladd,
upon the opposite side of the highway. A church evidently had been
organized, which adopted the peculiarities of the Separatists of that day,
a number of years anterior to the legal division of the society ; for, as
early as Oct, 29, 1746, Thomas Denison was ordained their pastor,
which office he continued to hold for about twelve years. This Thomas
Denison is said to have been the owner of the ground upon which this
first meeting house was erected. Within one month after its organiza
tion, July 21st, 1761, the society voted "to concur with the church in
extending an invitation to Rev, Isaac Foster to settle in the work of the
gospel ministry among us on the conditions mentioned in the warning,"
This vote was rescinded January 19th, 1762, But outside troubles
have hardly ceased before domestic feuds threaten still greater difficulty.
On the nth of June, 1762, the society find it necessary to join with

90
the church in mutual council concerning the difficulties existing in their
midst, and also to invoke the arbitration of the General Association,
On the 12th of September, 1763, the vote of invitation to Rev,
Isaac Foster to become their pastor, was renewed and a committee was
appointed to repair to Harvard and Ipswich, Mass,, where Mr. Foster
had formerly resided, to enquire concerning his moral character. The
investigations of their committee resulted in a second rescission of the
invitation to Mr. Foster*.
It was next voted. May 9th, 1764, to invite some licensed orthodox
candidate that hath been liberally educated, to preach the gospel in said
society. Soon afterwards. Rev. Joseph Denison was employed for a
number of Sabbaths to supply the pulpit. Mr. Denison had graduated
at Yale College the year previous and stood well with the Separates,
This might have led to his employment here. For the succeeding two
years quite a number of young men were employed to temporarily sup
ply the pulpit rather than as candidates for settlement. Of the num
ber may be mentioned Reverends James Treadway, Ambrose Collens,
Ephraim Judson, Abner Johnson and Thomas Welles Bray, aU of them
recent graduates of Yale College, — also Rev, Joseph Lee, a graduate of
Harvard, It is thus evident that they were in favor of an educated
ministry. In 1766, Rev. Jesse Ives, also a graduate of Yale, was invited to
preach, on probation, and subsequently settled as their minister with an
annual salary of ninety-five pounds, one half in money and the remainder
in provisions. To this sum was added thirty cords of good fire wood
delivered at the door of his dweUing. Although Mr, Ives was the
only settled pastor ever enjoyed by the eighth society as such, his min
istry was of short duration, for in 1770 his salary was withheld by a
vote of the society, and shortly afterwards he removed to Monson, Mass,
At this period the church, which partook largely of the Separate
element, became very feeble, and ere long, it is said, ceased to exist as
a distinct organization. And although ttie society had early manifeste.d
an earnest purpose by its oft repeated votes to supply the stated minis
trations of the gospel, their zeal had so declined that in 1784 a vote
was passed to dispose of the meeting house to raise the sum of four
pounds, lawful money, to pay the remaining liability of the society to
Rev. Jesse Ives. Two years later. May, 1786, this eighth society in

* It is not stated what the charges were that were preferred against Mr
Foster. He received an honorary degree of A. M. from Yale College in
1739, and from Dartmouth in 1778. He died in 1794.

91
Norwich became the second society in Franklin, It retained a nominal
organization by meeting annually at private dweHings for the choice of
society officers, tiH the close of the last century, and perhaps somewhat
later, but this community does not appear to have enjoyed, during this
period, any considerable religious privileges. In 1798 an initial move
ment was made in the right direction, to which reference will again be
made. If the society, as an ecclesiastical organization, was barely possessed
of vitality sufficient to keep it in being, it did not fail to exert a salutary /
influence upon the four school districts within its limits. These were v
respectively called the " Jockey Island," or 1st district, " Portipaug,"
or 2d, "Woodtown," or 3d, and "Great HiU," or the 4th. These
were solely under its charge and supervision, and it is believed that the
society herein faithfully discharged its obligations to the community.
The society also voted in 1767 to instruct the committee to treat with
Capt. Benajah Sabin for a plot of land for a burying ground. This
purchase was to enlarge a plot where graves had already been
opened. It was again enlarged in 1792, This cemetery, the only one
now in use in this section of the town, has recently been enlarged and
greatly improved. The church, which was taken down and sold to Com
fort Fillmore, in 1784, and which was used by him in the construction of
his dwelling, was substantially the same building that had, at an earlier
period, stood upon Meeting House Hill, and parts of this same rude
edifice were brought to Meeting House Hill from the Town Plot where
they had originally been used in constructing an early church in that
locality. It will thus appear that the same building materials which constituted
an important part of the meeting house built by John Elderlan, at the
Town Plot in 1673, entered somewhat largely into the first church built
upon Meeting House Hill more than forty years subsequent to that date.
This, in turn, was taken down and re-erected in 1746, in what was
afterwards the eighth society in Norwich, and after battling with
the elements for nearly forty years longer, it had to succumb a third
time, and parts of it were finally converted into a dwelling house, where
very possibly some remnants may be found at the present time.
But a day of more promise is destined to dawn upon this community,
for in 1798, a committee was appointed to select a site for another
meeting house. This committee reported in favor of the corner of land
then belonging to the Fox heirs, over against the dwelling of Josiah Tracy,
3d, and that one acre of land should be secured. This move resulted
in a free church that was erected here a few years later by the voluntary

92
contributions of individuals,* The seats were not only to be free, but
the pulpit was to be open for all denominations of christians. Before
this house was ready for use, and perhaps for a considerable time anterior
to that period, pubHc worship had been more or less regularly held at
private dwellings on the Sabbath,
Although, as already stated, the pulpit was to be open for aH denom
inations, it was almost uniformly and uninterruptedly improved by the
Methodists till the village of Baltic sprung up upon the eastern border
of the town. After the incorporation of the town of Sprague, in i86i,
which included within its limits a large portion of the original eighth
society, a new center was not only formed for business, but for public
worship on the Sabbath also. As a result, the meeting house which had
been statedly occupied on the Sabbath for more than forty years, was
deserted, and finally removed and its foundations razed to the earth.

* This church was completed in 1815. About thirty years afterwards, (in
1844,) the late Bailey Ayer generously presented the society with the means
for procuring a bell. After this bell had pealed forth its familiar sounds
from the church tower for one-fourth of a century, and after it had ceased to
be heard in its original locality, it was secured by the committee of the first
society and transferred to the church on the Hill, where it now regularly
breaks the stillness of each returning Sabbath.

Index of Names

Abell, Abigail, 72; Alpheus, 38 ; Benjamin, 49; Caleb, 49; Experi
ence, 56; Joshua, 17, 21, 26,40, 42, 62; Julietta, 73; Mary,
63 ; Simon, 38.
Adgate, Hannah, 52 ; Dea. Thomas, 48,
AiTCHisoN, Rev, William, 88,
Allyn, Edward A,, 62; Elizabeth, 63; Secretary John, 46; Rob
art, 48,
Andrews, Christian, 51,
Arms, Rev, Hiram P,, D.D., 10 ; Rev. Wm. F., 88,
Armstrong, Asa, 38; Benjamin, 17, 21, 25, 49; Benjamin, 2d, 38;
Jeremiah, 38; John, 17, 21, 25, 49; Jonathan, 49; Joseph, 49;
Stephen, 49.
Armstrongs, 32,
Arnold, John, 49.
Arnold Place, 22, 50,
Ashbury, Rev, Bishop Francis, 70,
Attawanhood, son of Uncas, 45, 46, *
Avery, Christopher, 36 ; Rev, David, 64, 65, 66^ 68 ; Rev
Ephraim K,, 87 ; John, 65 ; Lydia (Smith), 65.
Ayer, Bailey, 92; E, Eugene, j; John, 15, 50, 85; Joseph, 21, 25,
38; Joseph, Jr,, 25, 38, 50, 66; Love, 57, 85; Mary (Bailey),
66; Rev, Oliver, 65, 66; Timothy, 38.
Ayerses, 32.
Ayer's Gap, 50. B
Backus, Rev, Azel, D,D,, 35, 51, 64, 66, 67; Rev, Charles, D.D,, 35,
51, 64, 67, 68, 71, 72; Deborah (Fanning), 66; Miss Elizabeth,
88; Eunice (Kingsbury), 6j ; Hannah, 51; Jabez, Sen., 51, 67;
10

94
Jabez, Jr„ 66; Jabez, 3d, 68 ; John, 50; Joseph, 50; Rev, Joseph
W,, 64, 68 ; Mary, 56 ; Mary Ann, 67 ; Nathaniel, 50 ; Stephen,
48 ; William, Sen,, 66, 67; Lieut, William, Jr„ 48, 50; William,
3d, 5°-
Badger, John, 22, 25, 51 ; Samuel, 38, 51,
Badgers, 32.
Baker, Joseph, 25.
Baldwin, John, 48.
Baltic House, 55,
Baret, Margaret, 56,
Barker, Hannah (Brewster), 79; Jerusha, 83; John, Sen., 79; Doct,
John, 38, -jg, 80, 82, 83; Doct, John, 2d, 64; Capt, Joshua, 39;
Doct, Samuel H., 82,
Barkers, 32.
Barstow, Ebenezer, 51 ; Jerusha, 55 ; Job, 51, 55, 59; Jonathan, 51 ;
Yet-once, 51,
Batchelor, John, 55 ; Rebecca, 55.
Beckwith, Elizabeth, 52.
Bell, Dr, Robert, 78,
Bellamy, Rev, Joseph, D,D., 6-].
Benedict, Rev, Joel, D.D., 74.
Bennet, Edward, 77 ; Phebe EHza, 77.
Bingham, Joseph, 38; Mary, 51 ; Sarah, 81 ; Thomas, Sen., 51 ; Dea.
Thomas, 48, 51.
Birchard, James, 21, 26, 52; John, 16, 48, 5 1 ; Thomas, 51.
Birchards, 32.
Blackman, Benjamin, 57.
Bliss, Thomas, 48.
Blythe, Thomas, 79.
Bostwick, Rev. Shadrick, 70.
Bowers, Morgan, 48.
Bradford, John, 48.
Bradley, AHce, 74 ; Stephen Rowe, 87.
Bray, Rev. Thomas Welles, 90.
Brett, Ephraim, 38 ; William, 38, 89.
Brewer, Mrs. (Laura L. Giddings), 88.
Brown, Elijah, 66 ; Phebe, 66.
Burgess, Dr. Reuben, 81,
Burr, Aaron, 85,
Bushnell, Elizabeth, 57; Joseph, 51; Rebecca, 51 ; Capt, Richard,
24> 57-

95 C
Case, Ebenezer, 64,
Caulkins, Miss F, M,, 7, 12 ; Dea, Hugh, 48 ; John, 48,
Chapin, Rev, Calvin, D,D,, 73,
Chaplain, Hannah, 66,
Chapman, Simon, 38,
Chappel, Ezra, Esq,, 42, 43.
Cherry, Mrs, (Charlotte H, Lathrop), 88 ; Mrs. (Jane E. Lathrop), 88,
Chester, Rev, A. T,, D,D,, 65, 68 ; Anson G,, 65.
Collins, Rev, Ambrose, 90.
Converse, Rev. Geo, S., 64, 68 ; Wm. M., 5,
Cooley, Rev, Timothy Mather, D,D,, 68.
Copeland, Mrs, C, C, (CorneHa Ladd), 88,
Corliss, Sarah, 50,
Cornell, Sarah Maria, 87.
Grain, Jonathan, 63.
Crocker, Hannah, 52; Jabez, 52; John, 52; Samuel, 52; Samuel,
Jr., 52.
Crockers, 32,
Cross, John Q., 61 ; Peter, 63, D
Demming, Melicent, 67,
Dennison, Gen. Daniel, 85 ; Rev. Joseph, 90 , Ruth, 57; Thomas, 36,
89.
Dexter, F. B., 12,
Dickinson, Rev, James T,, 88.
Doane, Rt. Rev. Bishop, jj.
Downer, Andrew, 52; Artemas, the Schoolmaster, 33; Joseph, Sen ,
22, 25, 52; Joseph, Jr., 52; Dr, Joshua, of Preston, 81; Miss
Lucinda, Missionary, 88; Richard, 52,
Downers, 32,
Dudley, Gov. Thomas, 85.
Durkee, Dea, John, 36, 52 ; John, of Ipswich, 52,
Dwight, Rev, Timothy, D,D., 67,
Duyckinck, 67.

Eaton, Gen. William, 41,
Edgerton, Hon. Alfred P,, 35, 53; Bela, 53, 65; David, 42, 53;
Hannah, 51 ; Joseph, 22, 25, 53; Richard, 48; Samuel, 25, 53

96
Edgertons, 32.
Elderkin, James, 34, 38 ; Mrs. James, 34 ; John, Sen., Carpenter and
Millwright, 53 ; Sergt, John, Jr„ 21, 25, 53,
Elliot, 47, 48.
Ellis, Asher, M,D., 69; Dr. Benjamin, 81 ; Rev. Jonathan, 64, 68;
Rev. John, 19, 39, 68, 81; Rebecca (Huntington), 69; Rev.
Robert F., 69; Sally P., 85 ; Rev. Stephen, 69 ; Stephen, Sen,, 69.
F
Fargo, Dwight, 57,
Fessenden, Benjamin, of Sandwich, 72 ; Lucy, 72.
Fillmore, Rev. Amaziah, 69, 70 ; Comfort, 69 ; Rev. C. D., 70 ;
Daniel, 70; Rev. Hiel, 70; Rev. Jesse, 1 2, 7 1 ; John, " Mariner,"
of Ipswich, Mass., 53; Capt. John, 21, 38, 53, 69, 78, 84, 89;
Hon. Millard, 21, 35, 84; Nathaniel, 84; Zerviah (Bosworth),
69.
Fillmores, 32.
Fitch, Rev. James, 15, 48.
Foster, Rev. Isaac, 90; Hon. L, F, S,, 35, 61, 65, 78, 83,
Fox, Eliphalet, 38 ; Fox Heirs, 91,
French, Andrew, 38.
Frink, John, 58,
Fulton, Mary, 69.

Gager, John, the Proprietor, 49, 54; John, the original settler at West
Farms, 22, 55; John, 54; Samuel, 54; Dr. WilHam, 54.
Gagers, 32.
Gaylor, 79. *
George, Rev. Bishop, 70.
Gifford, Stephen, 48.
Oilman, Prof. D. C, 12 ; Rev. E. W., 7.
Gleason, Rev. Anson, 88; Mrs. (B. W, Tracy), 88.
Gregory, Joanna, 61 ; Miss Miriam, of Stratford, 61,
Griswold, Caleb, 55 ; Lieut, Francis, the Proprietor, 48, 55 ; James C,
S3 ; Samuel, the Settler, 21, 55 ; Capt. Samuel, 55.
Griffin, Joseph A., 58.
Gulic, Mrs. (F. H. Thomas), 88, H
Hall, Rev. Gordon, 75.
Harmar, Gen. Joseph, 85.

97
Harrison, Gen. Wm. H,, 76, 86,
Hart, Rev, Levi, D.D,, 67, 71.
Hartshorne, Abigail, 61 ; Capt, Asa, 39, 55; Dea, David, 21, 22, 24,
z6, 27, 55 ; Doct, David, 78, 79 ; Capt. Ebenezer, 39; Ebenezer,
¦Esq., 33, 61 ; Doct. Elijah, 55, 71, 81; Rev. Elijah, 64, 71;
Jonathan, 22, 25, 55; Samuel, 21; Samuel G., 6; Thomas,
of Reading, Mass., 55,
Hartshornes, 32.
Harris, John, 64,
Haskell, Mrs, H, B,, 88.
Hastings, Bela T., 6, 57; Dan, 6,
Hazen, Charles T,, 52; Jacob, 25; John, 25; Dr, John, 64; Mrs.
Mary, 55 ; Lieut. Thomas, 21, 25, 26, 55 ; Thomas, Jr., 25.
Hedding, Rev. Bishop, 70, 71,
Hill, Bethia, 68 ; Jacob, of Cambridge, Mass,, 68.
Hobart, Rt. Rev, Bishop John Henry, D,D., 71,
Hogskin, William, 22.
Hooker, Rev, Asahel, 73,
Howard, Thomas, 48,
Hull, Gen, William, 86,
Hunnewell, Job, 16,
Hunter, Ebenezer, 78.
Huntington, Hon, Abel, M.D,, 35,83; Anne (Wright), 71; Hon,
Asahel, 56, 64, 71; Rev, Asahel, 56, 65, 71 ; Dr, Asher, 83;
Azariah, 56; Dea. Barnabas, 71, 83; Christopher, the Pro'
prietor, 48, 56; Christopher, the first white male child born in
Norwich, 56; Christopher, the early Settler, 22, 25, 56; Dr.
Christopher, 81 ; Rev, David, 65, 71 ; Rev, Elijah B,, 12; Dr.
Elisha, 65, 71; Elizabeth, 56; Elizabeth (Huntington), 71 ;
Ezra, 71; Dr, Gurdon, 83; Hezekiah, 6; Simon, the Immi
grant, 56; WiHiam, 56.
Huntingtons, 32,
Hutchens, John, 64.
Hyde, Abner, 80; Rev. Alvan, D.D,, 56, 65, 68, 72, 74; Rev,
Charles, 72; Eli, 72; Rev. EH, 64, 72, 88; Elizabeth, the first
white child born in Norwich, 56; Hon, Ephraim H., 7, 35, 56,
84; Horatio, 55; Capt, Jabez, 22, 56, 57; Capt. Jacob, 21, 59,
60, 79, 89 ; Jacob, Jr., 38 ; Capt. James, 39 ; Jared, 56 ; John,
56,72; Judge John, 57; Rev. John, 56, 64, 73; Joseph, 38,
72, 73; Joseph L, 5, 51, 59; Rev, Lavius, 56, 65, 73; Lewis,
Esq,, 57; Capt, Matthew, 56; Mary, daughter of 1st Thomas,
10*

98
59; Mary, daughter of Capt. Jacob, 59, 74; Dr. Nathaniel, 80;
Phineas, Sen., 82 ; Dr, Phineas, 82 ; Rebecca (Barker), 73 ; Rhoda
(Lathrop), 72 ; Samuel, the Proprietor and first Settler, 16, 48, 52,
56; Samuel Jr., 25; 1st Thomas, 21, 25, 56, 59, 73, 84; 2d
Thomas, 56; 3d, or Capt. Thomas, 56; Tommy, 51 ; Vaniah,
73 ; William, the Proprietor, 48, 56, 72, 73, 84; William B., 6,
Hydes, 32.

I

Ives, Rev. Jesse, 90,

J
Jarvis, Penelope, 81.
Jennison, Rev. Isaac, 71.
Johnson, Rev. Abner, 90; Ebenezer, 22, 25 ; Dea. Isaac, 57; John,
16, 25, 57; O. Lewis, 6, 52, 56; WilHam, 57,
Johnsons, 32.
Jones, Rev. Franklin C, 5, 6.
Judson, Rev. Adoniram, 75 : Rev. Ephraim, 90,
K
Kingsbury, Andrew, 57; Capt. Asa, 85; Ephraim, 57, 80; Eunice,
51 ; Col, Jacob, 39, 57, 85, 86; Hon, John, 57, 64; Jonathan,
64; Dea. Joseph, Sen.; 25, 57, 85 ; Dea, Joseph, Jr., 25, 33, 57 ;
Dr, Obadiah, 80; Sanford, 64,
Kingsburys, 32,
Kingsley, Charles A,, 5, 6; Henry W., 5, 6, 49; Jason W., 63, 79;
John, 38; Samuel, 38; Col. Thomas G., 51,
Knowlton, Col. Thomas, 39, 83.

Ladd, Abner, 38; Rev. Beaufort, 65, 74; David, 21, 25, 38, 57;
David, 38, 58; David, 38; Erastus P., 55; Ezekiel, 38, 57;
Henry L. M., 55; Jonathan, 25; Joseph, 57; Joseph D., 57;
Nathaniel, 25, 57; Samuel, 25; Samuel, Jr., 38,
Ladds, 32.
Lamb, Guilbert, 53.
Langly, Sims, 25.
Lathrop, Barnabas, 38 ; Elijah, 82 ; Israel, Sen., 58 ; Sergt. Israel, Jr.,
22, 25, 58; Jesse, 58; Capt. John, 22, 58 ; Rev. John, of Lon
don and afterwards of Scituate and Barnstable, 58; Rev, John,
D.D., of Boston, 58; Leander, 38; Samuel, 58; WiUiam, 58.

99
Lathrops, 32,
Ledyard, John, 36,
Lee, Jane, 56; Rev, Joseph, 90; Thomas, 56.
Leffingwell, Elizabeth, 63 ; Lieut, Thomas, 48,
Lord, Alethea, 71 ; David N,, 64; Dr, EHsha, 71 ; Rev. Nathan L.,
M.D., 88. M
Manwaring, Rev. William H., 88,
Marshall, O, H,, 65,
Mason, Dorothy (Hobert), 58 ; Edward, 62 ; James F., 58 ; Jeremiah,
22, 58; Col. Jeremiah, 87; Hon, Jeremiah, 35, 58, 64, 87;
Major John, 14, 15, 46, 48, 58, 87,
Masons, 32,
M'Call, Dea, Dyer, 41 ; Lucy, 41,
Moodam, Mary, 50,
Moore, Rt, Rev, Bishop, 76; Rt. Rev. Richard Channing, 77; Wil
liam, 16, 63; Zephaniah S., D.D., 68.
Morgan, Tabatha, 33.
Moseley, Increase, 21, 25, 58, 74; Increase, Jr., 59 ; Mary, 74; Rev.
Peabody, 59, 74.
Motley, Hon. John L,, the Historian, 58.
Mott, Lydia A., 69,
Munsell, Henry, 74 ; Rev, Jabez, 65, 74 ; Sarah (Hyde), 74,
N
Newell, Rev, Samuel, 75,
Nott, Deborah (Selden), 74; Rev, Eliphalet, D.D., 41, 65, 74, 75;
John, 74; Rev, John W,, 65, 75 ; Roxana (Peck), 76, 88; Rev.
Samuel, D.D., 19, 40, 41, 66, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 16, 83 ; Rev.
Samuel, Jr., 65, 75, 88; Sarah, 73; Stephen, 74; Rev. Stephen,
T., 65, 76; Susan, 73. O
Occum, Rev, Samson, 88,
Olmstead, Dr. John, 48, i"] , 78.
Oneco, or Owaneco, son of Uncas, 45, 46,

Pease, John, 48,
Peck, Capt, Bela, 59; Benjamin, 22, 26, 29, 59; Elizabeth, 59; Hen
ry, 59 ; Simon, 38,

100
Pember, Agnes, 57; John, 21, 57; Thomas, 57.
Pembers, 32.
Pendleton, Col. Gurdon, 59,
Perkins, Dr. Joseph, ig.
Perry, Mrs., (H, L. Lathrop), 88,
Pessechus, Sachem of the Narragansetts, 62,
Pettis, Peter, 59; Samuel, 22, 59,
Pettises, 32,
Philip, son of Massasoit and Sachem of Poknoket (usually known as
"King Philip,") 16, 17,
Phillips, Capt. John, the Pirate, 53,
Pitcher, Lieut, Jonathan, 38,
Portipaug, 47,
Post, John, 48 ; Mary, 61.
Potter, Rev. William, 88,
Pratt, Experience, 53.
Prentice, Rev, Erastus L,, 76. R
Raymond, Samuel, 38,
Reed, Josiah, 48,
Reynolds, John, 48 ; Joseph, 22, 25, 51, 59; Joseph, Sen., 59.
Rice, Rev. Mr., an early Missionary of the A, B, of C, for F, M,, 75.
Ripley, Alice, 53; Rachel, 63.
Robinson, Lavius A., 6.
Rockwell, Daniel, 25 ; Ruth, 56.
Rogers, Dr. Ezekiel, 79 ; John, the proto martyr, 79 ; Dr. Theophilus,
79, 82; Dr, Theophilus, Jr,, 81.
Rooerses, 32,
Rood, Micah, 22, 60, 61, 79; Thomas, 60.
Roods, 32,
Rous, Jabez, 38,
Royce, Amos F,, 5, 6 ; Jonathan, 48; Jonathan, Jr,, 25, 64,
Rudd, Rev, John C, D,D., 69, 76, 77, 88; Jonathan, 61 ; Jonathan,
Jr,, 61; Jonathan, 3d, 76; Joseph, 38; Mary, 51; Mary (Hun
tington), 76; Sergt, Nathaniel, 17, 21, 26, 61; Nathaniel, Jr,,
21, 61.
Rudds, 32.

Sabin, Benajah, 38, 89, 91 ; Dr. John, 21, 61, 78, 83.
Saltonstall, Gov. Gurdon, 25 ; Sir Richard, 85.

lOI
Sanford, Miss Velina, 42.
Shetucket River, 47.
Sluman, Sarah (Bliss), 64; Thomas, Sen., 61; Thomas, 22, 25,
27, 61.
Slumans, 32.
Smith, Andrew B., 12, 62; Backus, 51; Edward, 62; Mrs. Eli
(Sarah L, Huntington), 88 ; Elizabeth (Hartshorne), 77 ; Ezra L.,
5, 6; Hon. Gerrit, of Peterboro, 67; John O., 6; Rev. Joshua,
62, 64, 77, 88; Joshua, Sen., 77; Judah, 33; Lovell K., 6;
Mehetabel, 49; Nehemiah, 48, 49, 62 ; Sergt. Obadiah, 22, 25,
26, 62; Owen S., 6; Prentice O., 5, 6.
Spiller, Mary, 54,
Sprague, Messrs, A, and W,, 53; Rev. WilHam B., D.D. , 12, 6-j,
68, 72,
Squire, John, 38,
Standish, Capt, Miles, 83,
Stanton, Rev, Robert P,, 64, 77,
Starkweather, George E,, 49, 55,
Starr, Miss Eunice, 88 ; Hannah, 78,
Stoddard, Samuel, 25.
Story, Daniel, 38.
Strong, Rev. Cyprian, D.D,, 73.
Susquetomscot River, 47.
Sweet, Dr, Stephen, 50.

Tenney, Joseph, 58.
Tracy, Hon, Albert HaHer, 35, 63; Almond, 62; Deborah, 59;
Eliphalet, 87; Dr, Elisha, 63, 64, 81 ; Elizabeth, 50; Capt.
John, the Proprietor and Settler, 16, 22, 48, 62, 63, 78, 87 ; John,
2d, 62, 63; Hon, John, 6th, 35, 41, 63; Capt, Joseph, 21, 52,
62, 63, 81 ; Josiah, 3d, 91 ; Miriam, 63 ; Dr, Philemon, 21, 63,
80, 81 ; Hon. Phineas L., 35 ; Dr. Solomon, 78 ; Lieut. Thomas,
21, 46, 48, 62, 63, 78; Hon, Uri, 35, 63, 64; Hon, Uriah, 35,
63, 64, 87; Rev, WiHiam, 88; Sergt, Winslow, 22, 35, 62, 63.
Tracys, 32.
Treadway, Rev, Joseph, 90,
Trumble (Trumbull), Jonathan, 36,
Trumbull, J, Hammond, 12, 46,
Turner, Dr, Phillip, 81.

102 U
Uncas, Sachem of the Mohegan Indians, 14, 15, 45, 46, 62 ; Samuel, 82,
W
Walworth, Hon. R. H,, LL,D,, 12.
Ward, Benjamin, 82.
Waterman, Miss Betty, 34 ; Cibel, 33 ; Ebenezer, Jr., 33 ; John, 25 ;
John, 63 ; John, Jr,, 52 ; Dr, Luther, 39, 83 ; Robert, of Marsh
field, 63 ; Ensign Thomas, 49, 55, 63 ; Thomas, 63,
Waters, Mary, 57,
Waugh, Rev. Bishop, 71.
Wawequa, brother of Uncas, 15.
Wayland, Rev. Francis, D.D., 75.
Wheelock, Rev. Eleazar, D.D,, 66,
Whitfield, Rev, George, 65,
WicOM, Daniel, 25,
Wilcox, Carlos, 74,
Willes, Rev, Henry, 50 ; Herman H,, 5, 59,
Williams, Roger, 47,
Winslow, Gov, Edward, 62 ; Mary, 62 ; Rev, Miron, 88 ; Mrs. Rev,
Miron (H, L. Lathrop), 88.
Winthrop, John, first Governor of Massachusetts, 54.
Wolcott, Sen., Gov. Oliver, 67,
Wood, Josiah, 38 ; Thomas, 25, 64,
Woods, Rev, Leonard, D,D,, 60.
Woodward, Dr. Ashbel, 5, 8, 11, 81; James C, 5; P. Henry, 64;
Richard William, 64,
Worden, Samuel, 78 ; Dr, Thomas, 78,
Worth, Anne, 49, Y
Yantic River, 47,

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