Connecticut Historical Collections

with full power (o contract antl bargain with Jolin Eldcrkin and Sanincl Lathrop, con. cerning the building of a nicelmg house, the s'' conimitiec having agreed witli ilie sil workmen with respect to price ami paynieni, both fur in specie, wee the said Inhab- itants of Norwich joinily and severally do lieieby iiigage and bind ourselves and our successors to make the seveial payments according to llie obligation of aiid in specie, and in case any peglect bhall be hereof to seeuie the sil conmiiitee trom any detnment or daiuage that may tiiereby accrue. Acted and Vuicd, lIDlli April, llJ73. January the 10/A, 17(18-9.— Att a Town Meeting, The Inhabitants grant Liberty to ilie present Townsmen to purchase and procure at their discretion, so many drum?, liolbards, (and one pair collours,) as is necessary for the Train bands in the "^I'own, and lo gather so mueh of the money now due to the Town, and therewith to pay for fhe above mentioned lliings. EXTUAl^rS I'Un.M NKWsi'APKRS. Xorwich, Nuvanhcr Ulk, 1773. Thescason hat; been so remarkably mild that about a fortnight since a mess of green peas were jdckt at Norwich, inoduceil fiom seed of this years growth ; and at J'^air- /ield, aliuut the iiame time, near a ])int of strawberries were gathered in a held (liom i'ines which had pruduccd a crop at the usual season) equal in color, and of as agreea- ble a taste and tlavor, as those that arc galhered in JunL-.-.-CijitiLccticHt (iiizctlc. Xiru-ir.hJJcccmhcrlh, 1771. We hear that Mr. Samuel Gagcr of this town, from a laudable sense ol' Freedom, and a conscientious regard to justice, has lately Ijbeiaied three faithful slavrs; and as H eom|iensalion for their paiil services, leased them a valuable l-'arm upon very niude- late lerms. We also liear that Mf. Jonathan Avery of ibis town, has madu free an able and jndusiiuuis negro mi^P, upon the same noble pi inciples. Soi-ioich, Januani 1st, 177H. Last Sabballi there was a contribution in the several pari:.hes in the Town for tho non-commissioped < Xlicers and Soldiers in the (Juntinentnl aimythat bclon;^ here. When there was collected 310 pair of Stockings, •J-j7 pair of Shoes, 118 Shirts, 7H Jackets, -IH pail Hreeches, IX'oals, 'J>.> Ui lie 1 rocks, I'.) I lainlkerchiefs, and jC-.ThS in money; all of wbndi is forwardeil on to llie aiiiiv: Also a ipiantnv of Pork, (,:he#se. Wheat. Rye, Indian C.irn, Sugar, Rice, Flax, Wood, \c. ^t^e., engfi'-ed to receive and disinbuic the same to tiic nccdv Familie- of the ddicersaml Suldieis, The whulo value of this douaiion,al a low eslimalc, will e\ciod X [ UKt. Nuririrli, Srp/fmhrr 12, 17S7. Lately died at his wigwam in Powachaug, (New Norwich,) ohl y.achariuh, Regei of the Mohcgan tribe ol' Indians, in the IdOili year ol hi.-, age. Jt is .said, that in h younger years lie was greatly addicted to ili niiKcnness, l)ut that for near -lOyears pa: he has entirely abijlained from the use ol all s|)iiiiuous iK^iiors. .\,rrwir/t, December 'U/t, 170-2. On Thursday evening last, a young man by tlie name of Cook, aged 19, was in- stantly killed in this town by the discharge of a swivel. The circumslances u.s near as we can recollect, were as follows: — In ceh.'bration of the day, (being Thanksgiv- ing,) a large number of boys had assembled, and by pillaging dry casks from the store.<, wharves, &c. had erected a bonhre on the hill backuf the Landing, and to iiiakn iheir lejoicings more soiiorious, fired a swivel several tiiiies; at last a Ibulisli fomlness for a luud rejiort induced them lo lie pretty lavish of their powder — ilie explosion burst the swivel into a muliiiude of pieces, the largest of which, weighing about seven pounds, passed through the body ol the deceased, carrying with it his heart, and was afterwards found in the street 30 or 10 rods from llie place wdiere it was (ired. While the serious lament ihu unhappy accident, they entertain a hope that good may come of evil, that the savage practice of making boulires on the evening ol' Thanksgiving, may be exchanged lor so^e other mode of rejoicing, more consistent with the geiuiine spirit of Chfisljaniiy. B O Z H A Tl 301 B O Z R A 1 1 . BozKAH, runnerly New Concord, oiigliially in the bounds of Nor- wich, was incorporated a town in J7SG. Some of the tirst settlers in this town were of the names of Waterman, Fox, Hough, and Crocker, Fox and llouL;h located themselves about the center of the ))lace, and Waterman in the eastern part. Its average length is four and a half miles, and its average breadth four. It is bounded n. by Franklin, e. by Norwich, s. by iMontville, and w. by Lebanon and Salem. The township is uneven, consisting of hills and valleys; "its geological char- acter is granitic, and the soil is a gravelly loam, wliich is generally rich, warm, and fertile." There are three houses of worship in the town ; 1^ Congregational, 1 Baptist, and I iMethodist. There is also a Bap- tist meeting house which stands on the dividing line between this town and Colchester. The central part of the town is 14 miles from New London, and 33 from Hartford. East view of Fhchvillc, Bozrah. There are two cotton manufacturing villages in the limits of this town, Bozrahville and Fitchville, both situated on Yantic river. Bo^rahville is situated on and near the dividing line between this town and Lebanon, and is about eight miles from Norwich city. The above is an eastern view of Fitchville, a little more than five miles from the Landing in Norwich city, on ilie Hartford turnpike. The principal part of the village was built by Nehemiah II. Fitch, Esq. and his brothers in 183-2. The Bozrah post office is in this village. The name of this town, (Bozrah,) is said to be derived from-the follow- ing occurrence. In ancient times, an aged, plain sort of a man lived where Fitchville is now built: though a respectable inhabitant, he was not very remarkable for quoting scripture correctly. On one occasion, 302 II O Z-'H A H . in quoting from Isaiah the passage " Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah ?" &ic. he stated that the prophet Bozrah said thus and' so. Mistakes of this kind are not easily forgotten : the old gentleman was ever afterwards called the Frophet, and the place of his residence Bozrah ; and when the town was incor- porated, it was thought advisable to retain the name by which the place was generally known. The following account of a remarkable hail storm which took place In this town, in July, 1799, is taken from the Connecticut Journal, copied from the Connecticut Gazette.