Connecticut Historical Collections

compensation to the natives. He published one other tract, entitled 'an impartial account of the late debate at Lyme u])on the following points; whether it be the will of God, that the infants of visible believers should be baptised ; whether sprinkling be lawful and sulhcient ; and whether the present way of maintaining ministers by a public rate or tax be law- ful,' 1729. In this he gives some account of the rise of the antipedo- baptist persuasion."* The following humorous story, in which Mr. Bulkley, the first min- ister in this town, was concerned, is from an ancient publication. "The Rev. Mr. IJnllvlcy of Colclifsier, Con., wn.s fauKui.s in his tl;iy as a casuist and sage coutisflui-. Acliurcli m his ru-if^'liliuiluKiJ iiinl fallen jnto unhappy divisions and contentions, whicli iliuy weie tmixlile lo adjust atmrnj? ihemsidrcs. They deputed one of liieir number to the veneriilde Huiklcy, lor ins services; with a reqne.st that ho would send it to liieni in wrilini,'. 'l"he inauers were taken into serious consideration, and tiie advice Willi much dehberatiuii eommilitd to uriiing. It su happened, that Mr. Bulkley had a (uriu in an exneuie part of the town, upon which lie entrusted a tenant; in superseribin;^ the two letters, the one lor I he church was directed lo the tenant, and the one lor the tenant to the church. The church was convened to hear the advice which was lo settle all their disputes. The moderator read as follows: You will sec tu the repair nf the fences, that tkeij tic Intilt hJiih and strung, and yau -unll take speriul care uf the oldtjluc/: butt. This my.slical advice [lu/zletl the church at first, but an interpreter aiuonj.,' the mnie discerning ones was soon f(Hind, who .said, Breihren, this is the very advice we most need; the direction to repair the I'ences is to admon- ish us to take t,'ood heed in ihe ailiiii-sion and j^'ovei iiineiit of onr members: we must guard the eluireh by our masiei > law -., and keep out siian;;e cattle (rom the fold. And we mnsi in a [lariicuiar manner set a u.iichful fjuard over the Dcvit, the old black bull, who has dune s(] much huil ol lair. All perceived the wisdom and fiincss of Mr. Bulkley's advicf, and iesulvi;d lo be ^ovei ncil by it. The eonseijuence was, nil ihe aniiiiosiues siiliMiIrd, and harmony was resU/red In the long alllicied church. What tlie siilijcL-i of iIk; Idler sent lo ihe tenant was, and wliai l;ooi1 ell'eet jt liad upon him, the .^lory doe^ not lell.^' In this town, Westchester society, is the monument of Col. Henry Chiunpion, a native of h'ast Iladdam, deputy commissary general of the armies o\' the United States, in the Uevolution, and in that station eminently useful. To this gentleman, Washington, iu his distress for provisions at Valley Forge, applied for relief, and the first relief to the starving army, came from his land. He died in 179G. The following is from the Colchester Town Records; the tradition is, that this thanksgiving was put olFon accoimt of there being a deficiency of molasses, an article much used on these occasions. " At a IcL'al Town meeting held in Colchester, Oct. 20ih, 1705. It was voted, that whereas there was a thanksgi\'ing apiiointed to be held on the first Thursday in ]\o\ember, and our present circumstances be- ing such, that it cannot with convenience be attended on that day; it is therefore votetl and agreed by the inhabitants, as aforesaid, (concluding' the thing will not be otherwise than well resented,) that the secondl Thursday of iSovcmber aforesaid, shall be set apart for that service." AUeii'a Biograidiical Diclionary. 39 306 FRANKLIN. Ci II 1 S W O M) . The following inscriptions are from monumenls in the grave yard on the west side of the Congregational church. The Honble. John Bulkley, E.sqr. of Colchester, who for a mimber of years, was a great honor to aa uncommon variety of exalted stations jn life. Morte Subitajiea Corriptiil Julii 21 A. D. 1753. Anno ^Elatis ytiae 49. Beloved and fear'd for verlue'ssake, ' Such vertue as the great doth make. In memory of Jonathan Kilborn Esq. who departed this life Oclobr. 14th, A. D. 1785, in the 79 year of his age. He was a man of invention great. Above all that lived nigh. But he could not invent to live, When God called him to die. Mr. Kilborn lived about one mile south of the Academy. He was an uncommonly ingenious mechanic, and it is said he was the inventor of tlie iron screw. It is also sla- ted, that he admitted an Englishman into his shop, who observing his invention, look the proper dimensions, &c. went to England, and claimed lo be the original inventor. FRANKLIN. This town originally belonged to Norwich, and was incor|iorated as a town in 1786. Its length from north to south is five miles, and its average breadth four miles. It is bounded on the n. e. by ^Vindhani and the Shetucket river, wdiich separates it from liisbon, w. by Leba- non, s. by Bozrah, and s. e. by Norwich. The town is diversified with hills and valleys, and the geological structure and soil are of a gra- nitic character, the latter being generally a gravelly loam. The lands are best adapted to grazing. The population of the town in 1810 was 1,161 ; in 1830 itwasl,U)4. There are 2 houses of worship in the town, 1 for Congregationalists and one for iMethodists. Agriculture is the principal business of the inhab- itants, who live scattered about on their farms, there being no jilace which may bi> considered as a vilhti^c! in the town. There is a woolen factory on Beaver brook, near the Shetucket river, on the eastern bor- der of the town. The central {)art of Franklin is thirty four miles from Hartford, and about seven miles from Norwich city. GRISWOLD. Griswold was originally a part of Preston, and was incorporated as a town in 1815, lis average length is 8 miles, and its breadth about 4. It is bounded n. by Plainfield. w. by Quinnebaug river, separating it from Lisbon, e. by Voluntown, s. by Preston and North Stoninglon. The surface of the township is uneven ; the prevailing soil is a gravelly loam, with sotne sections of sandy loam. Tliere are some low marsh lands upon the Pochaug river, a sluggish stream, which passes through the central part of the town. There are two Congregational churches in the town, 1 at Jewell's City, the other in the central part of the town. The population in ISIO was 1,520; in 1830, it was 2,212. G R U T O N . 307 South view of JeiottCs City, Griswold. The above shows the appearance of Jewell's City, the principal place in Griswoltl, about a mile south from the village on the Norwich road. This is a flourishing village, on the east side of tlie Quinnebaug, contain- ing 800 or 900 inhabitants, 3 extensive cotton factories, 5 mercantile stores, a Congregational church, and a bank, with a capital of 100,000 dollars, called the Jewett City bank. It is stated, that there is water power in this place sufficient to keep 40 or 50,000 spindles in operation. It is 8 miles n. k. from Norwich, and 14 fron) Brooklyn. rio|)eville is a little manufacturing village, about 2^ miles east of Jewell's City, containing one or two saiinei factories and about twenty houses. There are in the eastern part of this town two cotton facto- ries, situated on the line between this town and Voluntown. The following is copied from a monument in the grave yard in the village of Jewell's City. In memory of Mr. Eliezer Jt-wcti, whu died Doer. 7ili, 1817, in the 87ih year of hi.s age. — In April, 1771, lie beg.an itie seltleiiicnt dftliis village, and from hi.s persevering industry and ariive benevolence, ii lias derived its present unportance: its name will perpetuate his memory. GROTON. Gkoton was incorporated as a town in 1705, having unlil that period belonged to New London. It is bounded north by Ledyard, west by the river Tliames, separating it from ^aw London, ]\Iontvilie, and Walerford, east by North Stonington and the Mystic, which separates it from Stonington, and south by Fisher's Island sound. It is about six miles in length from north to south, and has an average breadth of nearly six miles. 308 u II o 'r o N 4ki Soiith view of Poitcrsi-'iUc and Lower IShjsiic. The townsliip is uneven, being lillly ;nul stony, and abonndini,^ wllli granite and other primitive rf)eks. A tract cxlendinj^r alon^,' the Sound, and another, about a luih; wide, extciuhn'j; on ihe 'Thames the len<;th ol the township, are rich and ph a^aiil ; the lemaindci- is jicnc rally vciy stony and didicult of cnhivalion, and ahonndini; with forests. The town is watered by the JMystic and the l\)(|noii()ck, which discharge their waters into the Sounch There are several \illai,fes ; (Iroton JJank opposite New liOndon, Portersville on Mystic river, and Penuoimuc. The village etnbracing Portersville and flower iNIystic, is sejiarated by the river JNIystic, and connected by a toll bridge. 'J'he river is the boundary line between Groton and Stoningtmi ; the vilhige is situated about two miles from its mouth, and about seven miles eabt bcjm New London, Poi-ters\'ille is on the wt.'st side, and Mystic on the east side of the river. The two places contain about ont> hundrcil and (ilty dwelling houses, liii siuies, and a po>t olhee, and a ta\ern in each phice. A neat cluuch is creeled in l\)rlcrs\ ille, called the Maiinei's church, and is open to all denominatii)ns. iM)stic river is navigable ]ur vessels of about four hundred tons burlhen to tlie liridge, connecting the villages of Portersville and Mystic. A niunber of whale shi|)s and coast- ing vessels are owned here. Several of the coasting vessels are con- stantly employed as ivrecJccrs, in cruising along the coast as far as the West Indies, for the purpose of saving those vessels and cargoes wdiich have been wrecked. In some instances it has been Ibund a very lucra- tive employment. A considerable quantity of country produce is ship- ped from this place lor the New York market. A number of fishing smacks go from this place to Cuba to (ish for the Spaniards. It is sta- ted that about three hundrei] men and boys from both villages are employed in navigation. Ship building is carried on to some extent at- the head of Mystic.