Connecticut Historical Collections

session of a vast territory b_vthe conquest of Canndn, be wi.-,hecl to reiuler this acqui- silioii profitable to his couiilr)', while he ;^ratilied his tasie for adveiiluies. He be- lieved, that the French had inientionally kept other nations ignorant of tiie interior j)arts of North America, lie hoped to facilitate the discovery of a northwest passage or of a conimunicaiion between Hudson's bay and tlie Pacific Ocean. If he conici effect the establislnnent of a post on tlie Straits of Annian, he supposed he shoukl thus open a channel for conveying intelligence to China and the English settlements in the East Indies with greater expediiiou, than by a tedious voyage by the cape of Good Htipe, or the sli aits of IMngellan. " With these views he set out Iroin Coston, in 17GG, and in September of that year arrived at Michilliinakinac, llie most interior English post. He applied to the go- vernor, Mr. Rogers, to furnish him with a proper assortnieiit of goods, as a present lor the Indians living in the iract, which he intended to pursue. Receiving a supply in part, it was promised that the remainder sliould be sent to him, wlieii he reached the falls of St. Anthony in the rirer Mississippi. In consequence of the failure of the goods, he found it necessary to return to la Prairie la Chieii in the spiing of 17G7. Being thus retarded in his pn)grcss westward, he determined to direct his course north- ward, that by finding a comnuinicaiiou between ihe Mississippi and Lake Superior lie might meet the tiaders at the grand portage at the northwest side id' the lake. Of them he intended to purchase the goods, which he needed, and then to pursue his journey by the way dIiIic lakes La Pluye, Dubois, and Ouinipiqiie to the heads of the river west. He reached lake Superior belore the traders had returned to Michilli- inakinac, but they could not furnish him with goods. Thus dUsappoinied a second time, he continued some months on the north and east borders of Lake Superior, ex- ploring the bays and rivers, which empty themselves into the large body of water,' and carefully observing the natural productions of the country, and the customs and man- ners of the inhabitants. He arrived at Boston in October, 17G8, having been absent on this expedition two years and hve monilis, and during that lime traveled near seven thousand miles. " As soon a.s he had properly digi'sied his journal and charts, he went to England to publish them. (.)n his ainval, he presenied a petition to his majesty in council tor a^reimbursement of the sums, which he had expended in the servi(;e of government. This was referretl to the lords commissioners of trade and planlalions, by whom he was examined in regard to his discoveries. Having obtained permission to publish his papers, he disposed of them to a book.seller. AViien they were almost ready for press, an or'der was i.ssued frum the council board, requiring'him to deliver into the jilantalion ofliceall his charts and journals, with every paj/er relating to the discoveries, wliich he had maile. In order to obey this eomm.and he was obliged to purchase tliem fi-orn the bookseller. It was not until ten years alter, that he published an account of his travels. Being disappointed in his hopes of prefeiment, he became clerk of the loitery. As he sold his name to a historical compilaiion, which was published in 177i), in tolio, entitled the '• New Universal Traveler," containing an account of all the emnires, kingdoms, and stall's in (he Icnoun wurhi, he was abandoned by those, whose duty it was t,, support him, and he died iu want of common necessaries of life in 1780, aged forty eight years. " Captain Carver published a tract on the culture of tobacco ; and travels through the interior parts of North America in the years 17GG, 17G7, and 17G8, London, 8vo, 1778. An edition of this work was published at Boston in 1797." The following afe copied from monuments in the grave yard north of the Congregational church. Here lyes ye body of ye Reverend and Pious and Learned Mr. Sarnuel EasfabrnoJi; ye 3d son of ye Reverend Mr. Joseph Eastabrook,late pastor of ye church in Concord, who was ye first pa.sior of ye church in Cantarbury, who departed this life to ye euer- lasting mercy of God, June 23d, 1727, in the 53d year of his age. A In the memni-y of Col. Aaron Cleveland, who died in a fit of apople.xy, 11th Api-il, ... D. 1785. Born 7th (d'Decr. 17-^; on the 17!h of June, A. D. 1782, when in the blooin of health and prime of life, was struck with the numb palsy ; from that time to his death, had upwards of sixty fits of the pal.sy and apople.xy. He was employed in sundry honorable ofhces both civil and military. Calm and composed my soul her journey takes, No guilt that troubles, and no heart that aches. Adieu! thou Sun, all bright like her arise, Adieu ! dear-friends, and all that's good and wise. 424 CHAPLIN. U A M 1' T 0 N . Here lies the body of Maj. James Filcli, ICsi]., son of yc Reverend Mr. James Fileli, pastor, first of Saybrook, ilien of Norwicli. He was born at Saybrook, 1(1-17. He was very uscl'ul in" his military ami in his mai;isiracy to which he was chosen, served successively to ye great aecepiaiion ami advania.i^^e of his country, beiiiir a tjentlemaii of good pails, ami very forward to promote ye civil and icligious interests of it. Died Nov. 10, 1727, aged 80 years. CHAPLIN. Chaplin was incorporated as a town in 1822. It was formed from the towns of JMansfield, Hampton, and a small section of the town of Windham. It is bounded n. by Ashford, e. by Hampton ami Wind- ham, s. by Windham and IManslield, and w. by iMansiield. The prin- cipal part of the township, however, was inchuled in the liniils of JMansfield, being a parish in that town, by the name of Chaplin. This parish was formed in October, 1809, and received its name from Dea- con Benjamin Chaplin, who left a donation ff)r the benefit of the so- ciety. The township is live miles afld a hall" in lungih from north to south, and averages about three and a half in width, containing about nineteen square miles. The town is intersected by the Nachaug, which passes through it from the northeast to the southwest. The inhabitants are princi pally- farmers. There is but one house of worshij) in the town, which is for Congregationalists. A [)aper mill, on the Nachaug, has been recently erected, near the center of the town. The central part of the town is about ten miles west from Brooklyn. H A I\I P TON. Hampton was incorporated as a town in 178(5. It was mostly form- ed from the sccontl society of \Vinilham, which was formed as a society in 1720, and was called Koincdi/ or IViniUiam village. The place appears to have been so named from a JMr. Kennedy, who with his family were the first settlers in the society. They located themselves about two utiles south of the Congregational church. It is believed that the first settlers came into this town about the year 1703. Jolm Clark, the fourth settler, located himself nearly two miles northwest from the center; Nathaniel Flint, one mile and a half to the southeast ; William and John Diukee, and George IMariin, near tlie center; Na- thaniel Kingsbury located himself about three miles to the northwest. Daniel Denison, two miles north ; James Utiey, two miles and a half, and Ebenczer Griffin, one mile and a half to the northeast. Benjamin Bedlock, John Preston and John Holt, were also among the first set- tlers. The first meeting house lasted till 1754, when it was removed and a new one erected, which is the church now standing. " The Congregational church in Hampton was organized June 5th 1723, consisting of 17 members, the descendants of many of which are yet inhabitants of the town. Upon the same day, Rev. William Bil- / HAMPTON. 425 lings was ordained tlieir pastor. Ife died May 22d, 1733, aged 36 years. His successor, Rev. Samuel Mosely, was ordained May 15ili, 1734, and died July 26, 1791, in the 83d year of his age, and 57th of his ministry. Rev. Ludovicus Weld, the next pastor, was ordained . Oct. 27th, 1792, and at his request, in consequence of ill health, was dismissed IMarch 2d, 1S24." The present pastor. Rev. Daniel G. Sprague, from wliom the above statement was obtained, was installed May 26th, 1824. Hampton is bounded n. by Asbford and Pomfret, e. by Pomfret, Brooklyn and Canterbury, s. by Canterbury and AVindham, and w. by Windham and Chaplin. Its length from north to south is about six miles, its breadtli, upwards of three, containing about 21-^ square miles. The surface of the town is uneven, being considerably hilly. The soil is a gravelly loam, considerably strong and fertile, and is well adapted for grazing. Agriculture is the iirincipal business of the in- habitants. There is, in the south part of the town, 1 woolen and 1 cotton factory, and in the center there is an cstablisJimeMt for the manu- facture of spectacles, carried on by Mr. Joseph S. Curtiss, who manu- factures at present between 2,000 and 3,000 pairs yearly. The principal and central village in the town is situated on the sum- mit of a considerably elevated hill, 35 n)ilos from Hartford and 6 from Brooklyn. It consists of upwards of thirty dwelling houses, 5 stores, a town house, and a Congregational church, on a single street, of perhaps about half a mile in extent. There are two other houses of worship in the town, one for Baptists, in the northeast part, and one (a small building, for Christ-ians) in the western part. There are two post oftices in the limits of the town, one at the center and the other at Howard's valley. The lirst mail opened in Hampton was on Jan. 31st, 1S20-