Connecticut Historical Collections

Likhfield, Dec. I2th, 1786. In the storm on Saturday evening last, the wife of Mr. Elisha Eirge unfortunately perished. The fury of Ihe tempest seemed to threaten an immediate dismemberment of the long erected ;ind decayed mansinu of their residence: a naturally timid disposi- tion induced Mrs. IJirgc fatally to deicrmine on leaving if and seek an asylum in a neighboring house; from which resoKiiion she could iiot'be persuaded lo recede, liow- ever hazardous the attempt. She had not ))roceeded far, when Mr. Eirge followed, and imineiliately overtook her: having wandered about tlie dreary waste some time, in fruitless search of the friendly cottage, her helpless survivor suggested that thev liad mi.siook the road, and urged their return; but alas! too late — she was falling asleep; the chilling winds and hoary Irost had deprived her of speech and sense, and beside the bending chest of an aged tree she expired in his arms. Those who knew her worth, cannot restrain the sympathetic tear. She was hospitable and good ; indulgent to her children; a comfort to the partner of her bed; a blessing lo her neighbors; and an ir- reparable loss to the stranger and distressed. Mr. Birge was exposed to the storm about five hoars before lie found a shelter. His hands and eajs are mucli froren, but it is hoped he will recover. 460 B A U K II A M S T E 1) BAllKIIAMSTED. Barkhamstei) was granted to Capt. Thomas IMooie and Lieut. Jon- athan Ellsworth, and otlier persons ol' Windsor, in 1732. The first per- son who made a permanent settlement in the town, was Pelatiah Allyn from Windsor. He removed here about the year 1746, and remained the only inhabitant of the town for 10 or 12 years. In the summer he employed his time in clearing and cultivating his lands, and in the win- ter in hunting. His plantation was toward the south part of the town, near the dividing line between this town and New Hartford. As there were frequent alarms on account of the Indians, he used, when danger was apprehended, to repair to a fortified post in the northern part of New llartford. He took special care to guard himself against a sur- prise at his own house. The next man who made a settlement in the town, was Israel Jones, from Enfield, about the year 1759. Besides these, the first principal settlers were, William Austin, Jonathan King, and a INIr. Norton, from Sudield ; Amos Case from Simsbury, John Ives from Hamden, Joseph Shepherd from Hartford, and Josc})h ^V'il- der from East Haddam. Mv. "\Vilder was the first magistrate, and for several years the only one. The progress of the settlement was slow. In 1771 there were but 20 families in the limits of the town, and the inhabitants were so few that they were not called upon to do military duty until 1774. The town was incorporated in 1779. The Rev. Ozias Eels, the first minister of the town, was ordained January, 1787. He died in 1813. Barkhamsted is bounded north by Hartland, west by Winchester, east by Canton and Granby, and south by New Hartford. It is 6i miles in length from east to west, and 5 miles in breadth. The central part is situated 23 miles northwest from Hartiord. The township is rough, stony and ujountainous, and is intersected by two high granite ridges of mountains, running north and south. Upon the declivities of these ridges, and u|)t)n their summits, there is much broken land, some of which is inaccessible. Jn some places these ridges exhibit very lofty and sublime features. Iron ore has been discovered in small quantities in difierent parts of the town, likewise some strata of limestone. The soil is hard and dry, and not generally good for tillage, except along the streams. The mountains and hills were formerly covered with excel- lent timber, consisting of oak, chestnut, sugar maple, beech, pine and hemlock ; a considerable portion of which has been destroyed by wind and fire, and by the axe, under a system of improvidence, at a time when timber was considered of no value. The following is a representation of the principal part of the village of Hitchcocksville, in Barkhamsted ; it is situated on the west branch of the Farmington river, near the corner of four towns, Hartland, Cole- brook, Winchester and Barkhamsted. The village contains upwards of 20 dwelling houses, 1 chair factory, 2 mercantile stores, and an Episco- pal church, wh'ch was founded July 4lh, 1829, and called the Union church. Part of the chair factory is seen on the left, and the church n F. T II r. E M . 4G1 J Vest view of IlitchcoclcsvUle, Barkhamsted. on the riglit of the engravint;. The village was commenced about fif- teen years since : it is 20 miles from Litchfield, and 26 from Hartford. Tiiere are superior water privileges for extensive manufactories in the innnediate vicinity. A little more than a mile south of this place, a few of the last remnants of the Narragansett Indians have a location ; they came here about the year 1779, and purchased about 200 or more acres of land. Their houses, or rather cabins, are along side of the road : there are about 20 souls that make their constant residence here, though at times they number as many as 30 persons. BETltLEM. i Bethlem was formerly a part of Woodbury. It was incorporated as a distinct town in 1787. It is bounded n. by Litchfield, e. by Wa- tertovvn, w. by Washington, and s. by Woodbury. Its average length is 4^, and its breadth 4 miles. The township is considerably hilly, and the soil generally a gravelly loam, and is best adapted to grazing; there are, however, considerable (piantities of rye raised in the limits of the town. The number of inhabitants in 1810 was 1,118; In 1830 the number was reduced to 906. The following is a represeutation of the central part of Bethlem. The church seen on the left is the Episcopal ; the Congregational church is seen a little to the right of the center of the engraving. The first building seen to the left of the Congregational church, is the residence of Joseph H. Bellamy, Esq. grandson of Joseph Bellamy, D.D. the cel- ebrated divine. The next house seen westward of the church was for- merly the residence of the Rev. Azel Backus, who was the successor of Dr. Bellamy, and afterwards the first president of Hamilton College, 4G'2 K T 11 r. i: Ai South vicAu of lictldcm, {central ■iiart.) in llic slate of New York, l^'liis ])laco is 32 miles from New Haven, .'38 IVom l[ai-tford, I'k south from Litchlieklj and G from Wateriown. nclhlcm, Dec. 20, 17C0. We learn from Pjcthlein, ilint sucli a distressing sickness lias prevailed there of late, that in the inuntli ofNuvemlicr 31 persons died in tliat small town, but the distemper is somewhat mitigated. They are lalcen first M'ith a eold, and then a malignant pleu- risy sets in, and carries them off. Among others lliat died was Doct. Hull, his wife and two children, and a young man, all out of one house; the doctor and liis wife ■were buried in one grave. Soon after their deaths, and while others were sick in the liousc, one Deacon Strong coming by, raised a dock of eleven quails, which Hew over the befoie-meiilioned house, and dropjied in the garden ; immediately after three rose and dew into the bushes, biil the other eight were picked up dead, and in an hour after titunk and were buried. The air in the parish is said by doctors and others of judg- ment, to be aiiparently diiltMcut ficjiu the air in towns and parishes round about it. Some do..•liU•.^ ihcie, have been rc:uly to call ihu disieiiijter ilie I'lague, or something imieh like it. A robbery, which at the time caused eonsideridile excitement in this place, took jdace in the east part of the ))arish of Ijethlem, called Gurnsey 'J'own, in the sjiring o( the year 177H or 177i^ at the house of Ebenezer Gurnsey, a weallhy farmer. Mr. Gurnsey had sold his farm some lime before, to Isaac Bahlwin of AVoodbridge, who had moved in with Mr. Gurnsey, and had paid him a large sum of money. Mr. Gurnsey had a niimberof men m his em])loy in building a house on an adjoining farm. All in the hou.se had retired to rest, it being late at night, except Mr. i>aldwin and wife, and two young men who weie in another room. I'wo of the robbers came in, their faces lieiiig blacked, one being armed with a gun, the other with a pistol, and or- dered Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin into the room where the young men were, to be bound, threatening them with immedialc dealh if they made any resistance. One of the young men made his escape — lliey bound the other, and while attempting to bind Mr. Baldwin, who was a very active man, he wrenched the pistol from one of the robl)ers, at which the other attempted to shoot liim, but he managed to keep behind the other robber till another from without came in and knocked Mr. Baldwin down with the breech of a gnu, and wounded him badly. Mr. Gurnsey, although somewhat deaf, was awakened by the uncommon noise, and coming into the room was knocked down and had his skull fractured — the rest of the Jamily made their escape or hid them- selves. The robbeis rilled the house of many valuable things, but in retiring, drojtped Mr. (inrnsejj's poehet Ixudc, which contained a large amount of continental monev. One of the yi^img nnjTi mIki e'ia[>ed ran ihree miles to Bethlein uiuelmg house, with- out slopping to give any alai m. CANAAN. ([(jli