Connecticut Historical Collections

Josejjh Bdhtmy, D. D, a cclehralod divine, was born in Clicsliirc. He graduated at Yale College in 17;>5, being tlien sixteen years old. Wlien be was eigbteen years old, be became a pieacber. He was or- dained in Beibleni in 1740. He died in 1790, in tbe 72d year of bis" age, and GOtli of bis ministry. " He possessed a vigorous mind, and was well versed in ibeology. His style was ])lain and bis manner im- ])rcssive. He beld a liigb rank among bis coniempoiaries as a preacb- er. During tbe great religious revival wiili wblcb ilie eburclies were visited in 1742, lie devoted mucb of bis time to itinerant labor, and was tbe instrument of mucb gooil in many congregations. He was al- so distinguisbed as a tbeological instrucloi', botli by a bappy meibod ol* teacbing, and by tbe great number of young men wbo studied ibr tbe ministry under bis care. Tbe most important of bis |)ublicati()ns is bis ' True Religion Hclineated.' His woiLs liave been republlslicd in tliree octavo volumes." C A N A A N fja^:*^.:]^-^ ^. t> m ^t! ,' vl km v." SoutliiUbt iiLU of (he JJ lUuitunu l\iHs, ( (iiuKtn Canaan was sold at auction in IVew jiondon, in January, 17;>> Til settlement began in June u[' tbe same year. Tbe (iisl inbabitanls were Daniel and Isaac Jiawience, Jobn l''raidJin, ami otbcrs wbo joined tiie settlement about tbe same time. Tbe town was incorporateil in lllVJ. Tbe first clergyman in tbe town was tbe liev. Elisba \Vebsiei-, wbo was ordained in ()ctober, 1740. Canaan is 41 miles nortbwest from Hartford, bounded nortb by ilie •JMassacbusctts line, east by IXorfolk, west by tbe Jlousatonie, dividing it from Salisbury, and soutb by Cornwall. It is about J) miles in Icuglii from norfb to soutb, and its average breadtb about si\. Tbe (alls represented in tbe above cii'Maviiig, are liunicd by a ledge'of limesi jiie rocks, ci'ossin'i tbe Hou^alonic rl\cr obbiinclv from v^ 4G4 COLEBllOOK'. nortluvest to southeast : the length of the ledge is about 30 rods, its per|)endicular height perhaps 60 feet, and its front irregular and broken. Here, in a formidable mass on the western side, and on the eastern, the water rushes from the rapid torrent above, and descending in every va- riety of form, with the mass of foam at the bottom rising in a misty cloud, and the surrounding scenery presents a scene of remarkably j)ic- turesque beauty. There are falls and rapids both above and below ihe main cataract, but of much smaller scale. " The whole descent," says Dr. Dwight, "is about 130 feet, nobly arranged and distributed, and comprehending a remarkable variety of beauty and grandeur." The buildings connected with the "Salisbury Iron jManufacturing Co." are situated a short distance above the main fall, on the Salisbury side of the Ilousatonic ; there are also iron works below the falls, a forge and anchor shop are on the Canaan side. This place is 18 miles from Litchfield, 45 from Hartford, and 4 li-om Salisbury center. The face of the township is broken and mountainous. Considerable quantities of limestone have been quarried. COLEBROOK. CoLKBROOK is ail elevated township, the central part of which is 31 miles northwest from Hartford, and 18 miles northeast from Litchfield, bounded north by the Massachusetts line, east by Hariland, west by Norfolk, and south by Winchester. Its length from east to west is six miles, and its average breadth five. The township is hilly and moun- tainous, and the soil a hard gravelly loam, and generally stony. It is in general rather cold and wet, but aftbrds tolerable good grazing. The main branch of the Farmington river inii.^rsccts the eastern part of the town, and aObrds excellent mill seats. The population of the town in 1810 was 1,^243; in 1830, it was 1,33L>. Jt is said that in the year 179(5, some laborers in this town, digging to the depth of nine or ten feet, found three large tusks, and two thigh bones, the latter of which measured each about four feet and four inches in length, and twelve inches and a half in circumference. It is added that when first discovered they were entire ; but that as soon as they were exposed to the air, they mouldered into ilust.* The following is a representation of the Congregational church, situ- ated in the central part of the town, and some of the buildings in the vi- cinity. The hill seen back of the church is sometimes denominated Mount Pisgah. The first settler in the town, JJenjamin Horton, loca- ted himself about three fourths of a mile south from this place, on the Norfolk road, in December, 1765; Joseph Rockwell came in January, 1766 ; Joseph Seymour and Nathan Bass, in the following April anil May, and Samuel Rockwell in 1767. The common method of clear- ing land was to girdle the timber; on the third year after girdling, it was sown 'with rye and seeded down to grass : the average crop was ♦ Aineric.-iu Cuizelleur. C () R N \V A I, L A61 ,-A.a. ^r^SM^f'mZ iSouthicestern view of Cultbruok, {central part.) from 20 to 25 bushels to the acre. The kind thus partially cleared, pro- duced good pasturage for 7 or 8 years, when the remaining timber on the land having principally fallen, it became necessary to clear it; be- ing fallowed down, it produced good wheat and rye. When the land was new, ii prixkicctl good oats and turnl[)^. Apple trees, at the first settlement ol' ilie town, did not lloiui^li. The toun was organized into an ecclesiastical society in 178(5, and the first meeting liouse was built about the same lime. Jlev. l)i-. Jonathan Kduards, of JN'ew Haven, son of the celebrated di\ine of the sami; name, was Installed the first pastor, in 1795. He howe\er continued here but 3 or 4 years, being appointed President of Union College, in Schenectady. The Rev. Chauncey Lee, I). D. was the next minister. There are at present five houses of worship in the limits of the town, 1 Congregational, 2 Bap- tist, 1 Methodist, and 1 fur various denominations. CORNAV ALL This township was laid out in fifty three allotments, and sold by the colony at Fairfield in 1733, at fifty pounds per riglit. The first per- manent settlement was made about 1710, there being this year 13 fam- ilies in the town. The first irdiabitants were from various pans of the colony, the greatest number being from Plalnfield. Tliese were per- sons by tlie name of Jewett, Spaulding, Barret, Squires, and others. Those by the name of Allen and Griffin, were from Litchfield; the Fullers and Robertses from Colchester. There were other persons from Tolland, Norwalk, and some from Massachusetts. Such a num- ber'of persons planted themselves in the town at once, that they were able to support a minister from the commencement of the settlement, 59 466 C O It N AV A L L , In August, 1741, tlie Rev. Solomon Palmer was ordained their pastor. " He continued with tlieiii in peace until INlarcli, 1754, when on the Sabhuth, to tlie great sur[)nse of the people, he declared himself an Episco|)alian in sentiment. He soon afier went to England, and ob- tained orders. He was originally of Branford, and had his education at Yale College."* ___ . — -_ I .^^\- y,'^-^;^ ^ortlieasttrn view of ibuulh Curnwull. Cornwall is situated 38 miles west from Hartford, and 48 northwest from New Haven ; bounded north by Canaan, west by the Housatonic, separating it from Sharon, east by Goshen, and south l)y Warren and Kent. Its average length from north to south is more than nine miles, and its breadth about five;, "^riie face of the township is iiilly ami nuHuitainous, but ibc soil is f(Tiilc ami pioduciive, being well adapted both to grain and giiizing. Stveial minerals have been discovered in this town ; in the western seciion, in w hat is called Aline JMountain, near the Housatonic, veins of black lead have been discovered in vari- ous places; about two miles south of the princi|)al settlement, a bed of porcelain clay has been discovered ; there are also various indica- tions of iron ore. The above shows the appearance of the village of South Cornwall, as seen from the road which passes from Goshen to Sharon. The drawing was taken from the house of George Wheaton, Esq. on the elevated ground about one mile n. e. from the Congregational church. There are two mercantile stores, and about twenty dwelling houses, within half a mile of the church. The appearance of this \'illage and the surrounding objecis, as seen from the road above mentioned, con- stitutes one of the most interesting and striking scenes to be met with in the state. The cheerful appearance of the church and the little Pr. Trumbull. / COSH K N . 467 cluster of white painted buildings surrounding it, at the bottom of a deep valley, is unconunonly pleasing. Tlie mountains and lofty bills which rise immediately on almost every side, shutting out in a sense the rest of the world from this apparently retired spot, present a hold and most striking feature in the landscape. The mountain seen south of the village is Cult^s Foot Mountain, so called it is said from the circumstance of a colt's foot being found on its summit, which was probably carried there by some wild animal, as tlie mountain is almost inaccessible. This village is the place where the Foreign Mission School was established in 1818. The building in which the school was 'kept is the westernmost in the cluster seen around tlie church. This sciiool had its rise from the attem|)t to qualify Obookiah, a pious Owyheean youth, and others, for missionaries to their native lands. Obookiah was brought to this country in 1808, and came to New Ha- ven. While here, Samuel J. Mills, a student in Yale College, and other pious persons, commiserating his condition, instructed him in the Christian religion. Obookiah soon became hopefully pious, and strong- ly advocated a mission to his counirytnen. Other natives of his island were found, and a school was established for their benefit at Cornwall. In 1820, tlie number of pupils in this school was 29, of whom 19 were American Indians, and G from the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Oboo- kiah sickened and died in Cornwall in 1818. The following is the in- scription on his monument in the village grave yard.