Connecticut Historical Collections

Lorcii-.u l>iiii\ a celebrated iliiierani priurher, was bom in this loMn, about two miles south of the Hale liou.>e, (.'it. Itilh, 1777. lie wa^ dislingnished f./r his eccen- tricities and labors. He eommeneed I'K.'achmg in the .Methodist connexion, lie traveled through the United Slates, from ^ew KnghunI to the e.Mremities o! Ihe Union, at least from fifteen to tweiitv limes. ( >i.casionallv he went into Canada, ami once lo iheAVest Indies. He alMj'made three voy.iges io England and Ireland, where he drew crowds aruuiul him. •■ It is though!.' and not wiihoiit reascm, that duniig the thiity ei-hl yearsof hi.s puble- lite. In; uiu-t h.ive traveled marlv two hiindicil ihiHisand mih's." ' He wrote a numb.r of book.^; brsi.hs In-, 'Mnui nalV or Hie : ihe titles aie usually a.secceiiluc as their author. 1 1. died at Ctoigelow n, ( D. C.)Feb.'Jd, lb3-l. /'/•e/.A (A,: Amrnain Mcrainj, May -2d, 17Hr>. V,y autlientic information from Connecticut, we learn that a lew weeks since, a per- son on his travels through the town of Coventry in that slate, stopi'ed on a riatuiday at the house of the Ilev. .Joseph Huntingion, D." I), and ae(|uainled ihe Doctor that he had been preachingmt Su.Mjuehannah lor a consiileiable time, was so unl'oiiunale as to be driven frtun his possessions there by the Indians— that his property u asdeslioyed by them— that he was then Ijoiiiid to the state of Massachusetts, where he had some I'riends residing, and al the same lime begged charity. The Doctor, who is by no means a stranger lo acts of hospitaliiy, was very liberal and charitable to the clergy- luan, invited him to slay and spend the Sabbath, as there would be an im|uoprieiy ill his traveling Ihe suceo'ding day: which inviialiou the stranger aii ( pn il. 'I'he Doctor then requested Ins brother < lei -vinan to as-.iM him m the (lull^^ ol his lum- lion; but he ob|eeted, and .-;ud ih^il h i ■- .•IoIIms wnr not siillieieully d, , .iil In ap|H-,,i in the pulint. Inordei lo nl,\ i,,lr this dillimli v, tlir I Lujloidlleied him a suit of elol lies which he had uol lon-smee received li.;lnllie tailor, and dcsiied him to liy ihemou, which he did, anil found they siiiled vei v well. The objeelioii being lemoved, ihe clergyman accordingly agreed to assisi ihe Doctor the succeeding day, and desired lo be by himself that evening to study his discourse. A lire was then maile in his bed chamber, wheie he rejiaiied with liis new garb, at the same lime acquainting the Doe- tor that he must study iiniil late at night, and hoped no noise which he might make would disturb the repose olihe family. Sunday morning came, the adroit clergyman ■was sent for lo breaklast, but to the great surprise of the family, he v.as not to bo found; for during the ni^lit he had taken his exit, not forgetliiig "the garment so well suited lo his clerical dignit), and leaving behind him the' following select and well adapted text, prelixetl at the to]) of the paper intended for his sermon : " Ye shall seek me and shall not iind ine; and where 1 am, thither ye cannot come." — Jnha 1, 31. The following inscriptions are from inonuincnts near the Congrega- tional church, in the southeastern part of the town. ]\lr. Meacham is believed to have been tlie first settled minister in the town. The Rev. Mr. Jo.sF.pn Mh:.vLii.iM was near 10 yeais ye learned, faitlilVil, and painful pastor of ye church in Coventry. He was a man of God, fei veiil in prayer, zealous and plain in preaching, sincere in reproving, holy and prudent in conversation ; a kind liusband, tender father, sincere friend ; a lover of soul.-:. T'lied \\\l\[ ye labors of ye Word, his ardent soul bent its llighl lo .Testis, and drojiped ye botly to rest here till Jesiis come, fcsept. 15lh, 1752, in ye 67th year of his age F, L L I N G T O N . 517 TfiM-e lies wlial was nioilal of Mrs. K.-~thn- Miuham. yc pnident.pious, nnJ virluons consort o( Rev. Jo.srph Moueli.nu. .Slie was ihc (Jaii-Liei ul ye veneial.)le Joliii AViU- iaias, and wa.s carried eapiive lo Caiiaiia wiili liei laiiier alul Ins laujily ; was uon- deilliliy preserved and redeemed, and liveil an tiiiineul examjjle olwhai was aniiable in .1 wile, a mother, a IViend, and a Oiristian. Slept in Je.sus, Marcli 1^2tli, 1751, in ye Gdlli year of lier aye. Rev. Joseph Huntington, D. D. ordained Jam.' -J'.), ITiui; died Dec.OJiii, 1701, in the 00th year of iiis age, and 'i-2A ol' his ministry. He was an eminent divine, and labo- rious minister; an all'eclionaie pareiii and li lend. ] le wasconsideied in tim churches as a pattern ol' leaniim^, an illustrious example of extensive charily, and was much improved as a couneillor and peace niakei. Blessed are tiie peace makers, Tor they shall be called the childien of Cod. 1?urable stone preserve the monumental record. Nathan Hale, Escj. a Capt. in the army ot the United States, who was born June Gth, 17i)5, and reeeivetl the first honors • d'^ale Colle^'e, Sept. 1773; resi'jned hislil'e a sacrillee to hiscounliv's Hbeiiy aliNew York-, Sepl.20d, 177'), J'liat. Il'-J.' I\lr. Richaid I laic, jr b.iin lA'b.L'O. 17r.7, d:cd of consnmplion, in the island of St. Mustaiia, aged :!7. 'I'hev were both the sons (d' Deacon Richard, and JMrs. Elizabeth Hale, of Coveiitrv. E L L I N G ^J^ O N . Elmngton was originally a jiart of the townsliip of East Windsor, called the Great Marsh. It was incorporated as a town in 173(5. It is bounded n. by Soiners and Siailbrd, w. by East ^Vindsol■, e. by Tolland and Siailbrd, and s. by Vernon and Tolland. It is irregular in its form, its greatest length being nine miles, and its greatest breadth about six, comprising upwards of 21,7G0 acres. The lownship in the western part is generally level, a consiilerahle ])ortion of it being a plain, the soil of which is light and dry, but considerably fertile. The eastern part is broken, hilly and mountainous. It was not until about seventy live years after the setlleuicnt began on the east .side id' Coniieelieut livt-r, that any inhabiiants It I'aicd tin ni-cKes in tlir pail now railed Kllinglon. Why this tiael of l.md was thus ncgUcicI, cinnol now be eaMly told It might iiave been ihe opinion w liieh early picvaikd thai the mountain laml was belter, the tunber and water lielier, M'hieh inlluenced settlers to pass from Windsor to Tol- land, Willingloii, and oiherinountainous iraels, rathei than (,ecu]>y these jdains. The opinion was long prevalent, that llie soil on the pbiin, near ihe present ceniei* of the town, ami all the western section of it, was far mfcrnu to the elevated tracts in the adjoining towns cast. And even the fathers of sonic, who are now living in ihe towns east, might have purchased iiioie than ilouble the. number id' acres on the plain near the center of the lown, with the same amount of capital thai thcv iiivesteil in their farms on the mountains. lio'^tr Wolrotl mtcic-led himself in ihe sotiling of "Willing- ton, some years befme ihere was anv sm vcy of this region. Tolland had a minister settled while thislown wasan unbroken wihlcincss. iJoliuii and Sialford were earlier surveyeil than any part of this tow n. Covcntr\' had a minister iifieen or twenty years before any one was hicaled here. 'J'hc land lormcrly (occupied bv the Ellsworlhs in this town", wheie < 'apt. Samuel Chaianan now lesi.ics, w:, , siii vcycd in the year 17-0, as this was the eailicsi date in which any per.-,on made a beginning in this place. The following is fioin the original recoil. "Land surveyed to Daniel and John Ellsworth, sons of Lieutenant John Ellsworth, of Wind.sor, by Thomas Kimbi?rly, surveyor of laiul in the county of Hariford, IGth of March, 1720, hve hundred and forty acres of laml between the mountains east of Windsor ami Connecticut river, at a place called by the English ' The Great Ahir^k^ and by the Indians ' \Vcaxkaf.hacV—'^\(\ acres bought cd' C-'apt. Joseph Wadsworth, and 200 acres bought of the Ifissells, by said Lieut. John l-^llsworth, began at a pine tree marked and having two mere-slones by it, standing on the plain near the north- west corner of the said marsh— (then all the bounds arc described.) Samuel Pinney and Daniel Grant, being under oath, assisted in carrying ihe chain.'' 548 ELLINGTON. This was in Maiuli, 1700. On a stone a little dislancc noriliwest Ircun said Sam- uel iJiiapinan'b is the lollouin^' inscription. "Lititl.. Ju/in KlbtvurHi \\:\s killed here by the Tail ol a tree, (kt. '2i\lk, 1721), aged ID yeuis and 15 days." JSu lar as can be learned ironi the recouls, it dcies not app|iear llial there was any I'amily withinthe lim- its of Eljin^non, previous to tlie aforesaid date. It is sujjposed that the Capt. Wad.s- worili ol' whom the Ellsworihs purchased had u grant ol' lanil i'or services in the I'e- quot war. Wiielher the Hi.vseis, of whom the 'JOO acres weie bonglit, claimed under the Indian lille, or m some other way, is not known. Tiie llev. John Mclvinsiry w as the tirsi minister vvlio wassetiled in ElliiiLciun. lie i)nichased a small place of An- drew iMcKee, a little east of the place where Judge Hall's high .school-house is now- located, by deed dated April '27lh, 17;!0. Tliiee years nfierwards he bought aboul thirty acres of land adjoinnighis lirst purcliase, of Simon Parsons; his deed, witness- ed by Daniel Ellsworth, John l''airlield and Sanniel Thom|)son, as appears from Windsor records. The ancient town of Wmdsoi extended cast to the road as it now runs from the widow jMoiillon's, by Wyllys Uussels'.s. Scjiiih of Lucius ( "liajinian's, it passed on the sitle hill east of the road as jt now runs to Ihdlon line, now Vernon. Tiie land east of this, wiihin the limiis of Ellington, and called the E(inivalenl, was granted to the town oi' Windsor, aiul the grant maldng the conveyance is on the re- couls in the I'ollowing words: