Connecticut Historical Collections

" A patent of the Equivalent lamls on the ea-l side of AV indsor. Whereas the Gov- ernor and Company ol the iOnglish rohmv of < 'unneciirul. in General (-'oiiit nssendih-d Ht llartlord. May the lOih, 1710, did give and giant unio the inhabilanls of Wmd.vor, in the LVninty of liarilord, an Eipiivali'iit in ihe CAdony laiuls, in consideralioii of 7,000 acres ol' land on the north side of llie >aid luun, whK-h by the hist >elllemenl of the line of said Colony wilh the i'luviiice of Massachu^eils l!ay, in I\'ew England, ■was taken off from sani township. G. .SALTO.Ni;T.u.i., Lluv. "ilez. Wyllys, Sccrclnrij." These lands were surveyed, an.l iheirlinuis asreiiain. <k on the IGth, 17th and Ifilli days of April, 1703, by .lames WadNWoiih and John Hall. 'I'uenty years pa.ssed away bcloie a division oi the tract was made among ihe pro|)iietors. Proprielorship liad become an exceedingly complex eoncein, and lor almost twenty years there were yearly meetings held in which the division of these and other common lands was one of the objects before the nieeiing, while the dillereiice of opinion among the proprie- tors was such, that all their doings were einharias.sed to a tiegiee that prevented them from proceeding. In 17i:i, the report of a committee appoinied many years bel'ore •was aceeptcil, and according to their siii\ey and ilivi.-^ion allolmenis weie maile. They began east where Seklen IVIcKinney resides, ai the nonh line of Bolton, now Vernon, and laid out lots in half mih; langes to Somcrs, and then back tigain. Be- yond the second tier, the lots were laid norrii and south in two tiers, all the south range bounded south by Tolland, and all the north on the irh th by Slalford. Beyond this a number of lots were laid out the whide breadth from 'J\dland to Stalfoid, ami, thus till the last lot was boun.led bv the Willimaniie. In all ihcM- ^ul veysand alloimeni.s, Ihe pond beiweeii ElUngion and Toll. mil was unil..iml\ \m ilten Misshnnijis—Wn- the north )»ond bordeiin:,' uj'un Sialhud no oiln r name in kiu;\\n than Square I'oiul. 'J'he Rev. John Mclvinstry was m middle life when he was seiih d here, lie was educated in Scotland, but married his wife in Wenhain, beyond Boston. She was the daughter of Deacon I^'airlield, of that place. When he came to this |)lace, he had five children, and two afterwards. Their nanjcsweie John, Alexainler, William, I'aul, Alary, Betsey and Abigail. One of his sons was a physician, and lived at 'I'aiinion or thai vicinity. JNiaiy married flsij. Ellswoiih, the son of CajJl. f)aniel Ellsworth. Betsey, •while on a visii to her bioiheis at the l^asl, was murdered by a slave who lived in the family. She was making. preparation to alieinl an oidinalioii in a neighboiing town, arose early, and having oeeasion to use a ilat iron, was healing il by the lire : as she was leaning over the table, the slave took ihe Ilat iron, and by a blow ujton her head deprived her of life: he concealed her body under the siaiis aiul lied ; he was how- ever arrested and executed, and hi.s confes.si'on of the decil ]>iiblished with the sermon preached at his execulion: he had been told that if he should kill some one and run away he should be free. Mr. MclCinsiiy continued his connection with the ])eojde in this place but IG years, lie was succeeded in the ministry by the llev. Nathaniel Huntington : he continued here but six years and six months, and died of a consump- tion. His successor was the ILev. Seth Norton: ins ministry was of short coniimiance: lie died in 17lJ0, aged ;{1 years. His successor was the Kev. John Bliss: he died Ecb- ruary 13th, 17110, aged 51. His successoiwas Mr. Leonard, who coiiiinued in the re- lation of a minister but a few years, and was succeeded by the Uev. DitidtiU IJiuckivaij. " Ellington is situatoti partly on the plain and partly on the liills. A few years since no township in the county of llartfurtl, in which it was II r; 1$ R o N . 51!) then included, was in lower estimation ; its soil was considered lean — its agriculture was wretched, and the; circuaiblances of its inhabitants were generally very huinhle. The circumstances of the community have changed, the agriculture and the buihiings have improved, and the in- habitants have risen not a little in their general character." Few tracts of country possess advantages for further improvement equal to this, to render it a delightful garden, a most beautifid heiitagc, and a place of moral and intellectual wortij. The sceneiy in this town embraces con- siderable variety and is uncommonly interesting and beautiful. WcstinL view of the antral j/urt of KUlngtun. The above is a west view of the Congregational church, and some other buildings in tlie central part of Elhngton. In the village, or near the center of the town, are about 40 duelling houses, most of which are linished in a neat, plain and handsome style. There is a high school, lyceum and conlcrence house, school for young misses, district school, and two hotels, all of which are (inished in a handsome style. The " l^llington School," designed principally lor boys from the age of eight years to sixteen inclusive, is a resiicctable institution, and has acfjuired a deserved celebrity. The house of .ludge llall, the princi|)al, and the high school, a s[)acious edifice, are eloLjanl buihiings, situated a little west of the Con'j-regalionai church, on a gentle but beautiful eminence. II E B R O K The first settlement of this town was commenced in 1701. Tlie first ))eople who maile settlements in the town were AVilliam Shipman, Timothy Pheljis, Samuel Filer, Caleb Jones, Stephen Post, Jacob Root, Samuel Curtiss, Edward Sawyer, Joseph Youngs, anil Renoni Trumbull. They were from Windsor, Say brook, Long Island and Northampton, llchron was incorporated as a town in 1707. It is 550 11 F. B HON. bounded n. by Bolton and (Coventry, w. by Glastenbury and iMailbo- rougli, K. by Columbia and J^ebanon. and s. by Colcbester. Its ave- rage length from north to south is 9J miles, and its average breadth more tlian four miles. The surface of the town is uneven, being some- what hilly and diversified, and the soil is considerably fertile. There are in the town two located Congregational societies and churches, 1 Episcopal church and 1 JMethodist. The principal village in the town is 20 miles from Hartford. Hop river, a branch of the Willimantic, forms the northeastern boundary of the town. North pond, in the south part of this town, is a considerable body of water; it is situated partly in this town and partly in Colchester. A large iron furnace for cast- ings and pig iron is now erecting near the outlet of this pond, about three miles froin Hebron village. The best bed for obtaining the ore is said to be about one mile northwest of the Congregational church in Colchester. There arc also in the first society, 1 woolen and 2 cotton factories, and 1 paper mill. South vii.tv of litbron, (^ccniriil jittrt.) The above is a representation of some of the most important buiUlings in the principal village in Hebron, 20 miles s. e. from Hartford. The^ Gothic building on the left is the Episcopal church, which Is built of brick. The fn-st dwelling house north, with four chimnies, is the resi- dence of John S. Peters, Esq. formerly governor of the state. Gov. Peters was bred a physician, and is one of the largest landed proprie- tors in the town. On the right is seen in the distance the spire of the Congregational church, fronting the south, before which is a small o\)en green. °The first society contains about half the inhabitants of the town. The whole of the jjarish of Gilead, and about half of Audo- ver, are within its limits, both of which have an excellent soil, cultiva- ted by farmers. Hebron has furnished quite a number of distinguished men. Dr. Trumbull, the venerable historian of Connecticut, Gov. Peters, Gov, Palmer of Vermont, Gov. Root of New York, and three members of Congress, Sylvester Gilbert, Daniel Burrows, and the late Daniel Buck of Vermont, were all natives of this town. MANSFIELD. 551 Tlve first minister ordained in tliis town w as Ucv. John Bliss ; tliis was in October, 17)7. He declared lor Episcopacy i)i 1731, and iiaviiij,' laid ihe loundalicin of a soci- ety, a house of worship was elected ihe next year lor ihai denominalinii, and JMr. Bliss preached and read setviee lor them a nnmber of years alierwards. The Rev. Benja- min Poineroy, I). 0. in 171!,), was ordained as (lastor ol llie church and conj,'ri.galion from which Mr. J]li--s wa.^ dismissed, lie was'an atdrnt and zealous preacher ul the gospel, of the New Li^'hl order, and a waiiii admiier ol Mi. "Whiielield, who at that time experienced much opposition in many plaos. Mr. Ponieioy's zeal in endcav- orinf( to arouse his slunibei mg bietluen, and their siupid eont^regations, in liis vicin- ity, was deemed i/-rct;ulnr, and (.^ays l>r. Tnunlinll,) " a ceMilicate was lodged against lum, and, for .seven years, he was dejuived of his .■-inied .^aluiy." The following, ftiniislied by a coiTespondent, describes a scene of 'other years:' in point of fact it is believed to be substantially correct.