Connecticut Historical Collections

"The prin(n|)al doctrines of the Shakers arc, — a belief in the second aypcarance. vf Christ, in the person of the holy mother. TlM?y adnut of but two persons in the Godhead, God the Father, and God the Moth- er, which they say is according to the order of nature, being niale and female. To redeem the depraved I'ace of man, they believe that it be- came necessary for Gofl to take upon him the real character of human nature as it is, male and female, and tliat his fii'st appearance was in the person of man, and the slm^oihI in the person of w'oman, whereby the work of reilemption was finished and completed. The confusion and wickedness that prevailed in the Catholic Church, during the long pe- riod which pieceded and followed tlie reformation, they ascribe to the work of redemption not being co/n|deted in Christ's first appeai'ance, it being the necessary period that must intervene between the making and fulfillment of the promise of Christ, that he would establish his law of righteousness on earth. Tliey believe in perfect holiness, and insist that salvation from ain here is necessary to siilvatiun hom misery hereafter. They regaril the Jiihie as a testimony of Christ's first appearance, but deny that it contains the word of God, or of life, as they consider a be- 88 F A R SI 1 N n T 0 N . lief in the second appearance of Christ, or in the spiritual character and mission of the holy mother, ^s indispensable to salvation." The following inscriptions are from inonimients in the burying ground, a little north of the Congregational church. In memory of that pious, cxcellL-nt and amiable iir.in, llie Rev. Mr. Pktk.r Raynoi.ps, who, after serving Chrisl in llie woik o( llie gospel jniuisli y willi great fidelity in this town more tlian forty iwoyeais, fell asleep in May lliii. 17118, Anno. ^•E.G8. Ravnolji.s, lliy name, tliy memory shall survive, The failing lujiiors marble Staines 1^1 ve, When this frail stone'.sdecay'd, foigot this verse, Posterity tliy virtues sliall rehearse; Thy conjugal, paternal, social love, Religious zeal with charity imoiive. Shall sjieak the generous, gentle teinper'd, kind, Blest Willi much science in an humble mind. Thy purity of morals, sacred fear C)l God, and fervent love of man decliie; Tell lion, lluiic halbiw'd tongue how wisdom llnw'd, 1 low Willi iiispirM discourse, each Iiomjiu glow 'd, How thy sweet converse gladdcn'd eveiy licait, And sentinienl instructive did iin])ari. HIcss God that here ihy bright example's giv'ii A Guide to lead mankind to llicc in lleav'u. Sacred to the luemoiy of 13ea. Joski'h Kinosiiliiv, who died June 8lh, 1800, aged S:; and 2 months. Here lies a man, no one priz'd Religion more, The same our Fathers brouglii iVom i;iuo[ie 's shore, A sti ict sn|ii)orler of the giMid old ways . Uf Puritans, in their most early days. FARl\riNGTON. Thf, first settlers of Farmington were from Hartford, being emigrants from Boston, Newtown and Koxbury. in Alassacliiisetls. They began the settlement in Ki 10, being probalily attracted at this early period by the fine natural meailows upiui the Ttmxis or Farmiiigtun river. The town was incorporated in Hi 15. The land was luiiehased of the Tunxis tribe of Indians, which was a numcrotis aiul warhke tribe, by eighty four proprietors, and divided l)y them and their heirs according to their res- pective interests. Tlie township at the time of its incorporation was about fifteen miles square.* Since this period five new towns have been formed from it, viz. Southington, IJerlin, ]3ristol, Burlington and Avon. The present length of Farmington is 7! miles from north to south, and averages upwards of four in breadth. The town is situated principally between two mountainous ridges which stretch from n. n. e. to s. s. w. indented by vallies ; the mean distance between the moun- tains is about four miles. The east mountain, on the base of which the village is built, presents a mural front to the west, and has two con- venient j)asses through it ; the road to Hartford passing through the north, and the road to INIiddletown through the soutli pass, distant from each other about four miles. The Farmington river, about 45 yards ♦ Pease and Kiles's Gazetteer. F A U M 1 N G T O N 89 wide, enters through the west mountain fioni the northwest, and runs southt'asi to the ccBtial part of the town, where meeting the east moun- tain, it turns an acute angle and runs northward through the town, par- aHel with the mountain. On the cast side of tiic east mountain, oppo- site a peak called Rattlesnake hill, rises the Quinniplac or North Haven river. The great Hat or natural meailow, from the river westward, from 1| to 2 miles broad, is alluvial, a rich loam and sand, and is one of the most fertile tracts in the State, i\'. IK view of .Fitniiington, from Jioitnd Hill. The above is a view of the central part of the village, showin"- the Congregational and iMethodist churches. The main street, on which they are built, extends about two miles from north to south, on an ele- vated plain from 50 to 15 feet above the level of the river, the course of which is seen by the row of trees standing below the level of the houses. The JXew Haven and JN'orihampton canal passes between the river and the houses, its course being elevated above the level of the river. There are about one hundred handsome dwelling houses within the limits of something niore than a mile, some of which are elegant edifices. The Academy in the village, and the IMethodist church, (recently erected,) both stand near the Congregational church. — The above view was taken bom Round Hill, a singular elevation in the meadows, abo'it half a mile distant from the main street. This bill is a natural curios- ity ; it covers about 12 acres; it rises abruptly to the height of about GO leet, and is nearly circular in its ioi.m. It was once probably an island in the center of a lake, which covered the whole of the present meadow.* At the first settlement of the town, Round Hill was fixed ♦ ThusL' iiieadow.s are now ocLnsioiinllvoverlluwed. During ihe freshet, Fi-b. llih, 1807, a cry (>rdi>lrL'ss was heard by some persuns on the bank of the river. Ponieiov sufferers. Tbev proceeded to Round Hill, where they \ Bebe, lo the northwest, where lhe\- found a span of hoi 12 ird the eries of a man naineti i and pait of u wagon, and d 90 r A R .M I N n T 0 x . on as a central |)oinL of departure in all inuasincments in laying out the divisions of land. The town is hounded n. by Avon, e. by Hartford and Berlin, w. by Bristol and I^urlini;ton, and s. by Sonthini^ton. The central part is 10 miles west from Hartford. "The nmidier of inhabitants is '2000, and has not varied much within the last ihiity years." The first minister in this place was Roger Newton, settled in IGH-S, who oliiciatetl nine years, and then removed to Milford. The second was Samuel Hooker, who was ordained in 1G53, and died in 1697. Samuel Whitman was ordained the next minister, in HOG. He ofli- ciated -15 years, and died in 1751. Tlie next year Timothy Pitkin, from East Hartford, was ordained ; he officiated till 1785, and was then dismissed at his own re(juest. He was succeeded by Allen Olcott, in 1787, who in 1795 was succeeded by Josepii Washburn. This town has at present a school fund, besides what is received from the Slate, amounting to nearly ,'+>• 10,000, the annual interest of which is applied to the ]Kiymcnt of teachers. In U)95-G the town voted a certain sum for the sujiport of a teacher for half the year, and in the di- rections to the committee for procuring one, a clause was added, " that he should be so'gifted as to be able occasionally to step into the pulpit." " The native Indians must have been very numerous, in and about the town, when the first settlers airived. 'J'he hunting grounds and fishing j)laces, were peculiarly attractive. Their burying grounds were on two sandy hills, one on the west side of the great meadow, and one on the east, and near the center of the present village. In excavating the canal, many of their bones were discovered, and some domestic articles, as cups, &:c. In 1691 a conimitiee was chosen by the town to designate houses to be fortified against them. It appears that seven such houses were used for that purpose. The doors were made of double plank, united by nails di'iven closely together, so as to prevent iheir being cut through with hatchets. In 17();5 the number of Indians was about 100, a eou-iderable number lKl\lu^ pii.'\ i^)u^l^' renuned in a body to Sloekbriilge, Mas.s., and another ih\ision of them ha\e sinee removed to the same [dace." , man by the name of Alwaler, in a buncli n| willnws, in thf middle of a cm rent, about two rods from the shore ; wiih a good deal of diliiciilly ilicy f('il AlwaliM- inlo ilie ca- noe. As they were jiassinj,' a U'ee, Atwaier in a l'riL;lil .siizJd one of ihe branches; in doing litis he orersel liie boat, lie snceeetled in elindiin,'.; ihe tree, while the oihers swam to the hill, where llicy called for help. About •) o-elock, Dr. Eli Todd, William Hill and Joel Waiiier maiiueil a eaiioe, and alternately drawing and navigaling it, reached ihe hill. After a number of aitempis tu lelieve Aiwaicr, a bridge of ice was formed fiom ihe tree lo llie shore, on which he was enabled to |)ass. Todd, Hill and Warner sailed in the course of the road noiihuesi, in seaieh of Bebe; lliey fourat the currenis so rapid that they were obliged lo leium wilhont ellcctuig their object, though they came wilhin ^peak"ing di>taiicc, and exhorted him lo be silent throui;h the iiight, except w lien they shouhl call lo him ; his cues bef<u'e bad been disiinclly heaid llirongh the town for nearly three miles in leiigih; he leniauied tm a cake of ice about two rods in length, ilirough the night. At ihe first dawn of day ihe people as-^einbled; a llal botlonied beat was procured, and inaiiiied by Erastus fiay, 'i'lmoihy [tool, jr. 'J'iiiiolhy ("owlcs, Sidni'y Wadsworih and [ienry Woodrulf, who relieved liebe iioiu In-, junlous situation, and brought the others on shore, U I/A S T E N I: \: R Y. 91 G L iV S T E N B U R Y