Connecticut Historical Collections

" Oliver riitJps, Esq. u man of cxtraordinaiy enterprise and exten- sive business, was for many years a resident of iliis town. Ilo was the * maker of his own fortunes.' He was a native of Windsor, but was bred in this town, and received a mercantile education. He engaged in business in Granville, ]\Iass., and soon became a very enterprising, sa- gacious and successful trader. During the Revolutionary war, he was employed by the state of Massachusetts, in the commissary department. Whilst in this situation, his transactions were of a most extensive and responsible nature, and his own paper formed a kind of circulating me- dium. Afterwards he purchased a large estate, and returned to this town. In 1789, he, in connection with llie Hon. I\Ir. Gorhum, pur- chased of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, a tract of land in the western part of the state of ]\ew York, in what is conunonly called the Genesee country, comprising '2,-,'00,0()0 acres. Tliis is probably the greatest land purchase, or speculation, ever made by two individuals in the United States. This is a very excellent tract of land, l)aving a mild climate, a fertile soil, and an abundance of waters, and is now compris- ed in the extensive counties of Ontario and Steuben. In 1795, Oliver Phelps, together with William Hart and their associates, purchased of this state the tract of land in the state of Ohio, called the Western Re- serve, comprising 3,300,000 acres. Some years after this, he removed to Canandaigua, situated within his Genesee purchase. In 1802, he was elected member of Congiuss from the western district of that state."* The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the grave yard by the fnst Congregational church. Post Tenebias speio Lucuni Foliciiatiij. Til us Yc^ni. JIopi' is my Guard and ^Mude tlin>' this dail; iiiglil, To juys Cckblial and Elu'riial Liglil. Underneath ihis stone arc rcposiKnl llic rcinains of Gidf.on CJuANGrn, V.^q. who de- pailcd ihis hie su.ldenly on thu IJOih Ociui, A. I) IStX), m thcf.dih year oi hisa^-e. Mr. Oiantji'i- inhcnic.l ( )ri;,Mimllv t'uini Naiiire, ihe I'.bSfiilials of' n ^irung and^vigo- rmi> luind; u Lilx'ial ediicaiioji in tlie circle of llie arlh and sciences, opened his Men- ial Faculties, and enlarged his iinder.sianding: lie possessed a fertile Genius, a clear and sonnd Judgment, liiese Aecumplishmenis qualified him to tliink, and reason as a Philosopher, and fuiuished him with Talents to discharge the duties of an active Cit- izen with wisdom and discretion, parlicnlarly in the deparlmcnt of the Law which ]ic made his Professional study, wliich he practiecil with reputation and success: Ke possessed a Generous, fliimane, and Benevolent disposition of mind, and a tender sensiliility of heart; he was the Friend of man. fie was firinlv attached to the Con- slitiUional Liberty of his country, to social order and Government. His religion was remote frciin superstition and eqiially distant from enlliusiasm; he retuJered to his Maker tlie sincere and undissemlded homage of his heart. Tryphosa, the wife of Mr. Granger, lies interred by his side ; she died July 21st, 1796; the following lines are inscribed on her monument. " If virtjious deeds, and Love, and Charity, Fit us, Great Gud, to die and dwell with ihec; If tlieie's a resurrection of the just To realms of Peace and Joy, this sleeping dust Shall one dav, li.vi in I'ale, awalce and rise; Mount up, A l'(irm cidcslial to the Skies, Convoy'd by Angels, thi\)' the airy road, P.y Angels hail'd to that divme abode." Pease and IMiles's Gazetteer. 112 w E T II i: u s 1' 1 i; w i:Tin:iisFiKLi). WKTiiEnsFir.LT> was one of the first settled towns in Connecticut. It is claimed by some, to be the oldest seitlcmenl in the state, as a few men from Watertown in Massacluiseits, came to Connecticut in I6'3i,* and erected a few liuts at Pyqua^^^ now Wuiliersfield, where they made out to subsist during the winter. The next year, IGo5, Dr. Trumbul) says, " the Watertown people gradualltj removed and prosecuted their settlement at Wetherslield." The probability is, thai most of the Wethersfield settlers came round from Boston by water, and arrived be- fore the Windsor and Hartford settlers, who came through the wilder- ness, and did not reach the Connecticut till about the 9ih of November. This appears probable from the tradition which is siill preserved, "that the first lohitc ivoman who ever set foot in (.'utiiiccticiit, was a woman by the name of Barber;" the tradition is, that when the settlers arriv- ed at the place where they were to land, some contro\-ersy arose who should first set foot on the shore. While the men were contending with each other for this privilege, a woman by the name of Barber, taking advantage of the contention, de.\ti'ously sprang forward, and reaching the shore, had the honor of first tieading on the soil. Wethersfield contains three parishes; Jiocky Hill (;3d society) on the south, Newington ()2d society) on the nortliwesl, anti ^Vuthersfleld proper, on the northeast. The township is bounded n. by Hartford, w. by Berlin, s. by Middletown, and r.. by Conneclicut river, which sep- arates it from Glastenbury. Extensive and fertile Ujcadows border the Connecticut, and a broad and higher level tract, with light but rich soil, lies immediately west of the uieadows. It is on this tract that the pleasant village of ^V^ethersfield is built, four miles south of Hartford. Of the three principal streets two rim li-om north to south, one of which is very broad and extensive ; tlie oilier rims liom souilieast to northwest, along the bank of a large (•o\e which sul.s up fiom the Connecticut to the north of the village, 'i'hcre arc in the \illaL;e thrcu houses ol' j)ub- lic worship: 1 Congregational, I Baplist, 1 iMuthochst. 'J'here is a female seminary of some celebrity, esiablisheil some years since, in the village. It is said that Mr. Hooker's company first pitched near uliat is now called "the Folly;" the main chamiel of the river at that time, came round by the Cove. Here they found meadows, or lands, as they term- ed them, on both sides, but no mill stream ; the main body then return- ed to the Little or INlill river in Hartford, and located themselves on both sides of that stream. Tlie few settlers that remained near the " Folly" afterwards located themselves on Wolcott hill, aljout one mile westward of the main village in Wethersfield, and nearly in a range with JMain street in Hartfoixl, which is in fair view. Finding this place too far from the meadows, the most of the settlers removed to the eastward, to where the principal village is now built. ♦ Historians do not acjree as to ihe lime, some .•-laliiii^ it to be ItilU, otlicrs 1035 is believed, however, ihat i)u-se men erected then hiits'iJi the fall of IGLil. W K T 11 E 11 S F 1 E L D . 113 E.HAKTFO ]1J> A, tract of land over whicli llie bed of the river has passed, now good meadow. B, a similar tract vn the western .'side of the jiresem channel ofilie river, c, Hockanum river, f/, boiinilary line betu'ei'n llarilbrd and Wcthersfield. e, landing, /.siinaiioa of an ancient Ivn. ^', yirescnt C^mgrcL^iiional clinrch. h, boundary line between Glasienbury and f'.a.si Ilartfurd. n, old road to the ferry. Connecticut river has altered its course very materially since the first settlement of NVctliersfieh]. Tlic diagriuii annexed slious the extent of the clian;4es which have heen made. The course of the river uhich is shaiied, shows its course at the lime when the first settlers arrived : the jiiesent channel is seen hy the dotted lines. From the west bank of the cove to the larihest eastern bank of the old channel, \a about two miles. The tract A contains a number of hunrlred acres of good land, over which the river has gradually [)assed to its present course, from the old channel sern in the diagram, which is now obliterated. The town of VVelhersfiidd retaining its old hounds, it will he perceived that the tract A, although on the east side of the river, is within the bouncLs of Wethersfield. At Pratt's ferry the present channel crosses the old bed of the river, and the river is now constantly advancing eastward; and it will be pi.M-ceived that the tract B is within the limits of Glas- tenbiiry, although on the west side of the Connecticut. The new made lands, which are formed as the water recedes, are at first too cold and sandy to sustain vegeiaticjn : in a short time, however, a growth of willows appears, which are sticceeded by a growth of poplars ; when these are cleared off the land will |)roduce corn, and from this period it becomes vahiable. The changing of the bed of the river has been the occasion of much litigation respectinij the title to the soil. Mr. Builer, who owned a 15 114 W K T H E It S F I i: I. D .