Connecticut Historical Collections

In memory of Capt. Gideon Welles, of Wetherslield. A person of an engaging deportment,— his genius naturally good, was cultivated by reading and intercourse Hiih niankiud; he had a happy laeiliiy in the dispatch of business— punclual and faithful in all his dealings — wasexemplary in every social, civil and religious dul; - a blessing to mankind. He rests not here, but in reluming from the West Indies, he suddenly sickened and died, Feb. 11th, A. D. 17:)5, aged 39 years. The bosom of devouring seas, entombs my mould'ring dust, Tliere life and all my active powers, are in a moment lost. In kind remembrance of my love, my li lends will not refuse to weep — My hand would once have dry'd your tears — but now lies buried in the deep. Yet weep in hope, my bones are safe wrapt in the unchain'd decree. The trump that wakes the dead on earih, shall call me from tlie sea. This stone, erected by the State, is in memory of Ezra Hoskins, aged 6G, whose re- mains lie beneath it. In an insurrection ot eonvicts, he was inhumanly killed on the ni;,'ht following the 30lh of April, ISIili, at ninhiiglit on duly as a patrole, in the State Prison. lie ended an useful anil inollciisive life, by a most tragical death. ^V I N D S O R Windsor was the first town in Connecticut in which any Enghsh set- tlement was made. Tliis was in 1G;33, when William Ilolnies and otiiers erected a house at the luoiilh of I''armintrton ilver. The town, which originally coin[)rised an extensive tract, is now bounded n. by Sutlield, w. by Bloomfield, Simsbury and Granby, s. by Bloomfield and Hartford, and e. by Connecticut river. It is 8^ miles in length from north to south ; at the north part the town is 6 miles in breadth, at the south part 3- miles. Farmington river, the largest tributary stream of the Connecticut, passes through the central part of the town. Wind- sor is generally of a level surface, having some extensive tracts of plains, and the otlier jiarts are of an undulating character. The soil is various, but generally fertile, and free from stone. There are two societies, Windsor proper, and Poquannoc. There are three houses for worship, 2 for Congregationalists, and I for ]\It;ihodists. In the town there are 4 paper mills, 1 Kentucky jean factory, 2 for cotton batting, 1 wire and I satinet factory. Ship plank is manufactured at a village of about 20 houses, at the Windsor Locks, where the canal conmiences which runs by Enfield falls. This place, called Pine Meadow, is op- posite Warehouse Point in East Windsor. Almost all the inhabitants in the first society live on a single street, which runs parallel with the river. The present number of inhabitants is believed to be about 1,900. 124 w 1 N o 3 o n , South vitiv of the Cong) t^ationai iliunh, l\ i uhor. The above is a south view of the Congregational church, and the bridge, upon Mr. Town's phui, wliich crosses the Farniington river at this place. A pleasant grove stands upon tlie south bank of the river ; a few of the trees are seen in the engraxing. The north hank, on which the church stands, is considerably elevated. In time of freshet, vessels of considerahle size can come up as far as the hridge. One of the first ships which came over to IS'ew E^ngland in 163U, brought over the Rev. Mr. Jolin Wareham, Mr. John Maverick, Mr. Rossiter, Mr. Ludlow, Mr. Henry Wolcott, and others of Mr. Ware- ham's church and congregation, who first settled the town of Windsor. This was considered an honorahie company. Mr. Rossiter and Mr. Ludlow were magistrates ; Mr. ^V'olco^t had a great estate, and was a man of superior ahiiiiii's. iMr. Wiu-oham iiad bi;cii a ('(.'Khiatcd minister in Exeter, the capital of the county of Dovonsli-ire. I'he people who came with him were from the counties of Devonshire, Dorsetshire and Somersetshire. This company sailed from Plymouth, and arri\'ed at N;mtnsket on the 30th of May. The next day the master of the ship left them and their goods on Nantasket point, to shift for themselves. By the assistance of the old planters, they proceeded up Cliarles river to Watertown, but as liiey iiad many cattle, and finchng a neck of land at Mattapan, where there were good accouHTiodations for them, they soon removed there, and began a settlement, which they named Doichester. In 1631, Waliquimacut, an Indian sachem, living near Connecticut river, made a journey to Plymouth and Boston, and earnestly entieated the governors of each of the colonies to send men to make settlements on the river. He represented the fiuitfulness of the country, and prom- ised the English, that if they would make a settlement, he would annu^ ally supply ihem with corn, and give them eighty beaver skins. WIND son. 125 The governor of Massachusetts, although he treated the sachem and Ills company with generosity, paid no attention to his proposals. Mr. Winslow, the governor of Plymouth, judged it worthy of attention. It seems that soon after that, he went into Connecticut, and discovered the river and the adjacent parts. It appeared that the earnestness with which the sachem solicited the English to make settlements on the river, originated from the distressed state of the river Indians. Pekoath, tlie great sachem of tlie Pequots, was at war witii them and driving them from tlie country, and they imagined that if the English made set- tlements on the river, they would assist them in defending themselves against their too powerful enemies. Governor ^Vinslow heing pleased with the appearance of the country, the Plymouth jieople made prei)arations for erecting a trading house, and estahlishing a small company upon tlie river. In 1G33, William Holmes, with his associates, having prepared the frame of a house, with boards and materials for covering it immediately, put them on board of a vessel and sailed for Connecticut. Holmes landed and erected his bouse a little below the mouth of the Little or Farinington river, in Windsor. Tlie house was covered with the utmost dis[)atch, and for- tified with palisadoes. The sachems who were the original owners of the soil having been driven away by the Pequots were brought back by Holmes' vessel. The Plymouth people purchased of them the land on which they erected their house. This, Governor Wolcott says, was the first house erected in Connecticut.* The Dutch about the same lime built their trading house at Hartford. In June, U)31, the Dutch sent Jacob Van Curtcr to purchase lands on the Connecticut. He made a purchase of about twenty acres at Hartford, of j\e|)uquash, a Pc(]uot captain, on the 25th of October. Curter protested against Holmes, the builder of tlie Plymouth house. Some time afterwards, the Dutcli governor, Van Twiller, of Fort Am- sterdam, sent a rcinforceiueui to Coimccticut, in order to drive Holmes from the river. A party of seventy men under arms, with banners displayed, assaulted tlie Plymouth bouse, but they found it so well for- tified, and the men who kept it so vigilant and determined, that it could not he taken without bloodshed. They tlierefore came to a parley, and finally returned in jieacc. A number of Mr. "Wareham's people came, in the summer of 1635, to Connecticut, and made preparations to bring their families and make a permanent settlement. After having made such preparations as they judged necessary, they began to remove their families and property. " On the 15th of October, about sixty men, women and children, with their horses, cattle and swine, commenced their journey from INIassa- ♦ Tliis lionse siooJ about two miles soullieast of the lirsl Conp;iegational churcli, o|i the rivLT bank, abuut tweiily rods lioin a point of land extending down the river, near the western sliore. It was at this place that the Farniinglon or Windsor river enieied the Ct)nneclient. The rnoiuli of the river is now about sixty Jt>ds above. This was changed by Governor "Wolcott's culting a channel for a ferry-boat across the j)oint of land mentioned above. This cliannel has beeor.e so much enlarged that it is now the main channel of ihe river. 'I'he meadow lying in the vicinity of wlieio this house btood, i^ lo this d;iv c;illed the Plumvu/k !M:atlini\ , 126 W I M) S 0 K . cbusetts, through the wilderness, to Connecticut river. After a tedious and difficult journey, through swamps and rivers, over mountains and rough grounds, which were passed with great difficulty and fatigue, they arrived safely at the places of their respective destination. They were so long on their journey, and so much time and pains were spent in passing the river, and in getting over their cattle, that after all their ex- ertions, winter came upon them before they were prepared." By the 15th of November, Connecticut river was frozen over, and the snow was so deep, and the weather so tempestuous, that a conside- rable number of the cattle could not be brought across the river. The severity of the season was such, and so little time to prepare their huts and shelters for their cattle, that the sufferings of man and beast were extreme. They had shipped their household furniture, and most of their provisions at Boston, but by reason of delays, and the tempestuousness of the season, were either cast away or did not arrive in season.