Connecticut Historical Collections

The Rev. John ]?owers appears to have been the first minister in this town. He removed from Derby and settled at Rye, about the year 1()SS. Mr. ^Vobb then pivached at Dt^rhy about twelve years, but was not ordained. The Rev. Daniel llimiphieys, llie father of Gen. Hum- phreys, was ordained in this place about the year 1733. The follow- ing is the inscription on his monument in the old burying ground. The RevJ. Daniel Humphreys died Sept. 2.1, 1787, in the Slst year his age, For more than half a century he was the established minister of the firtt Society in this town. Mrs. Sarah Tluinphreys, the alfectitinaie wife of his youth, and the tender companion of hii advanced age, died July 2;)ili, 1787, just live weeks belore him. The sea.sons thus As ceaseless round a jarring world they roll, Still find thein happy ; and consenting spring Sheds her own rosy garhinds on their heads: Till evening comes at last serene and mild, "When after the long vernal day of Life Enamour'd more as more remembrance swells With many a jiroof of recollected love, To;,'ethcr down they sink in s.jcial sleep. Together Ireed then- gentle spirits flv, To scenes where love and bliss immortal rei^rn. ♦ This was a little north of Birmingliarn, jierhafis 80 or 100 lods. t " A light was seen on the spot in the evening before the explosion. It was ac- companied by a loud report, and some fossil substances were ejected, which were analyzed by Dr. Munson, of New Haven, and found to contain arsenic and sul« phur." — WebiUr < i Pestilence, Vol. I, p. 2G2. 204 EAST HA V F, N EAST HAVEN. East Havln was originally a part of IVew Haven. In June, 1639, the free planters of (^ulnnipiac convened in ]\lr. Newman's barn, and formed their constitution of government. Among the sidjsciibers to thai instrument who settled in East Haven, or were concerned in that settlement, were \\'ilham Edwards, Jas|)(^r Crayne, Thomas Cregson, Wm. Tuttle, Garvis Boykim, John Potter, Matthew Moulilirop, Mat- thias IlitclicocU and Edward Patterson. To these were added Thomas Morris and John Thompson. After the first division of lands had been made at New Haven, several enterprising farmers began to settle on the eastern side of the Quiimipiac, when a second division was made. In 16-39, Thomas Gregson petitioned for his second division at Solitary (now Morris') Cove, and on the 5th of August, 1644, 133 acres were allotted to him at that place. There he placed his family, the first in East Haven. In 1647, Mr. Gregson and a number of tiie principal planters of New Ha\'en were lost at sea on a voyage to England. The first iron works in Connecticut were established in this town and continued about twenty five years. This business was introduced in the following manner. " General Court, .V. //. I2th Nov. U)bb. "The Towne was acquainted ihai there is a pui pose, that an Iran W'orke shall be set up beyond the (armes at Sluney River, which is consiiicred will be Ibr the publique good ; and Mr. Goodyear declared lliat Mr. Winslone and himself did intend to carry it on; only he desired now to know what the Town desiieil in it; much debate was about it ; but no man engaged in it at present; but divers .spolce that they would give some worke towards making the Uamm, whose names and number ol' days worke were taken, which amounted to about 140 days: so il issued lor that time." "20th Nov. 1G55. — The (uivernor inlormed the Towne that tliis meeting was called to consider something lunher about the Iron "Worke, sundry who engaged to worke last Court, have not ye-l perlormed, iho' all oihers have : and it was now concluded that those who are now beliinde, should be called upon toperCovm wliat they promised, It was also now desiied iIkU men woulit ileclaie, who will engage in the worke, aud what estate they will put ill. IJut lew .-[leaking to it, it was de.siitd thai those wlio are willing would meet at the Governor's this alienioon at 'J o'clock, to declare them- selves llu-rein, and it was now propounded wIkmIrt tlie Towne will give up their right in the place, and w hat acccjinmodatiuii is nece.'-sary lor tlie tiest convenienry of the said Iron Wurke ; in this case all the Towne voied to give a lull libertie lor the Iron Worke to go on, and also for wood, water-, ironplace, oares, shells loi' lime, or ■what else is necessary for that worke, njion the Tow ne lands upon the side of the great river, called the' East River; provided that no man's properlie, laid out, or to be laid out, be entered upon, nor no planter piohibited, from cuiting wood, or other conveniency upon the said common, in an orderly way; and that Bianfoiil doe make the like giant, according to their proportion they liave in the worke, that future ques- tions about this thing miiy be- prevented. " I'M/i Mill/, ICk)G — Upon motion of Mr. Goodyear and John Cooper in behalf of the Collier that comes to burn coal for the Iron workes ; he bad 12 acres of land granted him as bis own, if the Iron Woi kes goon, and he stay three years in the worke. Provided that all minerals there be roerved, and that he attend all orders of the Towne for the procnt, and in disposing of said lands hciealier, if it shall so fall out, to have it. The place propounded for is a piece of land lying betwixt the ■ Great Pond, and the Beavei Meadows, a lUOor "2 acres, about two miles fiom the Iron worke. Against which grant or place none otijected, so as to hinder the same." Business was carried on here both fiom New Haven and Uranford. It continued until about 16S0. "Why the business was relinquished cannot be now satisfactorily ascertained. The tradition is, that it was EAST HAVEN 20: occasioned by tlie death of tlie principal workmen, durina a season of great mortality in 1679. The furnace was supplied with bog ore from Nprth Haven. It was chiefly carted, but sometimes brought°from Boo- mme wharf by water, round to the point below the furnace ; and from that cn-cimistance the point to this day is called Bog mine. East Haven was incorporated as a distinct town in 1785. It is bounded n. by North Haven, e. by Branford, s. by Long Island sound, and w. by the harbor and Quinnipiac river, dividing it from New Haven. It IS about G miles long and 3 wide. Central part, 3* miles from New Haven. Agriculture and fishing constitute the principal business of the mhabitants. Considcrahle uu icantile hiL^iness is done in Fair Haven. Cungrcgational and Ejnscuinil Churches, Ea^t lluvtn. The above is a western view of the Congregaticftial and Episcopal churches. The Congregational church is seen on the left, the Episco- pal is on the right, a small building with three windows on the west side. The Congregational church is constructed of stone, and is 70 feet by 50. The walls were raised and covered in 1773-4; the finishing of the house was suspended for several' years. Public worship commence(lir^i.t»in September, 1774. Considering the time this edifice was built, f IS a "great and honorable work, and stands as a lastin^y monument of the enterprise, public spirit, wisdom and perseverance o°f ihe^mhabitants." The Episcopal church was erected in 1789. " The village bore their proportion of town and colony char<^es, and endured great iiardships and dangers, in attending public worship at r^ew Haven. After the termination of King Philip's war, the power- ful tribes that were under the influence of the French in Canada, fre- quently assumed a hostile attitude. In 1689, the town prepared a Hyuig army, which stood ready to march at a moment's warning. A patrol_ of lour horsemen was continually scouring the woods. A°id all the mihtia were obliged to carry their arms with them to public worship, 206 EAST HAVEN. prepared for battle. The Indians near the village were sometimes em- ployed as scouting parlies, and in other respects as useful auxiliaries. The following- anecdote received from tiie oldest man now living in tlie town, and received by him from his father, may be worth preserving : " A friendly Indian warrior was requested to act as sentinel in the Gap, north of Mullen hill. He consented, and for this purpose borrowed Mr. Heminway's gun, and was assured it was well loaded. Without examination, he took the gun and repaired to his post. He soon per- ceived two enemy Indians descending into the valley from the Pond Rock, and advancing towards the Gap. They passed him, and when he had them in range, intending to kill both at one shot, he attempted to fire, but bis gun only flashed, for it was not charged. The spies, without observing it, passed on across the fresh meadows, and mingled with the friendly Indians about Grave Hill. The disappointed warrior was enraged, and threatened to kill INIr. II. for deceiving him in order that he might be killed. ]\Ir. II. was Innocent of the charge; for he had charged the gun himself, but some other person had discharged it without his knowledge, and priming, left it in the usual jilace in that condition. With the discovery of this fact, the warrior was finally paci- fied. But in a day or two, one of these sj/ics was found dead on the Indian land, — and supposed to have been killed by the enraged warrior." The following account of the first settlement of Mr. Hemlnway, their first minister, is from the Rev. Mr. Dodd's History of East Haven. Jacob, the youngest son of Samuel Hcniinway, and born in the village, graduated at the college at Sayhrook, umler the i're.sidency ol' the Rev. Abinhau) Pierson, 17U3, and was then about 20 years ol'age. — To him the peojile turned their attention. " At a meeting of the village, 20th Nov. 1710, Voted to look out for a minister to carry on the public worship of God amongst us; it M'as voted — 1. To seek to Sir Heininway that he would give them a taste of his gilts in order to settlement in the worke of the ministry. And — 2. Voted lo desire John Poller, Sen. Caleb Chedsey, and Ebenezer Chedsey, lo treat with Sir lleminway, to gel him, if they could, to give them a taste of his gifts in preaching the Word."