Connecticut Historical Collections

In memory of Doctr. Jon\ Heupin, who was born and educated at Hikhcfori m F/avice, practised phvsic and Surgerv in this [dace iJO years with mtu-h reimtatlon aiuf success, and diet! No\-. Illli, 17l!'j, /Et. 71 240 NORTH 13 n A N F O R D . NORTH HAVEN. NORTH CRANFORD, Was incorporated as a town in 1831. It was formed from tlic so- cieties of North Branford and Nortliford, in the town of Jjranford. It is boLinilcd north by Wallingford, east by Guihbrd, soulli by JJranlurd, and west by Kast Haven and North Haven. It is about five miles loni; irom north to south, and averages upwards of lour miles in width. A range of mountains from southwest to northeast passes through the cen- tral part of tiie town. The inhabitants are generally substantial farm- ers, and property is ve;:y equally distributed. The face of the town- ship is generally hilly, but the soil is strong and fertile. There are, it is believed, about 1000 or 1100 inhabitants. There are five houses of worsliip in this town, three for Congregationallsts, and two for Epis- copalians. The society of North Branford, the soutliern division of the town, was formerly called the village. The central part is five miles north of Branford church, and nine from New Haven. The Rev. Jonatlian ]Merrick, the first minister in this parish, was ordained in 17"J7, Norihford society takes in a small part of ^N'allingford. The Imlian name of the place appears to have been Fang. Tiie Congregational church is nine miles from New Haven. The ])ost oflice is kept about a mile north, and may be considered as the center. Tlie first clerL^yman was the Rev. Warham AV^illiams, a grandson of the Rev. I\Ir. \Villi;inis of Deerfield, Massachusetts, who was carried captive by tiie Indians into Canada. The church here was called the third church in Bran- ford. The first house of worship erected in this society is still standing, as is likewise the house of the first clergyman, (Mr. AVilliains,) which is now occupied by the Rev. i\Ir. Noyes, for a long jieriod the minister of this parish, and who is considered to be one of the weaUhiest cler- gyman in the state. It is believed that Noilhford, according to iis population, has furnished more young men who have rccei\'ed a liberal ctlncation than any other town in the state. About a mile southeast of the Northford church, on TcioJcct moun- tain, there is the appearance of having been, at some remote period, some violent convulsion in nature ; the rocks appear to have been rent asunder, and are tlirown about in great disorder. Lead is said to have been found near this sjiot, a mass of it being discovered by a person who was hunting, at the time of the first settlement of the parish : lie liung up a pair of buck's horns to designate the spot, but the place could not be foijnd afterwards. NORTH HAVEN North Haven was incorporated as a town in October, 17SG, being originally a part of the town of New Haven. It is bounded n. by VValliiigford, w. by Hamden, e. by Wallingford and North Branford, and s. by East Haven. Its length from north to south is about six N O R T II H A V E N 241 miles, and its medium breadth three. The town lies on both sides of the Wallingford or Quinnipiac river, and comprises the valley, and a part of the bordering hills. The valley is partly rich interval land, and more extensively sand ; covered with a thin stratum of loam ; light but warm. Near the northern line of the town it is so light as, in two or three places of small extent, to be blown into drifts. The soil of the hills is good, being a reddish loam. From the vicinity of this town to New Haven, and from its light and warm soil, which is favorable for early vegetation, there are various culinary vegetables, particularly peas, cultivated for the New Haven market. 13at the most striking feature in the township, is the large and beautiful tract of salt meadows on both sides of the Quinnipiac. These meadows produce large quantities of grass, which is mowed and stacked upon the land, from whence, when the ground is frozen sufli- ciently solid in the winter, it is removed. Upon the salt marsh the hay is salt; but on those meadows which are protected from the salt water by means of dikes, the grass is fresh and of a better quality. These are called dike marshes or meadows. The making of brick receives considerable attention in this town. Four and a half millions of brick are manufactured annually, and principally sold in New Haven. The first settler in North Haven appears to have been William Brad- ley, who had been an officer iu Cromwell's army. He lived here soon after the year 1G50, on the land belonging to Gov, Eaton, who owned a large tract on the west side of the river. The next settlers were Thomas and Nathaniel Yale, who came here about the year 1660. The settlement of Wallingfurd, or New Haven village, about the year 1670, encouraged the settlement of North Haven. Jonathan Tuttle began a settlement near the river ; Nathaniel Thorpe, Ebenezer Blaks- iee and John Humiston soon after settled on the eastern bank ot the river, near the center of the town. Daniel and Thomas Barnes, Thom- as Jacobs, and Moses Brockett, made settlements near the river, on the east side of it, about a mile north of the south line of the town. After this there came into the place families by the names of Clarke, Todd, Ives, Bishop, Cooper, Grannis, and Brockett. The settlement was very slow, and it seems that for nearly forty years some of the first planters attended public worship and buried their dead at New Haven. The women usually went on foot to New Haven, on the Lord's .day, attended two long exercises, and returned. In some instances they did this with a child in their arms. — The Indians, (says Dr. Trumbull,) were sometimes very numerous in this place, and gave much alarm to the inhabitants, especially to the women and children. The Indians at Maitabeseck (IMiddletown) were connected with the Indians in this part of the state, and the extent of the river into the southern part of Farmington, and the fine fishing and fowling u|)on it, formed a connex- ion with the Farmim^ton Indians. The combination of these circum- stances sometimes filled the parish with Indians. At particular times they seemed to swarm upon the river, and the groves and swamps ap- peared alive with them. Once after the settlement commenced, they made a grand powivow, on the road between the corner of the market 31 242 N o n T II 11 A \ i: N , place and Mr. John llumiston's ; people were in great fear that their fields of com would be niiiieil l)y thein, hut by the iiiliiience of ihe chief sachem, they were i-csirained from doiiii^^ any dainai;e. iSurl/i Haven, {ccnlial pan.) North Haven was made a parish in 1716, and the next year the General Assembly <iave the iqiiabitants liberty to form into a church ; the same year the Rev. James Wetmore was ordained their minister. At tliis time the limits of the parish extended considerably north and west of the meelin<r house in iMouiit CarmL-l parish in Hamden, and contained about forty limiilius, " JMr. \\ etmore was greatly beloved and est&emed by his poopif ; but afu r he had labored wlih them for nearly four years, he ahcrt-d his seiuimenis, and in September, 1722, declared lor ICpiscopaiy. The con^i/ipiciice was a dlsmissiou, soon af- ter, from his pa.storal ichitlon. IK; wtiil ui I'ai^laiid, and took orders in 172^}. He was rector of the church at J?ye, where he died in 16(30. He was educated at the collegiate school at Saybrook, wliere he re- ceived the degree of Bachelor of Arts, in September, 1714. The Rev. Isaac Stiles succeeded JMr. AVetmore. He was ordained in November, 1724, and died May Mth, ]7(J0, on the same day and nearly the same hour in which his predecessor, JMr. Wetmore, died. Mr. Stiles was succeeded, in 1760, by Dr. Trumbull, the historian of Connecticut. The Episcopalians in this place erected their first church in 1760. From 1762, till about the year 1783, they woe under the j)astoral care of the Rev. INIr. Andrews of.WaHinglbrd."* The above is a representation of the central |iart of North Haven; the Episcojjal church with a Gothic, tower is seen on the left. The first house south, seen in the center of the engraving, is the house where Dr. Trumbull, the historian of Connecticut, resided for more than half a century. The building on the extreme right is the Con- Dr. Tiumbull's CeiHennial Mermen. N O III" II 11 A V K N 243 gi-egational cliincli, erected in 1739, and finished In 1741. The first meeting house in the town, thirt}' ei^ht A'et by forty, was erected on the same spot, ubont 1718. The lie v. James Pieipont r;ave the phit of ground on which it stood, u])on condition that ilie people wonld erect a house of worship upon it. Tlie drawing of the engraving was made a short time previous to the taking down of the Congregational church. The steeple liowever was renjoved hLfure the drawing was takeji. ; -• ■ ■ Congregational Church, North Haven. A handsome Congregational church now stands a few rods westward of the old meeting liouse. This church, and likewise that of the Epis- copal denomination, was eroctetl in 183-3; both are I-uilt of brick, of which consideralile fjuantilies are made in the town. The burying gronnil is seen in front of the Episcopal cliuuh. Hr. Trumbull was buried in this yard, nearly in front of his house. The lullowing is the inscription on his monument. ' Here rest the rciuaiiis of iho Rev. Eciijnniiii Ti umluill, D. D. who was born at •Hebron, Connecliciii, A. 11. 17:i'), an, I dir,| h'.'hmaiy Gd, A. D. ISiiO, aged n5. He ,was graduaied at ^' ' '* " ' "^ •--- A. D. ITtJO, in wh years. Fie coinpuM'd di liisiiiraiion ()/ ilii" Si'] iniiir,'-. -., I I, ,,>,,_, ,^. v_,^.,.,v,v.>..,u., .. i....^vv.._, v.^ ujs honuied by his Almu Mater, I an accurate Historian. Firm, A. D. 17.')7, jiiid oid;iiijed pnsinr in North Haven, I I'lll his diMih; a period ot" almost sixty years. He coinpu^'d diinu- his niinisii v iiumlv four ihnusaud seririon.s, and publish- ed essays on the inspiration of the Srnptiires, ;i ilisiorv of Connecticut, a History of