The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1847-06-10
BRANDON, Thursday June 10, 1S4z

chacl Humphrey Joshua Holcomb, Thoma
Maskell, Luke Hill, Samuel Pinney, Josepl
Phelps,John Buell., Joseph Skinner and Pete
Buell..
In the same year, John Case was appointed
by the General Court, Constable for MASSACRE
He was the first person, belonging to the
place, who was invested with office
The inhabitants, in 1870, petitioned for
town privileges, and appointed two delegates
Joshua Holcomb and John Case, to present
their application to the May session of the
General Court Their request was readily
granted, and the delegates received as men,
bers Of the Assembly. The record OF incor-
poration is in these words
" This Court grants Massacoe's bounds
shall run from Pennington bounds to the
northward tenn miles, and from Windsor
bounds on the east, to run westward tenn miles
provided it does not prejudice any former
grant, and be in the power Of this Court so to
dispose.
The Court orders that the plantation at
Massacoe be called Simsbury."
" At the October session of the General
Court, 1871, liberty was granted to Mr. ST.
mon Wocott to retail wine and liquors, (pro-
vided he keep good orderin the dispose otit,)
until there be an ordinary set up in Sims
bury''* This Mr.. Wolcott was the father of
the Hon. Rodger Wolcott, who, for many
years, was governor of the Colony Mr. ST.
mon Wolcott lived nearly opposite the dwell
ing house of Charles L. Roberts, Esq, in the
north part of the present town of Simsbury,
where the governor was born, in 1879. The
Court also recommended to the inhabitants
and proprietors of Simsbury to rayse the
minister's and towne rate this yeare upon
persons and land
In 1873, Simon Wolcott and John Griffin
were appointed by the Assembly "to COM
mand the train-band at Simsbury : and seven
men were ordered to be raised for the public
service, when required. This train-bandt
consisted of but small portion Of a company
and the gentleman appointed to command 1t
were not commissioned as officers. The OBJ
ject doubtless was to keep up a military Or
ganization, under persons invested with au'
thority, in order to be prepared for any sud
den emergency that might happen
| 1t was ordered by the town, June 8, 1874
e that all the inhabitants Of Simsbury, from
fourteen y,,"rs old to sixty, shall next Mon
day sennight stun r--l,os' meaning bush.
es in the roads.
In respect to roads generally, it may inter
est the public to be informed that, for abou
| fifty years after the first settlement Of the
Colony, no measures were taken to make
roads from town to town, other than to clear
them of " brush TO effect which, the laws
required each inhabitant to labor on the pub
lie roads one day in each year. In 1879, the
General Court recommended to the selectmar
Of the several towns to clear their main road
in this manner, " at least one rod wide"
Hitherto, the plantation, though at no time
particularly prosperous, had experienced nc
serious reverses. But, in 1675,the scene was
changed. Hostilities had commenced on the
part Of the Indians, which led to Il disastrous
war, bringing, in its train, ruin and desolatior
| upon the new settlement.
X An "ordinary" was set up in 1878, by Samuel
Pinney, who was licensed to keep tavern.
All militia companies WERE at this time, called
| train bands