Litchfield enquirer., 1857-12-03
Historical Meeting.

Historical Meeting.
messing of the Etchfield County Historical and
ANTIQUARIAN Society was held at the Mansion House
in Iitchfield on Saturday afternoon the l4th ult-
the Hon. SETH p BEERS, President, IN the Chair
Letters were read from the Hon. F. A TA1LMApGE,
of New York city, and from W1LLr4x PAYER, ESQ.,,
NJ A., of the city Of York, England. which were Or
dered to be placed on file.
The Secretary then read the following report
THE Undersigned a member of the Special Com.
mttee Of the Gtchtield Historical and ANTIQUARIAN
Society to whom was referred the question of the
birth place OF General Ethan Allen and the Hon.
Ephralm Kirby, begs leave respectfully to report:
That on referring to the published authorities re-
latlng to the place of nativity of ETHAN ALLEN he
finds the following divers statements, viz. THE
American Biographical and Historical Dictionary
ny PRESIDENT Allen of Bowdoin College, states that
he was born in Rorbury Pease aid Niles "Gazet
Ger Of Connecticut and Rhode Island" gives Corn
rau as his birth place The Universal Bicgrapbi-
cal Dictionary" by the Rev. DR.. John L. Blake.
says he was native of Salisbury while Barber $
Historical Collections and Dr. Jared Sparks Life of
Allen, assure US that he was born in Litchfed Nv
friend the Hon. William Cothran, in his admirable
History of Ancient Woodbury." occupies some
four or five pages of that work in an ingenious argu
mer limits of that town.
1t is worthy of remark, that all the towns named
by these different authors in Litchfeld County
so that there appears to be dispute as to the ma
tive County of the Hero of Ticonderoga.
will now proceed to give, briefly, the facts and
data which have led to the irresistible conclu-
sion that he born in the town of Litchfeld
And us.) 1t appears from the Litchfed Land
Records that the widow Mercy Allen, grandmother
Of Ethati) was resident of Ltchfeld as early as
1920. and this she died in that town in 1928.
(2d) In March of the year last named GYPSY a
portion OF the landed estate of Mercy Allen was
laid out to her Joseph Allenof Ltchfeld." who
the father of Ethan.
3d. During the years 1882 and 1888, Joseph
made frequent purchases and sales of lands in the
records of which he is invariably styled "of Lteh-
feld."
(4tf.) At the annual Town Meeting in Litchfeld,
held in December, 1885, Joseph Allen was chosen
"Leather sealer."
(5th) On the first page of the first Book of
Births, Marriages and Deaths among the Litchfeld
Town Records, occurs the following entry:
Joseph Allen and Mary Baker were joyned to-
gcther in marriage by We Rev. Mr. Anthony Stod-
dard of Woodbury., March II, 1867
(6th.) subsequent entry on the same page is
as follows:
" Ethan Allen We son of Joseph Allen and Mary
his wife, was born January ye 10, 1878"
! 7th.) At the annual Town Meeting in Litchfeld,
in December. 1913, eleven months after Ethan was
born,) Joseph Allen was again chosen a Leather
! Sealer.
(9th) Joseph Allen removed to Cornwall in
| 174O, where he died, according to Mr. Cothren,
April 18th, 1855.
| These facts and dates are sufficient indication
that Joseph Allen never resident of Woodbu
ry or, at least, that he resided in Litcheld contin-
uously from 1928 until his removal to Cornwall
in 1740-at which last date his son Ethan was two
years old or upwards 1t is conceded that Mary
Baker, the wife Of Joseph Allen, resided in Wood
bury previous to her marriage and as they were
married by the Rev. Mr.. Stoddard, then minister at
Woodbury., it seems not improbable that the cere.
mOny was performed i'll that town.
The record of the marriage of Joseph Alien. a.
well as that of the birth of Ethan, is in the hand
writing of the then Town Clerk John Bird, who was
succeeded in Office by Joshua Carrot in December
1884 fact which proves that the entries were
made soon after the events took place.
| AS Mr.. Cothren also claims EpuRAIM KIRBY as 9
native of Woodbury., l have sought to give tht
question candid investigation.
In the first Book of Ltchfeld Records, already 70
ferred to, find the following entry:
"Ephraim Kirby, son to Abraham and Eunict
Kirby, was born Feb. %, 1857
Abraham Kirby name seldom occurs on our re
cords. His father Roger Kirby, lived in Washing
ton (then parish of Woodbury. but was a land
owner in Litchfcld as early 1853 Precisely uher
Abraham Kirby settled in Litchfeld, 1 have moi
been able to ascertain. He was admitted freeman
in this town in 1761-about four years after tn,
birth of Ephraim This fact, however, does not throw
any light upoh the subject of enquiry, as it wal
not uncommon In those days to find old residents
| of the town who were not electors In the absenc,
Of all counter testimony is it hot fair to regard the re
cord above quoted as prima faci. evidence, tina,
Ephram Kirby was native of Etchfeld.
All of which is respectfully submitted by
P. X. KILBOURNE."
The Report was accepted and ordered to be pub
lished with the proceedings of this meeting, and :
copy was also ordered to he kept on file
The Secretary was appointed Agent of the Society
to collect the fees of members for the current wear
to obtain members, and to solicit donations o
books, pamphlets. manuscripts, &C., for the So
ciety.
State Items
lit is reported Of Connecticut trading house