Litchfield enquirer., 1871-10-12
ever offered to u ing g

two 71-- .-ss.e.-''-E ,asa- s5aS- = you rnnn lonn., the ''land of wooden nutmegs" and ''steady habits. and emigrated 10 this place some | fifty years ago. Having accepted polite invitation from some of my old friends iu Connecticut to attend the coming Centen nial in Winchester and Winsted, I con cluded to cheat the railroads and make the trip by private conveyance. that might take better view of the changes by the way, of some sixty years.
 ACRoss THE COUNTRY.
 I left Guilford August 8th, 1871, passed on and crossed the North River, at Athens into Hudson, in arsplendii a steam ferry boat, which reminded me of crossing here with an older brother, some sixty years ago. Tn an old, rickety scow. passed through the beautiful lands of old Claver ack and Hlllsdale, and up the famous Tamonell Mountain, and when I came to the old square stone marking the division between the States of New York and Mas sachusetts. halted, and imagined that I breathed easier and more freely as ] snuffed the puro air of New England. And as passed through the sterile marble and lime stone lands of Egremont and Sheffield and over the line of Massachusetts, into old Connecticut (my native State). halted T
 CANAAN.
 As I came in sight of Canaan Mountains and viewed their monstrous proportions and elevations, and as passed that huge pile of rocks upon rocks near the South Canaan meeting house, with their poising. dizzy elevations. fingered and wondered that they Lad excited no surprise in my young mind sixty years ago. I also recol- lected this as the place where the Rev. Mir. Prentice preached SO long, and used very frequently to exchange desks with Dr. liar vey of Goshen.
 In passing through Huntsville I was re- minded of an aneodoto which heard re- lated some sixty years ago. of old Esq. Forbes. of that place. Esq. Forbes was the owner of an extensive iron foundry, and had a large amount of stock in the Hudson Bank. At one time the Bank was hard run to redeem its bills in specie. They wrote Forbes to bring on all the spe- cie he could raise. Next morning he told his man to hitch up the team, put in cer- tain box. and drive him to Hudson. They stopped six miles this side of Hudson and the Squire dressed throughout in a pon- derous suit of ''sheep's gray" with broad brimmed hat, aud called for breakfast. The host told him he must wait till the stage passengers had eaten. They then set him on cold cut. After finishing his break. fast he stepped up to the bar and called for his bill. The landlord named the sum. The Squire said to his man, "Fetch in the box" The box was set upon the bar. He called for hammer; all eyes were intent on the box. He opened it and counted out from some half a bushel of gold and silver coin. the amount of his bill. The landlord suddenly disappeared.
 GOSHEN.
 As passed along the narrow vales and over the rugged hills of Cornwall Hollow, I soon came into the borders of old Goshen. That dear old name, Goshen no other name has such charm about it. It seems to me as sacred as the Goshen of Egypt. where Joseph settled his father, the patriarch Jacob. Soon passed in sight of the old mansion, with its stately propor- tions, sharp roof, low. broad chimney relics of olden time.
 Now, Mir. Editor,. you will please bear with me if l speak particularly of the Bald win family. There were six of us brothers and two sisters, born and reared under the roof of this old time-henored mansion. Two of us only survive. the writer, and another brother. The remains of Orra Baldwin Oldest of the family rest in the cemetery in Goshen; Rufus Baldwin's in Minneapolis, Minn.; the. Rev. Abraham Baldwin's in Montreal, Lower Canada; Clarissa Baldwin in the cemetery, Goshen East Street. which. I am sorry to say, is in very dilapidated condition and does dis credit to it's proprietors; Horace Baldwin was buried at Woodruff. New York; Rev. The ron Baldwin at Orange. New Jersey. Eli sha Baldwin. the youngest of the family. owns and occupies the old homestead of 160 acres. is 69 years of age. and, with another hand, has moved with hand scythe, and raked with hand rake, this season, fifty acres of grass. A moving machine and horse rake would be novelty among the rocks and hard hack of the northern half of Litchfield County. ni
 HARD HACK
 This hard hack is very ugly and unwel. come visitor to the farmers of Goshen and the adjoining towns. A farmer showed me field of some five acres that he had cut three times; it only increased it's growth. There are two kinds of it The one with the yellow blow is altogether the most dan gerous. You cannot plow it among the