Morning journal and courier., 1884-02-13
NEW HAVEN'S ELMS AND GREEN. Descriptions, Historical Items and An ecdOtes of Persons and Things Con-
 nected Herewith.
BY HENRY HOWE.


 IN ABOUT THIRTY oHAPTERs-CHAPTER XVII. ] Our Green ms n RetigiOus and Military
 Spot-The Meeting There of Eight Gem
 eratiOns of Our Ancestors-Detailed Ac-
 count of Ihe Militia of Connecticut
 Sixty Years Ago-Catching a Tartar-A
 RemInIseence.
 From the earliest time our Green has been alike religious and military spot. There has been fighting all along the line. The churches have here poured forth their heav- lest broadsides against Satan's kingdom. From this place have marched forth the forces to meet the common foe of home and country. Sermons, prayers, psalm singing orations, ringing of bells, discharge of mus ketry, trumpet blasts, drum beats, fife squeaks, tho shouts of multitudes and the roar of artillery have ascended from this spot for more than two centuries. And what varied people they have been that have done these things in, and around our Green! Eight generations have come, acted their parts and then for them the curtain has dropped and the lights put out
 If on some fine summers day one hundred persons, the brightest of each of these eight
 
 children, could by some miraculous DO wer be assembled on the Green, forgetting all they had learned since they left our mortal sphere be just as they. were when living with the costumes, every day talk and ideas of their respective times, what mutual astonishment and instruction upon that great topic, the progress of man And then the 100 women of veara eOo with IOO unpoon of our day Who would not like to see that meet Ing and the odd expressions of speech and countenance as they surveyed each others attire? With the first generation we should naturally expect to see E'old Mrs. Eaton, Sis ter Wigelesworth, Sister Punderson, Sister filling, Sister Cooper, Goody Hull, Goody Beach, Goody Osborne, Sister Potter. the midwife, and old Sister Nash.'' Widow Beecher, 8 midwife also and progentor of the bright, wide-awake, exuberant, efferves cling. enlightening and ever entertaining Beechers; furthermore, "David Atwater's wife, great-great-great grandmother of the writer hereof, progenitor too of all the At waters in America and of 8 host of others bearing different names-names so very diff fefent from Atwater that they give no idea of moisture any way. Jobn Crockett, the love begniled surveyor, might be present; he, the eldest son of an English baronet Sir John Crockett, who forsook home and for tune and came here a poor man worth but el5, drawn by the dimpling eye lids of Pur- itan girl As he laid out our town he might have on hand his old chain and be tempted to measure our Green over again to see if it had shrunk much during his absence Mi chael Wigglssworth would come into the first one hundred, some of whom at first dweIt in half way caves, and had hard time of it living as they did like moles and rats. Ml- chael in his autobiography tells how be- then a little boy of seven years, spent his first winter here, the place then being called Quinnipiac, with his fathers family in eel lar partly under ground, sort of cave GOV cred with earth in the side-hill south of George street, where, as be says: ''I 're- member that one great rain broke in upon and drenched me so in my bed that fell sick upon it, but ye Lord in mercy spar'd my life and restored my health" And Michael af- terward went to Eye CoIledge'' and became 8 preacher of Eye everlasting Gospel" Our ancestors bought the land on which New Ha- ven stands of five renowned sachems, viz, Sucogsin, Momaugin, Quesauqssh, Carroug- hood and Weessucunk. If they should be on hand it would be well to have present the wight who insuIted James Hillhouse as he was hard at work bending over, sweating and tugging away in digging holes for the setting out of our noble elms-insulted him by call ing him fool therefor as he could not live to derive any benefit from his labors. Jus tiC0 would demand that he 6noaiO Do passed over to the tender mercies of the aforesaid renowned sachems, viz, Sucogsin, Momau- gin, Quesaquash, Corroughood and Weesau- cunk, who, as preliminary. should require him to spell and pronounce their names cor rectly. and in the event of his failing on the first attempt, which would be inevitable, to hold over him one of their pow-wo9s, clad in their war-pajnt and general toggery, and dance around him with uplifted tomahavks and horrid grimace, and striking terror into | his vitals with their aend-like yelIs and death songs. The idea of assembling upon our Green | those ancestors and the five renowned sa- chems, viz Sucogsin, Momaugin, Quesa | quash, Carroughood and Weesaucunk, came | from noble Roman long since defunct, none | less than the immortal Cicero-came by & | sort of reflex act ion from reading in that ia. nous discourse of his, where he dwells upon the pleasure he anticipates in the future life of meeting with the great characters and mo- Dle spirits of the past ages, of whom he had read, and who before he came on earth had eft and ascended to dwell among the Gods. Dismissing with our politest bow our ex- rene and Intermediate ancestors, in all 800 'trong, and passing over to those five renowned 'achems, viz, Sucogsin, Momaugin, Quesa. luash, Carroughood and Weesaucunk-pass-