The Press., 1885-07-09
LOCAL rsPies -Pgsa'p ,AADy ss.ssoRED'
REcoLLRcrroNs ABOUT COVENTRY.

| IHWOy CamucI ihtlSC and some 'O6AefH l709 is the town record however, and there
 are still living in town descendants of the
 Rust family. Mrs. Spaulding the. widow
 of AAngnstus, was Rust. A brother ol
 hers was at one time engaged in the silk hbhsiness in Mansfield A number of fam
 flies from Hartford and Northampton
 moved into the town about this. time.
 Joshua, n .Sachsm of the MohegaaBs, gave the right. which was subsequently, convey.
 ed to Vim. Pitkin, Joseph, Talcott, Wm.
 Whiting, and Richard Lord, to buy out
 the township and make settlements of the
 land. Lake Wanngumbang, picsnresoue
 body oi water, Is nestled among the hills
 in South Coventry. Two miles long aud one in width
 This town is famous as the birthplace of
 Capt. Nathan Hale, therevolntionary mar tyr. The house in which he was born is
 ill good preservation, with a efilesgrove of naples in front6 thesmansioa. .@ The Cap tain was born June 9th, l755, and was ex lecuted Sept. 9, l776 He was graduate of Yale, class of 1773. His last words are memorable "I only lament I have but one life to. give, for my oonntryI" The Hale mon.lment, a granite structure erect ed some thirty or forty years since, stands in good location at. the entrance to the Cemetery in South Coventry. In it's pres ent state it is a disgrace to the state. T vis- tied 1t June 24th, 1885. The cement has gone from the joints, and this has let in water, and the action of frost has given it very shabby look. In settling, one Cor iler is clipped of, and unless it is attended to soon, one of our state'snoblest men will be left with mass of crumbling ruins, te show the gratitude of his countrymen. | am told 8 fund was set aside by the state to keep this in repair. Who is the cnsto.. dian? sandswhy the delay? a sti MY
 Hon. Samuel Huntingdon, one of the earlier governors of Ohio. was 8 native of this town. Among the noted men born in Coventry was Lorenzo Dow; the itinerant preacher. He was born, in 1777, about two miles from the Hale farm. He be- came as famons as Moody of our time and travelled over this. country nnmber of times, besides making a voyage to the West Indies, three trips to Europe. and to Ireland 1t was estimated by his friends that he had travelled over 2OO.C0O miles w hen we consider the difficulty of travelling at that time, and thirty eight years devoted to preaching to immense congregations, often in the open air, his powers of endurance must have been won derfnl. His deseend lnts are many, some are engaged in mercantile business in Hart ford, some farming, and some are mechan- ics. Lorenzo Dow was no ordinary man. No preacher of that. time attracted such lmmense andlences. ) He was noted for his great eccentricities and power as an, exhorter, HelI was not banished from his version. He died in 1884. r
 In the cemetery we find one of those old stones, Sacred to the memory of ye Rev. Joseph Huntingdon, who was or dained pastor in 1763, and died 1794 hav- ing preached B years. sag E,5#
 Rev. Joseph Meacham WAS a p.stor for nearly forty years, so says his tombstone in the same yard. 4
 Since my recollections of Coventry there have been no less than eight preachers To- cated in the South Coventry Congreea- tional society, besides some on the hill averaging about five years service. Query Is it the people or the clergy who demand a change SO often!
 Capt. Nathan Hale has stone of ye an- cient pattern in the yard erected by his relatives. He was buried by the British near the place of his execution, the precise spot being unknown. ....-..-
 The new portion of the cemetery is To- cated west and adjoining the old. The fine lake on the west and north makes lovely view. To the dead, views are not of much account, but to us living men, who are battling with life's problems, it certainly has calm and restful aspect. II found D large family of my old associates have been resting in this quiet retreat. The place is growing in beauty, loving friends Keeping watchful care over the graves of those who have gone before
 We will leave the old resting place, and come to deal with modern times: It was about forty years ago when F first located in South Coventry. The principal bnsi-. ness was the card manufactory of John Boynton x Sons, at the upper village. Boynton was the inventor of card machine used by all of the principal woolen mills at that time. He had three sons John w., who died in East, Hauford afew years since Leander, now fesidents of Hart ford, and A. Wlnslow, who was in Bridge port a short time since LAander aud Winslow are of mechanical turn, having invented several articles, which have been quite successful, netting them good re- turns. John w. married Elnice Stanley for his first wife hls children, James, Ar thur, and Edward, are living. James and Arthur are merchants doing business in New York Edward is resident of Bridge port, very successful mechanic and in- ventor. L. w has a son engaged in mer cantile life at Utica, N. Y. A. w. has a son who Is or was come cted with the mint in California.
 John Reynton X spn ssn did "a large amount Of business at that time. em ploy ing many men. Among the, graduates from these works are George o. Kinnie, of Colts machine shop for many. years, and Representative in the last legislature from Hartford. Also Messrs. Tlbbal and CIittenden, we'll known Hartford men. They all belonged to the old whig party at that time, and to give your readers an 1dea of their Influence, an old line democrat said to me .If you go to Coventry and want suceess, you must gain the Boyntons' good will and vote the whig ticket" 7 My political opinions were already formed, being an ardent admirer of Henry Clay, the champion of protection. So my way was easy, aAd F ever found these gentlemen the best of friends and foremost in all enterprises. It was the energy and largely the purse of Deacon John Boynton, which was the means of erecting. the Congregational church at the village. The members from the South street refusing to move, with a few exceptions, remained ill the old church