New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-09
ANCIENT WINDSOR.
THE LIFE OF A CONNECTICUT TOWN.


Hartford)
The study OF local history and genealogy Is sign
OF mental health in the society when INDUCES ="
1t indicates that love Of home none too charac'ers"
Of the American people. has in given case p'sS'u
beyond The instructive stage. has become intellectual
and therefore reasonably permanent glance 'ro"e"
the great volumes which Dr. Stiles mas deVo''u ="
Ancient Windsor will suffice TO show whaS mas nap
pened TO the people OF the neghborhood OF ""0" nc
writes and 10 tho multitude who from various parts
Of the world look back 20 windsor as ue s'ar'lne
point IN America and perhaps In what might Tor
lack Of better term. be called the family Conscious
mass q, thsr race and name II IS Impossible to follow
him through the history OF the early times. bnt even
the student OF European prmitlvsm would be inter
ested In the recurrence OF a prehistoric mV'huoh
shown in the following paragraph
these were-only intended for temporary use un
N more substantial ones could be provided" dug
present day in newly settled parts Of the West.
Their construction Is thus described 90, Beginning a
few feet G spS TIE the sire of the He proposed
throwing the earth at tie side sides ,5 s%d wGs a,o en on
witch they rested the foot Of the raers , wh ,Ge
n t"ne S T1s as scne was scarce here they
have dispensed with IT, Instead Of single he r rsSt
end was probably made from Glove bo9rds-tn Ht
is boards cloven or split from short ioES amt
h ssTR es into snaRT appeared above These
we're soon rooTed 4, f tSe t great 0 Sa r%'
Tho town records Of Windsor Dorchester. as 1t
ras first called previous TO 1850 have not survived
and fragmentary knowledge OF the ooihss VI Wv
settlers must he gained from o'her sources '
"for ninety years after the first se'ue''i'' ."e'
was scarcely an hour In which the inhabitants 'o 'he
Connecticut Valley. especially OF the irohu'r o""N'
cop,d travel in the forests work In the heldS "or
shin God in their churches lie down IN ther noS
at night. without apprehension oil an a''"cN ,'U" .
their stealthy and remorseless Zoe III u'e ne-'
Of this fact the Of the first court heId AT new
town Hartford April 26, 1896. by the commissioners
onnonted hv Massachusetts, for the colonies On the
Connecticut Is interesting. II was minute VI '"e
trial of Henry Stiles of Dorchester on 'he co'p"i
that he cor some Of the servants had taoeu pie'V
,,h ,hs Indians for corn Somehow the red men
cot firearms with suspicious ease in the ancient new
ENGLAND settlements. just as they did IN la'er ,''
A beavv fine was also imposed on any one who shouu
ashoot off n gun without command from some ".ae's
trate or military commander" except III sei'-'e'o
or for the Destroying of some VOL or sncn r.'o'o''
beast, This was in the time Of King Philips w"r'
eo,o wars later the offence known to moderhS as
"shoo.irr off ones mouth" taken under cohSd-
Grafton rs nav be Inferred from the following vote
1859 February 3. voted that If any person ~ t tS
r,eenr or anv town meeting to be holden h'fraIn I
M I'M inhohitants of this town. shall presume To speak
in town meeting without the liberty oi IN, ,%n Town
be shall pay fine of twenty smiihes u '"' WV"
treasurer ~ II ,sr,,r
Upon which the historian remarks drly 'uusine
from the increased fine. the manners oil '"c peop'e
had grown much worse since the sih''"r No,v w, l."
1eos7.s The penalty then was only one shilling
o., tho ,non,e Of Ancient windsor loved talk, eS
peciallv of sunday. 1t might almost be suspected
that nowhere else wonld it be possible to enlVeh
chronicle with an affidavit like the following
May 1921 Cornelius BroT Sa, 1xb cTac %r Daniel
Fuller was at Poquonock. was one oi mem inv
sought for his settlement in the WORK OF yme me
nponle in that affair and particularly al The snort
nesi Of his sermons, PRAYED Mr. tnlrr 10 MppS 'hai
nd leurl
# noSs,pe he might gain dissatisfied persons, Mr..
Fuller replied that hc did not concern hise nour for
Poquonock. an. .o.
the First Society acknowledged the gift OF one iro"
Henry ALVIN and the next year voted to toll II as
token OF respect for his memory 1t was not unul
1900 that windsor Church "voted that two stoves be
purchased for the Meeting House In tns oocie's'
Before this reform, mothers ana gIahdho,heis III
dnlred In the luxury of foot-stoves, the children o
course sharing the warmth These footstoves Were
nId with Goals from the hearth covered with ashes
and retained their warmth through the morning ser
H.c: the Goals renewed at noon by some gen
erou, friends the church, The hrst scho'l
nj tres named in the records OF Windsor was oar"h
stiles In 1717. Her success must have been marked
for the next year voted that the schools snail
lie Kept by women in the summer until October.
slavery was in general, mild disease in Connect
cut The importation OF slaves Was prohibited III
I'll and steps taken subsequently gradually lea up
the formal act Oh dDOIuVh III 1850 ''''' ''' ~
whatever age who incompetent TO support them
selves were still slaves, unless the town chose to
release the owners The writer add:
such was old Nance in the family Of CGYn1l @mei
Comfy. Conn. ana remained in the family OF
Iiezekah bradley until She was four yrafS oc. Wh,H
DR. IiczcfNah Chafce of Windsor. At hi> death, III
IN beams 4op's sa e Sn do G iS g2 rs
Abigail Sherwood LoomiS in whose i"nlIj ~. "hs
most kindly cared for to the day OF hcr dtt'n, III
f,lin II
in connection with the liberation Of slaves an
a and faithful Windsor ays T We NJ v In D md msg
aud At lensth he broke me dy enG his BY rcc sEs
that such ncs6or a5d ST' W N, S,T n 70 rv M
freedom" the master quietly replied; wen, rom
WIN >" Now was INC reply. What: now.
right Nray ~ exclaimed tine ,G rTa s'a y
are if YOU choose. and be g.e" Tom stood , l1cNns
upon the ground nor moSd TX, KITE, g'g b MnC !,
consideration Tom rsamgd hi, TSn BT Ta d m %h
now T'V YOU may pick de lone. no 90 and take
care of old Tom myself"
In imitation Of the white militia. negro trainings
were common in Revolutionary times.
a s II 4,sqg'qff S TO the d hfSanhi9 'SS
above aydeq station General H. Snyr neI'Hi
that occasion. When the attcEpl VII, ,, madc
H. form TIC regiment there Wa no l'r GihrHIty
nc,rancr Tor most had some bit Of uniform, but no
Two alike. The General. anxious 70 pun me va'
accordingly Rising in bis surgups he 'hon'ei' Az
YOU what cot white stOcca. rocker shDT st1li III uSS
front This order readily undef-to,"' anu
thc front rank was soon formed OF those WHO were
equipped with shoes and stockings. Iheh cam.
another order from We chief An you VIVA, got
rocker shoe and no White stocca stand III DC rear,
and then. with selfsa,tcd air, the General tx.
claimed: NOW. You niggeIs what got no ""ic
stocca and no rocker shoe. stand out de way
one Of the queer customs Of the early days IN
Connecticut was known under the name OF s'calpe
The bride" 1t Is illustrated In the following t'ie
Mr. Elisha i,rSWOld, n ~inlsburv, Il DESCENDANT OF
Old Windsor used. in his later years. 20 relate WIN
much gIce the particulars of Of thes Oflhc-
sioalings In which he principal actor. II s''m,
that a certain couple were 10 b" married In >,lls
burv and Mr.. GriSwOld. with others ~ their dc-
0ualntance who had not been hOnOrod with an IN
vtaton resolved upon retaliation bv stealing the bride
Accordingly on the evening 81 the wedding. having
first ordered u nice supper and engaged the music
etc. very privately at "a tavern at Tnrkey HIS. MN
self with two or three Others into the uegAblr-
hood OF the brides residence Hero they rconnotred