The Press., 1912-12-04
Traditions, Incidents and "Reminiscences of the Reed, Sparrow, Holt, Full
 Ter Farm in WillingtOn.
A native and long time resident, now of Mime
 apolts, Minn.
BY JOHN MERR1CK.


 apolis, Minn.
 From a traditional and recorded story of the early settlement of Will lington, we learn that the first col onists of the town were party direct from England, under the leadership of Robert Fenton and the guidance of John Merrick of Springfield, Mass. |, and MT. Holt of Hampton, early in the eighteenth century, assumed by the writer about 17l2 or 15. The Merrick genealogy gives the birth of John Merrick, one of the early settlers of Wilmington, as 1897, and that he married Sarah Parsons of Springfield, Mass. in 1716, and that their first son was born in Wilmington in the early part of 172O. The story of the early settlement also says that the first white child born in Wilmington was Frances Fenton, in 1718. It also says that on May 18th, 172O, the township where had lived for several years a few scattered families was sold by the governor of the English colony of Connecticut, at a session of the general court, to party of eight men.
 The inhabitants rapidly increased and July Sd, 1728, town and parish meeting was held, with Thomas Jen- nings as moderator and John Merrick as clerk, when tax of eight shillings was laid on each 100 acres of land for religious purposes and 6 Lbs. was voted to defray the expenses of going after a minister. John Cady was ap- pointed for that purpose and secured the Rev. Daniel Fuller, a native of Dedham, Mass, born April 2Oth, 1897, a graduate of Yale of the class of 1721, and he was ordained as pas tor of the Church of Christ in Will lington, Sept. 11th, 1728, at the house of John Merrick, which tradi- tion says was near the site of the Judge Rider homestead. It is said that the service of ordination was held under a large tree, as there was not room in the house, and that a fine ordination dinner was served. One chronicle, at least, says that the young minister went to live in the best of the log houses in the town ship, situated just west of town hill on the level tract then known as Moose plain. Pastor Fuller held pub lie worship at his own house until a hE was built upon the top of the hill, with few windows and rough benches, but which was not completed for near 20 years, but services were held and tradition says there was a small house or hut near by, with a stone chimney and fireplace, which was known as ''the warming house" or "the noon ing house," where the people used to gather to get warm and to eat their lunches. Pastor Fuller's farm must have been quite extensive, probably covering a good part of the Daniel Glazier farm, the old B. Stowel farm, the land forming the new cemetery extension and extending to include the Thomas Merrick farm, known in later years as the Dr. Barrow's place, and as far west as the top of Dug dale hill. '' He is said to have given the town the old Hill cemetery, and it was known to the writer that Esq. Glazier owned on three sides of the old cemetery, with road passing on the west side. This was the home of Pastor Fuller till his death of small pox in 175S, just 80 years from his ordination. He was greatly beloved by all.
 The place became the property of James Holt, who was born in Wind ham and removed to Wilmington. His son, James Holt, was born in; ;1711. He was known as Leftenant James Holt, and in the early days of the writer it was said that he built the frame house where he lived. At first he built a single tenement and later, when his son, Timothy, married he enlarged it to a two-tenement or double house, and so it remained until the death of MT. Holt in. 1858. The writer recalls the long, low, two -tene- ment house as it was known to him during his early life, as he passed it on his way to church nearly every Sunday for about eight years, from 1886 to 1a44, and he sees as in a picture the tall we'll sweep, with it's double length of pole, as the we'll was very deep. Uncle Joe Weston, who was one of those who always took the long Sunday walk to church, always stopped for draught of the cool, re- freshing water, and after climbing the hill would take another draught befofe crossing the green to the church at the we'll at the place now known as Maple Corner.
 This homestead must have been in the possession of the Holt family al least S5 years. About 1876 Gustavus and Edwin Holt disposed of the place to George Sparrow. The first distinct recollection of the place by the writer was in the fall of 1885 ore, when the 2Sd Regiment of the Conn. mil. itia, to which the old 9th company oi Wilmington belonged, had their regi' mental review on the field a little southwest of the barn. The company drill and parade was an annual or 8 1semi i-annual affair, but the regimental parade was seldom seen and was g great day for all, especially for us small boys. At the company drill and review every able bodied man between the ages of IS and 45 years was re- quired to appear armed as the law re- quires for review and exercise, but those above 40 were, only required tc show their uniform. The company