Connecticut western news., 1914-02-12
SETTLING OLD CANAAN
Trials of the Lawrences in the Pioneer
 Days of the Town.


 Mrs. W. k Hubbell, Of Falls Village, is an incomplete file of the Housatonio Republican. printed in Falls Village more than half century ago, some of which have been summsrized in The News within recent months. The Re lpublican was owned and edited by Mrs. 1 Hubbell's father, the late c B. Maltbie, who is we'll remembered by many of The News's older readers. Mrs. Hub bell has loaned number of copies of the Republican to The News, and ex- tracts from them will apoear in this paper for the next few weeks.
 From the issue of September 90, 1857 we reprint the followiEr> accoupt.of ti,e early settlers of Canaan, preceded by this introduction
 "The following is a copy of a paper found with the papers of the late Nathaniel Stevens. Esq of Canaan ."
 When Canaan was first settled it was all wild wilderness, except three Dutch families, who lived on the Ousatonlo river. The first family of English thas
 
 from Hartford, Ct. He came in May. l738 and John Franklin drove his ox team. That was the first OK team that was driven into the town. He settled down near where the Blackberry river enters into the Housatouic. He had six sons; and his seventh wns the first English child that was born in Canaan it was James Bryant, Esq that after wa ds lived in Nobletowu. York State.
 The next families that moved into the town were those of DanIel Lawrence and Isaac Lawrence, and the Hewitt family. from Plainfield. They were eleven days on their journey, and they arrived the 9d day of June. l738, with their families They had 10 cut their way through from New Hartford to Canaan. Daniel Law renee had some boards. He set up some crotches and made hinI a hut to shelter him. Isaac Lawrence unloaded his goods under a Pine Tree, and had not a board to cover him but the boards of his cart. He had dug hole in the side of a hill and laid up some logs, ten foot one way, and twelve the other. Next day he went to Sheffield and got some boards aud covered 1t, and there he lived with hls family one year-and ten men be- sides his own family.
 Then he built large log house by a fine spring, where he lived several years and people kept moving Into the town very fast from all parts of the country. The produce of the earth was very fine exceeding good corn the first year and pumpkins exceeding large and every thing seemed to flourish. There were
 places where the Indians had planted , Corn, where the trees had grown very large among the hills and they plowed nl made of free stone-and arrow bikes, multitude. And it was supposed that there was a settlement of Indians in that place in time past Isaac Lawrence dug up bones and ashes, when he was digging his cellar, about five or six feet ! from the surface of the earth they were thought 70 be mems bones by people that saw them.
 The first winter there was great deal of snow, and no rain all wiuter-but was very forward spring and fruitful sum- mer. The second winter was very moderate but there was cue man found dead in the snow. 1t was supposed that he sat down on log, being in liquor, and fell asleep and pitched down into the snow, where his breath thawed the , snow so that 1t strat gled him. He was found not far from Forbes Iron Works.
 His name was Blackbourn. He was the first person that died in Canaan. The third winter was very severe-a vast , deal of snow. and extreme cold-so thna
 some cattle frnze to death but it was a
 very truthful snmmer after it, Deer were very plenty about here, aud some t Indians lived about here, that seemed to bs very friendly. They belonged ta Stockbridge and FarminRton One day the wife of Isaac Lawrence was up ia 1 her chamber and she heard a noise. She s looked out, and she saw thirty three , Indians coming up to the door. She
 gave herself up for lost. One of the
 Indians spoke to her and told her not to be afraid, for they called to drink at the - spring. and they were going to Stock a bridge to a wedding and they were
 friends. But people were very mack
 afraid of Indians all the time.
 1 People kept settling so fast that in the ? year TAI, they had a minister ordained
 MT. Elisha Webster, from Farming
 ton-and a great many people came a ' hundred miles to the ordination. and to @ see the country. And there was a man felling a tree to build the minister's s house, and limb struck him and cruss- 3 ed him into the earth. He was the
 second person that died in Canaan. His name was Richard Highsted. He left \ 3 wife and four children. The third was the wife of Thomas Hewlt, with fever In the year l744 people began to be very much terrified about Indians, for there } was a good deal of mischief done in the towns about by the Indians-so that our people built several forts in the towns. and had guard of soldiers Ill the town. , which secured the woods every day. But they never saw any signs of any enemy; but there was great many alarms, but never any enemy appeared. Sometimes the Forts would be crowded with peo- pie from other towns. In this situation we lived for two or three years. After the Iron works were carried off by n fiood-then rebuilt-and then, in the year l750 they were burned to ashes, and great many houses and barns, and other buildings-eleven in all-and ths same year the town was visited with great sickness among children. Thirty three children and two old people died,