Putnam patriot., 1914-09-25
Pemfret History
Continued from page !


 other settlers soon followed and by 17l0 the additional names Of Chandler Gates, Holmes, Hubbard, Lyon, Pay son. Perrin, Sessions aad sharpe ai pear in the records of the settlement Not all of the original prapfieton re' moved to Pomfret as some died in the interval between l9sb and l79b and some sold fheir Hllotments t0 others, consequently We dQ pol uud tlenames of RHeele Gore, Piefpont and Now. rey among the early settlers.
 The next thing in ordef4Ras tbe cs- tabllshment Of church and the form. niion of Township organization In the spring of I7is the Assembly al Hartford was tltIoaed by the in- habitants Of Mashamoqaet for per mission to set up Town. On May II, I7l3 the Assembly voted "Ihat the said inhabitants as soon rs they have procured minister, have hereby granted them full power 10 make ra' s and raise such sums of money for building 8 meeting house, minis' IS house and settlement, with his msln- tenanee as the major part shall judge ii. ,aAnd it was also ordered that the said Mnshamoquett shall Ee called Pomffet end the brfnd for horses shall be this figure P.' On May 27, 17i3, meeting of the inhabitants was held and survey ordered, this icing the first step necessary in organizing Town. Thisisurvey appears to have taken about one year. On March 20, TIA, the report .ot the surveyors was accepted at q Town m eting, Town of- ficers were elected and the organiza- ton of Pomfrct legally affect 2d The name of Pomfret apT ears to have en given the Mashamoquet settlement by Lieut.. Governor Seltonstall in mem ory of his old home at Ponlefrtst in England.
 The l ,unds of the Township were laid out as follows. "Ffom q stake by the Qmnebaug river between the up- per and lower Falls dn the present city of Putnam thence West miles, thence south mil !, thence Easl over the top of 2 bill called Grey Mare to the Quinnebaug fivef,o which formed the Eastern bound. Various additions were made subsequently, on the west and south to this area these were lost however later when new townships were formed, on the South Brooklyn n and on the West, Eastlord and Hamp. ton. The present area of Pomffet Is 25080 acres. It's area es originally laid out was 28ssO acres. The settlement now entered peI.od of great prosper ity. Its soil was rich and the tops and sides of It's Drumlin hills were free of forest and covered with a heavy growth Of good grass. Thus, the great isboriof clearing laway the pr,meVal forest was in part spared the early set. tiers and hay to carry ttheir stock through the first winters could he easily secured On May 8, l7l9 a meet ing of the proptetots was held and the western part ot the township wr' divided This iopened for settlement the present parish oi Abingdon and [ rapid influx Of new settlers flowed in Among them appeared .he tamltaI names of Dresser, Hyde, Holbfook Holmes, lngalls, sharpe and Sumner
 The first church yves formed in HI and it's m eting house built at the tol of the big hill on land now owned b' Ms, Bradley and lust north of wher the Dana road takes of to the east ward.
 The old south bury ing ground wa laid out in l7lg, acres N land heinl given to the town for that purpose b, Deacon Philemon Chandler. Josepl Ghfnn one of the original proprietor was the first person there buried il the year i723. In l72l n cart road wa opened to Providence by Nathanie Dresser and he brought over il th' first load Of West India goods evel brought to Pomfret. These were doubt less mostly liquid andiso well bore | rough passage Pomfret did not seen to be over jealous in the establishment of it's school system. Votes 10 oper schools al various places in the towr were passed es early es l5l9 but the schools were not actually in operation until l728 The infant settlement ap parentlV got along very we'll without the serkit ss at n daetof until iaas wher Dr. Thomas Mather settled here. Tn, United English library for the Propa gatiou oi Chi stan sod scful know ledge was formed iu romiretlon Sept sa, l539 and included in its member ship residents of PomfeI Woodstock Moulake, Kuunely and Thompson This served useful purpose tQr abou hundred years rad the remains 0 it's collection of books may now 's seen in the pomfret library. Ia l5+' Thomas Cotton of Bfookhne, Mass. bought e0l acres on the Quinnebau, between Sawyersbfook aud the Masha muQuei. With Cottons househol, goods there came to Pomfret its frs specimens of the rat family and il first copper kettle. Rats and literatur combined however were not allowed . interfere with more exciting amase ments. Wolves had long been seri GUS annoyance 10 the rising settlement