New Britain herald., 1915-04-16
tender and significant, and come to

tenuer ana significant, ana come to Kensington?
 "Kensington is the name of a coun- try parish, now occupying only one half of the township of Berlin. But we all know how the springs and streams that rise among the hills fur nish the water of life that is neces- sary for the very. existence and pros- perity of the larger centers. So from the hills, and from the country towns very largely come the life and vigor and power that make city and state and nation. We, may note today one of the sources of the life and spirit and patriotism that preserved the Union in it's hour of trial
 'Kensington once included all of Berlin, and the greater part of New Britain. It is now more than two with it's original meeting house down in the Great Swamp, two miles to the northeast of us, where now the brickyards are the most conspicu- ous objects. But just before the Rev. olutionary war Kensington, through subdivision of the original territory, had been limited to it's present bound- aries, and the center for worship had l been established by the erection of this plain and unpretentious struc- 1 ture, which was dedicated in 1774, and still stands as a monument of colonial simplicity.
 In 1880 the populat tion of the en- tire town of Berlin was only 2,146, l perhaps not more than that of Ken 1 sington alone at present And this was the only church building in Ken | sington. The pastor of this church l is an important, yes, the foremost fig l ure, in the story we have to relate. Rev. Elias B. Hillard, who became pastor in Kensington in 1860, in the vigor of young manhood, had the spirit of an Elijah, vigorous, aggressive, pa triotic. One very interesting fruit of l his patriotic spirit was the publica- ton of 8 little book, which probably never had a very wide circuation. en- titled, The last men of the Rev. oluton." It contains biographical sketches of the seven surviving vet erans of the Revolutionary war, whom he personally visited and interviewed in their homes ,."%
 Preached Patriotic Sermon
 "The story that has often been told concerning MT. Hillard, we'll illustrates the shock which the first action of the war occasioned. in the north. On ] Sunday morning, April 13, as the peo- pie were gathering for worship the minister was met at the door of the meeting house by the postmaster sam uel Upson, who brought the news that Fort Sumter had been fired upon the day before. The minister proceeded with the service, but instead of preach ing the sermon that had been pre- pared for the day, he delivered D strong, stirring, patriotic address.
 During the following week, it is said, the women of the church got to- gcther and made a large flag, which was raised upon the belfry tower of the church, and kept there throughout the war. This flag has not precisely
 the same significance as the tattered l flags that we have all seen in the
 capitol at Hartford. the flags that 1 were actually in service in war time.
 Rut it is symbol of the same ardent
 patriotism that animated the people 1 of this community. We cherish the
 old flag, and receive its message for | cur generation of love fos- our country
 Local Boys Died for Country.
 "It cannot be doubted that the ar
 de mt spirit of the minister helped to | fire the hearts of the young men who | enlisted in the army. It was made
 to seem a holy crusade. And a l goodly number of the boys from the
 rarish. from the church and Sunday 1 SC hool enlisted and went to the front. l "The names and dates upon the