CLASS '^n A -tSw BOOK ^\X 2v. OTIS LIBRARY, NORWICH, CONN. Given by LDpalair SuLb.sc.Yi|)t.vo.rL. iliiMiiiii 97^.62 Su28c (Dur^ MHS.-rv 1'^'^ '^^^-^^ OTIS L.IBRMRV. Borrowers finding this book pencil-marked, mutilated or unwarrant- ably defaced are requested to report it to the Librarian. DO NOT MUTILATE THIS SLIP. iSa::::::: cU- ERRATA. Page 20, line 13 from top, for nutn read mm. CONNECTICUT LITERARY INSTITUTION. This institution is located in Suffield, one of the most beautiful and healthy towns in the Connecticut Valley, and is accessible by railroad communication from every part of the country. It possesses all the facilities of a first class New England Academy, with both a male and a female department. It employs six permanent teachers. It has three large and commodious jjublic buildings, designed to accommodate one hundred and fifty students, with rooms and board. It is under the direc- tion of a board of trustees, chosen from every part of the State. An effort is now being made to raise one hundred thousand dollars, partly for Ijreseut use and partly as a permanent fund, twenty-seven thousand of which has already been subscribed. It is the design of its trustees and l^atrons to have it, and to keep it, in the first class of institutions, for fitting young men for college, or for business, and affording young ladies all the fiicilitics for a thorough education, classical, scientific, and lit- erary. 300 <.: CELEBRATION OF THE TOWN OF SUFFIELD, CONN., Wednesday, Oct. 12, 1870. IIARTFOKI): WILEY, WATEKMAN & EATON, STEAM BOOK AND JOB PIUNTEliS. 1871. / \ v5 ■•0 ■ ' INTRODUCTION. Where are tlie graves wlicrc dead men slept Two liundrcd years ago ? Who were tlicy who wept Two hundred years ago ? By other men who know not them Their lands are tilled, tlieir graves are filled, Yet nature then was just as gay, and bright the sunshine as to-day. Those who are familiar with ancient m3^thologj will recollect the story of the good Isis, wlio went forth wandering and weeping to gather up the parts and fragments of her murdered and scat- tered Osiris, fondly yet vainly hoping that she might recover and recombine all the separate parts, and once more view her husband in all his former proportions and beauty. With equal assiduity have a few citizens of Suffield sought to gather up the relics of the past, and place themselves for the time amid the scenes and cir- cumstances in which our forefathers lived and died. We thus place the past and present side by side, and are qual- ified to judge of the progress of events, to sympathize with our forefathers in their privations and labors, and honor them for their deeds of virtue and valor. The Two Hundredth Anniversary of the existence of the Town of Sufheld, as a distinct municipal Corporation, occuring on the 12th of October, 1870, it occurred to the minds of a few citizens that it would be a proper and worthy time to celebrate the event. Accordingly, at the legal town meeting, lield_October 4th, 1869, the subject was brought before the |)Cople, and it was unanimously voted that the event be celebrated in a patriotic and spirited manner. A Committee of sixty-seven persons was appointed to carry out the vote, and a sum not exceeding $1,500 was appropriated for the purpose. 1 751 This Committee subsequently met and appointed tlie following citizens as an Executive Committee : Daniel W. Norton, Gad Sheldon, Simon B. Kendall, IIezekiaii S. Sheldon, William L. Loomis, T. IIezekiaii Spencer, Henry M, Sykes, who were to have the general oversight of the preparation and carrying 5ut of the design of the vote, and it is due to their zeal and labor that the occasion was so fittinglj' celebrated. I^JElEr.TMIN^MES. At a legal Town Meeting of the Town of Suffield, Conn., held at the Town Hall, in said Sanield, October 4th, A. D. 1869. On motion of D. W. Norton, presented by the Clerk, Wm. L. Loomis, Esq., viz : That in view of the fact that during the year 1870 the Anniversary of the Second Centennary Year from the " Grant of the General Court at Boston," and the first settle- ment of this Town occurs ; therefore. Voted, That this Town take suitable measures to observe and celebrate said Anniversary, during the year 1870, in an intelligent and respectable manner, becoming the age in which we live, and in a public manner. Voted, That a Committee of sixty-seven persons of this Town be appointed to inaugurate and carry out a programme for the same, in a becoming manner, for said Anniversary, at a suitable time during the coming year. And that said Committee shall have the power and right to expend and pay out such sums or parts of sums of money, in promoting the objects of said Anni- versary, or the necessarj' expenses, as the Town may appropriate for said ol)ject. Voted, That this Town appropriate a sum not exceeding fifteen hundred dollars for said object, to be used by said Committee. Voted, That the Committee consist of the following named persons, viz : Daniel W. Norton, Col. Simon B. Kendall, Sam- uel Austin, Gad Sheldon, Elihu S. Taylor, Henry Fuller, Albert Austin, Wm. L. Loomis, Milton Ilatheway, Doct. Aretus Rising, Edwin P. Stevens, George Fuller, Ilezekiah Spencer, Artemus King, Ilenry P. Kent, Byron Loomis, Thaddeus IL Spencer, George A. Douglass, Sihis W. Chark, Ilezekiah S. Siieldon, Iliram K. Granger, Thomas J. Austin, Alfred Spencer, James B, Rose, Warren Lewis, Nathan Clark, L. Z. Sykcs, Julius Har- raon, Burdctt Loomis, L Luther Spencer, Benjamin F. Ilastings, Frank P. Loomis, Chas. A. Chapman, Wm. E. Harmon, Horace" K. Ford, EalpU P. Mather, John M. Ilatheway, Ilenrj M. Sykes, and others. And that said Committee take measures necessary to inaugurate said Anniversary in this town. The preceding votes of the Town of Suffield, relating to the celebration and the appropriation of said Town for said Anni- versary, were ratified and confirmed by a resolution of the Gen- eral Assembly of this State, held at New Haven, at their May Session, 1870, which passed and was approved June 9th, 1870. At subsequent meetings of said Committee, heretofore named and duly organized for that purpose, they appointed their Exec- utive and Finance Committees, a Committee on Invitation and Reception, a Committee of Arrangements to procure a tent, music, and to provide for the collation at the close of the exer- cises in the church, with the kind assistance of the Ladies of Old Suffield, at 2 o'clock, P. M. The Officers of the Day were PRESIDENT. DANIEL W. NORTON. VICE-PRESIDENTS. Capt. Apollos Phelps, Elihu S. Taylok, Capt Seth King, Albert Austin, Rev. Amos Cobb, Henry Fuller, Hezekiaii Spencer, Edwin P. Stevens, Gad Sheldon, Artemus King, Samuel Austin, Hiram K. Granger, Georgs Fuller, Warren Lewis, Milton Hatheway, George A. Douglass, Henry P. Kent, Julius Harmon. CHIEF MARSHAL. Col. Simon B. Kendall. ASSISTANTS. F. P. Loomis, John Nooney, R. A. Loomis, B. F. Territt. iOTO. ^sm SUFFIELD, CONN. Mf the "Grant of Gonerul Court at Boston, October 12th, 1G70," "■^ occuring the in-csent year, it has l)een decided, by vote of this town, to celebrate the event, and to circulate the notice as Avidely as possible among the sons and daughters of Suffield that have gone out from us and their descendants. All such are cordially invited to meet with us here, on the twelfth day of October next, for a re-union at that time, and jiarticipate in the exercises, with the assurance of a hearty welcome, both public and private. Every effort will be made to make the occasion interesting and profitaljle, and the stay of our guests agrecaljle; and it is hoped that the gathering of those who have wandered so far away from us, and have been so long separated, will warm the heart and rpiickcn the feeling of common inter- est and union. WM. L. LOOMIS, ^ SIMON B. KENDALL, | ALBERT AUSTIN, I Committee TIIADDEUS H. SPENCER, \ on GAD SHELDON, I i,,UMiom. THOMAS J. AUSTIN, \ ELIHU S. TAYLOR, J Suffield^ Conn., Sept. 12, 1870. 1751 ^lial. ^ cry Jgf A special train from Hartford to Suflield, (the first on the Hrancli Ifoiul), will leave Hartford at 7:15 A. M., on Wednesday, October 1:^. T 2 AL CJB. 18T0. ^1 Wednesday;, OctabDi: 12, 1870. I. VOLUNTARY ON THE ORGAN. ir. SINGING BY THE CHOIR. III. STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT, D. W. NORTON, Esq. IV. INVOCATION BY REV. JOEL MANN. V. READING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, BY REV. D. IVES. D. VI. PRATER, liY REV. D. IVES, D. D. VII. ORIGINAL HYMN, BY THE CHOIR. VIII. ADDRESS OF WELCOME, BY REV. WALTER BARTON. IX. RESPONSE BY S. A. LANE, Esq , OF AKRON. OHIO. X. ODE, BY THE CHOIR. XI. ADDRESS, BY REV. J. L. HODGE, D. D. XII. SINGING, BY THE CHOIR. XIII. HISTORICAL ADDRESS, I5Y JOHN LEWIS, Esq. XIV. MUSIC, BY THE BAND. XV. POEM, BY REV. S. D. PHELPS, D. D. XVI. ANTHEM, BY THE CHOIR. XVII. BENEDICTION, P.Y REV. STEPHEN HARRIS. D. ^^x (^) ^^Z^<^ i/rz^6 ^^&i>?T^^/l/^- '':^/^Z^'^6^^^^^Z^^y^ A STATEMENT AT THE |ii-€'entfnnial (f clfbratioii of tljc Coluii of ^uffiflt), OCTOBER 12TIT, 1870, BY THE PRESIDENT, D. W. NORTON. Ladies axd Gentlemen : Two Imndred and fifty years ago the 6tli day of last month, our Pilgrim forefathers took tlieir final departure from England for America in the Mayflower, a vessel of one hundred and eighty tons. The whole number who embarked were one hun- dred and one persons. Their Eeverend Pastor, on his knees commending them in fervent prayer unto the Lord, intended to implore a blessing from Heaven upon the hazardous enterprise. He preached a sermon to them from Ezra, 8 : 2L With mutual embraces and many tears they took leave of one another, which proved to be the last leave to many of them. The wind being fair they went on board, but the tide, which stays for no man, called them away out of the harbor. After they had enjoyed fair winds for a season they met many contrary winds and fierce storms. Their sliip was shaken and her upper works very leak}-. One of the main l)eams of the mid-ship bowed and cracked— this was repaired ; tliey resolved to hold on their voyage. And so after many boisterous storms, in which they could bear no sail, they fell in with land called Cape Cod, in November, 1620. After touching at several points on the shore in a storm of snow and rain, the sea very rough, they broke their rudder, which was supplied by two men with a couple of oars. The storm increasing as night came on, they broke their mast in three pieces, and their sails fell overboard into a grown sea. Like to 14 have been cast away, yet by God's mercy they recovered them- selves ; ami having the flood tide with them, struck into the har- bor and got under the lee of a small island, (Clark's Island,) finally landed on Forefathers' Rock at Plymouth, December 11, 1620, 0. S. ; the dense forest before them filled with Indians and wild beasts and the stormy ocean behind them, witliout a shel- ter, winter setting in. The settlement was immediately begun by building houses. Their work went on slowly. Cold weather, snow and rain hin- dered them, subjecting them to great sufferings. Sickness diminished their numbers, and a fire consumed their storehouse. By March, 1621, only fifty-five remained of their whole number, yet they were not discouraged. On the 16th of March an Indian walked into town and saluted them in broken English with the exclamation, " welcome Eng- lishman." His name was Samoset, a Sagamore of Monhegan in Maine. He had learned some English by intercourse with fishing- vessels and traders on the coast. The settlers now learned that Massasoit, the great sachem in the country, was near wuth a train of sixty men. His visit was friendly, and a treaty was made which was observed inviolate for half a century. A settlement was made in Weymouth in 1622. Other emi- grants came over from time to time, and settled in Charlestown, Eoxbury, Salem, Dorchester, Ipswich and Newbury. In- Sep- tember, 1630, the foundation of Boston was laid. At a later period some of these settlers found their way through the wilder- ness, over hill and dale, mountain and stream, to the beautiful valley of the Connecticut, and removed their families thither; commenced their settlements in some of the river towns above and below us, as Springfield, Hadlej^, Hatfield, Wethersfield, Windsor and Hartford ; what was then called Stony-brook, (now Suffield,) being avoided on account of the very heavy timber growing upon her soil ; being a dense forest or "a very w^oody place.'' This township was purchased of two Indian Sachems for £30^ and in 1670 was granted to Major John Pynchon and others by the General Court of ]\lassachusctts. Suffield is situated on an elevation of sandstone, which divides the lower valley of the Connecticut into an upper and lower • 15 bnsiii. Tliis elevation deprives Safliekl of the alluvial interval lands found in those towns above and below us. In A})ril, 1670, a petition from sundry of the inhabitants of the town of Springfield was presented to the General Court at Boston, praying for a grant for a township at Stony-brook or Southfield, as this place was then ealled, (now Suffield). That petition was referred to a proper committee, who iu due time made a favorable report to the General Court; and two hundred years ago to-day, the grant was passed by the General Court at Boston for a township at Stony-brook plantation, so ealled. The settlement of the town commenced that year, (1070). Two brothers by the name of Uarmons came here and settled about one mile west of High Street, what is now on or near the road leading from said High Street to West Suffield. Others soon followed ; so that when the town was organized at its first general Town Meeting, held on the 9th of March, 1681-2, which was convened in accordance with an order of the General Court, passed at their session held October 12th, 1681, to organize the town, when about eighty proprietors were present to make choice of the municipal officers and discharge the committee, they being present, who had managed the affairs of the town from the time of the grant in 1670. liut our orators and poets on this occasion will give you a good account of the results of that beginning made here two hundred years ago. May this day, by the blessing of God, prove to be one of the best days ever witnessed by the sons and daug] iters of Old Siijjlehl and their descendants; and may it long be remembered by the generations who succeed us; and will they celebrate the occasion at the end of each succeeding one hundred years ? Following this, an Invocation by the Eev. Joel Mann, and reading of the Scriptures, by the Rev. Dwiglit Ives, D. D., selections from the first chapter of John and the eleventh of Hebrews; followed by Prayer by the same "gentleman. Then an original hymn was sung by the choir, entitled "Two Hun- dred Years Ago." TWO HUNDRED YEARS. Composed for the occasion by Rev. S. D. Pueli's, D. D. Where now a joyous throng we stand, And beauties round us glow, Stood a dense forest wihl and grand, Two hundred years ago. How vast tlie change, from old to new 'T would strike the fathers dumb ; But Avhat shall fill the children's view Two hundred years to come ? II. What struggles, perils, toils and fears They had to brave and know, Ere comforts blessed the pioneers, Two hundred years ago. For varied luxuries we possess. They had no thought or room ; But what they'll have, O who can guess. Two hundred years to come ? III. The dwelling, dress and style of yore Were plain and free from show ; They spun and wove the things they wore Two hundred years ago. If tlasli and fashion rule the age. And mark our progress some. Pray, what shall be the rush and rage Two hundred years to come ? 3 18 IV. Tlie church and school, so simple then, Expressed the heart's outflow; Earnest were those strong, thoughtful men Two hundred years ago. In grander fane and temple found, Reflnemeut's richer home, Th' old virtues Uve—vf'iW they aboukd Two hundred years to come ? V. Through all the past, life's growing tide Has met the one grim foe ; Old are the graves of those who died Two hundred years ago. We swt'U the stream whose murmuring rolls The cadence of the tomb ; What were our lives, and where our souls. Two hundred vears to come ? ADDRESS OF WELCOME Bv PtEV. Walter Bahtox. Tlic Executive Coininittec have assigned to inc the very pleas- ant duty of giving to the returning sons and daughters of Suf- fiekl a few words of welcome. It would have been more fittinsf, perhaps, that the address of welcome should come from one who had always been a resident of the town. For however much I may regret the fact, I must frankly confess that I have not yet been able to ascertain whether any or all of " the three brothers," to whom, of course, my pedigree runs back, ever settled in this town or not. But being, as I am, very desirous to claim some share with you in the gladness and glory of this great celebration, I, of course, am bound to make mj- connection with you some- how. Failing to make any connection with you genealogically, 1 was able to iind, on looking up the old records, that I could make a connection with you geographicall}^, on this wise : Up to the year 1749, SufReld was one of the places included in Hampshire County, IVfass. As I was born in that county I con- cluded not to search the records any further, but to consider myself born in the same colony and countj^, in the same pre- cinct and on the same })lantation with the rest of you. To prove that this connection is not a fancied one merel}", I may take the liberty to say that l)cforc Sudield was settled, or soon after, in order to keep up communication with Hartford, we who lived at the upper end of the plantation, in what is now known as Iladlcy and Northampton, used to have our teams drafted to repair the Suffield roads. Such instances are on record. Very likely it was owing to our cutting down the brush and making such good roads, or keeping them in such excellent re^^ pair that you were first induced to settle here. 20 Be that as it may, I stand here to welcome to the scenes and ceremonies of this Bi-Centennial occasion, and also to the hearts and homes of the people, all former residents of the place, and all who by any other ties of relationship or friendship are specially interested in commemorating Suflield's natal day. How eminently befitting is it, in this busy and fast age, to improve a day like this by reviewing the lives and labors of the brave and good who have gone before ns ! We have so much to do, to care for, to think, read and talk about, in regard to what is going on in the wide, wide w^orld, that there is great danger of our forgetting the past and what is due to it from the present. The prophet says, " ask man of the days that are past." This the orator of the day w411 help us to do ; and surely his review of these two centuries will furnish to each and to all of us lessons for our study, reflection and improvement in all the years to come. The occasion in itself is fitted to call forth the ti'uest and best sentiments of our nature. In ancient times it was customary to lead out the youths of royal fixmilies to gaze on the monuments of their ancestors, that they might thus be inspired to cultivate their virtues and emulate their heroism. A still higher authority says, "Tell ye your children of it, and let j^our children tell their children, and their children another generation." Who has not often read with deep interest of the great gatherings and glad memorial days of the ancient Ilebrews ? What a scene must it have been when they came up by fixmilies and tribes from all parts of Canaan to keep the feasts of the Lord at Jerusalem ! How well fitted was this thrice yearly concourse at Jerusalem to counteract all the unsocial tendencies arising from their separation into distinct tribes, and to unite them all together as a nation of brethren ! It served to prevent all those unpleasant rivalries and jealousies which in time might have ripened into hostilities and collisions that would have rent their commonwealth in pieces. By being brought thus frequently together, the acquaintance of families and tribes was renewed, all feelings of clanish exclusivcness were repressed, and the social union more elfcctually consolidated. Though the chief design of these annual festivals was to per- petuate the memory of the great' events on which they were 21 severally founded, other important en(}s were doubtless designed and secured b}^ these assemblages. It would be a welcome res- pite from toil. They indulged in innocent hilarity, amusement and recreation. I don't know whether or not the boys played base ball or the girls croquet, but I have no doubt they had other amusements and recreations as good or better. They not only worshipped; they feasted, they sang, and rejoiced together before the Lord. And how much better for families, churches and communi- ties now, if they had more of these seasons of healthful recrea- tion and heartfelt rejoicing ! Is it not well once in a while to forget our money-making and our worldly schemes, to forget also what particular trade and tribe, sect and party we belong to, and remember ourselves and one another as belonging to the great family of one common Father in Heaven? You gather here to-day, not merely to glorify yourselves or your native town, although if you wanted to play the fool in an apostolic way, you might even boast yourselves a little, and not be thought either proud or vain in so doing. But your chief desire is rather to honor yourselves by honoring those who here, so early and so well, laid the foundations of the family, church and school, of intelligent society and christian civilization for all coming time. Here " other men labored and ye are entered into their labors." To those of you who were born and educated here, a thousand liallowed memories will come thronging back to-day, as you look once more upon these charming valleys, these dear old hills, and the yet dearer faces of familiar friends. You will clasp each other by the hand and amid smiles and tears cry "old Suflield forever." Tell us if in all your wander- ings you have found another Suflfield yet? Do you not still sing, as you come back to the old homestead, " 'Mid pleasures and palaces," etc. ? The present year I have traveled two thous- and miles through the Middle and Western States, and last year four thousand miles through the South and West, but in either journey I cannot say that I found a town which for fertilitVj thrift and beauty, for social and religious privileges would sui-- pass your own. And others here who have traveled farther than that in the East and in the West have said the same. Indeed, 22 you who have never left the old homestead cannot appreciate the beauty and the blessing of a birth-place in this charming valley of the noble Connecticut. How often in the years that are past have your thoughts wan- dered away to this home of your childhood ! And how happy are you to come back and shake hands again with those that still remain of your family friends and early companions ! IIow it awakens also the liveliest emotions of gratitude to God, who caused the lines to fall to you in such pleasant places and gave you so goodly an heritage ! ' Tis true you will look in vain for some who by reason of death are not permitted to be with ns on this occasion. The names of many who once walked these streets, worked in these fields and worshipped in these churches, side by side with you, you will read in the different cemeteries of the town. But others have taken their places, and though many of us are strangers to you, and many of you are strangers to us, we are all one in our sympathies with you and in our greeting to you on this memorial day. We all feci greatly honored by your presence with us, and we are all alike interested to honor the memories of those noble, self-denying, God-fearing men and women " who for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith," began the settlement of this place two hundred years ago. But I must not keep you longer from the good things in store for you. I was only appointed to answer 3'our rapping at the door of your dear old home, and to say in behalf of the whole Suffield family, "glad to see you, walk in, take off your things, sit right down and make yourselves perfectly at home." As I cannot shake hands with you all individually, as I should like to do, let me ask the resident citizens of Suffield here present to rise up and allow me to gather up all their hands into one great hand and reach it out, through the hand of this son of Suflield from Ohio, to all our guests and say, welcome each, welcome all. RESPONSE, By vS. A. Lane, Esq., of Akron, Ohio. Mr. President ; Ladies and Gentlemen : — It is, to mc, gratifying beyond expression, that I am permitted to participate with yoLi in celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of the settlement of this my native town. But it is not quite so "-rati- fying to find myself the sole respondent to the very able and the very cordial address of welcome, to the returning wanderers which has just been pronounced. The honored chairman of j'our committee, in his kind letter of invitation, expressed the desire that in response to said address I should give one of my familiar talks in regard to my recollections of Suffield when I was a boy. To this I assented on the su]-»- position that there were to be several similar responses, and that any formal reply to the address would devolve upon other and abler speakers than myself. Indeed, I had been informed that the names of at least two professional "talkists " had been asso- ciated with my own in the performance of the pleasing task- now by a change in the programme, and by an error of jud"-- raent on the part of the committee, devolved wholly upon my- self. Fortunately, however, both for myself and for my audi- tors, the limited space of time which I may occupy will render my task comparatively easy, and the infliction upon my hearers correspondingly light. Forty years ago, Mr. President, I left you, a chubby, round faced, ruddy-cheeked, dark-haired, black-eyed, and — if tradition speaks truly — a tolerahhj good looking boy of fifteen years of a"-e. To-day I come back to you a gaunt, sallow- visnged, grizzly- headed, dim-sighted old man of fifty-live. Forty years! Along period of time, truly, when, with the eyes of youth and hope, gazing forward into tlie future. But 0, how short, when retrospectively considered — but the merest 24 fragment of the countless cycles that form the unnumbered cen- turies of the past ! Yet as brief a period of time as it in reality is, what great and important changes have taken place within those forty years ! Events mightier by far, and of vastly greater significance and influence upon the interests of civilization and human progress, have taken place within that brief period than, wath perhaj^s a single exception, in the entire one hundred and sixty years, be- sides, of the two centuries whose termination you now celebrate. Were it proper for me to do so, in this connection, time would not permit me to give even the briefest history of all those great and grand events. Among them, however, I may pause to men- tion the inauguration of the great and ever extending system of railways which has wrought such a revolution in the modes of travel and transportation in this and other lands; the application of electricity to the purposes of telegraphic communication, by which not only time and distance have been annihilated, both in our own and in foreign countries, but which, spanning and fath- oming the ocean, has drawn the two great continents of the earth so closely together that the mightiest or the minutest event trans- piring in any portion of the one may be known, in detail, through- out the length and breadth of the other within the very hour of its occurence ; the application of science to agricultural, manu- facturing and domestic operations, whereby one controlling mind can, with nerves of steel and muscles of iron, accomplish vastly more labor in a given time, than could formerly be done by hun- dreds of the most skillful operatives ; but towering high above them all, so far as its influence upon our own development is con- cerned, stands the gigantic moral, social and political revolution by which four millions of bondsmen have been endowed with all the attributes of independent and enfranchised citizens. But, Mr. President, I may not enlarge upon these and kindred topics so full of interest and of hope to this and the other nations of the earth, and will only say, in conclusion, that during the entire period of my absence from Old Suffield — whether it may seem longer or shorter to my hearers — my mind has ever reverted with pleasure to the fond associations of my boyhood, and my early recollections of my native town. ]n all my w^anderings, having visited nearly every State and Territory now embraced 25 within the limits of the United States, the British Possessions upon the North, and portions of Mexico nnd Central America upon the South, besides a number of prominent Islands of both the Atlantic and PaciHe Oceans; and though I have seen many magnificent cities and beautiful towns, and rural paradises with- out number, my boyhood recollections of Suffield overshadow them all in point of loveliness, grandeur and sublimity. And I presume I but speak the sentiments of all present, who, like me having straj'cd away from their ancestral homes in early life, are here to-day to partici^^ate in these anniversary exercises, when I say that each recurring visit but seems to highten the coloring of those recollections and enhance my reverence for my native town. Again, Mr. President, both for myself and the large number of SufTicld-born visitors present, I sincerely thank you for the opportunity thus afforded us of joining with you in celebrating this important anniversary, and for the very cordial greeting which is being extended to us by our old friends and neighbors, and their worthy descendants and successors, the present intelli- gent and enterprising occupants of the truly "sacred soil" of dear, delightful Old Suflield, ODE BY THE CliOIR. czyA^-i^ej ^. '^.^^^^^ ADDRESS, By the Rev. J. L. Hodge, D. D. Hon. D. W. Norton : Dear Sir : — My own personal ac- quaintance with the town of Suftield extends only as far back as forty years, but from a somewhat intimate knowledge of many of its oldest inhabitants, I became familiar with much that has greatly interested me in its history. Saffield has been largely favored of the Lord, not only in its natural advantages, but also in the character of its people. They may be regarded as an intelligent, thrifty, and religious pop- ulation. With clear and decided convictions in reference to divine and secular truth, as a community, they have always been remarkably tolerant of the views held by those differing from them. I was ordained as a pastor in one of the churches there about thirty-seven years since.* I heard much of the character and excellence of those who had preceded me in the ministry of the town, such as the " Gays," father and son, both eminent in their day. The two Ilastings, also father and son, who, like the Gays, did much for the honor and advancement of religion among the people. In a later day, there was Morse and Waldo, f * First Baptist Cliurch, on Zion's Hill. + Rev. Daniel Waldo was born in Windham, Conn., Sept. 10th, 1702. lie remained at home on the larm until 1778, when at the a2;e of sixteen he was drafted as a soldier for a month's service, durine; a time of imminent peril at New London, and soon after enlisted as a volunteer in the service of the State. lie was captured l)y theToi-ies at Ilorseneck, and carried to New York, where he Avas coiitincd in the " Siiy-ar House," then the j^rand depot for prisoners ; but after a confinement of two months was cxchani^ed. Subsequently he resumed his labors on the farm, and we next find him, about the ai^e of 31, commencing study, and grad- uated at Yale College in the class of 1788. He studied Theology with Dr. Hurt, of Preston, Conn., and was licensed to preach by the association of Windham county. May UJid, 17'.);i, lie was ordained and installed as pastor of the Second Congregational Church, (at West Snflleld,) where he remained until 180'.>. In 1810- 11 he preached at Caml)ridgcport, Mass., after which he served as missionary in Rhode Island till 18'i0, then preached a while at Harvard, then settled for twelve years at Exeter, Conn. After which he resided in New York, and retired from 28 men of miglit and of mark, whose influence for good is jet felt in a large degree. The Baptists in Connecticut were greatly indebted to Rev. Asahael Morse for important services rendered to them in se- curing civil advantages, and in the formation of their mission- ary organizations. Elder Morse was a great man in every sense. His mind was not only of the highest order, but he was learned above many of his dny, and one of the most elo- quent of preachers. A master in biblical intcrjirctation, and in a knowledge of divinity he had few equals. When he engaged in debate upon questions relating to civil or religious liberty, he never failed to show the " hiding of his power." I question whether any town in the favored State of Connecticut was ever more blessed with I'evivals of religion, or ever appreciated such gracious vis- itations, more than yours. I regret that the pressing duties of a large pastorate in this city makes it difficult for me to give you a full report of my remarks made on the occasion of your Bicentennial in October last. Thine ever, James L. Hodge. any stated cliarije, occasionally snjiplying vacant pulpits. In 1856 Mr. Waldo, then 94 years of age, was elected Cliajjlain of the House of Representatives, dis- charging the duties of that position with general acceptance. lie died at Syracuse, N. Y., July 30th, 1804, aged 101 years, 10 months, and 20 days. His mind seemed to operate with a freedom little diminished till the day of his death. He died not from the eliects of the decaj' of his physical powers, l)ut from the effects of a fall — leaving a record bright willi patiiotism, l)enevo- leuce, and holiness of life. — II. M. S. SINGING BY THE CHOIK. C-^l-n^ ^ ^^-Cyuiy-i^^ HISTORICAL ADDRESS, By John Lewis, Esq. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : — Wc arc gathered here to-day in obedience to the better impulses of our nature. We have come, actuated by the love of kindred; by affection for the land of our ancestors and the spot of our birth-place; by reverence for the noble, patient, heroic spirits ofthepast;by a deep sense of obligation and gratitude to those through whose faithful and devoted lives we are enabled to meet under circum- stances so happy and so propitious. We have come from diverse stations and employments, from multiform and strangely varied experiences, from widely distant localities. But we have come with a conuiion purpose, with hearts stirred by common emotions and united by common tics. Here is the spot of our origin. About this place cluster the recollections of childhood, and tlie tender affections that center in home and kindred and friends. Here our fathers lived. These places their feet have trod. Tliese hills and valleys their eyes have been wont to behold. These fertile acres their hands reclaimed from the primitive forest, and their brows watered with the sweat of honest toil. Here tliey planted the school and the church. Here they laid dec}) and solid the foundations of our present civilization. And here, in the fullness of time, they were gathered, generation after gen- eration, unto their fathers, and their bones laid to rest in the soil which they had reclaimed from the forest and the savnge. And now, standing upon this consecrated ground, with all these hal- lowed associations round about us, and all these tender memories thronging our hearts, can we fail to catch the inspiration of the hour and the place; can we fail to enter with earnest and devoted hearts into the services and festivities of this occasion? But the memorial tributes and rejoicings of this anniversary, though prompted by the more tender and pathetic attributes of 30 our nature, and responding more especially to the sympathies and affections, are not without their jiractical bearing. AVe are met, not simply to give expression to our feelings of honor and gratitude and love, but also to study the lives and characters of those who have filled these places during the last two hundred years. From this study wo may derive a fund of historical ex-' perience and knowledge, the value of which cannot be questioned. For in the lives of all, in business, in morals, in politics, in all the avocations and walks of life, there arise emergencies when the light of experience is pre-eminently needed ; and this expe- rience can be gathered from the study of history. For human nature, though it may appear in different circumstances and under new modifications, is alwa^^s the same in its essential ele- ments. And all events, of whatever nature or description, are governed by the same undeviating laws of cause and effect. Therefore if we would forecast the issue of any particular enter- prise or combination of circumstances, or if we would predict the course of men in the presence of any particular temptations or in any given emergency, we must study human nature and the social and material laws of all phenomena as revealed in the history of the past. And so the examples of our fathers; their successes, their failures, their errors, if rightly understood and appreciated, will become lamps to our feet in the future that is before us. Still other benefits that result from occasions like this are of a social and personal nature. Brought together in friendly Inter- course, are men and women from different sections of our coun- try, habituated, it may be, to different climates, to different scenes and customs and societies. Representatives of all the various avocations, and of all the contrasts of social position and indi- vidual experience, meet here on common ground to compare past adventures and to revive old memories. Out of this friendly interchange of thoughts and feelings and recollections there comes a better social culture, and more liberal and more cosmo- politan Ideas. And better than all else, these occasions tend to breathe Into the soul a new and more earnest life, to inspire higher and nobler purposes, to create more strength and more determi- nation to grapple with the great tasks and problems of life. This Is not, tlierefore, a mere holiilay on which we have met 31 to pass the time in idle cnjoyinent, Init an occasion of deep sig- iiificance, based on tlie realities of the past and reaching forward to modify the results of the future, developing influences that should warm and inspire every heart, and involving possibilities of good whose effects may be felt to the end of time. The historian of Suffield labors under certain intrinsic dis. advantages. Especiall v is this true in the present nge, when we have become so accustomed to grand and startling events. We have witnessed the conflicts of mighty armies joined in battles more terrific than the world has ever seen before. We have witnessed the succesful completion of vast industrial enterprises, enterprises that revolutionize commerce and modify the thouohts of Christendom. We have mingled in the discussion of social and political questions of the most vital and absorbing interest. And we have become so familiar with these magnificent displays of power, and with these intense nervous and intellectual excite- ments, that we are in danger of losing our interest in the ordinai-y affairs of life. It is necessary, therefore, to realize at the outset that the history of Suflield will not lead us through a succession of these grand events; that its history is not that of a great na- tion, controlling millions of men, dealing with vast resources and setting on foot mighty armies, but simj^ly the history of a town^ wdiich, however imjwrtant and exemplary as a town, is yet only one of many thousand similar subdivisions into which our country is distributed, and which can only furnish us events of a common character and a history made up of the ordinary every- day life of the ordinary men and women of their time. But notwithstanding this lack of general interest, the subject possesses one great advantage which to us may well compensate for all others; it is the story o^ our fathers and the history of our native place. About ten years after the landing of the rilgrims, in 1020, reports of the great river Qiionnetticut, of its fertile meadows 82 and luxuriant scenery, began to reach the settlements on Massa- chusetts Bay. In 1633 some explorations were made in the val- ley, and shortly after the towns of Windsoi', Hartford, Spring- field and Wethersfield were founded. Prior to the settlement of SuflEield, seventeen towns were thus established in the Connec- ticut Valley, scattered from the mouth of the river to the north- ern part of Massachusetts. These towns were connected by rude pathways, threading their devious routes among the hills and primitive forests. Two of these pathways traversed Suf- lield, or Stony Brook, as it was tlien called. One entered the town in the northeast, and took its course through Crooked Lane and High street to South street, and was known as the Springfield road. The other, entering the town in the north- west, came down across Hastings' Hill, and united with the Springfield road near the north end of South street. From South street the two roads nnited and passed down through Windsor to Hartford. A bird's-eye view of Stony Brook at this period would reveal an almost unbroken forest. The oak and the pine growing unmolested for centuries reared their gigantic forms on every hand, at once evidence of the fertility of the soil and obstacles to its subjugation by the pioneer. Along the border of Muddy and Stony Ijrooks would be seen a narrow border of meadow-land, probably the only open lands visible in the whole landscape. Glimpses might be cauglit of an occasional traveler or of some emigrant party pursuing their lonely way between the upper and the lower towns on the river. Possibly we might discern the wigwam of the Indian and follow his dusky form as he stole through the forest in pursuit of game, or loitered with his fishing tackle on the banks of our little streams. It is doubtful, however, whether the Indian ever formed a permanent abode within the present limits of our town. The Poquonnocs of Windsor, and the Woronnocs of Westfield, seem to have been the nearest tribes. But the Indians laid claim to this territory as a part of their hunting ground, and this claim was formally extinguished by Mr. Pynchon, of Springfield, to whom they deeded the twenty-three thousand acres of Stony Brook for the consideration of thirty pounds sterling, or less than one cent per acre. From numerous arrow-heads and other relics found here. 33 we kutjw tliat Stony Brook has been visited by the Indians, but probably they only came to form temporary encampments, or in transient hunting parties, to pursue for a time the pleasures of the chase. In the iutercourse between tin.' up[)er and lower towns on the river, the territory of Stony Brook was frecjuently traversed, and its natural advantages, together with the apparent fertility of its soil, became well known iii Springfield, and being a part of that town, it was natural that the first movements towards its settlement should originate in that place. The first of these attemiits was made in 1660, when a petition was preferred to the General Court at Boston, praying for a grant of land at Stony Brook. This petition received a favorable answer, but for some reason the enterprise was abandoned. In 1669 the selectmen of Springfield assumed authority to form and direct tlie settlement. They made several grants of land, and among otliers to Samuel and Joseph Harmon, who, it is thought, in the following sum- mer, took up their abode on the Northampton road, in the vicinity of the Stony Brook. In the fall of the same year (1670), a petition was brought to the October session of the General Court at Boston, by citizens of Springfield, asking for permission to establish a plantation at "a place called by ye name of Stony Riuer." On the 12th day of October, 1670, the General Court took this petition into consideration, and granted to the petitioners permission to settle there a township, six miles square, on condition that in five years they should have twenty families settled there, and should at the close of that period maintain an able minister. At the same time a committee of six, with John Pynchon as chairman, was appointed to manage the aifairs of the plantation, and to superintend its settlement. This committee met in January, 1671, and adopted a set of rules, in accordance with which they should proceed in the dis- cbarge of their functions. It was determined to grant land in parcels of sixty, fifty, and forty acres, according to the condi- tion and rank of the grantee ; and that in all grants there should be one acre of meadow to nine of u})land. It was further de- termined to lay out and settle the town in divisions, separated by highways twenty rods wide, and to cut these divisions into 5 84 sections by roads eight rods wide. If this plan was ever carried out, all trace of it is now lost, and there is nothing in the pres- ent aspect of the town to indicate that such a disj)osition was actually made of the first settlers. At this meeting of the com- mittee, grants of land were made to the following persons : Samuel Harmon, Joseph Harmon, Nathaniel Harmon, Zerub- babel Fyler, and Robert Old, The grants to Samuel and Joseph Ilarmon were probably confirmations of the land they had pre- viously taken up on the Northampton i-oad. Unfortunately, no documents have yet been discovered that definitely state the time, place, and circumstances of the first settlement of Sufiield. We know when the settlement was authorized, when and to whom lands were first granted, but this is all. AVhile it is quite certain that the Harmons were the pioneers of tlie town, and that they came here in 1670, the exact date of their settlement is not known. From 1670 to 1674, inclusive, the committee were active in advancing the interest of the plantation. Grants of land were made to thirty-six persons, the town surveyed, roads laid out, a corn and saw mill erected, a common laid out in High street for public uses, a lot set apart for the use of the minister, and another for educational purposes. In 1674, also, by application to the General Court, the name was clianged to Southfield, or Sufiield, and in that year alone twenty-one grants of land were made. Everything indicated that the young settlement was prosperous. ■ But the outbreak of King Philip's war, which oc- curred in 1675, put a sudden stop to its progress. Those wdio had taken up their grants of land were obliged to remove to places of greater security, and Stony Brook was abandoned to the wild beast and the savage. A blank of about two years oc- curs in the records of the committee, after which, in 1676, they resumed their functions. Probably nearl}^, if not quite, all of the old settlers returned after the war to re-occupy the lands they had before taken up and improved. An endeavor was now made on the part of the committee to consolidate the inhabi- tants on High and Featlier streets, for the convenience of self- protection. This design was in a measure accomplished, but the fears of the Indians which prompted it proved groundless, for th3re is no evidence and no tradition that they ever in any way 85 molested tlic young settlemcut. The committee, up to Januaiy, 1682, made a total of one hundred aud fourteen grants of land, comprising ahout six thousand acres, or one-fourth the entire area of the town. Tu Afareh, 1082, in compliance with an order of the General Court, obtained October 12tli of the i)revious year, the legal voters of the })lantation were convened, and the town of Suffield first organized. The committee having ful- filled the office to which they were ajipointed, were now discharged, and their authority superseded by that of the town. A board of five selectmen was elected, consisting of Anthony Austin, Samuel Kent, Thomas Eemington, John Barber, and Joseph Harmon. The organization was com- pleted by the election of other town officers, having essentially the same names and functions as at present. At this time there were about eigiity families in the })hice, and a |)opulation of four or five hundred. A list of thirty- four persons comprised the legal votei"s of the town — a number which included less than half of the male adults. But it is to be remembered that Suflleld was at this time a part of the Massachusetts Colon}^, where there existed both ecclesiastical and civil restrictions on the ballot — restrictions that gave the control of affairs to a small minority, ^riie most numerous settlers were in High street. Here were located the Kings, Ilanchets, Remingtons, Grangers, Kents, Nortons, Spencers, and Sikes. A road leading east from High street connected it with Feather street, where lived the Burbanks, Ilollydays, Smiths, Trumbulls, and Palmers. In South street were the Austins, Risings, and Millers. On the western road were the Harmons and Copleys, and in Crooked Lane the Taylors, Hitciicocks, and Coopers. ^Vonld that wc might lift the veil of two centui'ies and catch a glimpse of the pioneer settlement as it was in 1682. There were the [primitive highways, whose location I have already in- dicated. But let not the w^ord liirjlnoays suggest smooth turn- pikes lx)rdered l)y a few rods of grassy meadow, and enclosed by substantial fences. Think rather of rude patliwa\-s winding among the stumps and trees, wdiicli still occupied the land set apart for public travel. Along these pathways were scattered the dwellings of the settlers. These were cabins of the rudest architecture, contnining for the most yiart but a single room, 30 lighted by one or two small windows, warmed by tlie huge fire- place, and furnished with rude stools, and tables, and shelves, and compelled to answer all the various needs of the family. Ricks of meadow grass and stooks of corn were carefully I'eared adjacent to the still ruder shelters provided for the cattle. Around these comfortless abodes lay a few acres of half cleared land, with the charred stumps yet standing and the green copse about their roots. And beyond this little clearing, and sur- rounding it on every side, lay the dark, threatening forest, rear- ing aloft its mighty trunks in defiant grandeur. From the organization of the town in 1682 until 1749, a pe- riod of nearly seventy years, there is no event of sufficient pre- eminence to serve as a landmark in our histoiy. At the begin- ning of this period we behold a few hundred people, dispersed in rude cabins, in the midst of a dense forest, with nothing but their own strong arms and brave hearts to depend upon. At first the settler was fortunate if l)y dint of hard work he suc- ceeded in producing enough for the comfortable subsistence of his family and his cattle. And when, after years spent in clear- ing land of the heavy forest and preparing it for crops, he was enabled to raise a surplus for market, other difficulties had to be encountered. Markets were distant* and to be reached by a la- borious and dangerous journey through almost pathless forests and over bridgelcss streams. And when reached, it was more than likely that his produce must be exchanged for other com- modities instead of the money he so much needed. Tlius almost every circumstance conspired to increase the difficulties and dis- couragements of the early settler, and to keep him in well nigh hopeless povert}^ Frequently the inhabitants were compelled to resort to the General Court and seek relief from the burden of taxation. And graciously the General Court listened to their prayers, granting sometimes an entire exemption from taxes, and sometimes permission to pay them in the produce of their farms. The exceeding scarcity of money is shown by the number and character of its substitutes. Thus, from time to time, corn, rye^ wheat, oats, barley, flax, turpentine, and even iron were made receivable for taxes and passed current in the town. As late as 1725, it was voted that " iron should be accepted as town paj^, 37 and should pass and be received into the town treasury at forty shillings per hundred weight." And so the history of this period is chiefly made up of the })rivate struggles of each indi- vidual who found suflllcient occupation in ])roviding the absolute necessaries of life. And yet with patience, and fortitude, an:iinst the cncroachnionls of sur- 38 rounding towns. In these early times it was impossible to de- termine the boundaries of towns or states with much accuracy. There existed no correct geographical idea of the country, in- struments were much more rude and imperfect, and men less in- structed in the science and art of surveying. It is not strange, tlicreforc, that adjoining towns differed as to the precise location of the boundary line between them. From the earliest times these diniculties arose between Suflield and the inhabitants of Windsor and Simslniry. Man}^ complaints were made against the people of these latter places, on account of depradations committed by them in what were claimed to be the forests of Suflield. The causes of the different parties were espoused by their respective colonics. Although the controversy was car- ried on with considerable acrimony at times, and formed the subject of many exciting discussions among the people, and of some correspondence between the colonies, yet no serious col- lision is known to have taken ' place. A disputed boundary question between Suffield and Westfield, after much fruitless controversy, was finally settled by litigation. A more serious difficulty, however, relating to l)oundarics arose between the two colonics of Massachusetts and Connecticut, involving Suffield as part of tlic territory in dispute. It will be rcmend)cred that Suffield was settled under direction of the General Court of Massachusetts, and by the people of Massachusetts. But within a quarter of a cen- tury her right to jurisdiction was questioned. In 1713 the col- onies joined in a survey of the line between them, and Suffield, Enfield, Woodstock, and Somers were found to be within the chartered limits of Connecticut. But having been settled by Massachusetts, and being then under its jurisdiction, it was agreed between the colonies, but without consulting the towns themselves, that they should remain with the colony that found- ed them," and that Connecticut should receive in lieu thereof a tract of land in AVestern Massachusetts. 1'his land was ac- cordingl}^ set out to Connecticut, being tlie territory now mainly comprised in the towns of Pelham, Belchertown, and Ware, and was subsequently sold and the proceeds given to Yale Col- lege. In a few years the dissatisfaction with this arrangement broke out in open measures of denunciation and attack. In 1721 Samuel Terry, of Enfield, and John Kent, of Suffield, 30 were a})puintcd b}' tlicir respective towns to draw up a petition to the General Assembly of Connecticut, setting fortli the in- justice and illegality of the agreement under which their char- tered rights had been bargained awa}', and praying that colony to receive them under its jurisdiction. ( )ther petitions of sim- ilar import, in some of which AVoodstock and Somers also united, continued to bo presented to the General Assembly of Connecticut from time to time. At last, in 1749, that body for- mally voted to receive them under its jurisdiction, and prepared to maintain their claims in whatsoever forum they should be im- pleaded. But Massachusetts, though making some threats of an appeal to England, quietly suljmitted to the choice of the towns, and never afterwards made any serious attem])t to en- force its claim. It has been said that these towns, in thus en- deavoring to come under the government of Connecticut, were influenced simply by a mercenary m.otive; that as Massacliu- setts had a larger public debt and imposed larger taxes than Connecticut, they took this way to escape the pecuniary bur- dens laid upon them. It is sufficient answer to this charge to say that the towns took vigorous action on the subject more than twenty years before tliat debt was contracted, and before its burden could be felt. Their change of jurisdiction has also been stigmatized as a revolt and a secession. Let the facts an- swer. The towns were acknowledged by both colonies to be within the chartered limits of Connecticut. That charter con- ferred upon all the people embraced within its territorial limits equal and common rights and privileges, but did not give to one portion of the people power to alienate another portion. These towns had, therefore, so far as any power on this conti- nent was concerned, an absolute and inalienable right to be un- der the government of Connecticut, and any bargain between the colonies in violation of that right was utterly void and of no effect. Their claim rested on a substantial foundation, both of law and of justice. And while it is true that they had a motive in iirosecuting their claim, it consisted not in any mer- cenary or disloyal feelings, but in a manly determination to ob- tain their rights, and in a laudal)lc desire to enjoy the more lib- eral civil franchises which this charter secured to the citizen, 40 and of which they were uuhiwfiilly deprived so long as they were under the government of Massachusetts. Thus for more than three-quarters of a century Suiricld was to all effects and purposes a part of Massachusetts. This fact adds many difficiilties to the study of our history, for the rec- ords and documents relating to it are scattered over two States instead of one. The period from 1749 untd the oatbreak of the Revolution is chiefly distinguished in colonial history by the French and Indian wars. Soon after the colonization of this country was begun, a struggle arose between France and England for supremacy in America. Several wars succeeded each other, in which the colonists were obliged to take the brunt of the bur- den. To these wars Snffield contributed her proportion of troops, and in them she was represented by Major General Phineas Lyman, He bore an active and honorable part in the various campaigns, and at the final close of the struggle, in 1763, he went to England to secure a grant of land for himself and other colonial officers. Having been successful in his ob- ject, he returned to this country in 1772, and soon after died in the region of the Mississippi, where the grant was located. General Lyman represented tlie town in the legislative assem- blies of Connecticut and IMassachu setts, and took a leading part in its public business and enterprise. He was the first of her sons who rose to eminence in the country at large,- and is de- serving of a prominent place in our esteem. The close of Mr. Lyman's career marks very nearly the com- pletion of the first century of our history. From two little cabins on Stony Brook, with their lonely inmates, the town had expanded to a population of about two thousand persons, scat- tered over its entire area, and })ossessed of a property valuation of about sixty thousand pounds sterling. Patience, industry, and intclliii'cnce had received their reward. About the beginning of the second century of our history those dissensions between America and England which led to the Revolution began to inflame the popular mind. Already 41 the large cities were wiM with e-xeiteincnt, and iiopular mectiuo's for deliberation and action were fi-er|ueut througliout tlio coun- try. A league, known :is tlic non-iin[)ortation agreement, was being voluntarily entered into by the colonists, in winch tliey bound themselves to discontinue the importation of all articles not absolutely necessary to life, and united to encourage the do- mestic manufacture of all such goods as they had been accus- tomed to receive from England. In 1770, while this agreement was before the country, and the excitement over the troubles increasing, our fathers camo together to deliberate on the state of the country, and to give public expression to their senti- ments. AVould that we might look in upon that brave assem- bly, watch their earnest and determined faces, listen to the out- pouring of their patriotism and devotion, and breathe the nol)le spirit that pervaded their hearts. But a hundred years has drawn its impenetrable veil over the scenes of that day, and we must content ourselves with the final result of their delibera- tions. They adopted a series of resolutions abounding with patriotic devotion, expressing hearty approval of the non-im- portation agreement, and pledging themselves to perform and maintain it. The resolutions, in closing, denounce those who shall violate the agreement in the following spirited language : "Let the goods of such single souled wreches that Kegard noth- ing but their own interest, that Cultivate and Endeavour to promote the Same in a way evidently Ruinous to their own Country'', lie upon their own hands. Let their Crime be their jumishment, and Should the I)e})lorible Event of the Loss of American Liberty take place, may themselves be accounted as Ignominus, Disgracefull, and Selvish mortals, and unfit for So- cieti by Evxry brave. Noble Patriot and virtuous amcrican, and may their Names Descend to the Remotest Posterity with all that ignominy and Disrespect they so justly merit and Deserve." They also voted to enter these resolutions amount the records of the town, " as a moniment to be handed Down to Posterity wherein they may Sec and behold how Carefull the present Age have bin to transmit to them the inestimable Privi- leges of Liberty and freedom, and to Excite them to the Like Conduct on Similar Occasions." These are their words to pos- terity and to us, recorded tliat we might know how provident () 42 they were of our welfare. What a contrast between the gath- ering of to-day and that of a hundred years ago! Now all is joy, prosperity, and peace. We are a constituent part of a mighty nation, celebrated for the liberty and beneficence of its institutions, and renowned for the intelligence and industry of its people. Then dark clouds rolled athwart the heavens, threatening danger, and tumult, and war. A frowuiing and mys- terious future lay before the people, into which they were brave- ly marching in the path of duty, ignorant of whether it would lead them to glory or the grave. They were met on that oc- casion to give open and public support to a cause which, if not successful, might end in treason and in death. Oh, the noble daring! Oh, the unparalleled devotion and self-sacrifice! Ob, the sublime fliith in the potency of truth, and justice, and lib- erty that animated and sustained the hearts of our fathers in that dark hour of our history. Had they yielded or faltered ilieii, who can tell how much we, how much humanity, would have lost? But they yielded not until faith was changed to victory, and their brows received the crown of immortal honor. Such deliberate and universal <)})position warned England that she must desist from her odious and op[M-essive policy of taxing the colonies without their consent. But, fortunately for us and the world, she did not heed the warning. More oppres- sive and more insulting measures continued to be enacted by the British Parliament, and both parties waxed more and moi'c exasperated, and more and more determined upon their re- spective lines of action. The Port of Boston was closed, and in consequence thousands of persons were thrown out of employ- ment and reduced to the extremes of want. This tyrannical act roused the whole country, embittering the opposition of the colonists, and calling forth the loudest denunciations. Again our fathers convened, and this time on a day that was soon after to become forever memorable in the history of civil libert}^ — Jaly 4i//, 1774. Resolutions were passed denouncing the policy of England, and expressing sympathy for the unfortunate people of Boston, and a committee was a[>})ointed to raise money for the relief of its suffering poor. But the time was at hand which should demand something more of our fathers than resolutions and cliaritv. 'i'he time 43 was at hand wlicu llicir stamina and patriotism were to be tested. The time was at hand when the long contest of words between the colonies and the mother country was to issue in blood. AVinter })assed away, and the spring of 1775 was ushered in. The trees budding and blossoming under the gen- ial influences of the season, the grass springing in the meadows, the air resonant with the songs of returning birds, and the farmer preparing his ground for the reception of the seed, were all tokens of joy and of peace. But the beautifid picture is dissolved as Lexington sends its dreadful echoes through the country. There were messengers galloping in hot haste, and alarm-fires burning on the hills. Ev^erywhere there was hurry, bustle, and. confusion. The husbandman left his plow, the smith his forge, and the mechanic his workshop. Arms were brightened, accoutrements improvised, farewells spoken, and then the face was turned towards Boston. All the avenues to the threatened city were fdled with men thronging and converg- ing to the seat of war. What now of Suffield ! A few words heading a dingy pay-roll in the library at Hartford are the re- corded history of the town in that momentous period : — "Marched from SufTield for relief of Boston in the Lexington Alarm, April, 177."), Captain Elihu Kent and one hundred and fourteen men." The promptness with which this company was enlisted and started on its march to Boston eclipses anything done by the present generation in the late war. The troops which poured into Boston in the uprising imme- diately after tlie battle of Lexington were an unorganized and undi.sei[>rmcd mass, enlisted for a few days or weeks, or perhaps without any dclinitc enlistment at all. They soon returned, and their places were supplied by new and regular levies. Ac- cordingly within a month Captain Kent and bis company were again in SufTield. In May of the same year, 1775, a second company was recruited in Suffield, under command of Captain Oliver ir:iiiclictt, who was also first lieutenant of the former compau}'. This company consisted of one hundred and three men, some of whom re eidisted fronr Cai)tain Kent's company. r>ui making allowances for these re-enlistments, more than a hundred and fifty men entered the Continental service from Sufiield within a month from the battle of Lexington. Captain Ilancliot's company remained about Boston during the summer of 1775, and is thought to have participated in the battle of Bunker Ilill. In September of this year it formed part of an expedition against Quebec. The execution of this enterprise req^uired a long and perilous march through the wilderness to Canada. At the beginning of the march provisions for forty days were distributed to the various companies. In crossing streams, and forcing a way through swamps and forests, many accidents occurred, and many companies lost a part or the whole of their supplies. But it is recorded of Captain ITanchet that by his su23erior care and skill he preserved the provisions of his compan}!- from the casualties of the march, and was enabled to distribute a part of his supply to other companies, and to miti- gate.thcreby the extremes of their suffering. It is impossible to describe the horrors of that march. For thirty days they pursued their fatiguing journey, amid cold, and rain, and fam- ine, through forests, and swamps, and rivers, burdened with their arms and equipments, and tortured by the pangs of hun- ger. In a memorial paper to the General Assemblj^, the origi- nal of which under liis own hand is still preserved in the State archives. Captain Ilanchet says : " Having arrived before Que- bec, in Endeavouring to take that City by Storm and by fortune of War, the Memorialist and Most of his Companj^ who Sur- vived the Attempt were taken. Made Prisoners, and himself put in Irons, and Continued in Captivity until the month of Octo- ber, 1776." During this period of captivity he generously ad- vanced to his company nearly a thousand dollars in good money, and by his timely charity saved them from much trouble and privation. These prisoners were subsequently ex- changed, and the brave and worthy captain suitably remuner- ated by the legislature. In 177G a company was raised, partly in Suffield and partly in Windsor, by Ca})tain John Harmon, of this towi]. It con- sisted of eighty men, most of whom enlisted from Suffield. Tlxis company formed part of the regular Continental army, and wasprobal)ly in the campaign about New York. Here, it will be remembered, the enemy in the summer of 1776 massed about thirty thousand men, with the determination to reduce that city to their possession. To withstand this powerful foive. Wash- 45. ington liad an iuferior number of troops, less efficiently disci- plined and provided. To add to the peril of bis situation and of the cause his little army was constantly being diminished b}^ the return of soldiers whose terms of service had expired. In this emergency Washington had recourse to Governor Trum- bull, of Connecticut. And in compliance with his requisition, and by vote of the General Assembly, all the militia west of the Connecticut river were ordered to inarch forthwith to New York. This was in the early part of August, and in the busy harvest season ; but notwithstanding this, the call was respond- ed to by fourteen regiments, who inmiediately set out for the front. Three companies marched from Suffield, including all the militia of the town, and jirobabl}' nearly every man in the place liable to militaiy duty. Before these troops could return, the harvest must be completed and crops gathered for the win- ter's supply. Our mothers were adequate to the emergency. With hearts torn hy the anguish of recent separations, and heavy with the dangers of their country, they willingly assumed the double labors of the farm and the household, and patiently completed the harvest while their husbands, and brothers, and sons confronted the enemy in the field. The women of the Revolution ! What eulogy can exaggerate the importance of their services ? Who can estimate the value of their brave and encouraging counsels ? Wlio can tell how much their noble and patriotic devotion contributed to tlic linal triumph of the cause of their country and of liberty ? Two other companies seem to have been recruited, either wholly or in part, from Suffield, for the regular Continental army. One was commanded by Capt. Nathaniel Pomeroy, the other b}' Capt. Samuel Granger. Other calls were also made upon the militia when sudden emergencies ai-ose and hastv levies were to be made. But these numerous and excessive de- mands of the army, and these great drauglits on the physical energies of the people, after four or five years' experience, be- gan to grow wearisome. The rampant enthusiasm of seventy- six died away. War was found to be a tei'ril)le realit}'. Its dangers and hardships so long and so manfully endured began at last to blunt the ai'dor of the people. Voluntary enlistments became less and less numerous, and finally ceased altogether. 46 In consequence of this, the authorities of the town, in 1780, were obliged to offer liberal bounties to induce volunteers to come forward. These bounties were increased from time to time, but proved ineffectual. Finally a committee was ajipoint- cd and authorized to hire recruits sufficient to till the quota of the town, on the best terms they could make. During the year from 1780 to 1781, fourteen town meetings were held, nearly all of which were specially called to deliberate on measures to raise men and money for the war. This fact alone shows the serious straits to which the town was reduced, and the arduous efforts necessary to fill its quota of troops. The people also suffered the most severe taxation. At this period the grand list of the town was about one hundred thousand dollars. Before the war began the amount raised to defray the ordinary annual expenses of the town was from five to seven hundred dollars. But in 1778 a tax of five thousand dollars v/as levied, and in the year following one of fifteen thousand dollars. We of this generation know something of war, and of the extraordinary demands incident thereto. But our exertions and sacrifices, when compared with those of our fathers in the devolution, become insignificant. Were we called upon now to raise two hundred thousand dollars in one year by taxation, and to send every able-bodied man into the field, wo miffht realize somewhat the travail in which this great nation was born. The total number of troops furnished by Safiield in the Rev- olutionary war cannot be exactly ascertained. Judging from the imperfect data at command, and including all who served in the regular army or militia for whatever period of time, the number cannot be placeil at less than four hundred. Of this number thirty-two are known to have lost their lives in the struggle. Almost a century has passed away, in which their descendants have enjoyed the blessings procured at the cost of their blood. A century ! and yet nothing has been done to per- petuate their names or to give public expression to our grati tudc. Tlie country is now at peace, and the town is rich and prosperous. We, in greater profusion than any previous gen- eration, are reaping the precious fruits of their sacrifice. And "it is to be hoped that at a day not far distant an appropriate 47 inoiiuiiient will ari.'^e, on whose iin])crisbable stone shall be en- graven, side by side, the names of those who fell in the war to establish the in(]e])en(lence of onr countr}', and the names of those who, in the late war, fell fighting for its preservation. A glanee at the imUistrial history' of Sufheld ixvcals many cui'ions and intert'sting facts. At one time ship iMiilding was quite extensively carried on along tln' I'i ver boi'der. Many persons are known to have been engaged in it, and many vessels are known to have been launched. But no records remain suflicicnt to indicate the full extent of the business. Considerable quan- tities of iron were annually wrought into a variety of man- ufactured products. Nearly all farming utensils, and many of the implements required in the mechanical trades, were made in the shops of our blacksmiths. And in Boston Neck was located an establishment that turned out four or five thousand shovels annually. Turpentine was gathered as an article of commerce, oil manufactured from the seed of flax, and spirit- uous litpiors brewed or distilley S. D. PirioLPs, D. D. Two IIcNDRKD Yk.vus! -vvc'rc ill tliG past todaj'. Where thoiigbt and memory, fondly lingering, stray. The generations linked to us we trace ; As each appears beliold them face to face ; Men of the stalwart heart and toiling hand, Women well worthy by their side to stand, Children the image of their noble sires. Whose blood and will the blended virtue fires. They wrought how well ! they made the glorious past : From them the treasure that all time shall last. Two hundred years ! ah, these are now secure. And naught can waste a heritage so sure. We speak of fleeting ei^ochs, vanished days, As airy nothings or a meteor blaze. Not merely shadows Ave, nor vapors dim — - The dying echoes of a vesper hymn. The Springtime flits, the Summer glories fade, Autnmnal tints o'er all the fields are lai