CHAPTER VIII.

Not many years after the establishment of our National Independence, symptoms of disaffection to the arbitrary and cruel reign of Alcohol began to manifest themselves. But to the present generation belongs the honor of organizing an extended and regular force to repel his attacks. Many brilliant victories have been achieved, and it may reasonably be expected that the same generation will witness his final overthrow. Honor to those engaged in this struggle for a second Independence.

Below is a copy of the original pledge of a Temperance Association formed in Litchfield more than fifty years since. It shows at how early a day, public attention here was directed to the dreadful evils of Intemperance, and is interesting on account of its antiquity, and the number of distinguished men who adopted the pledge. Among the signers were men of wealth, integrity and benevolence, and some who have filled high places in our State and Nation.

"So many are the avenues leading to human misery, that it is impossible to guard them all. Such evils as are produced by our own folly and weakness are within our power to avoid. The immoderate use which the people of this State make of Distilled Spirits, is undoubtedly an evil of this kind. It is obvious to every person of the smallest observation, that from this pernicious practice follows a train of evils difficult to be enumerated. The morals are corrupted, property is exhausted, and health destroyed. And it is most sincerely to be regretted that from a mistaken idea that distilled spirits are necessary to laboring men, to counteract the influence of heat, and give relief from severe fatigue, that a most valuable class of citizens have been led to contract a habit of such dangerous tendency. Hence arises the inability to pay public taxes, to discharge private debts, and to support and educate families. Seriously considering this subject, and the frowns of Divine Providence in denying many families in this part of the country the means of a comfortable subsistance the present year, by failure of the principal crops of the earth; we think it peculiarly the duty of every good citizen to unite his efforts to reform a practice which leads so many to poverty, distress and ruin. Whereupon we do hereby associate, and mutually agree, that hereafter

we will carry on our business without the use of distilled Spirits as an article of refreshment, either for ourselves, or those whom we employ, and that instead thereof, we will serve our workmen with wholesome food, and common simple drinks of our own production.

Ephraim Kirby,
Timothy Skinner,
David Buel,
Julius Deming,
Benj'n Tallmadge,
Uriah Tracy,
Ebenezer Marsh,
Moses Seymour,
Samuel Marsh,

James Stone,
Samuel Seymour,
Daniel Sheldon,
Ozias Lewis,
Lawrence Wessells,

Elijah Wadsworth,
Alexander Catlin,
Reuben Smith,
Lynde Lord,

Archibald McNiel,
Abraham Bradley,
I. Baldwin Junr.
T. Reeve,

Collier & Adam,
Tobias Cleaver,
Amos Galpin,
Thomas Trowbridge,
S. Shethar,
Soloman Buel,
Briant Stoddard,
Abraham Peck,

Frederick Wolcott,

John Allen,

Nathaniel Smith 2d,

John Welch,

Arthur Emmons.

By Necessity and on Principle, in consequence of little experiment and much observation, I have effectually adopted and adhered to the salutary plan herein proposed during several months past, and am still resolved to persevere until convinced that any alteration will be productive of some greater good, whereof at present I have no apprehensions whilst Human Nature remains the same. J. STRONG."

Litchfield, 9th May 1789.

In December 1785, the town voted to lease to the adjoining proprietors of the land on the west side of Town Street, a strip of land 24 feet in width from the west side of the highway, and that 66 one express and immutable condition on which said land shall be leased is, that no person shall have liberty on any pretense whatever, to erect any building thereon, other than a good handsome fence, and if any building should at any time be so set thereon, it shall be lawful for any person to demolish or remove the same.' This strip is now occupied chiefly as court yards. Similar votes were subsequently passed relative to Meeting House Street.

"Miss Sarah Pierce opened a School in this town for the instruction of Females, in the year 1792, which has very justly merited and acquired a distinguished reputation." The school continued under her superintendence for nearly forty years, and its reputation has since been well sustained by her successors. It was incorporated in the year 1827, by the name of "The Litchfield Female Academy."

"The Hon. Tapping Reeve, one of the Judges of the Superior Court, commenced a Law School in Litchfield in the year 1784; and continued it, under his own tuition, till the year 1798. At this period, 210 young gentlemen had been students in his School, and qualified for admission to the Bar. In the year 1798, James Gould, Esq. became joint instructor with Judge Reeve; and from that time to March, 1812, 264 young gentlemen were educated here-in the whole, 474. Without doing injustice, it may be safe to remark, that the science of Law has been more systematically taught in this School, than in any other of the kind in the United States."*

Judge Reeve and Judge Gould continued to be joint instructors till the year 1820; after which, Judge Gould lectured alone, being assisted in examinations by the Hon. Jabez W. Huntington. Judge Gould closed his Lectures in the year 1833. More than 550 gentlemen received their professional education at this school after March 1812; making in the whole over 1024. This school always enjoyed a deservedly high reputation: such as the talents and extensive legal attainments of the gentlemen who conducted the institution were calculated to give it. Young gentlemen from every section of our nation were educated here, and not a few have been distinguished as Statesmen and Jurists.

The village of Litchfield was incorporated in May 1818, and by its charter has the usual powers and privileges of a Borough. Its limits are about one mile and three fourths in length, north and south, and about one mile in breadth, east and west.

A Branch of the Phoenix Bank at Hartford, was established here in the year 1814.

Morris' Statistical Account.

The "Litchfield Mutual Fire Insurance Company" was incorporated in the year 1833.

The present Court House was erected in the years 1797 and 1798, and the present Goal and County House in the year 1812.

A few years since, an Indian relic was found about half a mile east of the Court House, near Bantam River. It is a rude sculpture of brown stone, nearly the size of life, representing a female with head and shoulders, and extending down to the waist. It is now deposited at Yale College, New-Haven."

CHAPTER IX.

In May 1740, the Inhabitants of SOUTH FARMS petitioned the Legislature, to be annexed to the north Society of Woodbury, (now Bethlem.) A committee of the Town was appointed to oppose it, and the application was unsuccessful. Several attempts were made to procure their incorporation as an Ecclesiastical Society, which did not succeed till 1767, when an act of the Legislature for that purpose was passed. In 1753, there were but thirty families in the parish: when it was incorporated it contained seventy.

But the Legislature long before that time, granted the Inhabitants power to maintain the public worship of God among them for three months during the winter, and this right was called the "Winter Privilege."

They thereupon exercised the ordinary powers of an Ecclesiastical Society. Their first meeting for such purposes was holden on the 23d Nov. 1748, at the house of Capt. Thomas Harrison. Josiah Strong was chosen Moderator, and Jacob Woodruff, Clerk. Their meetings were warned by posting notices on trees in different parts of the Society. Their preachers, before the settlement of Mr. Beckwith, were, the Rev. Messrs. Bartlet, Dickeson, Heaton, Richards, Eells, Hart, &c. And

Public Worship was held in different sections, at the School and Private Houses. The first School House was voted to be built in 1747. £20 was given from the Town Treasury for that purpose. In 1747, liberty was granted by the Town, to the inhabitants of South Farms, to have one fourth of an acre of ground laid out by the select men for a Burial Ground.

"The first person buried in South Farms, was interred in the month of March, 1749, viz: Mr. James Stoddard; he was killed at the raising of a dwelling house."

The orthography of those days was somewhat peculiar. On the 14th of March 1759, the Society "voted, to pay Charles Woodruff six shillings for ye Bears to carry ye dead."

The sancity of burial places formerly seems not to have been very highly regarded. In 1776, the Town empowered the select men to buy of Mr. Thomas Waugh, half an acre about 20 rods south of Joseph Waugh's dwelling house, for a public burying place, and in case said Thomas gave a deed, the Town voted, that "said Thomas Waugh his heirs and assigns shall have good right forever to enclose said Burying Yard, and use it for pasturing, provided, he or they shall keep up and maintain convenient bars for the people to pass and repass, for the purpose of burying their dead.”

In 1761 the General Assembly resolved, that the inhabitants of South Farms, "be allowed to have the Gospel preached among them for four months in the winter season, and shall have liberty to build a meeting house." And in 1764 they voted to "build a winter house thirty-five feet long, twenty-five feet wide, nine feet posts, provided Justus Gibbs will do it for £70 10, &c." The house was soon after erected, is still in existence, and is occupied as a dwelling-house. By a resolve of the General Assembly, the 1st Society was required to repay to South Farms Society, what they had paid towards building the new meeting house in Litchfield. The South Farms. Society also demanded of the 1st Society, a share of the age money, with what success I am not informed.

parson

In 1769 it was "voted, That we think the sealing ordinances are equally sacred, and any person that is qualified for one is qualified for both." And in 1770, "voted, That we approve