The Wequetequock Burying Ground Association, Stonington, Conn

2 ~~ NE copy of tbiR p11mpb let is sent free to encb subscriber to the ~rrt· monumental fund, ancl to the permanent fund for the suitable ~M cnre of the Bnrinl Ground in tb e fnture. Otber copies can be r¿_"§}1 obtainecl for 25 cents each, postpaid, on application to ::>nmuel H. Chesebro, Esq., Stonington, Conn., tbe proceecls from the sale of wbich will be devotod to the perm11n ent funcl fo r the care of the groundR.

WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE SERVICES AT THE DEDICATION OF THE MONUMENT ERECTED IN MEMORY : OF ::::::::::: :

WiMlaoi Cheselb rough, Thomas Minor, Walter Palmer, Thomas Staetoo,

THE FIRST FOUR SETTLERS OF THE TOWN OF STONINGTON.

August 31, 118990

WESTERLY, R . I. : GEO. H . UTTER , PRINTER , 1900.

Thov^c^s Mlmoy A 3 7 > 1 k „

$ / < y s off Association

OF THE Weqmeteqeock Burying Ground Association.

Be it known, That we, the subscribers, do hereby associate ourselves as a body corporate, pursuant to the statute laws of the state of Connecticut regulat- ing the formation and organization of corporations without capital stock, and the following are our articles of association :

ARTICLE I. The name of said corporation shall be the Wequetequock Burying Ground Association. ARTICLE II. The purpos e for which said corporation is formed is the following, to wit: For the purpose of maintaining and keeping in repair the lots, walls and fences of the Wequetequock Burying Ground, so called.

ARTICLE III. The statute laws of the State of Connecticut relating to corporations without capital stock are hereby particularly referred to and made a part of these articles, and the corporation hereby organized and established under and pursuant to said statute laws shall have all the powers and proceed according to the regulations described and specified therein.

ARTICLE IV. The said corporation is located in the town of Stonington, county of New London, and State of Connecticut. Dated at Stonington this 27th clay of March, 1899. S. H. CHESEBRO, F. B. NOYES, H. M. PALMER, J. S. WILLIAMS, GEO. D. STANTON, D. W. MINER, E. B. HINCKLEY, HENRY B. NOYES. •n

S OF THE ASSOCIATION,

SAMUEL H. CHESEBBO, President and Treasurer.

F. B. NOYES, By=Laws off the Association.

ARTICLE I. The property and affairs of this Association shall be under the care and management of the corporators, or such person or persons as they may appoint at the annual meeting of the Association.

ARTICLE II. The officers of this Association shall consist of a President, Secretary, and Treasurer ; and the Treasurer shall furnish a bond of one thousand dollars.

ARTICLE III. Annual Meetings of the Association for the choice of officers, and for the transaction of any other business, shall be held in the month of March in each year, beginning with 1899, at such place and day as the President shall direct.

ARTICLE IV. Special Meetings of the Association may be held at any time, upon notice as that prescribed in said act for Annual Meetings. Three members to constitute a quorum.

ARTICI E V. That whenever a corporator of this Association shall be removed by death, resignation, or otherwise, the President, or the oldest corporator, shall call a meeting of the corporation, within thirty days, to fill such vacancy, and such Meeting shall choose a corporator, who shall be of the same line or descent as the previous occupant.

ARTICLE VI. The By-Laws of this Association may be altered or repealed at any legal meeting of the Association.

Tlhe Dedicatory Services,

In response to the following invitation : THE WEQUETEQUOCK BURIAL GROUND ASSOCIATION request the honor o£ your presence at

WEQUETEQTJOCK, STONINGTON, CONNECTICUT,

O N TH E 31S T DAY OF AUGUST, 1899, AT 1:30 P . M., to participate in the I >edicatory Services of the Monument erected in memory of WILLIAM CHESEBROUGH, THOMAS MINOR, WALTER PALMER, AND THOMAS STANTON, the Pioneer Settlers of Stonington.

SAMUEL H CHESEBEO, DAVID W . MINEB, HENKY M . PALMER, GEOKGE D . STANTON, Invitation Committee. Stonington, Conn., August 21, 1899, Several hundred persons assembled at tlie old burial ground at the time appointed, and the following prayer was offered by Rev. Wm. L. Swan, of Westerly : Our Heavenly Father, we recognize Thy dealings in all things, and Thee as the giver of all blessings. We are met today to show our appreciation of our fathers, Thy servants, chosen by Thee to establish our beloved country, laying the broad foundations of religious liberty and reverence for God. We are to dedicate this monument to perpetuate the memory of noble sons of God. May the influence of their lives be more enduring than the granite upon which are carved their names. Continue Thy blessing upon us, 0 , Lord. Guide us in the solution of the great problems before us. May we build a worthy structure on the foundation which they have laid. May Thy name be honored, and this country ever remain the land of the brave and the home of the free. Amen, 7 E WEQUETEQTJOCK BURYING GROUND ASSOCIATION:

After tlie invocation, the assembly repaired to the Weque- tequock Chapel, within a few rods of the burial ground. Mr. Samuel H. Chesebro called the meeting to order, and the Rev. J. O. Barrows, pastor of the First Congregational Church of Stonington, organized by the first settlers of the town, offered the following prayer :

Almighty God, the God o£ the fathers and of the children, with hearts uplifted, with prayer and praise, we worship Tliea. Gathered here today in grateful recognition of Thy goodness, we give Thee most hearty thanks for the faith of the men who came to these shores, when for them there was naught but the wilderness and the sea, to find for their families a home, and to found a commonwealth in freedom for the generations that should follow. As Thy good hand was upon them, so has it been upon their children. Prompted thus to rear a monument which shall be a suitable and perpetual reminder of their virtues, accept it, we pray Thee, at our hands ; and, above all that we have cut upon its face to be remembered, may there be perceived the clear writing of the finger of God, giving assurance to all men of His loving care. Thus, when our work is done, and our children's children also have passed to their eternal home, may none who shall look upon the stone, dedicated this day to the memory of those who put conscience above the dictates of erring rulers, and the service of God above worldly gain, fail to receive the lesson which it teaches. And as it speaks to us of courage, and fortitude, and hope that never goes out though the day may bring no light, may we gather up all that is best within us for work like that of our fathers in heroic days, that we too may attain to the distinction of those who have served well. Then may we rest in peace. And to Him who changes not with the passing years, who was, and is, and shall be—to the ever blessed God, we will give the praise, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. After t-he prayer, Mr. Samuel H. Chesebro, president of the Association, made the following address : LADIES AND GENTLEMEN : It gives me great pleasure to meet such an assemblage as this, who have come together to take part in these dedicatory services, and thus honor the memory of the pioneer settlers of our town, William Cliesebrough, Thomas Minor, Walter Palmer and Thomas Stanton. It also gives me pleasure to know that we have with us today friends from different parts of our Union, who have from time to time cheered us in 8 S BY SAMUEL H. CHESEBRO.

our labors by frequent contributions and by letters of encour- agement. We are glad to meet tliem on tliis occasion, and to know that their hearts are in touch with ours in this effort to perpetuate the memory of those worthy men who first settled our town. To them, as well as those of our own section, who have assembled here today to take part in these services, in behalf of the Wequetequock Burying Ground Association I extend a cordial welcome. I also wish to tender the thanks of the Association to all who have, by their contributions, cheer- ing letters and kind words, helped to make this worthy object a success. History records our ancestors as able and conscientious men- men of honor and principle, who were distinguished in their day and generation, and whose memory we should delight to honor. Year after year had passed away, generation after generation had come and gone, until more than two centuries had elapsed before any steps were taken to perpetuate the memory of the founders of our town. This omission cannot be charged to the sons and daughters of Stonington for lack of respect for their ancestors, but rather to the old saying, "What is everybody's business is nobody's." No one seemed to make an effort in the right direction, and thus it was allowed to remain for the present generation, on the 250th anniversary of the settlement of the town, to be the first to dedicate a monument to the memory of these worthy men. On the otli day of July, 1897, a call was issued for a meeting of the descendants of the first settlers, to be held in Borough Hall on the 22d day of the same month. The day proved very stormy and, as but three or four persons were present, the meeting was adjourned one week. At the adjourned meeting eight persons were in attendance; an organization was effected, and Henry M. Palmer, Esq., was chosen chairman. A committee of three was appointed, con- sisting of Franklin B. Noyes, Joseph S. Williams, and Samuel H. Chesebro, who were empowered to draw up a circular and present the same to the descendants of the first four settlers of the town, and to solicit funds for a monument and care of the burial ])lace. At a meeting held August 18, 1897, Henry M. Palmer, Esq., was added to the committee chosen July 29tli, and the circular, which I presume is familiar to you all, was adopted. Prior to the middle of October, some fifteen hundred circulars 9 E WEQUETEQUOCK BUSYING GROUND ASSOCIATION: and sketches were mailed to different parts of the United States, care being taken, as far as possible, to solicit only from descendants of the first settlers, or from those who had friends or relatives interred in the old burial place. The first con- tribution was received July 31st, from a village in Oneida county, New York. October 1 showed subscriptions to th~ amount of two hundred and twelve dollars, and August 31, 1898, the list had swelled to five hundred and fifty dollars. Subscriptions came in slowly till January, 1899, at which time nine hundred dollars had been collected. From this time on our collections continued to increase, and today we have in bank and on hand, after paying printing bills, fifteen hundred and twenty-two dollars. After paying for the monument we shall have about three hundred and seventy-five dollars left in the treasury. We need a fund of one thousand dollars, the interest of which will keep the grounds in good repair. The walls must be repaired before long, and the old tablets and grave stones should be straightened up and cleaned, and put in the best possible shape. It takes money to do these things, and is it unreason- able to ask of the many thousands who have descended from these worthy men to help us in this matter? Through the generosity of descendants scattered from Maine to Dakota we have erected a fine monument, which will point out to generations yet unborn the names and sort of men who first settled our grand old town. I do not suppose that it is generally known that the land comprising this old burial place was bought and sold with the adjoining farm until about 1840. At this time the late Hon. Gurdon Trumbull sold the farm to the Messrs. Baldwin, but reserved the burial place. At Mr. Trumbull's death the fee of the land rested with his heirs. On being informed of this fact, the heirs, who are descendants of the first settlers, very kindly gave a deed of the premises to the Wequetequock Burying Ground Association, besides contributing liberally to the fund for the care of the grounds. This Association was formed last spring, and has con- formed to the laws of the state regarding corporations formed without capital, and we are now on a firm foundation for the future. Our by-laws provide that when a corporator is removed by death, or otherwise incapacitated from serving, the 10 S BY SAMUEL H. CHESEBRO. remaining corporators shall, within thirty days thereafter, choose one in his place, and thus hand down to succeeding generations the work we have begun. Now, my friends, all this Association asks, is that this good work may go on until the grounds are put in a suitable condition to compare with the monument.

The venerable Rev. Amos S. Chesebrough, I). D., of New Hartford, followed, responding for the Chesebrough family as follows :

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN : Honor to whom honor is due. And what names deserve to be held in higher honor by the descendants of the founders of this ancient town, and indeed by all its inhabitants, than those which are engraved upon this monumental stone'? One fact pertaining to the settlement of this town, which differentiates it from that of most Connecticut towns, is that it was not planted by a company previously organized. The first settlers came hither, one by one, independently of one another, drawn together not by any prearranged plan but by the direct- ing hand of Providence ; and meeting here, they cordially joined hands for the common benefit in laying the foundations of a free and well-governed municipality. And what did they bring with them as their equipment for this work—titles of nobility, large wealth, diplomas of a university degree ? No, they were from that class of men who are the bone and sinew of society. They were possessors of the means of a comfortable subsistence, and of sufficient capital for limited business undertakings. They had been instructed in the elements of what was regarded in their day as a good English education, and they knew how to express themselves with clearness and force, both in speech and writing, though they did not spell according to Webster. They were not adventurers, making an experiment, hoping that something would turn up to their advantage; they knew what they wanted. They came here with a high moral purpose. They brought with them as their most valued possessions high ideals of civil and religious liberty and clear conceptions of virtue and right, even though they had come out from amid oppression and corruption, both

11 E WEQUETEQTJOCK BURYING GROUND ASSOCIATION: in cliurcli and state. They came with the desire and aim to found a society in which every man should be measured by his intrinsic worth, and not by the blazonry of hereditary titles or the inventory of his estate. They did not profess to be great men. They were not great men, as men count greatness. But if, as one of the mottoes on this stone reads, " Virtue is True Greatness," then their title to this epithet is unquestion- able. Their work upon this soil has stood the test of two hundred and fifty years. Look around, my hearers, and see what a grand harvest we are gathering from the tiny seeds which they planted in this wilderness. Behold these comfortable and happy homes, these cultivated farms, these multi- plied forms of mechanical industry, these schools and churches and libraries, these well-kept highways and streets. Could the fathers, who cut their way through the primeval forest, where lurked the wild beasts of prey and the savage Indian, and who set up here their rough-liewn dwellings, re-visit this locality today, would they recognize it, think you, as the scene of their earthly toils? The contrast emphasizes the value of the heritage they have bequeathed to us. But there are still greater gifts which have come to us through them and others like them throughout our land, viz. : civil and religious freedom, just laws, well governed and law-abiding communities, and a high standard of civilized life. It is contrary to our sense of pro- priety, to reason and to religion, to make demigods of our forefathers, however distinguished they may have been, as did the old Greeks and Bomans, or to set up shrines of ancestral worship as do the Chinese. But to commemorate the merito- rious characters and deeds of those who have laid foundations like these—foundations of virtue and intelligence, and liberty and thrift—is a tribute due not only to them, but to ourselves as well, as showing that we are worthy to be their successors. While giving utterance to these thoughts of a general nature, I must not forget that I am expected to speak particularly as the representative of my honored ancestor, William Chesebrough. Who and what was he ? Two facts are to be borne in mind if we would place him in his true relation to the founding of this town. First, that he was the first man of English lineage who made his home upon this ground. He was the bold pioneer of the settlement, coining hither in the 12

S BTF REV. AMOS S. CHESEBROUGH, D. I). summer of 1649. Tliomas Stanton came singly and erected his trading house on the banks of Pawcatuck River the year following, 1650. But so far as I have been able to learn, William Chesebrough, with his entire family, preceded all others by some three years. For this reason he has been appropriately called the FATHER OE THE TOWN. The second fact is, that he was the oldest man among the early settlers by some ten or fifteen years—born in 1594, and now just entering his fifty- sixth year. These two facts partially explain the prominent position which he held in town affairs. He was a genuine Anglo-Saxon, built upon a large scale, of cool head and calm judgment, and yet full of energy; ingen- ious and versatile, capable of turning his hand to almost any business or enterprise which demanded his services, and of indefatigable persistence in whatever he undertook to accom- plish. The first authentic account we have of him is that he was a respected citizen of the town of Boston, Lincolnshire, England, where he was married to Anna Stevenson, Dec. 15, 1620, he being of the age of twenty-six and she twenty-four. He sailed for America with his wife and four sons, March, 1630, in Gov. John Wintlirop's company, in the good ship Arabella, and soon after landing became one of the founders of Boston, Mass. With a view of securing land for agricultural purposes, he removed in 1638 a few miles southward into what was afterwards organized as the town of Braintree. For reasons which are not apparent, his residence there was a brief one. On leaving Braintree he sold out his lands to Henry Adams, the ancestor of John Adams, the second president of the United States, and the property is still in possession of the Adams family. He was one of thirty heads of families which made a settlement in a locality a few miles east of the present city of Providence, which they called by the scriptural name of Relioboth. Walter Palmer was of the company. Mr. Chese- brough's expectation that this would be his permanent home was, after a year or two, sadly disappointed. It was a matter of earnest discussion among the planters of Rehoboth as to which of the two colonial governments they would connect themselves with, whether with Plymouth or Massachusetts. And when the majority voted to submit themselves to the jurisdiction of Plymouth, against his wishes and judgment, the authorities of Plymouth took his opposition as a grievous

1 3 E WEQUETEQTJOCK BURYING GROUND ASSOCIATION: affront. The colony of Massachusetts had been rapidly increasing in population and in extent of territory, while Plymouth did not much more than hold its own. This fact created a jealousy on the part of the latter colony towards the former, and hence any one who favored Massachusetts, as he did, was placed under the ban. Feeling deeply the bitter prejudice thus awakened against him, he mounted his horse, and, in company with one of his sons, turned his face westward with the view of finding a place of settlement where he could live in peace and not suffer unjust treatment on account of his opinions. On this tour of about seventy miles along the coast, he carefully took notice of different localities on the route, until he reached Pequot, now New London. John Winthrop, Jr., an old acquaintance, under commission of the General Court of Massachusetts, had charge of a new settlement at Pequot, and he was strongly urged by Winthrop to make this place his permanent abode. But the location did not suit him, although a home lot was granted to him as an inducement. After successive explorations, he finally made choice of the head of Wequetequock Cove, where we are now assembled, on the bordering territory of which there were arable lands, with an abundance of pasture for stock raising, to which he had largely turned Ins attention. To this place he removed with his wife and four sons, assisted by his old friend, Roger Williams, in the summer of 1649. Singularly enough, lie had hardly become domiciled in his new home when a trouble came upon him similar to that from which he had just fled. Connecticut was about as jealous of Massachusetts as was Plymouth, and unfriendly persons belonging to Plymouth took advantage of this fact to awaken*® the suspicions of the Connecticut authorities against him. The trumped-up charge was that he had taken up liis present residence for the purpose of carrying on an unlawful trade with the Indians in furnishing them with firearms. The General Court of Connecticut thereupon issued a warrant to the constable of Pequot, to require him to give an account of himself in answer to this charge. Supposing that he was within the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, he refused for a year or more to pay any attention to the action of the court, but afterwards, on the advice of his friends at Pequot, he voluntarily presented himself before the court at Hartford and refuted the slanderous S BY REY. AMOS S. CHESEBROUGH, D. D. charges. It must have been a scene for a painter when he, single-handed, stood up fearlessly and faced the court, affirm- ing his innocence of the allegation and virtually challenging them to furnish proof of its truth. Subsequently, by a public act of the General Court, the Pawcatuck River was made the eastern boundary of Pequot, so that what is now the territory of Stonington came within the limits of Pequot. The result of this was that the town voted him not only a house lot, but also a title to twenty-three hundred and sixty-two acres of land, and elected him a deputy or representative of the town to the General Court four successive years. These facts show most impressively the high estimation in which he was held. Massachusetts, however, would not yield up her right to the territory lying between the Mystic and Pawcatuck Rivers ; and the contest between the two colonies raged hotly for some five or six years, with the advantage on the side of Massachu- setts by the decision of the commissioners of the New England colonies. Thus left to themselves, not knowing where they belonged, the planters here met together June 30, 1658, and organized a government of their own; and a compact for this end was drawn up, called "The Asotiation of Poquatuck peple," which was signed by eleven persons, viz.: William Chesebrough and his three sons, Samuel, Nathaniel and Elisha ; Walter Palmer and his two sons, Eliliu and Moses ; Thomas Stanton and his son, Thomas ; George Denison, and Thomas Shaw. This compact is in the handwriting of William Chese- brough, and pledged the signers "to maintain and deffend with our persons and estait the peac of the plac, and to aid and asist one another according to law & rules of righteousness." The planters then made choice of Capt. George Denison and William Chesebrough to be commissioners to carry out the provisions of the compact. I have never seen this document, but I have an exact copy of it from gentlemen who have exam- ined it. Dr. J. Hammond Trumbull, in conversation with me, regarded it as a very remarkable paper for the times, and expressed a purpose to prepare a fac simile for publication. Massachusetts, however, soon assumed full jurisdiction over the place, and made a town of it by the name of Souther- ton, to the great satisfaction of the planters. But the Connec- ticut Charter of 1662, issued under the seal of King Charles II, which made the Pawcatuck River the eastern boundary of 15 E WEQUETEQTJOCK BURYING GROUND ASSOCIATION: this colony, changed things back again. The people here were indignant at this change, and some went so far as to counsel rebellion against the jurisdiction of Connecticut. But wiser counsels prevailed, and the planters chose William Chesebrough to go to Hartford and petition for immunity for the spirit of insubordination manifested, and to adjust the rela- tions between them and the General Court. The mission was in most respects successful. In 1666 the town received its present name. I have no wish to exalt the subject of this sketch above his merits, but the record of his life proves him to have been a man of large capacity, a man whose influence was commanding in whatever position he was placed. In Boston he held important offices of trust. He was chosen constable, who in those days was the chief executive officer of a town. He and Deacon William Colburn were the first deputies or representatives of Boston to the General Court of Massachusetts. At Braintree he was made the local judge, and with Stephen Kingsley first represented that town in the General Court. In Beliobotli lie stepped at once into promi- nence, and drew up a plan of government for the new settlers with such acceptance that they voted him, " in way of consideration for the pains and charges he hath been at in setting off this plantation," a special grant of land. This was the kind of training he had for his work in Stonington. One thought more. He was a Christian, and ever gave his hearty support to the institutions of religion. In Boston, England, under the pastoral care of the distinguished John Cotton, of St. Botoliill's Church ; in Boston, Massachusetts, under that of John Wilson; in Braintree, under that of Wil- liam Tomson; in Relioboth, under that of Samuel Newman— in all these places he was enrolled as a member of the Church. After his removal to this place, the tradition is, that, prior to the employment of a preacher, he was accustomed in all suitable weather to attend Sunday services at Pequot, starting on the journey a little after midnight. Rev. James Noyes, the first pastor of the Stonington Church, labored here as a candi- date for the pastoral office some three years before William Chesebrough's death. He entertained for Mr. Noyes a very strong attachment. In his last will and testament he speaks of Mr. Noves as "my truly and well-beloved friend." During the last three years of liis eventful life—which closed on Sun- 1

S BY REV. AMOS S. CHESEBROUGH, D. D. day, the 9tli day of June, 1667, he being of the ripe age of seventy-three years- lie managed, as selectman, the affairs of the town. Such, in brief, is the record he has left behind him. I close as I began: Honor to whom honor is clue.

He was followed by the Rev. William L. Swan of Westerly, who responded for the Minor family as follows : It becomes our privilege to honor those who have gone before us with noble and worthy lives. Ours is the easy task. Theirs was tlife hard part of the fighting. I am reminded of the story of an Irishman who was on a battlefield. His captain met him and said, " Pat, I hope you have had your part in this battle, and appreciate the honor." Pat replied, " I did that, your reverence." "What did you do, sir?" He answered, " I met a man and cut his feet off, sir." "Very well, very well, but why didn't you cut his head off? " "Ah, some- body elss harl done that." [t seems to me that our ancestors have done the heavy fighting and have cut off the head, but I believe there are battles for us to fight, and we need the inspi- ration which moved our noble ancestors. I will give you a brief sketch taken from the Mystic paper, written by Judge Richard A. Wheeler, giving an account of the life of Thomas Minor : " Thomas Minor, the second son of Clement Minor, was born at Chen-Magha, County of Somersett, England, April 23, 1608, an 1 emigrated to this country with Gov. Winthrop and family in 1630, in the good ship Arabella, and arrived in Salem, Mass., June 14, 1630. They sailed from England in company with a fleet of fourteen sail of emigrants, containing in all about 1,500 men, women, and children. Not liking Salem, the princi- pal part of the company moved farther, and settled in different localities. Gov. Winthrop and many others stopped at Charlestown, and among them was Thomas Minor. In July, 1630, a church was formed there, and in October of the same year eighteen men and fifteen women withdrew from the church, and, under the charge of Thomas Lamer, preacher, formed the First Congregational church. Thomas Minor was one of the number seceding, and became a prominent member of the new church. About this time the typhoid fever 17 E WEQUETEQUOCK BURYING GROUND ASSOCIATION: raged among them with great severity, sweeping off about two hundred of their number. Owing to this most of the settlers moved over to Boston, leaving but seventeen male inhabitants behind. Soon after this, Thomas Minor went to Waiertown. but returned after a short stay to Boston again. " In 1(534 John Wintlirop, son of the Massachusetts governor, formed a company and removed with them to Say brook in 1635. With him came one Thomas Minor and family, he having married Grace, daughter of Walter Palmer, April 20, 1633. In 1643 Wintlirop made a move to form a settlement at Nemaug or Pequot (New London.) His companions were Thomas Peters, Thomas Minor, Gary Latham, Isaac Willis, William Morton, Jacob Waterhouse, and others, among whom was the famous Mistress Lake. In 1(545 the settlement was actually commenced, but it is not probable that Mr. Minor moved his family there before 164(5. He took an active and prominent part in the affairs of the new settlement, and was elected one of the towns-men in 1646. This was the second board of selectmen elected in New London. " In 1650 Jonathan Brewster and Thomas Minor were elected Deputies by the. General Court at Hartford from Pequot, it being the first representation that the settlement had enjoyed. Mr.' Minor was again elected deputy in 1651. He was appointed by the General Court assistant, with Samuel Lathrop, to John Wintlirop, Esq., 'for settling of some way for deciding all small differences among them under the value of forty shillings.' The same year he was appointed by said court ' to be military sergant in the town of Pequot, and does invest him with power to call forth and train the soul dyerr of the towne according to the Order of the court.' "In 1653 he sold his house and lot in New London, and removed to Mystic, locating himself on a farm which he had purchased of Gary Latham. The eastern boundary of this farm is Quiambog cove, from the mouth to the bridge by the school house. He erected a framed dwelling house on this farm in 1(553-4, and here spent the remainder of his days, dying Oct. 23, 1690, aged 83 years. His wife, Grace, died the same year, and both were buried at Wequetequock. " After Mr. Minor moved to Quiambog, Stonington, he was elected magistrate, deputy selectman, chief military officer, find held about every office that his townsmen could bestow 18 ADDRESS BY REY. WILLIAM L. SWAN. upon him. He was town clerk for a number of years, and his peculiar style of writing forms some of the most interesting curiosities of our old Stonington town records. The present residence of our worthy and respected townsman, Capt. Thomas Minor, is located precisely where his ancestor Thomas erected his mansion in 1653. It has even been owned and occupied by some of his decendants, and will now be transmitted unimpaired to future generations of the Minors. The place is now owned by Cornelius Minor, son of Capt. Thomas Minor. " The children, of Thomas and Grace Minor, were : John Minor, born 1634. Joseph Minor, born 1636. Thomas Minor, born 1638. Clement Minor, born 1640. Judah Minor, born 1644. Manasseth Minor, bom 1647. Ann Minor, born 1649. Marie Minor, born 1650. Samuel Minor, born 1652. Elizabeth Minor, born 1653. Hannah Minor, born 1655. The people saw the coat of arms on the monument at the cemetery. It is very difficult to get an idea of any original design from a coat of arms, because when a marriage took place both coats of arms were combined, and you do not know how many combinations you are looking at when viewing a coat of arms. There is a tradition in the family, repeated to me by my grandmother, concerning the Minor coat of arms, that one Henry Minor (I believe his name was) helped Edward III. in battle, offering himself and one hundred his menial servants whom he had trained and equipped to his king for service, and received as recompense a change of name and also a coat of arms. He was under age and, because of valiant service, his name was changed to Minor, We are debtors to our ancestors. We ask ourselves, what have we to be thankful for? What have they given us? In the first place, they have settled the country, cleared the ground which is no easy task in a country where there are so many rocks -and done a great deal of menial work that we 19 E WEQUETEQTJOCK BURYING GROUND ASSOCIATION: would not have enjoyed. One man soweth and another reap- etli. We have entered into their labors. One generation plants trees and the next enjoys the shade. Wo owe something to the people that follow us. The past has mr.de us debtors to the future. We are debtors to our ancestors for the principles they taught and the noble lives they lived. The present moral sentiment is always largely the result of the previous generation's sowing. Are you aware that your moral life is largely the result of what has gone before ? We some- times hold indignation meetings and try to arouse public sentiment, but where do we got the moral sentiment to arouse ? We get it from the faithful lives and teachings of the people who have lived before us. Our ancestors taught the noble principles that they lived. They sowed the good seed : we are enjoying the harvest. If Spain, which discovered our country, had settled it what would have been our public sentiment today? Ask the Philip- pines. If we would appreciate our forefathers, let us compare Cuba, the garden of the world, with New England, where you have to do considerable digging if you have much of a garden. Why is it that New England lias furnished the backbone of the United States, while Cuba has been a moral plague spot? Our ancestors, as has been said, arose soon after midnight and forded two rivers that they might attend church at New London. You say, a small thing, but it indicates a character. It showed their loyalty to conviction, and it is just that character that has made New England a power. Our danger today is that the man next door to the church does not attend. Although we may not reap in this generation, I tell you, ladies and gentlemen, we shall reap what we sow. If we sow honesty, righteousness, faithfulness to God and loyalty to the Bible, we may not see the fruitage just at present, but in time we shall reap what we sow. On the other hand, if we sow unrighteous- ness, disregard for God's law and His day, I shrink from try- ing to picture what the harvest shall lie. Religious sentiment is at the foundation of all moral character. It is called narrow to talk in this strain, but I tell you that New England owes the greater part of her power and influence to this one thing. I know that Puritanism was harsh. Their reverence for the law of God was like iron in the blood. It was the basis of their strong character. According to their concep • 30

S UY KV.V. WILLIAM L. SWAN. tion of tlie Gospel, the words of Clirist were hardly true, " My yoke is easy and my burden is light," for the yoke they carried was often stiff and hard. May we not retain their reverence for the law of God, softened and made beautiful by that greater truth of the Bible, "God is love"? Their peculiar type of religion made the peculiar type of man. The danger today is, that we lose this reverence for law and loyalty to God and reap a harvest of anarchy.

Dr. George I). Stanton of Stonington responded for the Stanton family as follows :

MN. PRESIDENT AND FELLOW KINSMEN : I will trespass very briefly 011 vour time with what I have to say about Thomas Stanton, the Indian Interpreter- General for the New England colonies. His record is fully set forth on the pages of the history of his time. Nothing that we can say will add to the character and the honor of those brave pioneer settlers, William Chesebrough, Thomas Minor, Walter Palmer, and Thomas Stanton, (named in the order of their settlement here,) who left comfortable homes in the mother country to seek and to establish civil and religious liberty in a new country inhabited by savage beasts and more savage barbarians. We may well reflect and admire the moral courage and heroism of those pioneers, the result of whose labors, dangers, and self-denial contributed largely to formulate and perfect one of the most liberal, successful, and powerful systems of self- government ever established by man. Here, from the first, there was civil and religious liberty. Here, at the house of Walter Palmer, was held the first public religious service ever held in Stonington. We ought to feel proud of the fact that there is no record, no tradition, of any religious persecution here. There was no " gallows hill" 011 the banks of this beautiful cove ; 110 Quakers were hung ; 110 innocent victims, accused of witchcraft, were thrown into these placid waters, where, if they could swim ashore, they were adjudged guilty and immediately hung, and if they failed to swim and were drowned were adjudged innocent. No, no, our pilgrim fathers were too near the benign and righteous influence of that Godly man, Roger Williams, of Rhode Island, 3 E WEQUETEQTJOCK BURYING GROUND ASSOCIATION: who induced William Chesebrougli to settle at Wequetequock. There is no record of any man being fined in those days in this hamlet for kissing his best girl, his wife, his cousins, or his aunts on Sunday. It is probable that these pioneers, who were so liberal and praiseworthy withal, were not blessed with the classical education of some of the wise men of Salem, who, after sixteen centuries of Christian civilization, in many instances exhibited less humanity and charity than some of our native tribes of barbarians. Further comment on this subject is unnecessary. Here was full liberty under reasonable restrictions. Thomas Stan- ton's whole life—from the time of his arrival in this country in 1685 to the time of his death, Dec. '2, 1677, was continuously devoted to the public service. If there was a disagreement between the natives and colonists, a treaty to be made, he was called into requisition. From first to last he had the • confidence and respect of his countrymen and the natives. That he was wise, sincere, and honest is evident from the fact that he was so regarded by the- natives, for no savage will trust a human being who once deceives him. Uncas, the Mohegan chief, whom Stanton had more than once detected and accused of falsehood, still retained unbounded confidence in the Interpreter. Across these stepping stones, near by the monument this day dedicated, Uncas, in his old age, accompanied by his warriors in war paint and feathers, visited Stanton for the purpose of having him write his will. Kecords show that the Indian trail, or path, ran "straight from William Cliesebrough's house by the split rock (still in evidence) to Thomas Stanton's." I am strongly of the opinion that Captain Mason, in liis memorable march from Narragansett to the Pequot fortress at Mystic, crossed the same stepping stones, for the reason that they are recorded as being in the old Indian trail to Pawca- tuck, and that the old fording place is now known to have been far south of the present bridge, and but a short distance from Thomas Stanton's trading house. In 1639 Stanton accompanied Captain Mason on an expedition against a remnant band of the Pequots who had settled On the banks of the Pawcatuck, and it is highly probable that at this time he conceived the idea of establishing a trading post and home there, which he subsequently did. It is also worthy of men- S BY DR. GEORGE D. STANTON. tion that on this occasion is the only recorded fact (by Captain Mason) that Stanton ever exhibited a warlike disposition toward the savages, although it is probable that he accompanied Mason in the Pequot campaign. In the expedition under Mason at Pawcatuck in 1639, he records the fact that Stanton shot an insolent Indian through the tliigli, the only Indian that was injured in the expedition. It is also worthy of note thai only 011 one occasion did the Indians attempt Stanton's life, and liat was at the Fairfield Swamp fight, where he was on a mission of peace. Here, in this, God's acre, are reposed the sacred remains of Thomas Stanton and his pioneer com- rades. May their dust rest in peace.!

Mr. Henry Robinson Palmer, of Stonington, responded for the Palmer family as follows :

MR. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN : The name of Palmer links its bearer to the days of medieval romance. It binds the prosaic present to the time of chivalry and crusade, when gallant gentlemen rescued fair women from peril, and when, as the old English poet says, "Pilgrims and palmers plighted tliem together To seek St. James and saints at Rome." ILL that romantic age we find the beginnings of the family name, for the returning pilgrims bore a spray of palm in their caps as the token of their holy journey. It was not a practical age, as we count practical things ; it was not an effective age, as we measure results ; but it was an age of great bravery and holy seeking, a budding time of restless aspiration that flow- ered in the day of great discovery and in the Reformation. Out of the Reformation sprang the English exodus to America, a pilgrimage as sacred as its predecessors. The original pilgrims had journeyed eastward to find the ancient shrines of Palestine, but the Pilgrims of Delft and Plymouth flung out their sails to the west and sought a new shrine, a living altar, in the untrodden woods. I11 this great company were the builders of this town, bearing 110 sprig of green in their Puritan hats, but cherishing faith and courage in their hearts. Among them none was a sturdier figure than Walter Palmer, whom we honor today. He was a good man, a rich ' 23 E WEQUETEQTJOCK BURYING GROUND ASSOCIATION: man for his time, and a strong man. He stood six feet seven inches in his homespun stockings. The other day, when two of his descendants opened his grave on the hillside over the cove, they found reposing there a coffin of regal length—seven feet from head to foot. At Walter Palmer's home the first religious service of the town was held. There had never been one before between the Thames River and Narragansett Bay. In tins simple service of prayer and praise we see the beginnings of the first church, the honored Mother of Churches at the road. Around his hearth he gathered a great family of children, teaching them the truth as lie saw it, a stern and sombre but a vital truth. We turn with satisfaction from the complex life of this later day to the quiet of that pastoral time. We peer in fancy through the simple window, while the good wife plies her wheel, the children play in the firelight on the floor, and the head of the household sits in his chimney corner, dozing over his plans of land and crop. Perhaps a memory of the home of his youth—bonnie England, with its flowering hedge- rows and busy streets—flits through his mind, and who shall say that there does not come to him a vision of the great republic he is helping to found ? If we turn away from this picture of simple Puritan life, we find a wonderful change. The early population of New England was English, pure and simple. For two hundred years there was scarcely an alien strain in the blood, but now a score of nationalities have flooded in upon us. The Russians, the Poles, the French-Canadians, the Irish, and the Germans have settled 011 the farms of our ancestors and in our factory towns. We are not building an Anglo-Saxon nation. We are evolving a new and composite type of American. In his veins runs the blood of all Europe. He may be better and stronger for it, but he is not the Anglo-Saxon of other days. All we can hope for him is that he will cherish the old Anglo-Saxon ideals. The names of the dead and wounded soldiers that General Otis sends back from Manila are for the most part strange to English ears. They are not the Cliesebroughs, the Minors, the Stantons, and the Palmers who fought with Mason and Underbill and with Captain George Denison, himself an honored founder of this town, at the siege of the Pequots and 34

ADDRESS BY HENRY ROBINSON PALMER. tlie Narragansetta. But the American flag floats over these new patriots of ours, and they are brothers in spirit if not in blood. Together we are bearing a new New England to the ends of the earth. Let them and let us hold fast our New England heritage. The quiet virtues; of the countryside, the simple joys of the blazing hearth, the daily task in all weathers, reverence for holy things, isolation of spirit from the turmoil of the world, the sense of intimate kinship with nature, courage, patience, unfaltering trust—these were the possessions of the fathers who laid the foundations of this town. Let us make them ours and keep them ours always !

Jolm S. Palmer, Esq., of Litchfield, also spoke for the Palmer family. He said : RELATIVES AND FRIENDS : This is an important occasion, and the only excuse for presuming to occupy your time is the presentation of recently discovered facts touching a memorial stone in that ancient burial ground across the cove. IJpon another slab therein is found the following, viz.: "Majesty, meekness, and humility here meet in one with greatest charity." Kindly believe the following particulars are submitted fully in unison with a like spirit of meekness and humility. Had our earliest forefathers upon these shores attempted to cultivate or subdue too much ground simultaneously, when nature's wildness ruled these hills and vales, the harvest of autumnal seeds would have been meagre. Of necessity, their stalwart energies were focused upon special lots or tracts of land, and thus gradually all was brought into fruitfulness. In a similar manner our aim has been to throw a side-light upon the solution of merely one problem within that sacred enclosure, and that, whether the oblong granite stone of several tons' weight, measuring nine or so feet in length, lying parallel and next to the grave of Nehemiah Palmer (a son of Walter Palmer the first) be a memorial stone or not. If it be proven to mark a grave, and thus in the long ago aided to protect the body beneath from the ravages of such wild animals as occupied this section, what more natural than 25 THE WEQUETEQTJOCK BURYING GROUND ASSOCIATION: that it be of a Palmer, yea, of Walter Palmer himself, since on the other or south side, separated by only a grave, reposes the body of Joseph Palmer, a grandson of said Walter the first? The prompting to solve this was more intense since certain citizens were understood to believe that this massive stone's presence there is owing to the action of nature's laws, while others judge it rests at that special spot as the result of great manual labor by those whose memory is sought to be perpetuated by this meeting. The opportunity for making the desired observations presented itself while the authorities were raising, making level, and preparing this heavy stone for proper foundations. As a result, and without occupying valuable time by entering into detail, it is stated, and that positively, 1st. That granite stone, about one and a half feet square and some nine feet in length, weighing several tons, marks a grave! '2d. That grave contained the remains of an unusually large, tall person. 3d. Contrary to general expectation, the head of the deceased was placed eastward. (Adjoining headstones that are marked face the west.) 4tli. The burial was a deep one, being fully six feet beneath the surface. 5th. Even at that early date, 'mid scarcity of tools and material, the respect for the departed was such that a box or coffin (not known how finished) was supplied. 6th. The. buried one must have been of large stature, because the not-to-be-mistaken black mould of the coffin was fully seven feet in length—possibly an inch or so short. The above facts may be put for history's page, and Henry M. Palmer, also a schoolmate in the early sixties—James E. Palmer—both of whom assisted and shared the labor, stand for witnesses, corroborating these words. The next attempt was to learn if even slight suggestions of letters remained upon the stone itself, since it is not in reason to believe that our worthy ancestors of that day would exhibit such marked love and respect for the departed and leave the stone without lettering. Hours of careful, painstaking study were devoted to this special feature, It was cleared of 2 6 S BY JOHN S. PALMER, ESQ.

moss without scraping or injuring the surface. Truth forces the statement however, that no letters positively have been deciphered, though indications or marks strongly suggesting an A, an L, and portion of an M were noted by observers and the writer. Upon scanning the stone critically, the upper surface in particular is found of a friable, disintegrating character. Minute scales of mica or similar substance thickly predominate. These, lying parallel with the surface, allow particles to become detached quite easily. The freezing and thawing of two hundred and thirty-eight years or more have proved a serious obliterator of whatever was cut upon the surface at first.* Though unable to prove positively the exist- ence of letters, allow observations upon the surface surround- ings or environments. This unique memorial lies in the midst of a long line of graves. Walter's son, Neliemiah, is on the north, and beyond it but in direct line, stand unlettered stones comparing well in number with the other ten children born to Walter Palmer in this country by his second wife. To the south is an unlettered grave, judged the wife of him beneath the monolith ; then follows the lettered stone of Walter Palmer's grandson, Joseph, with eight or ten more graves in that direction, but, mark you, all are in direct line. At the period of these early burials our forefathers held more land than other possessions. They are known to have chosen separate tracts or farms for cultivation, and distinct, definite spots for burial; families and families by themselves. What more natural than that he who rests beneath that large stone, with his head to the east, should have his wife at the left,

* In positive corroboration of the half detection of letters upon this monolith, allow the following, gained since the dedicatory meeting, viz.: 1st. Mrs. Temperance M. Baldwin, a worthy lady residing near the cemetery, and who revisited the graves therein on the day of the dedication, exclaimed instantly upon seeing this stone when raised and restored to position, " I read the name of WALTER PALMER upon that stone seventy years ago, when a girl of some twelve years of age. I have often looked for it since, but never recognized it till today. They told me his grave was off to the right hand of the entrance, but I did not remember it so. I am positive that is the stone upon which I read that name." 2d. A daughter of Hon. R. A. Wheeler, Mrs. Tyler, residing in Kansas, slates that when in that ancient cemetery twenty-five years ago, as the result of attention being called to that stone, she scraped it and saw distinctly a letter 1' and the number 16 cut upon, it, the latter at a spot on the stone where the hundreds would naturally be cut. 37 E WEQTJETEQXJOOK BURYING GROtJNI) ASSOCIATION !

(tlie position occupied at the altar,) while the children were placed at the right; then, as grandchildren died, to place them in the direction of the wife's grave ? This would locate Walter Palmer's grave beneath that stone. Again, James E. Palmer, than whose no one's word stands higher for truth, and whose unbroken line of ancestry from Walter the first (buried in 1661) has been born in this immediate vicinity, states that when a boy he frequently heard his father (born in 1792) say, when mowing and cleaning the grave yard and while pointing to that large stone, " There lies Walter Palmer. I had the statement from my father, and he from his, all the way up." That is good evidence. Yet again: Dr. Orlando Brown, of Washington, Conn., born in 1827, distinctly recalls hearing, when ten years of age, his great-grandmother (Mary Palmer, born in Stonington, Sept. 30, 1753, being third generation only from Gershon and Nehemiah Palmer, sons of Walter, from whom she descended) say, that her great-great-grandfather, Walter Palmer, was of great size, being six feet and six or seven inches in height. This had been heard from her grandparents, which date extends well back into Walter Palmer's living days! Remembering the position of the graves and the great size of the coffin, coupled with the words of witnesses, can one doubt whether Walter Palmer's remains rest beneath that huge memorial, known by some as a " wolf stone," and which must have required the combined force of several yoke of oxen to transport it from its natural bed, even under favorable conditions of snow for sledding'? We think not, but that it will become the Mecca of Walter's descendants. The closing address was made by the Hon. Richard A. Wheeler, who spoke as follows : MR. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN : The event that has brought us together today is one of surpassing interest, and tills our hearts with loving veneration for the early planters of Stonington, especially for the men for whom the monument in yonder Wequetequock burial place has been unveiled, dedicated and consecrated today, by the descendants of William Cliesebrougli, Thomas Stanton, Thomas Minor and Walter Palmer to their memory, who, with others associated with them, established their forest homes here in the wilderness, by which they reduced it to cultivation and civilization, laying deeply the foundations of civil and religious liberty, which we an 1 BY HOtf. BlCEtARI) A. WHEELEli our intervening ancestry liave so beneficially enjoyed. The men who assumed the task of building the monument, and those who have liberally responded by their contributions for the same, merit our grateful thanks and most respectful consideration. We have had portrayed to us today the lives and public services of the men whose names adorn the splendid granite monument, which establishes the pleasing fact that they were men of more than ordinary ability, actuated and controlled by an energetic determination to found a settlement where every person might worship God according to- his own convictions of duty. William Chesebrough, the pioneer planter of Stonington, built him a dwelling house here in 1649, not far below this chapel, on the west bank of Wequetequock Cove, the exact location of which cannot now be ascertained. Mr. Chesebrough, before the town of Stonington was organized as such, received a large grant of land from the town of New London, which claimed the territory east of that place to Pawcatuck Biver. The boundary of Mr. Chesebrough's grant of land was as follows : Beginning at the mouth of Stonington Harbor, thence up the same to Lambert's Cove, and Stony Brook to the old post road ; thence easterly by said road to Anguilla Brook, and down the same to Wequetequock Cove; thence by and with said Cove and Fisher's Island Sound to the place of beginning. As soon as Mr. Chesebrough's planting at Wequetequock was known by the Connecticut authorities, he was summoned by them to appear before their court and give an account of his doings in the wilderness. Mr. Chesebrough disregarded this summons for more than a year, but when acting under the advice of Governor Wintlirop, he consented to appear before the General Court at Hartford, Conn., and after satisfying them that he was not engaged in any unlawful trade with the Indians, and further- more that his religious views were in harmony with theirs ; and he was using his best endeavors to induce reliable men to settle around him, and in due time to establish a new township—after duly considering his statement, the Court consented for him to remain on condition that he would furnish them with the names of his anticipated neighbors. Thomas Stanton had already selected him a house lot in Stonington, which was granted to him by the General Court in 1.650, with six acres of land on the west bank of Pawcatuck Biver, at a place now known as Pawcatuck Bock, with liberty to e WfiQUETEQlfoCit m iiviv, GROUND A^SOCIATiON erect him a trading house thereon, which was supplemented by large additional grants and purchases of land, which extended his domain by the river southerly to Pawcatuck Bay, and westerly about half way over to Wequetequock Cove. Mr. Stanton erected his trading house on said grant to him, in the spring of 1650. Subsequently he built him a dwelling house conveniently near his trading house, to which he removed his family in 1657. Thomas Minor came to Wequetequock from New London in 1652, and erected him a dwelling house on the east bank of the Cove, upon land granted him lay New London. In 1652 the town of New London gave Governor Haynes a tract of land of 300 acres, east of and adjoining Wequetequock Cove. Governor Haynes sold his grant of land to Walter Palmer in 1653, who came here to reside during that year. Upon laying out the tract of land that Governor Haynes sold to Walter Palmer, it was found to include the grant to Thomas Minor by New London, upon which he had already erected him a dwelling house. Mr. Minor, by a compromise arrangement with his Father Palmer, conveyed to him his land and dwelling house, reserving the right, however, to occupy a part of his said house with him until he could build another at Mistuxet, now called Quiambaug, on a farm which he had purchased of Gary Latham. Mr. Minor built his new house at Mistuxet in 1653-4. Walter Palmer's domain extended east of Wequetequock Cove by Pawcatuck Bay to the domain of Thomas Stanton on the east, and on the north it rested on lands subsequently owned by Rev. James Noyes. Thomas Minor's domain extended westerly from Quiambaug Cove by the sea shore to the land grants of Major John Mason; on the north by lands of Captain George Denison; easterly to Mistuxet Brook and Quiambaug Cove. Captain George Denison came to the settlement in 1654 with his family, and built him a house on one of his grants in Pequotsepos valley. Captain John Gallup came with his family the same year, and built him a house on his land grant that rested on the east bank of Mystic River. About the same time Robert Park and his son, Thomas Park, purchased of Rev. Richard Blinman his grant of land, which lay between Governor Wintlirop's land on the north and John Gallup's grant on the south, bounded west by Mystic River, and easterly by lands of Samuel Mason. Thomas Wheeler, Josiah Witter, John Searles, Edmund Fanning, Thomas Shaw 3 S BY HON. RICHARD A. WHEELER. and James York came here soon after and joined the settlement. Mr. Cliesebrough and his coadjiiting friends, being all of decided religious convictions, and having no place of worship nearer than New London, felt that they should have a township grant, with a convenient place of worship for their accommodation. So the planters here, in 1654, petitioned the General Court of Connecticut to be set off from New London and organized as a new township. Their application was opposed by New London and defeated. The planters did not rest satisfied with their defeat, and unitedly resolved to agitate the matter until they should succeed, sooner or later. From that time forward the most determined efforts were made to break away from New London and to organize for themselves a new town and church. They remembered that Massachusetts had previously claimed a part or all of the conquered Pequot territory, embracing New London, Stonington and a part of Westerly. So they sought the friendship of Massachusetts by a petition, in 1657, with a preamble complaining of the treatment of the General Court of Connecticut. Messrs. Chesebrough, Stanton and Palmer renewed their petition to the Massachusetts General Court, asking for relief. But their applicatic >11 was denied them, accompanied by a suggestion that the whole matter in dispute be referred to the Commissioners of the United Colonies, and in the mean time to order their affairs by common agreement until provision was made in their behalf. Following out these suggestions, Mr. Chese- brough and his associate planters assembled 011 the 30th day of June, 1658, and formed a compact which they called the Asso- ciation of Pawcatuck People, organized for municipal purposes only, and not in contravention of the authority of either Con- necticut or Massachusetts colonies. The jurisdictional controversy between said colonies, which had been referred to said commissioners for their action, rendered their decision thereon Sept. 16, 1658, deciding that all of the Pequot territory west of Mystic River belonged to Connecticut, and all of said territory east of it belonged to Massachusetts. At the next session of the Massachusetts General Court, after this decision was made, they passed an act that the English plantation between the Mystic and Pawcatuck Rivers should be named Soutliertown and belong to the County of Suffolk, Massachusetts, and appointed a committee to manage the prudential affairs thereof. Following this order was another petition from the Stonington 8 E WEQUETEQTJOCK BURYING GROUND ASSOCIATION: planters, asking that the bounds of their plantation might extend into the country northerly between Weekapaug Brook and Mystic Biver, eight miles from the mouth thereof. In 1659 a committee was appointed by the Massachusetts General Court to establish the bounds of Southertown, which they agreed upon and described as follows : On the west by the Mystic Biver, eight miles ; from thence to Asliawav river ; thence by Weeka- paug Brook to the sea, and from thence overland to Mystic Biver as follows : In straight lines, from Weekapaug Brook to Mr. Stanton's is three miles three hundred rods; from Mr. Stanton's to William Cliesebrough's, two miles and one hundred twenty-three rods; from thence to Mystic Biver, by Captain Denison's house, is four miles, aggregating ten miles and one hundred and three rods. Southertown remained as a township belonging to Massachusetts until monarchy was restored in England, and until the second Charter of and for Connecticut was granted to her by that government in 1662, which established the eastern boundary of Connecticut at Pawcatuck Biver, giving the jurisdiction of Southertown to the colony of Connec- ticut, continuing as such until 1665, when the General Court of Connecticut dropped the name of Southertown and gave this township the name of Mystic, which lasted for only a year, when the General Court of Connecticut changed the name of Mystic to Stonington, in 1666, which appellation it has ever since retained. So it will appear that William Chesebrough, Thomas Stanton, Thomas Minor and Walter Palmer, with their associate planters, founded the town of Stonington, after a severe struggle with the Connecticut General Court and the town of New Lon- don, and the embarrassing jurisdictional controversy between Connecticut and Massachusetts relative to the control thereof. Looking backward over the history of this town, which was settled by our ancestors, it behooves us all to honor their memory by enduring materials till time shall be no more. A resolution was then offered by the Bev. Amos. S. Chese- brough and unanimously passed, thanking Judge Wheeler for his extensive research in his efforts to establish a reliable record of events which transpired during the early history of the town. A resolution was then passed, thanking the committee of arrangements for the efficient manner in which they had conducted their duties. The exercises were closed by singing America, and the benediction by Bev. Amos S. Chesebrough, 82