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FROM DUST TO DUST THE EVOLUTION OF A SMALL NEW ENGLAND VILLAGE 1700 TO 1900
PIONEERING 1700 - 1750 Shad and salmon were spawning in the rocky bottomed Stoney (Farm) River before the first white settlers harnessed its waters in Northford. From that early time of about 1700, when a very few families began to plow the rocky soil and dam the river, and for the next 200 years, the tiny village of what is now called Northford experienced an incomparable blossoming of an educated elite, an industrial economy producing products of national significance and an ultimate return to the soil for sustenance. Northford, ten miles from New Haven, has never been incorporated. From 1644 to 1725 it was the northern extremity of Branford. In 1725, what is now North Branford, became the Second Ecclesiastical Society of Branford and in 1746, what is now Northford, became the Third Society of Branford. In 1831 North Branford and Northford incorporated as a town separate from Branford with Northford remaining as a village within the township of North Branford. Life for those earliest settlers was isolated and harsh. They had moved inland to the very outskirts of Branford where fresh, raw land was available, while their families and church leadership remained hours away in Branford center. According to Reverend Elijah C. Baldwin's Branford Annals. "Men, women and children came three, six and even eight miles on foot or on horseback, over wretched roads to attend all day services ---. John Barnes, Stephen Foote, Daniel Barker, John Frisbie and Edward Frisbie, of the Northern part of town, erected theirs (Sabbath-day houses) between 1703 and 1707." 1 These houses were built near the Meetinghouse and provided shelter during the Sunday mid-day break between services. Alternatively, "Mr. Russell and others occasionally preached for them in their own locality, worship being held in private houses. But this only had the effect of strengthening the desire to have a minister of their own at 'North Farms'''. 2 By 1715 the North Farmers "felt the distance to the Branford church was too great and that their own community was large 1. Baldwin, 301.
2. Rockey, 83.
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enough to support --" 3 separate preaching for themselves. The North or Second Ecclesiastical Society was formed in 1725, and in 1727, Jonathan Merrick became its first minister. He was a busy man. Aside from managing a large farm, his responsibilities included the residents of the remote Northford area, as well as the area of North Branford and, as a Fellow of Yale College, he was obliged to participate in directing the college's affairs. The Northford residents ultimately experienced the same ambitions to have their own minister as had the people of the North (i.e. North Branford) Ecclesiastical Society. The Third Ecclesiastical Society was therefore gathered in 1746, and on June 30, 1750 Warham Williams was ordained and joined with 19 other men in membership in the Northford Congregational Church. At that time three, possibly four, saw mills, one grist mill, one blacksmith, and farming sustained the small community. Grains, mastlin flour, fruits, vegetables, bayberries, flax and barrel staves were the basis of an extensive export trade with Maine, England, the Southern colonies and the West Indies. But the harvesting of the earth's bounty was not without cost. Volume I of the Northford Congregational Church Records reveals a variety of deaths due to the usual illnesses and accidents of the times such as consumption, whooping cough, lung fever, rattles and dropsy among others. Accidental causes were recorded as killed, "by a log at a saw mill" 4 , "by a stone falling upon him in a well" 4, "killed by an accident Cut of a Scythe" 4,
"by a fall from a mow of hay" 4, "by an accidental discharge of a gun" 4. Yet, there is clear evidence that locally, at least, living conditions improved substantially during the 1760's. 5 Herbert Miller's History of North Branford and Northford makes the point that between 1750- 1779 and 1780-1809 life expectancy for those 70 years old or over increased from 4.6% of the population to 22.2%. 6 In 1809 the Reverend Matthew Noyes recorded the first of many subsequent causes of death as being simply "old age".
3. Simonds, 58 4. Northford, Vol. I, 64, 68, 69, 70 and 72.
5. Miller, Gordon S.
6. Miller, Herbert C., 101.
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1768-1826 EDUCATION Williams and Noyes were the religious and intellectual pilots of Northford from 1750 to 1835. It was during their leadership that there were far more men from this Lilliputian sized village who were graduated from Yale College between 1768 and 1826 than any other community in Connecticut, based on a percent of population. Speaking before his former parishioners during the centennial year, 1876, the Reverend A. L. Pierce said, "In the matters of EDUCATION AND EDUCATED MEN, it is believed that the past of Northford will compare favorably with most communities around with most throughout New England indeed ----". 7 Continuing, he emphasized that it was the Ecclesiastical Society, not the town, that had established the school system. Further, that in spite of lacking an academy or other institution of higher learning, he stated "Few parishes in the State and perhaps none of equal population, have given to the world so large a number of liberally educated men--so goodly a number of emigrant sons, who have served their generation in the varied fields of professional labor as Northford --". 7 He then went on to state that thirty-one sons of Northford have been graduated from Yale College, four Northford men became lawyers, nineteen became doctors, fourteen ministers, one author and two female missionaries. He concludes his remarks on education by commenting on his pleasures that so many have qualified themselves for such positions. He hoped the recital of their names "---- some of them known and honored around the world" -would encourage other youths to "---- serve the age on fields broader than their native parish". 7 A contemporary of Reverend Pierce was the Reverend Elijah C. Baldwin who had been pastor of the Branford Congregational Church from 1865 to 1877. The Baldwin family had been prominent members of the Branford community during colonial times and John Baldwin was among the 19 original members of Northford's Congregational Church in 1750. On April 7, 1886 Baldwin read his Branford Annals! 1700-1800 before the members of the New Haven Colony Historical Society in which he stated, "Northford has furnished more liberally educated men and women for various professions than any other place of equal size in the State". 8 7. Pierce, 23.
8. Baldwin, op. cit. 316.
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These statements of the Reverends Pierce and Baldwin applauding Northford's educated servants to society invite questioning. One must ask: (1) if there were more educated persons from Northford than other towns of equal size; (2) if so, who were they, (3) what were their accomplishments and (4) lastly, what could have been the stimulant for such conditions? A letter written in 1844 by the Reverend Jonathan Maltby identifies the graduates of Yale College from Northford between 1768 and 1826. That letter was written at the request of Dr. Jared Linsly (Y -1826). These men were cousins, had been born in Northford, graduated from Yale and were obviously quite pleased with their heritage. Maltby responded by listing 26 such graduates, some details of their professional careers, comments on the character of the town's founders, the Revolutionary War and the economy of the time. The years 1768 and 1826 frame what must have been Maltby's earliest known such Yale graduate and the year of Dr. Linsly's graduation. Using Dexter's Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College! the number of Yale graduates from each Connecticut town between 1768 and 1826 were counted and compared to Maltby's listing of 26 Northford graduates. Dexter recorded three on Maltby's list as being born in North Branford or Branford which can be misleading as Northford was the Third Ecclesiastical Society of Branford between 1746 and 1831. Two of those three were baptized in the Northford Congregational Church. Another two are listed by Dexter as being born in Wallingford and North Guilford which, though correct politically, does not account for the very close social and geographical relationship those families (Cooke and Elliot) had with the Northford community. Yet, Maltby included Increase Cooke (Y- 1793) who was born in Cheshire, probably on the basis of being a brother of Oliver Dudley Cooke (Y -1786) and the grandson of Captain Aaron Cooke, an original member of the Northford Church. Still, Maltby failed to account for John Foot (Y-1765), Calvin Tyler (Y-1787) and Roger Harrison (Y-1791). Not included in this list of 26 are four others who "--- entered college & continued for one year or more & left very reluctantly for want of health -- were destined for the ministry". 9 Whether one uses the figure of 26 from Maltby's list, Pierce's figure of 31, or 9. Maltby, A Sketch of the Pilgrims, 36.
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some reasonable modification, the results of the comparison are really quite startling. The figure of 26 has been used here. Number of Yale Grads % of Grads Town Population 10 1768-1826 per population Northford 500 11 26 5.2 Norwich 4323 47 1.9 Farmington 2298 37 1.6 Lebanon 1810 28 1.6 New Haven 7580 111 1.5 Durham 1097 17 1.5 Canterbury 1884 26 1.4 Bethlehem 981 12 1.2 Stratford 2517 29 1.2 Pomfret 1878 20 1.1 Colchester 1225 12 1.0 Hadlyme 12 13
10. Population: These figures were derived from the Connecticut State Register and
Manual. 1978 13 for all towns having 10 or more Yale graduates born between 1790 and 1830 - the years close to Maltby's time frame of 1768 and 1826. If figures were not available for 1790, the earliest date between 1790 and 1830 was used, or if only population figures for 1830 were provided, that figure was used. 11.Northford That same State Register and Manual gives North Branford's 500: population figure for 1830 as 1,092. As the village of Northford has always been considered somewhat smaller than the first voting district, North Branford, the figure of 500 has been used to represent Northford's population between 1768 and 1826.
10. See above. 12. See above and next page.
11. See above. 13. Connecticut State Register and Manual, pp 604-609.
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12. Hadlyme: This is the only other town with 10 or more Yale graduates for which no population figures are provided by the 1978 State Register and Manual. This comparison demonstrates that the statements of Pierce and Baldwin were actually far short of the mark. The number of graduates per percent of population exceeds by far that of all towns in Connecticut regardless of population numbers. The identity and accomplishments of Maltby's 26 Yale graduates from Northford, plus a few more mentioned by Pierce and Baldwin as being liberally educated professionals who served society beyond the limited borders of Northford, are submitted as support for the claims of those three Congregational ministers. This data is excerpted primarily from Maltby's 1844 letter and Dexter's biographical sketches. 1. (Y -1768) Jehiel Hoadly, born Northford! Feb. 14, 1743/44; d. 1810. Sir Hoadly, as they were addressed, kept a school in the winter 1768. Physician in Middlefield with special skills in cases of colic. Estate valued at about $2,500.
2. (Y-1774) Timothy Rogers, born Branford, Dec. 24,1752; baptized Northford Congregational Church Mar. 11, 1753. d. 1827. Attended Jehiel Hoadly's School prior to Yale. Taught school in Springfield, MA. Studied medicine and practiced in Cornwall, CT. and Schoharie and Hamilton, NY. Sufficiently distinctive to be put forward as an incorporator of the Conn. Medical Society in 1792.
3. (Y-1777) Medad Rogers, born North Branford, Aug! 17,1750; baptized Northford Congregational Church Aug. 12, 1750, (Note dates are as recorded by the Church and Dexter). d.1824. Brother of Timothy (Y-1774). Journal of 1772-1819 includes diary of pre-college years, college years, as privateer sailing from New London and other matters and is in Yale's Bienecke Library. Call Number is Z36, 266. Studied theology Page 6
with Dr. Benjamin Trumbull (Y -1759) of North Haven. Licensed to preach by New Haven Association of Ministers 1780. Served in Salem Society (Naugatuck), New Lebanon, NY., Hardwick, MA., North Cornwall, CT. and Fairfield, CT. Ordained, 1786. Beautiful letter on anticipation of death included in Rev. Maltby's letter of 1844.
4. (Y -1777) Jonathan Law Williams, born Northford; d. Nov. 1, 1777. Son of Rev. Warham Williams (Y-1745). Brother of William A. Williams (Y -1780). Great grandson of Governor Law.
5. (Y -1779) Stephen Fowler, born Northford! May 8, 1756; d. 1829. Kept a boys school in Fairfield which the elder Prof. Silliman attended. Entered into the shipping and general merchandise business about 1790 in New Bern, NC. In 1808 Joseph E. Sheffield, founder of the Yale Scientific School, joined the business and became a partner in 1814. Shipping business given up as a result of the embargo of 1813. Mercantile business moved to Bay River under the name of Joseph Fowler and Co. (son of Stephen).
6. (Y -1779) Jonathan Maltby, born Northford! May 2, 1759; d. 1856. Author of our source letter of 1844. Studied theology with the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Trumbull (Y -1759) of North Haven. Licensed to preach 1783 by the New Haven Association! Illness prevented him from pursuing the ministry. Engaged in mercantile business in New Haven, later in Northford. Taught at an academy in Killingworth, then farmed for 3 years in Vernon, NY. Retired to New Haven, then Northford.
7. (Y -1780) Lemuel Tyler, born Northford, Aug. 17, 1761; d. 1810. Studied theology with the Rev. Benjamin Trumbull (Y -1759) of North Haven. Licensed to preach 1785. Ordained 1789. The ordaining sermon was given by the Rev. Trumbull and later printed. He served in Preston, CT. His son-in-law was E. B. Downing, M.D. (Honorary Yale College, 1833).
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8. (Y -1780) William Augustus Williams, born Northford, Feb. 10, 1763; d. 1834. Son of the Rev. Warham Williams (Y- 1745) and brother of Jonathan Law Williams (Y-1777). Practiced medicine in Hatfield, MA., hence to Canadaigua, NY. where he had a large and successful practice. Married daughter of General Chapin of that city.
9. (Y-1786) Isaac Maltby, born Northford, Nov. 10, 1767; d. 1819. Studied divinity with the Rev. John Smalley (Y - 1756) in New Britain, CT. Licensed to preach 1789 by the Eastern Association of New Haven County. Married Lucinda, daughter of Gen. Murray of Hatfield, MA. where he settled. Attained rank of Major in State Militia in 1803. Member State Legislature 1808-09 and again in 1816. Presidential Elector in 1812. Brigadier General during War of 1812. Published several items relating to armed forces. Died Waterloo, NY. Long obituary repeated in the Rev. Maltby's letter of April 12, 1844.
10. (Y-1786) Oliver Dudley Cooke, born Wallingford! 1766; baptized Northford Congregational Church Mar. 13, 1768; d. 1833. Grandson of Capt. Aaron Cooke, an original member of the Northford Congregational Church. Half brother, Increase Cooke (Y -1793). Studied theology with the Rev. Dr. John Smalley (Y -1756) of New Britain, CT. Licensed to preach 1789 by the New Haven East Association of Ministers. Ordained 1792 in North New Fairfield, now Sherman, CT. Retired 1793 due to ill health. Became very successful bookseller and bookbinder in Hartford. Left $1,000 to Yale College in 1831.
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11. (Y-1786) Ambrose Todd, born Northford, Dec. 7,1764; d. 1809. Ordained Deacon of the Episcopal Church 1787, Stamford, CT. Spent 12 years at St. Andrew's Church, Simsbury. Advanced to priesthood 1789 by Bishop Seabury, Norwalk. Rector St. Paul's Church, Huntington from 1799 to1809.
12. (Y -1787) Joseph Foot, born Northford, May 12, 1770. Studied medicine with Dr. Jared Potter (Y -1760) of Wallingford and practiced in North Haven. One son-in- law (Y -1820), another (Y -1832). Funeral address by the Rev. Dr. Leverett Griggs was published. Given honorary M.D. by Yale in 1816.
(Y -1787) Calvin Tyler, from Northford; d. 1788. Not included by Maltby, Pierce or Baldwin.
(Y -1791) Roger Harrison, born Northford, Feb. 2, 1769; d. 1853. Not included by Maltby, Pierce or Baldwin. Licensed to preach by the New Haven East Association of Ministers in 1795. Ordained and installed 1798 West Parish, Granville, MA. (Tolland in 1810). Postmaster, Town Work, Representative in General Court 1833-35. Wrote music.
13. (Y -1791) Enos Foot. born Northford! March 4, 1772; d. 1840. Prominent citizen and merchant in Southwick, MA. Postmaster, State Legislature 1808-1817. State Senate 1831-32. Member Constitutional Convention of MA. in 1820. Presidential Elector in 1824. Colonel in state militia.
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Malachi Foot, born Northford. The Rev. Maltby notes next to his name "educated" and indicated Yale, 1791, but no record found in the alumni files.
14. (Y -1791) Daniel Rose, born Northford! Jan. 31, 1772; d. 1833. Engineer in the War of 1812. Physician in Townsend (now Boothbay), ME. Also magistrate and surveyor. Member of 1819 Convention at Portland which framed the constitution by which the District of Maine became a state. President of the State Senate 1821-22 and Acting Governor for a few days. Commissioner to effect division of the public lands belonging to Maine and Massachusetts. First Warden of the New State Prison in Thomaston. Land Agent in 1828. Published the official reports of his work as Land Agent.
15. (Y-1791) Noah Linsly, born Branford', Jan. 26,1774; d. 1814. (* As a son of Josiah and Rachel (Fowler) of Northford, this must be his birthplace.) Graduated with high reputation as a scholar. Became Tutor at Williams College in 1793, undoubtedly due to recommendation of President Ebenezer Fitch, who left a tutorship at Yale in 1791 for the Academy which grew into Williams College. Taught for one year at Williams, then at Yale -- highly praised. Moved to Wheeling in 1795. Became Mayor and had a successful law practice. By his bequest, the Linsly School was established in 1814 and today is the oldest private academy west of the Alleghenies. Gave $3,000 to Yale which was added to the library fund.
16. (Y -1793) Increase Cooke, born Cheshire, Mar. 15, 1771; d. 1814. Prepared for college by the Rev. Dr. Elizur
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Goodrich (Y -1702) of Durham. Brother of Oliver Cooke (Y -1786). Book selling and publishing firm of Increase Cooke Co. opened in 1802 in New Haven. In 1810 moved business to new brick building on Church St. opposite Post Office. Issued first edition of Noah Webster's Dictionary in 1806 and Cicero's Select Orations by Duncan in 1811. Inscription over his grave reads " .. active .. particularly in the diffusion of religious knowledge" .
17. (Y-1801) George Hoadly, born Northford! Dec. 15,1781; first cousin of Noah Linsley (Y -1791). Studied law in New Haven with the Hon. Charles Chauncey and between 1803 and 1806 held the office of Tutor in the college. In 1805 he gave the Phi Beta Kappa Oration. Married Nov. 8, 1819 to Elizabeth Woolsey (sister of President Woolsey and niece of President Dwight). President of the Eagle Bank which failed in 1825. Mayor of New Haven from 1822-1826. As Justice in Cleveland from 1832-1847, over twenty thousand cases judged by him were never reversed. Mayor of Cleveland in 1846 and 1847.
18. (Y -1805) Harvey Elliot, born North Guilford! Nov. 23, 1784; d. 1824. Prepared for college by Dr. John Elliot (Y -1786) of East Guilford, now Madison. Studied medicine with Dr. David Rogers of New Rochelle, NY. Began practice in Harlem, NY. in 1808. Received M.D. from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, NY. in 1817. Buried in Northford. As per Dexter - largest monument in Northford cemetery.
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19. (Y -1813) John Douglas Fowler, born Northford; Feb. 6, 1789; d. 1817. His grandparents were Col. William and Hannah (Mansfield) Douglas. Was prepared for college by Sylvester Seldon (Williams College, 1807). Studied law, opened an office in New Haven. Illness forced early retirement.
20. (Y -1817) James Harvey Linsley, born Northford! May 5, 1787; d. 1843. His parents, James and Sarah were Baptists. Took charge of New Canaan Academy in 1818 and left in 1821 to establish a boy's boarding school in Stratford. Began preaching in 1828 and was licensed in 1831. That same year he was ordained as an Evangelist in Meriden at the Baptist State Convention. Gathered two Baptist societies - Milford in 1832 and Bridgeport in 1835. Bronchitis forced his retirement in 1836 enabling him to pursue his love of natural history. He completed an exhaustive catalog of birds, mammals, reptiles, fishes and shells of Connecticut.
21. (Y-1817) Loammi Ives Hoadly, born Northford, Oct. 25, 1790; d. 1883. Married Lydia Smith, sister of the Rev. Dr. Eli Smith (Y -1821). Spent four years at Theological Seminary, Andover, MA. In 1822, preached at the Calvinist (now Center) Church in Worcester, MA. and was ordained as their pastor in 1823. Poor health interrupted numerous ministerial tenures until 1832, when he engaged in literary work. He edited the last volume of "The Spirit of the Pilgrims", and assisted Dr. Jenks in preparing the "Comprehensive Commentary". Regained health enabled him to resume
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his pastoral work from 1850 to 1865 when he retired.
Brother-in-law of Eli Smith (Y-1821). 14
Samuel Whitney. Volume I, Page 547 of the Northford Congregational Church Records states, "Dismissed from
church and recommended church Yale College" 15. At the age of twenty-four, he entered Yale accompanied by his nephew, Eli Smith (Y-1821), but "soon dropped out of college to become one of the pioneer missionaries to leave for Hawaii in
1819." 16
22. (Y-1821) Erastus Maltby, born Northford, Dec. 2,1796; d. 1883. After Yale, he spent three years at the Theological Seminary, Andover, MA. and was ordained there as an evangelist in 1824, expecting to serve as a missionary in the West. Preached for awhile in Marietta, OH., then returned to become pastor of the Trinitarian Church, Taunton, MA. where he served until his death.
23. (Y -1821) Eli Smith, born Northford, Sept. 13, 1801; d. 1857. One of the most distinguished servants of foreign missions. Between 1824 and 1825 taught school in Georgia, then ordained 1826 after study for the ministry in Andover, MA. That same year he sailed for Malta under appointment of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to take charge of the mission press. He studied Arabic in Beirut in 1827 then traveled Greece, Armenia, Persia and Georgia thus preparing the way for the Nestorian Mission. Married in the U.S. in 1832, he and his wife returned to Beirut 14. Leavy, Looking --,272.
15. Northford, Vol. I., p.24.
16. Leavy, The Making of a Missionarv, 22. Page 13
where Mrs. Smith opened a girls' school for which was erected the first building in the Turkish Empire intended for the teaching of girls. Together with Prof. Edward Robinson of New York, Palestine and Sinai were explored in 1834 opening .. the second great era of our knowledge of the Promised Land. His experience and knowledge of Arabic contributed largely to the accuracy, variety, and value of the discoveries of Biblical Geography made on this expedition. In Lepsic he .. superintended the final preparations for a new font of Arabic type after having collected the best models of Arabic calligraphy from Cairo, Damascus, Aleppo, and Constantinople. His work .. has since remained the standard for Arabic print. Mr. Smith began in 1848 the work of translating the Bible into Arabic. This work continued until his death in 1857 when much of the translation had been completed. The work was completed by Dr. C.V.A. Van Dyck. He had received a Doctor of Divinity in 1850 from Williams College. One son was graduated from Yale in 1865 and two sons from Amherst in 1876 and 1877 respectively.
24. (Y -1822) John Maltby, born Northford, March 8, 1795; d. 1860. Graduated from Theological Seminary, Andover, MA. in 1825, ordained 1826. Served the Hammond Street Church in Bangor, ME. from 1834 to 1860.
25. (Y-1822) Isaac Bartholomew, born Northford, May31, 1797; d. 1822. He had intended to study the ministry. Benjamin F. Harrison, M.D. (Y-1836) was a nephew.
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26. (Y -1826) Jared Linsly, born Northford! Oct. 30, 1803; d. 1887. Studied medicine with Dr. John C. Cheesman in New York City and was graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1829. Formed partnership in 1830 with Dr. William Baldwin whose father had been baptized in 1780 by the Rev. Warham Williams. Succeeded to Dr. Baldwin's entire business and became a prominent physician while filling many positions of trust in connection with medical and charitable organizations in New York City. Bequeathed $5,000 to the Library funds at Yale which was added to that of his Uncle Noah (Y -1791). Linsly Hall erected in 1906-07 as a gift to Yale of William B. Ross, B.A. 1852 and in honor of Jared Linsly, B.A. 1826. His son, Wilford graduated from Sheffield Scientific School (Class of 1866), became a painter and teacher of the Hudson River School.
This concludes the Rev. Maltby's list of 26 Yale graduates from Northford. The following are additional educated professionals of Northford origin mentioned by the Rev. Pierce in 1877.
(Y -1836) Benjamin Franklin Harrison, born Northford in 1811; d. 1886. Doctor in Wallingford 1836-46. Traveled in Europe and studied in Paris for six months and resumed his Wallingford practice until 1862. Commissioned as surgeon in a N.Y. regiment. Served on the Sanitary Commission in Florida and South Carolina for a while; then resumed his Wallingford practice again in 1864. His interest in meteorology and record keeping of rainfall over a period of 30 years resulted in an honorary degree of Master of Arts in 1872 from Yale. Vol. II, Part II, transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences contain his 53 page description of
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weather in Wallingford, Connecticut between 1871 and 1873. As a community servant he personally planted many of the elms which beautify the streets of Wallingford and was largely instrumental in securing the introduction of water into the town.
(Y -1844) David A. Tyler, born Northford, Nov. 10, 1818; d. 1885. Studied medicine with Dr. Nathan B. Ives of New Haven where he practiced for 40 years.
(Y-1858) Gustavus Rose Elliot, born Guilford!, July 5, 1822; d. 1869. (Probably North Guilford, now part of Northford). Practiced law in New Haven.
Two sisters of John Douglas Fowler (Y -1813) were missionaries. They were: Mrs. Epaphrus Chapman (Hannah Fowler) among the Osage Indians, and Mrs. Dwight Baldwin (Charlotte Fowler) in the Sandwich Islands.
Malcolm Foote, Doctor Stephen Todd, Doctor William Foote, Doctor Lyman Cook, Doctor Chauncey Foote, Doctor Benjamin Fowler, Doctor Anson Foote, Doctor Elizur Beach, Doctor John Linsly, Doctor Dr. Augur Salmon Frisbie, Doctor Mr. Rose, Minister Benjamin St. John Page, Minister" ---- a native of Northford and
a pastor of a church in Bridgeport" 17 preached the last sermon in the Meetinghouse on April 25, 1847. The following additional educated professionals of Northford were noted by the Rev. Baldwin in 1886:
17. Northford, Vol. 3, 19.
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D. S. Tyler, Doctor Lent S. Hough, Minister
(Y-1765) John Foot, born Northford. 18 April 2, 1742; d. 1813. Studied divinity with the Rev. Samuel Hall (Y -1716) and licensed to preach by the New Haven Assoc. of Ministers in 1766. Called to the parish of New Cheshire in Wallingford (now Cheshire) and confirmed acceptance in 1766. Ordained by the New Haven Consociation in 1767 and continued to serve his parish until his death in 1813. Three sons were graduated from Yale. They were John A. (Y-1790) a doctor, Samuel A. (Y-1797) State Representative and Senator, Congressional Representative, Governor in 1834 and Yale Honorary Doctor of Laws in 1834 and William L. (Y -1797) doctor and State Representative in 1839. His daughter, Lucinda (b. 1772; d. 1795) was a classical scholar. Reverend Baldwin wrote, "It was from this portion (Northford) of Branford that the father of Miss Lucinda Foot originated, who after examination was given a certificate by the President (Ezra Stiles on December 22, 1793) that she was fully prepared to enter Yale College
(at age 11) had the rules allowed the admission of ladies." 19 Of the 26 men mentioned by Maltby as having been Yale graduates from Northford, two died within a year of graduation. 12 of the remaining 24 pursued one professional career and the balance of 12 engaged in as many as four professions or careers. Maltby, himself was licensed to preach in 1783, gave up the ministry due to poor health, turned to the mercantile business, subsequently became a teacher and finally a farmer. For our purposes his profession has been designated as that of a minister. Subjective interpretations have been made in similar cases. Pierce added 19 new names to Maltby's list of 24 (26 less 2 who died prematurely) and Baldwin another 3 to bring the total number of professionals to 46. The following is a breakdown of the professions served by these men and women with Northford origins. 18. Baldwin, op. clt., 316.
19. ibid,316.
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Profession Maltby Pierce Baldwin Totals Doctor 6 13 1 20 Minister 6 3 2 11 Law 2 1 3 Missionary 1 2 3 Government 3 3 Business 2 2 Priesthood 1 1 Science 1 1 Military 1 1 Publishing _1_ _1 24 1 3 46 9
Another profession to which Maltby paid particular attention was the teaching of music -- a cultural aspect of life, encouraged, if you please, by the Calvinistic church. A few excerpts from Volume II of the Northford Congregational Church records provide clear evidence of a community interest in aesthetic as well as religious values. Shortly after the ordination service of the Reverend Matthew Noyes in 1790, church records establish an awakening interest in music. December 12, 1791 - Annual Society Meeting "Voted the school committee shall get subscriptions in each district for the purpose of having
a singing master." 20
December 1 0, 1792 - Annual Society Meeting
Voted ten men Choristers. 21 (Voting for choristers continued until 1848).
"Voted we are willing the Bassoon should be used on Sunday." 22 December 9, 1793 - Annual Society Meeting
"Voted the Society treasurer shall pay Mr. Benham his due for singing in this Society." 23
20. Northford, Vol. 2, 6. 22. ibid, 8.
21. ibid, 8. 23. ibid, 9. Page 18
As Noyes was reputed to have been one of the most wealthy ministers in Connecticut, it would seem he may have been exposed to music as well as the Bible, Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. Certainly, he condoned its use by the church, or even encouraged same. Maltby's comments on the subject of music reveal a long and widespread interest in this cultural attitude. He wrote, "Northford has furnished a large proportion of Teachers of church music. For more than sixty years church music has been taught in Northford. First by the Revd. Andrew Law. Since, those taught by him, & their descendants. There has been more or less of the time a little band of vocal & instrumental music. Gen. Isaac Maltby & Col. Stephen Maltby were eminent teachers & were much employed at home & abroad, And Mr. Lemuel Tyler, after, Revd. T------of Preston, Connecticut taught on North River, I believe in Fishkill. ---- Doctor Augustus Williams taught at Newbury Port at Greenfield & at Wallingford. Mr. Solomon Fowler taught at Milford, & Fairfield, I believe. Mr. Levi Fowler has taught abundantly at home & in Pennsylvania. A large proportion still of district & high school Teachers of men & women at home & abroad have been employed. Hence probably the remark ---- 'the Village exhibits a scholastic appearance'''. 24 Having established Northford as being preeminent among all Connecticut towns regarding the number of Yale graduates from each town between 1768 and 1826, based on population and having established their beneficial influences from the outer reaches of New England to Wheeling, Cleveland, New Bern, Hawaii, Cairo and Damascus, one is forced to ask, "Why Northford?" The answer points directly to the influence of the church and its ministers. "The Pilgrim churches were all strong for learning and for an educated minister. The colonists were of the intelligent middle class of England, to the extent of 98 percent of their population, accustomed to leaders of university training, and naturally desirous of like privileges for their children." 25 "The ministers ---- had the principal part in forming the character of the new communities. The whole subject of education "was one, which fell principally to their charge". 26
24. Maltby, A Sketch ---- , op. clt.. 21-22.
25. Osborne, Vol. III, 328-329. 26. Kingsley, 47. Page 19
Samuel Russell, Jonathan Merrick, Warham Williams and Matthew Noyes served the Northford parish from its early settlement until 1835. They were the university educated ministers devoted, one and all, to the promotion of education. Jonathan Maltby's letter of 1844 devotes the first four pages paying tribute to such men. "---- the persecuted Pilgrim fathers, their church and ---- the Bible (which) was their statute book- --their first care was to set up the tabernacle of the Lord in the wilderness. They erected the church & fast by it the school house -- the courthouse, the academy, the college ----. "They were no ordinary men ---- They were the most remarkable men which the world ever produced. They lived for a nobler end -- for a higher destiny than any that have ever lived. These are the men to whom New England owes her religion with all the blessings civil, social & literary that follow in its train. They live in the immortal principles which they taught. In the enduring institutions which they established. They live in the remembrance of a grateful posterity. They will live on through all time, in the gratitude of unborn generations ---Where are the men - or when have they ever lived who are more prayerful - more zealous - more patient - more heavenly - more conscious - harder students - better scholars - more willing to be informed - advised - than these great and good rnen->?”27 Maltby's letter of 1844 was written just 200 years after Branford's first minister, John Sherman, was called to preach in that town. From his perspective, Maltby surely knew that among the Puritan fathers were those who helped base the laws of Branford on the Old Testament, those who advocated that only church members be allowed to vote for officers of the government, those who helped found Yale College, or who were tutors or Fellows of the College -- men who" ---- lived for a nobler end - for a higher destiny than had ever lived." 28 In order to demonstrate the character of these influential Puritan fathers of church and education the following biographical notes are submitted.
John Davenport (b. 1597; d. 1670) prepped at the Free Grammar School of Coventry and entered first Merton
27. Maltby, A Sketch -- op. cit.. 2,3,4. 28. ibid, 3. Page 20
College, Oxford in 1613 and then removed to Magdalen Hall when he became a licensed preacher. In 1624 he was elected Vicar of the Church of St. Stephens, London. Returning to Magdalen Hall in 1625 he received the degree of Bachelor of Divinity. Resuming his duties at St. Stephens he became a non conformist and ultimately became a financial supporter of the Massachusetts colony. He joined with Theophilus Eaton to form a colony in New England which resulted in the settlement of Quinnipiac on April 14, 1638 and Branford in 1644. Davenport, being committed to the cause of education" ---- in 1654 he brought forward the plan of establishing a college in New Haven". 29 The town provided the land and Governor Hopkins donated L 500 Sterling. By 1664 " ---- the small number of inhabitants in the colony and the subsequent removal of Mr. Davenport to Boston ---- left the institution to terminate in a Grammar School ----." 30
John Sherman was Branford's first minister. He was born in Dedam Essex County, England December 26, 1613. Having entered Emanuel College of the University of Cambridge, he left at an early age, because of Puritan tendencies. He came to New England in 1634-5, and preached at Watertown, Massachusetts, as an Assistant to Rev. George Philips. He was a famous preacher, a man of marked intellectual gifts; was the foremost mathematician in the colonies, and left many
learned contributions to the astronomical sciences. 31 Evidence seems to indicate that Sherman " ---- came (to
Branford) in the late September of 1644 ----." 31 He" ----
29. Maltby, Familv Record, 66. 30. ibid, 66.
31. Simonds, op. cit., 10, 12. Page 21
remained in Totoket two or more years, and then removed to his former home in Watertown." 32 While serving Branford "the laws ---- were drawn from the Old Testament and the interpretation of the code was a literal one." 32 "His great grandson, Roger Sherman, was one of the
signers of the Declaration of Independence." 33
Abraham Pierson was born in Yorkshire! England in 1613 and graduated from the" Mother of Puritans", Trinity College, Cambridge. Ordained in the Episcopal Church prior to his emigration, he was again ordained in the Congregational Church as an immigrant. " ---- Pierson moved from Southampton to Totoket, where only church members could vote, since Totoket was under the laws of New Haven. ---- He was convinced that the admission of unregenerated persons to participate in state affairs could result only in disaster and a return to those evils which the Puritans had forsaken England to
escape ----" 34 "---- he was a Puritan of the Puritans." 35 On this basis, he became the second minister in Branford in 1646 or 1647. Feeling that the church and state were synonymous, and refusing to accept the tenets of "The Halfway Convenant", he and his followers departed from Branford for Newark, NJ. in 1667. He was the father of Yale's first President, Abraham Pierson.
Samuel Russell, son of John Russell (H-1645), was graduated from Harvard in 1681 and September 2, 1687 accepted the call to
be Branford's Minister. 36 "After a pastorate of more than forty- three years, Mr. Russell died on June 25, 1731, at the age
32. Simonds, op. cit., 17.
33. ibid, 12. 35. ibid, 33.
34. ibid, 28. 36. ibid, pp. 43, 44. 45. Page 22
of seventy-one." 37 Ten of the most prominent ministers of the colony "-- met sometime in the year 1701, in the Russell parsonage ---. The tradition is that each of them brought to this gathering a gift of books and, laying them upon the table, pronounced the well-known words, 'I give these books for the founding of a college in this colony'. -- Abraham Pierson, son of Branford's first settled minister, was chosen the first rector, or President of the new college --. Later, after the removal to New Haven, Samuel Russell and Governor Saltonstall bore a large part of the expense of the erection of the first building upon the
present campus." 38
Jonathan Merrick (Y -1725). Born in Springfield! MA. on August 13, 1700; d. 1772. He studied theology and was ordained in 1731 as the first pastor of the north parish (North Branford) in Branford. He managed an extensive farm besides his pastoral work which included the residents of Paug (Northford). In theological divisions of time he was identified with the "Old Light" party. He was a fellow of Yale College from 1763 to 1769 and was succeeded in that office by the Rev. Warham Williams. His estate was valued at 3365 pounds.
Warham Williams (Y-1745). Born in Longmeadow! MA. on January 7, 1725/26; d. 1788. Third son of Rev. Dr. Stephen Williams (H-1713). Berklian Scholar after graduation from Yale. Tutor from 1746 to 1750. Pursued theology. Ordained June 13, 1750 as first minister of the Third Ecclesiastic Society of Branford (Northford). Sympathized with "New Lights". Member of Yale Corporation 1769 to 1788. Secretary of the Board 1770-1776. An enlightened scholar. Read Tully and Virgil as readily as his mother tongue.
37. Simonds, op. cn., 67.
38. ibid, pp. 55, 56. Page 23
Matthew Noyes (Y -1785). Born in Lyme, CT. ca. 1764; d. 1839. Son of Judge William Noyes. Two brothers were graduates of Yale (1775 and 1781). Studied theology with the Rev. Dr. Josiah Whitney (Y - 1752) of Brooklyn, CT. Licensed to preach by Middlesex Association of Ministers, 1788. Rev. Dr. Elizur Goodrich of Durham and a member of the Yale Corporation gave the sermon at Noyes ordination. It was published subsequently. Noyes was minister of the Northford Congregational Church from 1790 to 1835. The Enrolled Church was formed in 1801 by a rebellious group of the Northford Society for reasons that remain unclear. They returned in 1833 when Mr. Noyes services were suspended, again for reasons unknown. 201 new members were admitted during his tenure. The Rev. Noyes served as Fellow of Yale College from 1823 until his death in 1839. Reputed to be one of the wealthiest ministers of his generation.
" ... AND SOME OF THE PURITAN FATHERS WHO CAME TO BRANFORD & DESCENDANTS ... " 39
Samuel Maltby (Y-1712). Born in Branford! August 7,1693; mother, Abigail, daughter of Deputy Governor James Bishop. Farmer, teacher. Captain in Militia 1716. Town Clerk 1721-1748, General Assembly 1722-1739. He together with Samuel Russell, also of Branford, were the only graduates of Yale College, Saybrook in 1712. Died 1751. Estate 7000 pounds. Buried in Northford.
John Maltby (Y -1747). Half-brother of Samuel (Y -1712). Born in New Haven, August 3, 1727; mother, Sarah, was the daughter of Rev. John Davenport (H-1687). Studied theology at Yale and roomed with Ezra Stiles. Continued study under the Rev.
39. Maltby, A Sketch -- , op. cit., 1.
Page 24
Aaron Burr (Y -1735) who was President of the College of New Jersey (Princeton). Tutor from 1749 to 1752. Pastor Presbyterian Church, Bermuda from 1752 to about 1768. Visiting his step-father, Dr. Wheelock, President of Dartmouth, he died after a few days illness Sept. 30, 1771. First internment in the grounds set apart for burials in Hanover. He was greatly beloved by Dr. Wheelock, who wrote on Oct. 3, 1771, " .. 1 had in my mind fixed upon him to be my successor." 40
Davenport, Sherman, Pierson, Russell, Merrick, Williams and Noyes -- what a succession of leaders. They were among those who defined our culture for two hundred years -- from Davenport's arrival in Quinnipiac in 1638 to the retirement of Noyes in 1835. Indeed, we enjoy their influence today and are confident that it will endure for many tomorrows. Northford's earliest settlers were contemporaries and parishoners of the Reverend Samuel Russell of Branford. It was in his home that the library of Yale College was established. The incorporating purpose of the college was to prepare youths for "-- public employment both in Church and Civil State". 41 Russell's successors in influencing directly the lives of those living in the Northford part of town were the Reverends Jonathan Merrick, Warham Williams and Matthew Noyes. As graduates of Yale and Fellows of the College, as well as being ordained in the Puritan tradition, they were answerable for the promotion of education. "---- the ministers of Connecticut were men of learning and of ability to impart it. They were the academies and preparatory schools of the day, instructors of boys for college and of young men for the ministry." 42 Williams and Noyes took that responsibility as a personal matter according to the
Reverend Maltby. He wrote that "He (Williams) fitted most of the graduates" 43 for college. Baldwin echoed that statement by saying "---- Williams and Noyes were accustomed to instruct young men and women in their home. They ---- fitted a number for college and practical life." 44 But more direct evidence of ministerial influence on
40. Wheelock. 42. Osborn, Vol. III, op. cit. 300.
41. Dexter, The Removal of Yale College to 43. Maltby, A Sketch ---, op. clt., 15.
New Haven in October! 1716. 72. 44. Baldwin, op. cit.. 317. Page 25
education is found in the diary of Medad Rogers (Y-1777), the third of Maltby's 26 Yale graduates. This diary was given to Yale by Medad's grandfather in 1901 and is located in Bienecke Library under reference Z36. 266. The diary relates to Medad's pre-college years, his college years, and post-college years as a privateer out of New London. The pre-college years are recorded on 10 pages of paper measuring 4 1/4" X 6 5/8". Page one is headed by "Medad Rogers His Book 1768" followed by several exercises of name writing. Page three is notable for recording "Gideon Rogers Derpter (Debtor) pr 1788" followed by five entries covering seven bushels of Indian co(rn) at a cost of 14 shillings. At the top of page 4 Medad has noted, "to study at Mr. Williams." Pages 4, 5, 6 & 8 (7 is blank) are filled with entries such as "June the 15: day 1772: one day", or "June the 26, 1773: three days". Page 8 has several enigmatic entries such as "December the 7d: 1772 Mr. Williams had been gone nine days" followed at the bottom of the page with additions and divisions in pounds, shillings and pence. Subsequently, an entry is made pertaining to "War Williams" which seems to define that person as Warham Williams, the Northford minister from 1750 to 1788 and as one who tutored the local youth. The diary is not clear as to whether or not the references to money represent payment to Mr. Williams. 45 The public will to promote education was so strong that laymen participated both within and without the authority of the church. Until 1795 when State funds became available for support of public education, five men from each school district were elected annually to represent the church's interests. Deacon Smith, a blacksmith and father of Eli " ---- took apprentices, and where they gave evidences of piety and fair talents, encouraged them to seek a college education. Living some distance from meeting, he was yet very regular in attendance. His large wagon, filled every Sabbath by his numerous family of children and apprentices, went so uniformly to the House of God, it came to be dubbed 'Dea. Smith's piety cart'." 46 This was the environment known to Maltby and Linsley -- direct hands-on-participation in education on the part of both an educated and inspiring clergy, as well as a receptive and eager laity. At this point it is appropriate to repeat some of Maltby's words as a tribute to 45. Rogers.
46. Baldwin, op. cit., 317.
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those who helped define so much of his and today's culture. "They were no ordinary men. ---- They live in the immortal principles which they taught. In the enduring institutions which they established. They live in the remembrance of a grateful posterity." 47 INDUSTRY 1812-1876 Those "immortal principles" were being modified even as they prospered. The Puritan doctrine was subjected to the novel intellectual forces of the Great Awakening of the 1740's. Predestination was replaced by the idea that men could control their own destiny. Nature could be mastered for the benefit of man. Locally, this change was exemplified in 1769 when Jonathan Merrick was succeeded by Warham Williams as a Fellow of Yale College. Merrick's thinking allied him with the "Old Lights" while Williams represented the" New Lights", or new attitudes. The effect of this new thinking would permeate our social fabric. The State of Connecticut adopted a new constitution in 1818 that finally separated church and state and extended freedom of worship to all. Interestingly enough, as Puritanism was denied its former pre-eminence, a great surge of Christian humanitarian activity took place. Church influence exploded. The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions had begun its historic work in 1810. The Yale Divinity School was founded in 1822. Trinity College was started in 1823 as an Episcopalian school and Wesleyan was chartered in 1831 as a Methodist institution. The Baptist Missionary Institute of Suffield was founded in 1835. The same year (1769) that Warham Williams, representing the "New Lights", succeeded Jonathan Merrick of the "Old Lights", James Watt had obtained a patent for his steam engine. A sea-change in commerce and industry was underway. In the United States protective tariffs were strengthened in 1816. Roads, canals and railroads were moving people and goods across vast distances. Water, steam and coal powered newly developed machinery and immigrants from Northern Europe were creating fresh demands. In Northford two events took place in 1812 that coincide with the sea-changes in commerce and industry elsewhere. The New Haven Middletown Turnpike became a 47. Maltby, A Sketch -- op. cit., 3. Page 27
reality, exposing the community to greater dimensions and visions. That was also the year in which, "The construction of the first four-wheel carriage in Connecticut is generally accredited to Maltby Fowler of Northford". 48 By 1844 wealth was being accummulated as remarked upon in Jonathan Maltby's letter; "---- at this time (1770) there were three carriages --. Now there may be more than fifty -- single & two horse carriages & coaches & perhaps one hundred wagons of all sorts. Then there were two sleighs, now numerous." 49 These words convey a sense of wonder or even awe at the increase in material wealth between his youth and manhood. By 1829 Maltby Fowler had given up his coopering trade and bought three acres of land on Stoney (Farm) River and with it the privilege of building a dam which powered the production of a variety of products until 1890. Included among those products were buttons of bone, wood, ivory, horn and pewter, as well as gimlets and rivets. Beginning in 1849 Frederick Fowler and the Bartholomew brothers, Francis and I. H., produced shiny, lightweight pots, pans, tumblers, pails, plates, candle sticks and similar household tin ware. Using water and steam power, as well as a dozen pieces of machinery, their twenty or thirty hands mass produced these items for shipments "to all parts of the country". 50 E. C. May in his Century of Silver stated "The tin shop of Northford in the 1850's was a vast improvement on the handicraft shop of the Pattison
Brothers of Berlin." 51 The 1870 Industrial Census identifies 15 pieces of machinery being used at this site by the Northford Manufacturing Company for the production of tinware. 52 Maltby Fowler had six inventive sons. Two in particular, DeGrasse and Thaddeus, "produced astonishingly varied inventions including a press for perforating tin, a machine for drawing out brass tubing, a screw machine which turned out 6,000 screws a minute, cigar and cigarette making machines which are still in use, a washing machine and a power press which was manufactured for many years in Middletown---a reaper and binder and other smaller or less successful inventions." 53 Two products developed by Thaddeus Maltby were of significant national
48. Osborn, Vol. IV., 203. 51. May, 125. 49. Maltby, A Sketch -- op. cit., 29. 52. Connecticut State Library. 50. Rockey, 78. 53. Osborn, Vol. IV, op. cit., 85.
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importance - the common pin and horseshoe nails. Between 1837 and 1842 he perfected his machinery for the mass production of the common pin. His patented machinery and that of Dr. John Howe of Derby, Connecticut for packaging of pins were ultimately combined, after some legal conflicts. The Scovil Manufacturing Company of Waterbury became the final beneficiary and the "dominant factor in the pin market". 54 Twenty years after perfecting his machinery for the production of the common pin, and before leaving the village of Northford, Thaddeus" ---- invented a machine for making horseshoe nails ----. These were manufactured in the Paug Manufacturing Company, located on Northford
Pond." 55 In 1865 the Fowler Nail Company began operations in Seymour, Connecticut. A branch operation, the Union Horse Nail Company, was begun in Chicago in 1874 and by 1920, operations were combined as the Fowler and Union Horse Nail Company in Buffalo. By 1936 the automobile had taken its toll on horses and the Capewell Manufacturing Company of
Hartford took over the assets of Thaddeus Fowler's legacy. 56 A contemporary of Thaddeus Fowler was E. Chapman Maltby whose coconut dipper hung on nearly every well in Connecticut. By 1867 he had converted the meat of the nut into a viable commercial product - "Preserved Cocoanut" for which he was given a patent. This product was awarded a first prize at Philadelphia's Centennial. An "enterprising New Yorker began manufacturing and selling huge quantities of shredded cocoanut" 57, when Chapman's father "refused to permit son, Chapman to make any legal movement to protest". 58 Otherwise, "Northford might have been today 'the shredded cocoanut capital of the world". 59 New York interests tried to persuade Chapman to join with them and to "go big time". His father, however, advised Chapman that a profit of $100 a day was quite adequate and that the offer should be refused. The Stevens family, though early colonists, did not arrive in Northford until 1869 from Quinnipiac. Their arrival, though late relative to the Fowlers and Maltbys, was equally significant from a commercial point of view. David S. Stevens quickly began
54. Osborn, Vol. IV, ibid 87. 57. May, op. cit., 126-127.
55. Plumley, 7. 58. ibid, 127. 56. The American Iron smith, 10- 59. ibid, 127.
11. Page 29
the production of knives, forks and spoons and when The International Silver Company was organized in 1898, the Stevens family maintained a leading role in its management. His sons, David Jr. and Henry formed a partnership to produce an endless variety of plain and fancy cards and by 1880 made Northford known as the Christmas card center of the world. 1848 – 1900 BACK TO THE FARM When in 1877 and 1886 the Reverends Pierce and Baldwin were extolling Northford's contributions to the national culture, its industrial strength had reached its zenith. E. C. May's Century of Silver states that, "While Meriden, Connecticut was struggling to make a name for itself as an industrial center, the village of Northford --- looked upon itself as a manufacturing metropolis destined for a shining place in Connecticut's industrial sun." 60 But even as its successes were being enjoyed, outside forces were preparing the demise of Northford's industrial economy. As early as 1848 plans projected an air line railroad between New York and Boston that " ---- would presumably lay its rails through the thriving manufacturing community of Northford". 61 But "in 1867 industrial Northford was shocked to observe that the railroad's right-of-way --- bypassed Northford ---- and that as late as 1890 white-painted trains ran at express speed over the air line between New York and Boston. But Northford, two miles off the line, called the white train 'ghost trains' - for Northford was already a ghost manufacturing town." 62 Selections from the town's assessment records portray this transition from farming to industry and back to farming: 1837 1876 1900 Manufactories 2 14 311 8 Neat Cattle (Oxen) 439 65 17 365 CarriagesIW agons 20 $13,61 4 Time Pieces 9 1 Bank Stock $2,400 $4,525 63
60. May, 120. 62. ibid, 131. 61. ibid, 131. 63. North Branford Town Assessor's Records. Page 30
In 1908 the total taxable estate for Northford was $187,380 or $13,000 less than in
1831. 64 To further illustrate the degree of decay and poverty which befell the village, records of the Congregational Church register the fact that after the disastrous church fire of December 23, 1906, annual meetings through 1920 took place primarily in homes-- 65 a reminder of 200 years earlier when the Reverend Samuel Russell provided services for the North Society in the private homes of the parishioners.
Gordon S. Miller May 1996
64. North Branford Town, ibid.
65. Northford Congregational Church Records, Vol. 2, 192 to 212. Page 31
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The American lronsmith, May, 1936. (Out of Print.)
Baldwin, The Reverend Elijah C., Branford Annals. 1700-1800. New Haven Historical Society Papers IV, New Haven, 1888.
Connecticut State Library, Ref. A317, 46/fc.
Connecticut State Register and Manual, 1978.
Dexter, Franklin Bowditch, Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College with Annals of the College History! 1907. Yale Alumni Records Office, New Haven.
Dexter, Franklin Bowditch, The Removal of Yale College to New Haven in October, 1716. Papers of The New Haven Colony Historical Society, IX (New Haven, 1918).
Kingsley, James L., Historical Discourse delivered by request before the citizens of New Haven, April 25, 1838, the two hundredth anniversary of the first settlement of the town and colony. B. & W. Noyes, New Haven, 1838.
Leavy, Margaret R., Looking for the Armenians. Eli Smith's Missionary Adventure. 1830-1831. Thompson-Shore, Inc., Dexter, Michigan 1992.
Leavy, Margaret R., The Making of a Missionary, Journal of The New Haven Colony Historical Society. Vol. 41/No. 2. Spring 1995.
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Maltby, George Ellsworth and Maltby, Georgia Ford (Morehouse). Family Record of the Maltby-Morehouse Family, The Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor Press, New Haven, Connecticut, 1895.
Maltby, The Reverend Jonathan. A Sketch of the Pilgrims -- and some of the Puritan fathers, who came to Branford and descendants, also of Northford and graduates of Yale College from that village with memoirs and miscellany by one of the graduates, New Haven, April 21st, 1844. Totoket Historical Society, Ref. 64-10-1.
May, Earl Chapman, Century of Silver. Robert M. McBride and Co., New York 1947.
Miller, Gordon S., The 1760's - A Turning Point in Colonial Life! papers of the Totoket Historical Society, North Branford, 1995.
Miller, Herbert C., M.D., The History of North Branford and Northford. Totoket Historical Society, 1982. Bacon Printing Company, Derby, Connecticut 1982.
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Northford Congregational Church Records, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3.
Osborn, Norris G., ed., History of Connecticut in Monographic Form, Vol. III: Protestant Church, Reverend John Calvin Goddard, The States History Co., New York, 1925.
Osborn, Norris G., ed., History of Connecticut in Monographic Form Vol. IV: Industrial History, George B. Chandler, The States History Co., New York, 1925.
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Pierce, The Reverend A. C., Days of Old. Historical discourse preached in the Congregational Church, Northford, Connecticut, October 8, 1876. New Haven: Punderson and Crisand Printers, 12 Center Street, 1877. Totoket Historical Society, Ref. 71-8-1.
Plumley, Lauretta, History of North Branford, 19th Century, Chapter Three. Totoket Historical Society, North Branford, Connecticut Files.
Rockey, J.L., Ed., History of New Haven County, Vol. II, W.W. Preston, New York, 1892.
Rogers, Medad, Diary, Bienecke Library, Yale University, Call Number Z36. 266.
Simonds, J. Rupert, A History of the First Church and Society of Branford, Connecticut. 1644-1919. The Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor Co., New Haven, Connecticut 1919.
Wheelock, Eleazar, Dartmouth College Archives, Hanover, New Hampshire. Ref. MSS. 771533.2.
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