The history of Glastonbury, Connecticut, from 1653 to 1853 chronicles an account of its schools, commerce, mills, and ecclesiastical societies. The author, Alonzo Bowen Chapin, balances the general history with personal narratives, making the reading engaging for individuals tracing their ancestry. The work provides valuable insights into the town’s development, the contributions of its early ministers, and the influences of religion and learning that shaped the community. Unfortunately, the work is limited in the depths of the genealogy presented.
Glastonbury for Two Hundred Years
The history of our Schools, our Commerce and Manufactures, our Mills, and the like, together with the account of the several Ecclesiastical Societies and their Ministers, since the Revolution.
Preface
In the preparation of a history like the present, the general, must of necessity take precedence of the particular. At the same time the more of personal and particular history that can be combined with the general, the more immediately and permanently interesting will it be to individuals. The author has endeavored, therefore, so to digest and arrange the materials before him, that the Town, its lands, its people and their occupations, should each receive a due share of attention. It would have given him pleasure to have been able to have enlarged the genealogical portion of his work, but this he could not do without extending it beyond the size deemed suitable for such a record. What he has given under this head, out of the abundance of the materials collected by himself, or kindly furnished by friends, will enable many of those who wish, to trace their ancestry, and to do it with much more readiness and ease than before. He trusts, too, that what he has given in regard to the ownership and division of lands, will not be without its interest and value to those who desire to trace the titles to their estates. And finally and chiefly, he hopes and prays that the history of the Fathers will operate a3 an incentive to the sons, to induce them to put forth still greater exertions in the cause for which our ancestors toiled, and suffered, and bled ; that religion and learning, the two corner-stones of the State, laid by our fathers, may arise and shine, because their light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon them.
Contents
- Character of the Country, p. 7
- Indian History and Sale, p. 9
- Purchase of Eastbury, p. 19
- Agreement, p. 24
- Settlement by the Whites, p. 25
- Rev. Henry Smith, 1641-1648, p. 32
- Rev. John Russell, 1650-1659, p. 35
- Military Organization East of the River, p. 37
- Rev. John Cotton, 1660-1663, p. 37
- Rev. Joseph Haynes, 1663-1664, p. 38
- Rev. Gershom Bulkley, 1666-1677, p. 39
- Residents in Wethersfield From 1634-1673, p. 42
- Rev. Joseph Rowlandson, 1677-1678, p. 47
- Rev. John Woodbridge, 1679-1691, p. 48
- Incorporation of Glastonbury, p. 50
- 1690 Petition to the General Court, p. 50
- Changes from 1690 to 1693, p. 51
- Rev. Timothy Stevens, 1693-1726, p. 52
- Name of the Town, p. 55
- General History of the Period, p. 57
- Growth of the Town, p. 58
- Grants of lands in Glastonbury, made in Town meeting,from 1692 to 1726, p. 59
- Rev. Shubel Woodbridge, 1728-1758, p. 68
- Incorporation of Eastbury, etc., p. 70
- Early Music, p. 76
- Burning and Building a Meeting House, p. 78
- Lands laid out during Mr. Woodbridge’s ministry from 1720-1758, p. 81
- Rev. John Eells, 1759-1791, p. 87
- Eastbury, p. 89
- Revolutionary Omens, p. 92
- The Revolution, p. 96
- Names of Persons who took oath of fidelity and who were known to have been in the Revolutionary War, p. 99.
- Citizens of Glastonbury who died in the Revolutionary War, p. 103
- A Retrospect on the Revolutionary War, p. 107
- Sanitary Measures, p. 108
- Birth of a Nation, p. 109
- Legislative Changes, p. 109
- Schools, p. 110
- Clerks of Schools, p. 111
- Second Society, p. 112
- Doings of Glastonbury School Society, p. 114
- Eastbury School Society Records, beginning at 1800, p. 120
- Academies, p. 123
- Manufactures and Commerce, p. 120
- Mills, p. 129
- Ministers of the Second Society from 1805-1853, p. 135
- St. Luke’s Church, Glastonbury, Episcopal, p. 136
- Congregational Church, South Glastonbury, p. 143
- The Methodists, p. 146
- East Glastenbury Methodists, p. 147
- South Glastonbury Methodists, p. 150
- Second Adventists, p. 151
- Baptists, p. 152
- General History, p. 152
- Deaths and Longevity, p. 153
- Floods, p. 153
- Amusements, p. 153
- Annual Elections, p. 154
- Seventeen-Year Locusts, p. 155
Appendix
Original Survey of Naubuc, with some genealogical account of the families possessing the farms, p. 159
Wyllis, Deming, Bates, Gildersleeve, Sherman, Rayner, Welles, Smith, Hale, Sherman, Talcott, Uffoot, Goodrich, Hubbard, Rose, Gibbs, Foote, Dickinson, Finch, Plum, Moseley, Thompson, Edwards, Kilborn, Coleman, Ferris, Whitmore, Robbins, Kimberly, Wright, Cooe, Boosie, Chester, Chaplin, Mitchel, Hollister, Treat, Waddams, Benjamin, Loveland,
Families Residing in Glastonbury when the first meeting house was built, (1693;) with a short genealogical account of the same, p. 188
Benton, Bidwell, Brewer, Brooks, Colt, Fox, Gaines, Goodrich, Gosling, Goslin, Hale, Hill, Hollister, House, Hubbard, Kilborn, Kimberly, Miller, Loveland, Smith, Streen, Stearne, Strickland, Welles, Wickham, Talcott, Treat, Trian, Trion, Tryon, Wright, Foote,
New Families Added from 1693-1713
Andrews, Bevin, Bigelow, Couch, Dickinson, Goodrich, Hodge, Judd, Keeney, Kilborn, Morley, Scott, Smith, Webster, Welden,
Notices of Families added between 1713 and 1757
Abby, Alger, Chamberlin, Dinsmore, Easton, Eddy, Finley, Goodale, Holden, Howe, Huxford, Keeney, Loomis, Matson, Miles, Neville, Nichols, Perrine, Plummer, Pratt, Risley, Root, Sellew, Skinner, Sparks, Stratton, Strong, Ward, Williams, Wheeler, Wyard, Ware,
Changes in the Orthography of Names, p. 201
In tracing the names of families and estates, it will often be found that great changes have taken place in the orthography of names, though the pronunciation may have remained nearly or quite the same. A knowledge of these changes is often indispensable in passing from generation to generation in order to connect them. The following are the principal ones which occur in our records.
List of Representatives, 1690-1853, p. 203
Town Clerks, 1692-1850, p. 209
Burying Grounds, p. 210
College Graduates, p. 213
Glastonbury Centennial Celebration, May 18, 1853, p. 219
Abbreviations Used, p. 252
Errata, p. 252
Source
Chapin, Alonzo Bowen; Glastenbury for two hundred years: a centennial discourse, May 18th, A. D. 1853; Hartford : Press of Case, Tiffany and company, 1853.