History of the Town of Cornwall Connecticut

This manuscript is a collection of excerpts from the historical records of Cornwall, Connecticut. It chronicles a multifaceted view of the town's life across several centuries. Key themes include the town's early colonial organization—starting with the 1731 order to lay out townships—detailed descriptions of its geography and local landmarks like Rugij Hill and Mine Mountain, and its ecclesiastical history, which chronicles the formation and sometimes contentious pastorships of the Congregational churches. The document also highlights Cornwall's involvement in major national events, such as the Revolutionary War, noting the service of soldiers like Tom, and provides many biographical and family sketches of early residents. Finally, the records touch on social life, including early clothing, farming practices, and the noteworthy presence of a Foreign Mission School that educated international and Native American students.

Contents

Part I

  • Historical Record, page 5
  • Survey of the Town of Cornwall, page 6
  • Natural Conditions of Cornwall, page 19
  • Minerals and Mining, page 20
  • Chichester's Ferry, page 22
  • Dress One Hundred Years Ago, page 23
  • Indians, page 23
  • Tom Warrups, page 24
  • Farming and Farmers, page 25
  • The Farmers' Club, page 27
  • Foreign Mission School, page 29
  • Cream Hill Agricultural School, page 39
  • The Adelphic Institute, page 39
  • School of W. C. and Miss L. Rogers, page 40
  • Noah and Burton Hart's School, page 40
  • The Young Ladies' Institute, page 40
  • The Alger Institute, page 41
  • Historical Sketches of the Churches of Cornwall, Connecticut, page 42
  • History of the First Congregational Church of Cornwall, page 94
  • History of North Cornwall Church and Society, page 98
  • History of the Second Congregational Church of Cornwall, page 120
  • Sketch of Church Erection at North Cornwall, page 170
  • Cornwall Hollow, page 177
  • Soldiers of the Revolution, page 205
  • Shay's Rebellion, page 211
  • Col. Ethan Allen, page 212
  • Gen. Hiram Swift, page 213
  • Capt. John Jeffers, page 214
  • Hon. Oliver Burnham, page 216
  • Jacob Scoville, page 219
  • Cornwall Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, page 221
  • Soldiers Buried in the Cemetery at Cornwall, page 225
  • List of State Representatives from Cornwall, 1762-1878
  • Manufacturers and Mechanics, page 236
  • Crimes and Casualties, page 239
  • Records of Early and Present Residents in Cornwall, page 241
    • The Douglas Family, page 241
    • The Wadsworth Family, page 243
    • Joshua Pierce, page 244
    • Dr. Jonathan Hurlburt, page 245
    • Mathew Millard, page 246
    • Samuel Messenger, page 246
    • George Holloway, page 246
    • The Emmons Tavern, page 247
    • Whipping-Post and Stocks, page 249
    • John Clothier, page 250
    • Samuel Abbott, page 251
    • Thomas Tanner, page 251
    • Jethro Bonney, page 251
    • The Burnham Family, page 252
    • Dr. Russell, page 252
    • Ebenezer Sherwood, page 252
    • Timothy Cole, page 252
    • Jonathan Squires, page 252
    • The Rugg Family, page 253
    • The Johnson Family, page 253
    • The Carter Family, page 254
    • The Dibble Family, page 258
    • The Scoville Family, page 258
    • The Wickwire Family, page 261
    • The Wheaton Family, page 261
    • The Rogers Family, page 261
    • The Pratt Family, page 267
    • The Brewster Family, page 272
    • The Jones Family, page 272
    • The Beirce Family, page 273
    • The Clark Family, page 273
    • The Cotter Family, page 275
    • The Baldwin Family, page 275
    • The Calhoun Family, page 276
    • The Birdseye Family, page 277
    • The Andrews Family, page 277
    • William Watson, page 278
    • Edward Warren, page 278
    • Sarah Parkhill, page 278
    • Israel Ward, page 278
    • Samuel James, page 278
    • Timothy Langdon, page 278
    • Ebenezer Baldwin, page 278
    • The Ives Family, page 278
    • The Dean Family, page 280
    • Ensign Nathan Millard, page 280
    • The Rexford Family, page 281
    • The Prindle Family, page 281
    • The Judson Family, page 281
    • The Reed Family, page 282
    • The Marsh Family, page 282
    • The Stoddard Family, page 283
    • The Mallory Family, page 283
    • The Smith Family, page 284
    • The Gold Family, page 284
    • The Everest Family, page 298
    • The Harrison Family, page 298
    • The Bradford Family, page 303
    • The Crandall Family, page 304
    • The Chandler Family, page 304
    • The Kellogg Family, page 304
    • The Hart Family, page 305
    • The Adams Family, page 312
    • The Beers Family, page 313
    • The Sedgwick Family, page 315
    • The Shepard Family, page 319
    • The North Family, page 320
    • The Webb Family, page 320
    • John T. Andrews, page 320
  • Public Schools, page 327
  • The Chapel at West Cornwall, page 329
  • Physicians, page 332
  • List of Soldiers Killed in Battle who died of wounds or disease, 1862-1865, page 332
  • Recent Citizens, page 333
  • Cemeteries, page 334

Part II

  • The Foreign Mission School, page 341
    • List of Teachers, page 346
    • List of Pupils, page 346
  • History of the First Church, page 352
  • History of the Second Church, page 353
  • East Cornwall Baptist Church, page 359
  • Indians of Cornwall, page 361
  • The Moravians at Scatacook, page 362
  • The Indian Trail from Litchfield to Weatogue (Salisbury), page 364
  • College Land, page 365
  • Pesthouse, page 366
  • Slaves, page 367
  • Cemeteries, page 368
  • The Cornwall Village Improvement Society, page 368
  • The Cornwall Library Association, page 369
  • The Beers Bequest, page 371
  • West Cornwall Library Association, page 32
  • Library of Rev. Hezekiah Gold, page 373
  • The Cornwall School, page 374
  • Population of Cornwall, page 375
  • Weeds and Bushes, page 377
  • Roads, page 379
  • Country Stores, Post-Offices, and Industries, page 380
  • The J. Mallinson Shear Co., page 383
  • Feldspar Mine, page 384
  • Cornwall State Representatives, 1879-1903/4, page 384
  • Cornwall State Senators, 1790-1899, page 384
  • Cornwall Ministers, page 385
  • Cornwall Lawyers, page 387
  • Cornwall Physicians, page 388
  • College Graduates from Cornwall, page 389
  • Genealogical Notes and Person History, page 389
    • The Andrews Family, page 389
    • The Calhoun Family, page 401
    • The Gold Family, page 404
    • The Sedgwick Family, page 423
    • The Everest Family, page 423
    • The Wadsworth Family, page 424
    • The Rogers Family, page 424
    • The Harrison Family, page 427
    • The Smith Family, page 429
    • The Pratt Family, page 431
    • The Scoville Family, page 433
    • The Brewster Family, page 434
    • The Wickwire Family, page 435
    • The Nettleton Family, page 436
    • The Hart Family, page 437
    • The Clarke Family, page 439
    • The Patterson Family, page 441
    • The Sherwood Family, page 444
    • The Bonney Family, page 445
    • The Baldwin Family, page 445
    • The Birdseye Family, page 449
    • The Wheaton Family, page 449
    • The Allen Family, page 449
    • The Marsh Family, page 450
    • The Skiff Family, page 450
    • The Kellogg Family, page 451
    • The Swift Family, page 451
    • The Lewis Family, page 451
    • The Whitney Family, page 452
    • The Miner-Johnson Family, page 453
    • The Dibble Family, page 453
    • The Nickerson Family, page 454
    • The Cochrane Family, page 455
    • The Hewitt, Johnson, and Ives Family, page 455
    • The Mallinson Family, page 456
    • The Beck and Volmiller Family, page 457
    • The Memmott Family, page 457
    • The Fritz Family, page 457
    • The Cook Family, page 458
    • The Yutzler Family, page 458
    • The Thompson Family, page 458
    • The Listman Family, page 459
    • The Kahler Family, page 459
    • The Sedgwick Family, page 460
  • Corrections for First Edition, page 466

Appendix

  • 75th Anniversary of the Building of the Meeting House at North Cornwall, page 469
  • Personal Estimate of Rev. Samuel Scoville, page 478
  • Index, page 485
  • Funeral Services of Gen. John Sedgwick, Cornwall, 23 pages
  • Memorial Day Exercises in Memory of Gen. John Sedgwick, Cornwall, May 30, 1892, 35 pages

Preface

The importance of preserving in permanent form the incidents in the history of every community has induced me to gather the materials for this volume. No one untried in such work is aware of the difficulties encountered in collecting unpublished facts.

My honored father, Dr. Samuel W. Gold, in his advanced years undertook this work, and I shall confine myself mostly to editing his papers, adding such historical discourses as present our life in its home details, omitting in large degree what the sons of Cornwall have done in national affairs, as finding its appropriate place in national history.

Of course this implies some repetition, but it is better to give original records than to trust to reorganizing them, for thus much of their peculiar value will be destroyed. If undue prominence appears to have been given to any events, we must remember that they were not considered as small by the actors in them, and perhaps may thence derive some useful lessons for personal application.

I have solicited full details of family histories, and have waited a year for such documents. Too few have been presented. The leanness of this department is due to the neglect of those who ought to feel most interest.

Preface to 2nd Edition

This contains all the printed matter of the first edition, 1877, and correction of errors found in the same. Part second has been made up on the same plan as the first — largely from papers collected from those best qualified to give facts, especially the Rev. E. C. Starr — rather than fused and colored by the compiler; also an appendix. Some repetition exists in Part 2d, but this has been avoided as much as possible.

In the appendix will be found: Major-General John Sedgwick's funeral sermon, by Rev. Charles Wetherby, May 15, 1864; sermon of Rev. Dwight M. Pratt, in memory of Rev. Samuel Scoville, North Cornwall Church, Aug. 24, 1902.

The good words we have received for the first edition have induced us to make this second effort in recording events of the past and present.

Illustrations

Rev Dwight Mallory Pratt of Cornwall, Connecticut
John C. Calhoun of Cornwall, Connecticut
Theodore Sedgwick Gold of Cornwall, Connecticut
Rev. Samuel Scoville of Cornwall, Connecticut
Rev John A R Rogers of Cornwall, Connecticut
Maj-Gen John Sedgwick of Cornwall, Connecticut
Dea. Ezra Dwight Pratt of Cornwall, Connecticut
Foreign Mission School, Cornwall, Connecticut
Monument Major-General John Sedgwick in Cornwall, Connecticut
Monument at Grave of Gen John Sedgwick, at Cornwall Hollow

Surnames

Abbott, Adams, Allen, Andrew, Andrews, Baldwin, Beck, beers, Bierce, Birdseye, Bonney, Bradford, Brewster, Burnham, Calhoun, Carter, Chandler, Clark, Clarke, Clothier, Cochrane, Cole, Cook, Cotter, Crandall, Dean, Dibble, Douglas, Emmons, Everest, Fritz, Gold, Harrison, Hart, Hewitt, Holloway, Hurlburt, Ives, James, Johnson, Jones, Judson, Kahler, Kellogg, Langdon, Lewis, Listman, Mallinson, Mallory, Marsh, Memmott, Messenger, Millard, Miner, Nettleton, Nickerson, North, Parkhill, Patterson, Pierce, Pratt, Prindle, Reed, Rexford, Rogers, Rugg, Russell, Scoville, Sedgwick, Shepard, Sherwood, Skiff, Smith, Squires, Stoddard, Swift, Tanner, Thompson, Vonmiller, Wadsworth, Ward, Warren, Warrups, Watson, Webb, Wheaton, Whitney, Wickwire, and Yutzler.

Source

Gold, Theodore Sedgwick, Historical records of the town of Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut, 2nd Edition, Hartford, Conn. : The Case, Lockwood & Brainard company, 1904.

Collection


Surnames:

Abbott, Adams, Allen, Andrew, Andrews, Baldwin, Beck, Beers, Bierce, Birdseye, Bonney, Bradford, Brewster, Burnham, Calhoun, Carter, Chandler, Clark, Clarke, Clothier, Cochrane, Cole, Cook, Cotter, Crandall, Dean, Dibble, Douglas, Emmons, Everest, Fritz, Gold, Harrison, Hart, Hewitt, Holloway, Hurlburt, Ives, James, Johnson, Jones, Judson, Kahler, Kellogg, Langdon, Lewis, Listman, Mallinson, Mallory, Marsh, Memmott, Messenger, Millard, Miner, Nettleton, Nickerson, North, Parkhill, Patterson, Pierce, Pratt, Prindle, Reed, Rexford, Rogers, Rugg, Russell, Scoville, Sedgwick, Shepard, Sherwood, Skiff, Smith, Squires, Stoddard, Swift, Tanner, Thompson, Vonmiller, Wadsworth, Ward, Warren, Warrups, Watson, Webb, Wheaton, Whitney, Wickwire, Yutzler,

Topics:

Civil War, Congregational church, Genealogy, History, Revolutionary War,

Locations:

Cornwall Connecticut, Litchfield County CT,

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