july / august 2009 - New London County Historical Society

NEW LONDON
COUNTY HISTORICAL
SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
JULY / AUGUST 2009
An 1828 Excursion from Norwich to Stonington
Transcription of the text of an unpublished manuscript in the Caulkins Collection. Transcribed by Nancy Steenburg.
[Frances Manwaring Caulkins wrote of
her trip from her home in Norwich to
Stonington on July 10, 1828 to view the
battle sites of the British attack on Stonington during the War of 1812. In 1828,
Caulkins was still the proprietor of Miss
Caulkins School, living with her mother,
Fanny Manwaring Caulkins Haven in
Norwich. Her half-brother Robert Haven whom they visited at Jesse Dean’s
house in Stonington was 20. Because
Caulkins says that “the whole household” went on the trip, it is clear that her
older sister Pamela Caulkins was absent
and that her half-brother Henry Haven,
age 13, was also not living with his
mother in 1828. The little sister who
accompanied Caulkins on her excursion
was Elizabeth Haven, Caulkins’s youngest half sibling.]
“W
e locked up the family mansion and the whole household, that is my mother, my little sister 8
years of age, and myself, started on an
excursion to Stonington to spend two or
three days at Mr. Jesse Dean’s with
whom my brother Robert was then living. Our traveling equipage was the
family chaise of our neighbor, Col. Elisha Tracy which with his horse named
by its owner “General Jackson” we had
hired for the occasion – a powerful but
very stubborn horse, scrawny in appearance, hard-mouthed with a dangerous
propensity to descend every hill with
lightning speed. It was really amusing
to see how he would prick up his ears
at the top of a long hill and betake himself to the downward plunge with such
evident glee. Pleasure is sympathetic,
and after a time I began myself to feel a
kind of terrific enjoyment in the tumultuous rackety descent of the stony
highlands that lay in our course, and
finding it useless to contend with The
General, let him have his own way.
“We crossed the Shetucket Bridge at
Norwich Landing and drove three
miles to the village of Poquetonnock,
lying upon a creek of the same name
running from the Thames. It is within
the bounds of Preston and forms an
agreeable center to the prospect from
the neighboring hills, especially when it
shows its neat church and has one or
two boats rowing or sailing in the
stream and its dot-like islands are green
with their summer foliage.
“At a certain distance all villages gratify
the eye. We dashed through Poquetonnock and toiled on over the crooked
hills, until at length a most delightful
valley opened before us. Here we beheld a river, a harbor, sloops and boats
gliding around, fairy islands scarcely a
rod in diameter, green with grass to the
water’s edge – a charming village with a
circuit of cultivated fields and verdant
meadows, and beyond these a fine
range of sheltering hills. We compelled
the old General to halt while we surveyed this beautiful scene in detail and
exhausted our vocabulary of admiration
on its glories. All was fair and fertile
except a range of rocks on the western
side, which I told my little sister to be
sure to remember for they must be
Porter’s Rocks, where Capt. John Mason lay with his 90 men, the night before attacking the Pequots in their fort,
which lay beyond, somewhere, upon a
hilltop. She said, yes, she would remember but she was afraid of Indians
and hoped we would not meet any.
“Resuming our course we passed over
a bridge and entered the village of Upper Mystic within the bounds of Stonington and about 12 miles from Norwich.
“After leaving this village we ascended
a high hill by a winding path and obtained another prospect more commanding and magnificent if not more
(Continued on page 5)
NEW LONDON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
1
“Ye Towne’s Antientest Buriall Place”
O
ne of New London’s
most widely-known residents is buried in the Antientest Burying Ground, to the left and
down the hill if you enter from Hempstead Street. Sarah Kemble Knight was
born in Boston, daughter of Thomas
Kemble and Elizabeth Trerice Kemble,
in 1666. She married Richard Knight,
and their daughter Elizabeth was born
in 1689.
Sarah Knight is best known for her
journal, written in 1704 and 1705 when
she took a trip from Boston to New
York and back. While it was not published in print in her lifetime, it was
written to be entertaining, and undoubtedly was shared in some form with her
friends once she returned to Boston.
Connecticut was very much a foreign
country to Mrs. Knight. She comments
on its laws, customs, and habits:
They are Govern’d by the same
Laws as wee in Boston, (or little
differing,). . . and many of them
good, Sociable people, and I hope
Religious too: but a little too much
Independant in their principalls. . .
Their Diversions in this part of the
Country are on Lecture days and
Training days mostly. . . And on
training days The Youth divert
themselves by Shooting at the Target. . . They generally marry very
young. . . And they Generally lived
very well and comfortably in their
famelies. But too Indulgent
(especially ye farmers) to their
slaves: . . .permitting ym to sit at
Table and eat with them. . .[the Indians] marry many wives and at
pleasure put them away. . .saying
stand away. . . And indeed those uncomely Stand aways are too much in
Vougue among the English in this
(Indulgent Colony) as their Records
plentifully prove. . .
2
Mother and Daughter
During this trip Mrs. Knight stayed with
the Rev. Mr. Gurdon Saltonstall both
going and coming, and on the way back
“stayed a day here Longer than I intended by the Commands of the Honble Governor Winthrop to stay and take
a supper with him whose wonderful
civility I may not omitt.” The next
morning she comments that she
“Crossed ye Ferry to Groton, having
had the Honor of the Company, of
Madam Livingston (who is the Govenors Daughter). . .” Madam Livingston
was the wife of Col. John Livingston, an
inhabitant of New London with a large
farm in what is now Uncasville.
Sarah Knight returned to Boston safely
and lived there for another ten years or
so. At some point (usually given as
1706) her husband died. She did not
remarry. Her journal, which is relatively
short (22 pages in the version I have), is
included in many anthologies of Puritan
writings and travel narratives.
Madam Livingston died a few years
later, in January of 1713. Oddly for that
time, she was not buried until over a
week after her death. Joshua Hempstead
records, Saturd 17 fair. . .& in ye aftern at
Madam Livingstons funerall who died last
Thursday Sevenight 8th Instant. He gives no
reason for the delay, and does not mention any extreme weather that would
account for it. Madam Livingston’s
grave is not marked.
Col. Livingston had remarried by February 14, 1714, when Hempstead notes
Colln Livingston & wife at meeting. His new
wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Richard
and Sarah Knight. So Sarah Knight
NEW LONDON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
moved to Southeastern Connecticut to
be near her daughter.
Mrs. Knight owned property in both
Norwich and the North Parish of New
London (now Montville). She presented a silver communion cup to the
Norwich Congregational Church in
1717, and was later a pew holder in the
North Parish church after it was organized in 1722. She also kept an inn
at the Livingston farm, which was on
the Norwich road. Col. Livingston had
been one of the four purchasers of the
land at Mohegan (not including the
reservation), and apparently had
money troubles. He first mortgaged,
then sold, the farm to Mrs. Knight. He
appears to have gone to England and
died in 1720. His meager estate was
probated in March of 1721.
Beginning in 1720 Joshua Hempstead
was involved in surveying and adjust(Continued on page 4)
New London County Historical Society
Incorporated 1870
Officers
Deborah Donovan, President
Nancy Steenburg, Vice President
Denis O’Brien, Treasurer
Board of Directors
2009
John Pendleton, Dean Macris
2010
Connie Plessman, Marilyn Davis
2011
Kevin Doyle, Roy Grimm, Joe Selinger
Staff
Edward Baker, Executive Director
Tricia Royston, Librarian
11 Blinman Street
New London, Connecticut 06320
860.443.1209
www.newlondonhistory.org
[email protected]
ISSN 1940-2074
NEWSLETTER
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
A
“Looking Forward”
s we approach the end of our fiscal year on August 31, our
board and staff are beginning to make plans for the upcoming year. First and
foremost on our work plan is the 2010 budget, which in these difficult times will be
getting leaner and meaner, if possible! The generous support of our members and
friends is always a big help with this aspect of maintaining a strong and relevant
historical society and we thank you, as always, for this support.
We are also planning our programming and publishing for next year, as well as some
wonderful updates to our house and garden and this is all much more fun than planning the budget, although successes in all areas will certainly strengthen our financial
position. More importantly however, our programs and our books and our house
are our main means of communicating the past, particularly the past of New London County, to our members and to the community at large.
You can help us with this planning and we would welcome your help. Kevin Doyle
is the very imaginative and capable chairman of our programming committee. I
chair the publishing committee, which is co-chaired by Past President, Pat Schaefer.
Marilyn Davis is our house committee chairman, ably assisted by Susan Munger our
head gardener extraordinaire. If you are interested in serving on any of these committees, please give Edward Baker a call. Meetings are held either monthly or every
other month, depending on activities and needs, in the Shaw Mansion. New and
creative ideas from our members would go far in making our committees more successful than ever!
We would also welcome volunteers who are willing to consider serving on our
Board of Directors. Board terms are for three years. Meetings are held every other
month for the full board. If you are a good organizer, with a sense of history, a willingness to pitch in to help guide the Historical Society in meeting its mission, please
contact me. I will be happy to fill you in on the details.
Southeastern Connecticut is full of interesting, smart, imaginative and committed
people who love this area of the world and its history – we hope that some of you
will be able to share this love by joining us in 2010. Thanks! We look forward to
hearing from you and to seeing you at one of our programs this summer and fall.
~Deborah Donovan
New and
Renewed
Members
Ron Hafer
Jamaica Plains, MA
Betty Ann Chapman
Groton
Hans F. Sowisch
New London
Genevieve Rafferty
New London
Ed Coats
Waterford
Norma Jeanne Huish
Thatcher, AZ
Liz Pety
Middletown
Missy Wolfe
Greenwich
Samuel G. Morrison
East Lyme
Mrs. Helen McGuire
New London
Shawn Hathaway
Waterford
Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Childs
Niantic
Mrs. Eleanor B. Read
Mystic
Henry Moeller
Hampton Bays, NY
Marion Sandalls
New London
Barbara L. De Mare
Englewood, NJ
Scott Andrew Bartley
W. Roxbury, MA
Philip R. Brown, Jr.
Tabernacle, NJ
Marian Dickson
Jacksonville, FL
Robert D. Calkins
Waltham, MA
Mrs. Patricia P. Sikes
Pensacola, FL
Linda N. Patterson
Fair Haven, NJ
Rob Waller
Niantic
Crystal Cooper
Gladstone, OR
Bernice C. Joseph
Goleta, CA
Louise Bea
San Francisco, CA
Walter & Nancy Pochorena East Lyme
Pete Reynolds
Uncasville
Matthew LaConti
Old Lyme
Shelley & Bill White
Stonington
Elizabeth Beckwith McKamey Pine City, NY
Dorothy A. Downey
Virginia Beach, VA
Darlene Livermore
Mystic
Judith G. Du Pont
Mystic
Don Warrin
Berkeley, CA
Contributing
Mary E. Baker
New London
Sustaining
Candy & Frank McNally
Michael Kane
N. Kingston, RI
Groton
NEW LONDON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
3
Mother and Daughter (continued)
(Continued from page 2)
ing boundaries for Mrs. Knight, who
purchased more land in the same general
area and appeared to have had a dispute
over it with Sampson Haughton. It took
the committee of negotiators over a
year, but Hempstead could finally record
Thursd 2d (March 1727). . . aftern I was
with the Committee for ye proprieters yt Sold ye
Land to Sampson Haughton. . . accommodating the Difference between them & Ms Knight
wch wee at Last Effected & wee all advanced
7s 6d a peice toward the Accommodation &
Sampson pd 5 more. In June the County
Court reimbursed them 14s 6d each.
The boundaries of Mrs. Knight’s new
land at Cold Spring Hill, formerly Comstock’s farm, had finally been settled in
May. On September 25 Hempstead
notes laconically, I was at Samll foxes al
day Dividing [his estate] & Ms Knight died.
He attended her funeral the next day.
Mrs. Knight’s estate was inventoried in
April of 1729. The only properties were
the two North Parish farms,
Livingston’s and Comstock’s (each apparently had a mill on it). She no longer
owned the house in Norwich. The property was worth £1600, and the rest of
the estate, which included nine pairs of
sheets, seven tablecloths, and eighteen
chairs, was valued at £250 16s. Of that,
£52 was the time remaining for her
manservant, 13 years at £4 per year.
Elizabeth Livingston inherited her
mother’s estate, and sold the combined
farm to a Stephen Harding, of Warwick,
RI. She died March 17, 1736, with an
Appoplex as Hempstead put it, aged 47.
He was one of her pallbearers, and
bought a “screwtore” (escritoire), or
writing desk, from her estate.
4
The gravestones of the
mother and daughter are
quite different. Sarah
Knight’s is a small, gray
granite upright stone. It
appears to be one of the
stones decorated by John
Hartshorne (see the first
article in this series in the March 2009
newsletter). Slater attributes the lettering on Hartshorne stones in this area to
Joshua Hempstead, but Hempstead
does not specifically record doing Mrs.
Knight’s stone.
Elizabeth Livingston’s stone is much
grander. It is a table stone, with four
legs holding up a large sandstone slab.
Unfortunately, between the softness of
the sandstone and the horizontal surface, it is now very difficult to make out
any of the lettering. The inscription
originally read: “Inter’d under this
stone is the body of Mdm Elizabeth
Livingstone, Relict of Col. John Livingstone of New London, who departed
this life March 17th, A. D. 1735-6, in
the 48th year of her age.” The stones
are right next to each other.
~ Patricia M. Schaefer
NEW LONDON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
References:
Caulkins, Frances Manwaring, The History of New London, Connecticut to 1860.
New London, CT: New London
County Historical Society, 2007.
Hempstead, Joshua, The Diary of Joshua
Hempstead, 1711-1758. New London,
CT: New London County Historical
Society, 1999.
Knight, Sarah, “The Journal of Madam
Knight” in The Puritans: A Sourcebook of
Their Writings, Vol. 2, edited by Perry
Miller and Thomas M. Johnson. New
York: Harper Torchbooks, 1963 reprint
of 1938 edition.
Slater, James A., The Colonial Burying
Grounds of Eastern Connecticut and the Men
Who Made Them. Connecticut Academy
of Arts and Sciences, 1996. Revision of
1987 edition.
An 1828 Excursion from Norwich to Stonington (continued)
beautiful than that on the other side of
the river. On the west is the delightful
vale of Mystic, the whole course of the
river with the village and bridge at its
head and the bay at its mouth embosoming a group of islands embraced within
one view, with the Sound and Fisher’s
Island lying upon the horizon. On the
Southeast is a diversified scene of hill and
valley, stretching to the Sound where
there are numerous points and various
bays and creeks indenting the shore with
white sails flitting by upon the blue waters. This hill I have since learned is
called by its Indian name Quoketog and
the handsome stone mansion upon its
summit belongs to Elias Brown, Esq.
“In the evening I had a great historical
time with the brothers Dean. One of
them is the town clerk and well informed in the town’s history. They
described to me the first settlement of
the place going back to 1658 or 59
when they said two men, Chesebrough
and Stanton, lived on opposite sides of
a certain creek and placed stepping
stones across so as to be able to visit
each other. The stones still remain.
The records of the town go back to
1664. Capt. George Denison was one
of the first settlers. Mr. Dean says that
there were 3 George Denisons and the
wife of each lived to be 90 years or
more.”
obliged to retreat the next day. He
then went home for a short time to
refresh himself and change his apparel. His friends, he said, scarcely
recognized him. He had lost his hat,
his hair was knotted, his face smutted
with smoke, and his garments sprinkled with blood. He had stood next
to the young man who was wounded
and supported him in his arms to a
place of safety.”
[Caulkins visited the lighthouse at
Stonington Point, and she visited the
widow Hall’s house and saw the
houses that had preserved the holes
made by cannon balls from the attack
by HMS Rose in the American Revolution. Mr. Dean said that the Rose had
[Caulkins then included a description of gotten closer than the Dispatch.]
“We arrived at Mr. Dean’s about 1
the attack on Stonington by the Rose,
o’clock P.M. and met with a hearty wel“Still another memorial was pointed
including the exchange of notes become from the two Mr. Deans, James
tween Capt. Oliver Smith and the Brit- out to me. On top of one of the gate
and Jesse, their sister, and our brother
ish Captain Wallace, saying that Mr.
posts of a house in town an immense
Dean had the original notes and she
Robert.
iron ball was fixed. It was hollow
was able to read them.]
within and was one of the bomb shells
“This is an ancient farm house – an enor“July 11. Mr. Dean drove me to Stonthat was fired against the town. On
mous rock, large enough for a fort, stands
ington Point and with patient kindness
one side it was inscribed, ‘Bomb ship
in front of it at a distance of 2 or 3 rods,
exhibited and explained to me everyTerror, Aug. 10, 1814, W 215 lbs.’ On
effectively shutting off the prospect on
thing curious and interesting that came
the other side, ‘Stonington will be dethat side. I gazed on this mass of granite
our way. We crossed a stone bridge
fended while its heroes have one canwith admiration – a mighty gray boulder,
known as Quonaduck or Pine Point
non ball.’
20 feet through in every direction. The
Bridge and visited a range of salt works.
first of the Stonington Deans settled
The water was evaporated in large,
“July 12. The most interesting place I
upon the spot and built, they tell me, this
shallow troughs, leaving the salt bevisited this day was the ancient Convery house – the timbers and form being
hind.
gregational meeting house at a place
the same though enlarged and repaired by
successive generations. The first James
“At the point we visited the spot where familiarly called ‘The Road.’ It is
nearly in the center of the town, and
Dean was a blacksmith, invited by the
stood the battery so famous at the
roads from various quarters converge
young town to settle in their midst and
bombardment of the place in August
receiving this farm as a bonus to encour- 1814. It was now covered with lumber towards it. The pews are attained by
age him in the enterprise. Truly, when I
and all the confused materials of a ship an ascent of two or three steps. The
gallery floors are left slanting like
walked over it and saw its hard and rough yard. Mr. Jesse Dean was himself one
roofs, instead of being platforms with
surface, its rocks, ledges, and hills, I could of the gallant 20 who manned the batnot value very highly the blacksmith’s
tery when the firing commenced at eve- steps so that you ascend from the
lower to the higher diagonally, and
premium. This first Dean, they say, had 6 ning August 9th and never left his post
there is no place where you can put
sons all over six feet in height.
till the Dispatch was crippled and
NEW LONDON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
5
1828 Excursion (continued)
Launching the new Website
your foot on an even plane. The gallery
windows are so high that to look out
one must mount upon the upper tier of
seats. The prospect, however, pays for
the trouble. A huge sounding board
overhangs the pulpit. An iron frame,
rusty and creaking on its hinges, hangs at
the left side of the pulpit to support a
candlestick. I have never seen a meeting
house so utterly devoid of beauty, taste,
and comfort, and yet it had a dignified
and respectable air. Hard and stern as it
was, it filled the mind with solemnity,
and I gave it a backward look of awe
and veneration.
he weekend of the 4 of July will
bring another historic event for the
society as we launch our new website.
Still at www.newlondonhistory.org, the
site has been reformatted in appearance
and broadened in content.
“July 13. We returned home.”
[Long hidden in a box labeled
“Caulkins’s Miscellaneous Genealogical
Notes,” this manuscript was recently
found by Nancy Steenburg in her efforts
to read everything in our collection that
was written by Miss Caulkins. From her
interviews with the Stonington defenders only fourteen years after the fact,
Caulkins wrote a lengthy article describing the 1814 Battle of Stonington. We
intend to publish the Caulkins article at a
later date, certainly in time for the bicentennial of the event.]
T
Joshua Hempstead has a BLOG on the
site where on a weekly basis some new
insight will be added. Following some
rough seasonality, entries from the diary
from different years are used as a jumping off point for short essays. You can
even write back!
You can also view many of the photographs of New London in our collection. Supported by a grant from the
Connecticut Humanities Council, we
will be adding images from other local
collections in a new community portal
to New London history.
An online store will make it possible
for you, and anyone, to purchase
books through the website.
We are planning a “members only”
section to the site, where useful content will be easily accessible to anyone
with a password. Imagine the subject
index from A Useful Friend always
available at your computer; although
we may wait until the book is sold out
before adding this feature.
New content will be added on a regular basis; you can subscribe using an
RSS feed which sends you an email
when new material is added.
Our thanks to Tina DuBosque for her
many years of website updates! And to
Joel Bergeron and Trish LaPoint for
their creative additions.
Goodbye Heather — Hello Alissa
Heather Tichenor has been our Museum Educator through two
periods punctuated by her husband’s transfer with his ship to
Norfolk. Now that he is heading to return to a doctoral program
in Medieval History, Heather has also returned to Toronto, Ontario. We will certainly miss her.
This summer we will be assisted by intern Alissa Peterson, from
Minnesota, who has just received her degree as a Master of Applied Historical Research from Boise State University in Idaho.
We Need—Can you help?

An electrician who can
work on the low-voltage
outdoor lighting
 A strong upright vacuum
cleaner (used is ok) but it
needs a good beater-bar
 A new first aid kit
6
NEW LONDON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
Books available from the New London County Historical Society
The Amistad Incident as Reported in the New London Gazette & General Advertiser. (NLCHS)
$5
The History of the Amistad Captives. (NLCHS)
$10
A reproduction of a pamphlet by JW Barber, 1840.
Black Roots in Southeastern Connecticut, 1650-1900 by Barbara Brown and Dr. James Rose (NLCHS)
This republished book is a milestone in genealogical research of African Americans and Native Americans in New London County.
$35
The Diary of Joshua Hempstead 1711-1758. (NLCHS)
$75
For Oil and Buggy Whips: Whaling Captains of New London County, Connecticut by Barnard Colby
$18
Revised 1999. Personal journal serves as fascinating and invaluable account of Connecticut life in early 18th century.
Biographical sketches of local whaling captains document New London’s role in this industry.
Greetings from New London (NLCHS)
$10
Life on a Whaler by Nathaniel W. Taylor (NLCHS)
$25
Collection of early 20th-century postcards from our archives.
Story of Taylor’s two-year Antarctic voyage as physician aboard New London’s Julius Caesar (1851-53).
A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture. (NLCHS)
Autobiography of former slave Venture Smith, originally published in 1798. NLCHS facsimile of 1897 edition.
Tapestry: A Living History of the Black Family in Southern Connecticut by Dr. J.M. Rose and B.W. Brown
An introduction to the role of African Americans in early New England history. Contains genealogies. (NLCHS)
The Colonial Burying Grounds of Eastern Connecticut by James A. Slater.
Fully illustrated with photographs, this book provides a description of and maps the burial grounds of eastern Connecticut.
Common to this Country: Botanical Discoveries of Lewis & Clark by Susan Munger.
Illustrated volume exploring plants discovered by Lewis and Clark on their westward expedition.
The Day Paper by Gregory N. Stone.
$5
$5
$40
$23
$30
History of New London’s award-winning daily newspaper.
In the Footsteps of George Washington by William G. Clotworthy.
A guidebook to Washington sites along the East Coast, including the Shaw Mansion.
Murder of Mayhem? – Benedict Arnold’s New London, Connecticut Raid, 1781 by Dr. Walter L. Powell.
Excellent research in a small readable format.
History of New London, Connecticut: from the first survey of the coast in 1612 to 1860 by Frances Caulkins
With a new introduction and a revised index 2007 (NLCHS).
$25
$10
$60
Peter Strickland: New London Shipmaster, Boston Merchant, First Consul to Senegal by Stephen Grant
$18
Leviathan The History of Whaling in America by Eric Jay Dolin
$28
A New London connection to maritime trade with Africa at the end of the 19th century.
A good one-volume history of an important local maritime enterprise.
A USEFUL FRIEND—A Companion to the Joshua Hempstead Diary 1711-1758 by Patricia Schaefer (NLCHS)
A truly useful resource guide, if you have the Diary, you should have this book; includes a subject index to the Diary.
History of Norwich, Connecticut: from its possession by the Indians to the year 1866 by Frances Caulkins
With a new introduction and a new index 2009 (NLCHS).
These Images of America titles available from NLCHS
New London
New London Firefighting
Reinventing New London
Naval Submarine Base New London
Lighthouses and Life Saving along the Connecticut
and Rhode Island Coast
Groton
Groton Revisited
Mystic
$20
$20
$20
$20
$20
$20
$20
$20
Members Receive a 10% Discount.
If ordering by mail, please add $5 shipping and handling for the first four books
and $1 for each additional book.
$25
$60