Windham, Windham County, Connecticut History
The town of Windham, one of the smallest in geographical size, but the
largest in population, wealth and business importance, occupies the
extreme southwest corner of Wind ham county. Its area is about two and
three-fourths square miles. The beautiful valley of the Willimantic river
extends along the southern part, entering at the extreme western point and
leaving at the southeastern corner. This river affords abundant water
power for many factories, and to this circum stance is due the building up
and prosperity of the town. The Natchaug, a considerable stream, joins it
a short distance east of the borough limits of Willimantic. Back from the
river the town is broken into successive ridges of hills, rising about two
hundred feet above the general level of the intervening valleys. Besides
the borough of Willimantic, in the southwest part, the smaller villages of
North Windham in the northern part, South Windham in the southern part and
Windham in the central part, are in this town. Otherwise the surface of
the town is mostly covered with forest growth which affords some valuable
timber. The agricultural interests of the town are not prominent. The New
York & New England railroad extends through the western and northern parts
and the Providence Division and the New London Northern run along the
Willimantic valley in the southern part. The geographical size of the
original town of Windham has been greatly diminished by the formation of
the towns of Scotland, Hampton and Chaplin.
The acquisition of the Indian title to the territory occupied by Windham
has been set forth in a previous chapter so fully that it will only be
necessary here to repeat that the territory in question was a gift by will
of the Indian Joshua to sixteen gentlemen of Norwich, who were intrusted
with the business of settling a plantation upon it. The first settlement
upon it is said to have been made by one John Cates, an English refugee,
in the autumn of 1688. From that, settlement progressed slowly for three
years, when there were upon the tract about thirty settlers. None of the
men named in the bequest, however, became actual settlers. In the autumn
of 1691 application was made for a town charter, but the grant was not
immediately made. In the following spring, however, the petition was
granted, the general court of Connecticut on the 12th of May, 1692,
enacting that township privileges be granted to the petitioners, and that
the town should be called Windham. These petitioners were Joshua Ripley,
John Cates, Jeremiah Ripley, Jonathan Crane, Joseph Huntington, William
Backus, Jonathan Ginnings, Thomas Huntington, Richard Hendee, John Backus
and John Larrabee.
Under the new charter the first public town meeting was- held June 12th,
1692. By this time four more had been added to the eleven just named.
These were John Fitch, who had recently removed to the Hither-place, and
Jonathan Hough, Samuel Hide and John Royce, who had established a
settlement in the distant Ponde-place. At the first town meeting Joshua
Ripley was chosen town clerk; Jeremiah Ripley, Jonathan Crane and Jonathan
Hough, townsmen; Thomas Huntington and John Royce, surveyors; Joseph
Huntington, Jonathan Hough, Samuel Hide and John Fitch, to lay out
highways. A committee was also appointed to carry on negotiations with a
minister in regard to settlement among them.
Previous to the settlement of a minister Mr. Jabez Fitch officiated as
religious leader. The house of Mr. John Fitch, the latest and probably the
best built house in the settlement, was selected to be the meeting house
until other provision should be made. The town ordered that it be
fortified and a lean-to built, " every man doing his share of the
fortification." During the summer of 1692 several new inhabitants removed
to the Ponde-place, and considerable progress was made in that settlement,
and altogether the growth of the settlement was such that at its town
meeting May 30th, 1693, the list of approved inhabitants numbered
twenty-two: Their, names were: Joshua Ripley, Jonathan Crane, Jonathan
Ginnings (or Jennings), Joseph Huntington, Thomas Huntington, William
Backus, John Backus, John Larrabee, Thomas Bingham, John Rudd, Jeremiah
Ripley, John Cates, Richard Hendee, James Birchard, Jonathan Hough, Samuel
Hide, John Royce; Samuel Birchard, Robert Wade, Peter Crosse, Samuel
Linkon and John Arnold.
Of these twenty-two inhabitants the last eight had settled at the Ponde-place,
all others except John Larrabee (who kept the ferry between the two
settlements) being residents of the Hitherplace or southeast quarter.
Thomas Bingham, who had-removed from Norwich with a large family of sons
and daughters, was an important acquisition to Windham. He purchased, in
March, 1693, Captain John Mason's first lot at the southeast quarter,
being then about fifty years old. His oldest daughter, Mary, had married
John Backus the previous summer. John Arnold had been a schoolmaster in
Norwich, and was one of the most intelligent and influential of the Ponde-place
settlers. Samuel and James Birchard were the sons of John Birchard, one of
the Norwich legatees. Improvements and accommodations kept pace with the
increase of population. Great care was taken to provide for the Ponde-place
people. Sign posts were ordered against William Backus' house at the
Hither-place, and Samuel Hide's at the Ponde-place. A public pound was
provided and burying grounds were laid out, one at each settlement.
Jonathan Ginnings and the Ripleys were granted the privilege of setting up
a saw mill at No-man's-acre Brook."
During that summer (1693) it was determined that the dividing line between
the settlers in the wilderness from Hartford and from Norwich should be
the Willimantic river, the Norwich people holding on the east of it and
the Hartford people holding on the west of it. In December the town passed
regulations in regard to fences, cattle, swine, timber and the warning of
town meetings. In the following spring we have the first record of the
lay-out of a highway. This was ordered through Peter Crosse's division,
extending from the Ponde-place to the Willimantic river near the falls.
The meadows in this vicinity furnished the Windham settlers with a great
part of their hay, and to facilitate its conveyance this highway was
ordered " four rods wide from the hill to the river, seven rods wide down
to the meadow and four rods wide between meadow and fence." Twelve acres
below the falls were allowed to Mr. Crosse in compensation for land taken
up by this highway.
The home lots laid out at Willimantic were not as yet taken up by the
proprietors, and in April, 1694, they received permission from the town to
exchange them for allotments " at or about the Crotch of the river "that
remarkable curve in the Natchaug near its junction with the Willimantic,
also known as the Horseshoe. Seven lots were now laid out in this
vicinity. Joshua Ripley, Samuel Hide, Joseph Huntington, Peter Crosse and
Thomas Bingham were appointed a committee to select two lots at the "
Crotch of the River," one for the minister and one for the ministry. The
remaining home lots were sold to settlers, who soon took possession.
Goodman William More, of Norwich, purchased a lot laid out to William
Backus; Benjamin Millard, also from Norwich, bought of Thomas Leffingwell
a thousand-acre allotment at the Horseshoe, a part of which is still held
by his descendants. Benjamin Howard and Joseph Cary, of Norwich, and John
Broughton, of Northampton, soon settled in this vicinity. This new
settlement was also called " The Centre," from its position between the
older ones, and seemed destined for a time to become the most important.
The seventh lot was chosen for the minister and the sixth for the
ministry, and great efforts were made to have the meeting house built upon
it.
Windham had previously manifested a desire to be annexed to Hartford
county. She had petitioned the general court to this end, and in May,
1694, the petition was granted, and this town became a factor of Hartford
county. The town was now fairly embarked upon its career of ups and downs,
and various experiences common to the towns of that period and
surroundings. A military company was founded, of which John Fitch was
lieutenant, Jonathan Crane was ensign, and Samuel Hide sergeant. Training
days were inaugurated, and ever after celebrated with the usual hilarity.
Highways were laid out such as were needed " on or about the hill that
lies west of the Pond." A custom was then established by public order,
that at subsequent town meetings the moderator should open the
deliberations with prayer.
Source: History of Windham County, Connecticut,
Bayles, Richard M.; New York: W.W. Preston, 1889
Back to: Windham County, Connecticut
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