CHAPTER VIII.

 

EARLY MARRIED LIFE OF CAPTAIN JOHN HIGLEY, 1671—78.

 

“Firti Got!. All times are good to seek your wedded home

Hriuging to a mutual delight.

                  Sccotsd Go,!.                Why, true,

The calendar bath not an evil day

For souls madu one by love, and even death

Wcrc sweetness, if it came like rolling waves

While they two clasped each other, and foresaw

No life apart.”

 

AFTER their marriage John Higley and his young wife took up their residence upon the eastern shore of ~~ye Great River “— the Connecticut. The attention of •the grandfather, Deacon John Moore, Captain Benjamin Newberry, and others had been fixed upon the rich meadows on that side of the river, and they had already secured large grants of land which were considered “among their most important and valuable interests.” Deacon Moore possessed an ownership in one tract of about four hundred acres.

“Until a few years previous these lands were not occupied except as a pasturage for their cattle, and some small pieces for mowing. Tempting as were the advantages offered by its broad expanse of fertile meadow, there were obstacles and dangers in the way of its actual settlement which could be neither overlooked nor rashly encountered. The broad stream of the Great River, at all times an inconvenient highway, was in the winter season, when not frozen over, almost impassable with ice and drift. It was also a serious barrier to social intercourse and mutual aid or protection, while its annual freshets obliged them to build on the uplands at a considerable distance from its banks, and conse­quently a greater remove from the main settlement.”

“The Indians abounded in all that region, and though these river Indians were generally friendly and peaceful, yet there were warning signs and tokens which made families fearful about taking up their residence, at points remote from the main body of settlers.”’ It is stated that there were ten distinct tribes within the boundaries of the township of Windsor, and, says Stiles, “the greater number resided on the east side of the Connecticut River. ~‘ The repeated enactments by the General Assembly for many years about this time, as measures of protection against these savages, evidences the constant danger of the scalping~ knife and toniahawk to which the inhabitants of the young settle­ment were subjected. However, “a number of middle-aged or young married men, urged by the adventurous spirit of the day, or by the necessity of larger accommodations for their growing families, crossed the river and built their humble dwellings along the uplands which overlooked the meadows.”

Among these were John Higley.and his wife Hannah. In the “List of Persons on the East side of Y° Great River,” who were appointed to make some improvements on a road, in June, 1672, the name of our enterprising John is on record.

The same year Major Pyncheon, in his account book, entered the following:

“1672. The charge and éost of my saw-mill at Stony-River. Viewing and searching for a place, alsoe hiring John Higley to discover, &c. . . likewise myselfe and my expence with you, and feriage &c w~ come to, Li: o8s: ood.” $

Out of this amount the “discoverer” of the suitable location for the saw-mill was probably paid his share of the “charges and costs” for his time and labor.

Young married people in those days set out upon their own responsibility, and the first proceeding after their wedding festivities was to found their own hearthstone. It was custom­ary for the young man to build a house before marriage. From the houses of the early settlers of the times we catch a glimpse of the first dwelling which furnished the rude home comforts of this youthful pair. They were made entirely of untrimmed logs. Scarcely an implement was used in their construction other than the ax and auger. The rough, wooden, eighteen-inch shingles called clapboards, which formed the roof, the floors, and doors, were hewn out of logs, and were undressed and unpianed, and fastened into their places by wooden pins. It is, however, barely possible that the occupants of this simple home in question may have enjoyed the luxury of doors and floors of sawed plank procured at the saw-mill after it was established, though it was about eight miles distant through the dense woods. The door was hung upon wooden hinges and closed with a wooden latch. There were few nails used, for thei~e~vere none to be had except those hammered one by one upon the anvil of the neigh­borhood blacksmith.

The chimney, huge in dimensions when compared with the building itself, was built against the house upon the outside. It was built of sticks and thoroughly plastered with clay. Im­mense fires of logs, taken from the den&e forests surrounding the house, were kept constantly going, and were a necessity to keep the occupants of the dwelling even in tolerable comfort in winter weather. The sweeping winds whistled between the logs which constituted the side walls of the apartment, it came in under­neath the door, and from the cracks in the floor, with chilling draughts.

The windows were small, and there was no window glass. “Bring oiled paper for your windows,” writes one of the Plymouth pilgrims to some who were about to come over. Oiled paper for a long time let a dusky light into the obscure rooms of many settlers’ houses. About 1700 “window shasts with crystal “—that is, with glass that one could see through—are spoken of as a luxury. Carpets were hardly known at all in America until seventy-five years after this period.L The floor of the cottage log dwelling was therefore carpetless.

On the i6th of August, 1673, the birth of John Higley’s first child is recorded. He was given the name of his father, John, and on February i6, 1675, the birth of the second child is announced, called Jonathan, probably in honor of his grand­father Higley, who was laid in his moss-covered grave in Frimley churchyard, England, more than ten years before.

Windsor now contained about one hundred families. On Sun­days the people residing on the east side of the Connecticut crossed jhe river in boats to attend church service. It was no small undertaking to get the family in readiness and over the distance between their home and the ferry, then await the ferry-man to bring them across the deep, swift, angry stream, which in some seasons of the year was filled with floating ice, causing the passage to be attended with danger. Strict laws, by decree of Court, governed this ferry. But thirty-seven persons were per­mitted to cross at one time, the number exceeding this must stand upon the banks and await their turn. And yet the select­men were ever on the alert, and if each household did not appear at the place of worship it was liable to a fine. To announce the hour of service a drum was beaten. The towns­people were not in possession of a church-bell, and for more than one hundred years after these times, it was the practice for a man employed by the town “for the beating of the drume on y Sabboth dayes”’ to ascend to the roof of the church, where a footwalk was constructed, and sound a trumpet or a drum, “to give warning to y° inhabitants when to begin meting.”

We fancy that we see our John in the saddle upon the back of the family horse, with little John in front of him, and his wife Hannah, behind, clinging to him with one arm, while with the other she held baby Jonathan to her bosom, wending their way on a quiet Sabbath morning to the house of worship. The saddle horse, if taken across the river, was led swimming alongside the ferryboat, and tied to a tree close to the church with scores of others.

The sermon was long, usually from an hour and a half to two hours, and was the principal event of the week for discussion.

King Phillip’s Indian war followed soon after the birth of John Higley’s second child. The year 1675 was a stormy one for the Connecticut colonists. Both social and political surroundings were full of intense excitement and increased dangers. Rumors of Indian plots “for the distruction of the English” were con­stantly reaching the ears of the inhabitants, together with reports of the hostilities of the Dutch at New York, and the “un­warrantable practices” and uneasiness given by Major Andros. “The distressed condition of our neighbors and countrymen on Long Island” was also a source of solicitude. “It was a time of difficulty with us,” say they, on the ioth of July, 1675. So threatening was the aspect of affairs, and so great was the need of men, that the General Assembly ordered that if any one de­serted the colony who was “above fourteen years of age, or under seventy, he should pay a fine of one hundred pounds, and be “liable to corporal punishment.”’

“The young settlement [on the east side of the river] had but just fairly commenced,” says Stiles, “when great fear fell upon the land. Danger lurked in every bush, and peered from behind evcry tree; their houses were scattered, their numbers. few; the Indians numerous; and [lie broad stream of the Long River cut them off from any immediate help from their friends and neigh­bors on the west side.

“In that hour of anxious fear and torturing suspense they felt that ‘in union there was strength.’ Many removed to the opposite side of the river, and those who remained carried their ‘lives in th~ir hands.’ Finally the inhabitants on they eastern side of the Connecticut were ordered ‘forthwith’ to remove themselves, with their cattle and grain, to the west side; and garrison houses were ordered to be kept for the protection of the few who were obliged to remain. In fact the settlement was temporarily broken up and dispersed.” *

We are assured that John Higley was found bearing his part in the defense and safety of the homes, though there is no record of conspicuous service. He was now a man twenty-eight years of age, strong and able-bodied, and ‘it was evident that he was early put into military training. It had been required by law for many years that, “All persons above the age of sixteen years, except magistrates and church officials, shall beare arms.” They were required to have “in continual readiness a good musket or other gun fit for service,” with “a sword rest and brandaleers,” and ammunition kept in good order.’ At this time, all the men were impressed into military service on sentinel duty. Regular watches, consisting of one-fourth of the men of the town, were appointed, the watch continuing from the “shut­ting in of the evening till sunrise.” It was “Ordered, that no man walk about singly,” and they might not work in fields except in groups of six together, with guns at hand, “well fixed and fitted for service.” Every man was obliged to go constantly fully armed, and stand ready night and day to do battle. They slept upon their weapons, and as had been a custom, they carried them to church. Scouts were constantly kept in service, and were required to be on duty “by sun an hower high in each day.”

As the year neared its close, troops from the different colonies were called together and a successful contest followed on the evening of December 19, 1675, at Pettyquamsquot, in the north­east part of Connecticut, where the Indians had taken refuge in a log-constructed barricade. The struggle was ended by a bloody fight; the soldiers set fire to the rude stockade, and burned with­out mercy warriors, squaws, helpless old red-skins, and children, in one mass of flame.

It is stated that “three-hundred warriors were slain, and nearly the same number taken prisoners, including women and children. The entire number of Indians thought to have been inside the fortress numbered into thousands. Those who were not consumed or taken prisoners, fled to the swamps, where they spent the cold winter night without food, lire, or covering.” “It was cold and stormy,” says one narrator, “the snow fell deep, and it was not until after midnight the army got in.”

The MS. of the Rev. Thomas Ruggles says: “The burning of the wigwams, the shrieks and cries of the women and children, and the yelling of the warriors, exhibited a most horrible and affecting scene, so that it greatly moved some of the soldiers. They were in doubt then, and afterwards often seriously inquired, whether burning their enemies alive could be consistent with humanity and the benevolent principles of the gospel.”

At the following May session of the General Assembly (1676)

—our worthy Deacon Moore being a member for Windsor—there was a reiteration of some of the laws bearing upon subjects of a social and moral nature’ indicating that the recent trials through which they had passed were the cause of awakening the colony to a greater degree of devotion. The last day of the month was “apoynted to be kept as a day of Solemn Humiliation, of fasting and prayer.”’

It is reasonable to suppose that John Higley with his young family was of the number who removed, when the general order to that effect was given, to the main settlement upon the west side of the river, where he is found established soon after.

Amid the scenes of terror in which they had for many months been living, it does not appeal that his material prosperity had been seriously interrupted. His feet were continued on the ascent. In a “list” of voluntary contributions “made to the poor in want in other colonies” in June of the following year, is found the name of “Hana Higley” as having donated Is. ₃d.’ Her grandfather, Deacon Moore, Sr., contributed 6s. 6d. to the same, fund, and was one of a committee of three appointed by the General Council “to distribute according to good dis­cretion.”

From an old “Book of Rates” it appears that John Higley’s amount of list on January 25, 1676—77, was £24, and his tax was i6s. The following year, on the 21st of January, his “List” is recorded £22 and the “Rate” 14S. 8d.’ From these modest amounts he came in after time to be one of the heaviest taxpayers in the colony.

On “March ye 14th, 1677—78,” the following was recorded: “A Town meeting was held to publish y° Town rate for y° year past, and y° ferry tax,—alsoe John Higley is now granted liberty to take a parcell to bild on 25 foot in length against yC river, and 20 foot in breadth ye other way. But he must take after ye Widdow Marshall has git out her grant, next after George Griswold.”’

It was upon this piece of land that he erected a warehouse. His remarkable business and public career was now taking per­manent shape.

On the 13th of March, 1677, Elizabeth, his first daughter, was born, and the same year (September) is rnarkedby the death of the grandfather, Deacon John Moore, who had for more than forty-two years, with true-hearted devotion, been one among the valuable lives of his times; having shared the stress of sore trials incident to those who had cast their lot with the new colonies, and set going a stream of civilization and progress. He stamped his footprint upon the early annals of our colonial history, and left behind him a memory enriched by his example, his character, and his work.

The old Puritan heroes who came from the motherland had most of them quitted this earth life. Few were left. His honored friend, Governor John Winthrop, with whom he was a co-laborer for many years, died the year preceding, and Henry Wolcott, Esq., the most prominent citizen and his associate in town and colonial affairs, had diedlong before.

 

“They have left unstained what there they found,

Freedom to worship God.”

­S “H(itory of Hartford County₁^t’ by J. ff’tmtpond Trumbull, p. 107.

a stiles’ “ HistOry ci Ancient Windsor,” p. ass.

• Stiles’” History of Ancient Windsor,” p. 233.

‘“Documentary History of Suffield,” by M. S. Sheldon.

1 “The Co~ou1st at Home,~’ by Edward Eggleston, The Ces,lNr7, 1884—83.

Connecticut Colonial Records.”

I Stiles’ “History of Ancient Windsor.”

“Connecticut Colonial Records.”

‘In October. ~ “Ordered, to joyne together to gather the Indian corn end bring It on ye west sideof ye Great River, into places of best security.” In November, “Ordered to kill and salt up what of their eatteli were fltt to kill and secure it In the best places they could from the enemie”

-—to thresh and bake up their wheat into bread, “for use of the soldiers on gaurd for our defence.” “Ordered, that aco bushells of wheat be baked Into bhldt with all the speed that may be, and acobushalli of oats for the army,”—CoiosCIicuI C#~osia~ Rec~r~t~.

“History of Hartford County,” by J. Hammond Trumbull.

‘It was Ordered, “If any persons on Saturday night or the Lord’s Day, though it be after sun-sets,” were found “sporting in the fields, or drinking In houses of public entertainment or elsewhere,” should be subject to fine or to “surfer corporal! judgment.” “Not serville works” was to be done on the Sabbath, “such as were not workes of piety, necessity, or charity.” “Not profane talks” was allowed, nor” Irreverent behavior.”

Ministers were strongly recommended “to look Into the state of families.” “Noe person” was to “retayle any less quantity than an anchor of drink at a time without special lycence.” “Dliii. gent search” was to be made by all constables and grand jurymen for all transgressions of this order. Special “care and notice was to be taken by all persons frequenting publique houses and spending their precious time there.” “If he be lownd in such place and convicted,” he was to be fined five shillings or “sit In the stocks one hower for every such offence.” The “sin of uncleanness” was “on she Increase,” and ministers were recommended “to bearè such due tes­timonie against such wickedness according to law (If It be God’s holy will) that inch sin may be prevented.”

“Excess of Apparel” also claimed the Court’s attention, as “unbecoming a wilderness condition, and the profession of the gospel, whereby the rising generation ~s in danger of being cor~ rupted.” Persons wearing “gold or silver lace, gold or silver buttons, silk ribbons, or other super. 6uous trimmings, or any bone lace above three shillings per yard, or silk scarfs,” were required to be heavily assessed. Exception was made to” Magistrates, public Officers, their wives and chit. then, who are left to their discression, or any settled Military Commissioned Officer,” and if “any taylor shall fashion any garment for any child or servant contrary to the mlnde of the parent or master,” a fine was to be imposed .—Couueclicwl Coloula! Record:.

¹”Connecticut Colonial Records.”

‘Old Church Records, Windsor, Conn.

$“ Book of Rates and Town Meeting Proceedings,” Windsor, *67- tO £683.

‘“Windsor Records,” book Ii.