Old Homestead of the Plant Family.
Branford, Connecticut.
Birthplace of Henry Bradley Plant.
remained at Branford. They are quite full and in a reasonably good state of preservation. In a manuscript history of Branford from which the above account is taken, the name of the first town clerk, John Plum, in 1645, and a list of his successors, are given with the date of their service. It is interesting to note how much alike are the ways and customs of this old Puritan town to those of the town of Harlem, built by the Dutch a little later and now part of New York City. In both places the history of the town and the history of the church are one. They are so interwoven that they can hardly be separated. The division of the meadow-lands is the same; mutual protection from the Indians, and the manner of defence are also alike. The official appointment, by the town, of a man to gather in all the cows of the settlers, take them out to graze in the morning, and bring them back at the proper time to be milked, and many other such customs, are very much alike in both settlements.
The second church, or meeting-house, was built on the common, of wood, and was succeeded by the present house of worship, which is built of brick. Mr. Plant remembers the high galleries in the old church where the seats were arranged in slips, the boys on one side, and the girls on the other; neither could see the minister, and it is very doubtful whether any of them heard him. There were no children's sermons in those days. The babes, of whom Paul writes, were not fed on milk, but on strong meat, which even the rigorous doctrinal appetites of the fathers sometimes found hard to digest. Some of the modern church movements, such as women preaching, and Salvation Army barracks, would have sufficiently alarmed those good orthodox people to make them call for a day of fasting and prayer. Nevertheless they were a noble race, among whom misappropriation and embezzlement of funds, trust swindling and corporation stealing and political corruption were unknown.
The pulpit was the old-fashioned barrel-shaped structure, and, like some of the sermons, was high above the heads of the people. There was a great sounding-board over the head of the preacher, and it used to be a subject of calculation with the boys, whether this board would not some day fall on the devoted head of the speaker and stop the sound altogether. This church had the old family square pew, and in front of the pulpit was a bench for the deacons. The people were classified in their pews according to age, and the oldest, perhaps on account of their difficulty in hearing, occupied the seats nearest the pulpit. The church building was not warmed, save by the fervid sermons of those grand old Puritan divines. That, however, reached only the head and heart, hence, for the feet, they made stoves of sheet iron, over which was a perforated tin casing, and over this a hardwood casing. Coals from corncobs, or seasoned hickory, as being the most durable, were placed in this stove, which was carried in the bottom of carriage or sleigh to church, where its heat would last all forenoon. At the close of the forenoon service, the people went to the neighboring church house, which was warmed by a log fire. Here they ate their luncheon, and then returned to the church for another two hours' devotion.
The Rev. Timothy P. Gillett was pastor of this church in Mr. Plant's boyhood. He taught an academy-Mr. Plant being a scholar for several terms-in addition to his ministerial duties of preaching, visiting, and catechising the church people. He was a sober, solemn, orthodox clergyman of the old school, scholarly and dignified both in and out of the pulpit. It is only a hint of the changes that time brings, and no reflection on this good man's charity to say that, had he seen one of the modern ministers visiting his flock on a bicycle, he would have had him deposed from the sacred office. Some unfortunate misunderstanding came between him and his congregation in the latter part of his ministry, so that his wife refused to have his remains interred in the church burying-ground. She afterwards relented, was herself buried in the church cemetery, and left in her will two thousand dollars to defray the cost of removing her husband's remains thither, and for erecting a suitable monument to his memory. The sacred dust of both pastor and wife rests, as it should, among the people to whom they ministered for some fifty years or more. The town of Branford was composed of an intelligent, industrious, and religious people, mostly farmers and well-to-do citizens. The academy presided over by the Rev. Timothy P. Gillett constituted a centre of intellectual, moral, and spiritual development that inspired the life and elevated the character of the people.
The following account from, the Branford Annals is only one of the many testimonies that might be recorded of the patriotism and courage of this people:
"No town in New Haven County was more important during the war of independence than old Branford. Her citizens proved very patriotic. She had a few royalists who were somewhat troublesome. But most of her people were self-sacrificing in a special degree in sustaining the federal cause. No town surpassed her in furnishing men and means. Most all of her able-bodied men were in the army, responding promptly at every call. Col. William Douglass' regiment, which did most effective service, was largely recruited from Branford. The coasts and harbors of Branford exposed her to visits from the vessels of the enemy. Coast-guards were needed, and were kept night and day at Stony Creek, Indian Neck, Town Neck, and at Branford Point. At the approach of the enemy, two reports of a cannon were to call out all the people to repel invasion. Expresses were kept in readiness to hasten to the remote parts of the town with the alarming news. When New Haven was invaded, patriots from Branford were quickly on hand to help. A company of her men were in the battle at Milford Hill. Two Branford men, Goodrich and Baldwin, were killed, and several others wounded at that battle. The attack of the British on the east side of New Haven harbor was repelled by the Branford home guard mostly. Those from Branford were supported by men from Guilford, who hastened to the rescue.
"At that time a new vessel, a brig named the New Defence, was at Branford wharf almost ready to sail against the enemy. She had been built and manned at Branford. Her future history was tragical. At the first alarm of the landing at New Haven the guns of this vessel were taken out and hurried over the hills to East Haven. There mounted and vigorously used and well supported by the brave minute-men with their muskets, the invaders were compelled to hasten a retreat. One of the reports made by the British officers speaks of the strong force and 'great guns' encountered in that direction. There is an old record at Branford showing that Mason Hobart, of that place, was paid £5 for carting two cannon to East Haven from the brig New Defence, July 5, 1779."
Connecticut, though one of the smaller States of the Union, has ever maintained a high standard of patriotism, education, and moral power in the progress of the country. De Tocqueville was in the habit of saying, "All de great men in Amerique comed from dat leetle State dey call Connecti-coot." Branford is an old seaport town. Its shipbuilding, fisheries, West India trade, two hundred years ago, were quite extensive for that day. It is also a seaside resort in summer, being half-way between Boston and New York.
Branford was for many years the Governor's seat of the colonial government of Connecticut. The house of Governor Saltonstall is still standing. Many of the useful and prominent men of the country were born and reared in this quiet yet enterprising little town, founded more than two and a half centuries ago by the Puritans of old England. Among its noted and worthy families were those of the Plants and Blackstones, of whom we shall speak in the following chapter, as the two families became connected by marriage, and are still warmly attached to their native town.
CHAPTER III.
Table of Contents The Blackstone Family-The Ancestor Came from England before 1630-His Name was William Blaxton-Settled First in Massachusetts, afterwards Went to Rhode Island-His Beautiful Character and Numerous Descendants-Origin of Yale College of Branford-The Blackstone Memorial Library.
FROM a pamphlet history of the Blackstone family, in which the name is spelled Blaxton, we gather the following interesting account:
"For several years before Winthrop came, in 1630, William Blaxton constituted the entire population of this peninsula [Massachusetts, of which the present Boston Common was then a part], at that time an unbroken wilderness of woods traversed by savages, by wolves, and other wild beasts almost as dangerous. Here he dwelt alone, exposed to dangers, many and great. He was a man of culture, refinement, and gentlemanly bearing, amiable and hospitable, liked by Indians, and indeed by everybody. These noble traits, this love of nature, his sacred calling, his trusting faith, invested whatever belonged to him with a romantic interest. He was a clergyman of the Church of England, born in 1595, graduated from Cambridge, England, in 1617, and died 1675, aged eighty years. Blaxton took orders in the Episcopal Church, but it seems that he never had a cure, though he still wore his canonical coat, which would indicate his attachment to the English Church, yet some have represented him as a non-conformist,...
