Offsite Biographies  L. E. Baldwin  J. Dwight Chaffee  William C. Jillson  William Clitus Witter

Willimantic, a beautiful village of about ten thousand inhabitants, lies in the southwest corner of the town of Windham, and consequently in the southwest corner of the county. The Willimantic, a vigorous stream, as powerful and as graceful as its name is beautiful, winds along the valley through the center of the borough to which it has given name. On the slope of the left bank lies the principal part of the village, and nearly all of the business concerns. Great power is furnished for the driving of machinery by the falls in the river, and this circumstance gave rise … Read more

John Bitgood came to Voluntown from Warwick, R. I., about 1800, and lived on the place now occupied by William Bitgood. His son Elisha, born 1801, married Betsey Church, and had ten children, of whom Joel K. enlisted in the 12th Connecticut volunteers, and served three years in the rebellion. He was wounded at Port Hudson. He is one of the selectmen of Voluntown. He married Maggie Tabor, and their children are: Nellie, Gracie, Roscoe and Joseph E. Moses Fish came from Groton to Voluntown as early as 1745. He married Elizabeth Morgan, and had two sons, Moses and Daniel. … Read more

Thompson occupies the northeast corner of the state of Connecticut, bordering north on Massachusetts and east on Rhode Island. Its territory is ample, about eight miles by six, comprising 48.49 square miles. The Quinebaug and French rivers, flowing through the west of the town, unite below Mechanicsville. The Five-mile or Assawaga river is near the eastern border. Capacious reservoirs greatly augment the volume of these streams and multiply the manufacturing facilities of the town. The surface of the soil is much broken and diversified, particularly between the rivers, and so encumbered by stones as to make its cultivation very laborious. … Read more

As soon as possible after the restoration of peace, Massachusetts arranged to take possession of the conquered territory. William Stoughton and Joseph Dudley were commissioned by the general court to treat with the Indian claimants and agree with them upon the easiest terms attainable. February 10th, 1682, negotiations were completed by which the whole Nipmuck country, from the northern part of Massachusetts to a point called Nash-a-way, at the junction of the Quinebaug and French rivers, Connecticut-a tract fifty by forty miles in extent was made over to the government of the Bay colony, for the sum of fifty pounds, … Read more

The uprising of the manufacturing interest gave Sterling a fresh impetus in growth and prosperity, Asa Ames, Isaac Pitman and Samuel Dorrance and Dixon Hall, of Sterling, in 1808, as the Sterling Manufacturing Company, buying land “at a ledge of rocks, called the ` Devil’s Den Chimney;’ thence west by and down a small brook to Moosup River.” The Sterling Manufactory was ready for work in 1809. Sterling’s manufacturing facilities were well improved during the early part of the present century. Its first factory, built by Dorrance, Hall and others, was destroyed by fire soon after its completion, but its … Read more

School matters, like most all other public enterprises, suffered delay in the early years of this town, while it was part of Voluntown. In December, 1732, it was voted ” That there shall be a surkelating school kep and a school-master hired at ye town’s charge.” In March, 173.5, it was further ordered, ” That the school be kept in four places, three months in a place, six months in ye north end and six months in ye south end, dividing ye town by a line from Alexander Gordon’s to Ebenezer Dow’s house-and that the master, John Dunlap, should have … Read more

Reverend Mr. Dorrance remained pastor of the town ecclesiastic of Voluntown until March 5th, 1771, when, on account of his great age and infirmity, he was relieved. About 17772 an ecclesiastical society was chartered in the south part of Voluntown, and the same year, as we have already seen, a society `vas also chartered in the north part. The mother church, thus crippled, was unable to settle a pastor, and could with difficulty maintain regular worship. June 30th, 1779, the ancient First Church of Voluntown was reorganized as a Congregational church according to Cambridge Platform, its membership including ten males … Read more

James Bailey came from Wales, settled in West Greenwich, R. I., and had four children. His son Titus, a captain in the revolutionary war, married Mary Fish and settled in Sterling. His son James married Eunice Bailey. They had five children, one of whom was James, who was a soldier in the war of 1812, and married Sabra Swan. They had eight children. The only one in Sterling is Charles H., born in 1832, and married to Ida Gordon. He was a member of the 8th Regiment, Connecticut volunteers. Jerome Cahoone, born in 1838, enlisted in the Eighteenth Regiment, Connecticut … Read more

Sterling entered upon its new duties with the usual spirit and energy. Its population was about nine hundred. Though much of its soil was poor, and its shape inconvenient, it had some peculiar advantages. It had fine water privileges, an excellent stone quarry, a great post road running through its center, and sterling men of good Scotch stock to administer public affairs. The lack of a suitable place for holding town meetings was an annoyance and mortification to the leading men of the town, publishing to the world their lamentable destitution of that most essential accommodation-a public meeting, house. Congregationalists … Read more