The township of Putnam, incorporated in 1855, was made up from parts of Thompson, Killingly and Pomfret. The Quinebaug river, with its great falls in the heart of the village, is its most distinctive physical feature, its main source of life and business prosperity. Manufacturing enterprise, aided by railroads, built up a flourishing village. This village demanded expansion and the liberty to manage its own affairs, and after a desperate struggle obtained town privileges, taking in as much surrounding territory as was needful to give it corporate standing, and by running its south boundary line obliquely, cutting off barren land … Read more

The first white settler, as far as is known, came to Killingly in 1693. He was Richard Evans from Rehoboth. He had purchased of the Reverend James Pierpont a two hundred acre grant, for twenty pounds. Little is known of him, and the bounds of his farm cannot now be identified. It was in what was subsequently called the South Neighborhood of Thompson, and is now included in Putnam. In those early days his establishment served as a landmark, by which many other purchases were located. In 1694 Reverend Noadiah Russel secured two hundred acres five miles southeast of Woodstock, … Read more

One of the first needs that Pomfret felt after the meeting house had been built, was for a way to get to it. Roads were not laid out at the start and the attention of the people was now turned toward this deficiency. Within the bounds of the purchase, which covered more than half the territory of the town, it belonged to the proprietors to provide them, but outside of those limits it belonged to the town. This arrangement was not satisfactory, as harmony of action was not always attainable. The proprietors, at a meeting in March, 1726, agreed to … Read more

During the Indian war the family of Captain Sabin were the only white inhabitants of the future Pomfret now known to us, though it is possible that Benjamin Sitton, styling himself of “Mashamoquet, in Nipmug Country,” who purchased of the Danas in 169S “fifty acres of wilderness land at a place called Mashamoquet, bounded west by Windham Rode,” was also a resident. Some land sales were affected during this period. Land in the Quinebaug valley was sold to Sabin by Fitch and Owaneco. Two hundred acres, bounded north on Sabin’s first purchase, the full breadth of the land, were sold … Read more

After receiving confirmation of bounds in 1713, one of the first things Pomfret did was to settle religious worship. The town, October 28th, voted to give an orthodox minister one hundred and fifty pounds toward buying land and building himself a house, and fifty-five pounds annual salary, until the town should contain sixty families. A committee was appointed to look for a minister. Reverend Ebenezer Williams was secured for six months. He boarded at the house of Captain John Sabin. in the northeast corner of the town. Religious services were held in some convenient private house. February 16th, 1714, the … Read more

William Irving Bartholomew William Bartholomew, second generation in America (see record of Bartholomew family), born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1640-41, was united in marriage to Mary Johnson. Their son, Joseph, a native of Branford. Connecticut, where he was born in 1682, married Elizabeth Sanger, of Woodstock. Benjamin`, a son by this union, born in Woodstock June 23d, 1723, married Martha Carpenter, one of whose children was Leonard, born in Woodstock in 1758, and married to Sarah Perrin, of Pomfret. Their three children were William, Margaret and Mary. The birth of William Bartholomew occurred in Woodstock on the 23d of June, … Read more

The town of Pomfret is one of the central towns of Windham county, lying a little north of the geographical center. It is surrounded by its sister towns, Woodstock on the north, Putnam and Killingly on the east, Brooklyn on the south, Hampton on the southwest, and Eastford on the west. Its original territory has been diminished by contributions toward Brooklyn on the south, Hampton on the southwest, and Putnam on the northeast. Its present dimensions are about six miles square, with irregular excesses of a mile in the southeast part, and a mile and a half upon the northwest … Read more

The first public provision for the schools of this town of which we have any record was made in December, 1707, when ” part of the country land was allowed for the encouragement of a school,” and Lieutenant Williams, Joseph Spalding and Deacon Douglas were directed ” to take care that there be one.” A year later the town voted to send to Mr. James Deane to come and be their schoolmaster, and he agreed to undertake the work for what could be made out of it for half a year. At that time the school was supported by its … Read more

During the early years of the present century, manufacturing interests began to develop in Plainfield, and through their influence the town has maintained its position and growth with a healthy degree of progress. About the year 1807 several manufacturing companies embarked in the enterprise of establishing cotton spinning upon the streams of this town. The American Cotton Manufacturing Company was composed of Thomas Rhodes of Providence, Peter B. Remington of Warwick, Messrs. Holden & Lawton of Rehoboth, and Obed Brown, Dyer Ames and others of Sterling. This company secured a privilege near Ransom Perkins’ fulling mill on Quandunk River.” The … Read more

It has already been stated that the town of Plainfield is largely dependent upon its manufacturing enterprises for the degree of prosperity which it enjoys. There are in the town several localities of more or less importance which have been built up by this industry. These are Moosup, Central Village, Wauregan, Kennedy City, Almyville, Gladdingville and Packerville, which last is on the Canterbury line. The water power at the Union Mills was used for many years for a carding machine. The original mill was built about 1505, and was very small; afterward enlarged twice, owned at first by a joint … Read more