THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISIT0R. 



51 



ces from him. His benignant countenance and 

 gladdening smilp will be among the last images 

 that will fade from my remembrance." 



Rev. Samuel Barrett, a clergyman of Boston, 

 who also received his education at Wilton, thus 

 spoke at the celebration, of the same good man : 



"And in this connexion, let njo, as my heart 

 prompts, make respectful and afI(?ctionate mention 

 of him who niisistered at this altar, both when I 

 came, a little child, to the town, and when in parly 

 manhood, 1 left it — of him, who, on the spot where 

 1 now stand, poured upon my head the sacred wa- 

 ters of bnptism, from whose hands I received fijr 

 the first lime the elements-'jf the holy communion, 

 and to whom, as pastor, instructcr and friend, I 

 was for many years under oblra-ations that cannot 

 be cancelled. When my brother who preceded me 

 pronounced the name of Beede, and spoke of tlie 

 services he rendered to the children and youlij of 

 his flock in the early period of his ministry, many, 

 very many, I am sure, were the hearts in this as- 

 sembly, which, with ntine, responded most feeling- 

 ly and gratefully, and sent up the prayer that his 

 last days might be his happiest." 



From what was said of Mr. Beede at this cele- 

 bration do v.-e learn more than we have ever before 

 heard of his continued usefulness at home. He was 

 frequently in this town as Chaplain of the Legisla- 

 ture, and for many successive years was he the 

 Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons. In 

 his own town he originated a Lyceum, which has 

 flourished for more than twenty years; and he met 

 with and presided over the meetings of young men 

 who as?'nciated for literary and moral inrprovement. 

 Mr. Burton says '4ie introduced new subjects of at- 

 tention, and excited an uncommon interest among 

 his pupils." ( 



There is not perhaps another town of the size in 

 the Stale from which so many have graduated in a 

 College education as the town of Wilton The 

 whole number is twenty-nine. Of these twelve stud- 

 ied or are studying divinity; three are physicians, 

 six studied law, and the remainder have beeji em- 

 ployed in diiferent occupations. Eleven of these 

 bear the name of Abbot. Three are descendants 

 of the late Doct. Rockwood — a distinguished phys- 

 ician, who brought up his family with great econo- 

 my, and lived on his farm in a small one story 

 house that could not originally have cost two hun- 

 dred dollars, but who near the close of his life erec- 

 ted a splendid brick mansion high studded and with 

 many spacious rooms, to be occupied bv his poster- 

 ity. Two are sons of Capt. Samuel Greele, who 

 in the year 179S while riding to town meeting was 

 stricken down a corpse by a falling tree, and at the 

 place of whose death the sons have erected a neat 

 marble monument commemorating the event. The 

 Greeles reside, one nt Boston and the other at New 

 York, having each become independent in proper- 

 ty. Both were educated after the sudden death of 

 the father Of the Abbots, the elder is the vener- 

 able Abicl Abbot, D. D. the ofliciating clergyman 

 at Peterborough. Another, Samuel Abbot, Esq., 

 educated as a lawyer, left his profession — invented 

 or much improved upon the method of extracting 

 starch from potatoes, which is extensively used in 

 cotton factories — pursued the business first exten- 

 sively in Wilton, and about a year ago lost his life 

 in his own burning starch mill in the town of Jaf- 

 frey. In all the social relations, as the generous 

 patron of religion and education and of Christian 

 charity, the deceased Mr. Abbot hardly knew asu- 

 perior. 



"To the liberal support of schools and religious 

 instructions (says Mr. P(_abody) I think we may 

 trace in a great measure, several very important re- 

 sults, such as a general intelligence and a taste fur 

 intellectual pleasures and pursuits, and the general 

 good morals. It is not known, for example, that 

 any native of Wilton has ever committed a crime 

 which has subjected him to any of the severer pen- 

 alties of" the law. ^ *^ It may be owing to this 

 that Wilton has never been able to support a law- 

 yer. The only one who ever attempted to settle 

 in the town, 1 am told, was starved out in about 

 Ihree months." 



We think the tewn owes moro to the labors, the 

 example and the excellent character of ihc minis- 

 ter who resigned his office in 1829, than to almost 

 any other single cause, for its improvement and its 

 high character of intellect, enterprise and intelli- 

 gence. The town has not increased in number per- 

 haps a hundred for the last fifty years : from 1775 

 to 173G it increased from G2\i to 1013 souls — its 

 population has never been greater than it was in 

 17y0. When Mr. Beede was settled and continu- 

 ed the sole minister of the town the amount contri- 

 buted besides the income from the ministerial fund 

 was only $263 a year. Now there are three meet- 

 ing houses and three societies — two congregation- 



al and one Baptist : the tax on the town for the sup- 

 port of these exceeds $1200 in the year. 



The religious societies of the town harmonize as 

 well as tliey do in otiier places: all meet to wor- 

 ship within a few rods of each other. The elder 

 society has a numerous Sabbath school established 

 by Mr. Beede more than twenty-five years ago — 

 the other societies instruct their youth in the same 

 way. The division in the congregational societies 

 took place in a spirit of great unkindness towards 

 the pastor a few years before he left. The leader 

 of the scceders was the late Dr. Rockwood — a man 

 of great energy of character, who before had been 

 as friendly as he afterwards became hostile to Mr. 

 Beede. The lamented Samuel Abbot — a man of 

 undoubted talent and piety — was the champion for 

 Mr. Beede and the liberal party. We much 

 lamented to see the good man in his disagreeable 

 position. He had spent his life and his strength 

 tor the good of Wilton : lie was too poor to en- 

 counter opposition and adversity. Broken down 

 for the moment — (we speak not to censure, but to 

 praise) — for a space of time he drowned his disap- 

 pointment as hundreds do under less difriculties ; 

 but we rejoice to be able to say that the last infor- 

 mation we have of him is, that in the evening ofj 

 life he is carrying out the remnant of his days in 

 the same spirit of temperan^ie and usefulness as 

 characterised the whole of his early years, and the 

 first twenty years in which he sustained his pastor- 

 al relation to the good and generous people of Wil- 

 ton. 



Meu ami measures of the revolution. 



Of the revolutionary services and spirit of the 

 people of Wilton, Mr. Peabody thus discourses: 



" There was nothing peculiar in the history of 

 Wilton during the Revolution. It endured priva- 

 tions and f^iiared losses of substance and of men, in 

 common with other New England towns. At one 

 period or anotiier, for a longer or a sliortcr lime, 

 nearly all the inhabitants, capable of bearing arms, 

 were enrolled in the army ; and every able bodied 

 man served in the war, either personally or by sub- 

 stitute. Nearly the whole population turned out to 

 meet Burgoyne, and many were witli Stark at Ben- 

 nington. To show how heavily the war bore on all the 

 towns, it may Ire stated that the population of Wil- 

 ton, when the revolution commenced, was but six 

 hundred and twenty-three, of wiiom, there were 

 but one hundred and twenty-eight between the ages 

 of sixteen and sixty. Of this number, twenty-six 

 were in the army in 1775. Of the soldiers from 

 Wilton, twenty-two died or were killed in the war. 

 Of the number who were out in the momentous 

 struggle, but two remain. One of them was out 

 four years ; the other during nearly the whole war, 

 and on almost every battle-field where the great 

 contest was decided. They still remain, examples 



receive twenty head of cattle to be as many months 

 old as they should serve months in the army. One 

 of these bon:is is published in the book, which pla- 

 ces the matter beyond question. The sum paid by 

 the town to each soldier who served three years 

 was compounded at $lfiO in silver; and the town 

 made up likewise the personal expenses for cloth- 

 ing. 



Declaration of Wilton Independence, 1774 



This patriotic town, in July deliberated upon, and 

 in September 177-1, adojUed a covenant of Non-Im- 

 portation and Non-Consumption of British goods 

 — among other things "in the presence of God, sol- 

 emnly and in good faith" engaging to each other, 



"That from henceforth, we will suspend all com- 

 mercial intercourse with tli" said island of Great 

 Britain, until the Parliament shall cease to enact 

 laws imposing taxes on the colonies without their 

 consent, and until the pretended right of taxing is 

 dropped, and Boston port opened, and their and 

 our constitutional rights and privileges are restor- 

 ed." 



We extract again from Mr. Peabody's address : — 



"The worth of the habit of self-government was 

 signally seen at the commencement ot' our Revolu- 

 tion. Then the laws of the land were virtually set 

 aside. The general government was entirely cast 

 off. Courts of law and the bench of justice were 

 swept away. The people were thrown back upon 

 themselves, and almost all the afi'airs of the coun- 

 try were transacted through their priihary assem- 

 blies in t'le towns. Then was seen the wonderful 

 spectacle of a people without law, amongst whom 

 all the processes of government, at a most fearful 

 crisis, were carried on as quietly, as steadily, as in 

 the most peaceful times and under the strongest 

 despotism of Euroiie. Tlic peojile had the habit of 

 self government ; the habit of considering, and in 

 great measure deciding lor themselves on the most 

 important general interests. And though law was 

 gone, the sense of individual responsibility remain- 

 ed, and the habit of self rule remained. A very 

 striking illustration of tiie in)portance of this habit 

 of self-government is attbrded by an event that oc- 

 curred on the first news of the breaking out of the 

 Revolution. The warrants for town-meeting down 

 to the time of the Lexington battle, were uniformly 

 issued in his Majesty's name. For example, the 

 last one before the conflict reads in this manner. — 

 "To Amos Fuller, constable for the town of Wil- 

 ton, Greeting — 



"In his Majesty's name, youare hereby required 

 forthwith to warn all the Freeholders and other in- 

 habitants, &c. &c. 



"Given under our hands and seal this 21st day 

 of March, A. D. 1775, and in the 15th year of the 

 Reign of King George the Third ; ' and this sign- 



to all of patriotism and wor'th. May God hold their <^<i Ky f'e Selectmen of Wilton 



lives in his most holy care, and may their old age I , B"t I'ttle more than a month passed during which 



go down calmly amid the resjiect and honor of 

 those, whose liberties they perilled their lives to se- 

 cure." 



Capt. William Pettongill is the first, and Adj. 

 Joseph Gray was the second of the survivors to 

 whom the speaker alludes. Both of these gentle- 

 men are within the recollection of tlie editor of the 

 Visitor. They have bee-n active, enterprising far- 

 mers ever since the close of the revolutionary war. 

 There were many otiier men in Wilton now repos- 

 ing in their graves, who were revolutionary sol- 

 diers. The venerable Col. Philip Putnam, Col. 

 Abiel Wilson and Maj. Jonathan Burton were of 



f the battle of Lexington took place, and the form 

 changes. His Majesty's name no longer holds the 

 place of authority. That place is occupied thence- 

 forth by "us the subscribers." And no allegiance 

 is recognised to any power beyond the town itself, 

 as the following warrant issued five days after that 

 event, which, with the doings thereon, virtually 

 constituted, as is justly remarked by the gentleman 

 to whom I am indebted for the anecdote, the town 

 of Wilton a Republic. The warrant now reads, "To* 

 Amos Fuller, constable for the town of Wilton, 

 Greeting, — by us the subscribers, yon are hereby 

 required forthwith to warn, &c." The second ar- 



the number ; <-ach of them afterwards frequently i tide of the warrant runs thus : — 



*,-l *1.., t„ :.. *!.„ I :_1„* AT.^.., i tl Wtliar^n*; it :inr^t»ni-o nt tlili- titii 



represented the town in the Legislature. iVTor 

 than thirty years ago the aged Maj. Burton used to 

 attend the monthly communications of the Mason's 

 lodge at Amherst ; and from the hall to the dis- 

 tance of many rods upon the plain was heard his 

 melodious voice chanting praises to his Makor in 

 "strains as sweet as angels use." That voice many 

 years ago bid its "heart- warm fond adieu" to all 

 the sons of earth ; and the noble soul inheriting 

 its frail tenement of clay, we hope, has taken a 

 flight to a region where pain and sorrow never 

 come — 



"Where brothers, sisters, all unite" 

 In that Grand Lodge that's far awa'." 



The town of Wilton, numbering in the year 

 1775 only between six and seven hundred inhabi- 

 tants, took a noble stand in the war of the revolu- 

 tion. It never lacked volunteers for the service, 

 because if the State or the Nation failed to pay 

 them, the town by voluntary agreement made up 

 from its own funds by bounty what would be con- 

 sidered alonff decent wages to those who tarried at 

 home. This bounty was entirely independent of 

 the regular pay : to place out of the question all 

 depreciation it was agreed that each man should 



Whereas, it appears at this time that our public 

 atFairs are in so distressing a situation, that we are 

 not in a capacity to proceed in a legal manner, to 

 see if Ihe town will vote, that the votes and resolves 

 of this and all other meetings in this town for the 

 term of one year, shall be binding on the inhabi- 

 tants of this town, &c." 



This was signed by the Selectmen for the year. 

 The meeting was held, and the vote was passed, 

 that the votes and resolves of this and all other 

 town meetings, should be held binding. Thus, 

 practically, all other authority was rejected, and 

 the town of Wilton became a separate sovereignty, 

 a republic, acknowledging no laws but those of its 

 own making. This vote, five days after the battle 

 of Le.\ington, was, in truth, a declaration of inde- 

 pendence, and perhaps the first ever made. 



It was this power of self-government which gave 

 strength and union to the people, throughout the 

 Revolution. It was owing to this, that war and 

 the vehemence of party spirit, and the breaking up 

 of established institutions hardly deranged the in- 

 terior order of the country. It was owing to a 

 want of them, — to the want of a habit of self-gov- 

 ernment,— that in the French Revolution, the peo- 

 ple, when the ancient monarchy wes removed. 



