RURAL LIFE IN LITCHFIELD COUNTY 



continually westward. When the western part of the 

 State was settled much of the best land in the central 

 valleys and the coast country was already fully occupied 

 and a new field must be sought. That the land to which 

 they were going was known as the almost impenetrable 

 "Green Woods" country, that it comprised rockbound 

 hills, and that its dense forests were alive with wild 

 beasts and untamed savages, were but trifling obstacles 

 to their progress. The original settlers of the county 

 were several generations removed from the first emi- 

 grants from England. Their fathers had known the 

 hardships of wresting a livelihood from the unbroken 

 forests, ever harassed by the cruel and treacherous sav- 

 ages; and though the sons retained the sturdy qualities 

 which go to the making of a real pioneer, yet some of 

 the sterner and harsher peculiarities of the race had 

 become softened or modified by the influence of time. 

 A more tolerant and liberal spirit was manifested in 

 religion, and later in politics, by the people of this 

 county than in some other settlements in the State. 



The usual method of organizing a town was the sell- 

 ing of a parcel of land at auction to a number of men, 

 called patentees, who might take up the land them- 

 selves or sell it to others. Cornwall was sold by the 

 colony at Fairfield in 1738. It was laid out in "fifty 

 three allotments and sold for fifty pounds per right." 

 Canaan was sold at auction in New London. Goshen 



