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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

1942

Three Addresses

Colonial Days in Norfolk
By miss MARY P. HINSDALE
DELIVERED AT THE
Home of the Misses Eldndge on July 14, 1898, at a meeting
of the Connefticut Society of Colonial Dames
Schools and Libraries in Norfolk
By henry h. eddy
DELIVERED AT
The Norfolk Library at the Celebration of its
Tenth Anniversary, March 6, 1899

"The Library in the Small Town"
By Rev. JOHN C. GODDARD
OF SALISBURY, CONNECTICUT
DELIVERED AT
The Norfolk Library, at the Convention of its
Tenth Anniversary, March 6, 1899

ptiViatcl? priiiteb
1 899

COLONIAL DAYS IN NORFOLK.

The settlement of Norfolk began in 1744. This town
ship and several of the adjacent ones were owned by the
then colony of Connecticut, and they were severally sold
at public vendue at Middletown in 1742. The town was
originally laid out in fifty-three rights, one right was
reserved for a parsonage, one for schools, and one for the
first minister. The original proprietors, with the excep
tion of Timothy Horsford, of Windsor, who took a deed
of 400 acres, relinquished their rights and forfeited their
first payment, which was 40 shillings on a right. The
names of the first settlers were Titus and Cornelius Brown
from Windsor, John Turner and Jedediah Richards from
Hartford. They were pious and exemplary families and
attended public worship in Canaan. In 1754 Norfolk was
sold at public vendue in Middletown the second
time, excepting Brown's right. The town was incorpo
rated in 1758. In 1761, Rev. Ammi Ruhamah Robbins
was ordained as the first minister. In a note in one of
his sermons he says, the town is nine miles in length and
contains nearly 300 families, and as the road is, it is up
wards of ten miles from the extreme part of the inhabit
ants, and very few sectarians. September 15, 1761, Rev.
Mr. Robbins was unanimously called to take charge of
this people as their spiritual guide and adviser, and a
committee was appointed to inform him of their action
and terms of settlement, which was to give him the use
of the lot set apart for the use of the first minister, and
salary of 70 pounds payable annually and in produce at
the market price fixed by a committee appointed yearly

for the purpose. In those days this was equal to $233.33.
After due consideration Mr. Robbins accepted this propo
sition and waited their time to receive him as their pas
tor. He settled in October, 1 7 6 1 , and held his office until his
death in 1813, a period of fifty-two years. During the
Revolutionary war, 1779-1783, he generously relinquished
14 pounds of his salary annually on account of the heavy
taxes and pressing calls for pecuniary aid in prosecuting
the war. In 1802 $50 were added to his salary ; later an
annual sum of $300 was given.
To eke out his salary, and in consequence of his pecu
liar talent for teaching, he prepared many young gentle
men for a collegiate course, residents of this town and
from various and distant parts of the country numbering
180, who thus came under his instruction and personal
influence. The following custom was adopted and prac
tised nearly through the whole course of Mr. Robbins'
ministry, which to those who did not enter into the spirit
of it, and perhaps to those of the present generation,
might seem rather papistical, or as showing undue
respect and reverence for the clergy, but to the writer it
was a pleasing exhibition. It was this : The congrega
tion being generally present and seated, Mr, Robbins,
punctual to the time, entered the house ; he took off his
hat, walked up the broad aisle, bowing to the right and to
the left, as if to say, " Good morning, my dear people."
The people on each side responded to the compliment,
and rose as he passed along, as if answering, " Good
morning, our dear pastor." He then ascended the
pulpit, hung up his hat, turned and bowed to those
seated in the galleries and to the choir of singers,
as if to say, " Good morning, my dear children, and
you who aid in the divine service." They rose as
his eyes passed 'round upon them, without tumult,
as if replying, " Good morning, our dear father in Christ,"
This ceremony was performed in a graceful manner, par
ticularly on the part of the pastor. This interchange of

5
civility, giving it no more tender epithet, was indicative
of the respect and unfeigned love of his people towards
him as their spiritual instructor and guide. Rev. Phile
mon Robbins of Branford, a graduate of Harvard, was
his father. He was tried for heresy for preaching for a
Baptist clergyman during a season of revival. Rose
Terry Cooke made him the hero of her novel " Steadfast."
Soon after his settlement in Norfolk, Dr. Robbins mar
ried Elizabeth LeBaron, daughter of Lazarus LeBaron,
of Plymouth, Massachusetts, at the age of sixteen. They
had thirteen children. The mother of Elizabeth LeBaron
was Lydia Bradford, great-granddaughter of Gov. Wil
liam Bradford, The story connected with the LeBaron
name is full of interest. In the year 1694, a French pri
vateer hovering around our shores to capture vessels
loaded with grain was wrecked near the end of Buz
zard's Bay, and the men on board were rescued and
taken as prisoners of war. This was in the reign of
William III. The treaty of Ryswick brought peace in
1697. The surgeon on board this privateer was Francis
LeBaron. In the transfer of these prisoners from the
head of Buzzard's Bay to Boston, a halt was made at Ply
mouth. On the day of their arrival it so happened that a
woman of Plymouth had met with an accident causing a
compound fracture of one of her limbs. The local phy
sicians decided that the limb must be amputated, but Dr,
LeBaron asked permission to examine the fracture and
decided that he could save the limb, which he did. This
led to a petition on the part of the selectmen of Plymouth
that Dr. LeBaron might be released to become a physi
cian and surgeon in Plymouth. The request was
granted. He went there in 1694, the next year married
Mary Wilder, and was the father of three sons, one of
whom, Lazarus, was the father of Mrs, Robbins. He was
the hero of the " Nameless Nobleman," by Jane Austen.
'' Dr. LeBaron and his Daughters," by the same writer,
gives many interesting facts and traditions regarding this

family, Mrs, Robbins came to Norfolk on a pillion. She
brought two brocaded silk dresses and a quantity of
French brocaded slippers. She was always "Grande
Dame." The silk of one of these dresses is still preserved
among her descendants, and has been used repeatedly as
a baptismal blanket.
A letter written by Rev. Mr. Robbins to Rev, Dr.
Chauncey of Boston is in possession of Miss Isabella
Eldridge. Norfolk, Nov, 25, 1761,
Reverend and Dear Sir :
Three Indian boys going by, I felt a benevolent disposition and
could not but call them in, and upon inquiry I find they are going to
your house. May we hope that God will open a door for the spread
of the glorious Gospel among our poor natives. May these under
your tuition be instruments therefor. Pardon my boldness in writing
a line, though I have nothing special. I suppose you have heard of
my circumstances, and that God in His all-governing Providence has
for the present fixed me in these lonely, but pleasant woods, I was
ordained on the 20th of last month. Oh, may I never forget the
solemn day. My parents were here, Mr. Bellamy, Roberts, Lee,
Farrand, Newell, Champion, etc. My people are kind and loving.
I trust I have ministers around me of the right stamp (pardon the
familiar expression, this). Joseph tells me your son is going to
Jersey college. If so, I rejoice. May he be a great blessing. Dear
Sir, the business of preparation for to-morrow makes me hasten.
With regard to all your dear family, I am your humble servant and
unworthy fellow-laborer in the Gospel of our dear Lord. Ammi R, Robbins,
To Charles Chauncey, D,D., Boston.
Rev. Thomas Robbins, son of the minister, was set
tled in East Windsor. He was passionately fond of read
ing and collecting books, and decided on acciimulating a
library in preference to any matrimonial arrangement.
This library he presented to the Connecticut Historical
Society, and the last years of his life were spent as libra
rian in the Historical rooms in the Hartford Athenasum.
In his diary in 1799, he says : " I preached in Norfolk on
the Divine decrees. People gave great attention. After
noon was more than an hour in sermon. Awakenings

are very great. It is in Norfolk with power, I believe
there was never a greater work of God in this land."
Whoever was familiar with the Hartford Athenseum in
the early fifties must always recall his presence, which
invested with reality the colonial relics and revolutionary
uniforms. It was both pleasant and profitable to hear
him recount the service to church and state by the work
ers whose portraits hung on the walls. His personality
was both unique and attractive, slightly ministerial in
attire, and wholly colonial as to formality and courtly
manner. He suggested a possible social loss in all the
gain of this century. His dress was spotless, and his
small clothes, silk stockings, and low shoes made him
appear contemporaneous with the portraits. His high,
clear voice would arrest any group of school girls who
tried to escape quietly, " Make your manners, young
ladies," and we were expected to stop for a low courtesy.
He is most interesting in recollection as the last of his
class in appearance and manner. He left a beautiful
watch and chain and key " iti perpetuo" to the minister in
Norfolk, and it is now in possession of Rev. Mr. Stearns,
the present pastor.
The choir was superintended by the town until 1790,
the last notice on record of the appointment of choristers
by the town appearing in that year. The first appropri
ation to aid the choir was $12 in 1798, In 1805 $60 was
given by vote. In 1807, f6o more. Sums were some
times expended for that purpose at the discretion of the
selectmen. At other times sums were raised by subscrip
tion and teachers hired from abroad. This choir has
generally been ambitious to excel (quoting from an
ancient record) in that important and pleasant part of
divine worship. They have almost uniformly borne the
palm when set in competition with the neighboring
choirs, and it is believed few excel this at the present
time. They have an annual sum of $50 as an income to en.

courage them in their present exertions. Dignification,
or seating the congregation, was done by a committee ap
pointed to apportion the seats in church. They placed the
older members of the church in the front seats according to
age and the younger members in the rear. The children
were seated in the galleries, on either side, the girls on
the right, the boys on the left, and the choir in the center
gallery. Two seats were reserved for those who were
not contented with the seats assigned, and were called
" muggins seats." Dignification continued until the close
of the pastorate of Dr, Eldridge, and was, according to the
late Dr. Leonard Bacon, the last church in New England
to give up the custom.
The communion table from the original meeting-house
is used as a tablet in the present building. This is the
only puritan meeting-house whose spire from the first
was surmounted by a cross, and the same cross still
points skyward. The weekly church prayer-meeting
was always held at two o'clock on Friday afternoon.
The conference room was so arranged that the women
were seated on one side and the men on the other, facing
each other, and at the close of service the men remained
until the women had left the room. There was a prayer-
meeting also at early candlelight on Saturday evening,
which was not attended by the minister. A certain Mr.
Butler, who was a silent, but regular attendant, on one
evening was the only one of his own sex who was pres
ent. When the hour arrived for the service to com
mence, he went to the desk, took the Bible, read a few
selections, and then instantly started for the door, saying,
as he disappeared : " Meeting is over as far as I'm con
cerned." It is reported that there was no clock in Nor
folk during the early ministry of Rev. Ammi Robbins.
Mr. Tibbals had a sun dial, and Mr. Robbins started for
church when Mr. Tibbals was passing the house. This
sun dial, in use since 1760, is now in Port Huron, Michi
gan. Mr. Robbins used an hourglass on cloudy days.

Rev. Mr. Whitfield once preached in the western part
of the town in a barn on what is now part of the Eldridge
estate, and known as the Blackberry Farm.
Some curious epitaphs still remain in the burying
ground. One reads :
" Go to Canaan's burying ground.
Two small stones you'll see
Placed at the head of tv?o small graves.
Brother and sister to me,"
One is called the husband and wife epitaph :
" Here lies the body of Lieut. Nathan Davis, who departed this
life Sep. 17th, 1781, in the 77th year of his age.
" Death is a det
That's justly due.
That I have paid
And so must you."
On the opposite side of the slab is the following :
" This det I owe
Is justly due.
And I am come
To sleep with you,"
A curious typographical error in the early records of
the town was made in the report of the first town meet
ing, held December 12, 1758. It appears that Joseph
Mills, Giles Pettibone, and Thomas Knapp were chosen to
be " Sisters " for said town. This must not be taken as
an indication of the scarcity of the gentler sex in Norfolk
in those early days of its history, and that this is the
record of a somewhat singular method of supplying the
deficiency, for the word should be Listers, an office that
was discontinued in this town in 181 9, when assessors and
boards of relief were appointed in their stead.
A curious story is told of one William Walter, a mason
by trade, who, while building a stone chimney, was asked
by some persons examining it, why he left so many holes
in it. Walter replied : " It is impossible to build a stone
chimney so tight but that the rats will run in. It is

lO
policy to leave the holes large enough for the cats to fol
low them."
Mrs, Rosanna Wilcox, nee Pettibone, who lived in Sims-
bury before her marriage, when in need of a wedding
dress, made a piece of checked linen, about forty or fifty
yards, for sale, Samuel Forbes, having commenced and
carried on the iron business in Canaan, and employing a
number of men, was willing to pay a high price for it.
Mr, Forbes paid her in iron delivered in Hartford, which
she exchanged for her wedding dress.
An important matter of business in Norfolk, as in the
adjacent towns, was the sending to Hartford in the early
summer for shad from the Connecticut river to be salted
for use during the year.
Family cider was regarded as one of the essentials of
life, and if it could not be made in the fall must be made
in the spring out of apples which were buried during the
winter. Mrs. Sarah Battell, daughter of Rev. Ammi Robbins,
and mother of the late Mrs. Sarah Eldridge, was gifted
with an extraordinary love of flowers. Hers was the
flrst garden in the town of Norfolk, which was laid out
in the early part of the century. This was done by a Mr.
Plunket, a landscape gardener from Pittsfield. She in
troduced peonies into the town, and had hyacinths and
tulips brought from Mt. Vernon. She also had specimens
of all the wild flowers growing in the region. It was her
custom to give flower seeds and roots during the spring
to any who would come for them. The stately
beauty of this garden, its beds bordered with box, the
sweet-scented honeysuckle, the coral honeysuckle, the
jessamine, wild clematis, and trumpet creeper over the
wall, and the graceful summer house, are a picture in the
memory of a long life. Among the flowers that abounded
were the Canterbury bell, the fox glove, periwinkle,
white and blue' the star of Bethlehem, tiger lilies, and
sweet-williams, the flowering almond, the lilac, white,

II
purple, and Persian, the Barberry bush, altheas, meze-
reum, fraxinella, ragged robin, monkshood, larkspur,
moss pinks, and others too numerous to mention, Roses
were in profusion from the hundred leaf and the
sweet blush and damask, to the eglantine and the
sweet briar, most dainty of aU. Then the beds of thyme,
and rosemary, and lavender, with sage and summer
savory, were in abundance for seasoning the turkey on
many a home table in the town. There were also beds
of " meeting seed," caraway, dill, and the stiff stalks of
yellow fennel, all so essential for the women to carry on
Sunday and pass for their neighbors to enjoy with them,
'Squire Battell, as Mr. Joseph Battell was called, was in
the habit of giving every child who wished him a "happy
new year " a speller or reader, and, if needy, a suit of
clothes. Norfolk had a town custom of ringing the church bell at
noon during the summer months to summon the men to
dinner who were working in the fields. During the winter,
the bell was rung at nine in the evening as a signal for
bedtime. This was discontinued about 1865. Dr. Joseph
Eldridge, who married Sarah Battell, the eldest grand
daughter of Rev. Ammi Robbins, preached in Norfolk
for forty-two years. It was a singular coincidence that
the Sunday following his farewell sermon, the church
bell was found cracked and useless, having rung its fare
well the same day with the last of its minister. The
chimes were given by Mr. Robbins Battell, a grandson of
Rev. Ammi Robbins, and modeled after those in the
tower of St, Martin's in the Fields, London.
We may not close even so slight a sketch of Norfolk
without referring to that which is not colonial, but which
has for more than half a century influenced this whole
region in the lives of precious memory lived under this
roof. Dr. and Mrs. Eldridge. Their hospitality knew no
limit. All "classes and conditions" of people were wel
comed, sharing the good cheer of the home, and went

12
away both refreshed and strengthened. In his farewell
sermon this beloved man of God, in the simplicity of his
heart, told his people of his love. He said : " I am confi
dent that I have not an enemy or ill-wisher in the church,
in the parish, or in the town, nor in the region, indeed,
not in all the world, and I know that I am an enemy to
no human being, and that this church, this society, the
people of this town, and many in this region have a warm
and permanent place in my heart."

SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES,
IN NORFOLK FROM THE FIRST SETTLEMENT TO
THE PRESENT TIME.

The place of the school and the library in the history of
Norfolk is surely a fitting subject for a paper to be read
before an assembly of this kind, which has gathered here
to-day to celebrate the anniversary of the opening of the
present Norfolk library. Certainly this building stands
for what is best in education, and is a fitting memorial to
be erected in this town, historic for its learning and preach
ing among these Litchfield Hills. The spirit which
brought our ancestors to this country, seeking liberty of
conscience, naturally worked in the lines of education of
both soul and mind, and with the lot set aside for the
church was also chosen that for the schoolhouse.
As you all know, the minister was oftentimes the
teacher, especially in the higher grades of learning, and
it is very fitting that the earliest ancestor in Norfolk of
the donor of this building should have been the first pastor
of note and the best preacher and the best educated man
in this section of the state.
It was one hundred and thirty-eight years ago when the
Rev. Ammi Ruhamah Robbins, then a youth fresh from
the elms of New Haven, and the influence and edu
cation of Yale College, was called to be the minister of
this people, and for over half a century he moulded and
shaped this community as no one else could, or did. Not
only did he become famous as a preacher, but was known
far and wide as the educator of young men, many of
whom came from distant cities that they might be under
his tutelage and instruction. There were always young

14
men at the parsonage, preparing for Yale or Williams
college, and during his whole career as a teacher over
two hundred young men went out from under his roof,
many afterwards fllling places of importance and trust
both in the public and private life of their day and gener
ation. As soon as the settlers of this town had redeemed
enough ground from the forest to bear crops sufficient for
their support, they built their church and encouraged
education by every possible means, and some good dame
was always on hand to help the growing mind expand.
The means employed in those days were meager enough
beside the numerous helps and aids deemed necessary
to-day. For the scholar learned to write upon birch bark,
not paper, his pen a sharpened quill, his ink the juice of
sumac berries, and his ink well the tip of a cow's horn.
The copy-book of the much-coveted paper was won only
after hard work and hours filled with envy and bitterness
towards the fortunate ones. The books most in vogue
at that time were the Bible, the New England Primer,
containing the Assembly of Divines' shorter catechism,
Dillworth's spelling-book, containing a few pages of his
grammar, also Dillworth's Schoolmaster's Assistant, con
taining a few elementary rules in arithmetic. Such were
the few advantages of our ancestors, but they have made
possible the greater advantages we enjoy to-day. The first
mention of any library is in the year 1761, when a library
company was formed and upwards of 1 5 o volumes collected
representative of the books of the day, and other volumes
were added from time to time. This library remained in
existence for from thirty to thirty-five years, and then, the
company dissolving, the various members became perma
nent owners of the volumes. A part of this library was
kept in the house south of the present parsonage, which
was owned by a Mr. Joseph Jones, tailor, who plied his
trade and acted as librarian of the collection, which was
kept in his workroom in a corner cupboard. It is sup-

IS
posed that a library that was in existence in South Nor
folk at the beginning of the present century was, perhaps,
the last appearance of the one started in 1761,
As early as 1768 the town voted to open and support a
school at the Centre if ten, or even six, families were
found who needed that help. This was the conduct of
the town in matters of education during all the ensuing
years, and in 1780 the parsonage, the grounds where the
Robbins school now stands, and the school lands were
leased for 999 years. In 1796 the School Society was
formed and all school funds transferred to their hands, as
hitherto the church and state had been one in many
cases, and all religious and secular duties had been di
rected by the Church Society,
Rev. Mr. Robbins' school at the parsonage was in a
flourishing condition at this time, and Rev, Thomas Rob
bins, in his diary, makes mention of boys being refused
entrance, as the complement of scholars was full ; also of
his examining his father's scholars from time to time, and
at various intervals of having complete charge of them
while his renowned father was absent at Williams College
attending to his duties as trustee of that institution, or,
perhaps, at some neighboring town attending a confer
ence of divines.
In 1798 Isaac Holt left a legacy of $45 to the Society,
the interest to be expended for the schooling of some
worthy child. The first lady teacher of whom I have
record is a Miss Phoebe Guiteau, a member of the old
Guiteau family of this town, which furnished several doc
tors and prominent officials to the community. She
taught before 1800, but further than this there is no rec
ord. Between 1800 and 1819 Mrs. Sarah Reeder was the
most prominent teacher, a talented and accomplished
lady, whose select school was well patronized, and the
maps dated and made by the scholars have come down to
this day. This school continued for many years, and at
last a Mr, Stephen Peet was at the head of it. During

i6
this same period Mr. Sereno Pettibone held a school in
the Butler house at the North End for the benefit of the
families in that part of the town, and at Pond Hill, then
known as the Paug District, Miss Susannah Welch
taught and flourished between the years of 1809 and
1816. As the number of scholars increased the Society felt
the need of larger accommodations, and in 1819, at a cost
of $1,000, built the old Conference Room on the site of the
Humphrey Chapel. The upper part was used as a con
ference room for the church, and the lower room in con
nection with the Center School for the grades beyond the
primary departments. Rev. Mr. Peet, the successor of Mrs.
Sarah Reeder, was probably the first teacher to make use
of the new building, and he was helped from time to time
by young college graduates, among them being a Mr.
Henry M. Swift, a Mr. Cross, and a Mr. Willis,
The building of the new schoolroom evidently awak
ened an interest in kindred matters, for in 1822, a short
time after Mr. Emerson was installed as minister, we find
that efforts were being made to form a second library
company, and in 1824 such a company was incorporated
with a written constitution and about 142 volumes in its
possession. This number was increased as the months
went by. At this time several newspapers were bought
by the well-to-do families of the village, and through their
kindness and generosity were circulated among their
neighbors and friends. This Library Company, like its
predecessor, had no definite abode and passed from family
to family, at one time being kept at Judge Mills' house,
which was on the site where the Hillhurst now stands,
and when last heard of was in the care of a Mrs. Robert
Hedger, who lived in the house south of the Eldridge
Gymnasium, It remained in existence as late as 1866,
when the books, with the old oak case especially made for
them, passed into the hands of Mrs. Charlotte Mills and
Miss Louise Stevens who were laying the foundations of

17
the third and last library, before the present building was
erected and opened for the benefit of the town. The
committee appointed to purchase books and place the
library upon a firm footing was composed of Mrs, Hiram
P. Lawrence, Mrs, Charles Mills, Mrs. Joseph Eldridge.
A yearly fee of one dollar was imposed on each member,
but during the first year the option was given of placing
a volume in the library in lieu of the fee.
Miss Irene and Miss Anna Gaylord, on Greenwoods
street, first had charge of the circulation, and the old case
and the new books remained in their house for several
years. The next custodian was a Mrs. Curtiss, who kept
a millinery shop in the little red wooden building, after
wards used for the office of the Judge of Probate, but now
for a barber's shop, and situated on the east side of Main
street below Thurston's block. On Mrs. Curtiss marry
ing, a Miss Mary French, of Housatonic, Massachusetts,
a new resident of the town, took charge as librarian, and
it remained in her hands until it was carried next door
into the old octagonal building, where Mr. Aaron Gilbert,
tailor, took charge and for many years dispensed books
and clothes with equal cheerfulness. At his death, about
1875, the collection was again moved and taken to the
house of Mr. Rufus Seymour, which was its final resting
place, as, in 1889, when the present library was opened, the
books then remaining of any value were incorporated in
the new collection under one roof and one especially de
signed for them.
Before passing to the history of the Norfolk Library
itself, let us retrace our steps and briefly review the
history of the schools from 1820 to the present time. The
last mention of schools made was to the effect that the
new conference-room had been erected and a new impulse
given to learning through the added facilities afforded
by it.
Among the many names of women who taught between
the years 1820-1830 that of Miss Alice Welch seems to
2

take the foremost place and to be surrounded by memo
ries fllled with affection and devotion, and some of the
oldest of the townspeople can still recall the hours spent
under her care and guidance. She was a woman of
superior mind, and not only looked after the mental train
ing of her scholars but also of the spiritual, for she took
especial pains every Saturday afternoon to give a scrip
ture lesson to the children either from a certain topic
chosen beforehand, or from the Assembly of Divines'
Catechism. Monday morning was also a special half-day
set aside for religious exercises, when the children were
made to repeat the sermon of the day before, and the in
attentive and forgetful ones did not always love the first
exercise of the week or reach a high stage of perfection
in it. As was the custom in those days, she boarded in
the different homes represented in her school, and it was
always a red-letter day for a scholar when it came his
turn to take the teacher home. She also taught two
seasons in the East Middle district, and when she went to
the people in the North district many of her former
pupils from the Center, notwithstanding the added walk
to and from school, followed her to have the benefit of
her instruction. During the seasons of 1828 to 1829 she
kept a select school upstairs in the Conference building,
and from there went to Mr. Joseph Emerson's School at
Wethersfield, not returning again to Norfolk in her
capacity as teacher.
Another teacher of this period was Miss Susan Ames,
who kept an independent school in a small building,
formerly a lawyer's office, which was situated between the
old Dowd place and Peter Freedom's house, the latter
being a little south of the spot where the Eldridge Home
stead now stands. She in turn was succeeded by Miss
Cornelia Rockwell of Colebrook, who came from there to
take the school, and continued in charge during the period
Miss Welch was teaching at the North End.
The successor to Miss Welch as teacher over the school

19
kept by her in 1828 and 1829, was Miss Eliza Norton.
She was a woman of influence and character, and her
name and memory are dear to all who attended school at
this period. She continued to hold her sessions in the
Conference Building upstairs while at the same time a
Miss Stark kept a school of different grade below.
Twenty pupils was the average for the school and it was
patronized by most of the families in the Center. The
elder Mr. Battell was deeply interested in it, and paid the
tuition of two pupils and saw that the furnishings of the
place were kept in good condition, A new stove appeared
at one time, and the entire place was reseated at his ex
pense. Miss Norton taught for most of the period
between 1832 and 1836, when she was succeeded by her
brother, John F. Norton, who was so successful that by
1838 there were upwards of seventy pupils under his
charge. The next year, the need of still larger accommodations
being felt, an Academy Corporation was formed for the
purpose of building an academy, and in 1840 such a
building was erected on the east side of the Green for the
sum of $2,000, As the career of Mr. Norton had been so
successful he was appointed first principal and continued
as such until duties outside the town took him away.
The next principal was a Mr. Ebenezer Andrews, who was
followed by Mr. William B. Rice, who taught from 1846
to 1858. Mr. Rice took control with the understanding
that he was to make what he could out of the school, the
Corporation paying him no fixed salary, but all the
tuitions passing into his pocket in place of such salary.
Three pupils appeared the first day, and as this was hardly
profitable the school was closed for two weeks, when the
interest increased and the school reopened. This effort
was successful, for at various times during his career Mr.
Rice had nearly one hundred pupils.
In 1846 the town purchased the land the building is on
and the right to use the lower room as a town hall, and

20
paid the Corporation for it with a note of $725 at 6 per
cent. This room since that date has been the scene of
all political debate and local decision on town matters.
As no one appeared when Mr, Rice gave up the school
to undertake his charge the town came forward and paid
$500 yearly towards the maintenance of a school of
higher grade in the Academy, and this aid was given
during the last fifteen years of the existence of the
Academy Corporation, At the same time the lower
grades were taught in the room downstairs in the old
Conference Building, south of the church, the town own
ing the right to use the lower half while the church
retained the upper half. It was not until 1887 that the use
of these buildings was discontinued, when the Hon.
Robbins Battell bought out the Corporation which owned
the Academy, the schools were moved to the new school-
house below the hill, and the old conference-room was
torn down to make room for the present stone chapel
there situated.
The last of the old-fashioned private schools was kept
by Miss Margaret and Miss Desiah Nettleton between
the years 1849 to 1871, in the house now occupied by Mr.
L. J. Curtiss and his mother, Mrs. Peter Curtiss. It was
essentially old-fashioned, and morals and manners played
as important part in its curriculum as any branch of learn
ing. The great sunny room on the south was used for
the school and the boys and girls sat upon long benches
placed across the room. Miss Margaret taught the pupils
their letters, and by her gentle rule over them acquired
an influence for good that made a deep impression on the
young boys and girls, and her face seemed beautiful to
all her scholars. In winter a great iron stove kept the
room at a comfortable temperature. It was a huge black
iron affair of the variety known as the " Canada Stove,"
and three fiery steeds in relief upon the side towards the
scholars sent a thrill of awe into their young hearts. The
Bible was one of the principal sources of instruction, and

21
each pupil recited a verse every morning, and by the
time they were eight were supposed to know the names
of the books of the Old Testament by heart. Miss Desiah
taught sewing, and both boys and girls were compelled
to take up this branch of study, and by the time they were
through the school could work on the pieced counterpanes
of that day. The favorite mode of punishment was to
shut the misbehaved in the narrow back hallway and
leave them there in the dark until repentance came.
The great honor was to be allowed to fill the water pail
at the spring, the other side of the road, upon the parson
age grounds, and after trudging back with it, sometimes
losing much in the return journey, to ladle the water out
to the other scholars in the large tin dipper provided for
the purpose.
As the Rev, Ammi Ruhamah Robbins was noted for his
educational success as well as ministerial, it is fitting that
we should give a brief space to the mention of the Rob
bins School, the memorial erected to his memory by the
Hon. Robbins Battell and his sister. Miss Anna Battell.
It is appropriately situated on the site of the old parson
age, and has sent out many pupils since its opening in
1884, The present principal, Mr. Howard W. Carter, has
held that position for over twelve years, and at the tenth
anniversary of the school planned and carried out a most
thorough review of its history, which will render it un
necessary for me to repeat at this time.
The first attempt to gauge the need of a permanent
library building was made on January i, 1881, when Miss
Isabella Eldridge opened a reading-room in the house of
Mr. George W, Scoville, which is situated on the bridge
north of the present parsonage. There were 28 periodi
cals and newspapers on file, and the use of the room
steadily increased and demonstrated the wisdom of the
effort. Seven years later, as the patronage continued to
grow. Miss Eldridge decided that a permanent structure
could be built with beneficial results, and made plans for

22
the erection of the library we are in to-day. The words
of the simple tablet upon the wall of the entrance hall
fittingly express the reason and the spirit in which it was
done. The tablet reads, " In reverent memory of Joseph
and Sarah Eldridge." These two names will recall to
many of you present a life of long and faithful ministry,
aided by the devotion of the wife who made the parson
age the source of much of the social and intellectual life
of the church and town.
Dr. Eldridge was held in great esteem by his fellow
ministers of the entire state, and bore a widespread and
deserved reputation for scholarship and learning. The
early promise shown by honors bestowed at preparatory
school and college was fulfilled in his after life, and he
was the firm friend and colleague of such men as Pres.
Porter of Yale College, Dr. Horace Bushnell of Hartford,
and Dr. Taylor of New Haven. He was stroag in his
beliefs, and led his people with a firm but gentle hand
along what he considered the fundamental paths of faith,
and, although liberal in his own views, did not allow him
self to be disturbed by the current dissensions of his day.
He was both feared and loved by his people, and was in
very truth their leader and guide in things spiritual. Mrs.
Eldridge, by her tactful and sunny nature, filled a position
in the community that supplemented the work of her
husband. She met almost entirely the demands made
upon the parsonage from the social side of their life, and
thus gave the Doctor uninterrupted leisure to prepare for
his purely ministerial work and church services.
The great interest that the minister had in all matters
pertaining to education in this town can be traced for
over twelve years through the records of the old school
board, and from 1856 to 1868 there is not a single record
where his name does not appear either as visiting schools
or examining teachers for the position in the various
districts. His love of books was almost a religion with
him, and many was the struggle he had to forego the

23
pleasure of the possession of some work long wished for.
His library became, as it were, a free library for his
parishioners, and often there were so many volumes gone
that he had to remind the tardy borrowers that he would
like to see his own again, and upon one occasion even
gave notice from the pulpit on the Sabbath day. It was,
therefore, eminently fitting that the daughter should raise
a memorial of this nature, and of a kind that would carry
on the work already commenced, and the example set by
the lives of those in whose honor this building was
erected. This library, from the day it was opened, has
stood for the education of the people of this community
in the broad paths of culture and refinement, and has
furnished a fitting place for their daily social life. It has
always been the saying throughout the village, " Meet
me at the Library," rather than meet me at any other
place. The building was commenced in 1888, and it was hoped
that it would be finished in that year, but it was not until
March 6, 1889, ten years ago, that the Library was opened
to the public. The building was beautifully decorated
for the occasion, and, as to-day, music and flowers were
in evidence on every side. All the people of the village
of every nationality, creed, and color were invited, and
from four until eight o'clock the building was filled with
visitors. As over one thousand invitations had been
issued, the number of guests present must have been
close to that number. The Library had upon its shelves,
when it started, about 2,500 volumes, of which Miss
Eldridge had purchased 1,050 ; 1,250 were the gift of the
Rev. Azariah Eldridge of Yarmouth, Mass., consisting of
his general and theological library; 150 volumes, mostly
reference works, the gift of other members of the family;
and the remainder the last of the old Subscription
Library taken from Mr. Seymour's. Since that date
many more volumes of the Library of 1866 have found
their way here, and to-day we have over two hundred of

24
that collection. There are also several volumes of the
Library of 1822, and these are especially interesting as
relics of that early effort in this same direction. At this
same time, the beautiful clock which stands in the hall
was given by Miss Mary Eldridge, and the Library is in
debted to her for many choice gifts of various kinds, as it
is also to Mrs. Henry H. Bridgman.
The periodicals, twenty-eight in number, which were
in the old reading-room at Mr. Scoville's, were trans
ferred to the reading-room of this building, and since
the opening have been added to constantly, until at the
present day there are fifty-seven newspapers and periodi
cals on file, twice the number as upon the first day of the
Library's existence. The books upon the shelves have
increased at the rate of over 500 volumes a year, and to
day the nine thousand mark has been passed, many of the
volumes bearing the names of those interested in the
Library, who have thus contributed to its growth and
efficiency. In the souvenir program will be found the
names of those who have labored for the welfare of this
institution, and as many have been employed, to many
credit is due for the place this library has come to hold in
the village and the community at large. The first report
for a full year was made in 1891, when the librarian, Mr.
Edward E. Swift, stated that 22,008 visitors had been in
the building, and that 10,942 volumes had been issued in
circulation. These figures have grown steadily from
year to year, until during the year ending December 31,
1898, the total has been reached of 29,080 visitors, and the
circulation has increased over 3,500 to 14,604 volumes.
This shows the increase for the first ten years of the
Library's existence, and we almost dare to hope that the
same gain may be made in the decade we are about to
enter upon. This increase is due largely to the fact that
Norfolk has become a very popular summer resort, and
that many hundred strangers visit it during the summer
and fall months, August is the busiest season of the

25
year, and a comparison of August, 1890, with August,
1898, will show a decided growth in this feature of Nor
folk life. For that month in 1890 there were 2,945
visitors, against 4,861 in 1898, while the circulation had
increased to over twice that of eight years ago, there
being 2,433 volumes issued last August, against 1191 in
August, 1890. With the added increase in summer
patronage has come the more welcome increase in the use
of the Library in the winter. For although the town has
not grown in size to any great extent, the circulation has
reached the average of nearly 1,000 volumes per month
for the period of the year when simply the town's people
proper make use of the building. These figures are most
gratifying, for the village cannot boast of over 1,200
inhabitants. This library was one of the first to grant the privilege
of open shelves to its borrowers, and since the day of
opening the public have had free access to all volumes of
every description. It is still one of the few libraries in
the state that does this, but so much pleasure is given
and the needs of the people so much better met, that it
more than offsets the possible loss of a few volumes each
year. For the first few years of the Library's existence it
afforded the place for numerous entertainments for the
pleasure and instruction of those who happened to be in
town at the time. The first one of note was upon August
6, 1891, when a harp recital was given by Miss Maude
Morgan of New York, assisted by Mr. G. W. Morgan at
the piano. It was a most delightful performance and
was the forerunner of many more. Later on Prof. A. L.
Frothingham of Princeton University gave a very inter
esting lecture on Italian art, the building was trimmed
and decorated with draperies and flags of Italian colors,
and even the ices at the luncheon were served in the
form of mandolins and guitars. A year later, in 1892, a
novel afternoon was spent with Miss Isabel Hapgood

26
while she described Russia and Russian life to a very in
terested audience. Emblems and colors of Russia were
displayed on every side, and tea bought in Moscow was
served from a real Russian samovar. This was perhaps
the most unique entertainment ever given in the build
ing. Two other informal lectures were given at different
times, one by Mr. Samuel Henshaw of West New
Brighton, Staten Island, upon floriculture and the beauti
fying of the home by the growing and raising of old-
fashioned flowers ; the other lecture was given by Miss
Alice M. Bacon just after her return from Japan, and was
upon the home life and treatment of Japanese women
and girls. It was during the same year, 1892, that the
Eldridge Gymnasium was built through the generosity
of Mrs. Henry H. Bridgeman, and since that time it has
served as a place for entertainments, as it is better
adapted for that purpose than this building. The last
large gathering held here was on September 8, 1893, when
the State Library Association of Connecticut held its
fall meeting in Norfolk. Over forty guests from out of
town were present, and Dr. Hart of Hartford, then the
president of the Association, presided. The meeting was
very entertaining, and in the evening after the session a
reception was held at the home of the Misses Eldridge.
During the past few years, it has been very gratifying
to see how those for whom the Library was especially
built, the children, youth, and teachers, have made a more
constant use of the privileges it has afforded them, and
also have shown an improvement in the class of books
they have drawn from the shelves. The range of useful
ness has extended beyond the immediate confines of the
town, and borrowers come from Canaan Mountain, South
and West Norfolk, East Canaan, and Colebrook. The
steady growth of this outlying circulation is very encour
aging, and shows the Library has met a need which it
has been the aim of those most closely allied with the
interests of this institution to meet in every possible way.

27
The experiment of establishing branch libraries in the
schoolhouses which are on the outskirts of the town has
proved a success. The teachers have complete charge of
the books, and renew or exchange whenever they wish.
The Library has in this way increased the number of
its permanent borrowers, and has reached many families
which possibly might not otherwise have had the privilege
of taking books from its shelves. One school alone took
over seventy books last year, and the number of volumes
issued this year is fully as large as for the same months
in 1898.
In this paper, in a brief way, I have endeavored to
trace the history of the town as shown in the means of
education and culture which from time to time have been
offered to its inhabitants, and I think with the Library of
to-day, its shelves filled with volumes chosen with care,
its walls hung with portraits and pictures, and all the
refinement evident within its doors, with the Robbins
School offering the higher branches of education, and the
Eldridge Gymnasium to meet the needs of the body,
Norfolk may well look hopefully towards the future, and
surely should strive with its might to be worthy of the
favors which Fortune has showered down upon it.

THE LIBRARY IN THE SMALL TOWN.

Ladies and Gentlemen :
I am requested to state that Calvin* will take the place
of Luther* on this occasion. Some hold that the only
difference between them is that Luther was reformed.
Calvin never was reformed. Yet for once Calvin is sup
ported by the Catholicism of Connecticut [Father Keat
ing] and has the Episcopacy of the State [Dr. Hart] back
of him.
The Scoville Library of Salisbury extends greetings
to her beautiful sister, and congratulates her on the com
pletion of these ten beneficent years.
^' Inter Folia Fructus." From this motto we learn that
a library is a tree, a tree of knowledge, or shall we say in
this instance an Isabella vine ? It is a tree set out by
a noble order of foresters, who plant in hope of others
sharing the fruit with them. This is not the only bless
ing emanating from this gracious sisterhood. Here is a
place to think, and across the park is a place to drink.
On yonder ridge is a place to play, and on the opposite
crest is a place to pray, all fostered by their kindly hands.
Nor is it to Norfolk alone these blessings are confined.
They have set the example that has become contagious
in all this corner of the State. If Mrs. Browning were
right in saying that " people are kind when they think
of it," thrice blessed, then, are they who teach the rest of
us to think of being kind. It would be easy to show
where more than six hundred thousand dollars has been
expended since the founding of the Norfolk Library in
these adjoining towns, directly or indirectly due to the
• Rev. John Calvin Goddard, Prof. Flavel S. Luther.

29
example of public spirit thus set. Now it is because of
these gracious trees here planted that a grateful constit
uency, and we, with them, are moved to invoke for their
founders the arboreal blessing of Isaiah, " As the days of
a tree are the days of My people ; and Mine elect shall
long enjoy the work of their hands."
"Inter Folia Fructus." One might almost construe that
racy legend to read, " Fruit among folios." The folios
are all around us ; the fruit is hidden. Doubtless this
tree resembles the famous one in paradise, "bearing
twelve manner of fruits," but time forbids the mention of
more than three of them.
The first fruit of a library in a small town is Enjoy
ment. From 50 to 60 per cent, of the books drawn are
fiction. Sir Walter was right in saying that in a culti
vated age reading is a form of enjoyment that can never
be surpassed. It is all the more so from being a quiet
form of happiness, consistent with the New England spirit.
The best things in the world are quiet. The stars are not
vociferous. It is remarked, " A tree falls in the forest; the
village hears it. A million trees grow ; no one hears it."
All the same, the silence of that shining and of that
growth is more beautiful than music. Let no one despise
the day of fiction. The child is not the only one
who pleads, " Tell me a story ! " We are not surprised
at the time-gaining device of Scheherezade, for more
than one here has sat up their thousand and one nights
to learn how the tale will end.
True, fiction is not the only enjoyment in a library.
There is the love of history and science, not apt to come
by nature. It is said that the liking for olives is an ac
quired taste ; so is the liking for some other excellent
things. Two men at the opera are represented in a re
cent number of Life as saying :
" Do you like Wagner ? "
" Y-e-s, that is, in a way."
" Neither do I."

30
So it is with the first attempt at enjoying certain books.
Now the public library ministers to the enjoyment of a
small community most markedly. Some, we admit, can
be happy anyhow and anywhere. Such are " Mark the
perfect man " and his kinsman, Mark the son of Tapley.
Some can extract enjoyment even from the most cheer
less places. I know a man who became engaged at a
funeral. But these gifted ones are exceptions. Most
people are dependent on others for bringing happiness
to them. Particularly is this true of the enjoyment of
books. It is safe to say that many in the small town
would never taste of book pleasure, unless the library
were brought to them. Now, as is written of another
boon in Deuteronomy, "Who shall go over the sea for
us, and bring it unto us ? " Inquire of Norfolk, and they
will be able to tell you.
The second fruit of the library in a small town is En
largement. The library makes two ideas grow where
but one grew before. It widens the horizon. It teaches
us that there are people on the other side of the moun
tain, too. We learn how large a book would be, if there
were put together the things we know and the things we
do not know. The library is the pastor's assistant ; it
enables people to understand sermons. It is the ally of
the press. By it people have comprehended editorials
written in Winsted. It is surprising what a revelation
comes to one through a library. For the first time one
learns that Irish stew is unknown in Ireland and Turkish
baths in Turkey. One can acquire information that is not
known even in Boston. As did that Bostonian who wrote
to the Indian agent to send her some native names to
bestow upon her household pets. The agent strictly
complied, but not with names like Washinee and Wash-
ining. No, he sent her the names of " Dennis P, O'Flan-
negan, John W. Brown, Silas Smith," all prominent In
dians in that locality. Yes, as Bacon truly says, " Read-

31
ing maketh the full man " ; it maketh, or ought to make,
the satisfied woman.
The smaller the town, the more necessary is this en
largement of ideas. On the Asylum avenue of Hartford
one sees a monument in honor of Dr. Gallaudet, whose
legend is raised fing-ers in position, I am told that
they spell in the sign language of the deaf the single
word "Ephphatha," That is, "Be opened." And some
thing like that Galilean word does the library say to
many a mind that would otherwise be shut in.
The last fruit borne by the library among its leaves is
Inspiration. In the small town the library is the stim
ulus of many intellectual activities. Look at the Debat
ing Society at Norfolk, I am informed that they have
settled here problems that ages have grappled with in
vain ; whether Charles the First was properly dead or no ;
whether Mary Queen of Scots fairly forfeited her head ;
whether, after all said and done, it was the lady or the
tiger. In Sheffield there is a Friendly Union that em
braces all churches, all classes, all parts of the town, that
maintains a public building and a lecture course, all
springing from the library. In Salisbury the library
houses and fosters a Neighborly Club that is a weekly
boon to the village. In West Cornwall a little library,
starting in a small way from the ground up, has de
veloped a social fabric that is the renovation of the ham
let. These are but samples of its stimulating influence
upon communities.
This is the month when bluebirds visit us. It is re
marked that they come in March when food is scarcest,
and go away in August when it is most plentiful. Surely
they are a disinterested flock, who accompany us not for
the loaves and fishes. Perhaps for this very reason we
appreciate more their coming. Libraries are not origin
ally lured to a small town by the inducements of read
ers. They come, not because they are invited, but be
cause they are needed. Yet they bring with them their

32
own welcome, and they who send them shall by no
means lose their reward.
We read of an Isabella of Spain who parted with her
crown jewels in order to open to her people a new world.
There is another of the same name, who has parted with
her treasure in order to open to her people a new world,
the world of thought, the Eldorado of great minds.
We are glad that this, her anniversary day, is appropri
ately greeted with "Queen's weather,"
We are glad to join with her in the celebration of this
tree of leafy boughs ; " long may it wave ! "
We are glad of the opportunity given through her ex
quisite hospitality of thus looking into each other's faces,
from the Governor of the State to Calvin down, but, most
of all, for the privilege of looking into her own radiant
face, and advancing a little farther into her honored
acquaintance. And so, for all her queenly grace, let me voice the sen
timent that unites us all, —
" Long may she reign 1 "

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