Much
of the historical information about Farmingbury and Wolcott comes from the
History of Wolcott, by Rev. Samuel Orcutt. However, it occurred to me that no
one has written about the historian himself and I thought I’d do so. Much of
the below is from a newspaper article in the Bridgeport Post from 16 Feb 1969,
but it draws much of its material from a memorial address to the Fairfield
County Historical Society which was given by his fellow historian, R. B. Lacey
about a year after Rev. Orcutt’s death.
Samuel
Orcutt was born on April 12, 1824, of an old Connecticut family which had moved
from Tolland county to Berne, Albany county, NY. Brought up on a farm, he
performed the usual chores for a farm boy, but at age 16, his interest in
religion caused him to pursue classical studies at Cazenovia academy and while
teaching school continued his theological studies under private tutors. He
became a licensed Methodist preacher at 21 and served several churches in New
York City and Long Island. About 1803, he transferred to the Congregational
denomination and after further intensive study and private tutoring was
ordained to the ministry.
He
became affiliated with the New Haven West Ministerial association with which he
was connected for the remainder of his life. His first assignment was as acting
pastor at the church in Wolcott, and there his talent for local history and
genealogy began to manifest itself. His first historical work was a history of
the town of Wolcott in 1874. Transferred to Torrington, he wrote a history of
that town in 1875.
His
“History of the Old Town of Derby, 1642-1880” was published in the latter year
with the collaboration of St. Ambrose Beardsley, an eminent physician and
leading citizen of Derby. It is a voluminous work of nearly 900 pages
containing the histories of what are now the City of Derby, City of Ansonia,
City of Shelton and town of Seymour and Oxford.
After
his work in Derby, the Rev. Mr. Orcutt turned his attention to New Milford and
published his history of that town in 1882. His history of the Indians of the
Housatonic Valley and Western Connecticut was published in the same year.
He
settled in Bridgeport in 1884, followed his clerical duties and published his
history of Bridgeport and Stratford in 1886. After this, he spent a year in
California with his son, then returned to Bridgeport and was engaged mostly in
genealogical work.
On
the afternoon of Jan. 14, 1893 he was engaged in the transfer of the
headquarters of the Fairfield County Historical Society to the “New Barnum
Museum” and had gone to the pier to claim a valuable box. While rushing across
the tracks he was struck and almost instantly killed by a special train. At the
time he was writing the genealogies of the Tomlinson and several other families
in the area.
He
is buried in the old Revolutionary cemetery, formerly the Pequonnock or Old
Stratfield cemetery, in Bridgeport. Although his gravesite was later desecrated
and the headstone missing, Mr. Lacey noted in his memorial address of 1894 that
“the enduring monument to the Rev. Mr. Orcutt is in his series of Connecticut
town histories.”
The
following books may be found online:
·
History of the town of Wolcott
(Connecticut) from 1731 to 1874, with an account of the centenary meeting,
September 10th and 11th, 1873; and with the genealogies
of the families of the town. 1874
·
History of Torrington, Connecticut, from
its first settlement in 1737, with biographies and genealogies. 1878
·
The history of the old town of Derby,
Connecticut, 1642-1880: with biographies and genealogies. 1880
·
History of the towns of New Milford and
Bridgewater, Connecticut, 1703-1882. 1882
·
The Indians of the Housatonic and
Naugatuck Valleys. 1882
·
A history of the old town of Stratford and
the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut. 1886
·
A history of the city of Bridgeport,
Connecticut. 1887
·
Henry Tomlinson, and his descendants in
America: with a few additional branches of Tomlinsons, later from England.
Wolcott
is fortunate to have had the Rev. Samuel Orcutt assigned as the interim pastor.
I would like to close this blog by including the preface from his book on
Wolcott.
My
acquaintance with the Town of Wolcott began in May, 1872. After preaching there
a few Sabbaths, with no expectation of continuing in the place, I became
interested in the history of the church by discovering that its Centenary would
occur in 1873. I soon after accepted an invitation to supply the pulpit for one
year. After a few months' labor in the parish, the idea of writing a brief
history of the Congregational Church and Society was entertained, and the work
was commenced with the expectation that it would not exceed two hundred pages.
From that beginning the present volume has grown, and is, therefore, a little
different in plan and style from what it would have been if the original design
had included so large a field.
The work necessary to the making of this book has been
performed with the greatest pleasure, though prosecuted, much of the time,
under circumstances of disadvantage and discouragement. Now that it is done, I
have no apologies to offer; nor have I any regrets to express, save that the people
who form the subject of this volume have not received from my pen as high
commendation as they deserve.
The labor has been performed within the space of two years,
and has rather aided than hindered parish duties. In the commencement, it was
as the Spring-time, full of buds and blossoms of hope; but in the closing it
has seemed as Autumn. A shade of sadness has touched my mind as I have taken
leave of one and another, individuals and families, when they passed from study
and research; for, after so much thought expended upon them, it seemed as if
they were friends and neighbors among whom I had spent my days, and I was at
last attending their funeral services. The summing up of life, for each one of
them, has seemed written in great characters before the mind in the proverbial
expression: "Born, lived, and died." And wherever the mind looks in
review of the past, the epitome of history seems recorded in the repetition of
this form. Yet in remembering the good of the past (and in fulfilling the responsive
feelings of the heart), it is a comfort, if nothing more can be said, to repeat
this form, and in it cherish the memory of those who have completed the routine
of its unchangeable decrees: --
"Born, lived, and died."
The style of the work is without ornament, because the
times and the character of the persons forming the subject-matter of the
history are better represented thus than otherwise. Of the times and
circumstances through which the early settlers passed, there can be but one
opinion: they were rigorously hard. Although the number who lived to be over
three score and ten is large, yet to most of them, life meant hard work with
many privations, plain food with scanty allowance at times, little clothing,
and that of the plainest kind, restricted to the fashion of two seasons. Of the
character of these ancestors, a good summary, in a few words, is given by Dr.
Henry Bronson in his History of Waterbury: "Individually, our Puritan
ancestors were very much such men as we are; little better, no worse. They were
bred in a rigorous age, and were exposed to peculiar hardships, dangers, and
temptations. Yet, on the whole, they, like us, were average men" (page
323). In one thing, however, it seems to me they have the pre-eminence, namely,
in faithfulness to moral and religious convictions. Modesty, honesty, and
integrity in the profession of the Christian religion, might have been written
over nearly every man's door, to be read by all the world.
It will be observed that the genealogy of a few families is
wanting. The cause of this, in every case, is the want of sufficient
information to make a respectable represention [sic] of the family. The
Blakeslee family was among the first in the parish, but no records could be
obtained until it was too late to introduce them in their proper order. I have hope of including them in the history
of another town where their number is larger than in Wolcott. The Ponds and the
Baileys were influential and leading families for some years. They are all now
gone from the town, and no records have been obtained of them. A few families
early in the parish, disappeared so soon that no connected account of them
could be obtained. Also, a few came in about 1800, tarried a few years, then
joined the grand army which for two or three generations has been steadily
marching Westward.
[Note
that the above refers to the fact that
many Wolcott residents went west to what was known as the “Western Reserve” of
Connecticut to populate that area and keep it part of Connecticut. This took
place beginning after the Revolutionary War until Connecticut finally ceded its
claims in 1800. The area around Cleveland Ohio even today contains many former
Wolcott families and Case Western Reserve University owes its name to that
period of time in US history.]
The limited number of subscribers, and hence of copies
printed, has compelled the laying aside of all illustrations, after
considerable preparation had been made for their publication. This has been to
myself and others a source of great regret.
In acknowledging my obligations to the very kind friends
who have rendered special aid in this work, it is pleasant to say that all have
cheerfully contributed information and encouragement as they were able, and
have urged that the book be made as perfect as possible, even though the price
of it should be increased. In fulfilling this last desire its publication has
been delayed nearly six months. I am specially indebted to Rev. Joseph
Anderson, pastor of the First Congregational Church of Waterbury, who has taken
much interest in the work from the first, and has rendered very valuable
assistance. Also, to Frederick B. Dakin, Esq., of the Waterbury American, a
practical book-maker, under whose supervision the volume was printed. The
following persons have also rendered special service to the work: Messrs. A.
Bronson Alcott, Frank B. Sanborn, and William Ellery Channing, of Concord,
Mass.; Judge William E. Curtiss, of New York; Hon. Leman W. Cutler, of Watertown;
Hon. Birdsey G. Northrop, of New Haven; E. Bronson Cook, Esq., Editor of the
Waterbury American; Hon. Elihu Burritt, of New Britain; Rev. William H. Moore,
of Berlin; Rev. Heman R. Timlow, and Messrs. Gad Andrews, Simeon H. Norton, and
Isaac Burritt, of Southington; Rev. William R. Eastman, of Plantsville; the
late Ralph L. Smith, Esq., of Guilford; Mr. Aaron G. Atkins, of Chenango
County, N. Y.; Mr. Lucas C. Hotchkiss, of Meriden; Mrs. Lucina Holmes and Mrs.
Lucina Lindsley, of Waterbury.
WATERBURY, November 10th, 1874.
