Friday, July 17, 2015

Wolcott History – Samuel Orcutt

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.



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