made up the list of said Society, as listers, are hereby ordered to deliver the several lists of the inhabitants of said Society to the listers of the Town of New Haven, that they may make up one general list, to be delivered to the Town Clerk as the law directs; and the Secretary of the Colony is directed to deliver two copies of this act to the Sheriff of New-Haven County, one by him to be delivered to the listers of said Town of New-Haven, and the other to the person or persons who received and made up the lists of said Society, for their direction respectively in the premises."[Col. Records.] Thus another fatal blow was given to the act of 1707. The Village, however, was very obstinate, and was determined not to yield. But in order to remove and prevent any further objections to what they apprehended to be their rights, on the 3d February, 1755, "They appointed a Committee to apply to the General Court for Town privileges according to a former Grant, and to refuse to pay the two last rates of the Town; and to make an agreement with New-Haven about it, if they could." But this plan failed. They then resumed their old ground, and on the 16th June, "Voted, that we will proceed further with respect to our privileges granted formerly to us by the General Assembly, and will try it in the common law with the Town of New-Haven, if they strain for our Town rates." And a Committee was appointed to manage this business. They persisted in choosing officers annually, and yet appear to have acted with New-Haven in Town business. Nothing more appears on record respecting this controversy, until May, 1780, when the Village" Voted to apply to the General Assembly, to ratify and confirm our Town privileges, granted to this Village in 1707, and that a Committee go to New-Haven, and let them know that we are determined to act in defence of said privileges." In December, 1781, This business was again introduced, and it was "Voted that a Committee be appointed to go to New-Haven to the next Town meeting, to petition them to give their assent and approbation to our taking up our Village grant of 1707, and to act upon the same." 66 January 1, 1782. Voted, That Levi Pardee go round to the people, to know whether they are willing to be a Town, or not." "3d January, Voted, That we will petition the General Assembly, that they make us a distinct Town from NewHaven." In the prosecution of this object they persevered. And at length, after about 80 years of labour and controversy, obtained their object. In 1785, New-Haven consented that they should become a Town. They presented a petition to the General Assembly, and obtained the following grant. "At a General Assembly holden at Hartford, on the second Tuesday of May, 1785; upon the Memorial of the inhabitants of the parish of East-Haven, in the Town of NewHaven, representing to this Assembly the many inconveniences they are subject to by reason of their being connected with, and being a part of the Town of New-Haven, praying that they may be constituted a distinct and separate Town by themselves, as per memorial; "Resolved by this Assembly, That the said inhabitants of said parish of East-Haven be, and they are hereby constituted a Town by the name of East-Haven. And the bounds of the said Town of East-Haven, shall be the same as the bounds of the said Parish now are, and the said Town of East-Haven shall be entitled to, and have and enjoy all the rights, privileges, and immunities that the other Towns in this State enjoy; and shall have liberty to elect and appoint all officers necessary and proper for a Town, to lay taxes and collect them as Towns in this State are allowed by law, and to do and transact all matters necessary and proper for a Town. And the said Town of East-Haven shall be entitled to receive of the said Town of New-Haven, their part and proportion of all the Town Stock of said Town of New-Haven; and said Town of East-Haven, shall pay their part and proportion of all the debts of said Town of New-Haven already incurred, in proportion to the sum of their list, in the list of the Town of New-Haven, and shall take upon them the charge and support of their part of the Town poor of said Town of New-Haven, in proportion as aforesaid. And the taxes of said Town of NewHaven, already laid, shall and may be collected and appliedfor the payment of the debts and expences of said Town of New-Haven, already incurred, and the same being paid and discharged, said Town of East-Haven shall be entitled to their part and proportion of the overplus, if any be, to be ascertained as aforesaid. And the said Town of East-Haven shall bear their part and propor tion of supporting the bridges and highways within the bounds of the Town of New-Haven and East-Haven, in such part and proportion as shall be judged just and reasonable, by William S. Johnson, Jonathan Sturgis and John Chester, Esq. who are appointed a Committee for that purpose, all the circumstances of the Town being duly considered; and said Committee shall appoint and set off to said Town of East-Haven their part and proportion of poor of the said Town of New-Haven, and the stock and debts in proportion to their lists as aforesaid. the "And the said Town of East-Haven shall hold their first Town meeting, at the meeting-house in said East-Haven, on the first Tuesday of July next, at 10 o'clock A. M. when they may choose such Town Officers as by law are required, who shall remain in office until another meeting shall be held in and for said Town, in the month of December next. And said meeting shall have power and authority to transact all matters necessary for a Town, and to adjourn to a future period if necessary, said inhabitants, legal voters, being warned three days before said meeting by Isaac Chedsey, Stephen Smith and Joshua Austin of said Town of East-Haven, or any of them, to meet as aforesaid, and Stephen Smith shall preside at said meeting until a Moderator of said meeting shall be chosen, and shall take and count the votes of said Town for their Moderator; provided nothing shall be construed to hinder the inhabitants of the Town of New-Haven from catching fish, oysters and clams within the bounds of said Town of East-Haven, under the same restrictions and regulations that the said inhabitants of said East-Haven shall be. Provided also, that the said Town of East-Haven shall have liberty to send one representative to the General Assembly of this State."-[State and Town Records. The first Town Meeting under this act was held in the Meeting-house on the first Tuesday of July, 1785. The meeting was opened with prayer by the Rev. Mr. Street, and a sermon adapted to the occasion from Psalm cxxii. 3, 7, 8, 9—And the necessary Town Officers were appointed. Previous to these transactions, New-Haven confirmed the doings of the Village respecting the divisions of land in East-Haven, which had been the subject of so much controversy; and the people of East-Haven on their part, relinquished their claim to all the common lands in the other parts of the Town of New-Haven. Thus all their contreversies, which had agitated the Town for about eighty years, were brought to a happy issue. Rev. John Woodward was admitted an inhabitant of New-Haven, 1716, and obtained liberty of the Town to buy of the Indians one acre of land, to accommodate his house. He bought various pieces of land around him, and thus became possessed of a convenient farm. In 1738, he was chosen Moderator of Society meeting. This is his first appearance on the Village records. Deodate Davenport came from Stamford, and appears first on Record, 1729. Samuel Forbes is mentioned, 1728, and was employed in ship-building, on the point below the mill. Joseph Bishop appears on record, 1751. Samuel Heminway was the first Clerk of the Village. Then Ebenezer Chedsey, from 1702, to his death in 1726. Then Samuel Hotchkiss one year, and then Gideon Potter until 1757. Then Isaac Holt and Timothy Andrews a short time. Then Simeon Bradley from 1763 to 1778, excepting the year '68, when Abraham Heminway served. Joshua Austin was chosen in 1779-and Josiah Bradley, 1787. ་པ་ Joseph Potter was appointed Sexton in 1742. The price for 3 winter months, all above 10 years, eleven shillings ; all under 10, ten shillings,-and the other 9 months, six shillings. In 1747, Ebenezer Darrow was appointed Sexton, and had one shilling more than J. Potter had. Then in 1763, James Way-and in 1765 was succeeded by Samuel Shepard, and he was succeeded by his son Thomas Shepard. A list of the Freemen in East-Haven was made recorded in the year 1754-as follows: Rev. Jacob Heminway Capt. Thomas Smith Joseph Tuttle Capt. Theophilus Alling Daniel Finch Eliphalet Luddington Samuel Bradley Isaac Penfield up Samuel Thompson, Jun. Eliakim Robinson and Zabulon Bradley Samuel Forbes John Woodward John Shepard Nathaniel Luddington Daniel Finch, Jun. Stephen Hitchcock. 61 Freemen. In 1782 the General Assembly, by a special act, secured the right of the Ferry at Ferry Point, to the Parish of EastHaven. The water bounds between New-Haven and EastHaven were settled 1789. The line is in the middle of the Quinipiack River, and along the channel of the Harbour to the sea. 1 The same year the town granted the owners of the salt meadow the privilege of building a dam across the Stoney River at the lower narrows. It being in contemplation to build a bridge at Dragon Point, a committee was appointed to oppose it; but without effect, for it was built in 1790-1. Samuel Davenport was then appointed to show cause why the people of East-Haven should not pay toll to Dragon Bridge; but after much altercation, the remonstrance came to nothing. In 1792, new roads were laid out to favour the bridge. In 1796, a grant was made by the General Assembly, for a bridge at the new Ferry, to Enos Heminway, Stephen Woodward and others. Thus the Harbour bridge was built. "16th Feb. 1797. Åt a Proprietors' meeting, granted to Enos Heminway, Stephen Woodward and company, of the bridge, the flats, 187 feet in width, from the landing where the lower Ferry hath lately been kept, running westward to the channel, on which a bridge of 27 feet in width is to be built on the centre, and the remainder for the perpetual use |