Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 2.djvu/372

 34§

��NEW LONDON CENTENNIAL ADDRESS.

��the back of the seat in-order to pre- serve my perpendicular equilibrium. This I did until growing older I pre- ferred to walk rather than to ride in that way. It was the fashion in those days for the whole family to go to church as soon as the children were large enough to be carried. But to return from this degression.

In 1804 a committee was appointed to cause an accurate survey of the town to be made. This was in pursuance of a law requiring each town in the state to make a plan of the same and return it to the secretaryof state, with a view to the making of 'a state map, which was afterward published by Philip Carrigain. This committee consisted of Green French, Levi Harvey, Jr., and Anthony Sargent.

The meeting-house was still a sub- ject of contention. Articles were fre- quently inserted in the warrants for town-meeting to see if the town would vote to finish glazing the house, or to plaster the house, or to paint the house, or to finish off the house, but the town uniformily voted in the negative upon them all. Probably some of this work was done by voluntary subscription or contributions, and the house was occu- pied for all purposes. Finally, in 1818, at a special meeting holden for that purpose, June 1, it was voted to raise $300 for the purpose of repairing and fin- ishingthe outside of the meeting-house in this town, and Joseph Colby, Esq., was appointed as agent of the town to see to repairing and finishing the outside of the meeting-house, and I find no fur- ther articles in the warrants for their town-meetings relating to finishing the meeting-house. Thus, the house which was commenced in 1786, was finished in 1818, having been thirty-two years in building.

The controversy concerning Levi Harvey's mill privilege and flowage rights arose in this way. Away back in 1 780, an article was inserted in the warrant to see if the town would adopt any method to build mills in said town, but the vote was that as a town they could not do anything as to build- ing mills. But it seems that some in-

��dividuals gave said Harvey a bond that they would purchase the land on which he was to set the mill, and would de- fend him against claims for flowage by the owners of land around and above his mill-pond, if he would erect a saw and grist-mill upon -a certain lot of land owned by some absent proprietor ; and in 1783 the town, at their annual meeting, voted to clear those men that were bound in a bond to Levi Harvey to purchase land and for defending of privileges as mentioned in said bond ; also, that the present selectmen be em- powered to give security to said Har- vey for the purchase of land and the defending of privileges as mentioned in former bond. The selectmen for that yeir were Samuel Brocklebank, Levi Harvey, and Ebenezer Hunting. In compliance with this vote of March, 1783, said Brocklebank and Hunting gave to said Harvey a bond conditioned like the previous one, and the former bond was cancelled. The mill and the dam was built, and everything went along smoothly for several years.

But after a time a controversy arose about the land where the mill was locat- ed, and the owners of lots above the mill «began to claim damages for flow- age by the dam, and Harvey appealed to the town, and Brocklebank and Hunting also claimed to have the town act in the premises, but the town de- clined, and upon one excuse and another refused to act. In 1802 the town appointed a committee to act in the premises and to make a final settle- ment between said Harvey and the town ; but in 1S04 they again voted to let the matter take its due course in law. An article was inserted in the annual warrants for town-meetings on this subject, and special meetings were called to act upon it, but the town would not act.

Finally suits were brought by the parties agrieved against Harvey, as of course they must be, and damages recovered against him for flowage by the owners of lands above his mill and by the claimant of the land where his mill was located. These damages were collected of Harvey, and then he called

�� �