them that be good workmen and can get theyer living heare ar fearfull to go to seae for feare they shall not live to com to your land, but wear it not for the danger of the seas you mought have inough. Broather my wife and chilldren desireth to be remembred vnto your wife and chilldren and we doe dayelye praye for your prosperitie besiching the Allmighti god to blese vs all and send vs his kingdom of grase and the kingdom of glorie in heaven through Jesus Christ our only saviour and redemer, Amen. Brother I praye you to return me your answer conserning the land what shall be dune in it wheather I shall mak an enter vpon it in your behalfe vntill you can com or send over, for it is howses much of it and must be repayred or otherwise it will goe in decaye. Broather you wrott conserning the teaching of the word, it is not soe much taught as it was when you lyved heare for thar is no lectuarie vsed in no place and but on sermon vpon the sabath day, and in manie places on sermon in a month and skarse that whearfore manie doe feare that the Lord hath ordayned a punishment for it, ffrom Wellington the 20th March 1641 Loving and kind kinsman Henrie Wollcott my kind love and best respects to you remembered with very kind love to your second selfe and to all the rest of my Cozens In generrale remembered Hoping in the lord you are all in good health, as we all were at the present writinge hereof praysed be God for it: These few lines are to certifie you that I have reseaved your letter by your Brother in law Mr Joseph Newberrie and I understand that you have not reseaved any letter from me I sent to you the last yere and divers letters before and never had noe returne: my brother John we have had no nuse from him since my Uncle was here It hath pleased God to set a great Destruction amongst us here in our land both in Church and State that men as the scripture sath hath bin almost at there wits end for noe Turkish slavery can be worse than hath bin Inflicted over us we have bin robed and stript of all our goods both within doores and without and leade away captive from house and harbor and like to suffer death but prayse god that he hath not given us over to the wills of our Adversari for then we had bin overwhelmed: Cozen soe it is we are removed from Venns to Wellington at Micklemas last and my ffather and mother doth live in the house that was my Uncles Chr Wollcott and I and my wife doth live with them my Uncle Wollcott is dead for 3 yeres since If your ffather or you plese to com over to dispose of what is here there may be sales men found but Estates doe goe at verie low value that formerly they have bin for since the Trubles did arise not any Estate was able to make good the charges that went out of it by a greate deale one hundred pound in purse that could be saved to deale over hath bin more work then 2 Hundred pounds pr Annum I doe not goe to underwrite any thinge you have but I speake really as you shall find if you come into England Cozen If you have any occasion to make use of me I shall be readie and willing to doe you the best service that lieth in my small power I have writen to you 2 other letters at this time desiringe to have Answeres from them as soone as may be soe in som hast and no lesse love I rest All waies your Loved Kinsman till Deathe HUGH WOLLCOTT.' To my verie Henrie Wollcott in Connecticott in New England give these. Mr. Wolcott continued an honored resident of Windsor until his death, which 1 The spelling of the family name (as was usual in those days) was very variable; we find not less than a dozen forms. It is given three different ways, in the signature, the seal, and the superscription, of the same letter. The traditional pronunciation, in the family, of the penultimate vowel, gives it the sound of o in Wolf. took place May 30, 1655. His Will was dictated on the day of his death, and was proved October 4.1 The inventory of his estate amounted (exclusive of property in England) to £764, 8s. 10d.,—an illustration of the fact that many early adventurers expended more in making settlements in Connecticut, than the property so improved was worth. "This year (1655)," says Trumbull, "died Henry Wolcott, Esq., in the 78th year of his age. He was the owner of a 1 It reads as follows: The last Will of Henry Wolcott, late of Windsor, deceased. The thirtieth of May, 1635, I, HENRY WOLCOTT, sick of body, but of perfect memory, do make and ordain this my last will and testament, in manner and form following. First. I commend my soul to God my maker, hoping assuredly through the only merit of Jesus Christ my Saviour, to be a partaker of life everlasting; and I commend my body to the earth, whereof it was made. I will that my wife shall have all my house lot, orchard, garden, hop-yard and my lot in Plymouth meadow, during the term of her natural life. Also, I give unto my wife two of my cows, and half the household goods in my dwelling house. Also, I leave my land in England to Henry my eldest son, without encumbrances. Also, I give unto him my two books of martyrs. Also, I give to Christopher my second son, my lot in the Great meadow, and also, my house lot and houseing upon it, after the death of my wife, he paying out of it thirty pounds, after my wife's decease, as I shall hereafter appoint. Also, I give to George my third son, the five pounds he owes me, and five pounds more. Also, I give to Simon, my youngest son, all my land on the easterly side of the Great River and also my lot at Arramonets. Also, to the children of Henry, my eldest son, five pounds to Henry the eldest of them, and to the rest of them forty shillings apiece. I give all the rest of my goods to be equally divided amongst all my children. Also, I appoint Henry Wolcott, my son, to be overseer of this my will and testament. Also, my will is, that Christopher, my son, shall -have my lot in Plymouth meadow, after the decease of my wife. My will is that my debts shall be first paid. October 4, 1635. The above written being testified to the Court by Mr. Henry Wolcott, upon oath, and by Mr. Wichfield to be the last will and testament of Mr. Henry Wolcott, senior, deceased, the Court approbated of the same, and ordered it to be recorded. JOHN CULLICK, Secretary. good estate in Somersetshire, in England. His youth, it is said, was spent in gaiety and country pastimes; but afterwards, under the instructions of Mr. Edward Elton, his mind was entirely changed, and turned to the sincere love and practice of religion. As the Puritans were then treated with great severity, he sold about £8,000 worth of estate in England, and prepared for a removal into America. He came into New England with Mr. Warham, in May 1630, and settled first at Dorchester, in Massachusetts. In 1636, he removed to Windsor, and was one of the principal planters of that town. He was chosen into the magistracy in 1643, and continued in it until his death. He left an estate in England, which rented at about £60 a year, which the family for some time enjoyed; but was afterwards sold. After his decease, some one of his descendants was annually chosen into the magistracy, for a term of nearly eighty years. Some of them have been members of the Assembly, Judges of the Superior Court, or magistrates, from the first settlement of the colony to this time, during the term of more than a century and a half.-A. D. 1797." Over the graves of Henry Wolcott, and Elizabeth, his wife, there is an arched monument of brown stone, wrought by their son-in-law, Matthew Griswold; the inscriptions being on the opposite sides: HERE UNDER LYETH THE BODY OF HENRY WOLCOT SOMETIMES A MAIESTRATE OF THIS JURISDICTION WHO DYED YE 30TH DAY OF MAY Around it are the monuments of their children, and children's children. The cemetery lies in the rear of the First Congregational Church, on the high northern bank of Farmington River; the railroad passes on its western side. Here these worthy Pilgrims and their companions in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, found a restingplace from their wanderings and toils; they rest from their labors, and their works do follow them. We add, from our ancient "Chronologie," the simple statement which follows the record of their death, and which is of more worth than all other history and eulogy, "These both dyed in hope and Ly buryed under one Tomb in Windsor." with his parents, and was admitted a freeman by the General Court of Boston, April 1, 1634, which shows that he was at that time a member of the Dorchester Church. He removed, with the family, to Windsor, in 1636, where he married, Nov. 18, 1641, Sarah, daughter of Mr. Thomas Newberry. He was an importing merchant, and his ledger has been preserved. He appears to have been in England, on business, in the spring of 1654. He was engaged in public life, and held various appointments. He was one of the nineteen gentlemen prominent in the Colony, who were named in the Charter of Connecticut. He was elected a member of us in several documents, and to which we did not imagine that any key could ever be found. Among the papers deposited in the Library of the Conn. Historical Society, some years since, was a stout lit The children of Henry and Elizabeth. tle vellum-covered volume of nearly 400 pages, Wolcott were, I. JOHN. He was baptized Oct. 1, 1607; was living in England in 1631, and apparently never emigrated to America. He had died without issue previous to the date of his father's will, in 1635. The Family Record makes no mention of him. II. ANNA. She came over with her sister and youngest brother, after the family had become settled. She married, Oct. 16, 1646, Mr. Matthew Griswold, who resided in Windsor, and was a Deputy to the General Court. He afterwards removed to Saybrook, in the capacity of Agent for Gov. Fenwick. He subsequently purchased a large estate in Blackhall, a pleasant part of Lyme, which has now been the seat of the Griswold family for more than two centuries. He gave the name to the town, of which he was the first inhabitant, in honor of Lyme Regis, the place of his nativity in England. He was a stone-cutter by trade, and wrought the tombstone of his fatherin-law, Henry Wolcott. He died at the age of 96 years, and was buried in Saybrook; but his grave is unknown. III. HENRY. He was born Jan. 21, 1610 (O. S.) i. e., 1611 (N. S.)1 He came 1 He was master of a short hand, which has puzzled closely written in this hand, with no clue to the subject nor to the writer's name. It lay unnoticed until a little more than a year ago, when it attracted the attention of J. Hammond Trumbull, Esq., who is as ingenious in such matters as he is persevering in his researches. He succeeded in deciphering it, and found it to consist of notes of sermons and lectures, delivered in Windsor and Hartford, between April, 1638, and May, 1641, in regular course. The writer's name is not given, but his birthday is noted on the first leaf of the volume, and this and other facts identify him as Henry Wolcott, Jr.; and it is a curious fact that the only record of his birth is found among these hieroglyphics, and the date has been unknown till now. These notes give the dates, texts, and general outlines of the discourses of the Rev. Messrs. Warham and Huit, in Windsor, and of the Rev. Messrs. Hooker and Stone, in Hartford, during the sessions of the General and Particular Courts. Among the former is one delivered by Mr. Warham, Nov. 17, 1640, at the betrothing of Benedict Alvord and Abraham Randall," from the text, Eph. 6: 11, “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." The preacher "improved" the theme, "for teaching the betrothed lovers that marriage is a war-faring condition," and "for reproof to those who think nothing is needed for marriage but the consent of the parents." In the face of these solemn admonitions, it appears from the Windsor records that both were duly married before the expiration of the year-the happy Benedict to Joan Newton, and the other to Mary Ware. Among the latter discourses, are Mr. Hooker's two Election Sermons, of May 31, 1638, and April 11, 1639. Of the first, from the text, Deut. 1: 13, Mr. Trumbull gives an abstract, of deep interest, as showing the "politics which were preached by the ablest and best of the Puritan Fathers. the House of Deputies in 1660, and a member of the House of Magistrates in 1662, and successively after until his death. In 1669 the General Assembly made him a grant of 300 acres of land. He died July 12, 1680. His widow died July 16, 1684. Her wardrobe, an inventory of which exists among the family papers, and is a curiosity, was appraised at nearly £100 sterling. IV. GEORGE. He was made a freeman by the General Court of Connecticut, May 21, 1657. He settled in Weathersfield, and married Elizabeth Treat. His history is more obscure than that of his brothers. V. CHRISTOPHER. The family homestead in Windsor was bequeathed to him by his father. He died, unmarried, Sept. 7, 1662. By his will nuncupative, his estate was divided among his brothers and sisters, Henry receiving the larger share. VI. MARY. She married, June 25, 1646, Job Drake, of Windsor. She and her husband died, the same day, Sept. 16, 1649. VII. SIMON. He was born about the year 1625. He was admitted a freeman in 1654. He married, (1st) March 19, 1656-7, Joanna, daughter of Aaron Cook, one of the first settlers of Windsor. Their married life was brief; she died April 27, 1657, at the age of 18 years. He married, (2d) Oct. 17, 1661, Martha Pitkin, described in the Windsor Records as "late from England." She was the sister of Mr. William Pitkin, of East Hartford, Attorney General and Treasurer of the Colony. She is represented to have been a superior lady, having received an accomplished education in England. In an obituary notice of one of her sons, published in 1767, she is described as 66 a woman of eminent good sense, virtue, and piety." She is said to have come on a visit to her brother, and been induced to remain by the marriage proposal which she received, which was backed by the urgent wishes of some of the leading Colonists. A few years after this marriage, Mr. Simon Wolcott sold his place in Windsor, and purchased a farm in Simsbury, to which he removed. His name appears on the Simsbury Records, as commander of the train-band, and selectman. It proved an unfortunate investment, as the settlers were driven from the place by the Indians in 1676, and his property was destroyed. He remained a few years in Windsor, and in 1680 settled on his land on the East side of the Connecticut River, in the present town of South Windsor. He died in 1687, and was buried in Windsor Church yard. His death was hastened by gloomy anticipations of the oppression and suffering which awaited the Colonists under the coming administration of Sir Edmund Andross,-fears which, as the result proved, were not wholly groundless. His widow married, in 1689, Mr. David Clark, one of the leading men in the Colony; she died in 1719.1 From Simon and Martha Wolcott have sprung those of the family who were subsequently most known in the annals of Connecticut; three of their descendants in the male line, in successive generations, and others in collateral lines, have been called to the Governor's Chair. 1 The following are copies of their epitaphs: for ye resurrection [From Old South Windsor Church Yard.] Among the Governors of Connecticut here referred to, are ROGER WOLCOTT, OLIVER WOLCOTT, the elder, OLIVER WOLCOTT, the younger, MATTHEW GRISWOLD, the second, ROGER GRISWOLD, and WILLIAM WOLCOTT ELLSWORTH. Several of the family have been Judges, and have held other offices of civil trust. The writer of this article appears to represent the clergy almost alone; and his ecclesiastical pedigree is, perhaps, to be traced through his mother, (Rachel M.,) who was the youngest daughter of the Rev. Dr. McClure, of East Windsor, and the granddaughter of the Rev. Dr. Pomeroy, of Hebron. CONGREGATIONALISM IN WESTERN NEW YORK.1 BY REV. JAMES H. DILL, SPENCERPORT, N. Y. REV. JAMES H. HOTCHKIN has published a work entitled "A History of Western New York, and of the Presbyterian Church in that Section," a volume of six hundred pages; a book which has its merits and its defects. The main drift of his ecclesiastical history is, the ascendancy there of Presbyterianism over Congregationalism. How far his title page is justified by the contents of his book, may be judged by the following facts: In several chapters he gives an account of the early settlers, most of whom were New Englanders, and Congregational in their preferences; of the early missionaries, missionary societies, ministers, churches, and ecclesiastical bodies, most of which were Congregational; and of the early revivals, the conspicuous laborers in which were Congregational ministers. A large part of his book is, in fact, a history of Congregationalism in Western New York, of which he gives no hint on his title page, and which he uses as a convenient background from which to set forth a Presbyterian figure. Still further: In fifteen, out of his thirtysix chapters, he gives an account of 436 churches, and although he is very careful, when he can, to tell us "this church was organized as a Presbyterian church," yet there are not 100, of the 436, which he tells us were so organized. Forty of the original number are extinct. Records show that about 200 have at some time 1 This Article is the substance of an address pronounced by Rev. James H. Dill, before the General Association of New York, at its Quarter Century Meeting at Rochester, Sept. 22, 1858. The Address, somewhat enlarged and with additional notes, is published in a pamphlet form, concurrently with the present date; and may be had of the author. been Congregational; and 160, — twofifths of the 396 surviving churches-now report themselves as Congregational churches. Notwithstanding these facts, which one who undertakes to set forth the ascendandancy of Presbyterianism over Congregationalism ought to have ascertained, he heads each of the fifteen chapters of churches with the name of a certain Presbytery, and calls Congregational churches Presbyterian. Of the Church in Holley, he says, "at what period the Presbyterian Church was organized is not known to the writer." He might have added “ and never will be." In fact, he tells us concerning Congregational churches connected with Presbytery, that "these churches are in all respects Presbyterian, with the exception that their sessions consist of the body of the brethren of competent age, instead of a bench of elders, chosen for the purpose of government, and set apart by certain formalities." As if one should say that a square is in all respects a circle, except wherein it differs from it. The radical idea of Presbyterianism is eldership - the government of elders. The radical idea of Congregationalism is the brotherhoodgovernment by the membership. From such an inaccurate history, based on such mistaken conceptions, and conveying so unfair an impression-which ought to be corrected by a volume of equal size -I proceed to give a brief notice of CONGREGATIONALISM IN WESTERN NEW YORK. I shall take the same boundaries as Mr. Hotchkin. At the early period in which our history commences, 1790, Western New York comprehended the most of the State west of the Hudson |