LOOKING BACKWARD
stood straight and true for over a hundred feet before it branched out, and which was large enough to cut a piece of timber, seven inches square, when completed. Such a tree was found down on the southern line of the town, on the farm of Isaac Treat. (There were two or three Isaac Treats in the town.) This Mr. Treat was not of the church group; but the committee asked him to give it, just the same.
In Yankee fashion, he replied that he would give the tree provided that Colonel Potter would cut off his queue. The Colonel was the last man in town to retain the Colonial style of wearing the hair. He was not so enthusiastic over the church, either, so Mr. Treat believed he was safe in his offer. Possibly the Colonel was just waiting for a good excuse; anyway, he was a good sport and went and had his hair cut; whereupon Mr. Treat donated the much-wanted tree.
It took some months to complete the building, and evidentally [i.e., evidently] they planned as the work progressed; for at a society meeting held on October 1, 1810, it was ''voted that the house be finished with pews, also that they have banisters next the alleys. That the front seat of the gallery be built in the form of a semi-circle, and that the windows be secured by springs.'' The house was dedicated on April 17, 1811, the Rev. Bazaleel Pinneo, of the First Church in Milford, preaching the sermon.
The church bell has always played an important part in the life of the town. It summoned people to church on Sunday; it served as a fire alarm; it was tolled to announce the death of anyone in the town. The signal was nine strokes for a man, seven for a woman, five for a boy and three for a girl. This was repeated, and then the age was solemnly tolled off. On the day of the funeral, when the procession approached the cemetery, the ''passing bell'' was slowly tolled until everyone had reached the grave of the deceased. With no telephones, thus was the news announced to the town.
The epitaph on the headstone of Samuel Prudden, who
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