A Selection from the Miscellaneous Historical Papers of Fifty Years (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE FOUNDING OF YALE COLLEGE. By Franklin B. Dexter. [From the Papers of the New Haven Colony Historical Society, Vol. Ill, 1882. Read February, 1876.] In the Colony of New Haven, from its beginning in 1638, till the union with Connecticut, in 1665, the ruling spirit was John Davenport, pastor of the church in this town. As a scholar, he ranked with the very first of the immigrants to New England; and it was not a mere compliment that on his way hither, while tarrying over the winter of 1637-38 in Boston, he was named on the committee to carry into effect the vote of the General Court of Massachusetts Bay, fixing a College at Cambridge. The incident was not needed to suggest to a man of his clear foresight that the colony which he led would also need its college. And just ten years after (March 23, 1647-8), the records show that the General Court here gave power to a select committee of the town of New Haven "to consider and reserve what lot they shall see meet and most commodious for a college, which they desire may be set up so soon as their ability will reach thereunto." A lot appears to have been designated accordingly, but the work received some check, and the records are silent until 1654 (May 22), when "the town was informed that there is some motion again on foot concerning the setting up a college here." A year later (May 21, 1655), the subject was discussed in town- meeting, when Mr. Davenport, and his associate in the ministry, Mr. Hooke, were "present, and spake much to encourage the work." Subscriptions were solicited, and when the General Court of the colony met the next week (May 30), Governor Eaton announced that above 300 were promised from New Haven alone. Milford followed with a promise of 100, and the other plantations took up the matter. The result wa...