Salisbury’s origin story, in its 275th year

SALISBURY — Lou Bucceri gave an overview of the new exhibit from the Salisbury Association Historical Society, which is on display in the Scoville Memorial Library’s new and improved Wardell Community Room. The talk was on Saturday, Sept. 10.

The exhibit, which commemorates the 275th anniversary of the town’s charter and first town meeting in 1741, is on display at the Academy Building at 24 Main St., Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on selected weekends.

Before the town received a charter, Bucceri said, there was no town government. If citizens had an issue that needed to be resolved, they had to go to the colonial Legislature, in Hartford.

Salisbury began petitioning for a town charter in October 1731.

In October 1737, the general assembly followed up on a 1732 land survey of what was known as “Town M,” and in 1738 the name Salisbury was officially adopted.

The incorporation of the Town of Salisbury was dated Oct. 8, 1741, and the first town meeting was held a month later, on Nov. 9.

At that town meeting, the chief order of business was to appoint town officials, some of which had familiar titles and functions: town clerk, selectmen, treasurer and tax collector.

Also appointed were surveyors of highways, grand jurors  and horse branders; pound keepers (for stray livestock); fence viewers (who kept an eye on fencing in common areas so that livestock didn’t wind up with the pound keeper); and a sealer of weights and measures.

There were tithing officials. Church attendance was mandatory, and these officials made sure everyone “paid up for the church,” Bucceri said.

(“Smart move,” said the Rev. Dick Taber, the retired minister of the Congregational Church.)

Bucceri wondered aloud how that first town meeting was conducted, as the English Puritans had very different ideas about how life should be lived than the Dutch settlers who preceded them in what became Salisbury.

“It must have been interesting.”

Bucceri also covered the Native American presence in the area (the descendants of the Wetaug Indians wound up in Wisconsin); the career of Thomas Lamb, who was the major player in the early years of Salisbury’s development; and he delivered this startling fact: In 1766, the town had nine school districts with a total enrollment of 480 students.

In 2016, Salisbury Central School has 280 students.

“So in 1766 there were 200 more students than today,” exclaimed Bucceri. “Wow!”