Bristol, Connecticut - In the Olden Time “New Cambridge” Which Includes Forestville By City Printing Co., 1907 711 Pages, illustrated, indexed, searchable Requires Adobe Reader 7.0 or higher to View (or MAC Preview Ver. 3) $9.99 + $1.99 shipping and handling http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200447008704 It is noteworthy that the early settlers regarded what is now the center of the town as worthless for agricultural purposes, and settled upon the outlying hills, which they cleared of the primeval forests. aifd occupied for farming purposes. Later manufacturers naturally sought the watercourses, and upon every available stream small mills and factories were erected; and the hum of whirling pulleys, gaining their impetus from cumbrous overshot wheels, mingled with the monosyllabic commands of the plowman to his lusty oxen as he furrowed the stony soil of the adjoining fields. The early history of the town is so closely interwoven with the history of the Congregational church as to be inseparable. So long as the settlers were content to ride on horseback to Farmington every Sabbath day, over the old beaten trails of the Indians, no separation was contemplated from the parental household. But, as the population of the western forest increased, and the long, tedious ride of nine miles was made perilous by spring. freshets at Eight Acre, and by fierce storms and deep snows in winter, what was at first a murmur became a voice, and the privilege of holding divine services at home during the winter months was asked of the General Assembly and granted. This was in 1742. Thomas Canfield, a student for the ministry, was employed for the six months ending in the spring of 1743, and was therefore the first minister in Bristol. In 1744 by act of the General Assembly, an ecclesiastical society was formed, under the name of New Cambridge. Thus was organized the Bristol Congregational Church and Society Bristol is a city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Hartford.