Manuel Kinne

A Patriot of the American Revolution for CONNECTICUT. DAR Ancestor #: A208184

Maintained by: Andy Originally Created by: Linda Mac Record added: Feb 03, 2012

• Manuel Kinne - Find A Grave Memorial# 84438720

Manuel Kinne, at the time he lived in Plainfield, was probably part of the Separatist Movement there. They believed, among other things, that they should not be taxed for a minister, as the law required them to do, as this was not part of their religious tradition. At a town meeting, April 7th, 1760, it was voted to have two distinct societies. A committee was appointed to present the case to the assembly and ask the approval of that body. The assembly granted the request, dividing the town into two societies, not by geographical lines but by ecclesiastical preferences of the people, both societies occupying the same territory, the First to have two-thirds and the Second one-third of the ministerial rate of the town. The adjustment of ecclesiastical matters by the town seemed to occupy so much attention about this period that but little consideration was given to schools, roads and other public improvements.

In 1756 certain French prisoners of war were billeted upon the town. These were some of the neutral French inhabitants of Acadia, who had been torn from their homes and native country after the conquest of Nova Scotia by the English, and were now distributed among the towns of New England. Forty-three of these unhappy Acadians were assigned to Windham county by act of assembly, but Plainfield appears to have been the only town that officially and publicly made provision for them. By such records loads of wood were allowed to Frenchmen; money was paid for going to Norwich for Frenchmen’s beef, for doctoring the ” Neutral French,” and for keeping Pierre Meron’s co-,v. Thus we see that whatever their sufferings elsewhere, in Plainfield they were not uncared for.

At the town meeting in 1765, Elisha Paine was moderator. The following officers were elected: Isaac Coit, James Bradford, James Howe, Joseph Eaton, Elisha Paine, selectmen; Major Ezekiel Pierce, town clerk; John Pierce, Elisha Paine, Lieutenant John Douglas, Doctor Robinson, Azariah Spalding, Jedidiah Spalding, Ebenezer Kingsbury, Stephen Warren, William Cady, Timothy Parkhurst, highway surveyors; Reuben Shepard, David Shepard, D. Perkins, Nathaniel Deane, Simeon Burgess, listers; Captains Eaton and Coit, fence viewers; William Park and Azariah Spalding, leather sealers: William Robinson and Joshua Dunlap, grand jurors; Samuel Hall, Joseph Spalding, Philip Spalding and Simon Shepard, tithing men; Hezekiah Spalding, sealer of weights and measures; Captain Cady, toiler and brander of horses. The engrossing subject of this time was the adjusting of ecclesiastical affairs. The majority of the town adhered to the Separate church, while by law the two-thirds of ministerial rates belonged to the First church. The remnant of the latter had not sufficient vitality to supply their church with a minister. The Separate church was a respectable and orderly body, differing little from the orthodox churches of the time except in opposing the support of the ministry by taxation. An effort was made in 1766 to unite the two societies. The town voted that the old town meeting house should-be used, that being larger and more convenient for the people to reach, and that Mr. Miller, the Separatist minister, should preach in it. This arrangement was unsatisfactory to a few who clung to the First church and distinctively opposed the Separatists, thus shutting themselves out from the house of worship. But a conciliatory settlement of difficulties was effected in 1769, by which the town was again united in its worship in the old church, -certain orthodox forms being observed, while the ministerial tax levy, which was so objectionable to the Separatists, was forever abolished and church expenses met by voluntary contributions.