Want to Know More About Events in the Life of Eunice Cobb Stocking and Family?
George Stocking and his four sons were all actively engaged in the making of gunpowder at the time of the Revolutionary War. Their mill was located on a sixteen acre tract of land on the north side of Roaring Brook, about 1500 feet east of Main Street in South Glastonbury, Connecticut.
Their gunpowder was made of charcoal, potash and sulphur. It was believed that the charcoal was furnished by Glastonbury residents. The mill made a heavy grade of powder and a very fine, highly explosive powder. This fine grade of powder was used in very small amounts to ignite the heavy powder in the Flintlocks.
On August 23, 1777, this mill was destroyed by an explosion and fire, possibly caused by lightening or from static, if the fine powder was being made that day. The explosion badly damaged a nearby bridge over Roaring Brook, which was never rebuilt. The bridge abutments and part of the mill foundation are still visible.
At the time of the explosion, Mrs. Stocking was in the area of Bolton, returning from the outskirts of Boston, where she had been making plans for the delivery of gunpowder to Washington’s Army. She had a premonition of what had happened when she heard the explosion and saw the dark cloud of smoke. She rushed home to find her husband (age 50) and her sons, George (age 28), Hezekiah (age 22), and Nathaniel (age 19) had died in the fire. Her son Elisha had survived by being away from the mill on an errand.
No records can be found showing where the Stocking family lived during the existence of the mill. There were several houses along Roaring Brook in the vicinity of the Powder Mill, and it is possible they lived in one of those. The last of these houses were torn down in the Depression of 1932-1936 in order to save taxes.
Elisha, the boy who escaped the explosion, lived at one time in the house that is still standing on the northwest corner of Water and Main Streets in South Glastonbury.
In 1780, Dr. Asaph Coleman deeded two parcels of land to Mrs. Stocking. The location is on the west side of Main Street and the north side of High Street. This land previously was part of a tract of land owned by Colonel Howell Woodbridge and deeded to Asaph Coleman.
The house that Mrs. Stocking lived in is still standing and is located almost across from the South Glastonbury Library on High Street. It was moved there in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s to make room for the High Street Elementary School. No record has been found as to when or by whom her house was built. It is known that no house was on the land when Colonel Woodbridge owned the property.
Mrs. Stocking died on May 19, 1795 at age 67. She is buried in the Still Hill Cemetery of South Glastonbury beside her husband and their sons. Twin monuments bear the following inscriptions:
These two monuments are sacred to the memory of Mr. George Stocking who died in the 50th year of his age and three sons of him and Mrs. Eunice Stocking.
Viz. George who died in y 28th, Hezekiah in y 22 and Nathaniel who died in y 19 year of their ages. All on the 23rd day of August, 1777.
The unfortunate Persons were present at the Powder Mill in this place when it accidentally took fire and blew up at which time they received their mortal wounds and expired the same day.
Death like an overflowing stream sweeps us all away. Our Life’s a Dream, an empty Tale, a Morning Flower, cut down and withered in an hour.
Mrs. Stocking’s headstone is small and made of a different type of stone. Her stone’s inscription reads:
In memory of Mrs. Eunice Stocking, Wife of Mr. George
Stocking.
Who died May 19th, 1795, in the 67th year of her age.