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Gc 974.602 B760 1550923
M. L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01068 5250
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb00orcu
+
A HISTORY
OF THE
-
CITY OF BRIDGEPORT
CONNECTICUT.
BY
REV. SAMUEL ORCUTT.
AUTHOR OF THE HISTORIES OF WOLCOTT, TORRINGTON, NEW MILFORD, DERBY, STRATFORD, AND INDIANS OF THE HOUSATONIC VALLEY.
974.602 B 760
PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FAIRFIELD COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 1887.
15
1550923
PRESS OF TUTTLE, MOREHO ISE & TAYLOR, NEW HAVEN, CONN.
Der dapol - $19.50
PREFACE.
HIS book is the same in matter and illustra- tions as the Bridgeport part of the "History of Stratford and Bridgeport," with the ad- dition of the Supplementary papers. It was believed that a number of copies of this part of the larger work might be wanted by persons not particularly interested in Stratford history, but who would like to have a history of Bridgeport.
In the preparation of this work the author has been greatly aided by many citizens, especially by R. B. Lacey, Esq., Major W. B. Hincks and George C. Waldo, Esq .; the two former of these had been engaged for quite a number of years in making valuable collections, and the latter was familiar as well as they in modern information concerning the city. About thirty years ago Mr. Lacey persuaded Isaac Sherman, Esq., to write his recollections of Stratfield and Bridgeport, in connection with a map of the territory. These two productions have been of great service in presenting this work in the form in which it is now printed, making the record so much more complete than it otherwise could have been.
The author and the public in general are greatly in- debted to the Fairfield County Historical Society, for had that society not been organized this book would not have been written. Their cordial commendatory support, and the financial aid rendered by a number of its members,
-
.5
iv
Preface.
with others, have been the basis of action from the com- mencement to the completion of the work; and to them the author cheerfully acknowledges his many obligations. He has also great pleasure in acknowledging the honor and value bestowed upon the work by those persons who have contributed illustrations to it, especially the steel plate prints, which are first-class in the art of engraving, by which in a few years the book will be invaluable.
The labor of producing this book has been continued among the most agreeable associations which have ever fallen to the lot of the writer, and it is almost with regret that he closes the work by subscribing himself,
THE AUTHOR.
5
STEEL PLATE ENGRAVINGS.
Page
GEORGE B. HAWLEY,
72
ISAAC SHERMAN,
130
NATHANIEL HEWIT,
184
JOHN BROOKS
186a
ALFRED BISHOP,
232
NATHAN BUCKINGHAM,
2.44
HANFORD LYON,
252
WHEELER & WILSON COMPANY,
260
NATHANIEL WHEELER,
264
I. DEVER WARNER.
276
EATON, COLE AND BURNHAM COMPANY,
300
FREDERICK W. PARROIT,
302
JULIUS W. KNOWLTON,
310
JAMES W. BEARDSLEY,
336
DANIEL N. MORGAN,
342
PHINEAS T. BARNUM,
376
WILLIAM H. NOBLE,
392
E. FERRIS BISHOP, .
398
ROBERT HUBBARD, .
40.4
WILLIAM B. HALL,
405
ALFRED C. HOBBS,
408
ROWLAND B. LACEY,
428
HENRY R. PARROTT,
432
SIDNEY B. BEARDSLEY,
436
PHILO C. CALHOUN,
438
CIVILIAN FONES,
440
JACOB KIEFER,
442
DAVID B. LOCKWOOD,
444
JAMES STAPLES,
446
WILLIAM H. STEVENSON,
448
THOMAS J. SYNNOTT,
450
CURTIS THOMPSON,
454
RUSSELL TOMLINSON.
456
AMOS S. TREAT. .
458
THOMAS L. WATSON,
459
ANDREW L. WINTON,
460
NATHANIEL S. WORDIN,
462
THOMAS C. WORDIN,
464
PETER W. WREN, .
466
5
ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD.
Page
LOG-HOUSE OF 1665.
2
HISTORIC OAK, 1
STRATFIELD SECOND MEETINGHOUSE,
IS
PORTER PROPERTY,
25
OLD MILE STONE,
57
BRIDGEPORT FIRST BANK,
I32
BRIDGEPORT SECOND BANK,
134
UNITED BANK BUILDING,
142
ISAAC BURROUGHS, .
154
BRIDGEPORT'S FIRST CHURCHES,
168
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH,
174
SILVER TANKARD,
176
SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH,
178
HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING, 218
PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS, .
220
PLAN OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS,
222
PUBLIC LIBRARY BUILDING,
225
MAP OF BRIDGEPORT, 1824.
22S
ELIAS HOWE, JR.,
271
HOWE MACHINE COMPANY,
273
RESIDENCE OF DOCT. WARNER.
27S
BRIDGEPORT KNIFE COMPANY,
284
ORGAN COMPANY,
290
PEMBROKE IRON FOUNDRY.
294
BURNT DISTRICT,
305
SEASIDE PARK, 332
PEOPLE'S SAVINGS BANK, 338
BRIDGEPORT SAVINGS BANK,
340
CONNECTICUT BANK, 344
WARNER'S MANUFACTORY, 276
5
Engravings on Wood.
vii
Page
MONUMENTAL BRONZE COMPANY, .
349
ATLANTIC HOUSE, . 354
ELM HOUSE,
354
EVENING POST BUILDING,
361
BRIDGEPORT HOSPITAL,
370
GATE OF MT. GROVE CEMETERY,
372
IRANISTAN,
374
ROYAL HONORS TO TOM THUMB, .
378
TOM THUMB BEFORE THE QUEEN,
378
CASTLE GARDEN,
380
ELEPHANT PLOUGHING, .
380
MARRIAGE OF TOM THUMB,
382
WALDEMERE,
384
BARNUM'S WINTER QUARTERS,
386
EAST BRIDGEPORT, .
388
TELFORD PREMIUM,
423
SAMUEL B. SUMNER,
430
RESIDENCE OF F. J. LOCKWOOD,
444
8
5
ERRATA.
Page 41-Under the title Benjamin Hubbell should read, Polly, who m. Gale Ensign and had Howell.
Page 71-The record should be Abigail Hurd, not " Rebecca."
Page 86-" Charles H." should be Charles R. Brothwell.
Page 137-12th line from bottom " 1692 " should be 1792. Page 163-Thaddeus " Barr" should be Burr.
Page 211-" Harwinton" should be Rev. Daniel Harrington.
Page 240-The title should be Parallel Railroad Company, and H. R. Parrott, president of the company as well as of the Board of Directors.
Page 290-" Griffin " should be Grippin. Page 246-" Northnagle " should be Nothnagle. Page 327-" Both sides of Wall and State" should be both sides of Bank and State streets.
5
CHAPTER I.
STRATFIELD SOCIETY.
B
RIDGEPORT, denominated Park City, stands on the shore of Long Island Sound, fifty-five miles from New York City. The locality, when first seen by English people, was the site of an Indian village of about one hundred and fifty wigwams, occupied by five or six hundred Indians, of the Pequonnock settlement or tribe. The south- ern part of the territory for about a mile in width was a part of a fertile plain of a sandy, gravelly and loamy soil, extending along the shore of the Sound from the mouth of the Housatonic River to Southport, a distance of twelve miles. This plain when discovered by the English was covered with forests only in part, there being intervening fields, which in places were cul- tivated by the Indians in raising corn. At a distance of about a mile from the shore, the hills begin to rise, and continue gradually northward for twelve or fifteen miles, furnishing a fine farming country, and many most picturesque localities.
The City of Bridgeport being so favorably situated, it could, if it should ever see fit, extend itself to a half million of inhabitants, with perfect safety to health, ease of access, charming picturesqueness of local parts, and unsurpassed salubrity of atmosphere from the great ocean and the hills of the country.
With these advantages in its favor, Bridgeport has be- come a city of about forty thousand inhabitants, and the story of its growth, from the first few families which sat down among the Indians about the year 1665, until it reached
5
2
History of Bridgeport.
its present maturity of numbers, is to be briefly told in the succeeding pages.
Two families at first located west of the Pequonnock river within the township of Stratford. These were Henry Summers, Sen., and Samuel Gregory, and their first houses
THE LOG HOUSE OF 1665.
were probably log houses,1 located near the present junction of Park and Washington avenues.
1 The accompanying cut of the log-house was drawn by Esquire Isaac Sher- man, as representing the kind of house some of his ancestors at Pequonnock resided in at their first settlement here.
3
Stratfield Society.
At that time there were no highways laid out in the vicinity. A reservation of four rods wide on the east side of the boundary line between Fairfield and Stratford, for a high- way, had been made in laying out the lots of land along that line, but the highway had not been surveyed. A well-worn Indian path, which served as a cartway, passed to the north- east over Golden Hill where now Washington avenue is located ; which was made a legal highway in 1686, and passed diagonally through the Indians' Reservation. The one hundred and more wigwams were mostly located near the springs on the southern declivity of Golden Hill.
It was in 1687, when the King's highway, now North avenue, was laid out, and still later when the Toilsome Hill road, now Park avenue, was surveyed.
The one relieving social comfort to these earliest settlers, although there were a few neighbors residing at Old Mill Green, was the fact that the Fairfield men had crowded out eastward nearly to Stratford line, for Col. John Burr's home had been established some years, when the celebrated Indian council was held under the oak tree in May, 16SI, which was about half a mile west from Samuel Gregory's house.ª
The Indians were so numerous that the children of these families were afraid to go out of their dwellings, and if they were out and saw an Indian coming they ran with great fright to get into their houses. Persons are now living who have seen those who heard others tell how dreadfully afraid they were of the Indians when they were children, and had many times run to enter their homes to escape the coming Indians; and the Indian children, it is said, were equally afraid of the white people.
Thus began the home of the white man, where now sits the queen of the realin-the city of Bridgeport, with her towering spires, fine public buildings, elegant residences and beautiful parks. Then there were only two families, now there are ten thousand, nearly. But it was so long ago! two hundred and fifteen years. The first hundred years produced only a farming community, with beautiful fields, comely resi- dences and a numerous, toiling, happy people, with now and
? See page 49 of the History of Old Stratford and Bridgeport.
5
4
History of Bridgeport.
then a vessel sailing out of the harbor. The next fifty-nine years gave the embryo city, and the life of that city for sixty- one years gives the aggregate of nearly forty thousand living
THE BURR HOUSE AND THE HISTORIC OAK TREE. (See page 3.)
5
Stratfield Society.
souls. Then there were two log houses and a hundred wig- wams; now the blazing sunlight is dazzled by its own re- flected rays, from ten thousand roofs, spires, minarets, castles and domes lifted towards the king of day by skilled, artistic hands. Then the weary ox dragged slowly the jolting cart along the stumpy highway as if an age were too short for the journey of a day, now the flying monster engine drives along upon the polished steel as if a day were too long for the journey of an age, and the blazing electric fires dispel the midnight darkness that of yore was far too long for the sleep of man. The farmer in his manly frock of tow plowed the smooth fields and gathered in his abundant harvest from year to year with increasing pleasure and gain ; while his womanly wife spun the tow to make the frock and provided the frugal, healthful repast, by the strength of which the harvests were gathered and the homes made comfortable, cheerful and attractive to kindred and friends far and near. But the charming old country homes have long since departed to give place to their burnished city successors.
Such was the ordinary life eighty and a hundred years ago, where now the streets are thronged with rich costumes of silks and satins, and gay, brilliantly ornamented equipages, the product of a marvelous growth of industrial and com- mercial enterprises, such as is not frequent in New England.
Here grew up on these farms a multitude of strong, enter- prising young men, who, fortunately, are not all yet departed to the land of rest, by the strength of their paternal, physical and intellectual inheritances, have made a fame of honor at home and abroad, for their native place, such as to challenge the rivalry of all neighboring regions or countries; and with these young men grew up also, beautiful, intelligent and finely cultivated young ladies, the equal in every respect to their · accomplished brothers and successful men of the community.
But in order to a full understanding of the great changes which have taken place in this locality, and the success which has marked the enterprising efforts of the people, it is neces- sary to review the history of two hundred and twenty years, or from 1665 to 1885, by an abbreviated account of the various stages through which the citizens of this locality have passed.
6
History of Bridgeport.
The third and fourth settlers in this place were appar- ently Capt. John Beardsley, near Samuel Gregory's home, on now Park avenue, and his brother Samuel Beardsley, east of the site of the present Bridgeport jail, or as one of the deeds says, " west of Ireland's brook and north of the Fair- field road."
Not long after, Samuel Wells, son of the first John, estab- lished his home in what is now the southern part of Bridge- port, east side of Park avenue, and there dwelt until his decease and his descendants after him for about one hundred years.
Then soon came other settlers in the northern part of Bridgeport, a Hawley family, a Booth family and Sherman family, and others, pushing the settlement several miles back into the woods. There came also a number of families from Fairfield, and one, Samuel French, from Derby. Although the progress was slow they continued to grow in numbers and wealth. At the end of twenty-two years they petitioned for church privileges, but did not succeed until twenty-five years had passed.
The Stratfield Ecclesiastical Society.
The movement began by the organization of a school, which is described by Maj. Wm. B. Hincks in his " Historical Notes," as follows :3
" The oldest document signed by the inhabitants of the plantation as such, that I have been able to find any account of, is a petition to the General Court dated May, 1678, sub- scribed by Isaac Wheeler, John Odell, Sr., and Matthew Sher- wood, in behalf of the people of the place. The distance of nearly four miles that separates them from Fairfield Centre is too great, they say, to be easily traversed by the children, especially the younger ones, and therefore they had set up a school of their own, and employed an experienced teacher. Forty-seven children were already in attendance. The ex-
3 Historical Notes, 32.
7
Strat field Society.
pense of the school they propose to bear themselves, but ask to be freed from taxation for the benefit of the one in Fair- field. Rev. Samuel Wakeman, minister at Fairfield, adds a favorable indorsement to the petition, though most of his parishioners were opposed to granting it. The General Court referred the matter to the Fairfield county Court, with power to act, and recommended that body to make an allow- ance to the petitioners, equal to or greater than their annual school-tax."'
This action of the General Assembly applied only to the inhabitants of Fairfield, residing at Pequonnock, for the in- habitants of Pequonnock, in Stratford township, had a school on the east side of the line very early, at least soon after the organization of the Fairfield Village Society ; and it is prob- able that before that they attended school at Stratford village.
Whether the people of Pequonnock held services before the year 1690, may be a question, since Mr. Chauncey gave a receipt, as follows, except a little part of it which is torn from the page of the record book.
- said inhabitants to me the said - the year sixteen hundred eyghtey and eight to the year sixteen hundred ninetey and foure exclusively, that I doe fully and freely-as above said inhabitants and their heirs forever from - as above said from me or my heirs, &c .: I doe - of Decem- ber, seventeen hundred - -.
Subscribed, CHARLES CHAUNCEY."
This indicates that he had served the people as a minister or school teacher from 1688 to 1694, but had given no receipt for the salary they were obligated to pay him, and hence the receipt was given in 1700.
The first page of the earliest Society's book contains the following record :
"The Records of the Acts of the Society of Fairfield Village, began in the year 1693.
It was then voted pr. the said Society that Mr. Charles Chauncey for his encouragement in the ministry in this place shall have sixty pounds in good provisions for the year ensu-
4 Col. Rec., iii. S.
£
8
History of Bridgeport.
ing to be paid him by way of Rate, each man according to the list of his estate given in.
" March 19, 1694. At a meeting of the Society of this place it was voted that Mr. Charles Chauncey should have for his encouragement in the ministry sixty pounds in good provisions pay, for the year ensuing, to be raised by way of Rate according to custom."
The proprietors of undivided lands in Stratford, having given certain lands to other societies in the town, gave to this, in 1719, several acres of land, and afterward added to the number. "Granted to our neighbors of Stratfield parish that belong to Stratford fifteen acres of pasture land . . . for and towards the support of a Presbyterian minister amongst them forever, for the only benefit of our neighbors belonging to Stratford."
" 1704, Mr. Jos. Bennitt of Stratfield, having payd full satisfaction - - majority of merchants in Stratfield for his trading in said place-Merchant : the said society do acknowl- edge the same and authorize it to be entered on the record of Stratfield, Joseph Bennit, Merchant. Voted as above.
SAMUEL HUBBELL, Clerk."
This shows that a merchant was established in the place by the vote of the society.
Twelve years later the second petition was sent to the General Assembly, signed by forty-six tax-payers for ecclesias- tical privileges, which furnishes, probably, nearly a complete list of the householders in the settlement in the year 1690.5
5 STATE PAPERS, ECCLESIASTICAL, I, 105. COPY FURNISHED TO MAJ. WM. B. HINCKS, BY THE COURTESY OF MR. C. J. HOADLY, STATE LIBRARIAN.
Petition for Ecclesiastical Privileges.
" To the Gen" Court of Connecticut (whom we honor), in their next session at Hartford.
We, the inhabitants and persons of Poquannock, do in all humility address and apply ourselves unto you in mann' method and form following :
Manifesting unto this honord respected representative body that this vicinity of Poquonnock aforesd appertaineth part to the town of Fairfield, and part to the town of Stratford, unto which two townships it hath been fully responsible accord- ing to obligations, for meeting house and school dues, rates and assessments ; we, the dwellers there, have to the towns we have been engaged to, ever punct-
£
£
9
Stratfield Society.
At that time, Fairfield opposed the request of the petitioners, and it was not granted, but in May, 1694, they renewed their request, and no opposition being offered, liberty was granted to organize a society. The acquiescence of the Fairfield and Stratford churches was perhaps due to the influence of the Rev. Israel Chauncey, who had interested himself in their behalf.
Of the forty-six names attached to the petition of 1790, thirteen of them, and perhaps others, were inhabitants of Stratford, residing west of the Pequonnock river.
ually paid our acknowledgements, taxes and charges, as we have from time to time been laid under such bonds and indisputable engagemts. But now since we are by the blessing and grace of Almighty God risen and advanced to somewhat more maturity and ripeness, and grown more populous than before, in capacity to stand within ourselves, without running for succor six or seven miles on one hand, and at least four on the other ; we doe make it our joynt ardent request and passionate petition to this honour'd esteem'd Court, that you would in the great- ness of your goodness, and out of your sincere zeal to the comfort of this part every way, so order it in your new convention that wee, every one of us, that are settled inhabitants of and steady dwellers in Poquonnock, may be exempted and relaxed from any minister's rate or rates and schooll mastours salerys, either in Fairfield or Stratford aforest, purposing (God smiling on and favouring our enter- prises) to suit orselves in time convenient wth such meet instrumts for ye pulpit and scholl, as may most and best serve the interest of our God, and do our souls and children most good ; such as shall bee most painfull pious and profitable for these ends to woch they were ordain'd, and are improv'd. And your humb. peti- tioners shall ever continue to pray for your long life and prosperity, subsigning this our address, dated 2ª May, 1690.
John Bardsle, Sr., Sam11 Hubbell, Richard Hobbell, Sr., Sam" Bardsley, Sr., Samuel Hall,
Matthew Sherwood,
Sam11 Wells, Isaac Wheeler,
David Sherman,
Richard Hubell,
Timothy Wheller,
James Benitt,
Samuel Gregory,
Thomas Benit, Ed. Tredwell,
David Reynolds,
Sam" Tredwell, John Odell, Sr.,
Nathn" Knap, Will Barsley,
Izhak Hall, John Wheller,
Thomas Wheller,
Joseph Seely, Moses Jackson, Jr.,
Samu1l Jackson,
Matthew Sherwood, Jr.,
Moses Jackson, Sr.,
Ephraim Wheller, Daniel Bardsle, Samuel French, Samu" Hubbell,
Jacob Joy, John Odell, Junr.,
Matthew Sharwood, Jr., Isack Wheeler, Sr., Thomas Griffin, Roburd Bishop, Sam" Morhous Jacobe Wakelen, Samuel Bardsle, 2
John Benitt, Jnr.,
Thos. Morhous, Jr., John Sherwood,
Joseph Joy, Sam" Sumers.
10
History of Bridgeport.
In May, 1691, the Court granted liberty to the inhabitants at Pequonnock " to procure and settle an orthodox minister among them if they find themselves able so to do, and pro- vided that those of Paquonnock that do belong to Fairfield township shall pay their just proportion of rate towards the maintenance of the ministry in Fairfield till they can obtain freedom of Fairfield or from this Court."
The next October they were released from paying to the support of the ministry at Fairfield while they supported a minister among themselves.
In May, 1694, permission was given to organize a church and the name Pequonnock was changed to Fairfield Village ; and this name was changed by the Court in May, 1701, to Stratfield.
The town of Stratford treated the Stratfield people with a good degree of friendship and favor.
" December 29, 1692. The neighbors at Paquonnock re- quested of the town liberty that in case the good people at Paquonnock should see cause to build a meeting house there at Paquonnock the liberty to set the said house part upon Stratford bounds, and said town by vote granted the same."
Therefore the probability is that the first meeting-house was located on the boundary line, half on Stratford, and half on Fairfield territory.
In 1696, and 1697, and perhaps several years after, the town remitted to the society one-third part of their town taxes.
" In 1693, the foundation of a house of worship was laid on an eminence in the upper part of Division street [Park avenue] a few rods south of the King's highway [North ave- nue]. This height affords a pleasant view of the surrounding
6 " Jan. 13, 1696. Lt. John Beardsley with ye rest of our loving neighbors at Paquonnock, inhabitants of Stratford, requesting yt. ye town would be pleased to consider them in the present town rate and make them some abatement in consid- eration yt they apprehend themselves not equally privileged with ye rest of ye town in some causes of expense, and the town did by vote grant the request and give order to ye town treasurer to give to them our said neighbors credit one-third of their town rate respectively."
"Jan. 19, 1697. It was voted that our loving neighbors at ye Village should be allowed one-third part of their town rate for ye year past."
:
11
Stratfield Society.
country and is still called Meetinghouse Hill. The building, though small, was not completed until 1695, and in the mean time it is probable that the people gathered upon the Sabbath in a private house, having already provided themselves with a pastor.'
The Stratfield Ecclesiastical Society was the first one in the Colony, not being a town, fully organized as independent of all other societies, and hence it was necessary for the Gen- eral Assembly to define its privileges and powers. This was done as follows :
"August 1, 1699. Liberties granted to Fairfield Village by the Assembly :
" I Impr. To make choice annually of two or three per- sons who shall have power to order meetings of the society, their ministers' rates, and what concerns may be about their meeting house.
" 2d. To choose collectors of the rates, and that they shall have power by virtue of a writ from lawful authority of non-payment to distrain.
"3d. To choose a constable whose power shall reach from west side of Pequonnock River unto the utmost bounds of the village, westward according to the limitations granted Commission officers : the village consisting partly of Fairfield and of Stratford.
" 4th. That they shall have liberty to choose annually a society recorder to be sworn to that work."
In 1717, the privileges and powers of ecclesiastical socie- ties were further defined ; and in 1723, still further."
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