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GREENWICH Old & New
Gc 974.602 G855h 1162745
M. L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
gn
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01151 4160
50
25℃
GREENWICH, Conn. Old & New
A HISTORY,
ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS,
OF GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT,
FROM COLONIAL DAYS TO THE PRESENT
BY LYDIA HOLLAND
AND MARGARET LEAF
GREENWICH : THE GREENWICH PRESS 1935
COPYRIGHT, 1935, BY THE GREENWICH PRESS COMPANY, INCORPORATED.
GREENWICH An Appreciation
1162745
As lovely lanes as any in Devonshire, as beautiful chateaux as many in France, a seashore lined with villas like Italy-such is Greenwich on the Sound, crowning the undulating ridges of the foothills of the Catskills or the Berkshires.
Greenwich old and new-for nearly eighteen years I lived there until I became a part of it, and its magic penetrated my life. Its ancient history became dear to me-those three hun- dred years of picturesque and sturdy history; and as I discerned the hearts and hopes of its people its splendid future unrolled like a prophetic scroll.
Already to my mind it is the most beautiful suburb of New York City-only forty five minutes by express from Broadway or an hour by auto, or perchance fifteen minutes by plane; and its coming years are assured as one of the choicest residential communities in America, with all the charm and amenities of a cultured people of delightful homes.
It is my happy fortune to look on Greenwich from a wide background for comparison. Many years I lived in Philadelphia, in Boston, and in Baltimore, which have their own beautiful suburbs as I know well. I do not forget some delightful spots in California, nor in the old world, at Oxford and London and in the environs of Paris, nor am I unmindful of picturesque dwell- ing places on the Riviera and some unforgetable spots in China and Japan. But Greenwich for simple unaffected charm and beauty holds its own, for those who know it well.
I love to think of it as an undiscovered country, known only to the privileged and discerning souls who love peace and beauty, and the atmosphere of radiant health and abiding friendships. I know some who have chosen Greenwich as their home for its pure air, uncontaminated by factory smoke; some have chosen
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it for its educational advantages for their children; some for its yacht clubs and its country clubs; but many others just for its sheer beauty and its congenial fellowship with choice friends.
Perhaps I am over enthusiastic concerning Greenwich. But like Browning's "Star," it has opened its heart to me, therefore I love it. As I write these lines of appreciation, I am sitting in my study near Columbia University and looking out over the beautiful gardens of Barnard College. Nearby I see Milbank Hall, the palatial dormitory for the college girls-the gift of a Greenwich lady. I hear the bell of the great Riverside church only two blocks away, reminding me of the golden bell of a dear old church in Greenwich. And often I look out on the lordly Hudson with its Palisades, as I used to look out over the wide stretches of Long Island Sound from my Parsonage windows. At present, I stay and work in New York, but my heart lives -and I know will always live-in the delightful memories of dear old Greenwich.
OLIVER HUCKEL
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
PAGE
I.
EARLY DAYS
3
by Lydia Holland
II. HORSENECK
25
by Lydia Holland
III. THE REVOLUTION
69
by Lydia Holland
IV. DEVELOPMENT
85
by Margaret Leaf
V. THE WAR, AND AFTER
105
by Margaret Leaf
VI. PRESENT AND FUTURE
154
by Howard W. Palmer
FOREWORD
E ARLY in the year The Greenwich Press gave earnest thought to the best way in which it could observe the twenty-fifth anniversary of its founding, and at the same time make a contribution on behalf of the Town of Greenwich to the celebration of the Ter- centenary of the State of Connecticut. It was felt that no plan could be more appropriate than the publishing of the story of the development of Greenwich from its founding in 1640 to the present, illustrated with pic- tures showing Greenwich of the past as well as Green- wich of the present.
There have been admirable histories of Greenwich, going deeply into detail of the various phases of the Town's growth, and other books written entertainingly and illuminatingly of the Town's personalities over a long period. "Greenwich, Old and New" does not undertake to supplant any of these histories. It seeks only to tell a connected and running story, presenting as accurate a picture as possible of the life of the pion- eer settlers; the serious and minor crises through which the Town passed; and to trace the steps which marked the transformation of Greenwich from a quiet, scat-
tered farming community to a bustling neighbor of a great metropolitan city.
To the sponsors, whose generous aid has made this book possible, The Press pays grateful acknowledg- ment .* Every effort has been put forth to make this a book of which they could be increasingly proud during the years to come.
The Press is deeply indebted to many persons for their aid in the making of the book. The authors acknowledge their indebtedness to Mrs. J. N. Ander- son, Mr. and Mrs. William L. Dominick, Miss Belle Ferris, Clarence Ferris, Miss Mabel Hendrie, Mrs. Ira W. Henry, officers of the Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich, Mrs. Adeline Husted, Miss Isa- belle Hurlbutt and the staff of the Greenwich Library, John Lockhart, Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Livingston Mac Rae, Miss Julia Mead, Oliver D. Mead, the Rev. Al- den S. Mosshammer, and Harry L. Nado for valuable information and help.
The pictures of Greenwich as it was in days long gone by add much to the value of the book. The Press is especially indebted to Miss Lucy A. Mead for her kindness in loaning for use many plates from the fine collection of photographic plates made by her father, the late Isaac H. Mead. For other old views of Green- wich appearing in the book grateful thanks are extended
*The sponsors' names are printed in the back of this book.
to Mrs. Emma Newton, Ephraim Mead, Frank Sey- mour and Robert L. Wellstood.
Much of the information in this book was obtained from the original town records, from which liberal quotations have been made. It would be ungrateful, however, not to mention Daniel Merritt Mead's "His- tory of the Town of Greenwich"; Spencer Mead's "Ye Historie of Greenwich," and Frederick A. Hubbard's "Other Days in Greenwich," all of which have pro- vided much valuable information. The authors also found particularly valuable Sherwood's "Story of Stam- ford," Huntington's "History of Stamford," and Baird's "History of Rye."
In the designing of the book The Press has been most fortunate in having the suggestions and advice of men who are recognized as leaders among book makers. The Press is particularly grateful to Harry L. Gage and Paul A. Bennett of the Mergenthaler Linotype Company, and to Edmund B. Thompson of Hawthorn House, Windham, Conn., for their assistance in determining the physical appearance of the book and the design of its pages. Their aid throughout has been invaluable.
The Press also expresses its appreciation to the In- ternational Paper Company of New York, which sup- plied the paper used for both the text and picture sec- tions.
THE EDITORS
GREENWICH Old New
I. EARLY DAYS
I HE STORY of the founding of Greenwich centers in the lives of a few very interesting people. How and why these pioneers came here explains the reason for the settlement of Greenwich. The kind of people they were de- termined the character of this community.
In 1640 Daniel Patrick and Robert Feaks came to Green- wich to buy land from the Indians. These two men came as official agents of the New Haven Colony but there were a num- ber of Dutch and English pioneers with them. They landed on a point of land which stretched far out into the Sound and was called Monakawaye by the Indians. For the price of twenty five English coats Patrick and Feaks bought the territory which now comprises Riverside and Old Greenwich. The purchase was signed on the eighteenth of July and the settlement was officially established.
There were at least two women in this company. One was the Dutch wife of Daniel Patrick and the other was Elizabeth Feaks, often referred to as "good Ma Feaks." In negotiating the purchase it was arranged that the neck of land called Monakawaye was "ye peticaler perchace of Elizabeth Feaks, ye sd Robt Feaks his wife." The settlers named this point, which is now known as Tod's Point, in Old Greenwich, Elizabeth Neck, and it may be assumed that the Feaks family at once set
Greenwich
to work and built a rude shelter on their newly acquired land. Quite probably Captain Patrick also built a small log hut on this point near the Feaks home because the two families were closely allied. They had come here together from Massachusetts, with Patrick as the aggressive leader and Feaks the humble part- ner and willing follower.
While Daniel Patrick played an active and decisive part in the founding of the town his influence on its growth was in no way permanent because he died after living here only three years. He was an unscrupulous Irish adventurer with a bad temper, and was constantly quarreling with everyone, according to the records referring to his life in Boston. He had come to America from Holland in 1630 at the request of the leaders of the Mas- sachusetts Bay Colony because his services as a soldier were needed. John Underhill, another soldier of fortune, and Daniel Patrick, were the first military commanders appointed in the colony. They were both great fighters and rendered real service to the early settlers of Boston by their ability to handle the In- dian situation. They trained the farmers and organized the militia, but in spite of these valuable assets they were thorns in the sides of the rigidly moral Puritans.
In 1637 they were discharged from their posts. The reason is not recorded, although we do know that over a period of nine years, Captain Underhill was brought to trial several times for misconduct. On one occasion "he sat upon the stool of repent- ence, a white cap upon his head, and with many sighs and a rueful countenance and abundance of tears owned his wicked way of life." But there is no record of Captain Patrick ever hav- ing repented of his sins. He preferred to leave that straight-laced community in order to find a freer place to live.
Judging from the opinion of Governor John Winthrop, the people of Boston were glad to see him go. In his journal Win- throp wrote, "We made him a Captain and maintained him. After, he was admitted a member of the church at Watertown
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and a freeman. But he grew very proud and vicious; for although he had a wife of his own, a good Dutch woman, and comely, yet he despised her and followed after other women; and perceiving that he was discovered and that such evil courses would not be endured here, and being withal, of a vain and unsettled disposition, he went from us and sat down within 20 miles of the Dutch (at Greenwich)."
AGREEMENT WITH DUTCH
BEFORE coming to Greenwich, Daniel Patrick went to New Haven and as agent of that colony negotiated the purchase of Norwalk, although he did not stay there. It is quite probable that Captain Patrick decided to settle in Greenwich because it was near to the Dutch, who were more liberal in their opinions. At any rate it was due to him that Greenwich finally became allied to the Dutch rather than the English. But for two years it was an open question, and Greenwich as a border town was claimed by both nations.
On October 15, 1640, the following letter was sent from Fort Amsterdam to the settlers of Greenwich:
I, William Kieft, Director General of New Netherland, notify you, Captain Daniel Patrick, or whom it may concern, that this ground which you claim to take pos- session of, is within the jurisdiction of New Netherland, and belongs to their High Mightinesses; so that here- after, you may not pretend any cause of ignorance. We order and warn you further not to attempt anything to the prejudice of their High Mightinesses, and in default thereof, we protest against all damages, losses and interests which may accrue therefrom. On the Island of Manhattan, in Fort Amsterdam, Oct. 15, 1640.
The Dutch had several reasons for claiming this land. In the summer of 1614, Adrien Block had sailed along the Sound and explored the inlets and rivers on the Connecticut coast. Dutch
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fur traders had built a fort at Hartford in 1633 and the New Netherlands claimed all land as far east as the Connecticut River. Then the English came but they did not stop at claiming this land. They settled on it.
In 1640 a group of English settlers from Wethersfield came to Stamford and established a Puritan community which was at first called "The Wethersfield Men's Plantation." There was never any question of Stamford being anything but English as far as its own citizens were concerned. Greenwich was next door to Stamford, but Daniel Patrick, the representative leader of the town, was not a Puritan, and his loyalty to England de- pended only on the benefits to be received from the mother country. There was trouble with the Indians all along the frontier and every settlement needed as much protection as possible. From the Greenwich point of view, better protection against the Indians was available at Fort Amsterdam. Since he was completely practical, Daniel Patrick recognized this and de- cided to make an alliance with the Dutch. Robert Feaks had little to say in the matter because he was ill, but Elizabeth Feaks acted for him and apparently gave her consent. Captain Patrick went to Fort Amsterdam and on the ninth of April, 1642, signed an agreement with the Dutch, "promising, for the future to be faithful to them, as all honest subjects are bound to be. Whereunto we bind ourselves by solemn oath and signature, provided we be protected against our enemies as much as pos- sible and enjoy henceforth the same privileges that all patroons of New Netherlands have obtained agreeably to the freedoms."
The witnesses who signed the agreement were Everardus Bogardus and John Winkelman, two Dutchmen who lived in Greenwich. Daniel Patrick and Robert Feaks became patroons by this agreement and the town of Greenwich was officially a Dutch manor.
The signing of this agreement was one of the most important events in Greenwich history because it permanently influenced
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the character of this community. If Daniel Patrick had not signed this treaty, Greenwich probably would have become a typical New England Puritan town. Because it was half Eng- lish, yet under Dutch jurisdiction, Greenwich was a more cos- mopolitan settlement than the completely English Stamford. Because the Dutch were more liberal than the English, Green- wich attracted a more liberal type of settler than Stamford. This fundamental difference formed the basis of many quarrels between the two towns.
STORY OF ONE PIONEER
IN spite of the important part that Daniel Patrick played in the founding of Greenwich, it was men like Jeffrey Ferris and An- gell Husted who actually made this settlement. They were the men who remained permanently, and raised large families which continued to live here for generations, forming the background of the town. So, to use Jeffrey Ferris as an example we must go back a few years to the settlement of Watertown just outside of Boston.
Along with a great number of restless, energetic Englishmen who left their homes for various reasons, Jeffrey Ferris came to. America in 1634. Born in Leicestershire, England, in 1610, he was twenty four when he came to Watertown. Over six feet tall, with blue eyes and red hair, he was a typical middle class Englishman, God fearing, respectable, industrious and as later events proved, a good business man. He was enough of a Puri- tan to be eligible as a citizen of Watertown, for his name was registered as a freeman of Boston in 1635. At that time church membership was the essential requirement for citizenship. This entitled him to be called Goodman Ferris.
From a number of small clues, it may be assumed that Jeffrey Ferris was not a rigid Puritan. He may have come to America for freedom of worship, but undoubtedly there were other more practical reasons as well. Goodman Ferris wanted land of
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his own, but he also wanted the rights of a free landowner. There was plenty of land around Boston, but little freedom. Not to repeat the well known story of how the citizens of Newtown, Watertown and Dorchester separated from Boston and migrated to Connecticut, enough of this history must be told to explain how and why Jeffrey Ferris finally came to Greenwich.
At this time Boston was controlled by a few rigid Puritans who had organized a theocratic and completely undemocratic form of government. The citizens of the three settlements around Boston were not allowed to govern themselves independently, nor were they even fairly represented in Boston although they were subject to taxation. The rules and regulations regarding per- sonal conduct were unbelievably strict. It was not only irregu- lar characters like John Underhill and Daniel Patrick who were punished for minor crimes. Many very respectable law abiding citizens were fined or put in the stocks for trivial offenses.
Men like Jeffrey Ferris who had broken home ties and sailed across the ocean to a wilderness for the sake of freedom were not likely to submit to such a situation. At the same time glow- ing statements were coming to Boston concerning the fertile meadows and rich valley land along the Connecticut River. A separation from Boston and migration to Connecticut was in- evitable, and in the company of a number of families from Watertown, Jeffrey Ferris went to Wethersfield. There Good- man Ferris acquired four acres of land and built a house. Evi- dently he planned to stay and settle down but within four years he was moving again.
So far Jeffrey Ferris had made two moves toward freedom, but from the point of view of freedom Wethersfield proved a disappointment. Worse than that, there was no peace because of several strong minded ministers who were all trying to rule the small settlement at once. There were infinite quarrels and disputes over religion, politics, and the distribution of land.
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Because of these unsatisfactory conditions in Wethersfield, Jeffrey Ferris came to Greenwich. Land, always land, was what he wanted more than anything, so this time, quite on his own, he negotiated a purchase with the Indians here.
July 18, 1640, is the commonly accepted date for the found- ing of Greenwich because the Indian deed was signed on that day. Although historians are literally quite accurate when they assert that the settlement was established after the purchase, there are, nevertheless, a number of reasons for assuming that a few pioneers came here before July, 1640.
As an addition to the purchase of Daniel Patrick and Robert Feaks, it is noted that "Keofram hath soulde all his Right in ye above sd necks unto Jeffre Ferris." This notation suggests that Goodman Ferris was here transacting a deal with the Indian Chief Keofferam before the coming of Daniel Patrick and Robert Feaks. When signing his mark, Sachem Keofferam made the picture of a block house with a projection or look out box. In front and behind the house he drew lines which may have been an indication of plowed ground.
Indian signatures were really picture writing, and the marks usually depicted something significant in relation to the docu- ment which was signed. Such being the case, it is quite likely that there actually was a block house on this land bought by Jeffrey Ferris, and of course this house was his home. If so, it must have been built before July, 1640.
If we assume that Jeffrey Ferris was one of the first land- owners, it is possible to go a step further and attribute the naming of Greenwich to this particular founder, who was born in Leicestershire, England. About 1590 in England, there was an adventurer named Richard Ferris who served as messenger in ordinary at the court of Queen Elizabeth. At that time the Earl of Leicester was the Queen's favorite, so it is more than likely that this member of the Ferris family from Leicestershire received an appointment through his influence.
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The favorite summer residence of Queen Elizabeth was at Greenwich where her yacht lay alongside the wharf in front of the palace. As a member of the court, Richard Ferris must have visited there frequently. In this way Jeffrey Ferris, as a son or nephew, might have become very fond of the village of Greenwich and when he came to New England he followed the custom of other emigrants by naming the town after that place in England to which he was most attached.
Jeffrey Ferris was married three times. His second wife was Susannah Lockwood, widow of Robert Lockwood, so from the very beginning of Greenwich history these two families were united. It is said that 10,000 of their descendants can be traced and many of them still live in Greenwich today.
Angell Husted is another founder of Greenwich whose family still lives here. Robert Husted, his father, owned land in both Stamford and Greenwich and was a witness to the pur- chase of Patrick and Feaks. Angell Husted was a special wit- ness to the purchase made by Jeffrey Ferris, and it is claimed by the Husted family that he was here as early as 1638.
It would be impossible to name all the families who came to Greenwich over the period of the next twenty or thirty years but it is interesting to notice that a majority of them came here by the way of Watertown and Wethersfield just as Goodman Ferris did. Some of these families settled for a time in Fairfield where Jeffrey Ferris also lived for a few years because, as a loyal Englishman, he resented the Dutch jurisdiction which Daniel Patrick had forced upon Greenwich.
THE INDIANS
UNDOUBTEDLY the dangerous situation due to the Indians was another reason why Jeffrey Ferris left Greenwich for several years. Almost at once the Indians became the most difficult problem with which the first settlers had to contend. There were numerous raids as well as individual attacks on helpless
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families. Cornelius Labden, a Dutch farmer living near Stam- ford, was one of the victims. According to the legend of Lad- din's Rock, a band of Indians attacked the Dutchman's home and killed his wife and sixteen-year-old daughter, while Labden managed to escape by jumping on his horse and riding toward the steep precipice now called Laddin's Rock. The Indians pur- sued him, so preferring a quick death to slow torture, Labden plunged over the rock, crying "come on ye foul fiends, I go to join your victims."
At this time Captain John Underhill came from Boston to Stamford and was appointed military commander of the town. He was granted land and a pension, and a house was built for him which could also serve as a shelter for the citizens of Stam- ford in case of attack. Captain Patrick and John Underhill, old friends from the days in Watertown, once again united their efforts against the Indians.
A village of the Siwanoy tribe was situated above the West- chester Path (Post Road), near what is now Cos Cob. It was called Petuquapaen and the chief was Mayn Mayano or My- anos. The village consisted of a number of rows of wigwams and bark huts sheltered by an overhanging cliff. The level land to the east, later named Strickland Plains, was a cleared field where the Indians grew corn and fertilized the ground with fish from the nearby Mianus River, named for their chief. This vil- lage, situated so close to Greenwich, was a constant source of danger to the new settlement. Mayn Mayano was a fearless warlike chieftain who attempted to win a glorious name among his people by daring attacks on the hated white men.
One day he attacked Captain Patrick and two Dutchmen near Stamford. Mayano tomahawked and killed the two Dutch- men before Captain Patrick finally succeeded in shooting him. By this time the Indians of the whole region were on the war path. Quite naturally they rebelled against the white men who were settling on their land and spoiling their hunting ground.
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Fur traders were also a strong cause of resentment because after making the Indians drunk with rum they tricked them into selling their furs for little or nothing. The Indians avenged their wrongs by killing, and in turn the Dutch at New Am- sterdam avenged these "murders" by massacring a whole vil- lage. The Indians now collected in large groups and attacked Dutch settlements on Long Island, Manhattan and along the Connecticut coast.
In a world of grim reality, of hard work, and of a continuous struggle against the wilderness, there was no place for senti- ment or pity. The Indian problem soon resolved itself into the drastic decision whether to "destroy or be destroyed." There could be no compromise. The Dutch at New Amsterdam took the matter in hand. Captain John Underhill volunteered his services to the Dutch and was requested to obtain information concerning the Indians in this vicinity. It was discovered that about five hundred warriors had collected at Petuquapaen. About 130 Dutch and English soldiers were assembled under the command of Captain Underhill and Ensign Hendrick Van Dyck. They landed at Stamford one night in February, 1644, but a heavy snow storm obliged them to remain nearly all night in the settlement. The weather improved towards morning so they set forward, struggling through the heavy snow until about eight in the evening, when they came within a mile of the Indian village. It was too early to make an attack so they halted for the men to rest. At ten o'clock they resumed their march and moved forward easily for the sky was clear and a full moon shone on the white snow, making it almost as bright as day.
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