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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01150 7644
GC 974.602 ST72WL
THE AUTHOR
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
With Additional Chapters and Graveyard Inscriptions
By
GRACE DENISON WHEELER
Printed 1903. Reprinted 1930. THE MYSTIC STANDARD Mystic, Connecticut
Copyright 1903 By Grace Denison Wheeler
1523703
TO
My Father and Mother
WITH MANY PLEASANT MEMORIES OF TWILIGHT TALKS AND MID-DAY DRIVES AMONG THE HILLS AND VALES OF STONINGTON
PREFACE
All my life I have heard and en- joyed the incidents and anecdotes connected with the old houses re- ferred to within this book, and be- lieving that others would appre- ciate them also, I have endeavored to arrange them for publication, and most sincerely thank all the friends who have so kindly helped to make this work possible. I trust all errors and omissions will be pardoned, and that it will prove acceptable, as it is intended to be a companion book to my father's "History of Stonington," which was devoid of illustrations.
GRACE DENISON WHEELER
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Page
Page
The Author
Frontispiece
Clift House
59
Thomas Stanton House
2
Thomas Miner House.
4
Elijah Williams House 61
Road Meeting House.
6
Chester House
62
Amos Williams Hotel 63
Enoch Burrows House 64
Dr. Manning House 64
Christopher Leeds House. 65
Lewis House.
66
Prentice Williams House. .66
Dea. Eleazer Williams House.
67
Stanton Williams House.
70
Beebe Denison House
71
John Denison Homestead
72
Henry N. Palmer Residence. 73
Judge Gilbert Collins Residence past and present. 74, 75
Nat Noyes House.
76
Samuel Doughty House
.77
Grandison Barn
78
Capt. Alex. Palmer Place.
81
Dr. William Hyde House
82
Polly Breed House.
83
William Terrett House
83
Samuel Trumbull House
84
Dea. Fellows House
84
Capt. Lodowick Niles House
85
Jabish Holmes House
86
Cobb House.
87
Joseph Wright House.
.88
Fanning House
89
Capt. Amos Palmer House.
90
Col. Oliver Smith House.
92
Capt. Edmund Fanning House 94
Dr. Lord's Hall
95
Aunt Mary Howe House.
96
Col. Joseph Smith Homestead.
.97
Eells House
98
Samuel Denison House. 99
Rodman House
100
Zebulon Stanton House.
101
Elder Swan House
102
Elder Elihu Chesebrough
House
103
Dudley Palmer House.
104
Kellogg House.
56
Eldredge House
57
Gen. John Gallup House.
58
Bennett House
.58
Hyde Mansion 60
Tavern House.
13
Church Parlors
19
Baker House
.20
Charles S. Noyes House
21
Joseph Noyes House.
22
Dr. Jonathan Gray House
23
Thomas Palmer House.
.24
Cato's House
25
Dudley Brown House
26
Woodbridge House. 27
Moss Homestead.
.28
Peleg Denison House.
29
Gallup House
.30
Copp House. .31
Home of the Stanton Brothers 32
Dean Mills
34
Alec. Palmer House.
.38
Grist Mill
39
Fanning House 40
Robert Denison House.
41
Darius Denison House
42
Ambrose Miner House.
43
Cavanaugh House.
.44
George Denison Homestead.
.47
Chimney of Benadam Gallup's House 48
Joshua Brown House
49
White Hall. .50
Mrs. Lucy Stanton Wheeler's
Residence
50
Col. Nathan Wheeler House 51
Stephen Avery House 52
Ebenezer Williams House
52
Nathaniel Williams House.
53
Thomas Williams House.
.54
Richard Hempstead House 55
Martin White House
55
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Page
Billings Burtch House.
105
Thomas Burtch House 105
Richard Eldred House
106
Ashbey House
10
Nathaniel Miner House
107
Acors Sheffield or Capt. Ben
Pendleton House.
107
Amos Sheffield House
108
Morrill House
109
Capt. Jesse Beebe House.
109
Fairbrother House.
110
Phelps House
111
Waldron House
112
John Denison House.
112
Joshua Haley House
113
Rev. Ira Hart Homestead.
113
Thomas Ash House.
114
Dr. Charles Phelps House.
117
York Place.
118
Mount Pleasant.
119
Crary House
120
Samuel Wheeler House
121
Elisha Williams House
122
Lester Wheeler House.
123
George Culver House.
125
Wheeler School House
126
Hyde Place.
128
Paul Wheeler Homestead.
129
Perez Wheeler House.
130
Maj. Gen. Wm. Williams House .. 131
Clement Miner House
133
Home of Judge Richard A.
Wheeler
135
Jonathan Wheeler Homestead .. 138
High Barn
139
Clark Davis House
140
Putnam House
143
Joseph Smith House.
144
Col. Amos Chesebrough
Homestead
145
Miner Noyes House
147
Page
Squire Joseph Noyes House
148
Ephraim Williams Place.
149
James Noyes House
150
Capt. Thomas Noyes Mansion .. 151 Old Home of Dea. John Noyes .. 152 Samuel Stanton House 153
Rev. Nathaniel Eells House
154
Adam States or Wentworth
Place
155
Samuel Palmer House
156
Rhodes Mansion.
157
Col. Wm. Randall House
160
Kenyon House.
161
Stephen Babcock Place.
162
Joshua Gardner House
163
Briggs Jeffords House
164
Jimmy Noyes Homestead
165
Helmns House
166
Sheffield House
166
Dr. Wm. Robinson House.
167
Thomas Noyes House
168
Paul Babcock Place
169
Old Bradford House.
170
Davis Homestead.
170
William Stanton House
171
Thomas Stanton Homestead
172
Lemuel Palmer Home
172
Baldwin House
175
Fish Place.
176
Dr. Nathan Palmer Home
177
James Babcock Homestead
178
Harry Hinckley House.
178
King David Chesebrough
Estate
179
Samuel Stanton House.
180
Birthplace of Capt. Charles P.
Williams
181
Elias Chesebrough House.
182
Old Mill House
183
Ezra Chesebrough House
184
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
Old Homesteads sacred to all that can Gladden or sadden the heart of man, Over whose thresholds of oak or stone Life and death have come and gone.
-Whittier.
When our ancestors came to Stonington to live, they certainly chose the most beautiful places in the whole town to locate themselves, at Pawcatuck Rock, Wequetequock and Quiambaug Cove, Mystic and Qua- quataug. We notice they settled usually near the water and for very good reasons: in the water were fish of many kinds, while on the shore clams could be found and above the water were sea-gulls and wild duck. On the low land near by could be cut the marsh hay for their cattle which they had brought with them, as we see by the deed to Wal- ter Palmer from ex-Gov. Haines in 1653. We know that the landscape did not present the same appearance then that it does now, but the same sun threw its lights and shadows over hill and valley and bright- ened the sparkling waters or darkened them as the clouds rolled over. The same wind blew its gentle zephyrs in summer and gales in winter. The ebb and flow of the tide, seemingly controlled by the moon, was watched then as now at Wequetequock Cove, where William Chese- brough, blacksmith and gunsmith, in the summer of 1649 built the first house in Stonington, not far from the present residence of Mr. Irtis Maine, on the west bank and overlooking the Cove, and brought his wife and four sons there to live. There is no record left of the style or ap- pearance of this house, but it was probably a log house as were most of those of the early settlers. Some years after, frame houses were built of heavy oak timbers, half a yard wide, the rafters were much larger than those of our modern houses and the sides of the houses were covered with oak clapboards, smoothed with a shaving knife. Within, only the sides of the rooms, which were about seven feet high, were plastered. The floor was of oak plank. The windows consisted of two small frames, set with diamond shaped panes, fastened by hinges, that were secured to the side of the house. The outer doors were of double oaken plank with spikes driven into them and fastened at night by heavy wooden bars which rendered secure the inmates during the night.
Mr. Thomas Stanton secured land at Pawcatuck in 1650 and built his trading house or store there in 1651 and his house before 1657, in a beautiful spot near the river, but a short distance from the present home of Mr. Charles Randall, where now by the roadside can be seen two grand old elm trees. After a few years he rebuilt it in the same place (with perhaps some of the same wood) which stood there till a short time since. I am indebted to Mrs. Harriet Stanton for the fol- lowing sketch of her ancestor's dwelling place: "The frame of this house was largely of oak, with window frames of sassafras. It was built in two sections, the west side being added a generation or so later.
2
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
It was two stories in the main part with a steep roof and fronted to the south, the lower story was seven feet in height and the upper story six feet. On the north side was a lean-to some fifteen feet wide, which ex- tended on the east or earliest built portion including the chimney, its roof being a continuation of that on the main building and sloping low down to the top of the door and window on the north side. From the center rose the large chimney, ten or twelve feet square at the base, with fire-places on the sides and rear. South of the chimney was the front entry, which, including the stairway, was about ten by twelve feet. Doors on either side opened into the front rooms; these doors as well as the outer ones were surmounted by open spaces carved in the wood in scroll pattern and provided with swinging shutters for cold weather. The outer door was very large and heavy and was fastened by a wooden latch of adequate proportions. Stairs on the left led to
THOMAS STANTON HOUSE.
two turns or landings, which were divided from corner to corner, to a passage over the entry below, from which at the right and left, doors opened into the east and west chambers and these rooms were of the same size as the rooms on the first floor. Open stairs of oak led to the garret above, which was lighted by a window in each end. The front stairs were of pine, as well as the balustrade, which was fashioned by hand work. The windows were large and high and the panes of glass small. Including the garret, there were six rooms in the main struc- ture. The west room, above and below, was lighted by four windows, two at the south and two at the west. The east room which was not so large, had one window to the south and a door and window at the east below, and three windows in the room above. All these rooms were provided with ample fire-places. The kitchen occupied the west end of the lean-to with doors opening into the east front room and out doors at the north, with one window also to the north. On the west side was an open stairway, made in ladder shape, which led to the room above; this room occupied the space of the kitchen, bedroom and
3
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
pantry below and the roof slanted down to the floor on the north side, it had a fire place and was the domain of the blacks. In the floor of this lean-to was a trap door, leading by steps to a square excavation; in this place valuables of the family were stored for safety at various times; once in the time of King Philip's war in 1675, and the back logs were placed over the opening to conceal it. East of the kitchen was a square bedroom opening out of the front room, with one window to the east, and back of this bedroom was a buttery (a dark room with shelves). There were also closets in both front rooms, made by the slope of the chimney with the upper part in open buffet style. The fire-places were deep caverns, the jamb and back being at right angles to each other and the hearth stones. In the sides of the living room, hanging on spikes, driven into pieces of wood, built into thte structure for the purpose, were the long handled frying pans, the pot hooks, the boring iron, the branding iron, the long iron peel, the roasting hook, the fire pan, the scoop-shaped, fire shovel, with a trivet or two. The stout slice and tongs leaned against the jambs in front; in the best room these were surmounted with brass to match the fire dogs or andirons and were accompanied by a bellows. In the living room all these were
of iron. In one end of the fire-place was the oven, its mouth flush with the back of the fire-place and closed with an iron door. In this nook,
when the oven was not in use, stood a square oaken block or bench, on which the children could sit and study the catechism and spelling book by the light of the fire, or watch the stars through the square tower above them, their view unobstructed, save by the black, shiny lug-pole and its great trammel, or in their season its burden of hams and fletch- es of pork and venison, hanging to be cured in the smoke. The mantle tree in the living-room was a huge beam of oak while in the front room and chambers was a pine shelf and panel work of the same wood; be- hind these were small closets, in which was stored the choice crockery ware, pewter and silver, brought from England. In these rooms fires were seldom built except at weddings, funerals and state occasions. Here lived generation after generation in a direct line from the first settlement until about 1883, when the old house, much decayed, was taken down to make room for a new road which was laid out to pass directly over its site."
Thomas Stanton's son Thomas, with his wife, Sarah, the daughter of Capt. George Denison by his first wife Bridget Thompson, also lived here and his daughter Dorothy Stanton grew up in this old house, which was quite near their "Trading House," the only commercial place in the whole region. She became acquainted with a young man named Nicholas Lynde, who was supercargo of a vessel which traded along this coast, and they were married in 1696. While on a voyage to the West Indies he died, in 1703, and after a little time Mrs. Lynde with her two children went to live with their grandfather, Col. Joseph Lynde in Charlestown, Mass., and there the mother married second, John Trerice, in 1708, a widower forty years older than herself; after his death she married Samuel Frink Sr., of Stonington, and had one child, William, born in 1711. Mr. Frink dying in 1713, she married again in
4
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
THE THOMAS MINER PLACE IN QUIAMBAUG
"By permission of Sidney H. Miner and George D. Miner, publishers of the Thomas Miner viary"
5
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
1718 her cousin, Robert Denison, who lived at Montville, Ct. Their oldest child they named George Denison after their distinguished grandfather, Capt. George, and the daughter was named Dorothy. Mrs. Denison lived until she was 105 years old.
In 1652, Mr. Thomas Miner built his house on the east bank of We- quetequock Cove, just a little distance north of the old Fish house, now owned by the Road Cong. Society. In this same house Mr. Walter Pal- mer came to live in 1653,, as his daughter Grace had married Mr. Miner. There is nothing now to show the site of this house, except a slight de- pression in the ground. Soon after Mr. Palmer came here to live, Mr. Miner moved to Quiambaug and built a new house facing the south, just east of the present residence of Mr. Cornelius Miner and near the blue waters of this Cove; a little hollow in the ground and a few old stone steps, with a long row of lilacs which are said to have been brought from England, are the only marks left of the old home of Thomas Miner which was situated on land purchased of Cary Latham of New London.
Captain John Gallup chose the east side of Sicanemus or Mystic River, on which to build his home in 1654, quite near the Dea. Warren Lewis house, between Greenmanville and the cemetery. Capt. Gallup's house was double, two stories in front and one in the rear. It faced the south and had a slanting roof. The walls were of heavy timbers and the few windows were small, high and narrow. The great chim- ney was in the centre, with fire-places opening into three large rooms on the first floor, and four upon the second. The second story pro- jected beyond the lower, and deep cellars were below the house for storing the winter provisions. The mortar was made of moss mixed with clay, while some of the other old houses had the cellar mortared with sea-weed mixed with oyster shells.
Captain George Denison went inland a little, but yet where he could overlook the water, and built his house in 1654 a little west of the pres- ent old Denison house occupied now by Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Ford. This first house was built of logs, afterwards he built a larger one, called the Mansion house and gave it to his son William, whose son George built the present one. Capt. George built a palisaded fort west of this house, part of which can still be seen, where he mustered in the volunteers who went under his command to the famous swamp fight in 1676. He was also Provost-Marshal of the forces east of the river Thames, who pursued the Narragansett and Wampanaug Indians, defeated them, and brought the Indian Chief, Canonchet, to Anguilla, in Stonington, who after refusing to make peace with the English, which was offered him, was shot by order of the officer in command just west of Anguilla, near the old Indian burying ground, which is still protected with apple trees and bushes, which have grown and en- circled the graves on this hillside. Here, also, Major John Mason held his council of war and after consulting with Oneco and other Indian Chiefs, decided upon the mode of attack on the Pequots, at Mystic Hill, which site is now well marked by a statue representing Captain Mason in his soldier's attire.
6
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
Captain Robert Park's house, built by him in 1655, was on the western slope of Quaquataug Hill, commanding a grand view of hill and valley and the winding water of Mystic River.
Mr. John Shaw came to Pawcatuck about this time but it is not known where he built his house. His son afterwards lived at Taug- wonk, where Mr. Latham Miner once lived.
Within a few years Josiah Witter, John Searles, Edmund Fanning, James York and still others, came to Stonington and settled, till in 1668 there were forty-three heads of families in town. The little
ROAD MEETING-HOUSE
cluster of houses at the Road, with the Church and schoolhouse, is a gentle reminder of those early days, when in 1667 the planters of the town appointed a committee to lay out Home Lots for each inhabitant. These lots contained twelve acres each and were situated upon each side of the ministry land which was on Agreement Hill, where the Road Meeting house now stands, (called so because the first road that was travelled in this town passed through the town plat and by the old Meeting House on Agreement Hill where all the town gatherings were held and public meetings transacted.)
The present structure was built in 1829 and is unchanged except that the high, mahogany, circular pulpit has been replaced by a modern platform and desk. The first pulpit was supported by slender, wooden
7
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
pillars and was so high that chairs could be placed underneath. It was reached by stairs on either side, and back of the minister were long, crimson, satin damask curtains, draped away and held in place by heavy cord and tassels of the same color. The large cushion, on which the Bible rested, was also draped with the same material and heavy tassels hung from the corners. About 1855, this pulpit and draperies were removed and a large solid pulpit took its place, which remained till the gift of the present one by Mrs. Chas S. Hull. Swing- ing baise doors fill the places of the former wooden ones. A simple chandelier is suspended from the ceiling and a furnace affords warmth instead af the two large stoves with long pipes which used to extend the entire length of the room. The pews are high, painted white with cherry railings at the top and closed by doors which are fastened by small wooden buttons. Either side of the pulpit are the doors to the body of the church, entering which, you face the congregation and upon seating yourself, find the minister is before you. In plain sight of all hangs the State motto, "He who transplanteth still sustains," while above the pulpit is a velvet tablet with the three dates thereon, 1657, 1674, 1874. The first represents the earliest religious service in the town at the house of Walter Palmer in Wequetequock by the Rev. William Thompson of Braintree, Mass. (brother-in-law of Capt. George Denison), who at the time was a missionary to the Pequot Indians. Afterwards the planters built a meeting house a little southwest of Mr. Henry M. Palmer's house on Montauk Avenue. It was raised May 16th, 1661, and in September the Commissioners of the United Colonies attended religious worship there, led by Capt. John Mason. It is not known how large the house was, or its style, but probably it was a small building, for six years after the town records a vote that was passed to repair it and make it more comfortable. Several ministers taught here till in 1664, when Mr. James Noyes of Newbury, Mass., accepted the invitation to become their Gospel preaching minister and remained till his death in 1719.
He was paid at first, a salary of £50 currency (or $166.66) annually, and it was agreed to give liberally towards building him a house, which was situated between Anguilla and Noyes Brook, where the present red house stands. We can draw upon our imagination to the utmost in making a mental picture of this new home and its surround- ings, but it is only known that the house was large, two stories in front and one in the rear. The distance to his first church, on Montauk Ave. was nearly five miles and we can almost see him on a Sunday morning, setting forth on horseback, with his fair young bride, Dorothy Stanton, on a pillion behind him, for their ride across the hills and valleys, on what was then an Indian path, till the road was laid out in 1669 from Pawcatuck Bridge to the Ferry, and after the solemn and impressive religious service turning their horse's head to the east and riding back, when the shadows began to lengthen (for then the meeting lasted most of the day), to this first parsonage in the town, standing at that time, in almost a forest, and seeming quite unlike the pleasant, country fields and roads where now commodius houses, barns and many
8
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
modern improvements can be seen, upon a drive through the same locality. After a time, Mr. Noyes had the use of the ministry land and his salary was raised to £100 with several grants of land. During his pastorate here of 55 years and 6 months, he baptized 1176 persons. He was a distinguished preacher and was one of the founders of Yale College. The old Church records speak thus of him, "He lived much desired and died much lamented." In 1670 the inhabitants having de- cided to build a new meeting-house, met and looked over the ministry land (500 acres of which had been set apart by the town and 200 laid out about Agreement Hill for the support of the ministry). After several meetings they unanimously agreed upon a location for the new house, and then went back to the old meeting-house and voted, "That the new meeting-house shall for time to come, be set up and stand, without removing, upon Agreement Hill." At that time the hill was covered with heavy timber, which was removed by voluntary labor, and the house built by subscriptions of timber, planking, shingles, nails and labor of men and teams. The meeting-house was raised Jan. 15, 1673, and a church formally organized June 3rd, 1674, with only nine persons enrolled as members, vis., Mr. James Noyes, who lived at Anguilla, Mr. Thomas Stanton and son, Thomas Jr., who lived at Pawcatuck Rock, Mr. Nathaniel Chesebrough, lived opposite the Phelps place, Mr. Thom- as Miner at Quiambaug, Mr. Nehemiah Palmer lived with his father, Walter, at Wequetequock, Mr. Ephriam Miner, who lived north of Mr. Sanford Billings' house, Mr. Moses Palmer, who lived on the east side of Wequetequock Cove, below the Road Society land, which house has been taken down within the last thirty years, and Mr. Thomas Wheeler, who lived at Col. James F. Brown's in the old Wheeler house. It is not known when this church was finished or dedicated, but religious services were held in the summer of 1673 in this building, which stood a few rods west of the present meeting-house at the Road. It was
built by Israel Smith, the cost of labor being £51. There is no plan of this building on record, except the dimensions, which were 40 ft. long, 22 ft. wide, and 14 ft. posts from joint to joint. There were no, slips or pews, except for the deacons, magistrates and minister's family ; benches were used by the people, and a committee was appointed to seat them, according to their notions of propriety, but this did not last long, as the next year the town voted "To have the floor of the house and of the gallery assigned to the inhabitants for pews." The inside of the house was never lathed or plastered, or the outside painted or adorned with a steeple.
After the pews were built, the space between them and the gallery was ceiled. In those days, meeting-houses were built without stoves or fire-places and must have been uncomfortably cold in winter, but for the little foot-warmer of iron, with door to open, showing a pan in which hot coals were placed. This was carried to meeting and passed from one part of the slip to the other, to lessen in some degree the intense cold. In 1690 the town voted "To build near the church a small house, fourteen feet square, with seven feet posts and fire-place for Mr. Noyes to warm himself in cold weather, between meetings," for then there was morning and afternoon service and many
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