USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Stratford > A history of the old town of Stratford and the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut > Part 25
USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Bridgeport > A history of the old town of Stratford and the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut > Part 25
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Another purchase was made in 1661, "a large tract of land lying west from the Farmill river at Woronoke," it being made by Joseph Judson, but probably in behalf of the town.
The tract of land between the Nearmill and Farmill rivers was purchased in December, 1661, by Mr. Samuel Sherman, John Hurd and Caleb Nichols-townsmen for the town, and all proprietors had their proportion of it, in after years.
On the 22d of April, 1662, was received a deed for the ter- ritory of a considerable part of what is now the townships of Trumbull, Monroe and Easton, " lying west of the land which the town of Stratford had previously purchased," or west of
1 The frame of a house spoken of in a foot note on page 12 of this book as being at Milford when the whites first came, was the frame of Ansantaway's large wig- wam. In the summer the old chief occupied this tent, covering it with bark and matting. The matting he took off and carried with him to his residence at Pau- gasset for the winter.
2 " The Town uppon ye 6th December, 1672, sufficient consideration moving thereunto doe give grant and allow to Leift Joseph Judson the peacable improve- ment of so much land, good and bad altogether lying at ye place commonly called ye Mohegin Hills, ye hop-garden, meadow and lowland on both sides ye East Spraine of ye Far Mill River as high on that Sprayne as this accommodation reach- eth, as is the proportion of an eight acre meadowed inhabitant to ye whole bounds, with this proviso yt it shall not be expected to be all laid out at present but suc- cessively as other proprietors."
271
Purchase of Territory.
the Pequonnock river, extending to Fairfield line and from a line crossing the township east and west about at the Trum- bull Church, or possibly a little further south, north to New- town. This was the Long Hill purchase.
The last large tract was bought May 25, 1671, called the White Hills purchase, and the agreement with the Indians was, that this purchase should cover "all lands within the bounds of Stratford," and no reservations whatever were made- not even the usual " hunting and fishing."
There was no exceptions, not even the reservations at Golden Hill or Coram, which had in all other deeds been made, and there is reason for supposing that the inhabitants believed these reservations were included, so that when the Indians died or deserted them, there would be no more pur- chasing of Indian claims. This is evident from the amount paid-£50-14-6-and the specific terms of the deed in which the boundaries of the territory included are definitely given ; -" Stratford river on the east, Fairfield on the west, and from the sea twelve miles northward, as it is now settled by the Court ; ... with all rights, titles, privileges, and appertenan- ces thereunto belonging or in any manner of ways apper- taining, which we do freely and absolutely resign and make over unto the aforesaid inhabitants."
A tax was levied on the inhabitants of the town to raise this purchase money and the record of it specifies that it was for the " White Hills purchase, together with the expenses, both to English and Indians, in and to the sale of all land within the bounds of Stratford." In another record, as to the expenses of this transaction, it is said : "all the charges and expense of the White Hills and the confirmation of lands within the bounds of Stratford."3
3 " A memorandum of all the Charges and Expenses about ye purchase of ye White Hills and ye Confirmation of all lands within ye Bounds of Stratford :
To Mr. Richard Bryan for cloth coats, £16-00-00
Mr. Alexander Bryan for goods to ye Indians for ye same land,
2-11-00 Mr. Hawley for goods to ye Indians for ye White Hills pur- chase, 3-10-00
Mr. Hawley for entertainment of ye Indians at yt time with his own time,
I-00-00
272
History of Stratford.
This tax list is interesting, not only as showing the pro- portion of each man's proprietorship-not each man's wealth -but the number of, and who were the inhabitants of the town at the time, it being just two years before the Wood- bury company removed.
It is further evident that the inhabitants supposed they settled all claims from the Indians, on the reservations, from the fact that the town voted, February 8, 1674, to lay out Golden Hill "by way of division to every proprietor according to his proportion," and appointed a committee to do the work; and in 1677, this reservation was divided to the proprietors of the town, then numbering just 100, and they " drew lots" to effect an impartial distribution.
This is not all, for in the settlement of the question of the support or location of the Indians in 1659, on the 80 acres on Golden Hill, the Court directed, " that in case these Indians shall wholly, at any time, relinquish and desert Gold Hill, that then it shall remain to Stratford plantation, they repaying to Fairfield the one-half of that which they re- ceived in consideration of the said land. They had received from Fairfield twenty pounds and therefore should have paid ten pounds only.
The next year, 1678, the Indians-there being a few left-made complaint, or some whites for them, to the General Court, and that authority prohibited the Stratford men from taking or using any of the 80 acres or reservation. Thus the
.
Mr. Fayrechild for his entertainment of ye Indians at ye same time with his own time, £ 0-10-00 ·
Ensign Judson for his time about that purchase, . Thos. Uffoot for expenses to ye Indians, .
0-18-00
· 0-10-00
John Minor for interpreting, and his time about Pequonnuck Indians in order to what was done at ye General Court, Surveying whole Bounds of ye town May, '71, . 8-oS-oS To Mr. East for trading cloth, . 7-13-00
To Mr. Bryan for goods upon ye same account, .
I-12-06
To Mr. Hawley for one coat upon that account,
I-00-00
To Mr. Benjamin Black for goods to pay ye Indians,
To Mr. Henman credit for his time,
0-05-00
.
.
.
3-13-06
.
2-06-00"
16 .6
2-10-00 [Records effaced]
I-16-00
273
Extending the Settlement.
matter was left nearly one hundred years, until 1765, when 70 acres of this land cost the town of Stratford nearly one hun- dred pounds, a part of which was placed as a fund for the support of the three Indian claimants, then the only remain- ing ones known.
The equity of this cost is doubtful, since the land had, in fact, been paid for one hundred years before, as all the people of Stratford understood the matter; but it is probable that some persons outside of the town of Stratford feared that these Indians might need support from the state, and if a fund could be raised by Stratford paying twice, or thrice, for this land it would save other people from bearing the ex- pense.
From this time-1671-foward the proprietors proceeded to divide their entire territory, except the two Indian reser- vations, and clear and improve the same with great rapidity, securing abundant remuneration. The soil was rich, the pro- duce abundant, and although money was scarce, nobody suffered for want of food, unless they deserved it, because too lazy to work; but now days it is not so, for often hard-work- ing persons do suffer because of want.
During all this time, and the work of extending the pur- chased territory, most of the inhabitants were residing in the village of Stratford, within a distance of two miles from the meeting-house.4
In the list of the inhabitants for March, 1668, there were recorded five " outlivers," or persons living beyond the two mile limits.
These were John Wheeler, Obadiah Wheeler and Hope Washburn, at Oronoke, and Theophilus Sherman and Mat- thew Sherman, at the east end of Old Mill Green.
It is quite certain that the three families were at Oro- noke, for Hope Washburn sold, in 1668, to Samuel Mills, a
4 January, 1685. Whereas, several town acts have been passed for granting lands to the proprietors, but not to come within two miles of the town, and there being no particular place stated where to begin the measure for the two miles, it is, therefore, voted that the meeting-house shall be the place stated to begin at for the future,"
5 See page 179 of this book.
274
History of Stratford.
new man in the town, three acres of land, and in 1670, Samuel Mills sold his " house, barn and home lot lying at Woronoke," to Hugh Makie.
On the 24th of June, 1678, Nathaniel Foot, another new man, received liberty from the town to settle at Oronoke.
At that time there were probably scattering settlers along the main road from Stratford village northward as far as Peck's Mills, and a few at Oronoke, and six years later-Feb- ruary, 1684,-an agreement was made by James Blakeman, with a committee of the town, to build "a corn mill at the mouth of the Nearmill river, and he doth engage to grind their wheat and rye for a sixteenth part, and their corn for a twelfth part, and all malt for a thirtieth part, provided there is brought five bushels at a time. He also engageth to bring the black brook to run into the Nearmill river to feed it, if it may be done with three pounds charges.
" For which the committee gave the stream and 15 acres of land to build on, as near the mill as may be."
James Blakeman, in 1660, was the miller, and owned the property at the tide mill near the eagle's nest, and in 1663 he sold the mill property at Old Mill Green to Mr. Samuel Sher- man, having conducted it, probably, three or four years ; and hence the town knew the man they trusted to build a new mill at the place now called Peck's Mills.
In 1676 the town gave liberty to James Blakeman to build a saw mill at the mouth of Farmill river, which was, probably, the first mill there.
Pequonnoch was the Indian name applied by the English to the territory where the city of Bridgeport now stands. The township of Stratford was bounded on the west by the Fairfield line, and that line was to be the center of a highway, and this road to be eight rods wide, for in some of the deeds of land given by the town, it specified carefully that four rods on the Stratford side should be reserved for a highway, and the same reservation was made by the town of Fairfield on its side of the line. It is a misfortune that that
7 This spelling has become established by use in the locality and hence is here continued.
275
Pequonnock Fields.
highway, now the magnificent Park Avenue of Bridgeport, had not been retained 132 feet wide.
As the Indian name Pequonnock indicates, there was a large cleared field or fields in the western and northern parts of this territory when the English first came here. The cleared land southwest of Golden Hill was called Pequon- nock field, and was divided by the boundary line between Fairfield and Stratford, and that part of it belonging to Stratford was fenced, in one enclosure, and still called Pequonnock field, and was used for raising grain. In 1657 it was laid out to the proprietors in such a manner that each proprietor's proportion is said to have been "two-thirds of a division, and in William Beardsley's case and others, amounted to eighteen acres for each.
The Indian reservation contained So acres laying in nearly a square plot, the boundary line passing from the river west nearly on the present Elm street to Courtland street, or a little further west and thence northward about 150 rods, thence east crossing Main street about where now Washing- ton avenue crosses it.
North of this reservation were two plains, called fre- quently the upper and lower plains, but the upper one was more frequently called the Calf-pens plain, because the cattle were pastured in that region and the calves putin pens while young. These two plains were early-from 1657 to 1665- divided into plots for meadow and farming, and in several of the deeds occurs the name "Ireland's Brook"-now degraded to Island Brook-but whence the name is not known, indicat- ing that the first settlers may have located in that vicinity.
The first settlers west of Pequonnock river, in Stratford, were Henry Summers, Sen., and his two sons Henry and Samuel, and Samuel Gregory; and they seem to have come here in the year 1665, and some years later Samuel Gregory's house stood near the junction of the present Washington and Park avenues.
Soon after these came John Beardsley and his brother Samuel Beardsley, and Henry Summers, Sen., removed to Milford, but his two sons remained here on the homestead, it being divided to them.
276
History of Stratford.
Slowly the settlement increased, spreading northward along what was afterwards known far and near as Toilsome Hill road, the land having been laid out for the distance of three miles at one time, which probably reached nearly to the long hill purchase. The name Toilsome Hill, arose from the steepness of several portions of it, and the winding of the road in order to effect the ascent. When the height is reached it affords a beautiful and extensive view over the Sound and along the Long Island coast.
When the settlers first made their dwellings here there were several hundred Indians resident on the reservation, for it is said by Dea. Isaac Sherman in his manuscript notes, that the wigwams numbered at least one hundred when the whites began to settle here, that is, about 1670. There may have been three or four families here as early as 1665.
Gradually the settlement grew and prospered, the inhab- itants attending church at Stratford, a distance of three miles, nearly thirty years, when in 1695 the ecclesiastical society of Stratfield was organized and a church established.
Old Mill Green was a flourishing and an aristocratic part of the town of Stratford from about the year 1700 until after 1800. It is at the present time a beautiful part of the city of Bridgeport, but was a wild wilderness country when first traveled by white men. The land was a plain, and rich, and hence the trees were large and tall.
The first white persons who traveled through the forests here were in pursuit of the Pequots who fled from their burned forts near Norwich, Connecticut, and who doubtless were conducted by friendly Indians along an Indian path in the summer of 1637. This Indian path was continued, being used by the English at Stratford to reach their fields at Pequonnock, about forty years before it was made a legal highway; the path crossing the Pequonnock river about where the Old Mill Green road does now.
In 1679 the General Court ordered certain roads to be constructed in the Colony, as "Country roads or King's highways;" and such ways were for more than a hundred
8 "May, 1679. This Court orders that the present roads from plantation to
Old Mill Green. 277
years known by these names. The town act establishing this as a highway, was passed in 1685, in the following words : " All the uplands and marshes lying southward of the road leading to Fairfield, between the physicall spring and the uppermost cartway over - Brook shall be left for a per- petual common,9 and twenty rods in breadth shall be left for a road to Fairfield bounds."
The "physical spring " is that lately called the sulphur springs, about which some considerable excitement was raised a few years since, but no successful effort has been made to make a medical resort.
The intention of the above vote, doubtless, was to have the highway twenty rods wide from its commencement to Fairfield line, and it was probably so laid out in 1687, as they were that year required to do it by the Court; but some years later the proprietors of the town sold much of the land in the wide highways and reduced their width. It is also said that Theophilus Nichols, a little after 1700, then living at Old Mill Green, was largely influential in preserving the green at its present width, which is twelve rods at the west end and fifteen at the school house. The road was continued in Fairfield at an unusual width as it still remains. It has been known in name as the Old King's highway just two hundred years, but is in danger of losing its monarchical title for one more in harmony with the government of the country in which it is located.
This Old Mill Green is the part of the Old King's high- way from Mill brook, westward to the Pequonnock river, and was so called from the mill which was built on Mill brook in 1654, by John Hurd, Sen., and Thomas Sherwood, Sen., and by the time there were such a number of settlers along this
plantation shall be reputed the country roads or King's highway, and so to remain until the Court do see good reason to make alteration of the same. And whereas, each plantation is by law required once a year to work a day in clearing the brush, it is by this Court recommended to the townsmen of the several plantations to improve their inhabitants in clearing the common roads, in the first place, that lie between town and town, until the said roads are cleared at least one rod wide." Coll. Rec., iii. 30.
9 This included a large part of Clapboar Hill.
19
278
History of Stratford.
road as to form a community of social life, the first mill had become old, and hence the name, Old Mill Hill and Old Mill Green.
The old mill was called a corn mill, but all kinds of grain were ground by it. It had several owners. Thomas Sher- wood, who was partner in building it, soon sold his share to John Hurd, who sold it to Alexander Bryan of Milford, and he to James Blakeman, who sold half of it to his brother, Samuel Blakeman, in 1662, who settled here, probably in the house, or built him a house on the south side of the highway near the brook, as this land with quite a number of acres, belonged to the mill property. Here he died in 1668, and his widow afterwards married Jacob Walker. She had only two children living, both daughters, one five years of age and the other, one, when her husband died, but had considerable property. Her mother-in-law, Mrs. Jane Blakeman, resided with her in March, 1668-9, and hence she is recorded that year as an "outliver."10
James Blakeman sold his half of the old mill Dec. 4, 1663, with considerable land, to Samuel Sherman, Sen., who soon purchased more land here, and placed his three sons, Edward, Matthew and Samuel as residents in this vicinity. In 1680 Edward and Matthew were living on the east side of the brook, north of the highway, and Samuel west of the brook, south of the highway.
Various mills have been in use at this old mill place, the first one standing probably on the north side of the highway. For some years before 1800, a bark mill and tannery were in operation here. The last was a wool carding mill in 1818.11
10 See page 179 of this book.
11 From the Republican Farmer, Oct. 17, 1818. " WOOL CARDING."
The subscribers have their machine in complete operation. Wool brought to the machine will meet with immediate despatch, and wool left at Burritt's and Sherman's, Bridgeport and at Daniel DeForest's, Stratford, will be attended to once or twice a week. The subscribers feel thankful for past favors and solicit a continuance of them.
B. & M. SILLIMAN & Co.
Old Mill, 8th June, 1818."
279
Old Mill Green.
The point of land south of Old Mill Green, reaching to the Sound, lying between Mill brook on the cast, and the Pequonnock river west was known from about 1650, for two hundred years, as New Pasture field, and the southern end of it New Pasture point. It was fenced into one field for a pasture, but not long after became a field for raising grain, in which case the cattle were excluded by the fence which had before kept them in. When used as a pasture it may have been much smaller, the fence crossing the neck further south, but later, the fence ran on the south side of the green, appa- rently, and was divided anew in 1692, into 46 sections in pro- portion to the number of acres each person owned within the inclosure,12 but these owners did not all nor half of them, reside at the green.
The first movement made, that finally resulted in a mill
12 " A record of the general fence for the new pasture from ye mill brook to Paquanock river being just eleven foott to one acre of land; the first lot begining at ye sd mill brook, and being measured by a pole eleven foott long which is for one Acre of land-first lott Daniell Mitchell for 22 acres 22 pole.
I Daniell Mitchell 22 pole.
2 Ebenezer Booth 24 1/2 =
3 Nathaniel Sherman 21
=
4 Benjamin Sherman 21
5 John Bostick .0.1
6 Stephen and John Burritt_II 29 John Hurd 18
7 Samuel Sherman .05
8 Ebenezer Blakeman 06
9 Thomas Knowles 04
10 Ebenezer Hubbell 101/2
II Widow Rayner 12
12 Samuel Peat .07
13 Samuel Galpin 09
14 John Wells 021/2
15 Jonathan Nicolls 06
16 Mr. Samuel Sherman, sen. 1312
17 Daniell Pickett 03 %
18 Deacon Wilcockson -05
19 James Judson 03
20 John Brooks . 0.4
21 John Pickett 031/2
22 Thomas Pickett .03
23 Ambross Thompson 20
24 John Hubbell .06 pole.
25 The Hawleys 36
26 Agur Tomlinson II
27 Daniel Brinsmead _0712
28 Paul Brinsmead 101/2
30 Joseph Curtiss 041/2
31 Isaac Hurd 03
32 Benjn and Hannah Nicolls 071/2 33 William Piglee [Pixlee] __ 15
34 Charles Dugles 122
35 Capt. Curtiss 12
6 6
36 John Birdsey 04
37 Joseph Blakeman об
38 Joseph Watkins .13
39 Nicolas Huse IO
..
40 Joseph Booth 04
41 Weaklins, Dil and James_0512
42 Benjamin Curtiss 041/2
43 Thomas Wells 08
44 John Coe .03
45 Ephraim Booth .04
46 Thomas Pickett 03
Recorded April 28, 1692."
280
History of Stratford.
on the Pequonnock river a little way above the old King's highway, began in May, 1691, when the town granted liberty to Matthew Sherwood, John and Matthew Sherwood, Jr., "to set up a gristmill and sawmill on Pequonnock river above the road where it may be thought most convenient ;" but the mill was not built until a number of years after that time. The next grant was to John Seeley in 1697.
The river at this place was without a bridge, at least, until the date of the following town vote :
" Third Tuesday, Dec. 1736. Sergt. Richard Nicolls, Nathaniel Sherman and Peter Pixlee were chosen a commit- tee to endeavor that a cart bridge be built over Pequonnock river in the Grand Country Road at the town's charge, pro- vided that particular persons do appear to build the butments, in the whole, thirty feet free of any town charge."
The committee to take the oversight of the New pasture field in 1718, consisted of Capt. John Hawley, Mr. Benjamin Sherman and Sergt. Richard Nichols, and the pound keeper was John Hurd, all residing at Old Mill Green.
The large rude mile-stone standing on this green, was set there by the direction of Benjamin Franklin, while he was Colonial Postmaster, between the years 1753 and 1774, a most interesting monument of the days when public improvements began at a great venture as well as enterprise. Many of these stones are still standing along this ancient highway between New York and New Haven.
The beginning of a separate school in this locality was inaugurated by a town vote in 1717, to allow them " their part of the 40 shillings per thousand allowed by law and the appointment of Sergt. John Hurd, and Sergt. Andrew Patter- son, as committee. This seems to be the first occurrence of the name Pembroke, spelled then Pembrook.
Oronoke began to be settled about 1665, the first inhab- itants, John Wheeler, Obadiah Wheeler and Hope Washburn settled at Farmill river, and a little way south of it. In 1666 Samuel Mills settled there, and in 1667 Ephraim Stiles and Samuel Stiles became land owners there and soon made it their place of residence.
281
Prominent Men of Oronoke.
Other inhabitants soon followed, and in January, 1705-6, the town granted Ephraim Stiles the privilege of setting up a gristmill at Farmill river, a little below Black brook, and granted liberty to Lt. Agur Tomlinson to maintain a fulling- mill there. At that time the inhabitants at that place had become quite numerous, and it was an influential part of the town.
General David Wooster was born there in 1710, and in the Revolution it was a center of much public influence and activity, while for fifty or more years afterwards some of the most noted families of the town resided there. It is still a most beautiful locality, even from Stratford village to Farmill river; the residences are beautifully located along the river banks, and are kept in fine style, so that a five mile drive along the old Oronoke road is one of the most attractive of which the town can boast.
The spirit of Education began to be fostered at that place by the following vote :
" January 11, 1716-17. Voted, that the farmers at Long hill, Oronoke, Putnee, Mohegin hill, Trap falls, Fairchilds and Nichols lakes and Pambrook, shall have the use of their part of the 40 shillings per thousand allowed by law for seven years ensuing, providing they educate their children accor- ding to law."
Several men raised at this place-including what is now Oronoke and Putney school districts-were graduated at college and did honor to the world and their day and gene- ration. One, David Wooster, became a General in the United States army ; another, Gideon Tomlinson, became a Governor of the State and then a Representative and also a Senator in Congress; another, Nathan Birdseye, became a clergyman and lived to be over one hundred years of age ; several be- came officers in the militia and served in the French War and in the Revolution.
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