USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Stratford > A history of the old town of Stratford and the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut > Part 4
USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Bridgeport > A history of the old town of Stratford and the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut > Part 4
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Chickens was also of the Pequannock tribe, and removed, probably, first to the Newtown or southern part of New Milford, thence to Reading, where he claimed and held a res- ervation, and after some years traded his reservation there for land at Ten Mile River near Kent, with John Read, and became one of the Kent tribe. His grandson, Tom Warrups, figured somewhat amusingly as well as patriotically during the Revolution at Reading,15 and after some years he removed and settled on the east side of Mount Tom in New Milford, where he enjoyed much liberty, lived cheerfully, loved strong water, had a wife who was a complete slave in waiting on him, but quite content in her home. Nothing is known of his death and hence probably he removed to Kent about 1810.
The local name Pootatuck, where the southern part of the village of Shelton now stands in the town of Huntington,
14 Confirmation of the White Hills sale, April 28, 1684.
Indian witness.
Nasumpawes, his mark.
Papuree,
his mark.
Ponamscut, his mark.
Acunhe,
his mark.
Robin, his mark.
Matach, his mark.
Siacus, his mark.
Chickens, his mark.
Sashwake James, his mark.
Crehero, his mark.
Nasqurro, his mark.
Cheroromogg, his mark.
15 Hist. of Redding, 65. Indians of Housatonic, Hist. New Milford.
32
History of Stratford.
was within the original limits of the town of Stratford, and was occupied by Indians, apparently, until 1684, some forty years after the town began to be settled, although it was not a reservation. It was probably the most ancient settlement on that river below Weantinock and retained the original name of the river, which was Pootatuck, meaning " falls river " or the river with many falls. From the distribution of relics as well as the name of the river it is suggested that the Mohican, or Hudson river Indians, came through the opening of the mountains a little below the present town of Kent, Conn., and finding the magnificent cascade or falls at the place now called Bull's Bridge, and on ascertaining the falls at New Milford and at Canaan, they named the river Poota- tuck, ' falls river.' So far as ascertained, this was the only name applied by the Indians to this river when the whites first came here,16 and from it came the general classification of Pootatuck Indians to all who resided upon it ; except that they always retained-even to this day-the ancestral origin of Mohegans (usually pronounced by the Indians, Mohegans.) The first settlement they made on the river of any considerable account was at New Milford which was retained as the Council- fireplace, or the capital, until the locality was sold in 1705. A small settlement was perhaps first made at Kent called Scata- cook (Pish-gach-tigok) signifying 'the confluence of two streams,' for here were found by the first settlers such imple- ments as were not made in this part of the country, as described by Dr. Trumbull and as have been ascertained at more recent dates, but the favoring circumstances at that locality for a large and permanent settlement were almost noth- ing compared to New Milford, where were the richest bottom lands and greatest in extent of any place on the river, besides the great abundance of fish and eels two miles below, at Falls Mountain. Then, also, it has been handed down from the Rev. Daniel Boardman the first minister at New Milford, by his
16 On Stratford and Derby records the only Indian name for this river at first was Pootatuck, with various spellings, and as late as 1723 in Newtown in a pub- lic vote they say, " the Great or Potatuck River," in a proposition to purchase the Indian claims of Quiomph and his tribe then residing there, thus showing that the Indians still retained their old name for the river.
Indian Deeds of Stratford. 33
son Sherman Boardman in writing that New Milford was the chief seat of government for all the tribes or clans on the Housatonic river. The only locality that retained the origi- nal name was at Shelton, and the extensiveness of the burials made there indicates greater antiquity than elsewhere except at New Milford. There was here also at the old Pootatuck village, an old fort when the English first came, and a new one had been built, just before, or was built soon after, at what is still called Fort Hill on the west side a little further up the river.
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CONFLUENCE OF THE HOUSATONIC WITH THE NAUGATUCK.
The accompanying illustration represents the Naugatuck river coming from the north, at the right hand, into the Housatonic. The cove at the north end of the fields opposite the old Leman Stone store and shipping house, was known many years as Huntington Landing (belonging to Stratford 150 years); and about half a mile up the river on the west side was the old Pootatuck settlement and fort; and a mile
3
34
History of Stratford. .
above it on the same side of the river was the new fort on what is still Fort Hill, while about a mile further up is the Indian Well. This Huntington and Derby Landing was a great shipping port for about one hundred years.
It was at this place, being within the bounds of Stratford, that the Indians in 1663 agreed to abandon their old planting field for the sake of peace, and probably for the purpose of being allowed to occupy the locality longer as a settlement or residence, after the land had been turned over to the Eng- lish more than twenty years, in the following language :
" Upon consideration of friendly and loving correspond- ence between us and the town of Stratford, we will no more plant on the south side of the Great River at Paugusitt to prevent a ground of future variance between us, in order to avoid any damage that might be done to corn."16 The cattle and swine of the English were pastured in the wilderness, and if the Indians planted corn without making substantial fences about it, damage would be the inevitable result; there- fore rather than build a fence around land they could not legally hold, they concluded not to plant at that place. A large proportion of the Paugasitt tribe were residing then on Derby Neck, a mile north of the present village of Birming- ham, where they had a large planting field.
The relics found at Pootatuck have been numerous and some of them very fine in workmanship. Two pestles dug up in excavating for a cellar in 1879, near the river, in the lower part of Shelton, were the most perfect of any seen in this part of the country.
The Indian Well is the only remaining monument or visible reminder of the old Pootatuck tribe. This was located on the west side of the river about a mile above the dam across the Housatonic. A stream of water pours through the opening of the rocks and descends about twenty feet into a deep pool or well, said to have been measured to the depth
17 The agreement between Okenunge and Stratford, May 28, 1663, was signed by the following names :
Okenunge, his mark.
Amantaneage, his mark.
Asquetmougu, his mark.
Ansantaway, his mark.
Mansuck,
his mark.
Nomponucke, his mark.
35
Indian Deeds of Newtown.
of one hundred feet without finding the bottom. It is said that the Indians held some superstition of awe or veneration for the place, but the appearance would indicate the awe to have partaken more of the nature of thankfulness for the coolness and agreeableness of the place and the abundance of good water. It is a pleasing resort for visitors in the sum- mer, and many improve its inviting shades and romantic scenery. Whether the Indians had as much or more pleasure in the locality than the whites have since may be a question of doubt, but certain it is that the name is the Indian Well.
Pootatuck in Newtown.
About 1680 the Indians on the lower part of the Housa- tonic made a considerable migration with their wigwams up the Housatonic river, those on the south side to Pootatuck in Newtown and those on the east side to the mouth of the Shepaug on the north side. In 1681, the Pequannock Indians sold their old planting field in Fairfield, and in 1685, 1686 and 1687 they completed the sale of all their claims in that town. Golden Hill and Coram in Stratford were left, but Coram they never liked as a place for wigwams and but few dwelt there, and the whites had already settled to the north of that place, so that game was scarce, the forests were disappearing, and they felt compelled to move West, as many of their suc- cessors have done since.
Newtown and New Milford became the points of rendez- vous from 1680 until about 1705, when they sold again and moved on west.
Newtown from 1680 until 1705 must have been the home of several hundred natives. In the latter year they sold the territory for that township,18 making some reservation and in
18 The deed for the purchase of Newtown is dated July 25, 1705, and was for a "tract of land bounded south on a Pine Swamp and land of Mr. Sherman and Mr. Rossiter, Southwest upon Fairfield bounds, Northwest upon the bounds of Dan- bury, Northeast on land purchased by Milford men at or near Caentonoack, and Southeast on land of Nannawaug, an Indian, the line running two miles from the river right against Potatuck, the said tract of land containing in length, eight miles and in breadth six miles ..... in consideration of four guns, four Broad- cloth coats, four Blanketts, four Buffalo Coats, four Kettles, ten shirts, ten pair of
36
History of Stratford.
1723, they by their chief, Quiumph, sold all their claims in that town "except a corner of intervale lying by ye River where Cocksures fence19 is." The Newtown deed of 1705, contains the names of several Indians who signed deeds in Fairfield and Stratford, showing that they retired from their old wigwams along the coast to Pootatuck in Newtown. New Milford and Newtown were purchased at nearly the same time. At New Milford they sold their last land, which was their old planting field, in 1705, and with those from Newtown and Shepaug in Woodbury began to center in considerable numbers at Kent. There is a sense of sadness connected with their leaving Weantinock, their old council-fire place, where their warriors had gathered during many generations to decide the great questions of peace or war, and where their wigwams and fort had stood, perhaps hundreds of years, and where also they had buried a large number of their kindred ancestors. It was a beautiful locality, with
Stockings, fortie pound of Lead, ten Hatchetts, ten pound of powder and fortie knives."
Macroremee,
his mark.
Siams,
his mark.
Wachunaman,
his mark.
Sudragumqua,
his mark.
Wałwatup,
his mark.
Wompenoch,
his mark.
Martenech,
his mark.
Wachunanee,
his mark.
Awashkeran,
his mark.
Saununtawan,
his mark.
Ammeruetas,
his mark.
Manapok,
his mark.
Mattouchsqua,
his mark.
Magusquo,
his mark.
Gonnehampishe,
his mark,
Tarrosque,
his mark.
Wompeowash,
his mark.
Meramoe,
his mark.
Murapash,
his mark.
Sosauso,
his mark.
Punnauta,
his mark.
Wamatup,
his mark.
Wannome,
his mark.
Materook,
his mark.
Mesaukseo,
his mark.
Awashkeram,
his mark.
Taroosh,
his mark.
Mattoacksqua,
his mark.
Merammoe,
his mark.
Mauquash,
his mark.
Sachamoque,
his mark.
Massumpo,
his mark.
Sassousoon,
his mark.
Nannawaug,
his mark.
19 Newtown deed, called Second Purchase, dated Aug. 7, 1723.
Indian Witnesses.
Quiumph, his mark.
Manchero,
his mark.
Nalumkeotunk,
his mark.
Machekomp,
his mark.
Mansumpus,
his mark.
11.
INDIAN FIELD AND BURYING GROUND, NEW MILFORD, 1884.
franke
38
History of Stratford.
most charming surroundings. Their wigwams stood on the high bluff, seen in the accompanying picture, with the mountain in the rear stretching to the north, and their rich planting field at the foot of the bluff stretching eastward to the river and along its shore for a mile or more. On the edge of the bluff, now covered with a beautiful chestnut and oak grove, was their burying place, where now after one hun- dred and eighty years, fifty mounds may be counted; it being, probably, the most perfect native memorial place that can be seen in all New England. The accompanying cut shows first, beyond the bridge, the old field, then the bluff where a dwelling stands ; a little to the left of which are the mounds, in the grove, and beyond these the mountains. In front of all these, flowing beneath the bridge is the Indians' grand old Pootatuck river. All these are but memorial of these native children of America.
Notwithstanding there were only eighty acres of land reserved for the Indians on Golden Hill, the white settlers were unwilling to allow them even these acres, but the General Court faithfully tried to protect them, as seen in the following record :
" May, 1678. Whereas this Court have been informed that some of Stratford have been claiming and laying out land upon Golden Hill to themselves, which hath been settled upon the Indians by agreement in this Court about nineteen years since, the Indians having not relinquished their right in the said Golden Hill, the Court confirms the same to the said Indians, according to former grant, without molestation ; and this Court orders that the said Indians shall not be molested or interrupted in their right there until they do wholly relinquish their right publicly, and come and record the same before this Court. This Court allows the Indians two coats to be delivered them by Stratford for their trouble." 20
In May, 1680, Ackenach, Sachem of Milford and Pau- gassett Indians asked for more land for the support of his people ; in reply to which the Court appointed two commit-
20 Col. Rec., iii.
39
Indian Reservations.
tees, one to lay out one hundred acres at Turkey Hill, for Milford Indians,-which accomplished its work-and the other to lay out one hundred acres at Corum hill. The latter say in their report : " We have been at Corum hill and have laid out one hundred acres of land, be it more or less, for the use of those Indians that properly belong to Stratford to provide land for, by the law of this Colony, bounded with marked trees and Stratford River and Samuel Judson's ground ; sufficient highways and conveniences for fishing on that side the river to be allowed in that said land when and where occasion shall require from time to time.
Oct. 3, 6, 1680.
William Fowler. Jehu Burr."
This Coram land the Indians did not like, reporting it as very stoney and poor, but they occupied it many years, although not in large numbers. In 1714, they sold about twenty acres of it,21 for the sum of nine pounds and other land. This other land is described as "in Stratford town- ship near a place called Quorum, bounded on the east partly on the river and on the north with a brook called Quorum brook."
In the deed to Harger is the name Tom, whom Harger in his deed to the Indians says was son of Cockapotane, who was the last chief at Paugassett, about 1730, and Tom in sign- ing the deed made the same mark Antsantaway had used a number of times, namely, the bow and arrow.
Tom was somewhat accustomed to high times when young, as appears from the sale of a piece of the Coram reservation in 1724. The following is the record :
" Know all men by these presents, that whereas certain
21 The deed to Abraham Harger, dated May 31, 1714, was signed by ten Indians as follows :
Windham, his mark.
Mishallin, his mark.
Ackomie, his mark.
Robin, his mark.
Tom, his mark.
Curan, his mark.
Tackamore, his mark.
Rauneton, his mark.
Pequet, his mark.
Chips, his mark.
40
History of Stratford.
.
Turkey Hill Indians upon Stratford River did about May last and before, steal sundry sheep from Stratford side out of Quorum plain and being convicted of the same before Authority-the Indians were these : Montigue, Tom Will, Ponocurate,E Chashamon, Mojono, Chipunch, Nenoco, Peico- curet,-their Sachem Tomtonee or Munshanges, engaging to pay eleven pounds ten shillings in money which the said Indians promised to pay for the damage in stealing of sheep, and not having money to pay, the aforesaid Tomtonee, Saga- more, in the behalf of all the other Indians doth make over two parcels of land ; the one being about two acres called by the name of lower Quorum upon the great River, that they had of Abraham Harger, the other ten acres of land near the Narrows, bounded with the land of Daniel Shelton, north, south and easterly by the Indians' land in ye bounds of Strat- ford for the aforesaid sum of eleven pound ten shillings, and forty shillings more in money which we do own to have received already, in all being thirteen pounds ten shillings ; all the aforesaid land with all the privileges, etc., hath made over unto Daniel Shelton of Stratford in the Colony of Con- necticut, to quitclaim unto the said Daniel Shelton and his heirs forever, or so long as he the said Shelton or his heirs. shall own that they are paid by the improvement of said land. The said Shelton of his own accord doth say that if the General Court or the town of Stratford saith he hath done amiss, he will relinquish the land. The aforesaid Tom- tonee paying the sum of thirteen pounds ten shillings to aforesaid Shelton. .... and the said Tomtonee, Sagamore, does promise for himself and the rest of said Indians that if ever the land is taken out of the hand of Daniel Shelton or his heirs, that the said Tomtonee will pay back the aforesaid thirteen pounds ten shillings to the aforesaid Shelton or his heirs."21
The special reason why Mr. Shelton so freely offered to
21 Derby, Jan. 7, 1723-4, Tomtonee's deed for stealing sheep.
Mashages, his mark.
Tomtonee, his mark.
Tom Will, his mark.
Punto, his mark.
Cheponan, his mark.
41
Indian Reservations.
restore the land if called upon was that it was unlawful for any person or company to purchase land of the Indians with- out a permit from the Court.
It has been reported that the Indians had a reservation at Oronoque, or Woronoque, as the early Stratford town clerks wrote it, but no record of such reservation has been seen by the author of these pages. They may have resided there, or occupied a particular locality for many years by sufferance from the town, as they did at Pootatuck, but there was no reservation in the town but at Golden Hill, at first, and then at Coram afterwards, and the wood lot at Rocky Hill.
Golden Hill Reservation Sold.
The settlement made with the Pequannock Indians in 1659, in the appropriation of eighty acres of land on Golden Hill, by the General Court through the towns of Stratford and Fairfield, remained in force nearly one hundred years, or until October, 1763, when three Indians-Tom Sherman, Eunice Shoran his wife, and Sarah Shoran, petitioned the General Court for redress, claiming that they and their ancestors " had quietly enjoyed said lands till within a few years last past, Gamaliel French, widow Sarah Booth, Elihu Burret, Joseph Booth, Mary Burret, the Rev. Robert Ross, Ezra Kirtland, Aaron Hawley and Samuel Porter, all of said Stratford, and Daniel Morriss, John Burr, Jr., and Richard Hall, all of Fairfield, have entirely ejected and put the memorialists out of the whole of said lands and pulled down their wigwam without right." Upon this complaint, Jabez Hamlin, Benjamin Hall and Robert Treat, Esqrs., were appointed a committee to inquire into the matter and report, which report was made the next May, but the Court was wholly dissatisfied with it and appointed Jabez Hamlin, Elisha Sheldon and Robert Treat, Esqrs., a second committee " with full power and authority to examine into and discover said matters of grievance." This committee reported the next October, 1765, an agreement with the Indians to sell all the eighty acres except "a certain piece or parcel of land called
.
42
History of Stratford.
Nimrod lot, containing about twelve acres, with the spring at the point of Golden Hill aforesaid, bounded westerly by an highway, eastwardly by Poquonnuck River, northerly by Jabez Summer's land, and southerly by the Cove and com- mon land, also about eight acres of wood-land at Rocky Hill, to be purchased for them by the petitioners, they also paying to them the said Indians, thirty bushels of Indian corn and three pounds worth of blankets." ?? This report and agree- ment was accepted and ordered by the Court to be executed, and to be in full for all demands by the Indians.
Besides the thirty bushels of Indian corn and three pounds worth of blankets, those who had trespassed on the rights of the Indians were ordered by the Court to pay to Thomas Hill, the Indian agent, £52 IIS 2ª, to defray the expenses of the Indians in the suit.
In the agreement with Fairfield in 1659, this land upon the Indians leaving it, was to revert to the town of Stratford, upon their returning half the amount of money that Fairfield paid for it. If this was carried out, then these trespassers must have paid this item also to the town of Stratford, if no more, provided they retained the land. It is probable, how- ever, that they paid a still further charge to Stratford for the land.
It will be seen by the above quotation that the wood land was not an original reservation but a purchase at this time.
The Last Families.
Tom Sherman, the last owner of the Golden Hill reserva- tion, married, in the Indian way, Eunice Shoran, and had children: I, Tom; 1I, Eunice ; III, Sarah.
I. Tom 2ª, m. Sarah (?) and had IV Ruby.
II. Eunice, m. Mack or Mansfield, formerly of Kent, and had V, Jim, Garry and Eunice.
III. Sarah, m. Ben Roberts, a negro, and lived at the Eagles' Nest at Stratford Tide Mill. Some of their descend-
22 Conn. Col. Records, xii.
William Sherman
1
The Last Families. 43
ants still reside in Orange, Conn., but are not claimants on the Indian funds of Stratford.
V. Fim Mansfield, son of Eunice Shoran, m. his cousin Ruby, dau. of Tom 2ª, and had Nancy, who had VI, William Sherman ; after which she m. John Sharpe, and had Beecher, Nancy and Charles, and Sharpe being sent to State's Prison, she lived with a man Rensler, and had Olive.
Vl. William Sherman, son of Nancy and grand-son of Tom 2ª and Ruby, was born in 1825 in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and is still living at Nichols Farms in Trumbull, Conn., being the sole claimant on the Indian money from the sale of Golden Hill. He m. Nancy Hopkins of New London, and was a sailor in a whaling ship seventeen years; has been 'round the world nine times; was first mate of the ship five years and earned an honorable standing and reputation, which he has retained to the present time. He educated himself, and could perform the full services of a first mate on a ves- sel correctly as well as intelligently. He has long been a respected farm laborer at Nichols Farms, and long trusted with considerable responsibility in the management of the farm and properties of Mr. F. P. Ambler and Sons, while they were engaged in the business of Saddletree manufacturing at that place. He has been the Sexton of the Cemetery at Nichols Farms about thirty years and performed the work of his position with much satisfaction to the community. He and his wife have acted in the capacity of nurses in severe sicknesses in the community for many years, and as such won many expressions of thankfulness and confidence. The tradi- tion is that he is a descendant of Molly Hatchet of Derby ; and in the healthy locality where he resides has attained to the standard weight of about three hundred and sixty pounds.
His children are: I, William; II, Henry, died aged 17 years; III, George, who m. Mary A. Hamilton ; IV, Mary Olive, who died young ; V, Caroline; VI, Huldah ; VII, Mary Olive ; VIII, Charles ; IX, child that died.
.
CHAPTER III.
INDIAN DEEDS, WARS AND RELICS.
AIRFIELD and Stratford were both held by the Connecticut Colony as conquered and ceded territory when these settlements were first commenced, and for ten years they were treated in several respects as one plantation. They were taxed as one; they were served with magistrates as one, and jointly they provided for the Pequannock Indians after 1659 until 1680; Stratford furnishing the land for the Golden Hill reservation in part and Fairfield contribut- ing something towards the supply of the land, and also the agents to oversee the Indians were appointed from Fairfield.
In order, therefore, to understand the whole history of this tribe of Indians it is important to refer to the deeds they gave of land in Fairfield, and to preserve their names the same as the signers of Stratford deeds.
The division line between Stratford and Fairfield passed through, north and south, the territory which these Indians had long cultivated, which constituted the open plains that the new settlers so much desired, that they could not settle the boundary line themselves and hence called on the General Court to do it. This they did by retaining the old line, nearly through the centre of the plain, allowing the Indians to still cultivate about eighty acres, called the old Indian field, near Uncoway River, in Fairfield, and appropriating eighty more on Golden Hill in Stratford, but making Golden Hill the place of residence for all of them.
45
Indian Deeds.
The first deed' is a quitclaim of a large part of the orig. inal town of Fairfield, and is given by Pequannock Indians in 1656, nearly seventeen years after Mr. Ludlowe took posses- sion of the territory. In this deed they reserve the " pro- priety " or ownership of the Indian field, which they, being at Fairfield say, " is a small neck of land on ye other side of ye creeke ;" meaning Uncoway creek as elsewhere explained. That was the neck where the Gentlemen's Trotting Park is now located, the original field extending northward some distance from the present park. At the time the deed was given they were about to build a fort, and the only considera- tion that they received at the time, apparently, was an agree-
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