USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > New Haven > A pictorial history of "Raynham" and its vicinity. > Part 7
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
- 35
was to hold six guns, the barracks 40 men, and on Feb. 11th and June 14th, 1809 ; $6,295.96 was paid for the fortification by Congress.
The Report of Dec., 1811, describes it as an eleptic enclosure battery of masonry, mounting six guns, small brick magazines, brick barracks on the outside, in a field for 50 men and officers.
At the commencement of the War of 1812, the fort was garrisoned with 78 artillerists. The magazine held about 25 bbls. of gunpowder. The fort took its name from Captain Nathan Hale, the Patriot Martyr.
TEN DOLLARS REWARD.
Deserted from Fort Hale on the night of the 22d, inst., Wm. Garvin, soldier in the 25th Regt., U. S. Infantry-5 feet 7 inches high, sandy hair and light com- plexion. Whoever will apprehend said Deserter, and secure him in any garrison or goal in the United States, shall receive the above reward, all necessary charges paid.
SOLOMON DEWEY, Lieut. 37th Regt., U. S. Infantry.
Fort Hale, June 23d, 1813.
This advertisement appears in the issue of the Columbian Register, New Haven, Tuesday, July 6th, 1813.
During the War of 1812, Fort Hale was garrisoned by Capt. Chauncey Ives' Company of the 37th Conn. Regt. A sergeant of this compamy, James Ferguson, removed to Iowa, and lived to the advanced age of 101 years and 8 months, according to a letter written by his son to Charles H. Town- shend in 1896, the son being at the date of the said letter in his 79th year.
In Sept. 1813, a small squadron of British vessels appeared off the east end of Long Island Sound and passed New Haven Harbor harmlessly, toward New York. At this time the 4th Com. Regt. were garrisoned at Fort Hale.
Lieut. John A. Thomas with between 20 and 30 soldiers of the 4th Regiment, left Fort Hale on Tuesday last (Sept. 8, 1813), for Greenbush. They embarked on board an Albany sloop, and pro- ceeded towards New York, until they discovered the British force in the Sound, when they ran into some creek and escaped capture.
After the war Captain Thomas was appointed custodian, dying there in 1840, and was buried with masonic ceremonies. The next enstodian was Henry Burr, abont 1850; the barracks were burned accidentally and for several years the property was abandoned. Abont 1855 Mr. J. A. Stock rebuilt the brick barracks, which he occupied with his employees, and when the Civil war broke out the government took possession and demolished the old fort and the rocky promontory, cutting a ditch through the rocks from the moat and building a new fort, armed with Dahlgren guns, at a cost of about $125,000," and being completed about the close of the war was not garrisoned, and left in charge of Ordnance Sergeant James Maxwell, U S. A. In 1867 the public property and tools were sold and the reservation put in charge of a keeper. About this date several purchases of land ad joining were made by the government, making the tract contain abont 30 acres.+ From 1870 to 1893 Charles H. Townshend was custodian aud soon after the government granted by act of Congress permission to the park commissioners of New Haven to use the reservation for park purposes only.
An incident connected with Fort Hale was the capture of the packet sloop "Susan," Captain Jolın Miles of New Haven, where she was bound from New York, with passengers and cargo, and which was made off Stratford by a disguised Long Island wood sloop armed with a long tom. This sloop had been taken a few days before by one of Sir Thomas Hardy's vessels and made a tender to the brig of war "Despatch."
This episode of the War of 1812 may interest, as it shows how Fort Hale prevented the recap- ture of the "Susan." During the greater part of this war the navigation of the Sound was annoyed by British vessels of war blockading the east entrance. The sloop "Susan " made numerons success-
* Built under the direction of Lieutenant Mansfield, U. S. Engineers, and superintended by Messrs. P. Ferguson and Hemingway Smith.
t The Farrel works of Ansonia, Conn., bought the guns, and the wooden barracks and outhouses were shipped in sections to Newport, R. I., and the whole reservation placed in charge of General Warren, of U. S. Engineer Corps.
- 36-
ful runs, and the last trip for the season she had taken on board in New York valuable merchandise for the winter supply of New Haven merchants, who had arrived in New York by land and expected to return as they came.
With other merchants Isaac Townsend went to New York, and having shipped his goods by the "Susan," he remained on the wharf to see the packet off on the afternoon of October 9th, 1814. The weather was fine and with a fresh S. W. gale and flood tide, giving every evidence of a quick run to New Haven, enabling them to arrive before daylight next morning. Mr. Townsend with his son Isaac H., a small boy, were induced to take passage, thus saving time and expense, inasmuch as Captain Miles told him, when asked if there was danger of capture, that the packet could hug the Connecticut shore and dodge into the many inlets in case of the enemy's appearance. The packet made a quick run through Hell Gate and passed Throgs Neck before dusk, and with a spanking breeze was by Norwalk before midnight, when the wind veered to the southward and at sunrise was light and baffling. When off Stratford a lubberly wood sloop was observed to windward and " close aboard," and seemed manned with a crew of three men. She was standing to the westward with a deck load of firewood ; mainsail double reefed and boom triced up to allow its free movement accord- ing to conditions. Not appearing suspicious, Captain Miles hailed her, asking for news of the enemy's fleet, and in reply up went the English ensign and overboard part of the deck load of wood, exhibit- ing a long tom. A command to surrender followed, which being acceded to without conditions a prize crew took charge and the "Susan" was convoyed to Plumb Island, and anchored under the guns of the "Pomona" frigate, Captain Carteret, who sent word to New Haven that the "Susan " with passengers and cargo would be ransomed for 2000 Spanish milled paper dollars, which amount was received from the New Haven bank where Mr. Townsend was a director, and conveyed by night on horseback in saddle-bags by William Kneeland Townsend to the salt works (Woodmont) and there on the beach paid over to an officer sent from the Brig-of-war "Despatch," which was lying "hove too" in the offing with the captured vessel and passengers in charge. The payment of ransom accom- plished the " Susan " was released and given a few hours to reach New Haven or be recaptured.
The "Susan's" crew made sail, but she was retarded by calms, and time expiring the war brig sent her boats to recapture her, and then came a white ash (oar) chase. The "Susan " towed by her boat and propelled by her long sweeps made slow progress; some of the passengers paddled with boards, and as a last resort a package of hay forks was found among the freight, to which canvas was attached to the tines and used for oars, or in case of need for boarding pikes; when luckily a light breeze sprung up and the sloop with great effort succeeded in getting within range of Fort Hale guns. These opened fire on the enemy's boats and caused them to abandon the chase. Thus the "Susan " escaped, arriving at the wharf in New Haven about dark of the same day.
As Mr. Townsend's parol is still extant we give it verbatim :
" Having captured Mr. Isaac Townsend in the sloop 'Susan' of New Haven, with others, on the tenth instant-all of whom are of course Prisoners of War, and being so far to mitigate the rigours of war with respect to him as to exempt him from Personal Imprisonment on the express Condition he has this day most Solemnly Subscribed to, whereby he has pledged his most sacred word and Honor as an Honest Man and Christian not to serve against Great Britain, her Dependencies or her Allies until regularly Exchanged."
"Given under my hand on board His Britanic Majestys Ship 'Pomona,' off Plumb Island, the Seventeenth Oct. 1814.
TH. CARTERET, Captain."
VIEW FROM SALTONSTALL MOUNTAIN-Westward,
1
VIEW OF SITE OF IRON WORKS AND BRADLEY HOUSE.
This charming view from Saltonstall Mountain embraces East Haven, the city of New Haven and the site of the ancient Iron Works, the third of the pioneers of America ; Lynn and Braintree, Mass., having been the first to work bog iron ore into pigs and blooms for the early settlers to manufacture numerous necessary implements for domestic use.
In the center of the view is the ancient Isaac Bradley House, built of material obtained on the spot, viz : boulders of granite and trap roek with mortar compounded of sand, clay and lime from shells burned and taken from the river and meadows close by. The interior is constructed from the neighboring forests, and to-day this Colonial House stands forth a remarkable example of the skill of the owner, who was a carpenter, a good architect, and a most valuable acquisition to the vicinity in which he came to make his domicile, having been a resident of Branford sometime before.
The village Records of East Haven show that at a meeting held Oet. 14th, 1683, John Pot- ter propounded to the "Village to give unto Isaac Bradley a piece of land lying between Stony River and Joseph Russell's home lot, and a lot of land up the river, as near as may be. The village thereupon do grant to sª Bradley the sd land, provided he build a tenantable house upon it, other- wise to return it to the village again, Mathew Moulthrop and John Potter were chosen by the village to set out the sd pieces and to provide the ' commodity ' to the highway."
John Potter and Mathew Moulthrop having viewed the land made a report, "That they do not judge it will be any damage to the village to grant it to Isaac Bradley." The village did there- upon confirm it to him by their vote, and appointed Mathew Moulthrop and John Potter to lay out " to him what may be conveniently spared by Joseph Russell's lot and about four (4) acres up the river, upon the conditions formerly mentioned,"
January 22, 1683, Isaek Bradley makes record of his land formerly granted to him by ye Vil- lage, and laid out to him by Mathew Moulthrop and John Potter by their order as followeth : " First, Isack Bradley's home lot is bounded on ye west by Joseph Russell's Home lot, on the south by the highway, and on the east and north by Stony River, and is by their estimation one (1) acre and one half be it more or less." "Secondly, The other lot by ye village given to Isace Bradley, lying on the said river, and laid out by the same men, by the village their order, lyes four (4) acres, be it more or less, is bounded by a walnut stake on ye west, with a walnut tree on ye 3 corners more- over the line on ye west side is 20 rods in length, the line on south side 20 rods, the line on ye east side 20 rods, the line on ye north side 32 rods long."
The record of the grant of the Joseph Russell Home lot is either indistinctly recorded in the book, containing the record of the proceedings of the village proprietors, or else it is lost.
It however appears from the transcript, recorded in the New Haven Land Records (Vol. 1, page 226), that "the village did give and grant to Joseph Russell in 1681 half an acre of land lying, being and situated upon Stony River, bounded with the river on ye north, and with a highway on ye west, and with ye common on ye south, and with Isace Bradley's lot on ye east. Laid out by John Austin and Mathew Moulthrop. "The above written is a true record of ye original, recorded ye 26th March, 1687. John Nash, recorder."
As Isaac Bradley's home lot was not granted till 1683, it is evident that his name was inserted in the copy, when the record was copied in 1687. It appears also, from the language in the follow- ing deed, that in 1687 the locality of said land was also known, to some, as "the place called Iron Works," which were not far off, though not on the highway.
Joseph Russell conveyed to his father-in-law, John Potter, by deed dated January 18, 1687, (recorded in New Haven Land Records in Vol. 1, page 373), the same land as above described, by the following description, " one half acre of land situated, lying and being upon Stony River, in a place called " Ye Iron Works," bounded by ye sd river on ye north, with a highway on ye west, with ye common on ye south, and with Isaek Bradley's lot on ye east."
.
- 38 -
John Potter thereupon granted to Isaac Bradley the same land, last above described, by deed dated January 18, 1687 (recorded in the New Haven Land Records in Vol. 1, page 373), adding to the description these words, " the sd half acre of land with the house thereon together with ye build- ings, privileges and boundaries, as above expressed."
The village records show that, January 22, 1706, Isaac Bradley expressed a desire to have his home lot widened towards the east about two (2) rods. The village granted his desire. How the lot could be widened, unless by taking part of the river bank, does not appear. From the description in the grant of Joseph Russell's home lot, it would seem as if this lot was a corner lot in 1681, and 1687, but the highway referred to on the west was probably closed. The home lot of Joseph Russell was evidently added to the original home lot of Isaac Bradley, for by estimation it now comprises two (2) acres, and is bounded on the south by the highway, leading from East Haven to Branford, on the east and north by Stony River, and on the west by land now owned by James D. Ashbe, but in 1872 owned by John Russell. The Isack Bradley home lot is now owned by the estate of Jared Bradley, - deceased, one of the descendants of Isaac Bradley. The widow of Jared Bradley now (1895) resides in the house, standing on the lot, which house was built by Isaac Bradley, as we are informed.
The grant of the village to Isaac Bradley was upon the condition that he erect "A tenantable house." That house has stood till this day, 1900.
The picture accompanying this gives a view of the Isaac Bradley home lot, with the house stand- ing thereon, on the northerly side of the highway, near Stony River.
Isaac Bradley resided first at Canoe Brook, Branford, 1674, became a citizen of East Haven 1683, died January 12, 1713, (new style) aged 62 years. His wife, Elizabeth, died nine (9) days before him.
They had four (+) sons and two (2) daughters. Their descendants are numerous, and widely scattered. Many of them have been prominent in various walks of life. He was an ancestor of L. A. Bradley, who collected this data, and Chas. Hervey Townshend, the compiler of this article.
The first iron works in Connecticut were established in this town and continued about twenty-five years. The business was introduced in the following manner :
" GENERAL COURT, New Haven, 12th Nov., 1655."
" The town was acquainted that there is a purpose, that an Iron Works shall be set up beyond the farms at Stony River, which is considered will be for the publique good; and Mr. Goodyear deelared that Mr. Winstone and himself did intend to carry it on, only le desired to know what the town desired in it, but no man engaged in it at present ; but divers spoke that they would give some work towards making the damm, whose names and number of days worke were taken, which amounted to about 140 days : so is issued for that time."
"29th Nov., 1665 .- The Governor [Winthrop] informed the towne this meeting was ealled to consider something further about the Iron Works, sundry who engaged to worke, last Court, have not yet performed, tho' all others have: and it was now concluded that those who are behinde, should be called upon to perform what they promised. It was also now desired that men would deelare, who will engage in the worke, and what estate they will put in. But few speaking to it, it was desired that those who are willing would meet at the Governor's this afternoon at 2 o'clock, to declare them- selves therein, and it was now propounded whether the towne will give up their right in the place, and what accomodation is necessary for the best conveniency of the said Iron Works, in this case all the towne voted to give a full libertie for the Iron Works to go on, and also for wood, water, iron places, oares, shells for linie, or what else is necessary for that worke, upon the towne lands upon that side of tlie great river, called the East River ; provided, that no man's propertie, laid out, or to be laid out, be entered upon, nor no planter prohibited from eutting wood, or other convenieney upon said eont- mon, in an orderly way, and that Branford doe make the like grant, according to the proportion they have in the worke, that future questions about this thing may prevent."
"19th May, 1656 .- Upon the motion of Mr. Goodyear and John Cooper in behalf of the Collier that comes to burn coal for the iron workes ; he had twelve (12) acres of land granted as his own, if the Iron Works go on and he stay three years in the worke. Provided that all minerals there be reserved and that he attend all orders of the towne for the present and in disposing of said lands hereafter if it shall so fall out to have it. The place propounded for, is a piece of land lying
.- 39 -
betwixt the Great Pond and the Beaver Meadows, a 100 or 2 acres, about two miles from the Iron Workes. Against which grant or place none objected so as to him or the same."
Business was carried on here both from New Haven and Branford. It continued until 1680. Why the business was relinquished cannot now be satisfactorily ascertained. The tradition is that it was occasioned by the death of the principal workmen during a season of great mortality in 1679.
The furnace was supplied with bog ore from North Haven. It was chiefly carted but sometimes brought from Bog Mine Wharf, Quinnipiack River by water, around by the point below the fur- nace, and, from that circumstance the point is called to this day "Bog Mine."
There was also at this point a small deposit of Bog Ore, and, as the hills in the neighborhood gave evidence of the existence of a deposit, which proved erroneous, the Iron Works were abandoned.
In Putnam's "Monthly Historical Magazine and Magazine of New England History," for June, 1895, the following interesting article appears :
"THE FIRST IRON WORKS IN CONNECTICUT. By HENRY A. BAKER.
Among the first manufacturing industries started in the State of Connecticut, was that of making Iron from ' bog ore.' Water filtering through the New England hills brings down into the ponds and marshes large quantities of iron in solution and deposits the same at the bottom of the ponds and streams of water along with vegetable moulds in soft spongy masses which went by the name of 'bog mine ore.'
The large iron furnaces of to-day could not be supplied with it because a sufficient quantity does not exist, but for nse of small colonists it supplies every want.
The iron cast from it was very brittle and very soft when melted. Such iron is now used for stove casting.
In 1643, specimens of this 'bog ore' from ponds near Lynn, Mass., were sent to England to be tested and were found to be of so good a quality that a company of undertakers for the Iron Works was formed by John Winthrop, Jr., and others, who began the manufacture of iron at Lynn. The works were very successful, the Bog Iron being well adapted for casting cannon, shot, pots and other hollow ware.
About six years after, 1649-50, John Winthrop, Jr., came to New London and obtained a grant from the General Court to enable him to make iron in Connecticut. His first attempt to establish the manufacture of iron was at Montville, at a place still called the 'Old Forge,' at an outlet of Oxoboro stream or Saw Mill Brook, as it was then called. On this stream Winthrop had already erected a saw mill a short distance above the iron works, the site of the present Dye Works of Wmn. G. Johnson.
At the Old Forge he started a Bloomery for smelting iron. The principal Bloomery was a hole in the ground in which charcoal was burned by the aid of a bellows made from goat skin. Iron ore being added to the fire in small quantities. The one here built was an improvement upon the primitive ones used in India in ancient times and now employed by the natives in Asia and Africa.
They consist of a furnace and forge made of stones laid in clay, kettle shaped, plastered with clay on the inside. A chimney was raised to a sufficient height to produce a strong draft. Bog Ore and Charcoal were used in layers.
In this way the ore was brought to a condition for the forge to melt the iron into shape for nse.
These iron works were soon abandoned and the next mention of the iron works is in 1750, when they were deeded by Benj. Alford to Benj. McCall and started."
COMMODORE SIR GEORGE COLLIER,
Who commanded the sea forces of the expedition to Connecticut in 1779, was one of the best equipped officers in the British navy. He was advaneed to the rank of commander, August 6, 1761, post captain, July 12, 1762, and in 1771 he commanded the "Flora," of thirty-two guns.
At the commencement of the dispute with the American Colonies in 1775 he was appointed to the Rainbow frigate and not long afterwards, on account of his active behavior in that quarter, he received the honor of knighthood.
In 1777 he was appointed by Lord Howe to command, at Halifax, the detachment of the fleet stationed there, but as senior captain only, not having the privilege of a broad pendant as an estab- lished commodore. He distinguished himself exceedingly while on this station, as well by his great attention to the protection of the British fisheries, as to the commerce and trade of that country in general. In the month of July, being on a cruise, he fell in with and captured, after a very long chase, the Haneock, an American frigate of thirty-two guns and two hundred and ninety men, esteemed at that time the finest in their service, and one of the fastest sailing vessels ever built, though from her foulness and the mismanagement of her crew in starting hier water injudiciously, she was put out of trim and overtaken.
Some little time after meeting with the above success, Sir George, having received information of an invasion projected by the Americans from New England, against the province of Nova Scotia, he proceeded with his own ship, the Blonde, and Mermaid, frigates, together with the Hope, sloop, to Machias, a small port where some of the principal magazines, intended for the support of the expedi- tion, had been formed. He destroyed there several storehouses filled with flour, rice, and other articles. After which, proceeding along the coasts of New England and New Hampshire, he burnt thirty sail of vessels of different descriptions, the greater part of them destined for the service just described. He continued on the same station during the ensuing year, 1778, but not for the whole of the time as commanding officer, Captain Fielding, of the Diamond, who was senior to him, having been ordered thither to refit his ship during the summer. The Diamond having proceeded, in com- pany with Vice-Admiral Byron, to join Lord Howe, on the 4th of September following, Sir George resumed his former command. After the departure of Lord Howe for England, and Vice-Admiral Byron for the West Indies, Sir George removed into the Raisonable, of sixty-four guns, on board which ship he hoisted his broad pendant, as commander-in-chief pro tempore on the North American station, a consequential trust which he continued to hold, and with the highest credit to himself, till superceded, in the year ensuing, by the arrival of Vice-Admiral Arbuthnot with a squadron from Europe. Previous, however, to this he distinguished himself exceedingly in expeditions undertaken in 1779 against Portsmouth, Verplanks, and afterwards Newhaven, Fairfield, Norwalk, Greenfield, and other small ports on the Connectieut shore, which served as places of refuge to the small American privateers, many of which being destroyed, proved an infinite relief to British commerce.
Immediately on his return from the last exploit he sailed to the northward for the purpose of relieving Colonel Maclean, who had just before taken post and began to erect a fort at Majebigwaduce, on the river Penobscot. This settlement exciting no inconsiderable alarm among the people of Boston, a formidable armament, consisting of nearly three thousand troops, escorted by a large frigate, and sixteen other vessels of war, was equipped with the utmost expedition for the purpose of attacking the fort before its projected works should be completed. On the 25th of July the enemy made their appearance and began their operations immediately ; they were, however, successfully kept at bay till the 14th of August, the day when the arrival of Sir George Collier completed their discomfiture. He sailed from Sandy Hook on the 3d with the Raisonable, Greyhound, Virginia, Camilla, Galatea, and Otter, sloop. On his arrival in Penobseot Bay he found the American fleet drawn up in form of an half-moon, as if with an apparent intention of disputing the passage. This resolution, however, soon failed them ; they endeavored in vain to make their escape, but were all of them either destroyed or taken.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.