USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Fairfield > Black Rock, seaport of old Fairfield, Connecticut, 1644-1870; > Part 3
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His succinct rules of conduct sum up his character, and are per- haps the most fitting introduction to his Journal; they were set down in 1807 and represent the utmost of his ambition :
1-Learn that Wisdom and Knowledge lead to everything.
2-Be very resolute and quick in what you have undertaken You will observe that many people lose a thing after following it hard for a long time for want of a little more labour to make it secure.
3-Keep bad company at a distance. Tell me with whom thou goest And I'll tell thee what thou doest.
4 The vices of the mind bear an exact analogy to those of the body, by being apt to relapse, therefore guard well against the vice that easily besets you.
A certain man having determined in the morning not to stop at a
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WILLIAM WHEELER
tavern, with much ado mustered resolution enough to pass by but- after having got past he stopt and exclaimd, "Well done, Resolution- now Resolution, if you will go back I will treat you"-and accordingly he went back. Where the wall is weakest, double the sentinels.
5-Improve your Time well. If you love life do not waste your time, for time is the stuff that life is made of.
Read diligently ...
Associate with sensible persons.
Improve the Sabbath
Avoid low pleasures, foolish trifles
Avoid low, vicious, & idle companions.
Spend no more time in Sleep than is necessary
Read the best books.
Meditate on what you have read
As often as you can, exercise your mind while at work on some useful subject.
Open your mind to some sensible friend and hear without prejudice their reasons for or against your Opinion. The mind is often more impressed with speaking on a Subject ourselves than with reading it in a book.
Be resolute in determining to practise what you find to do your duty. 6-Keep a Journal of your Life, Observations & Experiences.
7-Exercise yourself in Composition.
By writing on any subject we understand it better than if we only read of it.
8-Speak often but not long at a time. One of the English writers made it a rule not to speak more than ten minutes at a time before he stopt to hear what answer would be made.
9-Never undertake a thing of which you have not well considered the end. 10-Remember that what appears at first sight to be right is often wrong. 11-Be always grateful for favors received ... And that will be the most likely way to obtain more ..
12-Drink not too much
13-Be prudent. This country grows more & more extravagant every day and you will be apt to be led astray by extravagant fashions unless you call to your aid all the reason you are master of. If you are prudent you will be called stingy,-but remember that Industry, Wisdom, or Generosity will avail you nothing without Prudence. Do the most good you can with the least expense.
14-Be religious.
-
A JOURNAL
for
The town of Fairfielb.
An exact & impartial Account
of the moft
Material TR RANSACTIONS
From the first Settlement thereof ~ till the -
PRESENT TIME.
-
-
Facsimile of original title page drawn by William Wheeler in 1780 for his Journal.
1
The Utility of Journals is sufficiently evident from the following Considerations,
1st They Shew the Progress of Virtue & the downfall of Vice & the Causes that have contributed to either
2d From what has happened we may predict what will; like Causes produce like effects & 40 years are generally a Sample of the whole extent of Time-
3d By knowing the Time any Transaction happened we may exculpate ourselves from any Crime falsely Imputed.
4th By knowing the Time of one Event we may guess nearly at others that were Neighbours.
5th A Journal is the handmaid of Composition teaching us to clothe our Ideas with proper Expressions .-
6th A great assistant to Writing, for by having a Book in a convenient place & inserting every remarkable Occurrence therein the hand soon gains a command over the Pen .-
7th By Observing what has succeeded we find what means will be necessary to attain the end we are in quest of.
8th By Observing the Mistakes of others we mend our own .---
9th By reading a Journal we live as it were our Life over again & are contemporary with our Ancestors long since past & gone besides an inconceivable number of other benefits resulting from an exact & well chosen relation of past Transactions.
HOME .P
1756.
CAPTAIN LEKAROD WHEELER BUILT 1720 FOR HIS
BROTHER JOKK.
1630-1772
[The first page includes genealogical notes on the Wheeler family, which have been arranged in the "Family Index."]
The first Wheeler that came into America settled in Con- cord (Massachusetts) about the year 1630. He had several sons & one of them came to Black Rock and at the old Lot built a stone house with a flat roof of Plank on which he mounted two four-pounders,-one pointed towards the Mouth of the Harbor & the other at an Indian fort situated at the head of the harbor, now known by the name of Old Fort.
This place the Fairfield Indians had built for their defence against some of the interior tribes with whom they were perpetually at War. It was composed of Palisades joined together & at each corner a room was built out with port- holes like the following figure :
It contained about an acre of land & was garrisoned by about 200 Indians fond of War & often solliciting the Old Indian for leave to destroy the English. Once they obtained it on condition of pulling up a large neighboring White Oak Tree-
Well, to work they went & stript off its branches, but still the trunk baffled their utmost endeavours.
"Thus" says the Old Sachem, "will be the end of your War-you may kill some of their papooses, but the old plaguey Stump t'other side of the great Waters will remain & send out more branches-"
It happened one time that 6 of the Mohawk tribe, being closely pursued by the Fairfield Indians were secreted by one
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THE JOURNAL OF WILLIAM WHEELER
of the Waklins of Stratfield under some sheaves of Flax, & being directed homewards, were the occasion of the long Amity that subsisted between that tribe and the English .-
Many remains of the Indians are daily discovered, as Stone arrows, hatchets, etc. In Greenfield is a Samp Mortar made in the solid rock, containing nearly half a Bushel.
A pot has been seen in Weston of Stone & a stone bottle was found very curiously made, holding about half a pint, at Black Rock some years since. A great part of their food seems to have been Oysters, Clams &c. by the vast beds of Shells that are frequently dug out of the Earth.
My Grandfather had (I learn from tradition, there being no journals left of those times) many brothers & sisters, 14 in all.
Hannah, the youngest, was a very intelligent person- about 18 years of age. She was courted & expected to be married to Ringfield a Captain of a ship who gave her a gold ring, 3 pair of green silk stockings &c, but he being gone for so long, she was courted & married by Sam Wheeler.
On the day of their marriage, a Ship appearing taken for Ringfield by the Bride, she burst into tears & declared she would not be married, & half dressed hid in a hole in the back kitchen of my grandfather who, with horsewhip in hand, dragged her out, but she ran around him as he attempted to strike .-
They finally concluded to dispatch a boat to see who com- manded said ship. Finding it was not Ringfield (who was lost) she was married, but never could the Capt. be erased from her mind, as (I am told by a person who was eye wit- ness) she used frequently at 75 years of age to weep over his presents.
1740 & 1741
was the Hard Winter. The Ground, covered with Snow to the tops of the fences for 40 days. It did not thaw the least on the sunny side of the House.
Waklin, original form of present Wakelee and Wakeley name.
Sergeant Samuel Wheeler was son of Deacon Isaac Wheeler.
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THE JOURNAL OF WILLIAM WHEELER
A snow fell about the middle of December which filled the roads & buried a pair of Oxen at the old fort, owned by Sam. Gold. They were found by their breathing holes. The harbour continued frozen from that time till the middle of May- Capt. Bostwick & Capt. Dimon were loading for the West Indies. Dimon saild as winter set in. Bostwick was ready, but delaying one night, was froze in & had to cart hay to his stock for 3 months. When going out of the Sound, he found Dimon returning.
(From sketch of Mrs. Jonathan Wheeler.) She was remarkable for storytelling. In her father's days she said the Sound was froze over and her father went half way to Long Island when it began to break up. He being an active man, sprang from one cake to another till he got ashore. It used to be so cold as to freeze cattle's mouths up & they would have to get a teakettle of hot water to thaw them out. It used in winter time to freeze people's voices, and in the Spring when a thaw came there would be all kinds of noises heard in the air.
1753
In June & July the bloody Flux raged to such a degree that 2 or 3 were buried in Fairfield daily (of the dysentry)
1758
March 22-Earthquake in New England.
1763
The dry summer-begun very early-everything parched up- Old pasture spring dug.
1767
August-Two Indians were whipt & stood in the Pillory for stealing a child & leaving it in the fields
1768
Isaac Frazier, a noted thief, was hung at Fairfield.
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THE JOURNAL OF WILLIAM WHEELER
1771
July-The Lightning struck Stratfield meetinghouse & killed uncle John Burr & ripped open the Shoes of his brother Ozias that stood near him & killed likewise David Sherman.
1772
March 7-Snow storm. (this month seven large snow- storms-the 2nd day of April snow higher than the fences.
Sept. 2-In the evening 2 black clouds appeared in the South- West & North-West, & one seemed to come & meet them directly over Fairfield from the North East-at half past Eight it began to thunder incessantly. The flashes of Lightning, which seemed to set the room in a blaze, were about a minute's distance from each other, accompanied with bursts of Thunder like the whole broadside of a Ship, making the Earth to tremble and at the same time lifting one of our family from the seat at the side of the house onto her feet. At the same time the room was filld with a sulphurous smell.
(Struck Abel Wheeler's house twice and his signpost once- It was a tavern where much vice was seen) Abel Wheeler got up, it struck him down; then they all stood up & were struck down-The Lightning ran in streams all through the Rooms, broke all the lower windows, but hurt none of the people.
Down rushed the Rain, impetuous as if the floodgates of heaven had been opened.
Many thought it was the World's last Session & trembling sat, expecting every Breath to be the last for 3 long hours ; but at 1/2 past 11 it ceased.
They all agree that the Storm tonight has been the hardest one that e'er this Land has seen. It must as nigh as we could guess Strike 90 times about this Place. A Barn was struck & burnt in Town.
Revolutionary War
"And seald is now each life that could have told" Byron-Lara.
I have always regretted that I did not keep a journal of the War which began in 1775, being then 13 years of age, whereas I began to write 1780. (Autobiographical sketchbook, from which indented entries are quoted.)
1774
June-Boston Port shut up-Connecticut people contributed for their relief.
1775
April 19-War between Britain & America began.
1776
Independency declared.
1777
April 24-Eighteen Sail landed at Compo 2,500 Men who marched up thro Greenfield & North Fairfield to Dan- bury, stayd there one night, destroyed the Stores of Provision. Our people collected & Gen. Arnold built a breastwork in Ridgefield & with 250 men stopt the whole army for 15 minutes. On our side lost Col. Gould & a considerable number more were killed.
I perfectly remember the expedition of the enemy to Danbury (1777) & was at work in my father's garden when our people met them at Ridgefield where a temporary breastwork was thrown up of rails & behind which 250 patriots were posted under the command of Gen.
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THE JOURNAL OF WILLIAM WHEELER
Arnold who sustained the fire of the whole British army (2200 picked men) for 15 minutes till the flank guards came round the corner of the house that stood by the side of the road where they were engaged-
Arnold, mounted on a horse, rode up to the breastwork and encouraged our men to fight until his horse was shot dead under him-the soldier that shot the horse running to take Arnold, he while dropping, snatched his pistol from the holster and brought him to the ground with "Damn you, take that !"
My wife had a greatuncle (David Patchin) an experienced marks- man at shooting pigeons every fall, who was used to such sport as this, having been in the old French war,-when under Abercrombie. His righthand man (as he has often told me) was shot down twice in one day & then he had seven shots when he took as he said as good sight as ever he did at pigeons, -- the last time at one that came round the corner of the house about 3 rods distance. He saw him drop, & then, under cover of the smoke of the whole volley which the British poured in upon them, retreated, & when that left him, skulked behind a rock where the balls struck spat! spat! spat! in the manner of hail; but soon under cover of more smoke, he came off safely ...
The place where they retreated was a cleared spot through an orchard,-no cover-& there Col. Gould of Fairfield was shot & was buried next day with the honors of war, three volleys being fired over his grave ... (He married my mother's sister.)
The firing was distinctly heard at Black Rock from Ridgefield and caused many melancholy sensations-
Gen. Wooster endeavored to attack them in their rear, but his men would not come on, & there he was killed, being near 70 years of age.
"To the immortal memory of the Generals Warren, Montgomery, Mercer, Herkimer, Nash, Wooster, and all the renowned heroes that ever bled & died in the defence of their country"-was a toast given about that time that is now fresh in my memory.
1779
April 25-A boat load with 8 or 10 men landed against Old Fort at the head of Black Rock harbor in the night & marched up to Gen. Silli- man's & took him & his son William through the broken place in the beach to Long Island, then in possession of the enemy. They were piloted by one of our own (Tories). As they passed over the beach, the oid 12 pounders at the battery three times distinctly in a calm night made the windows of my chamber shake. We were soon out, expecting the next moment to be a prisoner, but sending to the battery we learned the cause. The next morning the tracks of 8 men were discernible; 2 traced to the house of Ezra Wheeler, the next neighbor, who was
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THE JOURNAL OF WILLIAM WHEELER
tried for life before Putnam (then cantoned at a wood in Redding for the convenience of fuel in winter)-he was liberated.
July 7-At 7 in the morning, the fog clearing off, the enemy's fleet, just returned from plundering New Haven, appeared. Three guns announced an alarm-everyone busy in moving or throwing their things out of doors. About 11 o'clock 1,600 regular troops landed at the foot of the bar on town beach. Isaac Jarvis commanded the battery at the point of Grover's Hill, Black Rock, who, as soon as the British turned to go up the beach lane, fired a 12-pounder with ball & grape- shot, & kept it going till it was so hot you could hardly bear your hand thereon.
As they approached the parade, a field piece let go a ball & grapes through them.
I was at that time on Toilsome Hill, having been just above with my father to drive cattle to our woodland, to keep them from the enemy. As we arrived at Black Rock, it was with no pleasant sensation we heard the firing back towards Barlow's-plain, & seemed to be in danger of being hemmed in-this, however, we prevented by taking the upper bridge.
Black Rock people soon assembled on Grover's hill, among whom were several females, where we could see the enemy marching up. A continual cracking from near Round-hill was kept up the remainder of the afternoon & sometimes from a field-piece.
The first building that appeared on fire was the guard-house at Kenzy's point; next one at Barlow's plain. You might from Black Rock see the fire shine through the windows & presently the fire on the outside.
At night the British placed guards round the town which were plainly seen by the burning houses,-while many a column of Fire from the flaming buildings & frequent flashes of Lightning from a western cloud with dis- charges of cannon & musquetry formed a Prospect the most Gloomy & comfortless imaginable to the poor inhabitants who, many of them sheltered only by the Canopy of Heaven, without a second Suit to their backs, or a Penny in their Purse, beholding from a Distance the fruit of all their toil & labor expiring in a Cloud of smoke & cinders.
April 25-Ezra Wheeler's brothers Josiah and Abraham, as Tories, had their estates confiscated subsequently, but Ezra Wheeler remained in Black Rock and served as a member of the battery guard in 1779.
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THE JOURNAL OF WILLIAM WHEELER
The town burnt all night-a cloud seemed to remain fixed in the west, from which issued frequent flashes of lightning; this, joined to many a column from the flaming buildings & frequent discharges of cannon & musketry on the British guard placed around the town; the poor inhabitants, with no shelter, with no clothing but what they had on; wives separated from their husbands & exposed to the indecencies of an infuriated soldiery, rendered truly diabolical by the spirits they found in plenty in the town,-formed a scene altogether so shocking that Fairfield will never see again, nor her present silken sons & daughters can form any conception of.
There were some instances of great bravery among the inhabitants of Fairfield. A Mr. Tucker fired from his shop on the parade at the whole army only a few rods distant, & was wounded by them in the shoulder & taken prisoner. Mr. Parsons fired from a chamber into the road & killed a British officer; then running out the back door made his escape. The enemy coming into the house, found an old negro bed-ridden; they said it was him, he declared it was not; they put the bayonet into him & burnt the house, next day my brother saw him about half burnt up & a beam lying on him.
Parsons, after this taking a prisoner, was conducting him away when he was taken prisoner himself.
Joseph Gold, a very old man & feeble, going off, stopped at a spring to drink; they commanded him to stop; he would not; they shot him.
Several women stayed in town to save their houses; but were so frighted, they said they would never again stay.
Jonathan Bulkley, living on the Green, stayed, got a protection from General Tryon & saved his house & three adjoining houses.
July 8-A Row-Galley, mounting an 18-pounder of brass, lay ยง of a mile from the Battery, & fired upon it, sending some shot over the hill; & the Battery firing on them, & hallooing with a speaking trumpet to turn their broadside towards them & they would give it to them.
Isaac Jarvis commanded at the Battery. Had he been a coward, 10 more houses would have been burnt; Squire's, Burr's, Silliman's, Hol- bertons, Fowler's, Chauncy's, Widow Wheeler's, Ichabod Wheeler's, E. Wheeler's, Bartrams.
About noon the enemy returned on board at Kenzy's Point, & were pursued through the burning houses by enraged inhabitants, and at Sandy Lane the roar of the small arms was continued like the roll of a drum.
Our people would have paid them as they were embarking, had they not levelled all the stone walls near the shore where our men might get behind, & drew up their armed vessels to keep off the Americans.
It is said the Fairfield people fought much better than they did at New Haven or Norwalk, which was burnt soon after.
About 40 of the enemy were found dead & 8 or 10 of ours. No doubt
REDEI
FORT
HARBOUR
-
Pj I
NGIISLAND SOUND
FAIRFIELD IN CONNECTICUT. JULY 74, 1779.
1
500 feet.
MAP OF FAIRFIELD, 1779
When the British burned Fairfield this map was made for or by Lieutenant Lawru of the invading army,-hence the military accuracy of the details of gun- range and position of troops,-and hence also the many inaccuracies in the topog- raphy of the hinterland-unfamiliar, of course to a British observer.
This manuscript map is reproduced by courtesy of Louis F. Middlebrook, author, and of The Essex Institute, publisher, from "Maritime Connecticut in the American Revolution, 1775-1783."
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THE JOURNAL OF WILLIAM WHEELER
many were wounded & carried off with them, for about a fortnight after, when on guard at the point, I observed the remains of one washed out of the sand where they had buried him.
Eighty dwelling-houses, besides barns, stores, etc. were consumed. A Presbyterian meeting-house, Episcopalian Church & a Court-house, Green's Farms with their meeting-house, & Mill River (Village) were burnt at the same time.
Eleven houses were left standing, some of them extinguished by our people who followed close at the heels of the English, & afforded a refuge to the poor inhabitants from a hard succeeding winter, the most terrible but one (1740) ever seen since the settlement of New England.
The severe cold quieted in some measure our fears from an attack, & made the enemy in New York tremble in their turn for fear our men should march on the ice & attack them-& affording us a long season of excellent sleighing.
Thus graciously did a kind Providence favour & defend us from an unrelenting foe, till they were tired out by the contest.
The Sabbath after, Mr. Eliot preached (from 'Our holy & our beauti- ful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire; and all our pleasant things are laid waste') at Holland Hill* where Fairfield people assembled, not daring to meet near the shore for fear of being taken prisoners, so fearful were they-& long after, they could hardly sleep in their beds.
My father had a place for his silver tankard & some silver therein, in a stonewall. Many a time he has gone in a dark night with his gun to see if no enemy's boat came over the beach.
Sometimes very few guards at the Battery or anywhere else. Strange that the enemy did not burn us in the four long years that the war lasted after this time. I listed as a soldier in the Guard (Upper Wharf) from May 16th till July 7th, when Fairfield was burnt, being 16 years of age. We had a double fortified 3 pounder, which sent a shot over a boat of the enemy's, sounding at the broken place of the beach."
About a fortnight after the Fire, I was drafted to go upon Guard a fortnight in town. We kept Guard upon the Beach & Kinsey's point,-3 sentrys at each place. One night as we were on Guard, we heard a Boat row, &
* William Wheeler's recollection seems here at variance with the Parish register which states that the church service of July 11th after the burning of Fairfield was held at the house of Deacon Bulkley-which was one of the few houses near the Green left standing. Services on subsequent Sundays were held at Deodate Silliman's and other houses.
July 8-The silver tankard, hidden by Captain Ichabod Wheeler, is now in the collection of the Historical Society in Fairfield.
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THE JOURNAL OF WILLIAM WHEELER
ran to the Shore & lay on the Beach ready for them, but it went to Greens Farms & landed there. News soon come to Town and as they fird the Cannon to make an alarm, one poor fellow was so affrighted that he dropt down.
Alarms almost every night, some of them false. With driving away our cattle & carting away furniture occupied us the rest part of the year. One morning we saw 30 ships off the Harbor.
1780
Jan .- A vast quantity of light snow fell & a strong N.W. Wind blew it incessantly for 3 or 4 days thicker than a snow storm & drifted so hard that sleds, loaded, came over the tops of the fences.
The Harbor was froze so hard that loads of wood went on the Channel, the Ice being 1/2 foot thick.
Capt. Parks cut out from the upper Wharf in 14 days. Ducks, Geese, &c laid out on the land. Joseph Bartram came across the Sound at Whitestone after his escape from the old Jersey Prison Ship.
The winter of 1780 was much the severest that had occurred in 40 years, the Snow filled the roads from side to side, & the air was pro- portionately keen. In one of the coldest nights of that dreary winter, 7 captives having got out of the Ship (one of them, Ebenezer Bartram, our neighbor, had his toes frozen) waited on the ice for about 40 more. They not coming, they took to their heels, amidst a shower of bullets which were fird from the surrounding guardships, & made for the land.
When they arrived on Long Island they came to a house where they were dancing & went in.
A British officer present sent off for a guard to secure them & placed himself at the door to obstruct their retreat, but their comrade, a huge Irishman, with one blow felled him to the floor.
They then set off in the night once more, but the air was so extremely piercing, sad necessity obliged them to stop at another house where only an old man & his wife occupied the fire. To this they made directly
The name Joseph Bartram may be mistaken for Ebenezer, his brother; cf. following note and entry, 1781.
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