USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Danbury > History of Danbury, Conn., 1684-1896 > Part 14
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 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49
Where now is the Griffing block stood the residence of Zalmon Wildman, father of the late Frederick S. Wildman. This was an old-fashioned double house standing close upon the sidewalk, with an old-time porch and side benches at the front door. Just north of this old homestead was a small hat-finishing shop, and on the south a store. The dwelling was removed to East Liberty Street, where it is used as a tenement.
The Pahquioque Hotel was then a private residence occupied by Elijah Sanford, who had a saddlery at the north end of the building. Abel B. Blackman lived in the house now known as the Keeler Homestead. He was a shoemaker, and had his shop north of the house.
The house of David Foot stood on the site now occupied by Dr. W. F. Lacey. Mr. Foot was a tailor, and his little shop stood in the southwest corner of his dooryard. If we are not mistaken, it was later on moved to the rear of the house. "'Squire Foot'' was a prominent man in that day, and was for many years a trying justice of the peace.
Benjamin Smith lived where was the residence of the late
149
HISTORY OF DANBURY.
Samuel Stebbins. His neighbor on the south was Horace Bull, who lived where now stands St. Peter's Church. The old house was removed to the since opened Centre Street. Mr. Bull was a tailor. He was also a noted singer, and for over thirty years was the chorister of the First Congregational Church. He was the first milk peddler Danbury had, peddling on the street from a cart, and ringing a bell at the customer's door. This was in 1840. Up to that time people bought their milk from neighbors who owned a cow, sending the children for it ; and at this time every fourth family had its cow.
A tribute to Mr. Bull's musical talent was a remark Judge Dutton, then of the Superior Court, made when in Danbury. He said : "I heard Mr. Bull ring his bell this morning, and there was really music in it." Mr. Bull's sales amounted to about forty quarts a day.
There was no house between his place and what is now the Turner House. The land lying between and running back. to Town Hill Street was a vacant lot, boggy at the front, with meadow at the rear. This piece belonged to the First Congrega- tional Society, and the use of it was given to the pastor.
Joseph Moss White, the father of Colonel E. Moss White, lived just northeast of the present Court House. This afterward became the property of G. F. Bailey. Mr. White was a surveyor, and held a county office as such. From a letter now in the pos- session of his descendants, written in Danbury on January 15th, 1816, the fiftieth anniversary of his marriage, we quote the following :
" Fifty years this very day we have been united in the nearest relation which can be found in this world. But two couple that we certainly know of in the bounds of this whole town that have lived together so long as we have, viz .: Mr. Jarvis and wife, and Col. Cooke and wife.
" So near does my dissolution appear that it makes this world and all the glory of it dwindle much in my view."
SUPPLEMENTARY.
Major Comstock's store was an important centre of business, aside from its traffic in merchandise. In the day of which we write there was no bank here, and the only means of exchange was through the agency of a distant bank. The Phoenix Bank
150
HISTORY OF DANBURY.
of Hartford had a branch in Litchfield, and Mr. Comstock was its agent here. Twice every week the stage plying between Norwalk and Litchfield passed through Danbury and took up the money and bills collected by Agent Comstock and carried them to Litchfield. The major also did a business in iron ore. This was received from the mines at Brewster, and piled on the ground in the rear of his place.
Where now stands the store long occupied by the late Samuel Stebbins stood a shoe shop which as early as 1805 was occupied by Colonel Ebenezer D. Starr.
Friend Starr, previously mentioned, was for twelve years sheriff of the county. At that time the sheriff was elected by the Legislature.
Zalmon Wildman was a prominent man in the history of the town. He was appointed postmaster in 1805, and held the office for a period of thirty years, when he resigned the position on being elected to Congress. This election occurred in the spring of 1835. In the winter following he died. Mr. Phillips, men- tioned before, was Mr. Wildman's deputy, and to him Mr. Wild- man gave the income from the office.
FROM WEST TO WOOSTER STREETS.
The first building was a small one and stood on the corner. Next to it was a store. Both structures stood where is now the City Hall. The first was used for various purposes. Early in the century it was used as a comb shop by Green and Barnum until 1815 ; after that it was occupied by a party named Leggett for fur-cutting. It also was used as a barber shop, a school, and a stone-cutting shop. Subsequently William Gray used it as a tailor shop. It now stands on the Danbury and Norwalk Rail- way line, opposite the freight depot, where it is occupied as a tenement.
The store was built by Colonel Timothy Taylor in 1800, who occupied it. In 1818 it was rented by Amos and Samuel Steb- bins, who did business there until 1839, when the building was torn down. Amos died some years before this, and the business was conducted by his brother Samuel. When this place was removed Mr. Wildman put up the building across the way, where the late Samuel Stebbins did business until his death.
Next to the store and where is now the Methodist parsonage
PRESENT BUILDINGS ON SITE OF N. H. WILDMAN'S HOMESTEAD. NATHANIEL HIBBARD WILDMAN.
HOMESTEAD OF N. H. WILDMAN, TAKEN ABOUT 1860.
151
HISTORY OF DANBURY.
stood the home of Alanson Hamlin. He was a lawyer. Between this and where is now Mrs. Amos Stebbins's residence there was no building. It was an open meadow with a pond at the front. In 1830 or thereabout Thomas T. Whittlesey put up two build- ings where now stands the Baptist church.
In 1838 it was occupied by Benedict & Nichols, who remained there until 1842. In 1852 they built on the corner of Liberty Street, which they now own. After they vacated the conference building it was bought by Judge Homer Peters, * who removed it to the foot of Liberty Street. The other building was used at one time for the publication of the Danbury Recorder, and is still standing.
MAIN STREET-WEST SIDE.
Where now is the house of Mrs. Amos Stebbins stood at the beginning of the century one occupied by Dr. Daniel Com- stock. He was the physician of the village, and a man of considerable mental attainments. There was an addition to the house in which, from 1812 to 1815 or thereabout, was published a paper by Nathaniel Skinner. In the last-named year he re- moved his office to Bridgeport.
The next house was that of Major Ezra Starr, who distin- guished himself in the Revolution. It was built on the site of the one burned by Tryon's troops. In 1830 the property came
* Many years ago Homer Peters with his wife Nancy and three children lived in a little house on Coalpit Hill. Homer and his wife were both employed at the "Meeker Hotel," which during court sessions was the resort of the legal fraternity, and here Homer received the title of " Judge" [after Judge Peters of the Connecti- cut Bar], by which he was known to the day of his death. After a while he fitted up a barber shop, and was for years Danbury's " only" barber. He was also the town " fiddler," and furnished dancing music for all festivities-good music, too, and in his hands one violin held the music and force of a dozen. His " calling off " for dances was original, unique, and varied. He would sing directions to the tune he was playing, adding, when words fell short of notes,"" A tum a tum tum !" In the house which he bought, at the foot of Liberty Street, he had ice cream for sale during the summer months, and the place was well patronized.
Homer's wit was quick and keen, and could all his stories and apt sayings be gathered together, they would fill a volume. On one occasion a good lady was talking to Homer upon the subject of his soul's salvation, and said to him, " Homer, you know more than most of your race." "Humph !" said Homer, " or yours either ;" which so broke up the lady, who had a keen sense of humor, that the religious conversation was permanently deferred.
Homer, Nancy, the two daughters and one son are all dead, but there are many living who remember them well and kindly.
152
HISTORY OF DANBURY.
into the possession of Starr Nichols, who moved back the major's house and built the one now occupied by Mrs. D. P. Nichols. Major Starr had a large family, but none of its members have a residence in Danbury now.
The next dwelling was occupied by Colonel Elias Starr, and is now the residence of Edmund Allen. The colonel was a teacher, and his school was in the next building, now a tenement, and twenty years ago occupied by L. H. Boughton as a shoe store.
There was no other building until near the corner of Wooster Street, where stood the " Academy," a public school of the higher order. For many years the lamented Irwin taught there, and a number of our gray-haired citizens drank in knowledge at that fountain.
MAIN STREET-EAST SIDE.
The present Court House was built in 1823-24. Its predecessor was a box-shaped affair of two stories, with a little chunked cupola on its roof. The first floor was used for some time as a place of worship for the Universalists, until they built the struc- ture across the way, that in later years became the church of St. Peter's parish. In front of the old Court House stood the whip- ping-post and stocks, and both institutions passed away with the building. The stocks fell into disuse a long time before the whipping-post was abolished. Whippings were frequent in the early days of the century. The punishment was inflicted by justices' decisions as well as by court decrees, although much lighter in the former cases. The whipping was generally done by the deputy sheriff. The late Aaron Seeley and Samuel Wild- man, as deputy sheriffs, and Levi Starr, as constable, presided at the post.
The last known case of whipping in this section was in Brook- field. The victim was a Danbury man. There was a reunion in Brookfield of the veterans of the War of 1812-14, and the attend- ance from neighboring towns was quite large. The village store, which sold New England rum as well as other groceries, was doing an immense business. There were two openings in the counter above the money-drawer, one for silver and the other for bills. When the money was received it was put through these openings. The Danbury man (whose name it is not neces- sary to mention) lounged about on the counter, a most innocent-
153
HISTORY OF DANBURY.
looking party. He had in his possession a bit of stick with tar on the end of it. When the merchant and his assistants ran to the door to look at the doings outside, he would push the stick down into the opening for bills, and by the help of the adhesive tar would draw up one.
At night the merchant discovered the loss. The Danbury man who had lounged on the counter was suspected. He was fol- lowed to Danbury, arrested, and the money with tar marks found in his possession. He was taken to Brookfield, confessed his crime, and was publicly and severely whipped.
The Court House was first used for elections in 1820. Pre- vious to that time they were held in the church of the First Congregational Society at the foot of West Street. The assem- blages on elections in that time were much different from those of to-day, the difference being decidedly in favor of our fore- fathers. The meeting was opened with prayer. The people were quiet and orderly, and ticket peddling, lobbying, and loud- voiced discussions were unknown then. What was called the stand-up ballot prevailed in that day in voting for legislative bodies. The Federalists occupied one side of the house and the Republicans the other. On a candidate being announced those in his favor rose and were counted. Then the opposition can- didate was given, and those who favored him arose and were counted. The result was then summed up and announced, and the election proceeded to the next office.
Colonel Joseph Platt Cooke was a Federalist of a pronounced type, and a man of pronounced opinion on any subject he espoused. He could not endure opposition. It is related of him on one occasion where he presided at an electors' meeting, that, the opposition candidate receiving a majority of the vote, the old gentleman put on his cocked hat and stalked angrily out of the building, leaving the meeting to take care of itself.
In 1818 the " stand-up" vote was repealed.
MAIN STREET-WEST SIDE.
The present handsome jail building was erected in 1872. Its predecessor was of stone, and was built in 1830. The building before that was a frame structure with barred windows, out of which a modern housebreaker would have made his exit in less than no time. There was no building between the jail and the
154
HISTORY OF DANBURY.
present estate of the late Aaron Seeley. The " saddle factory" was not built until 1836. It was occupied by Elias S. Sanford and William B. Fry in the manufacture of saddles and harness. The firm had a store in New Orleans. The manufacture was carried on for about four years, when the failure of the firm broke up the business. In 1840 or thereabouts Stone & Wad- hems rented the front of the building for a store, and remained there three or four years. James S. Taylor and his brother Granville did business there after that, and when they left the building became a tenement. Several years ago the greater part of it was destroyed by fire.
The store on the Seeley estate stood where is now the resi- dence. It was at one time occupied by Amos and Samuel Steb- bins. Next to that was a tavern built of brick. It is now the residence of Miss Helen Meeker. The tavern was built by Major Whiting at the close of the last century. Henry S. Whiting, a son of the builder, kept the tavern until 1816 or thereabouts, when the late Aaron Seeley became its host, and remained in charge some fourteen years. The hotel was a popular resort, and a stopping-place for the stages that ran from New York to Litchfield. In those days its capacious yard and stabling were the scene of much activity. Henry Whiting went to Herkimer, N. Y., from Danbury, engaged there in the tavern business, and died there. There is none of the family in Danbury.
The house next to the tavern, and now known as the Bedient Place, was until 1830 occupied by two brothers, Darius and John Starr.
The next building was occupied by Nathaniel Wood, who was a shoemaker, and had a shop in his yard.
Just north of William H. Clark's residence, and on his prop- erty, is a brick dwelling which was built by Fairchild Wildman, who kept a store there for many years, and it was also occupied by Warden Clark and Nelson Crane for this purpose. In 1865 it was converted into a dwelling.
On its site stood a building owned by Zachariah Griswold, who occupied it about 1820 for a suspender manufactory. It was not a successful venture, although Mr. Griswold did quite a business at one time.
The present residence of Mr. Clark dates back from the last century. At one time in the last decade of the eighteenth cen-
155
HISTORY OF DANBURY.
tury a room in it was used as the office of the village paper, the Republican Farmer, published by Stiles Nichols, and the build- ing itself was the dwelling of one of the proprietors. Mr. Clark retains a door in which are the nails that held the various prints which it was once customary to tack on the printing-office door. For many years the place belonged to Hiram Barnes, the famous stage man, and from its gates his four-in-hands have gallantly trotted, to the great delight of the village youth.
The house now occupied by Representative Charles H. Hoyt was long the residence of Everett Ames, grandfather of Mrs. Hoyt. At the beginning of the century it was occupied by Joshua Benedict, who was a saddle manufacturer, and made saddles in the building. Afterward it was the residence of Sam- uel Jennings. Next on the south was Dr. Daniel N. Carring- ton, who was a prominent citizen and was several times sent to the Legislature.
David Wood owned the house next. Eighty years ago it was a tavern under his management. He subsequently kept the tavern where now stands the Turner House. Next to his place were the dwelling and hat factory of Ezra Wildman. Next was the dwelling of Miss Ann Bennett.
Following it came the residence of Eliakim Peck, which still stands. Mr. Peck was a blacksmith, and his shop stood on the corner where is now the old Episcopal church tenement. He was a strong Episcopalian, a man of marked hospitable traits, and his shop and home were the resort of people fond of enter- tainment and given to discussion. In those days there were no fires in churches, and the worshippers in the Episcopal church (then on South Street) used to go to Mr. Peck's home Sundays, between service, to get warm.
MAIN STREET-EAST SIDE.
We left the east side at the Court House. The first building on the south was the dwelling of Jesse Skellinger. He had a carriage shop next to it. The place was subsequently occupied by John Rider.
Next to it was a small building owned and occupied as a silversmith shop by John S. Blackman, father of F. S. Black- man, who conducted the same business until a few years ago. The senior's wares were of the genuine metal, and many of the
156
HISTORY OF DANBURY.
spoons he sold sixty years ago with his name upon them are now in the possession of our older families.
Then came the residence of Matthew B. Whittlesey, father of the late E. B. Whittlesey. The dwelling next was the property of E. S. Sanford, the tanner, who had a shoe shop there.
Next came a dwelling whose occupant's name we do not know. It still stands.
Captain John Rider lived where now George St. John resides. Samuel Wildman and Fairchild, his son, lived in the house now occupied by Mrs. Samuel C. Wildman. The store and dwelling of John Dodd came next.
Following this was the house of Epaphras W. Bull, a promis- ing young lawyer, who went to Ohio in 1810, to grow up with the great West, and shortly after died there. The house was later owned by Curtis Clark. Captain James Clark owned a small dwelling next south.
Following this was the residence of Philo Calhoun, father of the president of the Fourth National Bank in New York City.
Next came the McLean house, which was built just after the Revolutionary War near the site of the one destroyed at the burning of Danbury, and was for many years occupied by Mr. McLean and his descendants. At the time of the conflagra- tion some Continental money buried upon the grounds was scorched by the heat. These bills were known for many years as " the McLean money." It was said by Colonel Moss White that " John McLean could walk from Ridgefield to Newtown without stepping off of his own land." The old knocker which was on the front door was of English make, and probably brought from Scotland. It is now on the door of the residence of the late Horace Marshall, opposite Elmwood Park. The wife of John McLean was Deborah Adams, of the family of John and John Quincy Adams. Lilly McLean, their daughter, married William Chappell, and their family occupied the house for many years.
Mr. Chappell was a great-great-grandson of William Chappell, tutor of John Milton, who left that position to take the provost- ship of Dublin University, and was afterward made Bishop of Cork. His son, president of Dublin University, came to this country with Bishop Berkeley. They started for the Bermudas, but were blown astray and landed in Rhode Island, with the
157
HISTORY OF DANBURY.
intention of founding there a college, but funds from England were not forthcoming, and Mr. Chappell went to New London, where many of his descendants remain. Afterward he went to New Haven, where he married Patience Ogden, a descend- ant of Parson Ogden, and she died in Danbury.
On the corner of South Street, in the yard of the house occu- pied by the late Charles Rider, stood, fifty or more years ago, a store kept by a man named Griswold. It was burned and not rebuilt.
SOUTH STREET-SOUTH SIDE.
The most prominent house then on the street, because directly facing Main Street, was the residence of Daniel Taylor. The house was built soon after the burning of Danbury, on the site of the one then destroyed, and has changed but little in the past century. Mr. Taylor was a hatter.
The dwelling of Eliakim Benedict came next, and is still standing. Two small dwellings followed, but by whom occupied we do not know. Adjoining was the home of E. S. Griffin, who died at an advanced age not many years ago.
West of Samuel Brunker's place was the dwelling of Comfort Hoyt, who was a farmer. Beyond that was meadow land until where is now the home of Mrs. A. N. Sharp. Then stood the residence of Walter Dibble, farmer.
On the corner of the street leading to Coalpit Hill was a house occupied by Thomas Flynn. Next came the home of Harry Taylor, who was a farmer.
His next neighbor was Lemuel Taylor, and next to him was Joel Stone, who did not appear to have any particular occupa- tion, but at one time carried the mail between Danbury and New Haven.
NORTH SIDE-GOING WEST.
Captain Ezra Dibble lived where is now the residence of Joseph Bates. He was grandfather to Miss Mary Bull. He was a large farmer, and owned nearly all the land in that neighborhood. He was noted for his generous help of the needy.
There was no other house until the place of Amos Hoyt was reached. He was a tanner, shoemaker, and deacon. The home- stead of the late Ira Morse was then occupied by Captain Peter
158
HISTORY OF DANBURY.
Starr, grandfather of Mrs. Morse. He was a blacksmith and a prominent citizen of that day.
East of Captain Starr's place was the residence (since removed) of Daniel Frost. The old Dibble house came next. It was built before the Revolution, and became famous in local history as the house where Wooster died. Next came the home of William Chappell.
No other building occupied the interval between his place and the old Episcopal church, which stood in the west end of the present graveyard, which was its churchyard. The South Centre District school stood close by, as at present.
In the time of which we write Town Hill Avenue had but three houses. It was not an avenue then, but simply a lane, running around from Liberty Street as it does now, and connect- ing with South Street. It was then commonly known as " Nig- gers' Lane," although the hill itself bore its present name. Why it was called Town Hill we do not know. Perhaps because there was no town on it, nor any likely to be.
One of the three houses was owned and occupied by Agur Hoyt, father-in-law of the late venerable Amos Morris. He lived on the east side of the street.
There was a low-browed house across the way which was occupied by Aunt Liz Henry. Aunt Liz was an aged maiden of decrepit form, popularly supposed to be a witch, although no more direct evidence of this than mere surmise, hatched from the brain of the superstitious, was ever laid at her dingy door.
Near to where Turner Street now intersects Town Hill Avenue stood a building occupied by a negro named Peter Stockbridge. It is remarkable what a great matter a little fire kindleth. As near as we can get at it the name of the lane came from this single family of colored people.
There were no more buildings until the foot of Liberty Street was reached. There, where is now Railway Avenue, stood the extensive tannery of Starr & Sanford. The business of the tanner, like that of the fuller, has concentrated at prominent centres since that day. Then tanneries and fulling shops were distributed throughout the land, Danbury having several of each. The Starr & Sanford tannery, with its vats and bark buildings, extended almost to the present railway track.
The only dwelling then on Liberty Street was occupied by
159
HISTORY OF DANBURY.
Mrs. Betsey Starr, widow of Colonel Ebenezer Dibble Starr, who was a shoemaker. He died in 1816. The house stood on the site of the present residence of the Misses Rockwell.
WEST STREET-NORTH SIDE.
The first house was the dwelling of Elijah Gregory, where now is the rectory of St. James's Church. He was a blacksmith, and had his shop in one corner of the yard. Mr. Gregory was a somewhat prominent man, and was sent to the Legislature. The house was a large frame building, and now stands on George Street, where it has become a tenement.
The next house was that in which John Fry lived, and where now stands Dr. W. H. Rider's residence. He was a hat manu- facturer, and had his shop on the premises. Prior to his occu- pancy Benedict Gregory owned the premises. This was in 1812. In 1827 Fry, Gregory & Co. occupied the shop. After this Mr. Gregory went to Dayton, O., where he died. Ohio, and espe- cially Dayton, called away a number of people from Danbury in the first years of the present century.
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.