USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Danbury > History of Danbury, Conn., 1684-1896 > Part 9
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" It was noted by her, who, faithful to the last, unremittingly watched his pillow, that during this and the following day (as is frequently the case in the closing scene of an active life) his mind was busied in exciting reminiscence. By the feeble light of flickering reason he was tracing the long and weary pilgrim- age, the cruises, sieges, battles, marches through which he had passed, only to reach his grave. The home of his childhood, the cabin of his ship, the old mansion by the Sound, pass in a blended image before his fading vision. The dash of waves, the rattle of musketry, the roar of cannon, ring confusedly in his deafened ear. His hand cannot respond to the gentle pressure of affection. His breathing grows shorter and shorter, while the icy chill advances nearer and nearer to the heart. As his wife wipes the death damp from his brow, his eyes, hitherto closed,
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open once more, and in their clear depths, for one glad moment, she discovers the dear, the old, the familiar expression of re- turned consciousness ; his lips gasp in vain to utter one precious word of final adieu, and the last effort is to throw on her one farewell glance of unutterable tenderness and love."*
On Friday, May 2d, 1777, he died. On Sunday the funeral was held. It was a quiet affair, although the body was that of a major-general and of a soldier who for courage and patriotism had no superior. But Danbury was sorely afflicted. Many of the houses were in ruins, and nearly all the able-bodied men were away.
Miss Betty Porter, aged sixteen, daughter of one of the men killed and burned in Major Starr's house, and subsequently the wife of Captain Nathaniel Gregory, grandfather of our Colonel Gregory, was at the funeral. She says there were but six men present, and they bore the body to its resting-place.
The remains were buried in the graveyard on Wooster Street.
General David Wooster was born in Stratford, on March 2d, 1710 ; so he was really what might have been called an old man when he came to Danbury to fight the enemy, being in his sixty- eighth year, but there was no lack of the fire of youth in his movements, and it has always been the impression among our people that he was twenty years younger.
He graduated at Yale in 1738. In 1739 he entered the navy, was made a lieutenant, and was later promoted to be captain. In 1740 he married the daughter of Rev. Thomas Clapp, then president of Yale College. She became a woman eminent for her piety and for social graces.
In 1745 he served as captain in the Louisburg expedition, and in the same year he sailed to Europe in command of a cartel ship. He was accorded special honors in England. He was first a colonel and afterward a brigadier-general in the Seven Years' War. When trouble brewed between Great Britain and the colonies he took up the cause of the latter, and was one of those who conspired to capture Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. When the Continental Army was organized he received the appoint- ment of brigadier-general. He served in Canada, at one time as commander of the Continental forces. Later he returned to Con-
* Henry C. Deming's oration at the dedication of Wooster's Monument, 1854.
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necticut, where he was appointed first major-general of the State militia. It was in this capacity he came to Danbury.
On April 27th, 1852, the remains of the hero were taken from the Wooster Street burial-ground, and deposited in Wooster Cemetery, beneath the imposing monument there placed to his memory.
A BIT OF WOOSTER GENEALOGY.
Edward Wooster, born in England in 1622, settled in Milford, Conn., about 1642, and was in Derby, Conn., in 1654. Of his first wife nothing is known. His second wife was Tabitha, daughter of Henry and Alice Tomlinson, whom he married in 1669. He died July 8th, 1680, and his estate was divided among twelve children in 1694.
Abraham, his second son and fourth child, married November 22d, 1699, Mercy, the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (née Wheeler, and widow of Samuel Blakeman) Walker, and settled at Farmill River, in Stratford, remaining there until about 1719, when the family removed to Quaker Farm, in Derby, now Oxford, Conn.
David Wooster, the youngest child of Abraham and Elizabeth Wooster, was born March 2d, 1710-11 ; graduated at Yale Col- lege in 1738, and married on March 6th, 1746, Mary, daughter of Thomas Clapp, president of Yale College. The children of this marriage were Mary, born January 21st, 1747 ; died October 20th, 1748. Thomas, born July 30th, 1751. Mary, born June 2d, 1753.
CHAPTER XVII.
AFTER THE FIRE.
THE firing of our people upon the British with the return fire of the enemy marked as distinctly as sight could have done to the refugees the progress of the march. Besides, there were messengers, in the person of boys, who kept track of the course and reported hourly. Long before the royal column passed Ridgebury church the people who had fled began to return to the village, some to undisturbed homes, others to smoking ruins. Before night the most of them were here, although it was not until the next day that all had returned.
With the returning Danburians came a host of sightseers from Redding, Bethel Village, Brookfield, Newtown, New Fairfield, and other places. It was a great spectacle for outsiders, and they flocked here just as people do to the scene of an overwhelm- ing disaster.
All that Sunday afternoon Main Street and South were full of people viewing the ruins, sympathizing with the sufferers, cursing the enemy, and delivering opinions of reckless wisdom, as is common with the dear masses in matters they know nothing of. One of these visitors used to relate that the wheels of his wagon sank above their felloes in the cold grease on South Street, which came from the burnt pork. There were three tav- erns here at the time, and the business they might have done, had they the liquid facilities, would have been immense.
Dr. Jabez Starr, grandfather of Frederick Starr, kept one of the taverns. His place stood on the corner of Main and Elm streets, near where is now the News building. On the approach of the enemy he moved his goods out of town and harm's way.
The house now occupied by Nathaniel Barnum, a few doors south of the News office, was a tavern at that time. On a sign swinging from a post it bore a copy of the arms of King George IV., which gave the tavern its name. It was kept by John Trow-
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bridge, who was Mr. Barnum's great-grandfather. Owing to its sign it was saved from destruction, but its furniture was piled up in the street and burned. Mr. Barnum has completely changed the outside appearance of the building, so that to-day it looks but little like it was at that time. Mr. Trowbridge was a lieutenant in the rebel army. He was away with his regiment at the time. His people removed themselves and what furniture they could get together to Nathan Cornwall's tavern in Beaver Brook District. The royal troops did not interfere with the property, but the destruction of the furniture was the work of Tory neighbors.
The old house on South Street, at the very foot of Main Street, is a long, high-roofed building, with great stone chimneys of a Revolutionary pattern thrust through its antique roof.
It is said that when the British visited Danbury in 1777 some of the soldiers quartered at this house, and saved it from the flames, because a boy in the family provided them with cider. We do not know what degree of hardness the cider of that time had assumed in April, but it must have been quite satisfactory to the minions of King George. This tradition, however, is devoid of that substantiality which we all like to see bracing up facts.
Farther west on this street was the residence of Major Taylor. When the British came to Danbury his ox-team was engaged in drawing stores to the American troops under Arnold. He had one horse, smooth shod, and a cart. As soon as he heard that the enemy were approaching he hurried home to get his family and what supply of produce he could out of the range of the depredators.
One of the members of his family was an invalid. She was placed on a feather-bed in the cart. After putting his wife and what supplies he could hastily get together in the same vehicle, he looked about in vain for his daughter, who was then deeply engaged with some children of her own age in making mud-pies on the lower part of South Street. Major Taylor succeeded in finding her before a start was made, and took her with him on the cart, which he drove to Brookfield. This small girl who was making mud-pies in South Street in the spring of 1777 after- ward became the wife of Edward Wilcox, and the mother of Mrs. George W. Ives of this town.
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When the excitement was over Major Taylor returned to Dan- bury, built the house called the Martin Clark place, and used it as a tavern. Ten years later Mr. Taylor put up a guide-stone in front of his place, which still remains and contains the following information :
" 67 MILES to H. 68 to N Y. This Stone erected by Mr. M Taylor 1787."
The building is two-storied, with a tremendous garret. The dining-room was then used as the reception-room, with the small bar of those days opening off from it. A part of the second floor was used as a ball-room. Three stone chimneys pierce the roof. One of these at the base is eight by eleven feet, and five feet square in the garret. The others are nearly as large.
There were two Matthew Benedicts, father and son, who figure in the list of losers. The latter, who was grandfather of the late Henry Benedict, lived where is now the homestead of Mrs. Henry Benedict. It is said that he owned a small hat shop, which was burned by the British, although Francis's " History of Hatting" says hatting was begun in Danbury in 1780, or three years later than the advent of the British. The senior Matthew lived with Jonah, another son. The junior's estate included what is now a part of the foot of West Street, long known as the Concert Hall property, which was given by the family to the first church society. We have not been able to locate the residence of either Jonah or Zadock Benedict, who were brothers of Matthew, Jr. The former is said to have lived at the lower end of Main Street. Still another brother was Noble Benedict, who raised a company of one hundred men at the beginning of the war. He was captured in November, 1776, at Fort Washington. Nathan was captured in the Danbury fight, and taken to the Sugar House prison. Jonah was in his brother's company at Fort Washing- ton, and was captured there.
Joseph Wildman lived where stands the residence of the late Hon. F. S. Wildman, on West Street, near Main. In the award of land to the sufferers he received fourteen hundred acres in
( Fr)
REV. NATHANIEL TAYLOR, FROM PORTRAIT ABOUT 120 YEARS OLD.
MISS SARANE TAYLOR, FROM PORTRAIT PAINTED ABOUT 1790.
TAYLOR HOMESTEAD, SOUTH MAIN ST.
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Ohio. So little did he value it that he sold it in exchange for a horse.
A part of the flourishing city of Sandusky is on that land, and is now worth millions of dollars. The singular sale was made with the right of redemption within thirty years. About a year or so after the expiration of that time, and when the property began to be quite valuable, Joseph's heirs unfortunately discov- ered this clause in the deed.
Perhaps the most serious loss Danbury sustained in the fire were its town records. The books of the probate office were saved. Had the former been equally fortunate much valuable matter could have easily been added to these papers from the treasure.
This list of sufferers with the amounts of losses we herewith give, as awarded by the first-named committee, mentioned in the report following from Hinman's history : Mr. John McLean, $12,462.64 ; Captain Ezra Starr, $11,480 ; Captain Daniel Taylor, $4932 ; Colonel Jos. P. Cooke, $4767.50; Major Eli Mygatt, $580.30 ; Captain James Clark, $4112.62 ; Major Taylor, $3504 ; Comfort Hoyt, Jr., $3258.77 ; Thaddeus Benedict, Esq., $2610 ; Benjamin Sperry, $849 ; David Wood, $2165.24 ; Joseph Wild- man, $2087 ; Dr. John Wood, $1970.80; Matthew Benedict, $1672.50 ; Rev. Ebenezer White, $1637.60 ; Jonah Benedict, $1547.50 ; Matthew Benedict, $1026.16 ; Jabez Rockwell, $1189 ; Zadock Benedict, $849.25.
The total loss as thus determined by the committee amounted to nearly $81,000.
Immediately after the disaster the selectmen were instructed to present a petition to the Legislature for the relief of the suf- ferers, Hinman, in his "War of the American Revolution," says :
" John McLean, Eli Mygatt, and others, selectmen of Dan- bury, stated to the General Assembly, convened at Hartford on May 8th, 1777, that the enemy, in their incursion into Danbury, burned and destroyed the public records of said town, and they apprehended great damage might arise to the inhabitants unless some timely remedy should be provided. The Assembly ap- pointed Daniel Sherman, Colonel Nehemiah Beardsley, Increase Moseley, Lemuel Sanford, Colonel S. Canfield, and Caleb Bald- win to repair to Danbury as soon as might be, and notify the
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inhabitants of said town, and by all lawful ways inquire into and ascertain every man's right, and report to the next General Assembly.
"This committee reported to the Assembly that the British troops had made a hostile invasion into said town, and under a pretence of destroying the public stores, had consumed with fire about twenty dwelling-houses, with many stores, barns, and other buildings, and that the enemy on their retreat collected and drove off all the live stock-viz., cattle, horses, and sheep- which they could find ; and that the destruction of said property had reduced many of the wealthy inhabitants to poverty. Hav- ing notified the inhabitants, they from day to day examined the losses of each sufferer, on oath and by other evidence, and allowed to each his damage at the time said property was de- stroyed ; they found that by reason of the price of articles, the inhabitants had been obliged to pay large sums over and above the value in procuring the necessaries for their families ; that many of them had their teams forced from them to remove the public stores, etc. They gave the name of each sufferer, with his loss allowed, annexed to his name, which amounted to the sum of £16,181 1s. 4d., which report was accepted by the Assem- bly and ordered to be lodged on file, to perpetuate the evidence of the loss of each person, that when Congress should order a compensation, to make out the claims of sufferers.
"On the receipt of this communication the pay-table were directed to draw an order on the treasurer for the sum of £500 in favor of the selectmen of Danbury, as aforesaid, who could not subsist without such relief.
"In 1787 the sufferers in Danbury having received no further relief, again petitioned the General Assembly of Connecticut, upon which petition Hon. Andrew Adams and others were ap- pointed a committee.
" The chairman of said committee reported that for want of exhibits and documents they were unable methodically and cor- rectly to state the facts or losses and estimate the damages ; and also for the want of proper certificates from the Treasurer and Secretary of State, to report what had already been done for their relief ; but were of opinion that the houses and buildings and necessary household furniture, destroyed by the enemy, ought to be paid for by the State, at their just value ; and that
-
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the only manner in the power of the State, at that time, was to pay the same in Western lands, which report was in October, 1787, accepted by the House, but rejected by the Upper House."
In 1792 the General Assembly made the award of land. This territory is in Ohio, and has since been known as the Western Reserve.
The following named are the prisoners taken from Danbury at the time of the raid : John Bartram, Nathan Benedict, Benja- min Sperry, John Porter, Jonathan Starr, William Roberts, Jacob Gray, and Aaron Gray Knapp.
CHAPTER XVIII.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION.
A VOLUME entitled "The War of the American Revolution" furnishes some incidents of interest to Danbury-in fact, Dan- bury largely figures in the book, which was compiled in 1841 by Royal R. Hinman, who was then Secretary of State. The matter pertaining to Danbury was furnished by Reuben Booth, grand- father of Attorney John R. Booth, of this city.
We learn from this book that Danbury's grand list in 1775, at the beginning of the Revolution, was $142,507.66.
In May, 1777, the month following the burning, Governor Trumbull issued, at the suggestion of the General Assembly, a proclamation. The document is a sorry confession of man's in- humanity to man, especially to his neighbor. It appears from this paper that a lot of shiftless and mercenary wretches took advantage of the appearance of the enemy here to burn the houses and steal the portable property of Danburians and others who escaped the raid of the British. The proclamation calls upon these graceless offenders to immediately restore such prop- erty and make good such losses, or suffer the severe penalties of the law.
In the record of the General Assembly, May session, 1777, there are the following interesting entries :
" Thaddeus Benedict, of Danbury, represented to the Assem- bly that the British troops, when in Danbury, burned his dwell- ing-house and several other houses kept for public entertain- ment ; and stated that he had provided a convenient house in the centre of said town, and asked for a license to keep a public- house, which was granted by said Assembly.
"Mary Hoyt, the wife of Isaac Hoyt, then late of Danbury, showed to the Assembly that she had ever been a good Whig and a true friend to the rights of her country, and that her hus- band, when the enemy entered said Danbury, being an enemy
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to his country, went off and joined the British, by which he had justly forfeited all his estate, both real and personal ; and that the selectmen had seized upon all the personal estate of her hus- band, by means of which she was deprived of the necessaries of life, and asked the Assembly to order that one-third part of all the clear, movable estate should be given to her, and the use of one-third part of all the real estate, for her natural life, for her support. The Assembly ordered that said Mary Hoyt should have and enjoy one-third part of the personal and real estate during the pleasure of the Assembly."
" Ruth Peck, the widow of Jesse Peck (then), late of Danbury, stated to the General Assembly that her husband, with three sons, in the spring of 1776, enlisted in the service of the State, and all went through the fatigue of the campaign. Two of the sons were taken prisoners at Fort Washington, and suffered the hardships of captivity in New York. One son had the small- pox in the worst manner possible, in the most scarce time of gold, the (then)' last winter at New York, who started for home and froze his feet, so that he became a cripple ; another son was sent home by the British about January 1st, 1777, infected with the small-pox, of which he soon died after his arrival. The hus- band, who had arrived home a short time previous to his son, took the disease, and also died after a long confinement. One other son also took said disease, who by the goodness of God recovered, whereby said Ruth was grievously afflicted, and the town of Danbury expended the sum of £26 12s. 6d. in their sick- ness, and held a claim upon the small estate her husband had left for the payment of it, and if paid by her, would leave her with a family of small children and needy indeed ; and prayed the Assembly to pay the sum aforesaid."
At an adjourned session of the same body in February, 1778. occurred the following :
" John Marsh, of Danbury, stated to the Assembly that when the British troops went into Danbury he through surprise joined them and went away with them, but soon made his escape and returned home, and was committed to jail, and prayed pardon for the offence, which was granted him, by his taking the oath of fidelity and paying the cost of prosecution."
In the January (1778) session were given the following depo- sitions regarding the negro who was killed in Major Starr's
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house, and who, we should judge, was a slave, whose owner was seeking remuneration. Here are the entries :
"Ebenezer White, of Danbury, of lawful age, testifies and says, that on or about the 26th day of April, 1777, at evening, there being a number of gentlemen at his house belonging to the British Army, among which was one whom he understood was the Earl of Falkland's son, who told him (the deponent) that he was the first that entered Major Starr's house, and found a number of men in the house, among whom were two negroes, all of whom they instantly killed, and set fire to the house ; and gave this for a reason why they did so, that it was their constant practice, where they found people shut up in a house and firing upon them, to kill them, and to burn the house ; and further the de- ponent saith, that the said young gentleman told him that one of the negroes, after he had run him through, rose up and attempted to shoot him, and that he, the said Earl of Falkland's son, cut his head off himself ; which negro the deponent under- stood since was the property of Mr. Samuel Smith, of Reading ; and further the deponent saith not.
"Danbury, January 26th, 1778.
" The Rev. Mr. Ebenezer White, the deponent, personally appearing, made oath to the truth of the above written depo- sition.
" Sworn to before me, Thaddeus Benedict, Justice of the Peace.
"Ebenezer Weed, of Danbury, of lawful age, testifies and says, that on or about the 26th day of April, 1777, he being at home across the road opposite to Major Daniel Starr's house, he saw a negro at the house, which he knew to be the property of Mr. Samuel Smith, of Reading, about a half hour, as near as he can judge, before the British troops came to said house ; and further the deponent saith, that in the evening of said day, he heard a man belonging to the British Army say that they had killed one dam'd black with the whites, in said Starr's house ; and further the deponent saith not.
"Danbury, January 26th, 1778.
"Sworn before Thaddeus Benedict, Justice of the Peace.
" Anna Weed, of Danbury, of lawful age, testifies and says, that on or about the 26th day of April, 1777, she being at home
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across the road opposite to Major Starr's house, she saw a negro at said house, which she understood was the property of Mr. Samuel Smith, of Reading, but a short time before the British troops came up to the house ; and further the deponent saith she heard one of the British soldiers say, ' Here is a dam'd black in the house ; what shall we do with him ?' Another answered, ' Damn him, kill him,' and immediately the house was in flames ; and further the deponent saith not.
"Danbury, January 26th, 1778.
" Sworn to before Thaddeus Benedict, Justice of the Peace."
In the March (1778) session of the Assembly occurs the fol- lowing :
" Hannah Church, of Danbury, the wife of Asa Church (then), late of said Danbury, showed the Governor and Council that her husband had joined the British Army, and was then in New York, and that she had no estate to support her ; and prayed for liberty to go to New York to her husband. The Governor and Council gave her liberty to go to New York, with such necessary apparel as the Committee of Inspection of said Dan- bury shall think proper ; and General Silliman was directed to grant a flag or passport to the said Hannah accordingly."
It appears from an item in the report of the General Assembly that an attack on Danbury was anticipated several weeks before from the Hudson River direction. Two weeks before the attack the Governor sent a letter to General Silliman, instructing him to keep a strict watch upon the enemy, who were preparing in New York to go up the North River, with a view, undoubtedly, to destroy the stores at Danbury. On the night of the 27th the General Assembly received word that there were alarming symp- toms from the North River, and almost immediately after that Danbury was burned.
CHAPTER XIX.
SOME INCIDENTS OF THE RAID.
JOHN McLEAN was commissary of the Continental troops in that vicinity, and the object of the visit of the enemy to Danbury was to destroy the army provisions which he had accumulated in his store and in the Episcopal church, which was then unfin- ished. They would not burn the church, but rolled the barrels of flour and pork into South Street, and burned them and the buildings.
Mr. McLean had sent off all his working teams toward West Point with supplies, and had nothing at home but a pair of fat- ting oxen and a saddle horse. Upon the alarm of the enemy's approach the oxen were put before a cart with a feather-bed in it, upon which his wife and children proceeded to New Milford, while he remained burying and putting in safety such of his property as he could conceal, until the British appeared over Coalpit Hill. They saw and pursued him, calling out, " Old Daddy," " Rebel," etc., and firing after him when the fleetness of his horse seemed likely to carry him out of their reach. Some of the bullets passed through his coat and hat, but he escaped uninjured, joining his family in New Milford, whence they re- moved to a farm which he owned in Stony Hill, and remained until the close of the war. They then returned to Danbury and built the house now standing near the foot of Main Street.
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