USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > East Haven > History of East Haven > Part 3
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GEORGE PARDEE, 1654.
George Pardee was apprenticed to Francis Brown, tailor, 1644, to stay five years, and was married to Martha Miles by the governor, October 20, 1650. "Marriages were not solemnized by a minister of religion, but, according to the Puritan view of pro- priety, by a magistrate. The requirement that mar- riage should be contracted before an officer of the civil authority was a protest against the position that marriage is a sacrament of the Church, which the Church of England believes; and at this early date a minister had no legal authority to pronounce a couple husband and wife, though the bride be his own daughter." (Hollister.) This Francis Brown is recorded as being one of the seven men who remained in Quinnipiac the winter after Mr. Eaton had explored the country and decided to return and settle there the next spring.
The ferry at Red Rock had been operated by Francis Brown, but in 1650 George Pardee took it.
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History of East Haven.
Francis Brown, the first of that family, died in 1668. George Pardee was afterwards allowed to build a house there at his own expense, and in 1670 the Ferry farm was granted to him, which was left by him to his son George, and it continued in the line of his descendants until about 1870, when the name was extinct and the property was divided and streets cut through and lots sold for residences. We must con- clude George Pardee made good use of his time while an apprentice, besides using the thimble and goose.
A colony school was established in the autumn of 1660, but it was hard work to keep it up and it was thought best to discontinue it, so "the town of New Haven negotiated with Geo. Pardee, one of their own people, to teach the children English and to carry them on in Latin so far as he could. £20 were allowed this year out of the town treasury, and the rest to be paid by patrons of the school." (Atwater.) When the time for which he was engaged had expired, the colony of New Haven had been absorbed into the colony of Connecticut and thus lost its jurisdiction. July 18, 1678, Mr. Pardee bought 33 acres at the Cove of the Gregson estate, and in 1716 his son George, Jr., bought the remainder of the farm, which remained in the name until after 1824. George Pardee died in 1700.
The name of Pardee has always been an honorable one in East Haven, and its members have filled various offices of church and state down to the passing genera- tion. Mr. Isaac Pardee was one of the staunch men of his time, firm and sound in principle, a worthy example. He was succeeded by two sons. Mr. Joseph
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Settlement of the Town.
Pardee was town treasurer for many years, and Mr. Bradley Pardee was selectman and held other offices for years.
WILLIAM LUDDINGTON, 1662.
The first mention that is recorded of William Lud- dington in colonial records is that he died at the Iron Works in East Haven in 1662. He was the first of this name and family. He left a son William from whom a long line has descended, many of whom have filled various offices of church and state all through these succeeding generations. Thomas (son of the first Wil- liam) removed to Newark, New Jersey. His eldest son was John.
MATTHEW MOULTHROP, 1662.
Matthew Moulthrop is named among the planters of New Haven, but for some reasons unknown, in the list of persons numbered, estates and land division, a blank is registered against his name. In 1651 14 acres were granted him in East Haven in the fresh meadow. In 1667 he bought land of the widow of William Andrews at South End. He died December 22, 1668, and was succeeded by his son, Matthew, who appears in various offices of the town. The name is now nearly, if not quite, extinct on East Haven soil.
THOMAS SMITH, 1662.
Atwater's "Colonial History" says: "In conse- quence of the decision of Thomas Nash, who was a gunsmith, to settle in New Haven, serious inconve- nience was experienced for want of a smith till 1652.
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History of East Haven.
Thomas Smith came from Fairfield on the invitation of the planters, who gave him a considerable tract of land on condition of serving the town in the trade of a smith upon just and moderate terms for the space of five years." He married the daughter and only child of Edward Patterson, one of the South End men, and so became possessor of his share. Capt. Thomas Smith, the father of the Smith family, died November 16, 1724, aged about 90.
JOHN THOMPSON, 1662.
The three Thompson brothers, Anthony, John and William, came from Lenham, county of Kent, Eng- land. In 1887 Rev. E. E. Atwater, while searching out the Atwater genealogy in England, came across the baptism of Anthony Thompson, August 30, 1612, in Lenham, in Kent. This discovery led him, through his own connection and descent from the Thompson family, to prepare a paper on the birthplace of Anthony Thompson, one of the planters of New Haven, which was read before the New Haven Colony Historical Society October 6, 1887, and which stated that the house of his birth was still standing.
Anthony Thompson signed the colony constitution at New Haven in June, 1639. February 7, 1657, John Thompson subscribed. Thomas Harrison, one of the proprietors who bought land at South End, sold his share at South End and land at Muddy river to John Thompson. From this ancestor has descended a large family, influential in the town since its settlement.
The first settler, John Thompson, father of the East Haven Thompsons, died December 11, 1674, twelve
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Settlement of the Town.
years after coming to East Haven. He was suc- ceeded by his son John, whom we find active in settling boundary questions, in the division of land, revising village records, as selectman, collector of rates, and various other duties, up to the time of his death, February 13, 1693. The Thompson family has, in all its different branches, held offices of trust and confidence down to the present time.
Stephen Thompson, born December 25, 1723, who was one of the building committee of the "Stone Church," and was badly injured (as told elsewhere), was the father of four sons. He built a house for each one, which are all standing to-day (1907), two of which have never been out of the name and descent. His son Amos' house is on the east side of the Green, Moses' house was built on the southeast corner of the Green on the site of Rev. Jacob Hemingway's house, which was burned. This house now stands on Hemingway avenue, having been moved there in 1898. Stephen's house stands on the corner of Main street and Hemingway avenue. The fourth house he built on the corner of Main street and Thompson avenue, where he died, and his youngest son, James, came into possession of it, in which he reared a family of ten children, nine of whom were boys. This son, Capt. James Thompson, filled all the different offices of the town, and among others was elected to the state legislature as representative of his town ten terms, always serving with ability and distinction. He was succeeded in this office by his son James, and three grandsons, the late John Woodward Thompson, James S. Thompson and Edward Foote Thompson, who is now serving his second term as county commissioner.
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History of East Haven.
His residence is that of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, where five successive generations have lived.
SAMUEL HEMINGWAY, 1662.
Samuel Hemingway, son of Ralph and Elizabeth (Hewes) Hemingway, was born in Roxbury, Massa- chusetts, in June, 1636. Ralph Hemingway was active in town affairs and a member of Roxbury Church. He brought a large property with him, and in 1638 was one of the largest taxpayers and land owners in Roxbury. His wife was also wealthy. His eldest son, Samuel, settled in New Haven and later moved to East Haven, in 1662, where he married Sarah Cooper, a daughter of John Cooper, the agent of the Iron Works in East Haven. We find him a very busy and influential man, serving the town in many and some difficult capacities, such as settling boundary questions, securing mill grants, revising village records, selectman, looking after village grants and privileges, town clerk and other minor duties. He was a neat and handsome pen- man. His house was not far from the furnace, and as he was interested in the milling business, probably never changed it. He was the first man to send a son to Yale College. He was rated the third richest man in the town, which was only a few pounds less than the highest. He died September 20, 1711, aged 75 years, and was succeeded by his two sons, John and Abraham, who took the stand and place of their father in public affairs.
We have only to look over the town records of East Haven to see the frequency of the Hemingway name in all the varied policies and happenings of the place.
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Settlement of the Town.
The name of John has been continued by generations succeeding each other to the present day. John 4th was widely known and justly popular throughout the state, while the name of his son Merit of Watertown, Connecticut, is daily carried into and read in nearly every household in the Union, on the spools and silks bearing the name of "M. Heminway & Sons, silk manufacturers, Watertown, Conn." The house where Merit Heminway (as he holds to the old spelling) was born in 1800 is still standing, in a good state of preservation, on Main street, near the Branford line.
The descendants of Abraham and Enos settled in the north part of the town, near the North Haven line, and have displayed the same characteristics of family down to the present day. "Enos Hemingway served in the state legislature of Connecticut from 1797 to 1809, the longest term in its history." His twin son, Willis Hemingway, was legal eye and ear for Fair Haven for forty years or more. No man ever lived who enjoyed the love and confidence of his townsmen more than his eldest' son, Samuel Heming- way, particularly those of small means. If they had anything to invest Samuel Hemingway was the man to whom it was intrusted, and this confidence always returned them a good percentage. The reputation of his financial ability, and the strictest integrity, elected him to the presidency of the Second National Bank of New Haven, long years before his sudden and widely lamented death. His mantle has fallen upon his two sons, Samuel Hemingway and James Smith Hemingway. The former is now president of the Second National Bank, and the latter treasurer of the New Haven Savings Bank. The sons of Col. Willet
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History of East Haven.
Hemingway, the twin brother of Esquire Willis, are all noted financiers and successful business men of the highest integrity and social standing.
RALPH RUSSELL, 1664.
Ralph Russell came to East Haven about 1664, at the establishment of the Iron Works. John Russell, his brother, was a potter in the furnace. In 1664 a piece of land was granted to Ralph Russell by the advice of the town, probably to induce him to become a settler, as all trades were considered benefits to the young colony. Ralph Russell died in 1679 and in the same year the Iron Works were given up. It is a tra- dition in the Russell family that the death of the prin- cipal workmen produced this change. Some author- ties say the ore in North Haven was exhausted. His descendants became large landholders in the vicinity of what is now called Russell street, and the land is still (1907) in the possession of his line of descent. The East Haven Russells seem to be in no way connected with the Branford and North Branford Russells. The latter descended from Rev. Samuel Russell, who was pastor of Branford Church forty-three years and in whose study Yale College was founded, of which he was librarian thirty years.
Lieut. John Russell, eldest son of Ralph, was one of the committee chosen April 25, 1706, to attend to church matters. When the first meetinghouse was built in 1706, John Russell was one of the overseers; when the second wood house was built, Capt. John Russell was one of the building committee. In "seat- ing the meeting house," Capt. John Russell was one of the six chosen to perform that honorable duty.
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Settlement of the Town.
Capt. John Russell died February 13, 1724, aged 59 years. Lieut. John Russell succeeded his father in public affairs. He is called ensign in 1703, when he was chosen, with others, to manage the concerns of the village. April 24, 1707, the village voted to sell 600 acres on the lower end of the half-mile, and John Russell was one of the six men who bought this land and divided it among themselves. He was active in surveying and laying out roads. Lieut. John Russell died October 18, 1774, aged 80 years. The name of Russell has been historic in England ever since Henry VIII created the first Lord Russell, whose title was transformed to Earl of Bedford, and from that to Duke of Bedford, which title stands next to royalty. The Duke of Bedford is the acknowledged chief of the house of Russell. Not that there is any connection between this house and the American Russells, but stranger things than this have happened.
THOMAS MORRIS, 1671.
Thomas Morris signed the plantation covenant at New Haven in 1639, and was admitted a free inhabi- tant July 3, 1648. That is why he is not mentioned in the first division of lands, having no right of com- monage in the order in which they were drawn, but living on one of the small lots which had been freely given to thirty-two householders. Atwater says: "Thomas Morris dwelt on the bank side (that is on East Water street) and east of the four proprietors, whose land extended from Union to Chestnut streets (New Haven)." When the first meetinghouse in New Haven needed repairs Thomas Morris was one of the committee to decide "how it may be done, for most
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History of East Haven.
safety to the town and least charge." Doubtless these men composing the committee were master workmen having under them journeymen and apprentices. Mr. Morris wrought as a shipbuilder, but his appointment on this committee indicates he did not confine himself to shipbuilding alone. On March 16, 1671, he bought the little neck having Gregson's farm on the north and the meadows along Fowler's creek on the east. His design was to carry on shipbuilding, the timber there being very suitable for that purpose, but two years afterwards death put an end to all his purposes. The date of the deed of the land is on the house, 1671.
EXTRACTS FROM THE MORRIS TREE.
"Tradition in the family affairs affirm that a singular incident made Mr. Morris acquainted with the value of the soil, and the excellence of the timber for ship building on the tract of land now known as Morris Point. It seems he once left his cart, with a load of wood on it, standing near the edge of the bank where he lived, the base of which met the water of the harbor. A company of young people who were visiting at his house coveted the sport of seeing the cart roll down the bank, and put it in motion. They did not calculate the velocity it would acquire in the descent, nor the distance to which it would move. They soon beheld it floating at too great a distance to be reached and drifting in the direction of the Cove, on the East Haven side, where it was fortunately driven ashore and recovered. It was his excursion to obtain the cart that brought the quality of the timber and the land to his notice.
"His negotiations for the purchase of the Point were in 1688, but he did not receive the deed from the court till 1671. From him it passed into the hands of his son Eleazer, by whom it was inherited by his son John. John had no children and gave it to Amos, one of the sons of his brother James. This Amos was the first proprietor who resided upon the farm,
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Settlement of the Town.
and it has never ceased to be in the hands of his descend- ants. He was a man of extraordinary enterprise, and of undoubted piety, a Puritan of the best type, a deacon in the East Haven Church. He had in his own possession the means of carrying on commerce abroad, and his papers show that he trafficed with some of the West Indian ports. His wharf accommodated vessels of considerable size and his warehouse often contained large quantities of goods. He also carried on the manufacture of salt, and had a building with five boilers for that purpose. His enterprise and public spirit are still further seen in the fact that he bought the land and constructed at his own expense the causeway across the salt march that leads from the Cove to the road by which the meetinghouse is approached (now Thompson avenue) from all that section of the town."
It was a gigantic work to be undertaken by a single man in those days, yet when the town assumed the road they voted to allow him nothing for it. However, after much altercation and the appointment of several committees, the town voted to allow him $40. His history reaches the Revolution and affords much inter- esting matter.
JOHN AUSTIN, 1673.
A petition dated October 6, 1656, was presented to the New Haven government by the inhabitants of Greenwich to be received under their care, John Aus- tin being one of the signers. In 1676 he bought land of William Fowler on the east side. He seems to have had his house on the north side of the Green, and to have been a man of considerable means, from his list. He, with others, obtained a deed from the Indians for Stable Point, for housing for their horses when they went to New Haven, which is the point just north of Tomlinson Bridge. He died February 22, 1690, the
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History of East Haven.
father of the East and New Haven Austins. He was succeeded by his son Joshua, who seems to have been quite a man of affairs.
JOHN CHIDSEY, 1681.
The first mention of this good man in New Haven is in 1656, when an honorable seat in the meetinghouse is assigned him. In 1681 Deacon John Chidsey, a tan- ner and shoemaker, settled on the north side of the Green, on a three square lot of about three acres, between John Potter and John Austin. Afterwards ten acres were granted him by the village on the west side of the fresh meadows, which ever since has been known as Chidsey's field and Chidsey's hill. Mr. Havens, in his centennial sermon, credits Chidsey's hill as the one on Main street now opposite Forbes place, which is an error. Chidsey's hill commenced at the corner of Peat Meadow road and Main street, and ran west to nearly the Four Corners. The field was later bought by the Woodwards. In March, 1683, he "proposed to the village to have a third division of land among us equal to ten heads, and froo estate, which he doth apprehend to be 60 acres; and for the future he will be engaged to pay towards the expenses of the village after the rate of f200 rateable estate, until his estate shall amount to £200, and then to rise as his estate shall rise."
He was deacon of the church in New Haven, residing only seven years in East Haven and dying December 31, 1688. He was succeeded by his two sons, Caleb and Ebenezer. The North Guilford branch of Chidseys descended from his son Joseph. His son Caleb succeeded him in the deaconship, but he
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Settlement of the Town.
filled this office in East Haven, being one of the church's first deacons. He died February 20, 1713. At a village meeting December 23, 1703, the inhabi- tants voted that they would take up their village grant. In April, 1704, Caleb Chidsey was chosen moderator, and Ebenezer Chidsey clerk. Caleb Chidsey was one of the committee chosen to go to New Haven and dis- course about the differences they speak of between them and us. He was treasurer of the money coming from the sale of the "half-mile." Ebenezer Chidsey was clerk of the village from 1702 to time of his death, September 26, 1726.
The two brothers were chosen with John Potter to treat with Mr. Hemingway to become their first min- ister, also respecting forming the church in 1710, and so we may continue to trace the good offices of the Chidsey name through the town records all along down to the present day. The late Mr. Samuel Chid- sey was one of the active men of the town up to his death, and his son, Samuel R. Chidsey, is follow- ing in the footsteps of his father; besides many others of the name are to be found doing their duty as inter- ested and capable citizens, descendants of a worthy ancestor.
ISAAC BRADLEY, 1683.
The first mention made of Isaac Bradley is on Bran- ford records in 1674. He is then noticed as a "sojourner at New Haven," and the town granted him a home lot of two acres at Canoe Brook. The term "sojourner" would imply that he did not intend to make New Haven his permanent abode, and the sub- sequent grant of land to him in Branford, that he
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History of East Haven.
was a man desirable for the colony; otherwise he could not have obtained two acres at Canoe Brook. At that period no man could obtain land, which had not been previously taken up, without the consent of the town, and, in many instances, could not sell it to another, even if it had been granted to him. This was done in order to keep out undesirable inhabitants. Mr. Bradley being a carpenter, the town no doubt con- sidered him a valuable acquisition. After nine years he removed to East Haven.
The village had granted one acre of land to Joseph, son of Ralph Russell, west to Stoney river, which he soon sold to John Potter, and John Potter the same day conveyed it to Isaac Bradley, on which he built his house. On the post road near Stoney river were Daniel Bradley and his sons, Stephen, Timothy and Jacob. Ebenezer Chidsey bought Isaac Bradley's house north of Daniel Bradley. Isaac Bradley, father of the East Haven Bradleys, died January 12, 1713. Isaac Bradley, Jr., died, unmarried, July 10, 1716.
From his three sons, William, Samuel and Daniel, descended one of the largest number of families of one name in the town (excepting the Smith family, which is an exception everywhere). In influence, social position and wealth, they took a high rank, and the town records are plentifully sprinkled with the name of Bradley in every capacity. Josiah Bradley was the squire of the town from 1787 to 1806. At one time the name was so numerous that it was a synonym for East Haven, as it was often remarked in other towns, "to say Bradley was to name the whole of East Haven." Like many other old colonial families, the name has been greatly depleted by death, removals
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Settlement of the Town.
and the usual decline in the number of children, in families, until at present there are comparatively few families left; but those few still retain the character- istics of the family and are valued citizens. Among the younger members is Mr. Henry H. Bradley.
THOMAS GOODSELL, 1692.
Thomas Goodsell appears on Branford records in 1679. He married Sarah Hemingway, daughter of Samuel, June 4, 1684, and moved to East Haven in April, 1692. Little is recorded of him, although what is signifies he was a man of note in the community. His home was where the present Bailey house stands, and the small rise of ground just west has always been called Goodsell's hill. His estate is rated among the highest in town, therefore we must take it for granted that, with the high social position of his wife and his own good name and character, coupled with his wealth, he was a man of influence. He died May 16, 1713, and left three sons, two of whom, Thomas and John, graduated from Yale College in the same class, in 1724, John being only nineteen. The name has long been extinct in East Haven. Rt. Rev. Daniel Goodsell, Methodist Episcopal bishop, whose sum- mer home is at Granite Bay, is a descendant of this Goodsell family of East Haven.
All the information obtainable of the first settlers up to 1700 has now been given. There are three others after that date of which mention will be made. Doubt- less many moved into the town, remaining only a short time. Emigration was as rife then as at any subse- quent period, much more so than one hundred and fifty years afterwards.
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40
History of East Haven. JOHN WOODWARD, 1716.
Rev. John Woodward was graduated at Cambridge College, England, in 1693, was ordained pastor of the church at Norwich, Connecticut, December 6, 1699, assisted in the council that compiled the Saybrook Platform in 1708, was dismissed from his pastoral charge September 13, 1716, and was admitted an inhabitant of New Haven, December 24, of the same year. He obtained liberty of the town to buy of the Indians one acre of land to accommodate his house and bought various pieces of land around him, thus becoming possessed of a convenient farm. In 1738 he was chosen moderator of the society meeting. This is his first appearance on the village records. He seems to have lived a retired life after coming to East Haven, not taking any very active part in the affairs of the day, but devoting his attention to agri- culture. No record is found of acting in his profes- sional calling after coming to East Haven. He died February 14, 1746, and was succeeded by four sons, all of whom married and settled in East Haven. Their families being mostly daughters, the name did not become numerous, but those who did retain it became among the largest landed proprietors of the town, and in point of wealth, popularity and influence took high rank, which, with their ancestral domains, they hold to the present time.
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