History of Fairfield County, Connecticut : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 199

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) comp. cn
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 1572

USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > History of Fairfield County, Connecticut : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 199

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The exact period of the first settlement at Green's Farms cannot be told, probably between 1680 and 1690, and among the first, if not the first, was John Hyde, the great-grandfather of the present John S. and Edward Hyde. In the division of the land above the Long Lots highway, Humphrey Hyde and his son John had set out to them a lot forty rods one foot and a half inch in width, and, as these lots ran back ten miles, it follows that the old man and his son had farm of eight linndred and two acres of land, in addi tion to outlays of land made before that time. Sixty years ago more than one-half of this lot was in the name of the original proprietors. Between the high way passing the dwelling-house of Bnrr Meeker an the highway east there was laid out, in the origin division, nine lots to nine men. The whole wid. was one hundred and ninety-two rods, and the whol area three thousand eight hundred and forty acre

The following were also living in this district in.

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1800: John Hyde, Joseph Hyde, Aaron Sherwood, Esq., James Chapman, Daniel Bradley, Aaron Jen- nings, Lamon Burr, Jonathan Burr, Joseph Adams, Joseph Hyde, Jr.

" Other early settlers were Nathan Adams, grand- father of the late Jabez Adams, Samuel Platt, Thos. Taylor, John Taylor, Seth Taylor, Gamaliel A. Tay- lor, Samuel Pearsall, and son John S.

Of the first settlers in Cross Highway District but little is known. Few of them had money; they had houses to build and farms to clear. Necessity drove them to hard labor, and they had little time and per- haps less inclination to make records of passing events. Among the most prominent were John 1

Hyde, great-grandson of Humphrey Hyde, who was the largest landholder, and, at his death, the most wealthy man, of Green's Farms. He resided where the widow of the late Seth W. Meeker now lives, and he died without issue about 1798.

John Goodsell, great-grandfather of the present John Goodsell, groeer, was killed at the burning of Fairfield by the British, July 8, 1779. He was, with a few militia-men, on the high ground above the town, firing upon the enemy, when he received a ball in one of his legs, breaking the bone. A charge upon the militia put them to flight, but Goodsell could not flee, and when the Hessians came up to him, in an- swer to his plea for quarter one thrust his bayonet into his mouth, another into his bowels.

Ephraim Burr, father of Silas Burr, lived in a house where now resides the widow of the late Morris Ketchum. Nearly all of Ketchum's farm was Silas Burr's. Silas Burr died about 1814.

Phineas Chapman, father of Phineas, Jr., and grandfather of Charles, lived in the house where the family of the late Charles Chapman now reside.

Maj. Albert Chapinan, a distinguished Revolution- Try soldier, lived in the house now owned by the widow of David Bothwell. There were also two families of Meekers and one of Ogdens.

At what period the North Distriet had its first set- tlers eannot now be certainly ascertained. No settle- ments were made above the Front of Lots highway before the Long Lots, as they are called, were laid out. There is no evidence of any settlement before 1700, about which time some three or four families settled in Cross highway, and, within three or four years after, five or six families in the North District. Of the first settlers were John Coley, the progenitor of all the Coleys of that district, who had a small house on the south of Adam's mill. Nathan More- house built a house a little west of Jolin Gray's barn, succeeded by his son, Jabez Morchouse, who, in Sep- "mber, 1738, married Sarah, daughter of Joseph fgden. Jabez was a blacksmith, and occupied the od place, working at his trade near fifty years. Joseph Ogden built a grain- and saw-will on the ank of Aspetuck River, which came afterwards into the possession of his son Humphrey. This mill stood

until 1801, when it was demolished. It was the first grist-mill built within the limits of Westport. Joseph Gorham, about 1730, built the old house afterwards occupied by his son Shubad to the time of his death, about 1806. It stood until 1817. In 1778 the ocen- pant of this house, Shubad Gorham, received two long, well-written letters, purporting to have been written from heaven by his deceased father, which produced much excitement in the vicinity, and was the subject of Consociation occasionally for fifty years afterwards. Copies may yet be found. Jeremiah Sturges built a house where now stands the house of II. M. Coley. There was also a large family by the name of Beers, and another of the name of Guyre.

TIIE PIONEER SCHOOLS.

In about 1740 the first school-house was built, which stood until 1790, when a new one was erected. The style or dimensions of the first are not known, but if it was not equal to the second, it was no great credit to the first settlers. The second stood upon the highway, about half-way between the present house- occupied by Mrs. Goodsell and her son, Hemau B., and Eliphalet Gray. It was about twenty feet squarc. with eight-feet posts, a chimney built of stone aud elay in the northeast corner, no ceiling or chamber- floor, a door in the southwest corner opening into the room, a fifteen-light window of seven-by-nine glass in each square, not plastered for more than twenty years after it was built. I think it was in 1818 when the old chimney was taken down, the house plastered, a box-stove procured, and other improvements madc. As few boys were in sehool in the summer season over eight or nine years of age, it might well be said their education was obtained under difficulties. In 1841 a new and muel better house was built and more ceu- trally located. If we go back in the history of this district to 1800, there were within its limits twenty- three dwelling-houses, with an enumeration of over fifty children between the ages of four and sixtceu years. Up to that time, and for some years after, spelling, reading, writing, and arithmetic only were taught in the district school, and it was not before 1812 that teachers were required to pas an examina- tion iu English grammar. The first teacher that in- troduced the study of grammar into the North Dis- trict school was a young man from Simsbury, by the name of Oliver Cromwell Phelps. In the winter of 1802-3, after considerable talk with the parents, and much urging, he succeeded in obtaining two, and by sending to New Haven procured two copies of Noah Webster's grammar, and the strange study was com- meneed. Phelps taught the school two winters, but made no additions to his grammar class. For three years following the school was taught by oue Joseph Lockwood, with no grammar class,-indeed, the teach- ers kucw nothing about it. The winter terms of 1806 and 1807 were by Jeremiah Rowland, who had a class in grammar. of four or five, and Lindley Murray's

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grammar was introduced, and something in the way of geography and history was commenced. Noah Webster's "Elements of Universal Knowledge" served for reading and study. The two following winters Charles Lockwood was the teacher, with some further advancement in the exercises, but it was not before 1820 that an atlas with a geography was found in any common school. The wages of school-teachers were, for males, for the winter terms, from nine to twelve dollars per month, and board around with the pro- prietors according to the number of scholars attend- ing, and for females, in the summer, four to six dol- lars per month, the month to be not less than four weeks, and five and a half days of not less than six hours to the week per day.

Among the early settlers of our town frequent con- troversies arose regarding the location of their school- houses and the character and qualifications of the teachers. As late as 1796, at a school-society meet- ing, it was voted that the society be divided into four districts. The divisions were made by a line from Greenfield west, passing the house of David Burr and the house of Benjamin Allen to Saugatuck River, and by a line from Weston boundary south, including the house of Silas Burr, east of the house of Gideon Couch, to the sea, to be designated as the northeast, north- west, southeast, and southwest districts. This divi- sion, however, appears not to have been satisfactory, as, at an adjourned meeting of the school society, held the 17th of November, 1798, it was voted that Cross highway be set off as a new district, fron Greenfield line west, to include Phincas Chapmau, and south, to include Daniel Brotherton, David Beers, and David Sherwood, Jr., and appointed John Ogden school committee. The spring following, 1799, they built a school-house. It stood directly opposite the house where Henry Mouroe now lives. It might be supposed that land at that period was not so valuable as to prevent the purchase of a few rods for the first school-house ; yet the house was set upon the high- way, and there stood thirty-six years. It was for the time a comfortable house, about the size of the North District house, mentioned above. Among the early school-teachers, although at a much later date than the above, are the names of Swords, Hanford, Ben- nett, Jennings, and, particularly in 1811 and 1812, Stephen Olmstead, a very good teacher.

REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS. THE GALLANT SEVENTEEN.

Although Westport did not share the fate of Nor- walk and Fairfield, still the town suffered severely, and here, in what is now Compo Street, was spilled the first British blood on the memorable march of the red- coats to Danbury, in April, 1777.

On the afternoon of the 25th of April, 1777, a fleet of vessels were seen coming up the Sound. It was supposed their destination was farther eastward until they were seen rouuding the eastern eud of the reef

off Caukeen Island just at night. Alarm-guns were fired, and early in the evening a few men of the militia company of Weston met at a tavern kept by Ebenezer Ogden, in Cross highway. When their services might be required they knew not. In the course of the night they learned that the regulars were coming up the street and would soon be in sight. The number of the militia at the time, about half-past twelve A.M., had increased to seventeen, but without an officer of any grade, and no one of their number had ever been in battle. In front of where is now the mansion of Mrs. H. A. Birdsall was a well- erected stone wall, and from behind this wall they agreed to make a stand and give the British at least one shot. Each man loaded his gun with ball, and those who had them buckshot in addition, and took their places, first selecting one of their number to give the word fire. They expected the fire would cause a momentary halt of the euemy and a return fire, protection from which was the fence, behind which they were to drop as soon as they had fired, and after receiving the return fire each man was to take care of himself. When the head of the army reached a little elevation in the highway, nearly in front of the house occupied by the late Capt. Elwood, and at not more than sixteen rods' distance, the word fire was given, and the seventeen discharged their well-aimed muskets. The effect was one killed and a major and two or three others wounded. The killed and wounded werc put into an ox-cart, belong- ing to a Mr. Bennett, and sent down to the shipping. As expected, the army halted and returned the fire. To use the expression of the narrator, "The bullets rattled against the fence like hail against a glass window. As soon they had received the enemy's fire each man ran, taking his own way. I ran up north and crossed the highway where it branches, about forty rods above where we fired, into a field east of the road, and had gone some forty rods or so when, know- iug nothing of flank guard to an army, as I had nearly reached the top of a hill I discovered a company of about sixty men within not more than twenty rods of me. I turned and ran down the hill. I heard the word halt behind me, which I disregarded, and the whole company fired at but overshot mc. Fortunately, a little to my right was a thick alder-swamp, into which, without any fear of wet feet, I dove, until near the centre I crawled into a thick bush of alders aud lay low. The red-coats came down to the swamp, turned to the left, and went along. I kept my place until I was sure the army had passed, then went home."

The following is taken from the Westporter, under date April 29, 1876 :

" About four o'clock in the afternoon of the 25th of April, 1777, a fleet of twenty-six sail, containing from two thousand to two thousand five hundred British troops, commauded by Gen. Tryon, came to anchor at the mouth of the Saugatuck River, and the troops

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were landed on Compo Beach, from whenee they eom- meneed their mareh on Danbury. The yeomanry of the neighborhood had assembled to resist them, but a few cannon-shot made them give way, and the troops marched up Compo Street, galled by a seattering fire from behind stone fenees. At the head of Compo Street, where the Alden House now stands, there stood a barn, in front of which was a stone fenee, behind which lay eighteen patriots, who, as the ad- vanee of the enemy were in the vicinity of where Mr. James Quigg's house now stands, discharged their eighteen pieces in the faees of the foe, and ran across the lots in different directions.

"But the foe were in a patriotie neighborhood. Gen. Silliman, of the Connectieut militia, who resided in Fairfield, sent ont expresses, and the country was soon aroused. Gen. Arnold, who was at New Haven, hearing of the British inroad, mounted his horse, and, accompanied by Gen. Wooster and Lieut. Os- wald, of the artillery, with three field-pieces, has- tened to join Gen. Silliman. As they spurred forward, every farm-honse sent out its warrior. In the mean while the enemy, marehing all night, reached Danbury at two o'clock in the afternoon of the 26th, which place they pillaged and then burned. Meanwhile the pa- triots were gathering. Gen. Silliman had advaneed at the head of five hundred. Gens. Wooster and Arnold joined him, making in all six hundred men. Retarded by a heavy rain, they reached Bethel near midnight, where they halted to take a little repose and put their arms in order, rendered almost unser- viceable by the rain. Gen. Wooster took eommand, and at dawn detached Arnold, with four hundred men, to push across the country and take post at Ridgefield, by which the British must pass, while he, with the two hundred, remained to hang on and harass them in flank and rear. As soon as the British had passed his position, Wooster attacked the rear guard with great spirit and effeet; sharp skir- mishing continued until within two miles of Ridge- field, where, as the veteran was cheering on his men, a musket-ball brought him down from his horse and finished his gallant eareer. Upon this his men re- treated in disorder. The delay his attack had ocea- sioned the enemy had given Arnold time to throw up a kind of breastwork across the north end of Ridge- field Street, where he took his stand with his little force, now inereased to about five hundred men. At about eleven o'eloek the enemy advaneed in eolumn. They were kept at bay for a time, and received several volleys of shot from the barricades, until it was out- flanked, when Arnold ordered a retreat. Tryon in- trenehed for the night in Ridgefield. The next morning, after having fired four houses, he continued his march for the ships.

" Arnold was again in the field, and posted himself on the enemy's route at Old Hill, near where Mrs. Brinkerhoff's house now stands. When the enemy eame in sight of Arnold's position they changed their

route, and, guided by a Tory named John Bennett, made for a ford of the Saugatuck River, near where Kelly's mill now stands. Arnold hastened to cross the King Street bridge and take them in the flank, but they were too quick for him, as they had gained the rocks in front of where Lees' mattress-factory now stands, and placed their cannon so as to rake the bridge, which position they held until their main body were well on the way towards their ships. Finding themselves hard pressed, the enemy pushed for Compo Hill (where the residence of S. M. Burn- ham now stands), arriving in the evening without a round of ammunition in their cartridge-boxes, but, being within eannon-shot of the ships, the Americans eeased the pursuit. The enemy were then reinforced by marines from the ships, who attacked the fatigued patriots, killing a large number, and then effected their embarkation. The exact number of Americans killed is unknown, but twenty-two bodies are known to have been buried in one grave on the beach, and. afterwards three more bodies were discovered in a house near the Furman place. During the engage- ment a young man was killed whose gravestone ean still be seen in the old cemetery at Green's Farms, with the following inseription :

"' Lient. Samnel Elmer, son to Col. Sanmel Elmer, of Sharon, was killed at Fairfield fighting for the Liberty of his Country, April 28 th. 1777. in the 25th. year of his age. "'Our youthful Hero, bold in arms, His country's eanse his bosom warms To save her rights, fond to engage, And guard her from a Tyrant's rage, Flies to ye field of Blood and Death, And gloriously resigns his Breath.'"

HIGHWAYS.

Abont the first move made by the business men of this town to open new highways was in 1809,-a direct highway opened from that part of Weston then usually called North Fairfield (now Easton). From Job Perry's mill, down the valley of Aspetnek River to Jonathan Coley's mill, and thence, in a straight line, to a point on the first cross-highway, near the present residence of James Smibert, would measure less than five miles, and would make a very level road, while the then traveled highway between the same points measured more than seven miles, and was very hilly. The proposed route was the present highway through Keteham's Plains. As the town boundaries then were, one-fourth of a mile would be in Norwalk, about two and one-fourth miles in Weston, and the remainder in Fairfield. A highway so obviously necessary for public travel and convenience, we now think, should have met with no opposition. Yet a petition to the County Court in 1812 to lay it out met with the united opposition of the whole three towns and was defeated. The next move was to open the upper part of the proposed new highway, from the second cross-

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highway, a little east of Jonathan Coley's mill, to in- tersect the highway from Redding Ridge to Fairfield, north of Perry's mill. This would be about one and five-eighths miles in Fairfield and one and three- eighths miles in Weston, and for this purpose a peti- tion was brought to the County Court in 1815. This petition met with little opposition from Weston, but with the most determined opposition from Fairfield. Southport was alarmed at the idea of Saugatuck being brought, by this new highway, nearer to North Fair- field, Redding Ridge, and Newtown than to their place. The court, however, granted the prayer of the petitioners, and appointed a committee to lay out the highway and assess the damages to the land- owners. There was no assessment of benefits in those days, or the benefits would have been found to greatly exceed the damages. The committee laid out the highway and made their report in 1816. The report was met by remonstrances against its acceptance, and all other means which the ingenuity of lawyers could invent, but unsuccessfully. Weston made their part of the road, but Fairfield did nothing. The court finally appointed 'Squire Adams a suitable person to make said new highway. Adams made the road. Fairfield refused to pay the bill. Questions were raised about the legality of the proceedings. The matter went to the Superior Court, and from that to the Court of Errors, but in the end Fairfield was defeated. It was not till 1820, however, that Adams got his money. In obtaining this improvement in the means of communication with North Fairfield, the eastern part of Redding, and Newtown, much time and money were spent by its projectors, all of whom are now dead. The most prominent and active were Ebenezer Jesup, Samuel B. Sherwood, Eliphalet Swift, Stephen Morehouse, Thomas F. Rowland, Lewis Raymond, Dan Taylor, and Seymour Taylor. "For many years after," says the late 'Squire Gray, "the people of Fairfield seemed to owe this highway a special spite, and would make no repairs upon it ex- cept upon complaint from the State's attorney. Down to the time Westport was incorporated as a town, in 1835, I do not remember ever attending a town-meeting in Fairfield without hearing some hard things spoken of this 'infamous Saugatuck road,' as it was termed. It appeared to be a studied subject of one of the selectmen, Robert Wilson, to make a ha- rangue on the iniquity of that infamous Saugatuck road."

EARLY MERCHANTS.

Tradition says that the first store in the village of Westport was near the west end of the old or upper bridge.

The first store on the west side of the river stood upon the dock, where the small house occupied for the last twenty years by John Allen stands. In 1798 it was occupied by Joel Scribner, and in 1801 sold by Scribner to James Hurlbutt. About 1804 it came into the hands of Henry Haydock, of New York, was

sold by Haydock to Daniel Nash, and by Nash to Lewis Raymond, who was its occupant until 1815, during a large part of which time a market-boat was run from it. It was then sold to Taylor Hurlbutt, used as a store down to 1830, and demolished about 1850.

An early merchant in Westport was Ebenezer Jesup, who kept in the old "red store," on premises now owned by a grandson. John S. Pearsall was a prominent merchant from 1785 to 1805. Gershom Bradley and Levi T. Downs were also early mer- chants.

INNS.

One of the early taverns was kept by the father of the late Esquire Disbrow during Revolutionary times in the old Hezekiah Wakeman place, recently torn down, and upon the site of which now stands the Me- morial church. Gen. Washington and staff stopped here on their way to Boston. When here the general's supper consisted of a plain bowl of bread and milk. Often, when passing through this place, Gen. Wash- ington stopped with Col. Marvin, an officer in the Continental army, who lived about a mile west of the village, on premises now owned by David M. Martin. The road leading by this house, over the old bridge above the village and by the Disbrow tavern, was the traveled route between New York and Boston, and was called the king's highway.

EARLY REGULATIONS .- THE WIHIPPING-POST .- . SLAVES, ETC.

In the early days the laws were very severe. For very small crimes or offenses people were fined or taken to the whipping-post. Many were fined for a breach of the Sabbath, such as riding out for pleasure, sporting, fishing, etc., while others were warned out of town for conduct unbecoming good citizens.

The old whipping-post stood on the green near Green's Farms church, and was used until within a few years for a sign-post. It has now rotted away.

Slaves were owned in town, but were seldom sold at auction made at these times, but repeated instances were known of their being sold at private sale or traded off, as cattle are in these days. The slaves, however, generally remained in families where they were born.

EARLY CUSTOMS.

The wardrobe of a lady in the early days, as now, was of considerable consequence, and if she had a good stock of linens, woolens, and home-made stock- ings she was almost an heiress. The ladies, therefore, were very anxious to display these powerful attrac- tions to the greatest advantage, and the best rooms in the house were always hung round with abundance of homespun, the manufacture and the property of the females. Saturday night was religiously observed. Marriages were not solemnized on Friday or Satur- day, as Friday was an unlucky and hangman's day, and Saturday evenings were devoted to religious prep- aration for the Sabbath.

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Balls and parties were common, including spinning-, husking-, apple-paring-, and quilting-parties.

The men wore the powdered hair as quenes, and the ladies decorated their heads with high horn or shell combs, wore short dresses of home-made woolen cloth and linsey-woolsey aprons, and no one bothered their heads with bustles, hoops, or waterfalls.

PHYSICIANS.

The first physician in this town was Joseph Chap- man, who lived in the Poplar Plain District. A eon- temporary of Dr. Chapman was Ebenezer Jesup, of Green's Farms, father of the late Maj. Ebenezer Jesup and of Edward Jesup, who were many years . ago successful merchants in Westport.

The first physician who located in Westport was a Dr. Porter, in 1799 or '80. He however remained but a short time.

The first permanent physician was David Rich- mond, of honored memory. He was born and edn- cated in Vermont, and commenced practice in New Canaan in 1801, in the following year removed to this place, and soon acquired an extensive practice, principally in the towns of Norwalk, Fairfield, Wil- ton, and Weston.

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History of Fairfield County, Connecticut : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 199

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) comp. cn Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co. Number of Pages: 1572

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) comp. cn
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 1572