USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > History of Litchfield county, Connecticut > Part 103
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"This Court doe appoint the Hoard Colon" Robert Treat, Mr. Thomas Clark, Ensign George Clark, Ensign Joseph Treat, Ensign Joseph Peck, Serj't Jonathan Baldwin, and Serjeant Timothy Baldwin, they or any five of them, a comittee for the regulation of the township purchased by the inhabitants of Milford lying at Wiantaunck, they bearing the charges."
THE FIRST SETTLEMENTS.
The time had now come for the Milford proprietors to endeavor to settle the territory which they had purchased. Most of them did not probably expect to remove from their favorable location on the Sound to the wild region of the red man, some distance from there, in the wilderness, but were ready to enter into any speculation that might offer in the rights they had purchased. They had bought a large traet of . land for a very small consideration, which some day they expected would be developed into rich and pro- duetive farms, supporting an increasing population of people of sturdy industry and valor. Most of them were from among the leading business men of Milford, and some were men of note in the colony, possessing great talents and indomitable energy of character.
FIRST PROPRIETORS' MEETING.
The first meeting of the proprietors and purchasers of New Milford was held at Milford, April 17, 1706, when the following votes were passed :
" Agreed and voted that the town plat and home lots of New Milford shall be spoedily pitched & laid out by the committee chosen & establishod by the General Court according to & by tho rules & orders that the l'ro- prietors shall agree upon and prescribe for their direction.
" That thero bo but two ranka or sorts of lots, one a four and twenty shilling lot, and the other a twelve shilling lot, and that all the lots bo laid out in twelve alulliog lots. That what is wanting in the quality of the land in the several lots bo made up in quantity. That there bo two twenty four shilling lots more than the number of tho Proprietors, laid out for the nso of the Proprietors, to be disposed of by two thirds parts of the Proprietors. That those only who first go to settle there at Now Milford shall draw lots and they shall take therein lota together, and they shall have liberty to begin where they please, & they that come af- lerwards, either by themselves or assigns shall take their lots as they como to settlo there, next lot to him that went before him, he that hath & four and twenty shilling right to take the two next lots lying together.
Under these simple directions of the proprietors, the committee, consisting of Samuel Eells, Edward Camp, Joseph Treat, and Joseph Peck, after going to Woodbury to determine how they commenced their settlements and laid out their home-lots, made a re- port of their doings to a meeting of the proprietors held at Milford, Dee. 9, 1707, in which they say,-
" Aftor the best advice we could come at or obtain from Woodlmry men, havo pitched tho towa plat on Asopotuck hill and have there laid out 16 homo lots, seven acres and a half to a home lot for two half shares, In order to proceed according to tho ordor and agreement of the pro- prietors."
It was also voted "that there be a division of ten acres of land laid out under the same rules as have been agreed upon about the home-lots."
28
Aspetuek Hill is the hill north of the present vil- lage, now called Town Hill. The Town Hill of the early days was what is now called Prospeet Hill, where was quite an extensive park or common, laid out for the purpose of having sufficient pathways to the high- ways that might run out from it in the future.
In consequence of the conflicting claims between the Indian and colonial titles, arising from the Indian deeds given to Henry Tomlins in 1671, the proprietors, probably to encourage settlers to come to New Mil- ford, at their meeting in December, 1707, decided,-
" That if any person or persons that claim not under us, shall presume to molest or disturbi any person that settles there orderly, it is agreed that all the proprietors will defend him from those that shall molest him in a course of law, and thot all the charges shall be born equally according to their proportions, that is of the charges in tryal of the title of the land jo a course of law, and no further."
In 1708 an effort was made to settle these confliet- ing rights, and Mr. Samuel Clark, Jr., Ensign Joseph Peck, and Jonathan Law were chosen by the pro- prietors "to treat with the Stratford men about the lands which they claim at New Milford, and to agree with them fully and finally ;" but this attempt to come to an understanding with them was unsuccessful, and the proprietors, in April, 1709, decided that "we will pay the charges that may be expended in mana- ging the cause between Capt. Eels, Capt. Treat, En- sign Peek, and Sergt. Camp, and Mr. Read, Tomlins, Shelton, Blackleech, as there shall or may be occa- sion."
In March, 1707-8, the proprietors levied "three shillings upon every twenty-four-shilling right, and proportionally on a twelve-shilling right, for the de- fraying the charges aforesaid," and December, 1709, the powers of the committee for agreement with Mr. Read and his partners were continued. It was not, however, till after the termination of the litigation in reference to the title of the territory covered by the colonial patent, about the year 1712, that settlers commeneed in any numbers to take possession of their lots and ereet their dwellings. The first white settler who made this town his permanent residence was John Noble, of Westfeld, Mass., who came in the year 1707. Col. John Read, one of the parties to the legal controversy as to the title of the Milford pro- prietors, came here quite carly to defend his title from the natives ; whether before Mr. Noble or not is un- known. He erected a dwelling-house in the town, northwesterly from the present residence of Dr. George Taylor, which was used as a church after the adverse decision of the lawsuit and his removal from the town, till the first meeting-house was erected, in 1720. All we know of him is that he preached the first ser- mon in the town, having once bern a candidate for the ministry, and a few years after his removal from the town heenme nn eminent attorney in the city of Boston. It is supposed that he resided in Reading, Conn., a short time after he left New Milford.
In December, 1710, Maj. Samuel Eells, Capt. Joseph Treat, Lieut. Joseph Peek, Sergt. Samuel Clark, Jon-
-
430
HISTORY OF LITCHFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT.
athan Law, John Noble, John Bostwick, and Sergt. Zachariah Baldwin were appointed a committee, any five of whom conld act, " for ordering the settlement of New Milford, dividing the lands, considering how many families may be accommodated in and abont the place where the town-plat is already pitched, leaving suitable commons, highways, etc."
This committee were all of them among the first proprietors and purchasers of the town, except Messrs. Noble and Bostwick, who were then residents of the town, all of whom were well calculated to perform the duties assigned them in a satisfactory manner. They "met and took a view of the land and situation of the same," and made a report of their orders to a proprietors' meeting held at Milford, May 29, 1712. A better scheme for dividing the lands and making the allotments to each one could not well be devised. They confirmed the division of seven aeres and a half for a home-lot taken up, fenced, or built upon, and ten acres for a pasture, made Dec. 9, 1707, and made two new forty-acre divisions to a whole share, and twenty acres to a half share, and provided that one of the forty-acre divisions should be upland, and that they should be taken up in one entire piece.
For the purpose of getting a clearer idea of the method adopted for making choice of the different divisions, it may be well to insert several of the orders of the committee, as follows :
"That in the second division of 40 acres, the liberty of pitching or making chvise shall be directly contrary to the pitch or choise in the first forty acre division, the last proprietor in the first choise shall have the first choise in the second division, and so on till the first proprietor in the first division cometh to the last in the second division ; as also in the third division, and in the fourth, if any hereafter shall be, the liberty of choise shall be as in the first division.
" That in the first 40 acre division, the liberty of choise shall be first to those who have already settled or built here, with this limitation that they shall not make their pitch further Southward than an east and west line across the fishing falls, nor further northward than an east and west line half a mile above the mouth of Aspetuck River, excepting only Mr. John Nobles, who has already improved land at Rocky river, who has liberty to take his pitch in that place.
" The next thirty proprietors that shall here come to settle shall have liberty as they come, to take their home lots of 7 and 12 acres, on Aspe- tuck hill or plain northward, also their proportions of the 10 acre divis- ions, and their 40 acres to ao whole share or half so much to an half share in order as they shall come to settle here, anywhere between the southermost line before mentioned & an east and west line one mile southward of the great mountain.
"That the rest of the proprietors as they shall hereafter settle their several properties, ehall take up their home lots, and their ten acre divis- ions, and make their pitch for their first division anywhere within the whole bounds."
At this time there were but twelve families in the town; but under these rules and regulations, and after the legal victory they had achieved, settlers be- gan to come here to make their permanent residence.
The twelve families were John Noble, Sr., John Bostwick, Sr., Roger Brownson, Zachariah Ferriss, Benjamin Bostwick, John Noble, Jr., Josiah Bartlet, Samuel Brownson, Samuel Griswold, John Bostwick, Jr., John Weller, Thomas Weller, sixty persons in all, none of them of the original purchasers and proprietors.
LIST OF ORIGINAL PROPRIETORS.
The following were the original first purchasers and proprietors of New Milford, with the amount each one paid for his right :
£
6.
d.
Col. Robert Treat
I
4
0
Mr. Thomas Clark
1
4
Enen Geo. Clark.
1
4 4
C
Ensn Joseph Beck
1
4
9
Jonathan Baldwin.
1
4
0
Samuel Baldwin, wheelwright.
1
4
0
Lieut. Jos. Platt ...
1
4
0
Sergt. Miles Merwin.
I
4
0
Samuel Sanford, Sr ..
1
4
John Bruna ..
1
C
Capt. Samuel Eells.
1
Sergt. Edward Camp
1
Rev. Mr. Andrews.
1
Thomas Welch ...
I
James Prime.
1
Stephen Miles
I
Barnabas Baldwin
1
John Woodruff.
1
0
Mr. Richard Bryan.
1
I
0
4
0
4
0
0
0
Mr. Robert Plum.
0
12
Deacon Platt.
1
Thomas Clark
1
Mr. Samuel Clark, Jr.
1
Samuel Buckingham
1 1
John Buckioghao),
1
William Wheeler.
1
Nathaniel Farrand, Sr
1
George Allen
I
Samuel Camp, masou
1
John Smith, Jr. (4th)
1
Sammel Clark, Sr.
1
Joseph Bruat
1
Joseph Camp ..
1
4
Nathaniel Farrand, Jr.
I 1 I
4 4 4
0
0
0
Mr. Samuel Andrue, Jr.
I
4
George Clark, Sr.
1
Joseph Clark.
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Joseph Ashburn
1
4
0
Johu Simone.
1
William Adams
1
Joseph Rogers
1
4
0
Samuel Stone
1
Jesse Lambert
1
Samuel Prudden.
1
Henry Summera.
0
0
Benjamin Smith
I
Jolın Clark
0
John Smith, Jr.
1
Joho Platt ..
1
Josiah Platt
4
0
0
1
4
Samuel Prindle
0
Sergt. Samuel Bland
1
Sergt. Samuel Northrup ...
1
George Clark, Jr.
1
Samuel Coley
4
Samuel Merwin.
1
4
Lieut. Samuel Burwell.
1
4
Samuel Miles
1
4
James Bland.
I
Sammuel Smith
4
C
0
Joseph Wheeler
4
Job Prince
4
Andrew Sanford
12
Samuel Camp, son of Edward Camp .. 1
4
Ebenezer Pratt
1
4
0
Lieut. Camp.
1
4
0
1
4
0
0 12
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
O
n
Thomas Buckingham
0
0
0 0
0 C
C
0
Ephrabin Bunnell.
1
4
0
4
0
0
0
Thomae Tibballs
Thomas Canfield.
1
John Merwin.
1
Joseph Peck, Jr.
1
John Camp
1
Sergt. John Smith
I
Jonathan Law, Jr.
7
John Allen ...
1
4
Hugh Gray.
1
4
James Kenn
Zachariah Whitmer.
0 12 4 4 1 4
0 0 0 0
Jonathan Baldwin, Jr.
1
0
0 0
0 0
Samuel Smith Watten. Sergt. Zachary Baldwin
1
4 4
0
0 0 U 0
1 Richard Platt
4
0 0 0 0 0 C
0 0 0 0
4
1 Williao) Gold.
1
4
1
1
0 0 0
0
12 4 4
I William Fowler.
4 4 4 4 12 12
0
4 4 4 4
Saniuel Camp Lunsend.
1
4 4
1
0
0
C
0
0
0
4 4 4 4
0
Daniel Terrill.
Samuel Brieco ..
1
Timothy Botsford.
1
Sergt. Daniel Baldwio
1
Mr. Robert Treat
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
0
Committee, { Lieut. Joseph Treat 1
E
William Scone Widow Mary Baldwin
12 4 4 4
1
4
4
4 4
4
4
431
NEW MILFORD.
£
8.
d.
James Baldwin.
()
12
0
Nathaniel Baldwin, cooper ......
0
12
0
Samuel Nettleton.
1
4
0
Joseph Treat, son of Lieut. Treat.
1
4
0
Jeremiah Canfield.
4
0
Thomas Smith.
4
0
1
4
0
1
4
=
Bethuel Langstaff ..
4
0
Andrew Sanford, Jr.
4
0
Nathaniel Sanford
4
0
John Merwin. Jr.
4
0
Joseph Tibballs.
4
0
Billian Baldwin, in right of her father, Timo- thy Baldwin
1
4
0
Mr. Samuel Mather
1
4
0
Col. Robert Treat, the first of the original first purchasers of the town, was one of the most eminent men of the colony. He became a colonel of the Connecticut troops in 1674. In 1683 he was chosen Governor of the colony, to which office he was re- elected for fifteen years. He married a daughter of Edmond Tapp, Esq., and there is the following tra- dition concerning the match : While making a call at Mr. Tapp's, he took the girl upon his knee and commenced trotting her. "Robert," said she, "be still that. I had rather be treated than trotted." He then proposed marriage, to which she immedi- ately consented .* He never came to the town, and died in July, 1716. Upon a dispute with the Rev. Mr. Andrew, as to the title, by his last will, of his twenty-four-shilling right at New Milford, his four grandchildren-Joseph, Robert, Samuel, and Jona- than-deeded their interest in the New Milford house to Mr. Andrew in 1730-31. Samuel, Col. Robert Treat's son, deeded his interest to Joseph Treat, son of Lieut. Treat, in July, 1716. The home-lot to this right was laid northward from the town-plat, in the vicinity of Park Lane. Mr. Thomas Clark had a home-lot laid out on Long Mountain in 1723, but he did not come here to reside, and his right went into the hands of his sons, Thomas, Jr., and Jared. Thomas, Jr., deeded his interest to his son Thomas (4th) in 1761. They did not come here to reside. Among those who ultimately owned their right were John Warner, Thomas Noble, and Roger Sherman, who resided here.
Ensign George Mark sold his entire right to Nathan Talcot, who came here to reside, probably after 1720. He deeded a home-lot and dwelling-house to Ebene- zer Fisk, situated northeasterly of the common, on Town Ilill, and eastward from the meeting-house, which stood on Aspetuck llill, a little northwest of the residence of the late John P. Treadwell. This same homestead afterwards passed into the hands of Eli Roberts, of Wallingford, about the year 1750, who afterwards removed herc.
The whole of the original right of Lieut. Joseph Treat passed into the possession of his son John, who removed here probably after 1721. Where he resided when he first came is not known. As most of his land was laid out at the Shepaug Neek, the present town of Bridgewater, some of it near Hawley's Park,
and some near Treat's Park, it is evident he must have resided there, as he owned a dwelling-house there in 1750.
The home-lot that John laid out in the right of his father must have been near the present residence of Stephen G. Beecher. He sold it to Eleazar Beecher in 1732, who came here to reside about that time, and it has remained in the Beecher family from that time to the present.
Ensign Joseph Peck's twenty-four-shilling right was owned by Enoch Burk in 1715, who came here to reside. His home-lot was the farthest one at the north end of Town Street, one of the sixteen on Aspe- tuck Hill.
James Flinn became the owner of the whole of the right of Jonathan Baldwin, and had his home-lot and all his divisions laid out in the Shepaug Neck, near the " planting-field."
The rights of Capt. Samuel Eells, Sergt. Edmund Camp, and Rev. Mr. Andrew passed into other hands, and there were no home-lots laid to them. Capt. Samuel Eells was a man of influence in the colony, having been a justice of the quorum and an assistant. The Rev. Mr. Andrew was at the time of the pur- chase and settlement of New Milford the third pastor of the church at Milford, where he continued in the pastoral office fifty-two years, dying in 1738, aged eighty-two years.t
Thomas Welch was an extensive operator in real estate about the time the New Milford purchase was made. lle bought a thousand-acre right for eleven pounds, and also owned a large tract of land in Hebron.t Paul Welch became the owner of his father's right after purchasing the interests of his two sisters, after his father's decease. His house was at Park Lane, near the old Thomas Wills' place.
In the earliest times the village, or Centre, was on Aspetnek Hill, as it was then called, north of the present Centre, now known as Town Ilill. There were no dwelling-houses on Main Street lower down than the residence of Walter Bostwick, on the west side of the street, and of the residence of the late Deacon G. W. Whittlesey, now the Episcopal church, on the east side of the street. The lower part of the present Main Street was a very miry swamp of trees and thick bushes, where, tradition says, the Indians caught their wild horses by driving them into it and surrounding them there.
It may be interesting to know who made this beau- tiful hill their home at this early period in our his- tory, as far back as 1712, and exactly where their places of residence were. Of the twelve families who lived in the town in 1712, four of them then lived at the foot of Aspetuck Hill, on the town street or plat. Their names were John Noble, Sr., John Bostwick, Sr., Zachariah Ferriss, and John Weller. Benjamin Bostwick resided on Town Hill, now Prospect Hill;
. Lambert's History of the Colony of New Haven, p. 137.
+ 1bid.
1
1
Nathaniel Baldwin, Sr. Jeremiah Brown.
1
1
1
1
1
432
HISTORY OF LITCHFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT.
John Bostwick, Sr., resided in the vicinity of where John R. Bostwick now lives; Samuel Brownson lived the next place south ; Roger Brownson the next south of his brother ; John Noble, Jr., lived at the South Farms, now the iron-works, Brookfield, near Gallas Hill; Samuel Prindle lived on the west side of the run; Thomas Weller lived on west side of Great River ; Jonah Bartlett; Samuel Griswold.
The tendency of the early settlers to build their villages on some sightly hill is clearly shown in New Milford, although there were many houses on low ground. The inhabitants of Town Hill could have a fine view of the houses on Aspetuck Hill, and im- agination carries us back to the time when from either of these hills all the dwelling-houses of the people in the town could be seen with one sweep of the eye. The home-lots on Town Street ( Main Street) were generally about twenty rods in breadth on the street. The Town Street, "beginning at John Noble's, Sr., home-lot shall extend so far northward as shall be necessary for building lots to be 20 rods wide, as it is to run up the hill against the front of Saml. Clark's home-lot, and in no place less than 14 or 15 rods wide, except where lots are taken up; and from John Noble's home-lot to extend southward, from thence winding as ye lots are already laid out on the westerly side till it comes to Samuel Holbrook's home-lot, to be 20 rods wide, when the circumstances of the place allows of it."
I will now name the first owners and occupiers of the houses on the west side of Town Street, commencing at the foot of the hill. The first dwelling-house was that of Stephen Noble, and was about where the man- sion of Walter B. Bostwick stands. He received a deed from his father, John Noble, of one-half of the original right of Samuel Merwin, one of the first purchasers and proprietors of the town, who did not come here to reside. The second house was that of John Bostwick, Sr., which stood in the vicinity of the residence of Mrs. Frederick Boardman, and must have been erected at a very early date, soon after the lots on Aspetuck Hill were laid out. He was one of the twelve inhabitants who resided here in 1712. The third place was that of Samuel Clark, and stood near the brick house of William D. Black. This was the second lot laid on the west side of the street after the proprie- tors' meeting of April, 1706, when they decided to speedily pitch the town-plat. The next lot north was also owned by Mr. Clark, but there was no house built upon it for many years at least. The fourth house was the parsonage, the residence of the Rev. Mr. Daniel Boardman, which was about opposite the first meet- ing-house erected in the town. It was a home-lot laid out for the minister. The fifth residence was that of Jacoh Griswold, and it stood in the vicinity of the lot of William D. Black. The sixth house be- longed to David Griswold. The seventh residence was that of Benoni Stebbins, and his home-lot was laid out in 1713. William Gaylord owned a home-
lot next north of that of Mr. Stebbins, which was afterwards owned by Benjamin Burrell. Mr. Gay- lord bought this of Thomas Canfield, an original pur- chaser. The next house belonged to Roger Brown- son, and was one he built himself. He was one of the twelve families here in 1712.
The first house on the plain at the foot of Aspetuck Hill, on the east side of the Town Street, belonged to John Noble, Sr., and was situated down as far as the residence of the late Deacon G. W. Whittlesey. He removed from his log hut under Guarding Mountain here. He was one of the twelve persons here in 1712. The next house was that of John Weller, who leased, and finally bought, the original right of Thomas Smith. The lease was for twelve years from Dec. 28, 1710, and one of the stipulations of the lease was that Mr. Smith should procure one hundred and fifty apple-trees from Woodbury for Weller to plant. It is believed they were set out, etc. His house proba- bly stood in the vicinity of the first house south of the Congregational church, now owned by S. G. Beecher, lot of Thomas Smith.
The third house on the east side of the street was that of William Gaylord, where he resided. He bought the place of Thomas Canfield, one of the first purchasers of the town, in 1723, but had built his house and resided there before he received his deed. This house was on the corner lot of the residence of Dr. George Taylor.
The next place of residence was that of Zachariah Ferriss, of three acres and three-quarters. Where he lived when he first came here is unknown, but it is evident he finally built here on this place. His lot was twenty rods wide on Town Street, and seventeen rods wide on the east side. This was the place occu- pied by Col. John Read.
The next place of residence was that of Caleb Mal- lory, and stood about opposite the first. This origi- nal right was Richard Bryan, who was a merchant and a great speculator. The meeting-house was on the north of it, and the next lot was a parsonage lot.
The next lot north was that of Jonathan Buck, and was twenty rods wide on the street. The next house on the east side of the street was that of Theophilus Baldwin, an original proprietor. The next house be- longed to John Welch, who received the title of the whole original right of Sergt. Daniel Baldwin in April, 1715, and had the lot laid the next day after he made the purchase. Enoch Burk's house was the farthest one at the north end of Town Street, on Aspetuck Hill. James Prince, Jr., had a lot on As- petuck Hill.
Stephen Miles, one of the first purchasers, did not come here to reside.
The interests of Barnabas Baldwin, one of the first purchasers, came into the possession of John Noble, Wmn. Kellogg, and Joseph Ruggles in 1734. It was situated at the iron-works at Brookfield, where a smelting-furnace was afterwards erected.
433
NEW MILFORD.
The right of John Woodruff was sold to John Nohle, Jr., of Westfield, in 1706, who came here to reside, and was one of the twelve heads of families here iu 1712. The original home-lot to this right was laid near the north bounds of the town, on the West Aspetuck River.
The home-lot to the right of Daniel Turrill, one of the first purchasers and proprietors, was in the Still River Neck. Samuel Brisco, one of the first pur- chasers, came here and lived on Second Hill about 1725; also Timothy Botsford, who resided at the She- paug Neck about 1730.
The home-lots to the original rights of Mr. Robert Treat and Joseph Rogers were on the west side of Second Hill, on the highway, about opposite the vil- lage. Neither of them came here to reside, and their places passed into other hands.
The right of Mr. Robert Plum, who did not come here to live, was sold, and no home lot ever laid. Deacon Platt's lot was laid to Theophilus Baldwin, on Aspetuck Hill. Thomas Clark sold his interest in New Milford to his son, and the home-lot was laid to Samuel Clark. Samuel Clark, Jr., had no home-lot laid.
Samuel Buckingham, home-lot laid on chestnut land.
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