History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume II, Part 64

Author: Rockey, J. L. (John L.)
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York : W. W. Preston
Number of Pages: 1138

USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume II > Part 64
USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume II > Part 64

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Samuel Hawkins, born in Oxford September 30th, 1840, is a son of Asa and Hannah Hawkins. They had six children that grew up, of whom Samuel is the youngest. John and Lewis are living in Oxford.

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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.

Samuel lives at Quaker's Farm, on Bowers Hill, on the old homestead. He was married in 1869 to Celestia W. Stoddard, of Oxford. They have two children: George A., born in 1875, and Clara J., born in 1882. Mr. Hawkins is a farmer. He has been school visitor of Oxford.

ROBERT BRUCE LIMBURNER, born in Oxford, March 20th, 1821, had a Scottish paternal ancestry. His father, John Limburner (originally Limeburner) was a son of James Limburner, of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, the native place of the poet Burns," and was born in 1777. When he was 18 years old, in 1795, he came to America, living first in New York, but later settled at New Haven, where he followed his trade as a cooper, which occupation brought him to Oxford about 1797. He carried on that business in this town until 1829, when he removed to Derby, and from that place to Washington, Conn., in 1846, where he died in 1860. He was a very energetic mechanic and a man of many excellent parts. Some time about the beginning of the present century he married Fanny, a daughter of Henry Martin, of Wood- bridge, who died in Oxford October 14th, 1830, aged 50 years. Their union was blessed with nine children, one dying in youth, the others attaining mature years, as follows: Janette, born July 5th, 1803, died July 18th, 1812; Mary, born May Sth, 1806, married John Wooster, of Oxford; Jane, born May 12th, 1808, living in this town; John, born March 20th, 1810, removed to Ohio, where he died; Lydia, born Feb- ruary 18th, 1812, married Miles Nichols, of Waterbury; James Wal- lace, born February 9th, 1814, living at South Norwalk, Conn .; Janette, born September 17th, 1816, married Henry Wooding, of Cheshire; Harriet, born October 29th, 1818, married Alonzo Rabe, of Waterbury, and Robert Bruce, born March 20th, 1821.

When the latter was nine years old his mother died, leaving him in the care of a married sister, Mrs. John Wooster, with whom he lived on the farm until he was 16 years of age, attending, meantime, the common schools of Oxford. He was next apprenticed to learn the trade of a blacksmith, at Washington, Litchfield county, and after serving four years followed that occupation three years as a journey- man. He now engaged as a machinist in the works of Herman Bald- win, of Washington, Conn., remaining seven years, and becoming very skillful in that avocation. The next four years he carried on a foundry and machine shop in his own name, but later, for a number of years, was the proprietor of a wood-turning establishment, which had a large output. In 1863 he removed from Washington to South- ford, in this county, where he successfully engaged in a new line of manufacture, making straw paper boards of all kinds. In this ven- ture he was very successful, but at the end of seven years sold his in-

* Burns published his first collection of poems in 1786 to 1788. John Lim- burner was then a lad of 10 or 12 years. He became familiar with the scenes and circumstances described by the poet, and read his works with interest and pleasure. Burns was born January 25th, 1759.

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terests to White & Wells, of Waterbury, who built the new mill at that place. He now, in 1870, retired from mechanical pursuits, re- moving to his present home near Oxford Center, and since that year mnuch of his time has been devoted to the public affairs of his native town.

Few citizens of Oxford have been called to serve in more capacities than R. B. Limburner, or have rendered more efficient service than he in the church, community or town, his principal purpose at all times being to promote the welfare of those who exalted him to these posi- tions of honor and trust. He was elected first selectman of Oxford twelve times, between 1870 and 1891, and held many other town offices. In 1860 he was elected a representative from the town of Washington in the state legislature, and in 1872 represented Oxford in the same body, being the first republican thus elected for 21 years. He cast his first vote for president for Henry Clay, and has belonged to the repub- lican party since its organization, but has never allowed himself to be swayed by motives of a partisan nature, since he has held the confi- dence of the public, regardless of party lines; and his official integrity has never been questioned. His public career, as well as his private life, has been free from taint of dishonor or questionable motives. He is one of the mainstays of the Oxford Congregational church, serving as a deacon since 1886, and has been the Sunday school super- intendent.

Mr. Limburner was married in 1845 to Emeline Williams, of Wash- ington, Conn., who died in 1852, leaving a daughter, Josephine E., born in 1846, and who died in 1876. as the wife of Samuel W. Bucking- ham, of Oxford. The only issue was a son, Robert L. For his second wife Mr. Limburner married, March 18th, 1874, Ellen M., daughter of Ebenezer and Betsy (Sperry) Buckingham, of Oxford. Her father was a lineal descendant of Thomas Buckingham, who was one of the New Haven planters in 1637, coming with the first colonists from England.

Charles H. Lum, born in Oxford in 1839, is a son of George Lum, who married Mary Sherman, of Newtown, Conn., and had three chil- dren: Charles H., Harpin A. and Albert J. George Lum was born in Derby in 1809, came to Oxford in 1825, and settled on Bowers hill. He was a member of the legislature from Oxford in 1865, and select- man two years. Charles was educated at the select school of River- side and the New Britain High School. He married Jane L. Bucking- ham, of Oxford, in 1861, and they have three children: Mary E., Wil- liam H. and Jennie J. Mr. Lum lived in New Britain two years, removed in 1866 to Middlebury, and remained there until 1884, when he came back to Oxford. He was selectman in Middlebury several years and assessor nine years. He has been engaged in teaching school a number of years, and now lives on the farin on Bowers hill. Harpin A. Lum married Mary Northrop. He left one daughter, Jessie M. He died in 1882.

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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.

Orlando C. Osborn, born in Oxford March 23d, 1847, is a son of Joel and grandson of Hiram Osborn. Joel was born February 1st, 1821, married Catharine S. Washband, of Oxford, and had one son and one daughter, Bessie, born April 4th, 1857, died October 21st, 1876. Joel died May 25th, 1871, and his widow died February 2d, 1876. The old Osborn homestead was built about 120 years ago by Samuel Wheeler, maternal great-grandfather of Orlando C. Orlando C. mar- ried Idella J., daughter of Nehemiah Andrew, of Oxford, March 24th, 1869. They have four children living: Katie M., Sadie E., Orlando N. and Arthur G. One son died in infancy, named Orlando J. Mr. Os- born graduated from the high school, and chose the occupation of far- mer. He was elected justice of the peace in 1876, and represented the town in the legislature in 1883, 1889 and 1890. His father and grand- father were both members of the legislature from Oxford.

John B. Pope, born in Roxbury, Conn., in 1842, is a son of Nehe- miah, born in Oxford, whose father, John, was a son of Thomas, who came from England and settled in Stratford. Nehemiah went to Michigan, remaining there four years, then returned to Roxbury; came to Oxford in 1843, and lived here the remainder of his life. He married Eliza A Parker, of Washington, Conn. They had seven chil- dren. John B., the youngest son, married Jane M. Nichols, of Nauga- tuck, in 1865. They have five sons and six daughters. Mr. Pope has been first selectman of Oxford three years, second selectman one year, and was in the legislature in 1880 and 1881.

David C. Riggs, born in Waterbury, Conn., in 1832, is a son of Joel, who was a native of Oxford, and grandson of David, who came from Stratford and settled in Bethany, and afterward came to Oxford. David C. came to Oxford when 14 years old, and has remained here since, engaged in farming. He married Esther Twitchell, of Oxford, in 1855. They have no children. Mr. Riggs has one brother living in Oxford, Nathaniel H., born in 1852. David C. Riggs has been select- man and assessor several times, and a member of the board of relief of Oxford.

James Roberts, born in England in 1840, came to this country with his parents when four years old. They first settled in North Provi- dence, R. I., and from there removed to Willimantic, Conn, where the father, William Roberts, died from a gun-shot wound received in the war of the rebellion. James was educated in North Providence and Willimantic, learned the machinist trade and worked at it three years, when he became an inventor. He has received several patents on his inventions in this country and Europe. He enlisted in the war of the rebellion in 1861, in the 5th Connecticut Volunteers, and served until he was disabled in 1863, resigning as first lieutenant. After leaving the army he engaged in the hotel business in Norwich, Conn., and Worcester, Mass. He married Ada F. Palmer, of New York, in Janu- ary, 1878. They have four children, and one daughter by a former

SA Sanford

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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.

wife. Mr. Roberts came to Oxford in 1888, and is engaged in breed- ing and raising fine stock. He has an office at 146 Broadway, New York, with the Acme Liquid Fuel Company.

SAMUEL PIERPONT SANFORD, one of Oxford's most active and suc- cessful business men, was born in that town July 1st, 1827. He was a son of Marcus and Harriet (Perry) Sanford, being the oldest of their three children, there being a younger son, George P., also a citizen of Oxford, and a daughter, Augusta H., who married J. M. D. Hendrick, of New Haven. Both parents deceased many years ago, the father dying on his farm on Five Mile hill when he was about 48 years of age. He was a son of Doctor Samuel Sanford, a native of Bethany, who was the first physician at Humphreysville, where he died Janu- ary 25th, 1803, aged 38 years. In December, 1797, he was given per- mission to build a smallpox hospital north of Castle Rock for the pur- pose of inoculating against that disease. Another son of Doctor Sanford, Marvin, was a cooper and joiner at Quakers' Farm, and a third son, Samuel P., after living in the South, died in New York.

Samuel Pierpont Sanford, the subject of this sketch, worked on his father's farm until he was 17 years of age, attending in that period for a short time the common schools of the town. He was now ap- prenticed to learn the carpenter and joiners' trade, which he followed five years after he had obtained his freedom. In the fall of 1852 he turned his attention to mercantile pursuits, becoming a clerk in the store of Frederick A. Candee, of Oxford Center. After five years of diligent application and faithful service, he succeeded Mr. Candee in his business in December, 1857, and since that time has been almost continuously in trade for himself. During the rebellion the post office was kept at his store, which was burned down in 1870. The store building now occupied was erected in 1875. Here he has been en- gaged not only as a general merchant, but his transactions have extended to many other operations, including large contracts in rail- way lumber.

In all his affairs Mr. Sanford has been energetic and industrious, persevering when many other men would have been discouraged, and has been rewarded by a large measure of business success. Although so actively devoted to his own affairs, he has not lost his interest in the welfare of his native town. His influence in the furtherance of necessary public improvements is frequently felt, but he has always preferred the walks of private life, wherein he is known as one of the plainest, most unassuming citizens of the town, but one whose advice on business matters is often sought and safely followed. He is pru- dent in his own affairs, and his judgment is clear and positive.

Mr. Sanford was married April 10th, 1863, to Julia A., daughter of Beecher and Augusta (Sherman) Fairchild, of Oxford, and five chil- dren were born to them: Lewis B., born July 26th, 1864, died August 29th, 1865; Robert I., born September 18th, 1866; Sherman, born Sep-

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tember 22d, 1868; Ruth, born August 31st, 1871; Edward F., born August 23d, 1876. All the members of the family remain in Oxford, the elder sons being engaged with their father in business, and are active, promising young men.

Elijah B. Treat, born in Oxford November 13th, 1850, is a son of Atwater and Elizabeth A. Treat, and grandson of Elijah, who was born in Milford, Conn., in 1774, married Esther Rhodes in 1794, and died in 1837. His wife died in 1850. They had seven children. Atwater was the fifth child, was born September 4th, 1810, married Elizabeth Terrell, of Bethany, in 1835, and died February 7th, 1888. He had eight children, three of whom are now living. Elijah B. is the only one living in Oxford. He married, April 23d, 1873, Sarah A., daugh- ter of Charles L. and Delia Curtiss, of Monroe. They have four chil- dren: Jennie M., born April 20th, 1874; Florence L., November 6th, 1877; Mary H., October 1st, 1881, and Atwater C., February 15th, 1883. Mr. Treat is agent of town deposit fund, assessor, trial justice and member of the board of education. He is senior warden in St. Peter's church of Oxford.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE TOWN OF SEYMOUR.

Geographical and Descriptive .- The Indians .- The Settlers .- Civil Organization .- Public Thoroughfares .- Village of Seymour .- Hotels .- Merchants .- Post Office .- Banks .- Physicians and Attorneys .- The Press .- Libraries .- Lodges and Societies. -Manufacturing Interests. - Schools. - Churches. - Cemeteries. - Biographical Sketches.

T HE town of Seymour lies south of Oxford and Beacon Falls, west of Bethany and Woodbridge, north of Ansonia and east of the Housatonic river and Oxford. The greater part of this area is in the valley of the Naugatuck, which extends through the center from north to south, and in the valleys along Bladen's brook, from the east, and the Little river from the northwest. In these localities are some level lands, but much of the remainder of the town is broken and hilly. The principal elevations are Rock Rimmon in the north, In- dian hill and Castle Rock at the center, and Great hill in the south west. The latter is a very extensive tract of elevated lands, whose beauty and utility, compared with the surrounding country, were early recog- nized, and soon after the settlement of the town some choice lots were cleared to form small but good farms. But agriculture has long since ceased to be a leading industry, the chief point of development being the water power of the Naugatuck, at Rimmon falls. At this point the hills bear close upon the river, and a ledge extends two- thirds across the stream in such a way as to form a perfect dam, nearly 20 feet in height. The remaining distance being covered with an arti- ficial dam, this forms one of the best powers in the county. It was early known by the name of Naugatuck, or, in the original Indian, Amaug-suck,* meaning the fishing place, where the waters pour down or suck up rapidly. It is believed that the latter is the original term applied by the Indians to this place, the English mistaking the word, as it was pronounced so rapidly in the Indian tongue.

When the second purchase of lands was made from this tribe, in April, 1678, " the fishing place at Naugatuck and the plains and the hill next the river at the fishing place" were reserved by the Indians, who held the title for that tract more than 100 years longer. The reservation embraced nearly all of what is now the village of Sey- mour lying east of the Naugatuck. The lands in the purchase ex-

* Orcutt's History of Derby.

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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.

tended from the reservation as far east as into Woodbridge, and from Bladen's brook south several miles. The first purchase of Indian lands had been made two months earlier, in 1678, and comprised the tract lying between Bladen's and Lebanon brooks, and east and south- east of Rock Rimmon. The purchaser was Colonel Ebenezer John- son, of Derby. The third sale of Indian lands in this locality was made in 1692, and David Wooster was the purchaser. The tract em- braced lands on the west side of the river, opposite the foregoing, and may have extended from Rock Rimmon southward. North from this point lands were purchased, in 1700, by Ebenezer Johnson and Samuel Riggs, who made a division of their interests in 1708.

The Indian reservation was reduced by purchases at different times; by the town of Derby, in 1731, when all of the reservation was sold " except the plain that lieth near the Falls up to the foot of the hill." On the part of the Indians the deed was signed by John Cook- son, John Howd and others. In the reduced reservation the falls and 23 acres of land were sold, in 1763, to Ebenezer Keeney, John Wooster and Joseph Hull, Jr., Joseph Chuse and John Howd signing that deed. The children of the latter held some of the lands until 1812-13, when the town through a commission sold the remaining property to Gen- eral David Humphreys.

Of the Indians who lived on the reservation the most authentic accounts pertain to Joe Mau-we-hu. He was a son of Gideon Mauwehu, a Pequot, who was a sachem of the Derby tribe of Indians, living on the state reservation, at Scatacook, in Kent. After he had taken his tribe or clan thither from the Naugatuck country, according to Barber, Gideon had a desire that his son, Joe, should be brought up among the whites, and accordingly placed him in the family of Agur Tomlinson, of Derby, where he remained during his minority. On attaining man- hood he preferred to remain in Derby, and his father gave him a tract of land on the plain at the falls, which was called the Indian Field. Here he established himself as a sort of a sachem of the few Indians re- maining in this locality, building his cabin on the south border of the flat, tilling a little ground, but subsisting mainly on hunting and fish- ing. He had the respect and confidence of the whites, and for a few years lived among them on Indian hill. He was known mostly by the name of Chuse, or Chuce, it is said from his manner of speaking the word choose. The locality now took the name of Chusetown, being so called until it took the name of Humphreysville, in 1803. Other Indians were also here for short periods, and on the hill, east of the plain, they had a burial ground, each grave being designated by a heap of stones.

It was customary for these Indians to go down to the coast, at Mil- ford Beach, once a year, "to salt," as they termed it. They usually re- mained several weeks, gathering oysters and clams, often drying some of the latter, which they strung up like dried apples for use in the

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winter. Clams so cured were among them an article of traffic, which they would barter with the Indians of the interior for venison, when they would make their annual visits to this locality.

Chuse was a large man, a good hunter, and appears to have been well liked. He had, however, too great a fondness for strong drink, and De Forest relates an anecdote which shows his disposition in that respect: "Gushing from the hillside, near the plain, at the Falls, was a spring of very superior water. To this he used to come when thirsty, and having drank of it, would sit on the bank near by and praise the water, and say that if there was another spring, just such a spring, of rum flowing by the side of it, he would ask for nothing more, but would be perfectly happy." After living in this locality more than 40 years, Chuse, or Joseph Mauwehu, and most of the others ·of his feeble clan removed to Scatacook some time about 1780. He died there, about 80 years of age. In his family of eight children two were sons and six daughters, one of whom lived until 1859, when she died, 104 years old. In her death passed away one of the last of the full-blooded Derby Indians, as well as one who by birth was an In- dian princess. For many years this Eunice Mauwehu, more commonly called Old Eunice, was a familiar object at the falls, and her accounts of olden times were very interesting.

Usually the relations between the whites and the Indians were of the most friendly nature, nothing happening to disturb the serenity of their lives. There was one occasion, however, which might have been made a pretext for hostile attitude on the part of the Indians .* Soon after the first settlement at the falls a white man by the name of Noah Durand killed an Indian named John Sunk by mistake. They were hunting deer, in the dusk of the evening, below the falls, Dnrand being on the west side and Sunk on the east side of the stream. Du- rand, seeing something moving among the bushes on the east side, and thinking it was a deer, fired, when the Indian, mortally wounded, cried out: "You have killed me." Durand waded through the river to the Indian's assistance, who begged for a drink of water. This Durand brought to him in a shoe, when Sunk, after drinking, immediately died. The whites and the Indians arbitrated the matter to the satis- faction of the latter, who were convinced that the killing was uninten- tional. But at the trial one of the Indians present remarked " that he never knew of deer wearing red stockings before," alluding to the common Indian dress. The Indians, however, remained friendly toward Mr. Durand, and made his house their stopping place as long as they came to this part of the country.

Besides the name of Naugatuck, other Indian names are perpetu- ated in the names of places or localities in the town. Squantuck is still frequently applied to the south western section, on the Housatonic; Hessekee to the meadow in the Great Hill section, and to the brook

* See Barber's Historical Collections.

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between Ansonia and Seymour; Skokorat to the ridge a mile east of the Naugatuck and north of Bladen's brook; and Nyumph to the re- gion still further inward from the Naugatuck. Rimmon, as first ap- plied to the hill or rock, and later to the falls, doubtless was derived from a Biblical source. Shrub Oak, the name long given to that part of the town now covered by the village of Seymour, on the west side of the Naugatuck, had its origin in the trees which grew in that local- ity; Castle Rock, south of the village, from a fancied resemblance to a castle, etc.

According to Sharpe, in his excellent account of Seymour, the Johnson brothers, Benajah and Timothy, were the first settlers in this locality. The latter located in what is now Beacon Falls, near the Pines Bridge. The former in 1728 married the widow of Joseph Hawkins, Jr., who lived at where is now Birmingham, and soon after settled northeast of the present village of Seymour. In 1750 they built a new house, which remained in that locality more than a hun- dred years. Benajah Johnson died April 13th, 1763, aged 59 years, and as there was not at that time a place of burial in this locality, his remains were carried to Derby on a horse litter for interment in the old cemetery at that place. His widow survived him about ten years, deing at the residence of her daughter, Zeviah, who was married to Abiel Fairchild, of Beacon Falls. On the opposite side of Rock Rim- mon the Riggs and Woosters were early landowners. In 1779 the fol- lowing appear to have resided on the west of the river, between Great hill and the upper part of the Rimmon region: Bradford Steele, John Bottsford, Ashbel Steele, Edward Harger, Hezekiah Woodin, Josiah Washburn, Reuben Perkins, Abraham Wooster, Ranford Whitney, Daniel Davis, Lewis Riggs, Benjamin Davis, John Wooster, Ebenezer Keeney, James Pritchard, Jr., William Keeney, Samuel Wooster, The- odore Miles, William Gordon, Jonathan Miles.

The exact residences of all of these cannot now be given, but a number were within the present bounds of Seymour, while others were in the southeastern part of Oxford. Among others who early lived on the Great hill were Jonas, David and Henry Tomlinson, Mi- cah Poole, William Smith, Joseph Tomlinson, Isaac Bassett, Isaac Bottsford, Elliott Bassett and Bennett Lumm. The names of many other residents of this part of Old Derby appear in the accounts of the various church organizations, and will not be here repeated.

Seymour was incorporated as a town by the May, 1850, session of the general assembly, upon the petition of Leman Chatfield and others, to embrace all that part of the town of Derby lying north of the fol- lowing line: "Commencing at the Housatonic River, thence running easterly in a straight line, touching the most northerly point of Martin B. Bassett's stone building, on the east bank of the said river, thence running easterly in the same straight line to the north side of the dwelling house now occupied by said Martin B. Bassett, thence in a

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History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume II, Part 64

Author: Rockey, J. L. (John L.) Publication date: 1892 Publisher: New York : W. W. Preston Number of Pages: 1138

Author: Rockey, J. L. (John L.)
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York : W. W. Preston
Number of Pages: 1138