USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume II > Part 65
USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume II > Part 65
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
straight line easterly to the stone bridge in the highway about twenty- five rods westerly of the house occupied by Pearl Carpenter, thence from said bridge following down the brook that runs under said bridge, till it empties into the Naugatuck River; thence from the mouth of said brook easterly, in a straight line to the intersection of the line dividing the town of Woodbridge from the town of Derby, with the center line of the Rimmon Falls Turnpike road; with all the inhabitants residing therein, be, and the same hereby are, incorporated into a distinct town by the name of Seymour."
The division of the town of Derby at this time was caused and made possible by local contention, in which the northern part, which was democratic, was sharply arrayed against the southern part, which was whig. The Reverend Sylvester Smith, a democrat, was in the assembly, having been elected from Humphreysville, and he had the active cooperation of Judge H. B. Munson of the same village, in urging the measure upon that body. So earnestly was it advocated, that, much to the surprise of those opposed, it was carried by a small majority. As originally introduced the bill provided the name of Richmond for the new town, but for diplomatic reasons that title was stricken out and Seymour inserted, in compliment to the Hon. Thomas H. Seymour, at that time the governor of the state. Judge Munson reasoned that if the bill would come to the executive with his name he would not veto it, no matter what pressure would be brought to bear on him to do so, and it was found that he was correct in his con- clusions. Seymour it became and so remained, in spite of the effort, in 1856,* to change the name to Humphreys, which would naturally occur as the most suggestive or historically appropriate title for a town in a section with which General Humphreys was so closely identified, as he was with what is now Seymour. In 1854 a small part of the town of Oxford was annexed to Seymour.
Under the act of 1850 the first town election was held, in the base- ment of the M. E. church, June 24th, 1850. Leman Chatfield moder- ated, and among the officers elected were: Selectmen, Leman Chat- field, Daniel L. Holbrook, Thomas Cochran; town clerk, Charles B. Wooster; town treasurer, Sylvester Smith; grand jurors, Burton W. Smith, Thomas Stoddard, George L. Hodge, Abel Holbrook, Charles L. Hyde, Walter B. Clark; tything men, Church society, Burton W. Smith, Sheldon Hurd, Isaac Lindley; Methodist society, John L. Hartson, Jarvis Polly; Congregational society, Meda K. Tucker, Will- iam H. Tuthill; Baptist society, Sharon Y. Beach, George L. Hodge; Great Hill Methodist society, William C. Smith, Roswell Humaston.
The last set of tything men for the Baptist society was elected in 1859. On the 31st of March, 1851, Bennett Wooster was elected the first representative of the town of Seymour to the general assembly.
* The town voted 117 to 81 against change of name.
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
The town clerks of Seymour have been: 1850-62, Charles B. Woos- ter; 1863-5, Burton W. Smith; 1866, Edward F. Bassett; 1867, William F. Betts; 1868-89, Samuel H. Canfield. Town treasurers: 1850, Syl- vester Smith; 1851-5, Burton W. Smith; 1856, Hiram W. Randall; 1857-8, Burton W. Smith; 1859-60, Henry S. Johnson; 1861-3, David Betts, Jr .; 1864-5, Cornelius W. James; 1866, Nathan R. Wooster; 1867-8, Henry Davis; 1869-89, Samuel H. Canfield.
The town has made generous appropriations for the maintenance of the various interests connected with its government, the entire amount in 1889 being about $23,000. Of this sum a liberal proportion was for the location and betterment of the highways.
The first roads through what is now Seymour were from Derby northward to Waterbury, there being three principal ways: over the hills, on the east side of the Naugatuck; along the river, crossing it whenever the nature of the country demanded, and the third was over Great hill. The latter was laid out previous to 1745, but none of the roads were improved in the sense we now use that term. They were long used by people traveling on foot or horseback only. The road to Woodbury from Derby, along the Housatonic, was laid out soon after 1782, a lottery being authorized to aid in its improvement. In the year named Ashbel Loveland was appointed to build a bridge over the Naugatuck, below the falls, at Seymour. The turnpike crossed this bridge after 1798, and in 1802 the town of Derby and the turnpike company arranged to build a new bridge at this point. In the same year the committee for the "proprietors of the Turnpike Road from Thompson's Bridge, in New Haven, to the Falls Bridge, in Chustown," bought land. of Lydia Keeney to extend the pike in a straight line from Edwin Page's blacksmith shop to the bridge. This road was also called the " Rimmon Falls Turnpike." It was a great convenience to the people of this section, but its construction was at first much opposed by the town of Derby. On the west side of the bridge the road made connection with the Oxford & Woodbury Turnpike. The road from Shrub Oak to Derby Narrows was laid out in 1805. The road from Blueville to Seymour, along Bladen's Brook, was cut through in 1844.
In January, 1852, a special town meeting was held to vote on build- ing a new bridge over the Naugatuck at Moshier's tavern. Isaac B. Davis, Philo Holbrook and Raymond French were appointed a build- ing committee. In 1883 an iron bridge, 124 feet long, with 16 feet approaches, was erected at a cost of about $6,000. James Swan, Carlos French and Edwin Smith recommended that the contract be given to the Berlin Bridge Company. The bridge across the Nauga- tuck, above the falls and leading off from Bank street, is a long wooden structure.
The Humphreysville & Salem Turnpike Company was organized in 1825 to build a turnpike between those points on the east side of
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
the river. In 1856 the charter was annulled, and the road has since been a good public highway.
Plank roads took the place of the east and west turnpikes in 1852, in which year the New Haven & Seymour Plank Road Company and the Woodbury & Seymour Plank Road Company were incorporated. The former extended from Seymour, through Bethany and Wood- bridge, to the Westville bridge. The latter was built through the towns of Oxford and Southbury, and was kept up with a charge for toll until about ten years ago.
In 1845 the Naugatuck Railroad Company was incorporated. The time for building it was extended in 1848, and the capital increased from $600,000 ultimately to $2,000,000. The first locomotive ran into Seymour May 10th, 1849, and passenger cars four days later. Decem- ber 14th, 1849, a locomotive ran over William B. Watson's stage, break- ing it up and killing his horse. The railroad gave a great impetus to all kinds of enterprises, and many business schemes were brought out from this time on, until the stringent period of 1857.
George W. Beach, the present superintendent of the road, and serving in that capacity since 1868, was the agent at Seymour from 1855 to 1857. Later agents were Philo B. Buckingham, A. Y. Beach, H. M. Rogers, Joseph Ineson and, since June, 1879, Theodore B. Beach. In that period the volume of business has increased 60 per cent. The original building at the depot has been improved, but new buildings will soon be erected for a station.
The town fire department was authorized by a vote of the town, passed December 23d, 1882, and rules for its government prepared by F. H. Beecher, H. B. Wooster and George A. James, were filed Janu- ary 15th, 1883. Moneys were appropriated in 1884-5 to buy hose, build a reservoir and bell tower, and to procure hooks and ladders. Headquarters were established on Factory street, on which an engine house and bell tower were erected. In 1890 James Swan was the chief engineer and Cornelius James assistant. The Citizens' Engine & Hook & Ladder Company, No. 2, was organized in August, 1884, and incorporated in March, 1886. F. H. Beecher has been the foreman from the time of organization. The company embraces among its members most of the leading young men of the village. The depart- ment is maintained at a yearly outlay of about $700.
The thriving village of Seymour is the business center of the town and contains by far the greater proportion of its population. It is very pleasantly located on the Naugatuck river at Rimmon falls, and ex- tends on both sides of the stream along the vales of Bladen's brook and the Little river. The surrounding hills are attractive and the en- vironments are among the most pleasing in the county. It is also an important station on the Naugatuck railroad. From the time this locality was known by the whites until 1804, it was variously desig- nated as Rimmon Falls, Chusetown or Falls of Naugatuck; then it
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
bore the name of Humphreysville: but since 1850 the present title has been applied.
It is the seat of important manufacturing interests, has a magnifi- cent Union school building, four church edifices, many fine business blocks, and a large proportion of substantial homes, giving evidence of the thrift and refinement of their occupants, the entire population being about 3,000. There are, also, an excellent local newspaper -- the Seymour Record, published by W. C. Sharpe, whose writings on local history deserve a wide circulation; many well-stocked stores, Lodges of the Masonic, Odd Fellows and other reputable orders, and other in- terests briefly sketched in the following pages.
One of the first public houses in this locality was kept during the revolution by Turel Whittemore. It was on the bluff, east of the Nau- gatuck, about a quarter of a mile below the falls at Seymour. At that time Lemuel Wooding was his barkeeper. This place became widely known on account of its having been selected as the rendezvous where the tory band gathered on the way to rob the house of Captain Eben- ezer Dayton, in Bethany, March 14th, 1780. The building was en- larged, and as a residence it has stood more than a hundred years. After the revolution Captain Dayton was himself an innkeeper at Chusetown, his house being below the falls. It was kept until after 1800, when Dayton, being of a restless disposition, moved to Louisiana. Ezekiel Gilbert had a small store near Squantuck before 1830, when he removed to Humphreysville and kept the tavern on Broad street, near the bridge, where John Moshier had previously been, and where, after two years, he again kept the inn, continuing until his death. In 1846 the innkeepers were David B. Clark and John S. Moshier. In 1849 the latter and John J. Rider were taverners. The Broad street place is still used as a hotel, and in other parts of the village public houses have been opened and kept in agreement with the growth of the town.
In the early history of Humphreysville, a store was kept in the valley and another on the hill, near the present Episcopal church. None of the early merchants remained very long in the trade. In 1835-40 a number of persons were in trade, among them being Eze- kiel Gilbert, Uri Wakeman and Thomas Stoddard, Andrew De Forest, Harrison Tomlinson and Robert J. Abbott. the latter being a druggist. Albert J. Steele had a furniture business soon after, which in 1848 be- came the property of E. F. Bassett, who was, perhaps, longer in trade than any other citizen of the place. In 1852 a cooperative store was here established, with the name of the Union Mercantile Company. The capital was $4,000, in shares of $25, and the largest stockholder owned eight shares. In all there were 64 stockholders. B. W. Smith and John J. Rider were among the early presidents. The store was west of the falls bridge, on the north side of Broad street. Humphrey & Wooster, Tuttle & Bassett and Downs & Sanford were also mer-
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
chandising about the same time. James Davis was another druggist. David Betts was a later druggist, and was succeeded in 1867 by S. H. Canfield. A year later his store was moved to the James Block, op- posite the railway station. and in 1887 to the new Canfield Block, close at hand, also on Main street. Other principal blocks and business buildings in 1890 were those bearing the names of Bassett and Beach, on Bank street; Buckingham, on Broad street; Davis, Dunham, French, Hyde and Market, on Main street. The Bassett Block was damaged and the old Beach Block destroyed by fire December 23d, 1889, involv- ing a loss of $20,000. Upon its site a splendid new block of brick, trimmed with stone, was erected by Sharon Y. Beach, which was in 1890 the finest business building in the town. It was fitted up for stores, offices and a large assembly room, known as Beach's Hall. Other public halls are the Concordia and Molan's, also on Bank street; Davis Hall, on Main; and the Tingue Opera House, in connection with the Windsor Hotel, on Second street.
Among the principal merchants of later periods have been Henry Bradley, S. W. Buckingham, V. Buckingham, Henry A. Dunham, George S. Edwards, S. R. Dean, C. W. Storrs, M. M. Randall, J. N. Popp, C. H. Lounsbury, O. D. Sykes, W. L. Ward and Henry M. Tay- lor. In other lines of business Sharon Y. and A. Y. Beach, Thomas Sharpe and Henry A. Rider have long been identified with the inter- ests of Seymour, and have helped to develop it from a small village into a bustling manufacturing town.
Among the postmasters of the Humphreysville (Seymour after 1850) post office have been John C. Wheeler, John Smith, B. W. Smith, John W. Storrs and David Betts. The latter was succeeded in 1861 by Samuel H. Canfield, who was the postmaster for 25 years. Since April, 1887, David Tucker has been the postmaster. The Seymour office is in a spacious room, fitted up with modern furniture, containing 735 boxes. There are five mails per day, and since 1871 this has been a postal money order office.
The town had no bank in 1890. The first monetary institution was the Bank of North America, which was incorporated in 1851, with a capital of $100,000. In 1854 double that amount of capital was author- ized. George F. DeForest was one of the first presidents. The bank was first at the corner of Maple and Main streets, but a new banking house was especially erected for its use at the corner of Main and Bank streets. This later became the residence of Sharon Y. Beach. In June, 1859, an addition of $100,000 to the capital stock was authorized. The following year the bank was moved to Ansonia, by permission of the general assembly, and in 1861 the name was changed to Ansonia Bank.
In 1852 the Young Men's Savings Bank and Building Association was incorporated, and business was done in connection with the above bank. Sylvester Smith was the president of the association, which
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
continued only a few years. The Seymour Savings Bank was author -. ized later, but never organized, and the charter was annulled in 1882.
Doctor Samuel Sanford, of Bethany, located in the town in 1793, as the first permanent physician. He lived at Chusetown, and in 1797 received liberty from the town of Derby to " inoculate at some suit- able place." He established a small-pox hospital on the hill, a little north of Castle Rock, which place was convenient to his residence, at the corner of West and Church streets. He died January 25th, 1803, at the age of 38 years.
The next resident practitioner was Abiram Stoddard. He was born in Watertown, in 1777, graduated from Yale in 1800, and located at Humphreysville in 1804. He had a large and lucrative practice. His manner was somewhat rough, and he was essentially eccentric, but he was skillful and had the confidence of his patients. He died December 23d, 1855, aged 79 years. His son, Thomas, who was a graduate from the Yale Medical School, first began practice here in 1836, but was not active in the profession all the time he lived at Seymour.
In 1823 Doctor Titus C. Pratt located at Humphreysville, but after five years' practice he removed to the northern part of New York.
Doctor Sheldon C. Johnson settled at Humphreysville in 1825. He was a son-in-law of Doctor Abiram Stoddard, and also received his degree of M. D. from Yale. He practiced in Seymour the greater part of his life time, and died November 13th, 1887, nearly 90 years of age.
Doctor Joshua Kendall was his contemporary. He was born in Tioga county, Pa., in 1806, and was a son of Noadiah and Rhoda (Ballard) Kendall, and grandson of Noadiah. Doctor Kendall at an early age removed with his family to Granby, Conn. He was edu- cated at Castleton, Vt., graduating in 1828 from the Castleton Medical College. In 1833 he settled in Seymour, and was engaged in the practice of his profession until his death, January 17th, 1891. He was a member of the Congregational church and Morning Star Lodge, F. & A. M. He married, in 1836, Mrs. Thirza Humphrey. They had two children: Mary, deceased, and Rhoda, who married Allen Clark.
About 1849 J. D. A. Yale lived at Seymour as a botanic physician. Doctor Norman R. Bailey removed from Seymour prior to 1876, going to Ansonia, and thence later to New York.
His successor at Seymour was Randall E. Warner, born in Thomas- ton, Conn., December 25th, 1855, a son of Randall A. and Elizabeth (Russell) Warner. His grandfather was also named Randall. Doctor Warner was educated at Thomaston Academy, and studied medicine with Doctor R. S. Goodwin, of Thomaston. He graduated from the Yale Medical School in 1876, and locating in Seymour the same year, began the practice of his profession. He married Delia C. Stout in 1883. They have one son, Charles R., and one daughter, Helen T.
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
Doctor Warner is a member of the Housatonic Medical Society, and a member of Morning Star Lodge, F. & A. M., I. O. of Red Men and A. O. U. W.
After being in practice at Seymour a short time Doctor Robert Hungerford died September 22d, 1888, while on a visit to Canada. Doctor A. R. Vail, a homeopath, died here in 1872.
Doctor Frederick W. Pulford, born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, August 21st, 1826, came to America in 1842, and settled in Ridgeville, Ohio. He was educated at the Hahnemann Medical College of Cincin- nati, Ohio, receiving his diploma in 1862. He practiced for a short time in Ohio, then located in Massachusetts, where he practiced for several years, coming to Seymour in 1876. He has acquired an extensive practice. He was married in 1847 to Sarah Leonard. Their children are: Rufus A., born May 25th, 1852; Mary E., born September 29th, 1855. died in January, 1887; Frederick W., born 1857, died in 1867; Charles H., born December 18th, 1859; William E., born June 21st, 1862, and Arabella E., born May 13th, 1866. Rufus A. married Sarah J. Holmes; Mary E. married Frederick Pierson; Arabella married for her first husband Frank Leavenworth, and for her second, Andrew J. Miles; William E. married Harriet Beers. Charles H. Pulford was educated at the Hahnemann Colleges of New York and Chicago, graduating from the latter in 1888. He married Harriet E. Humphrey in 1890. He is associated in practice with his father, and is a member of the State Homeopathic Society.
Horace M. Shepard was one of the first attorneys at Humphreys- ville, living there from 1830 until 1832. In the spring of the latter year Alfred Blackman became a resident of the village, following his profession at this place ten years, when he removed to Waterbury, and later to New Haven, where he was a leader at the bar until his retirement in 1872.
Judge Harris B. Munson was for the longest time an attorney in Seymour. He was born in Middlebury in 1821, and in his early life was bound out to learn the carpenter's trade. Leaving that, he studied law, and was admitted to practice in 1846, and located at Seymour soon after. From 1852 to 1854 he was a judge of the county court, filling that position very creditably. He also held legislative offices. He died at Seymour February 2d, 1885.
Judge Luzon B. Morris was at Seymour before his removal to New Haven, many years ago, and Judge William H. Williams, prior to his settlement in Birmingham, in more recent years.
Clifford J. Atwater came to Seymour as. an attorney in November, 1885, having just been admitted to the bar, and Carlos H. Storrs, who is a contemporary attorney, also has an office at Ansonia.
The first paper devoted to the interests of Seymour was an edition of the Valley Messenger, printed at Birmingham some time about 1855.
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
J. W. Storrs was the editor. The paper was not well sustained, and the publication was soon discontinued.
In 1869 a printing office was opened in the village by W. C. Sharpe, and two years later he commenced the publication of a small weekly paper, The Seymour Record, which he has since carried on as editor and proprietor. As the town grew the paper was enlarged, and has fully kept pace with its development. In 1890 it was an eight-page sheet, 31 by 44, and was wholly printed in the Record office. It is largely devoted to local inatters and has frequently published illustrated sketches of the various improvements and enterprises of the village. From its well equipped office have also been issued a number of local historical publications, which were prepared by its editor, W. C. Sharpe. He was born in Southbury in 1839, and is a descendant of Thomas Sharpe, one of the 38 proprietors of Newtown in 1708, and is a grand- son of Thomas Sharpe, 3d, a revolutionary soldier, who died in Oxford in 1805. Since 1842 he has resided at Seymour, except when at school or engaged as a teacher. His last experience in that profession was as the principal of the Derby graded school in 1868. He is very active in all matters of public well-being, and has made the Record a worthy exponent of the best interests of a great portion of the Naugatuck valley.
In 1885 the Seymour Times, another local weekly paper, was begun by J. H. Whiting, but failed to attain a sound financial basis or a pa- tronage which would permit its continuance. It was suspended in 1888, and the material removed.
The culture of the mind was not neglected by the early settlers of this part of the county. Some of the church societies * maintained libraries. After the mills of General Humphreys were established he gave much encouragement to social and literary culture, and the en- tertainments gotten up by his workmen on holiday occasions were always looked forward to with a keen interest. Later a lyceum was established, which had among its members the leading young men of those periods. In 1848 the name of the society was changed to the Humphreysville Literary Association, of which Luzon P. Morris was the president, and among the leading members were: Joshua Kendall, John W. Storrs, John L. Daniels, Clement A. Sargent, George W. Divine and Henry Russell. The meetings were usually held in the basement of the Congregational church.
The Humphreysville Library Company was incorporated in 1854, the corporators being P. B. Buckingham, B. W. Smith, G. H. Mer- rick, Raymond French, Sylvester Smith, Samuel Bassett, Henry S. Mygatt, Ransom Tomlinson, Ashbel Storrs, L. B. Morris and Andrew Bassett. The company was authorized to hold real estate to the amount of $1,000 and books to the value of $5,000. Owing to the
* May 9th, 1817, a librarian was appointed for the library of the " Village Church " of the Congregational Society.
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many changes in the place in that period the company did not succeed in accomplishing its purpose.
The Seymour Public Library was founded in the summer of 1885. A library of 36 volumes was opened to the public under mild restric- tions, and placed in the Grand Army Hall, in the care of the Good Templars of Seymour. Soon after 57 more volumes were donated by Senator O. H. Platt. In 1890 the library contained 300 volumes, which were in charge of W. C. Sharpe, as the librarian, and it was well pa- tronized.
Morning Star Lodge, No. 47, F. & A. M., clearly antedates in point of time all other Lodges established at Seymour. It was instituted in the town of Oxford, under a charter bearing date October 18th, 1804. The petitioners were 20 in number, embracing leading citizens. Abel Wheeler was chosen the master; Levi Candee, the senior warden; and William Morris, the junior warden. The Lodge flourished, and a good hall for its use was built at Oxford Center. In this a Chap- ter of Masons also held its meetings until it was transferred to Water- bury. In the course of 30 years the Lodge had a large member- ship, but in the anti-Masonic times the principles of the order were here bitterly assailed, and misrepresented. Accordingly, in 1832 the Lodge published a very able declaration of principles of the order, which was circulated in this part of the county. It was signed by 66 persons, whose names alone should have been a guarantee that the order was not inimical to the well-being of the public, and that the rectitude of their intentions should not be questioned. After this the meetings were continued about a dozen years longer, when there was such a low period of interest produced by removal of some of the leading members, and other causes, so that in 1848 they were suspended at Oxford.
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