USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Norfolk > History of Norfolk, Litchfield County, Connecticut, 1744-1900 > Part 47
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The second son, George, spent the last part of his life and died in Brooklyn, N. Y., where his children and grandchildren princi- pally lived. The third son, Warren Loomis, lived and died in Fair Haven, Ct .; had two sons but no grandsons. The youngest of the family, Reuben Quincy, established a boys' school at West Haven, Conn., in 1852, which he conducted successfully until impaired health forced him to retire from it. He was most successful as a teacher, greatly esteemed and beloved as a citizen, foremost in every good work, intelligent and active to a marked degree as a Christian man, in the church and community; universally mourned at his early death in 1870, aged 47. His eldest son, Frank Elwood, a successful business man, and a daughter, Mrs. Minnie Johnson, reside at Redlands, California.
'In the next house south, still on the old Goshen road, Mr. John Beach lived.' This place later was the farm of Mr. Hiram Royce, and more recently was joined to the Riggs farm.
'Next was Mr. Asher Smith.' This was the farm of Mr. Eden Riggs, and of his sons, Hiram H. and Miles; industrious and most successful farmers and excellent citizens.
'Mr. Josiah Royce, the father of Hiram Royce, lived on the farm mentioned above, owned by Mr. Seth Brown.'
Following Dea. Mars again, we come back to the centre. He says :- 'On toward Canaan mountain Mr. Daniel Cole, the father of Ebenezer Cole, mentioned in another place, lived, near the place where Samuel Smith lives.' This was near 'Treat corner,' as it was called, where Barzel Treat lived,-the man for whom the society bought bass viol strings, that he might assist the choir. This house is now gone.
'Next Mr. Nathaniel Royce, father of Auren Roys, lived. The house is torn down.' It is interesting to note that this name is spelled in the same family R-o-y-c-e, R-o-y-s and R-i-c-e.
'Next Widow Huldah Curtiss lived. There is one daughter, two grandsons and four great-grandsons living in the same house.' At the present time (1900) the above occupants of that house are all gone, the widow of Mr. Philip E. Curtiss remaining there .- The Mrs. Curtiss mentioned by Dea. Mars was the widow of Mr. Solo- mon Curtiss, who was the son of Mr. Thomas Curtiss, mentioned elsewhere, who died in the Revolutionary army of smallpox, at
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Stillwater, N. Y., in 1776. Mr. Solomon Curtiss, who married Hul- dah, daughter of Henry Akins, served also for a time in the Revo- lutionary army, and who died in 1796 at the age of 33, was the father of Anna, Thomas, Henry, Huldah, Lucy and Solomon Cur- tiss; the youngest born after the death of his father. Anna, Henry and Lucy spent their lives on the old homestead, and died unmar- ried; Anna, November, 1868, aged 85; Lucy, June, 1880, aged 87; Henry, February, 1849, aged 61.
Thomas married Maria Pettibone, and their children were Peter, Sarah, Thomas, Philip Everett and Henry. Of this family Henry, the youngest, a boy of unusual promise, died at ten years of age. Sarah spent her life, unmarried, in the old home; was one of the most intelligent, active, earnest Christian women of her day; a teacher for many years of a large class of women in the Sunday School, her class filling the choir seats on one side of the organ. The sons, Thomas and Philip E., spent their lives on the old home- stead; were some of Norfolk's best farmers and citizens. Thomas died in middle life of pneumonia, April, 1872, at the age of 50, and his only child, Henry T., died from an accident the next year, November, 1873, at 23 years of age, leaving one daughter. Philip E. was for many years one of the deacons of the Congregational Church. He died in 1896, at the age of 72.
Peter Curtiss when a young man was clerk for some years in Esq. Battell's store in this town. Later he was bookkeeper for Hunts, Lyman & Co., manufacturers of iron in South Canaan, going from there to New York city, where for some fifteen years he was engaged in mercantile business. He returned to his native town about 1850, and with Mr. Elizur Dowd opened a general store in the old Battell store, continuing there in business about two years, when they organized the firm of Curtiss & Co., bought out Myron H. Mills, and moved to the store on the corner of Maple Avenue, where he continued in business until compelled by failing health to retire. He died April 27, 1864, aged 49 years. He was Town Clerk and Society's Clerk until by failing health compelled to resign. Very few residents of this town during its entire history have had more devoted, constant friends, or been more worthy of them from natural generosity, nobleness of heart and purpose than Peter Curtiss. He was said to be 'everybody's friend and confi- dential adviser,' and at his early death the remark was heartily and repeatedly made, 'I can't see how the people in this town are going to get along without him.' But such is life; in a little while, outside of his family circle, he was forgotten and unknown. He was most ardently patriotic at the time of the War of the Rebel- lion, and everything that it was within his power to do for the men who went to the front, or for their families, or to encourage others
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to enlist and go, was most heartily done. In the dark days of 1863, when many of the Norfolk men were reported lying in different hospitals, disabled by sickness and by wounds received in battle, he went to the front to look after the men, and to do what he could to comfort, help and cheer them, and his visit was to them that of an angel of mercy.
During that struggle there were in Connecticut, as perhaps in every northern state, men whose sympathies were all upon the side of the south, and who were constantly saying, 'You never can subdue the south; they will fight until the last man is in the last ditch,' etc. These men were called 'copperheads,' and some of them wore a pin made of an old copper cent. After one of the worst defeats of the Union forces in 1863, one of these southern sympa- thizers came into Mr. Curtiss's store and, as the writer well re- members, said: 'Well, what did I tell you? This shows that you never can beat them, and the sooner you people learn that fact, and stop shooting men for nothing, the better it will be.' Mr. Curtiss's reply in brief was: "I know that our cause is a just and righteous one. I do not believe, I cannot believe, that God will permit this government of ours to be broken up. The situation today does look dark ;- but there is not a shadow of question or doubt in my mind as to the final outcome of this war, any more than there is that the sun will rise tomorrow morning." In 1864 he "died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and was persuaded of them, and embraced them." His faith was well founded, and his vision of the final outcome of the struggle was clear.
In the later years of his life Mr. Ebenezer Burr exchanged farms with Capt. Darius Phelps, leaving his home just at the south end of the green, and removed to Capt. Phelps' farm on the Canaan mountain road, where he had erected a good house. He built the house at the south end of the green on the old Burr place, which still stands there, modernized. In 1860 Ralph I. Crissey, a great-grandson of Ebenezer Burr, married Miss Cornelia R. Sey- mour, a great-grandaughter of Capt. Darius Phelps, and the young couple settled for life upon the place which had been the home of the ancestors of each. Mr. Ebenezer Burr spent his last days in his mountain home, died in 1794, and his son Aaron Burr suc- ceeded him, who also died there in 1821, aged 71. Oliver Burr, son of Aaron Burr, spent most of his life in his native district; was a manufacturer of potash, and was known as 'Potash Burr.' His children, James Burr and Charlotte Burr-Robinon, spent their lives in this town.
Mr. Moses Camp, lived on this Canaan mountain road, about midway of the Curtiss corner and the Phelps-Burr place. His
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sons, Moses, Edward and Caleb J. Camp were for many years very prominent men in the growth and development of Winsted, and his son, Samuel Sheldon Camp, owned and occupied for man years the Phelps-Burr place, and died March 1881, aged 80. His son Doctor Samuel Camp, for nearly half a century has been a very prom- inent physician of Great Barrington, Mass .; and another son, Dr. Charles Camp, is settled as a physician in North Canaan, Conn. The place mentioned above, which has one of the most beautiful and extensive views in this vicinity, is the summer home of Pro- fessor Frothingham.
Mr. Ephraim Coy, who married a daughter of Mr. Henry Akins, built the house on the corner opposite the Curtiss house, where Zalmon Parrott and his children have lived many years. He sold this place, bought on Beech Flats the old Wilcox tavern and farm, where he lived several years, and by his will gave this place at Mrs. Coy's death, to the Ecclesiastical Society of Norfolk, having no children. He bought of Mr. Levi Thompson the place where he died in 1834, aged 72. When only thirteen years old Mr. Coy went as a fifer into the Revolutionary army. His service in the army is mentioned elsewhere.
'North from the Curtiss place, on the road that comes around by the grist-mill, just at the turn in the road, Mr. Henry Akin lived. He was the father of Widow Huldah Curtiss. He had five sons and four daughters.' Mr. Henry Aiken was one of the early settlers of this town. 'He was a son of Henry Aiken of Scotch origin, who came to this country from Londonderry, Ireland, in 1710; landed at Boston, where he married Isabel, daughter of Rev. Mr. Holmes, August, 1720. He located at Middletown, Conn., and at the age of eighty came to Norfolk, whither his son had preceded him, and died here at the age of 84. Henry Aiken, Jr., married at Torringford, Rebecca Miller; they came to Norfolk in 1762, and settled on this place mentioned above. Their children were:
1 Edmund, who married Eunice Pease. He was a lawyer in Norfolk, mentioned elsewhere; died here in 1807.
2 Henry, went to Ohio, where he died childless.
3 Betsey, married Henry Ashley of Sheffield, Mass.
4 Ashur, married Rebecca Wilcox; went to Ohio.
5 Mary, married Darius Phelps.
6 Huldah, married Solomon Curtiss.
7 Rebecca, married Ephraim Coy.
8 Calvin, married Rachel Murray; went to Ohio.
9 Lemuel, married Sarah Thompson; lived in Norfolk.
Roys gives this incident in Mr. Aiken's life :- 'Mr. Henry Aikens came from Torrington and purchased a farm westerly from the meeting-house, which he occupied through life. Soon after fixing
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his residence here he left his family one pleasant winter morning, taking his gun, hoping to find some deer in his ramble. He strolled on in a southerly direction, probably west of Tobey's pond, but not in sight of it. In the after part of the day it became cloudy, the sun was hidden, and it began to snow. He thought best to be on his return home; he attempted, but soon found that he was wandering. His out-bound tracks were covered with snow. With- out a compass or anything to guide him, he could perceive by oft- recurring objects that he was retracing his recent steps. He was alarmed, believing that he had not gained a rod towards home. The cold increased, darkness, and no relief from moon or stars came rapidly on. He concluded that he must spend the night in this wilderness, far from relief, and how far from home he knew not. He perceived that his feet were numb, but had felt no pain in them. He came to a convenient place for kindling a fire, and finding dry combustible in plenty, which he gathered, and antici- pated the comfort of a warm fireside, and the cheering blaze to disperse the gloom and darkness which enveloped him. What was his astonishment when about to strike fire from his flint-his flint was lost. By some mishap it was torn from his gun-lock and he had no spare one. Dreary indeed was his situation and comfort- less his circumstances. He retained his reasoning faculties, and knew that if he attempted to seek a resting place it would be fatal. Death by freezing must be the result. He began walking from a tree near him to one about forty feet distant, back and forth, until he made a firm and solid path. In this exercise he spent a long winter night. When morning came he attempted again to find his way home, but, as is generally the case in such circumstances, he wandered still farther from home. He kept in motion, fearing to rest. His route seemed to be west of the Tibbals mountain, and southerly, until he came to the place afterwards occupied by a Mr. Balcom, south of Mr. Edmund Brown's present habitation, where he was found the next day towards night by his friends and neigh- bors, who had been in pursuit of him from nine o'clock the evening before. It seems he was still able to stand erect and walk. He was helped home and arrived that evening, to the joy of himself and family. His feet were found badly frozen, and when, after a considerable length of time and much suffering they were healed, they were very much scarred and misshapen, but served him in future life, and enabled him to cultivate his farm, bring up a large family and accumulate a good property.'
'On east from Mr. Aiken's toward the grist-mill, Mr. Reuben Munger lived, who is mentioned elsewhere. He had five sons and three daughters. Some of them went to Vermont and some to Ohio. Two of the daughters married and lived here.' This
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place was known as Solomon Curtiss's farm half a century ago, and later Deacon Jonathan Kilbourn for some years lived there, and in recent years Edward Gaylord, and his son, Edward Jun., have owned and occupied the farm. Near the house is a great point for snow to drift in, caused by the natural downward slope of the land toward the northwest to Blackberry river, and the wind rushing up from the river. Some interesting photographs of the snow-drifts there, taken at the time of the 'great blizzard of March, 1888,' are preserved.
Roys gives the following account of a snowy time at this place :- 'To give an idea of the immense bulk of snow which fell in this elevated situation in some of our early winters, I will relate the following incident: Mr. Reuben Munger, then living near where Solomon Curtiss now lives, built him a barn with a cowhouse at each end, forming a large square yard open to the south. " A heavy snow-storm came on, which with the help of the north-west wind, which took the reins after it ceased falling, filled this space, and, rising with a gradual ascent until it reached the ridge of the barn. A strong crust formed on the surface. Mr. Munger arose on a fine morning, went out to feed his cattle, and the strange idea came into his mind to feed his yearlings on the roof of the barn. He took an armful of hay and led several of his yearlings, where he fed them on the very ridge, from which elevation they de- scended in safety.'
Among Dr. Eldridge's manuscripts is the following, written for him by Capt. Auren Tibbals: "In memory of Deacon Joseph Tibbals of Middletown, who, having faithfully served his genera- tion according to the will of God, fell on sleep the 30th of October, A. D. 1774, in the 88th year of his age. Thomas, his son, was born 1722, and was married to Rachel Dowd, 1748. Left Middlefield for Norfolk, 1763, and purchased a farm of Elisha Benedict, for four hundred pounds, about half a mile south of the public green, on the Litchfield road; it being the farm now owned and occupied by his grandson, Stephen Tibbals. He had four sons and one daughter. Their names were:
Samuel, who married Hannah Ives;
Thomas, who married Elue Parker;
Noah, who married Jemina Kellogg;
Amos, who married Lucy Wright;
Rachel, who married Allen Pease.
He was a thorough and enterprising farmer, and, with his three oldest sons, added lots to lots and acres to acres, until they had accumulated almost 800 acres, on which they settled with their families. He was at one time the greatest tax-payer in the town, and some years wintered forty head of horned cattle; and one day butchered thirty fat hogs.
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His son, Samuel, served as Captain in the Commissary Depart- ment, fifteen months in the Revolutionary War. Thomas Jr. was in the service of his country almost four years, and was a Continental Drum Major. He drew a pension under act of Con- gress of March 18, 1818; and his wife Elue was also a pensioner under act of Congress of July 7, 1837, until her death in 1843. Thomas Sr., spent a number of the last years of his life with his son, Thomas Jr., and died at his house, January, 1810, in the 88th year of his age. Rachel, his wife, died June, 1805."
Why did not some member of the other old families think to write a brief family history, like this of Capt. Auren Tibbals, and place it where it would be preserved? Of many of the old families who once lived in this town, some of whom were for years prom- inent, influential citizens doubtless, their descendants are. all gone, not a word or a trace remains or is to be found, outside of some purchase or conveyance of land, admission as a voter or as a church member, possibly. Who will accept the suggestion today, and leave at least a brief family sketch for the historian of the year 2000?
Mr. Thomas Tibbals Sen., who lived upon the place where is now the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Henry H. Bridgman, at the time when it was said there was not a clock or a watch in the town, was the owner of a sun-dial, with which he kept the time of day when the sun shone, and on cloudy days, especially on cloudy Sab- bath-days, he kept the time quite accurately with his hour-glass, setting the instrument going at or near the time of sun-rise, by the Almanac, and watching it carefully until it was time to go to meeting. As Mr. Tibbals passed Rev. Mr. Robbins' home on his way to meeting, Mr. Robbins watched for his 'time-piece,' and as he saw him passing, the word went through the house, "Mr. Tibbals is coming; it is time for us to go to meeting.'
Thomas Tibbals, Jun., is mentioned at length among the soldiers of the Revolution. He was Drum Major in the army, and Mr. Robbins, in his 'diary,' mentions him as making a pulpit for him by piling up their drums, when the soldiers were drawn up for religious service. Many of the above interesting facts were told the writer by Mrs. Sheldon Tibbals, in July, 1900.
Amos Tibbals, one of the sons of Thomas Tibbals Sen., settled in Sharon. One of his daughters married Milo Barnum, and they were the parents of the Hon. William H. Barnum, a prominent manufacturer of iron in Salisbury, and for many years one of the United States Senators from this State.
Returning to Deacon Mars' notes of the old settlers and their location. It must be remembered that not until many years later than the time of which he writes, was there any road south from
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'Treat corner' to the Burr place, the residence now of Mr. Amos Collar. The first north and south road west from the old Goshen road was the continuation of the road that passed the grist-mill. the Munger place mentioned above, turned at a right angle south at the Aiken place, then by the Thomas Curtiss' place south of the hill, by the present golf grounds, a short distance east from Tobey Pond.
Deacon Mars says in the first house up the hill south from the Curtiss place, on what was Elmore Canfield's farm at one time, now Prof. Pupin's grounds, 'Mr. Noah Tibbals lived, but moved west. Next on south was Capt. Samuel Tibbals, brother of Noah. He had two sons and three daughters, all of whom went west, except one daughter, who married Nathaniel Robbins, son of Rev. Mr. Robbins. The next house was several rods off from the road, west. Mr. Thomas Tibbals, brother of the two just mentioned, and the last years of his life, their father, Thomas Tibbals, Sen., lived there.' The old gentleman was grandfather of Captain Auren Tibbals, who spent his life in this town, never married, and died here on his ninety-first birthday, April 7, 1882. Stephen, another son of Thomas Tibbals, spent his life in this town, as did Stephen's sons, Harvey Stillman Tibbals, Thomas Tibbals, and, part of his life, Richard Tibbals. Dr. Elbert Plumb Tibbals, a native of this town, who studied medicine here, and for many years has been a physician and druggist at Port Huron, Michigan, was a son of Sheldon Tibbals, who was a brother of Auren Tibbals. These two brothers carried on the old farm for some years, which they sold to Erastus Burr in 1849. The Tibbals place just mentioned is the farm owned and occupied by Mr. Ralph C. Burr at present. The old house referred to stood several rods from the road, south- west from the end of the winrow, as that point has been called for several generations. The house now occupied by Mr. Ralph Burr was built in 1803 by Mr. Thomas Tibbals, whose service in the Revolutionary Army is mentioned elsewhere.
About half a mile west from the Tibbals house just mentioned, Stephen Tibbals had a small house in the wilderness, there being no cleared land on the place, when, in 1809, Israel Crissey came there to live, having exchanged his farm on Beech Hill in Cole- brook for this place. Mr. Israel Crissey spent the remainder of his life on this place and died here in 1833. His only son, Benjamin Wilmot, was 18 year old when the family moved upon this place, and here he spent the larger part of his life, the principal burden falling upon him after a few years, of clearing and making a productive grass farm from the cold, rocky, sterile wilderness. 'Not a pound of hay had ever been cut on the place until I cut it,' Mr. Crissey often said. When he had lived some thirty-five years
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on the farm his average annual hay crop was about one hundred tons. He bought at different times tracts of the mountain land lying west of the original purchase, some of which was finally cleared, but the larger part remained heavily timbered until the time of the civil war, when woodland was in demand by the furnace companies in Canaan and Salisbury, to be burned into char- coal. The original road from the old Crissey place to Canaan was laid out through "Hotchkissville," or "Snyderville," and on west, at some distance north of Crissey pond, until it struck the Canaan road. In. 1837 Daniel White deeded to Benjamin W. Crissey the lot known as "Lot 26, 3d division, 2nd going over," which had formerly belonged to Daniel and Cyrus Hotchkiss, and upon which they had built a house in which they lived for a time, and in which John Snyder afterwards lived. The original road to Canaan mountain passed this old house place, which was a half mile or so west of the Crissey house.
The next place mentioned is referred to in Roys' history as follows: "Mr. Nathaniel Roys," who was the father of the his- torian, "then living near where Silas Burr now resides, was going round to where Capt. Auren Tibbals now lives. Turning round the end of the winrow so-called, he was met by a bear. It soon prepared for an attack. Mr. Roys stood considering whether to meet the bear unarmed or trace back his steps. Having come out of his shop with his leather apron on, he thought with himself he would try that as a weapon of defence. He looked sternly upon him, shook his leather apron, and sprang towards him. Bruin not used to that mode of attack, settled down from his rampant posture and made use of all his legs to assist him in his flight from the frowning face and frightful rattle of his antagonist. About the time of meeting the bear, or perhaps the winter following, Mr. Roys, busily engaged in his shop, and his boys as busily engaged in gambols and play about the door-yard, several guns were heard on the mountain west of his house. He sprang from his shop and joined the boys in looking anxiously up the mountain. Their curiosity was soon gratified by seeing three deer rushing down, come to a perpendicular ledge west of Mr. Burr's (now) dwelling house. They plunged down, almost burying themselves in the snow. Soon, however, they recovered, and, the old buck leading the way, passed by the house through the meadow, and on to the Brown mountain."
This house of Mr. Roys' stood some twenty rods south of the present residence of Mr. Collar, quite near the old barn still stand- ing there.
Mr. Daniel Burr, son of Mr. Ebenezer Burr already mentioned, and who married in 1773 Betty Brown, daugliter of Titus Brown,
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one of Norfolk's first settlers and revolutionary soldiers, bought this place and settled there for life. They had three sons and seven daughters. Lucy married Benjamin Warren who settled in Wellington, Ohio. Betsey died at 23, unmarried. Rachel married Obadiah Hulburt of Enfield, in this state. Mary married , David Gaylord, who settled in Western New York. Susannah spent her life on her birthplace. She was one of "the salt of the earth," and died unmarried, at the age of 76. Ruby married Anson Norton, and spent their lives in this town.
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