USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Norfolk > History of Norfolk, Litchfield County, Connecticut, 1744-1900 > Part 51
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The children of Dr. Ephraim and Phebe-Humphrey Guiteau were:
Phebe Sophia, born 1766; died 1810.
Louisa, born January, 1769; married Dr. Benjamin Welch; be- came the mother of several distinguished sons and daughters, who are mentioned at length elsewhere.
Philo, son of Dr. Ephraim Guiteau, born April, 1766; married Sarah Bingham; died November, 1810. Their children were:
1 Delia, married Rev. - Pettibone of N. Y. State.
2 Almuris, married George Rockwell of this town, son of Joseph Rockwell.
3 Rev. Sheridan Guiteau, settled in Baltimore, Md.
4 Dr. Corydon Guiteau; settled in Tyringham, Mass.
Asahel, son of Dea. Michael Humphrey, born July, 1747; mar- ried Prudence Merrills, and settled in Norfolk. He was a lawyer, of fine abilities and excellent character. He represented the town in ten semi-annual sessions of the Assembly. He removed to Ohio, where he remained for a short time, when he returned and settled in New Marlboro, where he died January, 1827. His widow died August, 1840, aged 87.
They had eight children: Dudley, born June, 1775; married October, 1798, Polly, daughter of Capt. Darius and Mary-Aiken- Phelps of Norfolk, and settled in Norfolk, where their seven chil- dren were born. He was town clerk in 1797; died May, 1823, aged 48. His widow died August, 1862, aged 82.
John, son of Dudley Humphrey, born June, 1801; settled in Nor- folk; a prominent citizen; was a farmer; represented the town in the Legislature in 1849 and 1853; died July, 1854.
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HISTORY OF NORFOLK.
Mary, daughter of Dudley Humphrey, married Capt. John Dewell. The family is mentioned elsewhere.
Griswold Humphrey, settled in'Canaan, was a druggist during his entire life.
Merrell, son of Dudley Humphrey, born 1809, was a civil engi- neer and land surveyor; a man of unusual strength of mind and decision of character and purpose; a strong advocate of temperance and all moral reforms; one of the early anti-slavery men of New England, gentle and reserved, yet a man of strong opinions, who had the courage of his convictions. He spent most of his life in his native town. Late in life he removed to and died in Canaan.
Dea. James, son of Dudley Humphrey, born 1813, was a farmer and resident of West Norfolk; held many town offices; represented the town in the Legislature of 1858; was an active Christian and temperance worker and deacon of the Congregational Church for many years. He died February, 1882, aged 69.
Dr. Asahel Humphrey, son of Asahel, and brother of Dudley Humphrey, was born in this town April, 1779. Studied medicine and spent most of his life in Salisbury, Conn., where he died, April, 1852.
THE DEWELL FAMILY.
Captain John Dewell, who was a native of Pine Plains, N. Y., came to Norfolk when a young man, about 1824. When asked why he ever left that fine farming country in Duchess County and set- tled in such a rough place as Norfolk, his reply was that he liked the kind of people, the society, the moral atmosphere of Norfolk better. He was early interested in the Sunday School, which was first organized about the time he came to this town, was one of the early Superintendents of the school, and also for some years its Librarian. He had learned the trade of a scythe manfacturer before coming to Norfolk, and for a year or more worked at his trade in company with Mr. Samuel Cone, when he bought a water- privilege and a small shop of Marcus Allen in West Norfolk, where he commenced manufacturing scythes, and later built the stone scythe-shop in which he did a large and successful business for many years. Later Captain Dewell built a fine stone house, in which he lived the remainder of his life, and in a part of which building he conducted a store, and kept the West Norfolk post- office, from the time of its establishment until his death. Capt. Dewell was an exemplary Christian man, an active temperance man, always found in the temperance organizations,-the 'Sons of Temperance,' 'Good Templars,' and others, and was also a promi- nent member of the order of 'A. F. and A. M.'
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He was in all matters affecting the town and the community a rarely public-spirited man, and was in the last years of his life very active and efficient in pushing forward the project for a rail- road over Norfolk hills, almost the last work of his life, and the exposure which brought on his fatal illness being an effort to ad- vance the interests of the railroad, and to secure a station for West Norfolk. Capt. Dewell was a patriotic, kind-hearted, generous man, as was repeatedly shown by the aid which he rendered the families of the soldiers in the Civil War. A soldier's wife had contracted a large debt at his store for necessities, and was much distressed at her inability to pay. Learning her condition he freely 'forgave her the whole debt.' The woman survived him many years, and often said she never ceased to thank and pray for Capt- Dewell. Among the offices that he held was that of Judge of Pro- bate for several years, State Senator from the Seventeenth Sena- torial District, for one term, and one term as Representative, at the time the. Railroad was to be pushed over the hills.
He married Mary, daughter of Dudley Humphrey, a prominent citizen of the town. Capt. John Dewell died October, 1871, aged 76. Mrs. Mary Dewell died April, 1891, aged 87.
Their eldest son, Captain John Humphrey Dewell, served as Captain in the Civil War, suffered from disease contracted in the service, during the balance of his life, and died in 1896. Their son, James Dudley Dewell, who commenced his business career in West Norfolk, has for many years been a prominent business man in New Haven, President of the Board of Trade of that city, Lieu- tenant Governor of the State, and held many other positions of importance and influence.
Their daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Dewell-Peck and Miss Sarah R. Dewell, reside in New Haven, and their daughter Mattie is the wife of Mr. Theron Swain, a prominent merchant of Boston.
SOUTH NORFOLK FAMILIES.
Of the families who lived seventy-five years or more ago in what is now known as the South Norfolk District, we have the remembrances of Mr. Lucius Pendleton, now eighty-three years old, of excellent memory and still vigorous. He was a son of Mr. Ethan Pendleton, for a long period a prominent farmer in the town, who was born near Westerly, Rhode Island, in 1776. He married Mercy Taylor, and removed to Brookfield, N. Y., where he lived about nine years. Three sons, Taylor, Frederick and Russell, were born in Brookfield, and Mrs. Pendleton died there, when Mr. Pendleton returned with his children to his native place. He married again, Esther Hinckley; lived in Rhode Island some six years, where three
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children, Sally, Abel and Hobart, were born. In about 1814 Mr. Pendleton came to Norfolk, and for two years hired the farm, which he then bought, paying $8,550 for some five hundred acres. He bought more land later, and for some years owned not less than a thousand acres, keeping from 40 to 60 cows, besides young stock, sheep, etc. His children, Harry, Mary and Lucius, were born in Norfolk; Lucius was born in 1817. Esther, the second wife, died in 1824. In 1830 Mr. Pendleton married his third wife, Lucinda Hungerford of Colebrook. Two children, Robert and Olive, were born to them. Lucinda, the third wife, died, and his fourth wife was Mrs. Clarissa Pinney-Miller, daughter of Esq. Grove Pinney. The fourth wife died, and he married as his fifth wife Huldah Wright of New Marlboro, who survived him. Three of his wives died of consumption. Mr. Ethan Pendleton died September, 1860, aged 84. He was a very strong, vigorous man, though rather small of stature, but in a chopping contest able to 'log' a much larger man who challenged him, and could 'cut out of their swath' most of the noted mowers of his time. By Capt. Jo. Bailey of Goshen, who had a nickname for everybody, Mr. Pendleton was called 'Stonington Blue,' as he formerly lived in Stonington. Frederick, son of Ethan Pendleton, married Flora Pinney, sister of his father's fourth wife. Sally Pendleton married Damon Pinney, brother of her father's wife. Mary Pendleton married Orson Pinney, cousin of her father's wife. Harry Pendleton married Martha Miller, daughter of his father's wife. (Query: What was the mutual relationship of all those couples and their children?)
In Mr. Ethan Pendleton's day there were in that district four 'powerful men,' for work; these were Mr. Pendleton, Ashur Smith, a very large, bony man, Dea. Noah Miner and Stephen Norton.
The old Goshen road, which came from over Moses' Hill, and thence on south, as is described elsewhere, through what was South Norfolk village, ran then south-west, up the steep hill, and a little east of Ethan Pendleton's house, over the top of the high hill south from there into Goshen. The present Goshen road was opened in about 1811, according to Roys.
It is probable that Dea. Noah Miner owned the land west from Mr. Pendleton's house at one time, as that was in early days known as Miner Hill.
A Mr. Dixon lived a short distance over the town line in Goshen, and there carried on saddle and harness making. Light- ning struck his house at one time and Mrs. Dixon was killed.
Mr. Ethan Pendleton had a saw-mill and shop, where he sawed lumber and also cut out from black oak timber great quantities of 'clock-plates,' as they were called, in which the works of the wooden clocks ran that were made in those days. These plates
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were made of quartered oak, only the part of the log between the sap and the heart being used. They were sold in Bristol, Tariff- ville, Plymouth Hollow, now Thomaston, and other places. Samuel Osborn was running one of the large circular saws in this mill, and was thrown upon the saw and so terribly mangled that he died in thirty hours.
Mr. Augustus Smith built and lived for a number of years in the next house north from Mr. Ethan Pendleton. Later this place was sold to Mr. Abel Pendleton, where he spent most of his life. It is now the home of Mr. Bevens.
Mr. Ethan Pendleton lived in his old house until 1850, when he was 74 years old. He then built the fine, large house which still remains. One of the carpenters who helped to build this house was a young man from North Goshen, Asaph Hall. He was a great reader and student at that time, and a few years later studied under Mr. William B. Rice, Principal of the Norfolk Academy. It is unnecessary to say more than that Professor Asaph Hall, the Astronomer of world-wide fame, was in 1850 Asaph Hall the car- penter, working in South Norfolk.
Abijah Brown lived in a house long since torn down, north from Mr. Pendleton's. He was a saddle and harness maker.
Mr. Amos Baldwin came to Norfolk and for some years owned the farm which he sold later to Mr. Stephen Norton, and then bought of Mr. Whiting the farm on the hill where he spent the re- mainder of his life, and where he died, May 10, 1847, aged 68. His daughter Julia married Mr. James M. Cowles, and spent her life in Norfolk. His son Harvey studied medicine and practiced in Goshen. His sons Andrew and Amos settled in Watertown, Conn., where they spent their lives.
Mr. Harry Pendleton owned and for some years lived on the Amos Baldwin place, and later sold to his brother Abel, and lived in a house under the hill, in South Norfolk.
Mr. Augustus Roys and Augustus Smith, son of Ashur Smith, built the first tannery in South Norfolk, which was burned and rebuilt by them, and carried on for a number of years. The chil- dren of Augustus Roys were Erastus, who launched out in the leather business and about bankrupted his father; Harlow, who succeeded his father in business and is mentioned elsewhere; Caro- line, Clarissa, and Maria, who married James Gilbert.
Augustus Roys built a fine house, which was afterwards owned by his son Harlow, and later occupied by Samuel D. Northway, and now by Charles Northway, his son. Mr. Roys in early life lived several years in the Oliver Burr house, mentioned below, and in this house his children were born and his first wife died.
The first settler on what has been the Riggs farm, near the
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South Norfolk tanneries, for three generations, was Oliver Burr, son of Ebenezer Burr. He built a house on the west side of the road, where Mr. Eden Riggs' shoe shop still stands. Oliver Burr died here of consumption in 1775, aged 31.
Mr. Ashur Smith, who was the father of Rufus and Augustus Smith, bought this place after the death of Mr. Burr, and built the house which is still there, occupying it until about 1825, when he sold out to Esq. Grove Pinney of Colebrook. Several years later Mr. Pinney sold out to Mr. Eden Riggs. Esq. Pinney, his son Damon Pinney, Frederick Pendleton and Mary Pendleton, all emi- grated from Norfolk at the same time, going west, to Pennsyl- vania. The house which was sold by Amos Baldwin to Stephen Norton, afterward to Hobart Pendleton, and now occupied by Mr. Tibbals, was built on the old Goshen road, north from the Hiram Roys place, and from there moved to its present site after the new Goshen road was opened. It was originally of the "lean-to" style, and in its new location, fronting south. Mr. Norton rebuilt it, raising it to its present height of two stories, and having it front toward the road.
Bethuel Phelps built and occupied for some years the house which was for many years the home of Mr. Robert A. Geer, south from the James M. Cowles corner. Mr. Phelps married a daugh- ter of Stephen Norton and went to Ohio.
Mr. James M. Cowles bought his farm of Norman Atwood, and after occupying the old house for a number of years, which had been a tavern, kept by Mr. Daniel Pettibone, and earlier was owned by Friend Thrall, he built in 1845 his house, which in its day was perhaps the finest farmhouse in town. He was a thorough, success- ful farmer, a prominent man in town affairs, represented the town in the Legislature in 1844; was chosen Deacon of the Congrega- tional Church in 1864 and held that office at his death, December 11, 1871, aged 64.
Mr. Asa Burr spent his life on the farm east from the James M. Cowles farm; the house, which was in early days a tavern, stood on the corner of the old Goshen road, and has been torn down. Mr. Burr was son of Oliver Burr, mentioned above, and was only nine years old when his father died. He lived for a number of years with his uncle, Daniel Burr. His mother married a Case after his father's death and removed to Canton. His sister Hepzi- bah married Hezekiah Butler, and was the mother of Oliver Burr Butler. He had another sister, Beulah.
Asa Burr when a young man learned the trade of shoemaker of Seth Lockwood of Goshen, and afterward married his daughter, Mary. They lived for some years in their father's old house, and then went upon his farm, where he lived until his death in 1852,
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at the age of 86. He had no sons. His daughter Lucia married Deacon Lucius Woodward of Watertown. His daughters Diantha and Polly were never married and spent their lives in their native town, the latter especially being a most excellent, efficient woman, who went about doing good. Miss Polly Burr died February 26, 1880, aged 75. Miss Diantha Burr died September 9, 1888, aged 93. His daughter, Elizabeth, married William Oakley. Their son, Burr Oakley, died unmarried. Their daughter, Mary Oakley, mar- ried Scott Beach of this town. He died June, 1890, aged 40. Mary Oakley Beach was a local historian and a writer of some ability. She died February 26, 1898, aged 53. Her only child, William Burr Beach, died in May of the same year, at the age of 18; and so the family is extinct.
On the old Goshen road, a short distance north of the Asa Burr place there was a house where many years ago Bela Clapp lived for some time. He was an educated man, but from dissipation was considered a worthless fellow. The old house long since dis- appeared.
Deacon Noah Miner, already mentioned, lived west from the South Norfolk school-house. He was a man of great energy; an active, ardent Christian man, prominent in the town and church for many years. His son, Alden Miner, lived with his father, and his early death in 1845, at the age of 45 years, was most deeply deplored by the family and the entire community. Noah Miner was chosen Deacon of the Congregational Church in Norfolk, No- vember, 1816; resigned the office November, 1843; died December 28, 1857, aged 89. Alden Miner left three sons, Seth, Horace and Albert, who emigrated to California and died. Preston, another son of Deacon Noah Miner, lived a short distance south from his father's.
Joshua Beach lived north from Deacon Miner's and had a saw mill there, on the upper waters of the Naugatuck river-the stream that rises in Balcom or Dolphin pond. Mr. Beach sold his mill to Amos Baldwin, who employed Amos Gilbert to run the mill for several years. Mr. Gilbert's sons were Amos Jr., John and James.
Turner White lived north of the Joshua Beach place, and Joseph Bassett later owned and occupied that place for many years.
In the early history of the town Mr. Meeker settled in that sec- tion which took from him the name of Meekertown. Later a Mr. Hills lived on or near the same place, and from him that locality is still known as Hill's Corner. Mr. Joel Beach, a most excellent citizen, lived for many years in Meekertown on a farm owned by his sister, where he raised a family of five sons and three daugh- ters. The sons were Charles, and William, who went to the Pacific coast. William was a physician; practiced his profession
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and died in 1898 in the State of Washington. Benjamin was killed in the Civil war. Edward settled somewhere in Connecticut, and Scott, the youngest son, lived and died in this town. Charles Beach sent from California money for his father to buy the old Stephen Tibbals place, now the Bridgman residence, which made Mr. Beach a comfortable home for the evening of his days. That was a noble deed of a worthy son.
South from Deacon Miner's Mr. Daniel Roys lived for many years. One of his daughters, Harriet, married Augustus Munson and spent her life near Lake Wangum, on Canaan Mountain, and a sister spent most of her life with Mrs. Munson and lived to a great age.
A farmer named Reuben Dean lived west from Deacon Miner's for some years, their farms adjoining. Having no children he brought up a boy named Amasa Scoville.
Another man named John Dean, or Deal, lived for many years in the Meekertown district. One of his sons was Harlow Dean, and a son of Harlow is now a successful physician in Springfield, Mass., and a daughter has been for many years a teacher in the public schools in Hartford. A little prior to 1850 Mr. and Mrs. John Dean, then quite old people, were living alone in a little house not far from Hills' Corner. After a very severe storm and an unusually cold spell in winter, the old couple were found frozen to death in their little house. They had tried persistently to build a fire, but their matches would not light, having become wet. The writer has been told that the ancestor of this family was a man named Deal, connected with Burgoyne's army, and when that army passed through this town Deal remained behind and settled in this region.
In the early part of this century Deacon John Beach lived on the farm in South Norfolk, which was known as the Hiram Roys' farm, for many years. After Deacon Beach's death, Seth Brown, son of Captain Reuben Brown, bought this farm. At that time James Roys, the father of Hiram and Augustus Roys, owned the farm adjoining, and Mr. Roys and Mr. Seth G. Brown exchanged farms, so that Mr. Brown might be nearer his father's place and assist him in his blacksmith shop. Mr. Brown spent his life on this farm, and died there December, 1873, aged 67, and his son, Seth G. Brown, now owns and occupies the place. James Roys died in 1839, aged 71, and his son, Hiram Roys, lived on the place until about 1864, when he sold to Mr. Crumb, and removed to Winsted, where he spent the balance of his life. Mr. Roys was an excellent citizen, a constant church attendant; had two sons; Lorenzo, the elder, married a daughter of Abijah Watson of West Norfolk and settled in Wellington, Ohio. The other son was Luther Roys. One daughter, Catharine, mar-
-
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ried William C. Odell. After the death of Capt. Reuben Brown in 1854, his sons Warren, William and Quincey, carried on that place for a few years, when they sold it to Andrew Rider, who occupied the farm several years, and sold it to Philo Apley. For several years past the farm has been owned and occupied by Dr. Lusk.
The section of the town which for several generations has been known as 'Hall Meadow,' was, in early years, owned by Mr. Asaph Hall, the grandfather of the present distinguished astronomer of that name. There was no public highway at that time to this farm, and Mr. Hall had to go across lots to Ethan Pendleton's, Malachi Humphrey's, or the Eden Riggs place. Mr. Asaph Hall, father of Professor Hall, occupied this place after the death of his father, and sold it to Ethan Pendleton, who built a part of the house now occupied by Mr. Prentiss Clark, and his sons Frederick and Russell Pendleton, lived there for a time. The place was then sold to and occupied for some years by Capt. Tibbals, whose sons, Lorrin and Frederick, spent their lives on farms near there, on the road lead- ing from Hall Meadow to South End. Capt. Tibbals' son, George, lived on a farm in Winchester. His sons, Harlow, Lyman and Har- man, died young.
Thomas Gilbert, as early as 1800, occupied the saw-mill privi- lege in Hall Meadow. This was the first mill in that part of the town and may have been built by the elder Asaph Hall. Rufus Smith, son of Ashur Smith, owned the mill and property after Mr. Gilbert, and sold it to Jeremiah Johnson, who carried on quite a business there for some years. Jeremiah sold the property to his brother, Philemon Johnson, who occupied it until his death a few years since. Lyman Tibbals, son of George Tibbals, now owns the place.
Ashur Smith died on this place in 1838, aged 80.
A saw-mill once stood in South Norfolk, a short distance above the old tannery site and was run by Ashur Smith and others. The great upright saw was made with teeth welded on a plate of iron and would cut a 'calf' in the log half an inch wide.
THE RYAN FAMILY.
"In 1836 Matthew, Charles, John and Edward Evans Ryan came here with their families from Eastern Massachusetts and formed the nucleus of what is now the large and important Irish Catholic element of our population. The first three were born in Kilkenny, Ireland. The fourth was no relation to them, but was of Irish descent and born in the United States. Their partnership, as J. & E. E. Ryan & Company, purchased the woolen mill, which then stood on the north side of Blackberry River. They were all brought up
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to that trade; the father of the brothers was a cloth manufacturer in their native city.
They subsequently built the large mill on the south side of the river, conducted a store, grist-mill, farming lands, reservoirs, etc .; the whole plant being the largest business enterprise in Norfolk. The new mill was destroyed by fire after the Ryan's time. The Ryan men, affable and energetic, with good business qualifications, their wives bright, tactful and sensible young women, the new- comers rapidly won the good will and confidence of the public.
Matthew had charge of the store and of the accounts and correspondence of the firm. Thus he soon became well known to people generally. Charles confined his attention almost entirely to the manufacturing department. Edward E. looked after the farms and out of door matters directly connected with the business. John had a wider acquaintance than the others. He represented the firm in its transactions at a distance that required to be looked after personally. He was the only one of the partners that took much part in politics.
Upon the retirement of J. & E. E. Ryan & Company from busi- ness in 1857, John Ryan studied law, and in 1858 was regularly admitted to the bar in Litchfield. But, concluding that the West was a more inviting field for a beginner than Connecticut, he located the same year in Decatur, Ill., duly passed his examina- tion, and was admitted to the Illinois bar; a few months after reaching Decatur he was made editor of the Decatur Daily Magnet, the leading Democratic paper in that portion of the State. He was appointed by President Buchanan Postmaster of Decatur. When President Lincoln came in he reappointed him for another term. He held the office until 1867, when he resigned and removed to St. Louis. There he was interested as a promoter and director in the company that built the railroad from East St. Louis to Decatur. He was twice elected to the Missouri Legislature, and was at both sessions Chairman of the Committee on Manufac- tures. He died in St. Louis in 1886, not quite 80 years of age. His widow, Joanna Boomer Ryan, now (1900) aged 82 years, lives in St. Louis, where also reside their sons, Matthew J., who married Nancy A., daughter of E. Grove Lawrence of this town, Frank K., James R., Bernard E., Lawrence A., and their daughter Margaret M. Ryan.
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