USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Seymour > History of Seymour, Connecticut, with biographies and genealogies > Part 11
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[1850
and to be beaten by a local preacher and a papermaker, was no less a surprise than the success of the democratic ticket in a strong whig town.
The subject of dividing the town had not been agitated until after this election, but now it quickly became prominent. Messrs. Dwight and French led in the movement and Judge Munson was active in its advocacy. Why no one proposed the name of Humphrey for the new town, we have been unable to learn. The bill to grant the petition was prepared and printed with the name "Richmond," but before it was put on its passage Judge Munson came to Mr. Smith and suggested the name "Seymour." Mr. S. replied, "It is short, our Governor and the Speaker of the House have that name, and it is an eminent name in Connecticut, and we will have it the name of our town." The bill was so amended and passed. Following is a copy of the
Charter of the Town of Seymour,
General Assembly, May Session, A. D., 1850.
Upon the petition of Leman Chatfield and others praying for the incor- poration of a new town, as will fully and at large appear by their petition on file, dated the th day of April, 1850, which petition has been duly served upon the town of Derby and was duly returned to and entered in the office of the Secretary of this State according to law.
RESOLVED BY THIS ASSEMBLY. That all that part of the town of Derby lying northerly of the following described line, to wit: 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 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 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 month of said brook easterly, in a straight line to the intersection of the line dividing the town of Wood- bridge from the town of Derby with the centre 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, and the inhabitants aforesaid, and their successors forever, residing within said limits shall have and enjoy all the powers, privileges and immunities which are enjoyed by other towns in this State, with the privilege of sending one repre- sentative to the General Assembly of this State.
Said new town shall support all bridges within their bonnds, (except such as belong to turnpike companies or other corporations or individuals to support) and be released from supporting any bridges without the limits of said new town; shall pay and perform their proportion of the present debts and liabilities of Derby, and be allowed the same proportion of its credits, including the like proportion of the town deposit fund, and the same proportion of interest in the ahushouse land; and shall take and support their proportion of the present town poor of said town of Derby; the proportion of the said new town in all the respects aforesaid being as the list of that part of the new town taken from the town of Derby for the year 1849, bears to the whole list of Derby, in the same year ; and the selectmen of the said town of Derby and Seymour are hereby empowered to apportion and divide the present town poor, the debts.
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1850]
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credits, town funds and alms house land aforesaid, according to the rule afore- said ; and in case they should not be able to agree, then such apportionment shall be made by Samuel Meigs, Esquire, of Oxford, whose decision shall be final. And said town poor when so apportioned, shall be settled inhabitants for all purposes in the respective towns to which they are set and said new town shall be liable to maintain all such poor of the town from which it is taken, as are or may be absent therefrom ; provided, such poor person or per- sons at the time of their departure belonged to the portion of said town of Derby hereby incorporated, or were residents therein as settled inhabitants at the time of such departure therefrom.
Resolved further, That the collector of town and state taxes of said Derby, be hereby authorized lo collect the several taxes already laid, in the same manner as though this act had not passed.
Resolred further, That it shall be the duty of said new town to assume and perform the contracts and liabilities now subsisting between the town of Derby and any other person or persons for keeping in repair such portion of the roads of the old town of Derby as lie within the limits of said new town, and to save the said old town from all expense therefrom.
Resolred further, That the mileage of the said town of Seymour to Hartford be forty-five miles, and to New Haven be eleven miles.
Resolved further, That the first meeting of said town of Seymour shall be held on the fourth Monday of June, 1850, at the basement of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church at Humphreys Ville, in said town of Seymour; and Leman Chatfield, Esquire, (and in case of his failure to attend the same, Harris B. Munson, Esquire,) shall be moderator of said meeting; and said meeting shall be warned by setting up a notification of the same on a sigu post hereby established at the east end of the bridge over Naugatuck River, at said Humphreys Ville, and at such other place or places as said persons or either of them deem proper, at least five days before said meeting. And said town of Seymour shall at said first meeting, have all the powers incident to other towns in the State, and full right to act accordingly, to elect town officers ; and the officers so elected at such meeting shall hold their offices until others are chosen and sworn in their stead.
STATE OF CONNECTICUT, SS. { I hereby certify that the foregoing Office of Secretary of State, ) is a true copy of record in this office. In testimony whereof I have herennto set my hand and affixed the Seal of said State, at Hartford, this 12th day of September, A. D., 1850.
SEAL
JNO. P. C. MATHER, SECRETARY OF STATE.
January, 1850, was a remarkably warm month, and in the following month the snows were followed by heavy rains, raising the streams and caus- ing considerable damage. In the freshet of Feb. 10th and 11th the lower bridge was considerably damaged and narrowly escaped being carried away. There was also a high flood March 1st.
The water lease of S. Y. Beach's papermill expiring in this year, it was pulled down and removed to its present location on Bladen's brook. Paper making was discontinued June 15th and resumed Sept. 2nd.
A town meeting was held JJune 24th in the basement of the M. E. Church, as provided by the charter, Leman Chatfield presiding as moderator. The principal officers of the new town were as follows:
Selectmen, Leman Chatfield, Daniel L. Holbrook, Thomas Cochran.
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[1850-52
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.
Constables, George H. Merrick, Philo Beecher, Oliver H. Stoddard, Hiram P. Johnson, Roswell Humaston, John J. Rider.
* Committee on Roads, Sheldon Kinney, Daniel L. Holbrook.
Tithingmen, Church Society-Burton W. Smith, Sheldon Hurd, Isaac Lindley ; Methodist Society-John L. Hartson, Jarvis Polly ; Congregational Society-Medad K. Tucker, William H. Tuthill; Baptist Society-Sharon Y. Beach, George L. Hodge; Great Hill Methodist Society-William C. Smith, Roswell Humaston.
The second town meeting was held in the basement of the Congrega- tional Church, Oct. 30th, 1850. Leman Chatfield, Daniel L. Holbrook and Thomas Cochran were elected selectmen ; Charles B. Wooster, town clerk ; and Burton W. Smith, town treasurer.
At the electors' meeting held Mar. 31st, 1851, Bennett Wooster was elected the first representative of the Town of Seymour to the General Assembly.
The Baptist Society was organized in March, 1848, Rev. William Den- nison, from White Hills, in charge. The church on Maple street was built in 1851. Tythingmen were last elected for the church in October, 1859.
A union Sunday school festival was held Aug. 28th by the Baptist, Congregational, Episcopal and Methodist Sunday schools.
At the annual town meeting held Oct. 6th, the selectmen, town clerk and treasurer were re-elected.
At a special town meeting held in January, 1852, it was voted to build a new bridge over the Naugatuck, near Moshier's tavern, and Isaac B. Davis, Philo Holbrook and Raymond French were appointed building committee.
At the spring election, Rev. Sylvester Smith was elected representative, receiving 217 of the 354 votes cast. The following persons were elected justices of the peace :- Harris B. Munson, Leman Chatfield, Sharon Y. Beach, Isaac B. Davis, Charles B. Wooster, Philo Holbrook, George P. Shelton, Daniel L. Holbrook, Samuel R. Hickox, Eli S. Cornwall.
At the town meeting in the basement of the Congregational Church in October, Daniel Holbrook was elected first selectman but declined to serve another year. Isaac B. Davis, Sharon Y. Beach and Harpin Riggs were then elected and Burton W. Smith was elected treasurer. A resolution was passed authorizing the layout of a street past the house Denzel Hitchcock, now known as High Street, also accepting Humphrey street as highway. The following resolution was adopted:
Voted, that all Horses and Cattle be restrained from going at large upon the highways and commons in Seymour (except that any man owning one cow only can by permission from any one selectman, let her run at large provided she has a strap on her neck with the owners name on) and if so found going at large shall be liable to be impounded and that the penalty for each animal so im- pounded shall be seventy-five cents, two thirds of which sum to be paid to the person or persons so impounding the same, by the owner or owners of the animal or animals so impounded, and one-third to the pound keeper.
Voted, that Sheep and Swine be restrained from going at large upon the highways and commons in said town, and if so found going at large shall be liable to be impounded, and the penalty for cach Sheep or Swine so impounded shall be twenty-five cents, to be paid to the person or persons so im- pounding the same by the owner or owner of the Sheep or Swine so impounded eighteen cents, and to the pound-keeper seven cents.
Voted. that Geese be restrained from going at large upon the highways or commons in said town.
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1852-54]
and if so found going at large shall be liable to be impounded, and the penalty for each Goose so impounded shall be eight eents, one-half of which shall be paid to the person impounding the same and the other half to the pound-keeper, by the owner or owners of the geese so impounded.
Voted that any inhabitant of said town may lawfully impound all such creatures found going at large as aforesaid, and it shall be the duty of the person or persons impounding the same to give notice thereof to the owner or owners of such creatures, if known, within twenty-four hours after im- pounding the same, and in case the owner or owners of such impounded creatures be not known by the impounder, to inform forthwith one of the Constables of said town, whose duty it shall be to proceed in the same manner as is by law prescribed for Constables when they are informed that creatures are impounded for doing damage upon land, and the owners thereof is not known, and said Constable shall be entitled to his lawful fees in the same manner as for creatures doing damage upon land, provided that nothing in this vote or By-Law shall be so construed as to prevent the owner or owners of such creatures from redeeming them from the person or persons while driving them to pound, by paying the drivers fees.
Voted, that the foregoing By-Law be effectual from and after the 26th day of November, 1852, until the first Monday in October, 1853.
Voted, that the town clerk be directed to cause the foregoing By-Law lo be published four weeks successively in the Columbian Register printed in New Haven, also in the New Haven Palladium.
This by-law was re-enacted in 1853 and the penalties increased one-fourth. In 1854 it was repealed.
The vote of the town for presidential electors, Nov. 2nd, 1852, was- democratic, 258; whig, 105; free soil, 4.
The Humphreysville Copper Co. was re-organized in 1852 and the capital increased from $100,000 to $200,000 by the addition of 4,000 shares of $25 each. S. R., Vol. 3, p. 123. The President of the company certified that the whole amount had been paid in Feb. 2nd. A large part of the stock was taken in Humphreysville, the bank taking 700 shares. The directors of the company then were-William Cornwall, Timothy Dwight, George F. DeForest, Charles Durand and Harrison Tomlinson. In February, 1853, the directors were-John W. Dwight, William Cornwall, Timothy Dwight, Charles Durand, Nathan Peck, Jr., of New Haven, Raymond French, George F. DeForest, Harrison Tomlinson and Sheldon Kenney of Seymour. The works were greatly enlarged and the business increased. Up to this time the business had proved very Incrative, but after the enlargement the profits decreased and the stock finally went down.
At the electors' meeting in April, 1853, H. B. Munson was elected rep- resentative by a majority of 82 in a total vote of 329.
Prof. Gay, a graduate of Yale, opened a "high school" in Glendinning Hall in August.
At the October town meeting Leman Chatfield, Harpin Riggs and Jabez E. Pritchard were elected selectmen, and B. W. Smith, town treasurer.
On Sunday, Nov. 13th, there was a heavy rain all day, and during the afternoon the river rose rapidly, until it was seventeen feet and three inches above low water mark at Derby. Such a flood had not been known for many years, the water was said to have been four feet deep in the coppermill. The sonth half of the railroad bridge was carried away, with the south abntment, and many other bridges above and below Seymour, including those at Pines- bridge, Beacon Falls and Ansonia. In the evening the Ansonia bridge was carried away, and with it a young couple whose cries were heard far down the river, but all attempts to rescue them in the darkness were unavailing.
On Wednesday evening, Jan. 8th, 1854, there was another freshet which again swept off the railroad bridge and also the dam of French, Swift & Co. The next forenoon the damn which stood a little above where the rubbermill dam now is was carried away. It continued to be an unusually rainy season
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[1854-57
for two months, and the July and August following were as exceptionally dry.
At the elector's meeting in April, H. B. Munson was elected representa- tive by a majority of 65 in a total vote of 293, and S. Y. Beach, Leman Chatfield, Isaac B. Davis, Samuel R. Hickox, Daniel L. Holbrook, Philo Holbrook, II. B. Munson, Luzon B. Morris, George P. Shelton and Charles B. Wooster, justices of the peace.
From Thursday, April 22nd, to the following Sunday morning there was heavy and continuous ram, resulting in a flood on Sunday, when the water rose eight or ten inches higher than in the November freshet. Great damage was done throughout the valley. Derby Avenue was washed out from Broad street to Pine to the depth of three feet. The water at Derby was 19 feet 8} inches above low water mark. A special town meeting was called and a vote passed to build a breakwater at the west end of Broad street and to fill Derby Avenue where washed out. The work was done immediately and so substantially that there has been no farther trouble at that point.
Feb. 7th, 1855, the mercury stood 12º below zero, and the 11th, 100 below. At the April election Luzon B. Morris was elected representative by a majority of 45 in a total vote of 315. In October Jabez E. Pritchard, Henry Bradley and Philo Holbrook were elected selectmen, and B. W. Smith, treasurer. Charles B. Wooster was town clerk from the first election after the incorporation of the town until he removed to New Haven in the winter of 1862-63.
The winter of 1855-6 was remarkably severe. The snow lay from eighteen inches to two feet in depth all through Jannary, '56. The mercury stood 13° below zero Jan. 9th at 7 a. m., 8º below Mar. 4th, and 10º below Mar. 14th. The next summer was unusually warm. June 23rd the mercury stood at 100° in the shade, and the 17th of July at 1020.
At the April election Luzon B. Morris was elected representative by a majority of 58 votes. The justices elected were H. B. Munson, Henry Bradley, C. B. Wooster, Philo Holbrook, D. L. Holbrook, Sheldon Church, L. B. Morris, David Beach, B. W. Smith and Joseph Chipman.
A vote was taken upon the proposition to change the name of the town from Seymour to Humphrey, the change being defeated by a vote of 117 to 81. At the October election of 1856, Sheldon Church, Miles Culver and Daniel L. Holbrook were elected selectmen ; Hiram W. Randall, town treasurer ; and George F. DeForest, Philo B. Buckingham and Inzon B. Morris, school visitors. This was the first election of school visitors by the town. Previous to this time they had been elected by the School Societies, of which there two, the first comprising the school districts on the east side of the river, and the second the districts on the west side.
Land was purchased of Alfred Blackman by Rev. James Lynch of Bir- mingham, Sept. 24th, 1851, for a Roman Catholic Church. The land was deeded to Rt. Rev. Bernard O'Riley of Providence, R. I., June 5th, 1855. Work was connnenced in the fall of 1855, and the edifice completed and dedicated in the fall of 1856.
A vote for presidential electors, Nov. 4th, 1856, was-democratic, 192; republican, 129; et al, 6.
Jan. 22nd, 1857, at 7 a. m., the mercury was 4º below zero; 23rd,-13º; 24th,-23°; 25th,-10°; 26th,-20º.
There was a great freshet Feb. 7th, the water at Derby being 22 feet 3 inches above low water mark. The Housatonic bridge at Birmingham was carried away. Henry C. Johnson was elected representative in April by a. majority of 41. The "Bank of North America," corner of Main and Maple
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streets, had been incorporated in 1851 with a capital of $100,000. In 1854 the General Assembly authorized an increase of the capital stock to $200,000, but the increase seems not to have been made, as on the Ist of January, 1856, George F. DeForest, the president of the bank, reported the stock worth only $116,775. In June, 1859, an addition of $100,000 to the stock was anthorized, and in June, 1860, permission was given to remove the bank to Ansonia. The name was changed to Ansonia Bank in 1861.
The Naugatuck Railroad Company was incorporated in 1845. Timothy Dwight, William DeForest and and Anson G. Phelps being among the petitioners for the charter. The capital stock was at first $600,000 with the privilege of increasing to one million dollars. The time in which the road was to be built was extended in 1848 and 1853, and the stock increased to $2,000,000.
The Eagle Manufacturing Co. was organized June 27th, 1850, with a stock of $50,000, for the manufacture of goods from silk, wool and cotton. Geo. Rice was the first president of the company. The stock was increased to $100,000 Oct. 28, 1852; Geo. F. DeForest, president. In January, 1855, Geo. P. Shelton, pres., and Harrison Tomlinson, sec., certified to estimated losses of $27,000 and assetts of $42,000, the indebtedness of the company being about $60,000.
In 1851 the capital stock of the Humphreysville Manufacturing Co. was estimated at $300,000, and the estimate was approved by a committee of the Legislature. Pr. Acts, Vol. 4, p. 803. In 1859 the stock was reduced to $150,000 by the distribution of property to the stockholders.
The Humphreysville High School Association was incorporated in 1851, as follows :
SEC. 1. Resolred by this Assembly, That Raymond French, Harrison Tomlinson, George F. De Forest, Lucius Tuttle, Eli S. Cornwall, Samuel Bassett. Philo B. Buckingham, E. F. Bassett, George II. Merick, Nehemiah Robbins, Oliver H. Stoddard, Clark Wooster, and all others, who How are, or shall hereafter become associated with them, and their successors and assigns, be, and they are hereby constituted a body politic and corporate, by the name of "The Seymour High School Association," and by that name they are hereby authorized and empowered to purchase, take, hold, occupy and enjoy, notes, bonds, mortgages and estate, real and personal, to an amount not exceeding twenty thousand dollars ; and the same to sell, transfer and convey at their pleasure; and shall also be capable of suing and being sned, pleading and being impleaded, defending and being defended in any lawful court; to have perpetual succession, and to have a common seal, and the same to alter at pleasure.
SEC. 2. The stock of said corporation, consisting of the building or buildings, for the use of said high school, such as may be from time to time erected, together with the lands which now are, or may hereafter be owned by said corporation; and all moneys, funds, notes, bonds, mortgages, real and personal estate of any description, which now belong, or may hereafter belong to said corporation, excepting donations, legacies, devises and bequests, shall be divided into shares of twenty-tive dollars each; and cach share shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote at all meetings of said corporation ; and said shares shall be deemed and held to he personal estate, and shall be transferable in such manner as shall be prescribed by the by-laws, rules and regulations of said corporation.
SEC. 3. For the management of the affairs of said corporation, the members thereof shall, at their first meeting, eleet five trustees, who shall hold their office for the terin of one year, at least. from the time of their election, and until others may and shall be chosen by said corporation, to sup- ply their places ; said trustees shall have power to fill any vacancies which may occur in their number. during the time of holding their office; they shall have the immediate management and control of the funds, property, and general concerns of said corporation, receive and disburse all moneys belonging to said institution; regulate the course of instruction and the price of tuition, and if they think proper, prescribe the terms of admission of scholars ; they shall have the
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power of enacting such rules and regulations concerning the conduct of students while members of said high school, as they may deem proper; and a majority of them may, at any time, expel or dismiss, or suspend, as the case may require, such students as, for any reasonable cause, they may consider it improper to retain in the school; always provided, that the by-laws, rules and regulations shall not be repugnant to the laws of this state, or of the United States.
SEC. 4. That in all meetings of the trustees, a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to form a quorum for transacting business of any kind; and a vote of the majority of those present shall be necessary to render any act done by them binding on said corporation.
SEC. 5. All meetings of the trustees shall be called at such times, in such manner, and on such notice, as the trustees by their by-laws shall prescribe. And a meeting of the corporation may at any time be called by vote of the trustees, or by a written request presented to the secretary or the trustees or corporation, and signed by members of the corporation, who are owners of at least one-third of the stock of said corporation ; and each meeting of the corporation shall be warned in such manner as the trustees shall direct.
SEC. 6. In all meetings of the corporation, all the stockholders may vote in person, or by proxy, and one vote shall he allowed for each share.
SEC. 7. The books and records of said corporation shall be always open to the inspection of any of its stockholders.
SEC. 8. The use of such buildings as may belong to said corporation, shall be under the direction of the trustees, and shall be appropriated to no other purposes than that of a school, unless by the consent of a majority of the trustees expressed in writing under their hands, and prescribing the terms on which, and the purposes for which, they are to be used.
SEC. 9. The members of this corporation shall have the power of appointing a committee to consist of at least two, to procure such instructors as may be necessary, and agree with them in re- lation to the terms ; and in case they shall neglect to do so, it shall be the duty of the trustees to procure such itstructors as may be required.
SEC. 10. The first meeting of the corporation shall be called by George F. DeForest, Es- quire, or in case of his inability or neglect, by Raymond French, of the town of Seymour, at such time and place, and with such notice as he shall direct; provided always, that this act may be altered, amended or repealed at the pleasure of the general assembly. (Pr. Acts, Vol. 3, p. 20.
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