USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Seymour > History of Seymour, Connecticut, with biographies and genealogies > Part 8
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At this meeting Dr. Sanford of Chusetown, with Dr. Crafts, petitioned for liberty to "inoculate at some suitable place." At an adjourned meeting held Dee. 17th permission was given to inoculate in separate hospitals, under the restrictions before established. The hospital established by Dr. Sanford was on the hill a little north of Castle Rock, convenient of access from his house, which stood on the northwest corner of West and Church streets.
In 1797 Rev. Michael Coate, circuit preacher, organized the Methodist Society, including in its membership Jesse Johnson, Isaac Baldwin, Esther Baldwin, Sarah Baldwin, Eunice Baldwin, George Clark, Lucy Hitchcock, Silas Johnson and Olive Johnson. Trinity church was built the same year. Vide page 25.
In 1798 an attempt was made to get a more direct road from Chusetown to New Haven, the town of Derby opposing it and appointing a committee to "the General Court to oppose the granting of liberty to a turnpike company to make a road from New Haven to Rimmon Falls, near Mrs. Dayton's, unless the turnpike company will agree and become obliged to be at all the expense of purchasing, making and repairing said road." Notwithstanding this the arrangement was finally made, terminating at the lower bridge, then known as the bridge "at the falls of the Naugatuck" or Rimmon Falls.
At first the road ran down what is now Pearl and Main streets, but in 1802 purchases of land were made from Edmund Page, Lydia Keeney and X.Moses Riggs of a right of way direct to the bridge. The purchases were made by "Henry Daggett and Thomas Punderson of New Haven, and Levi Tom- linson of Chusetown, committee of the proprietors of the Turnpike Road from Thompson's Bridge in New Haven to the Falls Bridge in Chusetown." Page sold 45 rods of land 3 rods wide, 18 rods on the northeasterly line and 12 rods on the southwesterly line; bounded southerly on highway, easterly on grantor's land, northwesterly on land deeded to said committee, and westerly on grantor's land. D. R. Vol. 16, p. 197. Lydia Keeney sold "a part of her home lot containing sixty rods, being three rods wide and about twenty-five rods in ' length, for the purpose of extending the turnpike road from the highway be- tween the dwellinghouse and blacksmith shop of Edwin Page, in a direct line to the Falls Bridge, running angling through the land of sd Lydia in a direct
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line with the sd turnpike extending southerly of sd Blacksmith Shop," for $70, Feb. 16th. D. R., Vol. 16, p. 198.
On the 22nd of February Moses Riggs of Oxford sold to the same parties "about one acre and thirty-five rods on the east side of the Naugatuck river, running on the Southwesterly line a straight line from the northeast corner of said bridge to about two feet easterly of the northeast corner of Edmund Page's Blacksmith Shop, from said bridge about fifty rods to Lydia Keeney's land, bounded southerly on said grantor's land then easterly on land, deeded by sd Keeney to the grantees and their associates, then northieasterly on the grantor's land, and is three rods wide where it leaves sd Keeney's land on the northerly line and on the top of the hill four rods wide, and four rods opposite said corner of said bridge, and is bounded northwesterly on highway. Said land is for the purpose of extending the Turnpike Road from the highway near sd Blacksmith shop to said Bridge, D. R., Vol. 16, p. 199. The names-Thompson's Bridge Turnpike and Rimmon Falls Turnpike, were both used to designate this road.
These deeds make the old blacksmith shop, corner of Hill and Pearl streets, quite an important landmark. There was never any deed of the land, the shop having been built on "proprietors' land," i. e. undivided land. When the right of location was questioned, it was defended on the ground of a vote of the town in 1798 which gave a title to any such land occupied by buildings standing at that time, at the same time forbidding any farther unauthorized appropriation of the public lands. It was claimed that the blacksmith shop was there in 1798, and that the title was therefore good. To make sure that the building, or some portion of it should continue to mark the spot, the northi side of the building was cut out and the stone wall built, and under such cir- cumstances it is probable that the exact location was preserved.
In making the turnpike, the cut on Hill street, below Washington Avenue, was made in part by ponding the brook crossing the intersection of Hill and Pearl streets, and turning the water down the cut, carrying the sand and gravel into the river.
In April 1798, John Riggs, Caleb Candee and Charles Bunnell on the part of the Parish of Oxford, and James. Lewis, David Hitchcock and Canfield Gillett on the part of "the old town," as a joint committee, reported in addition to previous arrangements, that Oxford should pay £170 to the old town in three annual installments, as a condition of the division of the town.
The Falls Bridge seems to have been a continued source of discussion and expense, either for repairs or rebuilding. In March, 1802, arrangements were commenced for building a new bridge, the expense to be borne principally by Oxford Turnpike Co. and Rimmon Turnpike Co., assisted by the town of Derby on condition that citizens of the town may pass toll free. A toll gate was to be put up at the end of the bridge. In this year John Wooster sold his third of the Falls property to Bradford Steel for $167, and Oct. 8th, 1803, Steel purchased of Nathan Styles his share of the Falls property and also a separate tract of land near by. Styles came from Southbury and married a daughter of Capt. Ebenezer Dayton. He had carried on business here a number of years previous to 1802.
Bradford Steel had been carrying on business at the mouth of Little River, having his fulling mill and dye shop at the foot of the hill, and his finishing shop at the top of the hill east of the church. He lived in the old house (still standing) until he sold it to Abiel Canfield.
Up to this time the spinning wheel for flax and wool had been a neces- sary article in a well-ordered farm-house, and it was often accompanied by
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the hand loom, reel, and cards,-soon superceded by carding machines. Mothers and daughters were skilled in making stout and durable cloth, as well as in the preparation of woolen yarn for mittens and stockings. Plain- ness of apparel was the rule and garments which had cost so many days of tiresome labor by members of the household were not likely to be thrown by for trifles. Steel made no clotlı. The cloth dressed and finished by him had been woven on hand looms in the homes of the industrious weavers.
In 1803, Col. David Humphreys, afterward known as General Humphreys, who was to be so closely identified with the interests of the place, came and purchased the Falls property, as appears by the deed in Derby Records, Vol. 17, page 30. The deed was given Dec. 13th and recites that "Col. David Humphreys, now of Boston, in the commonwealth of Massachusetts," purchased of Bradford Steel, Bradford Steel, Jr., and George Steel, for the sum of $2,647.92, "one certain piece of land lying in said Derby at a place called Rimmon Falls, it being the same tract of land formerly deeded by John Howd and Joseph Chuse, Indians, to John Wooster, Ebenezer Kinney and Joseph Hull, Jr., as may appear on Derby Records ; for a particular description, refer to said Records; together with all the privileges, together with the saw mill, two fulling mills, clothiers shop, and all the utensils, implements, and apparatus belonging to and used in, and appendant and appurtenant in and to the said mills and clothier's shop standing on said land, together with the buildings thereon standing, together with the whole mill-dam across said Rimmon Falls."
The merino sheep had been introduced into the country and their great superiority being immediately manifest, farmers were everywhere glad to avail themselves of the opportunity to improve their stock. Gen. Humph- reys did not encourage speculation but distributed his sheep judiciously among the farmers at $100 each, a price said to be less than the original cost. When the price rose to $400 he refused to sell, saying that he believed such sales would lead to ruinous speculation. But soon the price of merino bucks went up to $1,500 and a few were even sold as high as $3,000, and ewes sold from $1,000 to $1,500. John Bassett was offered $1,000 by Philo Bassett for a full blooded merino ewe lamb eight days old and refused to take less than $1,500. A few days after it was killed by a fox. Two young farmers united in buying a buck at $1,500 and the same day it died by being choked with an apple. But such mishaps checked the speculation but little, and it rapidly extended throughout New England, Vermont in particular being quickly supplied with some of the merinos.
Gen. Humphreys considered it of great importance to the interests of the country that manufactures, especially that of woolen cloths, should be introduced, and with the nucleus of the "mills and clothiers' shop" purchased of Styles he immediately set about it. In 1806 he had the factory built which still stands on Factory street, near the race. On the fifth and sixth of June was raised the frame of the first woolen factory built in the United States.
The name "Chusetown" appears on the town Records as late as 1804, but it was soon changed to Humpreysville in honor of Gen. Humphreys, and this name was retained until 1850.
That he might the better carry out his plans Gen. Humphrey made several other purchases of land, among others the two following April 25, 1804. Of Nathan and Experience Wheeler, for $600, "one piece of land at a place called Northend, * * * lying on the west side of the highway, bounded northerly on John Swift's land, westerly on the Naugatuck River, southerly on land of Daniel Tucker, Jr., then easterly on sd Tucker's land, then southerly on sd
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Tucker's land to the highway, then bounded easterly on highway to said Swift's land, containing about 117 acres, more or less; also one other piece of land, lying on the hill, bounded westerly on highway, northerly on land of Henry Wooster, Jr., then westerly on land of sd Wooster, then again northerly on land of sd Wooster, to the O'Cain land, then easterly on the O'Cain land, then again easterly on highway to land of Zephaniah Tucker, then southerly on sd Tucker's land, then again easterly on sd Tucker's land, then running westerly to the highway, as the fence now stands, containing about thirty-five acres of land, more or less, with the buildings belonging to sd pieces of land."
Witnessed by John Humphreys, and John Humphreys, Jr.
He also purchased of Nathan Wheler, a tract of 131 acres, adjoining lands of John Swift, Daniel Tucker, David Treat, Levi Hotchkiss, Fitch Smith, Capt. Reuben Tucker, "common land," and highway, with another piece of eight acres, for the consideration of $4,500.
Cattle, sheep and hogs still roamed at large on the common lands. One item of the record says :- "David Humphrey's ear mark is a square half penny the upper side the right ear. Entered May 15th, 1804. Per John® Humphreys, Regr."
A road from Shrub Oak to Derby Narrows was demanded by the people of Woodbury and adjoining towns, and laid out in 1805. The following resolution in regard to it was passed June 11th, "Voted that the select- men of the town of Derby be directed, and they are hereby directed to take such measures as in their judgement shall appear most prudent and proper to procure the making of the Road they have lately laid out on the west side of Naugatuck River, from Shruboak to Derby Landing, and cause the same to be well made at the expense of said town, and they are directed to collect and apply to that use any or all the monies due to said Town as they may find themselves needful."
President Dwight, of Yale College, wrote an interesting sketelı of Humphreysville as he found it in the fall of 1811, which is here given :
"Within the limits of Derby, four miles and a half from the mouth of the Naugatuc, is a settlement named by the Legislature Humphreysville, from the Hon. David Humphreys, formerly Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Madrid. At this place a ridge of rocks, twenty feet in height crosses the river, and forms a perfect dam about two thirds of the distance. The remaining third is closed by an artificial dam. The stream is so large as to furnish an abundance of water at all times for any works, which will proba- bly ever be erected on the spot. Those already existing are a grist-mill, a saw-mill, a paper-mill, woolen manufactory, and a cotton manufactory, with all their proper appendages, and a considerable number of other buildings, destined to be the residence of the manufacturers, and for various other purposes.
A strong current of water in a channel, cut through the rock on the Eastern side, sets in motion all the machinery, employed in these buildings. By this current are moved the grist-mill ; two newly invented shearing ma- chines ; a breaker and finisher for carding sheep's wool ; a machine for making ravellings; two jennies for spinning sheep's wool, under the roof of the grist-mill ; the works in the paper-mill ; a picker ; two more carding machines for sheep's wool ; and a billy with forty spindles in a third building ; a full- ing-mill ; a saw-mill, employed to cut the square timber, boards, laths, &c., for the different edifices, and to shape many of the wooden materials for the machinery ; two more fulling-mills on improved principles, immediately
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connected with the clothier's shop; and the various machinery in a cotton manufactory, a building about one hundred feet long, thirty-six wide, and of four stories, capable of containing two thousand spindles with all their neces- sary apparatus.
The houses can accommodate with a comfortable residence about one hundred and fifty persons. Ten others in the neighbourhood will furnish comfortable residences for upwards of one hundred and fifty more. Gardens on a beautiful plat in the rear of the manufactories, furnish all the vegetables, necessary for the establishment.
The institution contains four broad and eight narrow looms, and eighteen stocking-frames.
The principal part of the labour in attending the machinery, in the cotton and woolen manufactories, is done by women and children ; the former hired at from fifty cents to one dollar per week ; the latter, apprentices, who are regularly instructed in reading, writing, and arithmetic.
The wages of the men are from five to twenty-one dollars, per month.
In Europe great complaints have been made of manufacturing estab- lishiments, as having been very commonly seats of vice, and disease. Gen- eral Humphreys began this, with a determination either to prevent these evils, or if this could not be done, to give up the design. With regard to the health of his people it is sufficient to observe, that from the year 1804 to the year 1810, not an individual, belonging to the institution, died ; and it is believed, that among no other equal number of persons there has been less disease.
With respect to vice it may be remarked, that every person, who is dis- covered to be openly immoral, is discharged.
At the commencement of the institution, discreet parents were reluctant to place their children in it, from unfavourable apprehensions concerning the tendency of such establishments. Since that time they have been offered in more than sufficient numbers.
In 1813, the Legislature, at the instance of Gen. Humphreys, passed a law, constituting the select-men and magistracy of the several towns in which manufactories had been or should be established, visitors of these institutions. This law required the proprietors to contronl in a manner specified, the mor- als of all their workmen, and to educate the children, as other children in plain families throughout the State are educated. The visitors were directed to enquire annually, into the manner in which the proprietors conformed to this law. The reports of the visitors in Derby, concerning the establishment at Humphreysville, have been in a high degree honourable both to the pro- prietor and his people.
The manufactures at Humphreysville are esteemed excellent. The best broadcloth made here, is considered as inferiour to none which is imported.
Americans make all the machinery ; and have invented several kinds of machines, which are considered as superiour to such as have been devised in Europe for the same purposes.
Most of the weaving has been done in private families.
The scenery at this spot is delightfully romantic. The Fall is a fine object. The river, the buildings belonging to the institution, the valley, the border- ing hills, farms, and houses, groves, and forests, united, form a landscape, in a high degree interesting.
The people of this country are, at least in my opinion, indebted not a little to Gen. Humphreys, both for erecting this manufacturing establishment,
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and for introducing into the United States the invaluable breed of Spanish sheep, known by the name of Merinos. One hundred of these animals he procured to be brought by the connivance of the Spanish Court, from the interiour of Spain to Lisbon ; and thence transported to Derby under his own eye. A few of them died in consequence of the voyage. The rest speedily regained their strength and fresh, and from that time the breed, instead of declining, has sensibly improved. For some years strong prejudices existed in the minds of the farmers throughout our country against this breed of sheep. Gen. Humphreys has done more than any other man, perhaps than all others, to remove this prejudice, and to spread them through the country.
In this manufactory he has, I think, fairly established three points of great importance. One is, that these manufactures can be carried on with success ; another, that the workmen can be preserved in good health, as that, enjoyed by any other class of men in the country ; and the third, that the deterioration of morals in such institutions, which is often complained of, is not necessary, but incidental, not inherent in the institution itself, but the fault of the proprietor.
Derby, then including Oxford, contained in 1756, 1,000 inhabitants; in 1774, 1,889 ; in 1790, 2,994. Derby alone contained in 1800, 1,878 inhabi- tants ; and, in 1810, 2,051."
The employes of the works were mostly Americans, but it was necessary to send to England at great expense for men who were skilled in some branches of the work which were entirely new in this country. Among them were John Winterbottom, father of Mrs. Ann S. Stevens, and Thomas Gilyard, son of Edmund and Nancy Gilyard, born in Leeds, England, March 20, 1786. He came to New York in the "Commerce" in the summer of 1807, having had a very fine passage of 45 days, and by packet to New Haven in three days sail, a quick trip for those times. He immediately commenced work for Humphreys and worked for him until March 28th, 1810. In this year the manufacture of stockings was carried on here on a considerable scale. This was new work for Gilyard, but he soon learned it. He was an active member of the Methodist Society for many years. His very interesting journal has furnished many dates and incidents for these pages.
In 1802 Canfield Gillett was appointed a committee to make application to the General Assembly for permission to sell the land near Rimmon Falls still belonging to the Indians, (D. R., B. M. D., p. 419,) but the permission was not granted until 1810. The land was sold in 1812. Following is a copy of the deed to Gen. Humphreys.
" Whereas the General Assembly at their Session in May, 1810, authorized the Subscriber, Joseph Riggs of Derby, in New Haven County, to sell and convey certain lands lying in said Derby, Humpreysville, the property of Philip, Hestor and Mary, ando other certain Indian Proprietors, under the direction of the judge of Probate for New Haren District, who has ordered the subscriber to proceed in the sale thereof, now thereupon, in pursuaiunce of said authority and in consideration of three hundred and forty-six dollars and twenty-five cents received to my full satisfaction of David Humphreys, Esq., of Derby aforesuid, I, the said Joseph Riggs, have remised, released and quitclaimed, and ito by these presents remise, release und quitclaim to said Humphrey, his heirs and assigns forever, the following described two pieces of land, part of said lands directed to be sold as aforesaid, one piece bounded southerly und easterly on highways, northerly and westerly on said Humphreys' land, the other piece southerly and westerly on highways, northerly on part of said Indian lands I have sold to Phebe Styles, and easterly on said Humphreys and said Styles, containing by estimation in both pieces six acres and one half, the whole lying easterly of said Humphrey's Factorys, and comprehending the whole Indian Land excepting those contained in the conveyance to said
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Phebe Stiles, to have and to hold said remised and quitclaimed premises to him, the said Darid, his heirs and assigns forever, so that said Indians and no persons under them shall hereafter make claim to said remised premises, and I hereby covenant that I have full right to sell and convey in manner aforesaid. In testimony whereof I have hereto set my hand and seal this 7th day of Sept., 1812.
JOSEPH RIGGS SEAL
-
Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of
ELIZUR GOODRICH, BENJAMIN BULL.
Recorded March 9th 1813. JOHN L. LOUNSBURY.
New Haven County ss. New Haven, Sept. 7, 1812,
Personally appeared JOSEPHI RIGGS, signer and sealer of the foregoing instrument, and ac- knowledged the same to be his free act and deed before me.
ELIZUR GOODRICII, Assistant.
The land referred to in above deed as sold to Phebe Stiles consisted of 2 aeres and 20 rods, "beginning five rods and three feet from the northwest corner of Col. Humphrey's new cellar, and running northerly by highway to Col. David Humphreys' land, thence easterly to said Phebe's land, thence southerly by her lands to lands this day conveyed to said Humphreys, and thence by said land to place of beginning."
From the following extracts from the town records it appears that another tract of land was purchased for the Indians with the proceeds of the above sales. "Whereas the General assembly, June 7th, 1813, authorized Joseph Riggs to sell certain lands the property of Philip, Moses, Hester, Frank and Mary Seymour, which lay in Derby and which descended to them from John Howder (Howd), an Indian, and to lay out the avails in other real estate," a tract of land was purchased "for $230 for and in behalf of said Moses, Hester and the children of said Mary Seymour, the said Mary being de- ceased,"-four acres, three quarters and eleven rods bounded north on James Lewis, easterly and northerly on the lands of Isaac Short, and easterly on Isaac Thompson, southerly on land of Peter Johnson, and westerly on high- way, "the children of said Mary Seymour (evidently Moses, Frank and Mary) to have one undivided third. To Phillip, Hester and representatives of said Mary, by Lewis and Betsey Prindle." Deed executed June 15th, 1813.
The War of 1812, calling for men and means from every section of the country, though it could but interrupt to some extent the progress of the peaceful arts, did not prevent a continued growth of the manufacturing in- dustries in Humphreysville. The busy hum of machinery and the sound of preparations for war were alike heard in our peaceful valley. A company of artillery was formed in Humphreysville, including a few from Oxford, and sent to New London and stationed at the fort at the mouth of the river Thames. The following names of the members of the company have been obtained from inscriptions in our cemeteries and elderly people of the vicinity : Col. Ira Smith, died Nov. 19th, 1822, aged 44 years.
Capt. Daniel Holbrook, d. Dec. 28th, 1828, æ 59.
Capt. Amadeus Dibble, d. Sept. 25th, 1843, æ 65.
Anson Baldwin.
Jesse Baldwin.
Abel Bassett, d. March 23rd, 1863, æ 78.
Samuel Bassett, d. Sept. 28th, 1851, æ 67.
William Bassett.
James Bowman.
Lewis Broadwell, d. Sept. 6th, 1844, æ 53.
Thomas Gilyard, d. Nov. 12th, 1853. . Jesse Hartshorn.
Chauncey Hatch, from Oxford.
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Daniel Holbrook, 2nd.
William Kinney, d. Jan. 7th, 1847, æ 87.
Calvin Leavenworth, from Pines Bridge.
Isaac Leavenworth.
Isaac Losee.
Theophilus Miles, Jr., d. March 15th, 1840, æ 70.
John Moshier.
Ebenezer Northrop, d. Jan. 11th, 1835, æ 49.
Sheldon Tucker, d. Jan. 5th, 1843, æ 57.
Isaac White, d. Feb. 6th, 1862, æ 72.
Nathan Wooster.
The company was completed by a draft and Samuel Canfield was one of those who were drafted. He was then apprentice to Elias Gilbert, a ma- chinist who worked in a shop which he had built near the corner of Hill and Pearl streets, next to the blacksmith shop, now occupied by William J. Roberts as a dwelling. Canfield was then eighteen years of age and had become so skillful a machinist that his employer, rather than lose his services, hired a substitute in his place. Gilbert did the machine work for Gen. Humphreys. William Humphreys, brother of Squire John Humphreys and nephew of Gen. Humphreys invented several useful machines to facilitate the manufacture of broadcloth, and the machines were built by Gilbert.
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