USA > Connecticut > New London County > Stonington > Old homes in Stonington : with additional chapters and graveyard inscriptions > Part 8
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30
Mr. H. Clay Trumbull also tells us the following: From a window in this same house I saw President Jackson and Vice President Van Buren pass through the Borough. When they visited this place, they
88
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
were coming from the site of the old battery and though only a little chap, I can recall the stately form and bared head of "Old Hickory" as he then appeared. It was later, that Pres. Tyler visited the Borough and took breakfast at the Wadawanuck Hotel and also visited the site of the old Battery. Dr. Geo. E. Palmer, Warden of the Borough, said to him that an appropriation from the Government was greatly desired to repair the Arsenal, and to protect the two eighteen pounders, which kept off the British in 1814 At this Pres. Tyler (who was called "Old Veto") said laughingly, as I well remember, "Well, I tell you what I'll do; if Congress will vote you an appropriation, I promise not to veto it."
The Joe Wright house stood just south of the Jabish Holmes house, and was used for tenements for many years, going by the name of
-
JOS. WRIGHT HOUSE
"The Yellow Kittens" probobly on account of its color. It has now been moved down near the end of the point, where it stands, very much altered from its original shape when Mr. Wright lived in it. He was a sea-faring man, and married Miss Lucy, sister of Peleg Hancox.
On this same street, and near the "Atwood's Works," stands the Capt. William A. Fanning house, where he lived after his marriage with Miss Juliet Palmer, and here their daughter, Mrs. Bradford, lived as a child. Capt. Fanning was a brave man in the war of 1812, and was a sea captain, for in 1819 he was supercargo of the Brig Hersilia, on an exploring and sealing voyage, when Capt. Nat. Palmer, his brother-in-law, was mate. Also in 1820, Capt. Nat. only twenty- eight years old, went from Stonington in a side-masted sealing vessel of only forty-five tons into the Antartic Ocean seeking new lands. He did discover an island, which is the most northerly point of Antarctica, and which has been named in his honor, "Palmer Land."
89
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
Capt. Amos Palmer's house, called in later years the Old Corner House, was built by Amos Palmer, the 5th in descent from Walter, in 1787, on the very spot where the original house which was burned down, stood. It is very large, roomy, and old fashioned with the chim- ney in the center, like most of the houses of that day. The chimney as originaly built was immense, the foundation of large stones and the rest of Dutch brick, which when taken down, in later years, not only built the three chimneys that took its place, but there was enough left besides to almost pay for the new ones. In the old chimney in both kitchen and the room above, were the large, old-fashioned fire-
FANNING HOUSE
places, where it seemed as if a cord of wood could be put on at once, and the large brick oven and huge crane with its pot-hooks were also there.
A century ago they built the chimney, and then if there was any room left they built the house around it. The huge back-log was often brought in by two men and a horse, and was the last care of the house- wife at night, when she raked carefully together the live coals, placed the live brands against the back-log, and covered all with ashes to be ready for the morning. On this depended much of the comfort of those days, when the weather was severe, for if the fire went out it was almost a calamity, as then recourse had to be made to the tinder-box, steel and flint, or a messenger sent to the nearest neighbor for a shovel full of live coals. So we see the necessity for carefully securing this all important back-log. Within these large fire-places, were often placed benches for the comfort of the delicate, dye tubs were also kept where it would not freeze, and on this the old darky servant would sit, as much at home as anybody. The rooms are all large and have the corner posts covered; the entry was originally small, with the stairs
90
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
going up against the chimney, turning on themselves, but it was all altered by Dr. George E. Palmer.
In trying to make some alterations in the cellar the corner stone was accidentally knocked out, endangering the whole house, so that it had to be taken down and the vacuum which was lefa attracted many on- lookers. Standing as high as it does, this house has many marks of the bombardment in 1814; one shell struck the roof and went through to the cellar and was taken out by the fire patrol before it did any more damage. It also went through Grandma Palmer's china closet, where she kept all her precious India china, and what had not been sent away was ground to powder. The ceiling still shows the results, as the plastering has never stayed up properly since.
Captain Amos was sitting in his front door the afternoon of the attack, when a cannon ball struck a stone wall to the south and the
CAPT. AMOS PALMER'S HOUSE
stones flew in every direction, breaking out almost all of the window panes on that side, and there are pieces of stone now in several of the panels of the doors, imbedded by the force of the shot that went past the old gentleman, out through the door, the wind of it almost upset- ting him, and being spent, fell across the street. When it was cool enough he went over and picked it up, and took it down to the Battery on the Point, and asked if he might send it back with his compliments to the British, as it had done him a hundred dollars' worth of damage,
91
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
so they put it in the old eighteen pounder, and let him fire it off; he saw it strike one of the barges and then went home satisfied.
Captain Amos was a prominent man of his time, and filled many important offices in the town. He was chairman of the committee of safety, and the letter which he wrote to the Secretary of War was most highly complimented as being so accurate and concise. He had a large family of sons and daughters, and the old house was always noted for its hospitality and good cheer, through the past century.
One of the most amusing events which took place in it, in Dr. Pal- erm's time, was the marriage of an old negro, named Cuff, to one of the house servants. Mr. Gurdon Trumbull, Justice of the Peace, mar- ried them, and many of the friends and neighbors of the family were invited to the festivities and to see the fun; by the time Captain Gurdon got through the old darky did not know whether he was married or what had happened to him; he was so confused between the wit of the Justice and the good cheer offered the guests, and was glad to beat a retreat, followed by his blooming bride. It was an event long spoken of and laughed over by the participants. In the south parlor have been many notable weddings, one of which was quite an affair; that of Cap .. tain Charles Phelps to Miss Ann Hammond, a niece of Dr. Geo. E. Palmer; the wedding was a great event for those days, and in after years the bride often pointed with pleasure to the spot where she stood to have the knot tied. Many distinguished persons have been enter- tained in this old homestead, among others, Major and Mrs. Whistler and their two boys, since so famous as artists (cousins of Mr. Donald Stanton, who has so kindly drawn the pen and ink sketches here includ- ed), and when Major Whistler went to Russia to build the St. Peters- burg and Moscow railroad, he left his family here with Dr. Palmer until he could send for them to join him.
In later days it was the scene of many gay and happy times, and its old-fashioned tea party in 1857, the first of its kind is still remembered with pleasure by those who were entertained or took part in it. The whole countryside was ransacked for old-fashioned things, furniture, pictures and spinning wheels; even the supper was composed of all the old-time dishes that are now mostly a thing of the past; some of the guests came on pillons, some in ox-carts with high-backed chairs for seats, and it is safe to say that they all had a good time. Stonington was at its best in those days, and its many pretty girls is one of its proudest traditions. In one of the grates of this house was burnt the first hard coal brought to this village; it was consigned to Captain Francis Amy, but his chimney hadn't enough draft, or for some reason he could not make it burn, and was so disgusted with it that he sold it to Dr. Palmer, who used it successfully. Dr. Palmer lived here and kept up the family traditions of hospitality and good cheer; he was also one of the leading physicians, and held many positions of trust in both Borough and town, dying in 1868.
Across the street, and a little above, is the Col. Oliver Smith house, a low, story and a half, with its gambrel roof and dormer windows. It was built by him in the spring of 1761, when he moved here from
92
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
Groton, Ct., where he was born and lived in the first house which was built there in 1653. Col. Smith was a fine looking man, fully six feet tall. He was a ship builder, and carried on quite an extensive trade with the West Indies. His wife was a descendant of Captain George Denison, and they had a family of sixteen children of whom one was named for George Washington, who used to call upon Col. Smith, and was there soon after the birth of this son. Another son, Edward, who married "King" David Chesebrough's granddaughter, Elizabeth Grant, lived on the corner of Water and Wall streets, about where the Ocean Bank now stands. His son, Alexander, married and lived in this house of his grandfather's on Main Street, now owned by the Collins family
COL. OLIVER SMITH HOUSE
Col. Smith owned a few slaves, one of whom was Venture, whose history, printed in 1798 and related by himself, is very interesting, and is in part as follows: he was an African slave, brought into this country at eight years of age, wholly destitute of education, but became the owner of himself and wife and several children. He accumulated considerable property, and was a man of striking ingenuity and good sense . He was born in Guinea, in 1729, his father being Prince of a tribe having three wives, as polygamy was common in that country. Venture was the oldest child, and was named Broteer; his ancestors were very large and strong and measured six feet tall.
On account of his father marrying his third wife without the consent of his first and second, his mother left him, taking her three children with her. Broteer, being five years old, walked by her side, while she
93
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
carried one on her back and the other in her arms. As long as they travelled they ate of the fruits of the land, and after walking for five days, she left Broteer with a rich farmer, who put him to tending sheep; after being there a year, his father sent for him and brought him home, and soon after their country was invaded by a numerous army of 6000 men, and although they paid great sums of money and gave them many cattle and sheep to leave them in peace, which they had had for many years, the old King had to surrender and the women and children were haltered and led to camp. Then they tortured his father to make him tell where his money was, but he refused, and finally died.
Immediately after, they marched all the prisoners to the sea, and Broteer was made waiter to the leader of the company. On the march they overcame and took possession of every tribe they encountered, until they neared the sea, with strength and provison nearly spent, an enemy attacked them, took all prisoners and put them in the castle for market. Soon after the leader took Broteer and several others in a canoe and rowed to a vessel belonging to Rhode Island, commanded by Captain Collingwood, with Thomas Mumford as mate. The steward of the vessel was one Robertson Mumford, who bought Broteer for four gallons of rum and a piece of calico, and called him Venture, on account of his having purchased him with his own private venture; thus he came by his name. All the slaves bought for this vessel's cargo were 260.
They sailed for Barbadoes, and small-pox breaking out, sixty died before they reached port, so they sold all the rest to the planters there, except Venture and three others. These sailed to Rhode Island, and he went to his master's home on Fisher's Island, where he was employed mostly in the house carding wool and other household duties for four years, and then other and harder tasks were put upon him, all of which he performed faithfully, and his history contains many events of his life there, both interesting and heartrending. After being there thir- teen years, and being twenty-two years old, he married Meg, a slave of Mr. Mumford's, and at the close of that year he was sold to Mr. Thomas Stanton, 2nd, who resided in Stonington and who married Sarah Chese- brough first, and second Mrs. Sarah Hilliard Fish; thus Venture was separated from his wife and daughter. He had earned considerable money in various ways, and about a year and a half later, Mr. Stanton purchased his wife and child for him at £700 old tenor, but not long after they had a falling out with their mistress, which occasioned so much dissatisfaction that he was sold to Mr. Hempstead Miner of Stonington for £56, who soon decided to sell him; so Venture buried his little hoard of money in the road over which Mr. Stanton passed daily, and Mr. Miner carried him to Hartford and offered him for sale, but finally pawned him for £10 to Mr. Daniel Edwards, who after find- ing him honest and trusty as his waiter, furnished him with a horse to return to his wife and children, who were at Mr. Stanton's. They not being pleased to see him, Venture immediately went to Col. Oliver Smith's; Mr. Miner had not settled with Mr. Stanton for him, but had
94
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
given Col. Smith a bill of sale before his return from Hartford. When these men met to decide which should hold him, as Venture wished to live with Col. Smith, it was agreed that he should, and he took upon himself the name of Venture Smith. He had always been very anxious to purchase his freedom, so Col. Smith consented and Venture took his little hoard of money out of its hiding place in the ground and paid it over to him, and by doing extra work (although one quarter of this extra he paid over to Col. Smith). in five years he had earned his free- dom money, £71, 2s. which he paid Col. Smith, who then liberated him although it lacked £13, 18 s. of the full sum of his redemption. He soon after left Col. Smith's and sold all of his possessions in Stonington and went to Long Island.
Mr. Thomas Stanton still owned his wife and two children, Solomon and Cuff, but Venture purchased them and his oldest child Hannah,
CAPT. EDMUND FANNING HOUSE
also three colored men; with these he had in later years varied experi- ences of grief and disappointment. At sixty-nine years he was broken down with anxiety and trials, his eyesight was impaired so that two of his grandchildren had to lead him about. He had been a wonderfully strong man, standing six feet, one and a half inches in his stockings, and being able to carry a barrel of molasses on his shoulders for two miles. He could lift a tierce of salt holding seven bushels and carry it several rods; also on the Davis farm can be seen the "Venture stone," which was easily carried several yards by him, but which now requires the united effort of two ordinary men to lift it. In many respects Ven- ture was a wonderful man. He owned a house and several acres of land in Stonington. On Long Island he bought a house and two farms. After he went to East Haddam, he worked for Timothy Chapman and Abel Bingham and bought sixteen acres more of land on which he built a house. He owned twenty boats, went fishing, clamming, raised
95
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
watermelons and in every way acquired property. He was temperate, honest and industrious, and worked more hours in his life than many men who live to be a hundred years old. He was buried at East Had- dam, where he died.
On this same Main Street in the village, which was laid out from Stonington Harbor to the town of Preston in 1752, a little above Col. Smith's house on the other side of the street, is an old gambrel-roofed house, which has been improved and modernized by its present owner Mr. Davis, so that the front of the house does not show its age; but passing through the gate and going around to the rear, you see the little leanto with the tall chimney and the sloping roof which easily distinguishes the house of more than a century from the modern one. Here, as nearly as can be told by the oldest inhabitant, Capt. Edmund Fanning lived in this large, old-fashioned, doublehouse, with great rooms on either side of the small hallway, the stairs going up against
DR. LORD'S HALL
the chimney and turning on themselves. It has the high wooden man- tels and the large stone chimney in the center, with its huge ovens. Captain Fanning was a ship builder, and in 1822 built the Hydraspy and Almyra.
Dr. Lord's Hall was made by Dr. Lord during a great revival when dancing was prohibited by "the powers that were" in order that the young people might have a place where they could trip the light fan- tastic toe, if they so wished; he tore out the inside of the second story of this house and put in a new spring floor and fixed it for a hall, the whole length of the building, Mr. Frank B. Noyes's mother often told him she had been there to dancing school, as a girl, with many others of her time. It was used for this purpose for many years until modern ones took its place. The first Stonington band used to meet here to practice, and to such good effect that its music is remembered with pleasure by those who heard it. The insruments were hung around the walls and when the Episcopalians in 1847 hired it for their first
96
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
services while the church was being built, they were left hanging as the band left them after their practice on Saturday nights, and with their gay ribbons they made quite an effective back ground. This hall, having served its purpose, has since been turned into tenements and much altered from its original shape; it still stands on the corner of Main and Harmony Sts.
Dr. Lord's house was a large, comfortable old house, which stood on the corner of Main and Union Sts., and was long owned and lived in by the Lord family. It was afterwards the home of that loved and hon- ored elder of the Baptist church, Dr. Albert G. Palmer, for many years, and was moved over on the marsh to make room for the New Baptist Church now standing there. Aunt Mary Howe's house was built by her father, George Howe, who lived and died there; she used to say that he
AUNT MARY HOWE HOUSE
was so long in building it, that part of it was practically never finished; this part was rented for a bakery at one time. This house is one of the few left just as it was built, and is quite a curiosity in its old-time simplicity, wth its large old fire-places and : high narrow mantels. It is now owned by Mrs. Sarah Noyes, one of her relatives, who thinks very much of it, and will not sell to any one. It is kept in good repair and was used as a village library, after Miss Howe's death, until the handsome Free Library was built in 1899, by Mr. Erskine Phelps and Mr Samuel D. Babcock on Wadawanuck square. The old library was visited by many strangers, as it was one of the sights of the place, with its granite shaft on the corner surmounted by a bombshell thrown in here at the time of the bombardment. It was erected to the memory of George Fellows, one of the defenders of the town in 1814. These now stand on the Little Park in the center of the Town Square with the two old eighteen-pounders on either side of it, so dear to the hearts of the villagers, for the good they have done.
On the corner of Main and Grand Streets stands the mansion which
97
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
Col. Joseph Smith built in 1800, a large finely constructed, square, double-hipped roof house with two leantos, one on either side, at the rear. There are three windows on the east side both in the upper and lower rooms, and the woodwork near the eaves, under the jetting is very beautifully carved by hand, and the same work is over each win- dow. The front door is handsomely made, with oblong panels of wood, and a curved piece at the top set in with glass in an iron frame. The brass knocker, handle and latch are always polished like gold, and two long fluted columns are on either side of the door, while about a foot away on both sides are two similar fluted columns which extend the height of the house; surmounting the whole is a pointed frame work set with little oblong panes of glass. Within the rooms are wainscot-
COL. JOSEPH SMITH HOMESTEAD
ted, and deep cornices show this house to have been built in a more elegant manner than most houses in 1800.
Here, in 1819, occured a wedding of much interest, when the oldest daughter, Miss Nancy Smith, married Mr. Alexander G. Smith; the two families were not related, though of the same name. Mr. Smith's home was in the Borough where he was clerk of the Probate Court for several years. He studied law with Judge Coddington Billings and kept a store and had his office over the store. He was also very active in defence of Stonington. At their wedding, a large number of invited guests came, sixty being at the house to partake of the wedding supper. The next day a large boat was seen coming into the harbor, bringing a band of music; this proved to be Captain Lee and a party of friends from New London, who were on their way to call upon Mr. and Mrs. Smith and bestow the customary congratulations. This happy affair was long remembered in the village; Mrs. Smith lived only a very short while and died at the age of twenty-six.
98
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
The large double house standing on Main Street,opposite the Col. Joseph Smith mansion, was built by the sons of Rev. Nathaniel Eells, as he had a large family of children. The two youngest sons were mar- ried in 1785 and 1789 and lived here together, in the greatest harmony, using the one long kitchen and one fire-place, while one wife sanded her part of the floor so as to know her limitations. The Rev. Nathaniel came to live with them about 1785 and died here. About fifty years before this, he had been settled at the Road, and about that same time the "Great Awakening" was felt in this region. He was the pastor who invited . Rev. Geo. Whitefield to preach at the Center Meeting- house. Later Mr. Eells preached at the Academy every Sunday after- noon, until the Point people petitioned for a church of their own.
Although quite an old man, he went to Boston on the breaking out of the Revolutionary war, to help defend the liberties of his country, and lived to see them assured; his decendents lived here for many
EELLS HOUSE
years. The house is still owned by the heirs of Mr. Samuel D. Bab- cock, and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Robinson, who are each decendents of Benjamin and Joseph Eells. In the early part of 1800 the house was inhabited by B. F. Babcock and wife, who lived on the north side, while Mr. Enoch Chesebrough and wife lived on the south side till 1819, when Mr. Chesebrough moved up to the Grandison farm house. It is but little changed from the original, having the large rooms on each side, and small entry with stairs making the usual turns and landings; the wooden shutters, the large oven, fire-places and high wooden mantels are the same as of old, while the window sashes and small panes of glass are still to be seen.
Up the hill, from the Col. Smith house is the Samuel Denison home- stead, built by the Rev. Hezikiah Woodruff after he was installed in' 1789 at the Road Church, which was then called the Mystic meeting-
99
OLD HOMES IN STONINGTON
house; but his house was not finished when he left his parish in 1803. Then Mr. Stiles Phelps, son of Dr. Charles and Hannah Denison Phelps, bought and renovated it in fine style to suit his own ideas. He had been abroad(a rare thing in those days) and was much pleased with the terraced gardens he saw there, so he arrangedthis ground in terraces as they are now, and made it the finest place inthe Borough. He failed in business, however,and about 1811, Mr. Samuel Denison bought the whole place, extending on the south side to the Charles Phelps place (which is the Capt. C. P. Williams house) and north to the east
SAMUEL DENISON HOUSE
road; the railroad cut through his land on the north, and the Episcopal church stands on the land to the south, where also a street was cut through; on the east the large schoolhouse now stands, and Mr. Eugene Atwood's house which was built by the Rev. Samuel Denison, Secretary of the Board of Missions of the Protestant Episcopal Church of New York, and sold by his hiers to the present owners.
This fine old mansion stands on quite high ground, very nearly as it was 100 years ago, and is much admired for its old-fashioned charm. The large chimney and fire-places, the wooden shutters with the small panes of glass are still there; it also has on the top, around the chimney what used to be called "The Whale Walk," where one could go to watch for the incoming seal and whale ships, and is the only house now in the village which can boast of one, but in Nantucket and other seaports they are very common, though in this case it was only for an ornament.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.