USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Bridgeport > Reports and papers. Fairfield County Historical Society, Bridgeport, Conn. 1882-1896-97 > Part 32
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 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48
Some question arises as to where Mr. Beebe lived. The Rev. N. T. Merwin in a discourse delivered at the One Hun- dred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Trumbull Church, page 15, says: "Mr. Beebe's dwelling was a little east of the present parsonage on White Plains street, the north side, on land in- herited by Captain D. B. Hlinman. The old cellar is there still. Near it, and a smaller one, is a cellar too, over which stood the hut of Mr. Beebe's slaves "Nero" and Pegg." Rumor and tradition corroborate Mr. Merwin's statement.
The records show that Mr. Beebe rented the Sanford prop- erty. In the year 1767. Thomas Sanford a member of Mr. Beebe's society left by will. his house, barn and land to the North Stratford Society. Mr. Merwin in his anniversary dis- course says that this property was situated "somewhere in Long Hill, Trumbull." The property was rented at a meet- ing of the society held at the house of the pastor, January 8th, 1778, by adjournment from Dec. 23d. 1777, and by the following vote of the society, "voted that the church would rent out the whole of the farm with the house and barn for three years to Mr. Beebe, pastor of said church for £20 for · the first year and the two succeeding years to be left to a committee to set a price by the year, and if the committee and Mr. Beebe cannot agree to be left to the church." Mr. Beebe evidently had some trouble in paying his rent, for at a meeting held Nov. 15th, 1780, "voted that - pounds that Mr. Beebe has paid to the Deacons be accepted by the church
86
as five pounds hard money." voted that the church will re- ceive and accept the remainder of what is yet due from Mr. Beebe to the church upon his last year's note at two per one." The next year at a meeting held February 28th, 1781, the church lands were again rented to Mr. Beebe for a term of two years from April 1st, 1781." The rent was reduced to £15 lawful money. "Voted that Ephraim Beach, David Mid- dlebrook, Joseph Burton and Jabez Beach, be their committee with full power to give a lease to said James Beebe and take his security for the use of the aforesaid interest. At a meet- ing held May 12th. 1773, it was "voted that some part of the money for the church's interest (they sold the Sanford farm a short time before) be paid to Mr. Beebe for the support of the gospel to the amount of one penny on the pound. Voted that we give Mr. Beebe ten pounds upon consideration Mr. Beebe will discount what is due from the church towards his salary for the year past. At a meeting held March 3rd, 1775. "and after due deliberation the church unanimously voted that they would give Mr. Beebe, their Pastor, fifty pounds lawful money towards his salary. 2ndly unanimously voted that their committee, viz. Mr. Ephraim Beach, Capt. Joseph Burton and Capt. Ephraim Sterling, pay the aforesaid sum to Mr. Beebe and take his receipt for the same."
It seems a little strange to the writer that a clergyman, should rent a large farm, together with the dwelling house and barns, and at the same time reside three miles away. Most of these business meetings were held at "the house of the pastor." From this fact we might conclude that the · house of the pastor was near the church, but necessarily so, for a large portion of his people lived at Long Hill. This doubt as to his residence may be settled as was the story of the shield, for Mr. Beebe may have lived in both places at differ- ent times.
Mr. Beebe did not confine himself entirely to preaching for a living for in addition to farming, we find that he was the proprietor of a grist and saw-mill. Mr. Stephen Middlebrook of Long Hill, for several years kept a chronological record of events. Under date of June 1762, he records that the Rev.
87
Mr. Beebe's grist mill was raised. The mill was situated at Saganawamps. There has been much enquiry and some dispute as to the locality of Saganawamps. Some holding that it was the mill near the Trumbull Church, now known as Trumbull Mills, and some that it was the mills known as Berkshire Mills, and some have even held that it was either the Yellow Mill or Johnson's Mill. Now by a search of title deeds I find that none of these traditions are right, after the death of Mr. Beebe. one half of the Mill property came into the possession of his son James, who Dec. 21st, 1789, for consideration of £130 deeds one-half of grist mill and one half of saw mill sitnated at Saganawamps to Daniel Sal- mon. In deed of Feb. 24, 1797, to Daniel Salmon of two acres more or less lying in Town of Stratford at a place known as Saganawamps-the boundaries are given as fol- lows : North on land of Jonathan Beers, West on the river and South on cross highway, leading from Long Hill to Daniels Farms, so-called. Hence the mill must be the same as that now known as Beers' Mill in Trumbull. This deed also is signed by James Beebe, son of the subject of this sketch together with his wife Mehetable, who was a daughter of Daniel Fairchild and Hepseba Lewis, and was born Dec. 18th, 1755. Daniel Fairchild lived at Nichols Farms on the west side of the Huntington Turnpike about opposite the Methodist Church. By consulting the North Stratford records I find in Mr. Beebe's handwriting the record of his son's marriage to Miss Fairchild as taking place June 4th, 1771.
I doubt if MIr. Beebe owned more than one half interest in the Mill property, at least he did not at his death, for in con sulting the title records, I find that Daniel Salmon bought it all, besides the half interest he bought of James Beebe, Jr., . he bought one-quarter interest of David and Stephen Beards. ley ; (By-the-way, this deed says Stephen is son of David Beardsley) and one-quarter right from his father Richard Sal- mon. The latter mentions in his deed that he sells all right and title which he got from William Pixlee and James French. There was one Samuel Beebe, (whether he was a near relative
88
of the pastor I know not) who had some right in the Mill property, which was also deeded to Daniel Salmon, who by- the way was one of the most prominent men as well as one of the largest land owners in the community : too much land for his own good, for the fifty and odd thousand acres which he and Mr. Samuel Beebe owned together in Virginia, was one of the causes of his financial ruin.
Daniel Salmon among numerous other enterprises was a tailor and in his old account book we find an account with the Rev. James Beebe which may not be out of place, nor lack enough of interest to repeat here.
MR. JAMES BEEBE, PASTOR, Dr.
Dec. 2d, 1795, To making a pair of breeches, £. s. 10 p
" finding toe eloth, .7
" 12 lbs. veal D 4 p. 4.0
" 1 day tayloring, 1.0
28
July 25th, 1779, " making pair breeches, 5.0
" finding two buttons, .4
" cutting out pair breeches & jacket ; 1.0
1 4.7
March ye 12th, 1782. Then cast all accounts with Mr. James Beebe and find due to him two shillings and a penny. JAMES BEEBE.
The account was thus balanced in accordance with the cus- tom of the times. Mr. Beebe signing Salmon's book and Salmon signing Beebe's. The account then continues as fol- lows :
Nov. ye 13th, 1782. MIR. JAMES BEEBE, Dr.
To making pair of drawers for Lewis, £. s. p.
3.0
" one day myself.
" making a pair of overhalls for Obid, 2.9
" One sack of salt, 3.0
June ye 6th, 1794, weaving 13; yds at 8 p. pr. yd. 9. .
1.3.9
Obid for whom the overhalls were made was Mr. Beebe's slave, and Lewis was a son of Mr. Beebe, who was baptized David Lewis, according to his father's record "the first Sabbath in March 1763, boru Jan. 16th," as the
89
account of Mr. Salmon shows, he must have been commonly known as Lewis and not by his first name David. This was undoubtedly to avoid confusion of names. Mr. Beebe had a brother David as is shown in a note made on the North Strat- ford records whom I identify to be the same person as Dr. David Beebe with whom I find an account on the Day Book of Daniel Salmon. Mr. Beebe was chaplain in the army during a portion of the French and Indian war. On the record of births and baptisms in the year 1759, he records the faet on Nov. 9th, that "from 5th of May in this place were baptized while I was absent in the army and recorded by my brother David," and on a line or two below, he enters the birth and baptism of his daughter Sarah and adds "baptized by Rev. Mr. Ingersol of Ridgefield, her father being absent in the army at Ticonderoga.'
A sermon which Mr. Beebe delivered about this time to soldiers who were about to set forth to the French and Indian war has been preserved by his descendants and was kindly loaned to the writer of this sketch through the kindness of the venerable mother of Col. H. B. Carrington. who is a grand daughter of the Rev. James Beebe.
The whole address is one of masterly skill. and one which could not but inspire his audience with redonbled zeal for the enterprise and patriotism for the cause. Not only a complete knowledge of what should constitute a good soldier must have guided Mr. Beebe's pen, but also he felt the respon- sibility of giving them the fervent christian zeal, of a warfare carried on by christian warriors. He takes his text from 1 Chron. 19-13, "Be of good courage and let us behave valiant- ly for our people and for the cities of God and let the Lord do that which is good in his sight." In showing that through sin war is a necessary evil he says, "had not sin drawn the . sword of divine justice, men would never have drawn the sword against one another. There would have been no armies to confront or guard against, no passes to ford, no sieges to raise, no garrisous to storm, but unblemished innoceney would have possessed mankind in perfect unity. The necessity therefore of this order of men is consequent upon this apos-
90
tacy and now they are absolutely necessary. Indeed they would not be so necessary if the principles of christianity were fully received and universally embraced and acted upon throughout the world, for peace is one of the blessings which the gospel actually tends to introduce among men. The re. ligion of our Holy Jesus is wonderfully calculated to inspire men with the most sincere love and tenderness to each other. The principles of that blessed religion tend mightily to re- move the causes of discord, war and contention, by checking those very Justs that draw the sword.
And from whence come wars and fightings among you' saith the Apost'e James, come they not hence even of your own lusts which war in your members ?' and were the blessed rules of our holy religion enforced, it would expell those lusts, it would root out and kill the ambitions of aspiring monarchs. It would strike death to that hellish pridle to which whole kingdoms have fallen as devoted nations." He teaches in a most forcible way the necessity for valor and courage, not alone for the battle but says "you will be called to long and tedious marches, burdened with the necessary weapons of defence and here you may be exposed to hunger and thirst. to heat and cold, and a thousand easulties and dangers which you will not be able to forsee, nor I able to forename and these may bring on aches and pains, sickness and weakness and even death itself, in all which circumstan- ces you will have oceasion for this valor and courage and for want of it, the least disorder in body may prove fatal. For as soon as a man's spirit sinks he becomes an easy prey to the gentlest fever and the most subtle disease alike. I don't tell you these things to terrify you or try your courage, but only to forewarn you of what may be, that you may fortify yourselves against the worst. Mr. Bebee did not picture downy beds of ease, nor did he by subtle rhetoric, coax boys into the battle field. No, in forming his soldiers he struck blows as would the sturdy blacksmith when he turned the plowshares and pruning hooks into implements of war, and as firm as the iron of the plowshare must have been the ma- terial that composed Mr. Beebe's audience or else they would
91
have quailed under the force of his words, and the vivid picture of the horrors of war which he draws. "And now the artillery begins to play, the cannon belching forth not only fire and smoke, but the massive ball and showers of fatal lead and those mingled with the horrid screaches of your foes, the hallooing of your heathenish enemies and wild savages, more blood thirsty than the hell hounds of Proser- pena and Pluto, and all mingled with the sobs of the dying and groans of the wounded ready to die, and when you see that verified, which was prophesied by the evangelical prophet Isaiah, 9-5, for every battle of the warror is with confused noise and garments rolled in blood : but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.' But it is impossible to point out this bloody scene and fully depict the horror that results from this confusion, unless I could speak flames and smoke and sulphur. The howling of savages, the screaming of the dying-the rattling of the spears, the mangled bodies, the streams of blood and the horrors of death itself with words and syllables : and now in the midst of this horrible scene, who will not now need valor and courage? Who but the truly spiritual soldier will be able to bear up under all the hardships of this warm and affecting service with an unbroken and steady mind, however pressing may be the cause of God and his people. Who but the man of courage in this scene will be able to say with the good Nehemiah, 6-11, shall such a man as I flee ? Nothing can be expected of soldiers who are destitute of this valor, but that they will betray the cause of God and their country in which they are engaged and bring a lasting reproach and infamy upon their own names." Mr. Beebe tells them to exercise this courage and valor in putting down "the shameful vices of the camps, swearing. debauchery, and the accompanying profanation of the name of God. His titles and attributes." He tells them to beware of idleness, for "by sloth the vigor of the soul is abated, and all the noble purposes of it dampened or destroyed." Again Le says, "soldiers you should guard against slothfulness for it not only makes a man sick of himself but breeds a plague in the camp." Neat camps are always the healthiest aud their
92
men are men of the best spirits and boldest courage." He finishes by admonishing the assembled people against doing anything that will tend to weaken the courage of the soldiers.
Thus do we see. how in those "times that tried men's souls" did the pastor throw on the garments of war, and like the druids of old, incite the warriors to go forth with courage and valor. As we picture that band of soldiers, surrounded by wives, mothers and children, all listening with singular eagerness and perchance with fear and trembling to the sincere words of that devout servant of God, listening as I fear few congregations of to day are taught to listen, can we not conceive that then was the planting time for those seeds of conrage and valor which a few years later, yielded such a harvest that it carried a poorly clad and fed body of men through a Revolution which severed the American colonies from the most powerful nation of the earth.
The manuscript of the Rev. N. T. Merwin present pastor of the same society shows Mr. Beebe to have been in the Revolutionary war, he says "Mr. Beebe lived in the Revolu- tionary period and was a zealous patriot of the times. He preached the right of revolution against the mother country and went personally into the conflict. In the year 1776, asking leave of absence from his people for three months : he was gone eight months in service in the army. The church shared with the pastor the same spirit. They hire Rev. Joseph Barker, to supply the pulpit and the parish pay the expenses. A tribute to the patriotisin of the parish is seen in the treatment of their soldiers who served in the Revolu- tionary war. A manuscript document by Stephen Middle- brook dated 1778, now in possession of L. N. Middlebrook, of Bridgeport, narrates a contribution from the Parish of North Stratford to the Continental soldiers of that parish, to Gen'l Washington's headquarters at Valley Forge.' This con. tribution consisted of money and provisions, the receipt of which is signed by Dr. James Beebe, captain.'" This James Beebe was a son of the Pastor and was an active officer during the war of the Revolution.
It is nearly impossible for us living as it might be truly
93
said in a cosmopolitan age, to picture the life of our ancestors as they lived One Hundred or One Hundred and Fifty years ago, when their wanderings seldom if ever, took them out of the limits of the sound of a church bell of to-day. They were a people entirely local in their habits, having customs and notions of their own, which were handed down from one generation to another, as were the rules by which society was governed. They rode on horseback to meeting taking their wives and small children on the pillion of their saddle. They went to mill in the same way carrying their bag of grist behind. The "meeting house" was not heated even in the coldest weather. but the old ladies and feeble took with them a foot stove, made of tin, in which was placed some burning wood coals, to place under their feet while the hour and a half sermon was preached. Fires were kindled not with matches but with the flint, steel and tinder, or often might be seen the thrifty house wife hurrying from the house of the next neigh- bor with a pan of burning coals, having been "after fire."
The church government in most matters was their local government, offenders were brought before the church, and the difficulties settled by vote of the church. "At a church meeting duly warned and held by adjournment on the 7th of September 1797. Whereas unhappy disputes had for a long time subsisted between two brothers of this church respect- ing the bounds of their land, viz. : David Nichols and John Burton, and particularly respecting some corn that said Bur- ton took off from land improved there by sd Nichols in order to bring on a trial at law on account of which the sd Nichols thought himself aggrieved, and as the sd Burton declared himself willing to return the corn, it was voted by the church, as their opinion that the sd Burton ought in justice to return the sd corn or the value thereof to the sd Nichols. After the vote was taken and passed, both parties publicly declared their acquiescence in sd vote.
Mr. Beebe was a graduate of Yale College of the class of 1745. The following remarkable coincidence was related to the writer by Col. Heury Beebe Carrington, author of the "Battles of the Revolution :" James Beebe and Daniel Brins-
94
made, were both graduates of the class of 1745, at Yale. They were intimate friends and roomed together during their college course. Just one hundred years later, James Beebe Brinsmande and Henry Beebe Carrington, were members of the class of 1845 at Yale and chumed together. They are both great grandchildren of James Beebe and Daniel Brins- made. Mary, daughter of Rev. James Beebe, married Daniel Brinsmade May 9th, 1777.
Two years after coming to North Stratford Mr. Beebe mar- ried Mrs. Ruth Curtis of Stratford. They had seven children as follows :
Elizabeth, born March 17th, 1750, bap. by her father.
died Dec. 19th, 1754.
James, born Nov. 29th, 1751, bap. by his father.
Mary, Jan. 28th, 1755, " " her
Elizabeth, " July 19th, 1756,
Ruth Anne" Jan. 27th, 1758,
66
Sarah, July 28th, 1759,
" Rev. Mr. Ingersol.
David Lewis, born Jan. 16, 1763, - " his father.
Mr. Beebe died at North Stratford, Sept. 8th, 1785, and his remains were buried in the little "burying ground" near where the church of Unity stood, near the foot of White Plains street. His wife died July 29th, 1818, at the advanced age of 95 years. Her grave is beside that of her husband. At a meeting of the North Stratford Society held in April 1794. it was "voted that the society's committee procure a pair of grave stones for the Rev'd Mr. James Beebe and set them up." At the head of the grave is a tablet with the following inscription , "This monument was erected by the church and Society of North Stratford, out of regard to the memory of Rev. James Beebe, A. M., who departed this life, Septem- ber 8th, 1785, in the 68th year of his age. He was ordained to the work of the ministry over said church and society May 6th, 1747, and continued therein faithful as a pastor for thirty eight years."
The writer has labored to avoid the monotony in the chron- icle of the life of the Rev. Jaines Beebe, which must have existed in his every-day life, replete as it was with the duties
95
of his ever active parish work. "How often we fancy in pass- ing a quiet village hidden among its orchards, that this at least must be the abode of peace and unambitious content- ment. But alas, when we enter the cottages what do we find ?- there, as everywhere else, distress and need, passion and unsatisfied longing. fear and remorse, pain and misery, and by the side of these, Ah, how few joys." I cannot but feel the application of this sentiment to Mr. Beebe's life.
We find by his long parish record almost a daily event re. corded of a baptism or of a marriage. Of how many open graves he stood beside, as he committed "earth to earth and dust to dust" we know not. for it did not seem to be the cus- tom to record those events of mortality, but we do know with a dreadful certainty that it must have been many. All this shows that he was uneeasingly at his post of duty, and save the few months spent in the army (when he was absent because he was conscious of a stronger call of duty) or an occasional exchange with a neighboring minister he was ever toiling at his work as pastor. His whole life's work was spent in his charge over the North Stratford Society. As the hfe of a nation seems to be marked in stages of war begin- ning or ending with days of peace or quietude, leaving the intervening history of blissful days of peace to be told as that of one day, so are the days of the thirty-eight years of this faithful servant of God numbered almost as one unchanging, long day of struggle in his work for the good of his people.
-
REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENT
READ BEFORE THE
FAIRFIELD COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
BY FAVOR OF MRS. EDWIN R. IVES, A lineal descendant of Capt. Joseph Mansfield. THE FATAL SILVER BULLET.
In the summer and autumn of 1777 while Sir Wm. Howe with a fleet and part of the royal army was lying at New York, General Burgoyne with his army was advaneing from Canada towards Albany.
The objeet and design of the enemy was to possess them- selves of Lake Champlain, with the whole of the Hudson, and thereby to cut off all intercourse and communication between the Eastern and Southern states. For the purpose of watch- ing the motions and annoying the operations of the hostile armies. General Washington had directed small bodies of troops to be stationed at Fishkill. Redhook, Greenbush, and several other places on the East side of the river between New York and Albany, with striet orders to take up and ex- amine all strangers traveling up and down the river,-either by land or water: and if detected in espionage, or employed in communicating information between the British armies, to be punished according to the rules of war.
About the first of September, a pedestrian passing north- wardly, was hailed and stopped by a sentinel of the guard stationed at Redhook, commanded by Capt. Joseph Mans- field of Connecticut. The man was about thirty years of age. and elothed in the habit of a farmer. He was conducted to the guard-house. Capt. M., inquired of him his name,-the place of his residence, as well as that to which he was going, his business there, &c. He replied by giving a name and stated that he belonged to the place below Redhook, and was a farmer ; that he was on his way to the next town above with a view to purehase a pair of oxen from a farmer of his ne-
-
97
quaintance living there. He was asked whether he had about him any letter or other communication from Lord Howe, or any other British officer at New York, addressed to Gen. Burgoyne, or any offieer in his army ? To which he promptly answered in the negative. Capt. M., then told him that such were the orders of his superior officer, that it became his duty to search the person of every traveler under similar eircum- stanees: to which he replied, he had no objection to being searched. Capt. M., then directed two or three of the guard to take off his coat and examine the pockets, folds, lining and every other part very critically. While this was doing, one of the guards observed the prisoner to pass his hand with a quick motion from his vest pocket to his mouth, and by the motion of his chin seemed to be swallowing something that "went down rather hard," as he expressed himself. The search, however, continued and was finished, without any discovery which would justify the further detention of the prisoner. Capt. M., was then informed of the suspicious eir eumstance noticed by the guard.
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.