USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Seymour > Seymour, past and present > Part 11
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The next enterprise recorded was a corn mill built by James Pritchard in 1760 on Little river, near where the James Swan Com- pany's upper mills are located. It appears therefore that Little River was the first stream in this immediate vicinity to be used for mill purposes and has continued to be used from that time with constantly increasing efficiency, both as to the quantity and value of the manfactured products and the number of people emploved.
In 1760 Joseph Chuse and John Howd, Sachems, sold to Thomas Perkins of Enfield and Ebenezer Keeney, Joseph Hull,
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Jr., and John Wooster of Derby, an acre of land on the east side of the river at the Falls, including the water privilege, for the pur- pose of putting up some iron works, but nothing was done until after Oct. 4, 1763, when Keeney, Hull and Wooster purchased from the Indians one and a half acres of land for a roadway through the Indian field. This deed was signed by Joseph Chuse and John Howd as the chief men of the tribe. The payment was "fifteen pounds lawful money." On this land was erected first a fulling mill, then a sawmill and a grist mill.
THE STONE BRIDGE. STEELE'S FULLING MILL WAS AT THE LEFT.
In 1785 John Wooster and Bradford Steele leased for 999 years, for fifteen pounds, "a certain spot or privilege at a place called Rimmon Falls upon the east side of the Naugatuck River" for the purpose of building a blacksmith shop, and erecting a hammer to go by water. They manufactured scythes and did other blacksmith work, setting up a grindstone and other machinery necessary for conducting the business. The deed states that the land had a front of fifty feet on the flume and was next to the river.
About 1790 Nathan Stiles, a son of Benjamin, bought out John Wooster and Ebenezer Keeney, part owners of the property at the
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Falls. This property consisted of two fulling mills, a saw mill, grist mill and a clothier's shop. The company was reorganized with the following stockholders: Bradford Steele, Sr., George Steele, Bradford Steele, Jr., and Nathan Stiles.
Bradford Steele had his fulling mill and dye shop at the mouth of Little River, and his finishing shop at the top of the hill east of the church. He lived in the old house on the hill until he sold it to Abiel Canfield. He made no cloth, the cloth dressed and finished by him being woven on hand looms in the homes of the people.
A fulling mill and a saw mill were built about 1790, on Bladens Brook, about one mile east on the railroad station, by Mr. Thad- deus Hine of Derby. Mr. Hine sold the property in 1790 to Titus H. Beach, who afterward sold it to Charles Oatman, who carried on the business for a number of years. This property subsequently came into the possession of Sharon Yale Beach, whoin 1850 built a paper mill there.
Isaac Baldwin came from Litchfield about 1785 and built a gristmill in Little River near where the James Swan Co.'s middle shops now are.
Gen. David Humphreys, who was to be so closely identified with the interests of the place, came and purchased the Falls prop- erty Dec, 13, 1803. The deed states that " Col. David Humph- reys, now of Boston, in the commonwealth of Massachusetts," pur- chased of Bradford Steele, Bradford Steele, Jr., and George Steele, 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.,
with all the privileges, together with the sawmill, two fulling mills, clothier's shop, and all the utensils, implements and apparatus be- longing 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."
Gen. Humphreys had while minister to Spain in 1802 imported 100 merino sheep and he chose this place for the headquarters of the sheep raising business as well as for the manufacture of woolen cloth. The great superiority of the wool of the merino sheep being immediately manifest, farmers were everywhere glad to avail themselves of the opportunity to improve their stock.
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Gen. Humphreys 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 re- fused 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 ex- tended throughout New England, Vermont people in particular being quickly supplied with some of the merinos.
Gen. Humphreys considered it of great importance to the in- terests of the country that manufactures, especially that of woolen cloths, should be introduced, and went to England, investigated the manufacture of woolen cloths there, and made the acquaintance of John Winterbotham, who was thoroughly informed in every branch of the business. Gen. Humphreys persuaded Mr. Winterbotham to sell his business there and come to this country to establish the business here.
Gen. Humphreys associated with him in business also Captain Thomas Vose of Derby, the business being conducted under the name of T. Vose & Company. They brought over from England Thomas Gilyard, Robert Lees and others, skilled workmen in this line, and in 1806 built a mill for the purpose of manufacturing woolen cloth, the frame being raised on the 5th and 6th of June. This mill is still standing. The "mills and clothiers' shop" pur- chased as above mentioned, and the people who had acquired con- siderable skill in the manipulation of wool, formed a considerable nucleus for the new enterprise.
"The name "Chusetown" appears on the Derby records as late as 1804, but was changed by the legislature in that year to Humphreysville in honor of Gen. Humphreys and this name was retained until 1850.
That he might the better carry out his plans Gen. Humphreys made several other purchases of large tracts of lands in the vicinity. He employed a large number of boys in the factory whom he had brought from different parts of the country. For these he estab-
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lished evening and Sunday schools, with competent teachers to in- struct them. He also indulged his military taste by organizing them at no light expense as a military company, drilling them him- self and furnishing the uniforins.
In 1810 the company was reorganized and the name was changed from T. Vose & Co., to the Humphreysville Manufactur- ing Company.
OLD WOOLEN MILL BUILT BY GEN. DAVID HUMPHREYS IN 1806.
President Dwight, of Yale College, wrote an interesting sketch 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 ledge 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 probably 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 residences of the manufacturers, and for various other purposes.
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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 machines ; a breaker and finisher for card- ing 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 a paper-mill ; a picker ; two more carding machines for sheep's wool ; and a billy with forty spindles in a third building ; a fulling- 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 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 necessary apparatus.
"The houses can accommodate with a comfortable residence about one hundred and fifty persons. Ten others in the neighbor- hood will furnish comfortable residences for upwards of one hun- dred and fifty more.
"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 estab- lished, visitors of these institutions. This law required the pro- prietors to control in a manner specified, the morals 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 propri- etors conformed to this law. The reports of the visitors in Derby, concerning the establishment at Humphreysville, has been in a high degree honourable both to the proprietor and his people.
"The manufacturers at Humphreysville are esteemed excellent. The best broadcloth made here is considered as inferior to none which is imported. Americans make all the machinery ; and have invented several kinds of machines, which are considered as super- ior to such as have been devised in Europe for the same purposes. Most of the weaving has been done in private families."
Tanneries were among the early enterprises here and the busi- ness was carried on both at Great Hill and at Chusetown. The tannery at Great Hill was located at the northeast angle of the
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crossroads near the schoolhouse. On the 12th of March, 1846, Daniel L. Holbrook sold to Philo Gillette for $12 the corner between the schoolhouse and the distillery, containing 54 rods of land, with one half the water of Broad Brook. The deed mentions that Gillette had built one half of the building 24x 36 for a tannery, one half the building and waterpower to be retained by Holbrook for a cidermill and distillery. Holbrook, as assignee of Philo Gillette, sold the property Jan. 5, 1854, for $300, to William Gillette, Asa Hawkins, Judson English and Eli Gillette, who carried on the tanning business for some years as a joint stock company, with Philo Gillette as superintendent. They sold out to Capt. James Baker and the business was soon after discontinued.
There was a tannery on what is now South Main street, just south of the railroad crossing, the power for grinding the bark being supplied by a dam on the east side of the road.
In May, 1822, the company was again reorganized with John W. De Forest, President, and J. Fischer Leaming, Secretary. The capital stock was then 50,000. In 1845 the company sold their cotton factory to William Buffum for $12,000.
Furniture making was one of the early industries here. One man, the ancestor of some of the present people of Seymour, built a dam and a little mill, fitted up with a saw and lathe, and some other labor saving machinery, made bureaus and bedsteads, tables, chairs, cradles and coffins, for his neighbors, and then, to fill in the spare time, made up stock for great numbers of chairs and sent them " knockdown" to New York. They were drawn by an ox team to Derby and taken thence by a sailing vessel to New York. A young man who had been an assistant in the "cabinetmaker's" little shop went to New York with the cargo, put the chairs together and sold them, and remained there as agent for this cabinetmaker and others, and became wealthy. This was George Tomlinson, now living in the first house north of the Great Hill church and nearly ninety years of age.
In 1844 a company was formed under the firm name of Dwight, French & Co., and bought part of the property of the Humphreys- ville Manufacturing Co. The Humphreysville Copper Co. was organized in 1849, with John W. Dwight as president ; directors, Raymond French, Harrison Tomlinson, George Rice and Sheldon Keeney. In 1852 it was reorganized and the capital was increased from $100,000 to $200,000 by the addition of 4,000 shares of $25
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each. A large part of the stock was taken in Humphreysville, the bank taking 700 shares. The company in addition to their works in Seymour had a wharf and mill in East Haven, and were in 1853 authorized by the General Assembly to build a breakwater for the protection of their vessels from the surf and winds while loading and unloading.
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. The stock was increased in 1852 to $100,000. In 1855, Geo. P. Shelton was the president, and Harrison Tomlin- son secretary.
The American Car Co. was organized in the spring of 1852, with a stock of $150,000, but was soon increased to $200,000. Five large shops were built on the "flat," with track laid to each, and a large business was done for a time. but in 1855 the business was removed to Chicago and Springfield, Ill., and the shops utilized for other purposes. One was fitted up for a hotel, now the Wind- sor, one is now known as the beehive, and the power shop was afterward a mill for the manufacture of pins.
AUGER AND BIT MAKING.
For nearly a century this place has been noted for the manu- facture of augers and bits. Walter French came here from Mans- field, Conn., about 1810 and commenced the manufacture of screw augers by hand. He built a shop near Little River, about half a mile from its mouth, on land now owned by the James Swan Company.
The first double twist screw augers ever offered for sale in New York City were made here by Walter French. He carried a few to the city, no more than he could conveniently carry in a bundle in his hand, and the merchant to whom he first showed them was so enthusiastic over them that he said to Mr. French, "You are an honor to your country." Mr. French was over eighty years of age when he told this to George Leavenworth, now one of the veterans of auger and bit manufacturing. Previous to that time only pod augers, without screws, had been used, and a gouge had been re- quired to start the hole before an auger could be made to work. "But," said the merchant, "here is something that does the whole work." Among old augermakers fifty years ago it was disputed
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whether Walter French or Jesse Hartson made the first screw augers. Hartson was one of the early augermakers here.
Mr. French had also a shop opposite the corner of West and Beecher streets, at the southeast corner of the place formerly owned by Warren French, son of Walter.
Gilbert & Wooster carried on the manufacture of augers and bits in Bennett Wooster's blacksmith shop, which was located near where the rear of the copper mill now stands. The bits were forged in this shop, while the filing room was in the south part of Ezekiel Gilbert's building, at the corner of Main and Maple streets, and the machinery for polishing was fitted up in the sawmill at the Falls.
Gen. Clark Wooster built an auger shop on the west bank of Little River, just below the sawmill formerly owned by E. L. Hoadley, and employed Walter French to superintend it. This shop was closed in 1844 and Walter French returned to Westville to commence the manufacture of augers there. Wales French bought the shop by the sawmill, and with his brother Warren carried on the business about two years, when Wales also sold out and removed to Westville.
The Globe Works were located on a little stream about half a mile south of the Falls. The dam for this factory was built by Glover Bassett. It was first used by Mr. Radford for a blacksmith shop. Mr. Radford sold the privilege and shop to Albert Steele who used it for the manufacture of furniture and later sold the property to Henry Wheeler and Andrew Hartson who manufac- tured augers and bits there for several years. The building was then made into a grist mill.
Hiram Upson came from Waterbury to Humphreysville and began the manufacture of augers in a building that stood near where the James Swan Company's upper shop now stands. Mr. Upson was afterwards associated in business with Horace A. Rad- ford and Lucius Tuttle, under the firm name of the Upson Man- ufacturing Co. The business was carried on where the Novelty works now are at the mouth of Little River. The property was sold by H. A. Radford to Charles Douglass in 1859. The shop was originally built by Timothy Dwight, Sen., son of President Dwight, of Yale, about 1836, and by his heirs sold to H. A. Rad- ford. After a number of changes it became the property of James Swan in 1877.
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Raymond French & Co. commenced the manufacturing off augers and other edge tools at Blueville, on Bladen's Brook, July 25, 1832. The dam and shop were built by Newel Johnson in 1830 and sold to Dwight & French. This shop was destroyed by fire July 15th, 1841, but was soon rebuilt.
The business soon ougrew this mill and the power furnished by the stream and Mr. French looked about for a better location and de- cided to build a dam across the Naugatuck at Kinneytown, about two miles below the Falls. This was a notable undertaking for
KINNEYTOWN FALLS OR DAN.
those days but Mr. French first satisfied himself that beneath the water was a ledge of rock extending the whole width of the stream, making a good foundation for the dam, and then began the work. Anson G. Phelps had been looking over the location and made pur- chases of land on the east side, but Mr. French outgeneraled him by securing the site and the land on the west side, and built the dam so securely that there has never since been needed any more
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than ordinary repairs to the woodwork. Mr. Phelps finally purchased the dam Dec. 5, 1844, and Mr. French's enterprise proved to be the initatory move which resulted in the present enterprising city of Ansonia.
Mr. French immediately looked about for another location for a mill and with his associates purchased land and water rights near the Falls owned by the Humphreysville Manufacturing Company, and in 1845 built the large brick mill and office building opposite Davis Block, and fitted it up with machinery for the manufacture of augers and bits, plane irons, chisels and drawing knives. The brick used in the construction of the buildings were made on land of Bennett Wooster, a little east of the M. E. church. These works were run without a break, employing a large number of men, for nearly thirty years, Mr. French being the superintendent of the works. The business was later reorganized under the same name, with Norman Sperry, George H. Robinson, David R. Cook and Marcus Sperry as proprietors. Mr. Norman Sperry is now the sole proprietor.
THE F. H. BEECHER'S WORKS.
The firm of French, Swift & Company was organized April 5, 1847, by Warren French, Charles Swift, John F. Marshall, Lemuel Bliss, Henry B. Beecher and Horace Radford, for the manufacture
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of augers and bits. This factory is situated on Little River about one third of a mile from its mouth. Mr. Beecher finally bought out the other partners and carried on the business for many years, until his death in 1880. The works are now owned by his son. F. H. Beecher.
Warren French, one of the "Six Partners" in the auger works on Beecher street, told the writer many years ago that his father, Walter French, who was the first to make augers in this place, made them first in the old blacksmith shop at the corner of Maple and Pearl streets. At first he worked for Col. Ira Smith, and after- ward in company with him.
Twist augers and auger bits and the screw point are admitted to be of American invention, as well as a large proportion of other improvements in the manufacture of these tools, and the probability is that more of these improvements have been originated here than in any other town in the world, evidence of which may be found in the large number of patents issued to James Swan and others engaged in the business here. Appleton's American Ency- clopedia, after describing twist and screw point boring implements, says (under date of 1883)-"All these twisted tools are of American invention and were hardly known in England thirty years ago."
George Leavenworth, a veteran augermaker who still plies his trade from day to day, can probably recall the history of the auger and bit business in this place for a longer period than any other person living. He came to Humphreysville, now Seymour, Aug. 17. 1846, to the Humphreysville Manufacturing Co's works, to learn the mysteries of auger making. The shop then stood higher than the road and opposite the shop was Spring Pond, fed by the Rock Spring, and the stream running from it ran on the surface and crossed the roadway from about in front of where Davis Block now stands. Beside the pond and close to the roadway were two large elm trees. There were then about 150 men working in the shop.
Mr. Leavenworth says that of the men working in the shop in 1846 only four are now living, Thomas Cochran, Horace Hurd, William Losee and himself. The last two were carpenters, making boxes for packing and doing other carpenter work about the mill. There was then no railroad and the heavy freight was mostly hauled from New Haven by horse teams. The manufacture of augers and bits is still carried on there, the old company name having been retained.
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A
IPHREYSV
PAPER MAKING.
Paper making has been an important industry here for nearly a century. The first to establish the manufacture of paper in this place was General Humphreys, who built the first paper mill in 1805. The journal of the mill from October, 1805, to June, 1825. was long preserved. Five names appeared on the time account for October in that year, Thomas Hudson, Chester Jones, Elbridge G. Ware, John Canfield and Philo Smith. This list was soon largely increased, including Major A. A. Stone, Wm. Lewis, Wm. Ball, James Bowman, and many others. Four or five reams of paper a day was the average for the first few years.
At this time the paper was made by hand. An engine for pre- paring the pulp was in use, but from this it was dipped out into fine sieves of the size the sheet of paper was to be made, shaken about to pack the fiber, a felt or flannel laid on, and the paper tipped out on it. One hundred and twentyfive sheets were so piled up, mak- ing, with the felts, a pile about fifteen inches high. This was pressed in a screw press, then taken out of the felts and hung on poles to dry, then pressed in one and a quarter ream bunches. The next day the sheets were "stripped" or separated and pressed in the dry press. Writing paper was laid sheet by sheet between press boards with occasional iron plates and pressed again.
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This papermill was sold to Worrull & Hudson, who in 1816 sold it to Ebenezer Fisher and Henry La Forge. The view given below is reduced from a wood engraving used in printing the wrappers for the paper made at this mill.
In 1825 the mill was built up another story and paper was then first made altogether by machinery. In 1831 the mill was sold to the Humphreysville Manufacturing Company who made paper for the New Haven Palladium and other papers. Not only news but tissue and colored papers were produced. Five hundred pounds of paper was then considered a good days work.
In 1833 Chester Jones was foreman and a bevy of lighthearted girls sorted the paper stock and made the old mill ring with their merriment. Among those employed there in the 'thirties were Laura Tomlinson, Sarah Broadwell, Julia Reynolds, Caroline Smith, Jane Cochran, Eliza, Mary and Lucy Bowden, Mariette Scott, Sarah Canfield, Eliza Blackman, Mary Umberfield, and Harriet Beers. Wm. Barber was employed there in 1838-9-40 and won one of the girls of the'Ville for his bride. She survived him and after the lapse of nearly half a century made her home here again.
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