USA > Connecticut > Windham County > Danielson > Sketches concerning Danielson, Conn > Part 2
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XDANIELSON
suggested to Gov. Saltonstall names for two Windham. County townships-Killingly and Pomfret-the Eng- lisb pronunciation of Pontefract being the same am the osme Pomfret is spelled. Killingly, back in colonial times, was also spelled Kellingly.
In a>original and colonial times the junction of the Quinebaug and Five Mile rivers and vicinity, consti- tuted a point from which to reckon boundaries, somer times in a vague way as the Indians were accustomed! to locate them. A line running west by north from the mouth of the Five Mile river and across Windham County, constituted the northern limit of the Mohegan claim of Uncas to a large part of the county. The locality, as we have sasu, was the northern limit of Winthrop's land grant, and the same boundary was also the north limit of the >waoac, Purchase that had been made by the Plainfield settlers for their sons when growu up. Again, a line projected dua gost from the mouth of Five Mile river so as to cross, over Graymare hillin Brooklyn and still west some distance farther, formed the southern limit of John Blackwell's 5,750 acres of land which be purchased of James Fitch in 1686 and called Mortlake after the name of a village in Surrey, England. Then, when Richard Adams made hia 8,000 acres of land purchase, this Mortlake line became his north boundary; and lastly, the estate of James Danielson extended po farther south than the specified point of reckoning
CHAPTER II. CONCERNING OTHER OLD DATES
H ITHERTO we have discussed two dates that; directly concern the southern part of the site: of Danielson and mentioned both dates and land trans- actions that had some bearing upon the early history of the borough site. The first chapter, it is hoped, will form a sort of historical background to the! sketches that follow, the most of which will concern. affairs and events of the nineteenth century, but im the present chapter we shall discuss the dates, known or probable, of some buildinge of eighteenth century origin that stood or still stand upon the actual town; site, together with attendant circumstances and bite .. of local history.
In the middle part of the last century thera stood; in Westfield, even then a residential section of the. Danielsonville of those years, an old colonial house owned, with barns and wagon shed, by Isaac Toncey Hutchins who had inherited the property from his father. There is extant prints of the old house made: from a sketch drawn in 1845 by John A. Spalding who was hardly of high school age when he made the picture. This shows a dark locking old residence at. the summit level of a slight rise of ground that sloped apward from the edge of the main village street. The. body of the house was sufficiently high posted to admit of square chamber rooms above, and over these there appears to have been a low garret beneath the roof, lighted by a half-moon windew in the gable fad se
1
EKETCHEE COMOERNING DANIELSON
the house that was both toward the street and the aast. That end of the house had a door in its center with & window between it and the corners on either. sida. Above there was a row of three windows equal- ly spaced between corners and each other, the middle one being directly over the door. On the south side. of the house there was a door and three windows, the door being near a corner fartherost from the street, and above on that side the chambers were lighted by s row of four windows. Apparently a two-story ad- dition joined the west end of the house, which, in ite entirety, must have been of ample dimenticare, also. plain built and with no porch or balcony visible from: the view point. Only one chimney each to the body of the house and its addition is shown in the drawing.
Three walks and a driveway are shown intersecting the gently sloping lawn, one of the walks leading: from the westerly door of the house down te an old fashioned curbed well. There is only one outbuild- jag, apparently a buggy and woodsbed combined, is. included in the picture, but in regard to the old man- siod itself, this was the "old Hutchins house" familiar to the generation of before the Civil war. Back in the middle seventies, Mr. Hutchins, then in his old age, wrote some sketches for the Transcript, one of which. concerned the history of the old house, as follows :-
REMINISCENCES OF A HOUSE
The house now owned and occupied by Mr. Joseph D. Hall situated on Hutchins street was once the west part of the house located on the same spot now occupied by the house of T. E. Graves, Esq., in Westfield village, Killingly. The east' part of said old house is now Mr. Graves' barn. Mr. Hall's.
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OLDEST DATES OF THE BOROVER
House-was purchased and removed to where. it now.stande, some twenty years ago by Deacon. Leonard Burgess. It was: harit by a Deacon Stearns, who removed here from . Mansfield, so this state, and built the house about 180 . years ago. The ?- house was afterwards sold to Dr. Walton, who built the east- ara half of the house. He lived ia ,it during the Revolutionary: War. Being a tory he was obliged to abscond to Canada at. the close of the war.
He was an able physician-was vary. aristocratic and owned. a number of slaves. The.next owner and, occupant was Dr. Euller. He became wealthy by being a surgeon: on board of a privateer during the Revolutionary War.
Both Dr. Walton and Dr. Fuller were Episcopalians. De. Kuller used to carry his cake and wine to church on the Sab- bath -nearly the whole congregation partaking with him, during the intermission. He bought his liquors by the hogs- head-living otherwise in splendid style. He sold the house . and farm to my father, Dr. Penuel Hutchins, about go.years. ago.
Dr. Fuller afterwards removed to Attleborough, Mass.,. where he became very, poor and finally died upon the town. My father bonght the farm and moved into the house about the year 1785 and lived in it 56; years, and practised in his profession 50 years. He died in the 80th year of his age: He had seven sons and four daughters-all born in the old house. Two of his sons were lawyers and two were doctors;, both of them, practiced in, their profession in Brooklyn, Conn., and both died there.
The eleven children are all dead but two-a sister and my- self. Daily family prayer was offered in the old bouse during nearly all the time of my living in it. May the practice, always be continued in it as long as it shall be inhabited, is: prayer of
ISAAC T. HUTCHINS, . In the Stst year of his age. Killingly, September 15, 1876.
Is will be observed that Mr. Hutchins, in speaking of numbers of years, made a considerable use of figures. His words relative to the date of the bonse, "about 180 years ago" deducted from the year 1876 when he wrote the sketch, carries one back approximately to the year 1696. There are a number of reasons why that data cannot be accepted as valid which we will onum- erate before commenting further on the sketch just quoted in full and contained in a booklet of I. T. Hutchins' writings and elsewhere, later put in print. 1. The old date given, taken historically, is out of harmony with conditions existing in that part of the border land in the last decade of seventeenth century. 2. The first two changes in the ownership of the house cover a period too long to be probable. 8. - The Jand upon which Deacon Ste ro's house stood then belonged to Major James Fitch. 4. There is po ro- cord of any settlers locatiog in that part of Killingly during that decade. 5. There probably were no framed houses built in Killingly before 1720 or later . 6. The family name Stearns does not appear in the history of the town earlier than 17:27. 7. The pre- sumed date of Deacon Stearns coming to Killingly ie mere tradition unsupported by any record.
Now the publisher of the present booklet is of the opinion that Mr. Hutchine was fairly accurate in what he actually wrote aud that his oldest date was rendered erroneous by a typographical error made by a compositor. It is fairly certain that bis manu- script really read "about 150' years ago" instead of "about 180 years ago." This would ts'ke us back to about 1726. If we accept the older approximate date we are landed amidst improbabilitice which are not
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CONONBNING OTHER GLD DATES
consistent with other known facts of the period refer. red to; on the other hand, accepting the later deduced dato as the true one, there is nothing in Mr. Hutchins' statements that is out of keeping with other known historical data.
Boaz Stearns appears as being first mentioned in Killingly history as one of a list of those who united with the church at Killingly Hill in 1727, which was during Rev. John Fisk's pastorate. In 1744 Boas Stearns was concerned along with San.uel Danielson and many others in the Breakneck Hill church con. troversy. This controversy, which resulted in divid- ing both the parish and the society, was raised over a proposal to build a larger church, the inhabitants of the central part of Killingly deeming the old one on Killingly Hill too dietant to suit their convenience, hence they desired a location farther south. Boas Stearna was chosen a deacon of the new Breakneck Hill church May 9, 1745 and undoubtedly is the Dea- con Stearns that Mr. Hutchins bad in mind. Some old town meeting records were published in the Tran- script in 1909. The name of Boaz Stearns occasional- ly appears in pre-Revolutionary times, and in 1768 he was chosen moderator of a meeting the first Toes- day of December, being mentioned as "Des. Boaz Stearns." In 1773 the name "Wm. Walton" appears as allowed a bill, probably for medical services.
Dr. William Walton appears to have resided in Brooklyn before moving to Killingly. He was a friend of Godfrey Malbone and assisted bim in build- ing the Malbone church in 1771, which is still in existence and located 1} mile east of Brooklyn village. In regard to the expulsion of Dr. Walton from Kil-
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26
SKETCHES CONCERNING DANIELBOR
fingly, the History of Windham County says: "In the long controversy great bitterness had been on- gendered. The cruel treatment of patriot prisoners the brutal massacres at Wyoming and New London had excited intense resentments. Tories had shown greater barbarity than British or Hessians, and were regarded with peculiar hatred. The few avowed tories in Windham County were straigtway driven out of it. No formal process of ejection was served upon them, but they were given to understand that they would be no longer tolerated. Dr. Walton of Killingly, had made himself especially obnoxious, concealing British officers in his house, and boasting of bis influence with British commanders. Upon the pews of the surrender of Cornwallis, he was visited by a large number of citizens who wished to send him off at once, but through the intercession of Col. Danielson he was allowed to wait for that great company of refugees who sought shelter in Nova Scotia." In a few cases, as where tories bad not rendered themselves obnoxious to their neighbors, they were permitted to remain on their estates as was the case with Godfrey Halbone of Brookiyn, who died in 1785.
. 'Dr. Penuel Hutchins died in 1841. During much of the life time of I. T. Hutchins be resided in a house at the intersection of Stearns and Main streets, the older Westfeld schoolhouse occupying the other cor- nor prior to 1848 when a new one was built not far from the old Hutchins house that has been the subject 'of this sketch. Afer the death of Dr. Hutchins the old house appears to have either remained empty at times, or to have been tenanted by transient families. Lyman Lamb, a man who had the contract along in
k 's :
2
CONCERNING OTHER OLD DAYBO
che middle thirties to drive the railroad tunnel located waree or four miles above Norwich through a ridge and as said to have lost money on the job, lived in the house sometime in the next decade. When the West Killing- ly Academy opened in 1847, Marcus Lyon rented the old house so as to board some students.
: The old Hutchins house probably stood in ita entirety down to about 1857, when according to Mr. Hutchins' sketch a certain Deacon Burgess moved a part of it to Hutchins street. Whoever this Dcacon Burgess may have been, he certainly never was any deacon of the Congregational Church, Adam B. Dan- ielson and Warren Stearns filling the diaconato in his time. The Conant picture in the Public Library which was made in 1864, shows part the house still om the premises in that year, together with some barns. Chore was little on Hutchins street at the date of the painting; the Logee bakery at the Main street corner built in 1860; the new Westfield schoolbouse of 1848 up a gentle rise a few rods from the bakery and next to the premises of the old house; some shrubbery in three places, all on the south ride, and lastly, a lone one-story-and-half house on the north side about midway between the bakery and the Mechanics street - road. Mechanics street hardly extended beyond its Winter street intersection in Civil war time. Could the lone house have been the Deacon Burgess place? We find no other on the lane that could claim to be it.
In 1868 Joseph D. Bates built a mansion on the site of the old Hutchins house. T. E. Graves appears to have owned the property next; as to what othere we lack information, except that in the next century Timothy E. Hopkins was a long time owner.
BKKTOHES UVAOENNING DANIELSON
.ANUrBEM eighteenth century date which is somewhat uncertain, also pertains to a house im Danielson and. in this case it is still in existence. No one in the borough, no matter how aged, can revert to a time when the "old red house" on Broad street was not in evidence where it still stands. About the year. 188V the house and farm to which it belonged, was bought. by. Stephen Rickard who later lived where the Church block now stands on Main street. Mr. Rickard had a daughter, a child in years when he bought the property, who was named Ludentia. When grown . up, she married a certain James Burgess who lived on Academy street, but about 1854 the couple moved to Wisconsin, where Mr. Burgess died in 1898. In her old age Mrs. Burgess was living in Madison in that state and prior to ber death in 1907, she stated that at the time her father bought the house in question it was accounted to have been eighty-one years old and that it had been built by a certain Captain Spalding.
The data given would carry back the orection of the' house to about the year 1757, which the publisher of this work believes is much too early. The statement made by Mrs. Burgess evidently was a tradition in the Rickard family. At thetime Mr. Rickard bought the old red house and farm, his daughter, Ludentis, was about.ten years of age. Probably she had heard it remarked, not that the b.)us8 w48 eighty-one years old at a certain time, but that it had been built in 'oighty-one ('81) which in the late thirties would have : meant 1781. . This confounding of the probable date of the house with its age might easily have occurred in the confused memory of a young person; besides;
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CONOMKNING OTHE& ULD DATES
the number, eighty-one, is one apt to be retained in - memory, whatever its application might be.
Zadock Spalding," one of the charter members of the Westfield Congregational Church when the society was reorganized in 1801, was the probable builder of the house in question and was living in it in the early part of last century. He was born in Killingly May 8, 1746; married Hannah Larned, February 16, 1775 and served as a private at times in the Revolutionary war. . He died in 1817.
A connected legend may as well be disposed of here sa evidently it is not authentic. This legend states that the house which Zsdock Spalding built was torn down about 1830 and that the present old red house was built in its place. This statement is negatived by certain facts. J L. Spalding was born in the Lo. geo house in what was then Westfield village, in 1891. In 1875 he removed to San Francisco, Cal, and spens the remainder of a long life in that city. Writing from there he once stated that from his earliest recol- lection of the dwelling it was spoken of as the "old red house;" further, that while living at a cottage then next north on the road and ourrd hy Hezekiah I .. Danielson, he was often within and without the old house and that it presented such a lack of repair that
· Besides the Zadock Spalding mentioned above there was another person in Killingly of the same name but of a different family branch. He was born in Killingly August 29. 1772; married first, October 24, 1793, Mary Cady by whom he had twelve child- ron, seven boys and five giris. His first wife died November 25, 1823. Married second Ruth Hutchins of Thompson Jan. 19. 1825 by whom he had a daughter, making thirteen children in all. His second wife died May 24, 1848, He died in Thompson January 28, 1839.
only the poorest class of tenants would occupy it. That was in the early fortios and a house built in 1880 1 or later would not likely have been alluded to. as.old por been in such need of repair. The old house paid to have been torn down about 1830 was probably ope that had belonged to Solomon Sikes, a militia. captain of the war of 1812 whose company helped in the do- fense of the Connecticut coast. In 1832 H. L. Dan- ielson built a new house in place of the old one that atill stands opposite the Killingly High School build- ing on Broad street, and which during the last quarter of the last century was owned by Chas. S. Hawkins. Mr. Danielson built another house in the fifties ou the site of the present High School building which was demolished when that was ereeted in 1906-7.
Mr. Rickard still owned the old red house as late au the middle fliftes; how much longer we have no inform- ation. Sometime during his ownership of the house, probably back in the forties, he likely remodeled it over with more or less replacing of original materiale. by those that were new. Usually aged dwellings have undergone alterations within and without, including the building on of one or two additions. 1.
WE come now to the last of the several eighteenth century dwellings of which we have Jin ed togivesome account. There stands on the west side of Maple street or opposite the brick mill a house that has sheltered at least five generatione, to wit, the old Danielson homestead. There is no question in this instance in regard to the date of the house or identity of its builder. The body part of the house was built in 1786 by. Col. William Danielson, a son of Samuel
CONONBUING ORUNK OLD DACHO
Dšufelson, and a grandson of the Brst James Daniel. "son of Killingly. Col. Danielson experienced some service in the war of the Revolution. Toward the "close of the war he was taken sick and had to return home. Travel by horseback was the only means of returning at that time and Barnabas Davis also boing from Killingly, was detailed to accompany and take care of him on the way. The war being near its close they were not obliged to return to military service.
The farm dwellings of the Danielsons were presum. ably located upon the interval land between the rivers. Whether any kind of abode or dwelling house was. maintained near the southern extrem ity of the estate between the time of the garrison house and mill (p. 18) and the year 1786, we lack information, but the presence of a grist. mill in the vicinity and on the Five Mile river in James Danielson's time, and probably much later, would imply an abode there of some kind. The road between the rivers probably began as a cart path in James Danielson's time. The war being over some three years and the original estate baving began to be divided into smaller holdings, Colone! Danielson built his family residence near what bad been the southern extremity of the original largo farin and where both rivers were in view. Previously, may suppose, he had resided farther northward where his grandfather had settled in 1707.
"Aunt Judith has lately had a delightful ramble over the old house, built in. 1786, as is shown by the figures cut in one of the bricks of the hearth. These bricks were made on the premises and burned in the garden near by. They are from seven to eight inches square and look as if they might serve
BKATO
future generations. . The chimneys are immense, having fire- places with mantels reaching to the ceiling, though most of. them are bricked up. In one, however, was a blazing wood fire, reflected brightly from brass andirons. In another room was one of the original open Franklin stoves; in still another a closed Franklin, giving the opportunity of comparing .the successive changes in the way of heating.
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. "The main structure, facing the south, was built by Col. William Danielson, grandson of the first James, whose wife was Sarab Williams, from whom our D. A. R. is named. The location of the house was an ideal one. There were no thilla, and the grounds sloped to the Quinebang and Five Mile rivers on either side. The windows were of small glass with inside wooden shutters. The floors are of very fine wide boards, though now carpeted. The nails and hinges are all of wrought iron. Some of the material was brought from Tem- pleloa, Mass., not being procurable nearer. Tho stairway must have been handsome for those times. In each room there was originally & 'summer tree' wbich wes a big timber running across the ceiling, giving the appearance of great. strength as it was uncovered by plaster. The beams have i been removed from some of the rooms and their places filled in with plaster."*
... In the earlier part of the present century a ladies' depart ment was ran weekly for three full years in the Transcript edited by "Cousin Judith assisted by Aunt Judith," the latter person. who was Mrs. C. H. N. Thomas, appearing to be the main prop. supporting the department. "The contents consisted of comment apon local affairs, literary odds and enda, etc., but liberally interspersed with old-time memories of different womem, besttes help from old papers, pamphlets and records. The sketch in past used above was printed in the issue of the Transcript for May 4. 1905. The Judiths began their department July 3. 1902 :atkal closed it in the paper for July 8, 1905. "Aunt Judith" wrote but little anbsequent to.1905 but was still living, the publisher thinks, well along in the second decade of the century.
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CONCERNING OTHER OLD DAIR.
15 1809 a som of Col. William Danielson, called Gon. James Danielsou, in asecciation with other ter that formed a stock company, built one of the cotton spin- ning. mille of that period which was started the next ysar. A store was also built in connection with the mill and placed in charge of Comfort and Ebeneser Tiffany, who were Rhode Island men and who a decade or more later built a small cotton-mill (dimensions 74 67 82 feet) on the Brooklyn side of the Quinebang river. General Danielson was born in 1761 so that at the time he engaged in the cotton spinning busi- ness be was well along in middle life. The mill was located at the end of the low ridge between the rivers And a few rods south of the house. The power.loom was not in general use in this country until about 1820; hence the early cotton- mills merely spun cotton yarn which was sent out to be woven into cotton and mixed goods on the old-fashioned hand loom.
In connection with the building of the spinaing- mill. a large two-story and attic part was added on to the north side of the older main part of the house. This addition was probably the first residence of the- Tiffany brothers who had charge of the store, located close eastward from the house, for there was no Main . stroot there then, though a bridge bad been built in the vicinity and over the Quinebaug river in 1805. Others connected eitber with the store or the mills occupied this later built portion of the house down to Civil war times. So we infer that the Tiffany brothers were the first occupants of what then was the new part to the house. Comfort Tiffany was made a voter of Killingly in 1810 and presumably continued to occupy the addition to the house until he built a residence on
OKETOBEC CONCERNING 9.
the Brooklyn side about 1820. It is a fair, inforonce that the Danielson house was also the birthplace of Obarlee Lewis Tiffany, who was born'in Danielsonville February 15, 1812. At the age of twelve he attended a private school in Westfield kept by I. T. Hutchins, sad at fifteen he had charge of his father's storo which stood on the site of the present Quinebang storo. later attended the Piainfeld Academy. He went to New York in 1887 and with John B. Young of West- Bald as partner, opened a fancy goods and stationery store. This led to the founding of the noted Tiffany Jewelry frm. In 1841 Charles L. Tiffany married & sister of his partner, this lady being a daughter of Ebenezer Young. After living a prosperous life. C. L. Tiffany died at his home in New York February 18, 190%, having just attained his 90th year.
With this digression called forth by a presumed reminiscence of the old Danieleon house, we will again resume the general topic, that is, old-time or other historical notes connected with the old Daniel- son house and vicinity, Gen. James Danielson mar- ried Sarah Lord, of Abington, Conn., by whom he had eleven children, eight sons and three daughters. The oldest son was named William; be was a graduate and later a tutor at Yale, but died early in life, July 12,.1819. Two of the sons died in infancy and another. - was drowned in the Quirebaug river at the age of soven years. The four sons who lived to become aged mon were named in the order of their birth, James, born in 1795; Elisha, born in 1796; George, born in 1798; and Hezekiah, born in 1802. Ges. Danielson was one of the original members of the Wostfeld church, of which he was appointed a deacon in 1813.
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