USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Norwalk > The ancient historical records of Norwalk, Connecticut; with a plan of the ancient settlement, and of the town in 1847 > Part 12
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The following is a list of the names of the preachers who have been stationed in Norwalk from 1834 to the present time :
Rev. LUTHER MEAD, 1834-5
DAVIS STOCKING, 1835-7
Y. L. DICKERSON, 1837-9
CYRUS Foss, 1839-40
WILLIAM THATCHER, 1840 -- 1
G. N. SMITH,
1841-2*
LABAN CHENEY, 1842-3
HARVEY HUSTED, 1843-5
W. C. HOYT,
1845-7+
THE BAPTIST CHURCH.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH Was organized Aug. 31, 1837, of members of Baptist Churches residing in Norwalk and vicinity.
The Rev. WILLIAM BOWEN was their preacher from the organization of the church until April 1, 1838.
Rev. WM. H. CARD of New York was then invited to preach for one year.
The church edifice was completed and opened for worship, on the 11th of March, 1840.
In Jan. 1840, the church called Rev. JAMES J. WOOL- SEY of Philadelphia, to be their pastor. Mr. Woolsey commenced his labors on the 1st of March, 1840.Į
* Died in New York, Oct. 22, 1845.
t The above account was furnished by Rev. W. C. Hoyt.
# The above facts are from a document furnished by Rev. 'J. J. Woolsey.
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NORWALK.
REMINISCENCES.
MRS. PHILIPS, widow of Ebenezer, aged 84, Feb. 5, 1847. Her brother was in the army, and died of the camp distemper, at Bergen Point, N. Jersey. Her father went to his relief, took the disease, and died soon after returning home.
Her mother moved to South Salem soon after the burning of Fairfield.
Rev. Mr. LEAMING was a strong tory. He went off with the British when the town was burnt.
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COL. BUCKINGHAM LOCKWOOD says that he always understood that the first meeting-house stood on the corner north of Dennis Hanford's house ; that is, on the south corner of the lot now occupied by Rev. Mr. Ellis. He remembers when the space was all open to the common.
The second meeting-house stood where the widow of John Mallory now lives. He remembers when that lot was all open.
The third meeting-house stood very near the site of Charles Thomas's present residence, on the highest spot between him and Storrs Hall's. The whole lot, in- cluding the three lots south, lay open. He remembers the old foundation of the meeting house that was burnt.
At the burning of the town his mother and five chil- dren were in Wilton; and on an alarm fled with her children to the woods. This he remembers. His mother spoke of her distress when her children cried for some- thing to eat.
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REMINISCENCES.
MISS PHEBE COMSTOCK, aged 83 years, Sept. 26, 1846, lived in New Canaan, at Canoe Hill. Used to go over to her uncle's, where they used to climb an apple-tree and see Norwalk very distinctly. Went to meeting at New Canaan. In cases of alarm, which was given by firing three guns in succession, the men left all and hastened to the parade. Such alarms often came. Her father would run in and say, " Now, girls, unyoke the oxen and turn them out," and in less than five minutes would be off to the parade. They used to carry their guns to meeting ; no more thought of going to meeting then without their guns, than we do now without our psalm books. "They never had an alarm without repairing to the parade ; and they did not go slow neither." The alarm at the burning of Norwalk came about day-break. Went to the apple-tree ; saw the flames ; heard the guns. Her father and four brothers were engaged in the defence ; the " dreadfullest day she ever saw ;" the guns kept firing a long time ; " a dreadful fight." She saw the " Red-coats" take up several of their dead or wounded, and carry them to their boats ; saw the steeple of the meeting-house fall in.
ONESIMUS, the colored man, who lives with Miss Comstock, and lived with the former Phebe Comstock, was 84 years old Dec. 4, 1846. When continental soldiers were quartered in town, the chaplain was at Miss Phe- be's; his waiter died, and Onesimus took his place. The soldiers were billeted round, but assembled for roll- call every day. Onesimus was enrolled.
Onesimus, at one time after the town was burnt, went down to get salt hay at Miss Phebe's meadow, not far from the old potter's shop, sometimes called " The Vil- lage," below Old Well. . Miss Phebe went with him to look out, as the enemy were always lurking round for
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cattle, horses, and prisoners. Onesimus saw some " Red-coats" stealing along up a creek, and gave the alarm to Miss Phebe. " We put on ; we had good horses then, and we ran ; we did not go slow." They escaped-gave the alarm at the Old Well-the guard pursued, and took two " Red-coats" prisoners.
PHEBE COMSTOCK used to visit Mr. Hezekiah Han- ford's girls down town. At one time, old Mr. Hanford said, "Now, Phebe, I will take you to the spot where the first of your ancestors used to worship God, when they first came to this country." " Pshaw !" said Mrs. Hanford, " what do you want to take the girl down there for ?" "Because," said Mr. Hanford, " she takes an interest in these things, and will remember. Our people care nothing about it." He then led her down to the place where the old meeting-house stood, near Dennis Hanford's, and said, " Here your fathers used to worship God : and when the first old shanty became too small, they built another house up there ;" pointing to the spot where John Mallory since lived. She remem- bers well the meeting-house that was burnt in the Revo- lution. It was larger than the present house, and had two tier of galleries.
Often heard people speak of Mr. Buckingham ; he was an excellent preacher, but it was said that he drank too much ; and that was the reason that he was dismissed.
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THOMAS BENEDICT, aged 82, March 14, 1847. After the burning of Fairfield, the enemy was expected here. They came Saturday, while the people were harvesting. While he was driving the team, John Saunders, one of the tories, came along and said, " O, boys, you are too late to harvest." Saunders had finished his harvest.
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The sun was about two hours high, and Saunders was in high spirits at the coming of the enemy : as one of his sons was with the enemy, and he expected his property would be spared. But it was all burnt; and the other son with his negro went off with the enemy.
Our soldiers were collecting fast, and stopped at his father's house, which stood where Mrs. Phillips now lives. A tub of wine and a bowl stood on the stoop ; as they came along, they stopped and drank, and were very merry. His father's family hastily packed up what goods they could ; put them on the cart, which he drove that night up to Belden's Hill, to Thos. St. John's. He and the oxen had worked hard that day, and were very tired. At Mr. St. John's, a party of light-horse came in the night. He fell asleep ; some of them took out his silver brooch, and carried it off. Saw the first smoke of the burning of Norwalk in the morning. Heard the
guns "pop, pop, pop, a good while." The first house burn- ed was where George Day now lives. The house where Mr. Benedict now lives was occupied by the British as a hospital for the wounded, and therefore was not burnt at first. When the British retreated, they set it on fire, but our people rallied soon enough to put it out. The house was built by Mr. Benedict's grandfather. On his return to Norwalk, saw a British soldier that had been killed; Seth Abbott shot him as he was getting over a wall. "Now," says Abbott, before he fired, "if I kill him, it will go right through his heart." He fired, and the soldier fell backward, dead. The British, when they landed on the west side, marched up to near where Capt. Danl. K. Nash now lives. A tall British soldier was shot there.
Mr. Leaming used to preach on the wickedness of re- sisting the king ; and most of the tories were of his con-
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gregation. According to his creed and preaching, we " were only a parcel of rebels." There would not have been so many tories, but for his preaching up such doctrine. He went off with the British.
MRS. BENEDICT, wife of Thomas, aged 81, Nov., 1846, daughter of Phineas Waterbury ; lived at Roton river, at the head of the pond ;- saw the British fleet when they came from Long Island, to the burning of Norwalk. There were 26 sail, sloops. The enemy used to come every little while to the place where she lived, to drive off cattle. One night she heard the cows low and the dogs bark ; and some one hallooing, " The Tories are after the cattle ;"-" The Tories have got all our cows." Her mother raised the window and called out, "Turn out the Guard-Turn out the Guard !"-so loud, that people a mile distant heard her in two places. One of the tories called to her to be still, or he would shoot her. " I am not afraid of you," she answered ; and called out again, " Turn out the Guard-Turn out the Guard !" The man fired, and Mrs. B. heard the ball whistle ; but the tories ran for their lives ; frightened off by her mother's call for the guard.
A month after this, one night while her brother, aged 20 years, was on guard with others, she heard the dogs bark ; and then a challenge, of " Who comes there ?" The answer was, with an oath, " A friend to King George ;" and immediately guns were fired ; and there was a trampling of steps down the road. One came and said that her brother was wounded; and presently he was brought in dead-shot through the head. Three were killed, who were all in their 20th year-two wounded.
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One night the enemy entered her father's house when they were in bed-seized her father, and carried him a prisoner to New York ; they would not stop to let him dress. They came into her room ; she told them they were only children there. "D-n her," said one, " lift up the bed." They thrust their bayonets under the bed, and went off.
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DANIEL NASH, aged 77, son of Daniel, son of Mica- jah; was told by his grandfather, that his grandfather was the first male child born in the town. What his name was, he does not know. [It is among the genea- logical records, John Nash.] His sons' names were John and Nathan. From the last John proceeded all
the Nash families in this region. Nathan had no chil- dren. He was the first Churchman in the family. This account Daniel Nash had from his grandfather, who was brought up by said Nathan. The reason of his change was this : he had been brought up in great abhorrence of religious forms ; and when at a meeting of ministers one of them read a portion of the Bible, Nathan much disliked it ; and so resented it, that he went occasionally to Church, saying that they might just as well read prayers as read the Bible ;- and so turned Churchman.
When the Revolution broke out, Daniel Nash was a boy, about 4 years old, at Patchogue, L. I. Remem- bers the time when the tea was thrown overboard at Bos- ton. Remembers hearing, before Norwalk was burnt- and afterwards, what was the reason why Gov. Tryon burned it. Some of the Long Island people were refu- gees on the Connecticut shore ; [Long Island was in pos- session of the British.] These refugees used to pilot the Americans, when they went in whale-boats to Long
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Island for plunder. Gov. Tryon said, if the people on this side did not stop that, he would come over and burn the town ; and he did burn it.
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NATHANIEL RAYMOND, aged 94, MAY 1, 1847. Has lived near the Old Well wharf all his days ; was a cor- poral in the guard ; a revolutionary pensioner ; lay often on the rocks at Belden's Point; was at New York among the Connecticut troops when the British landed at Flatbush ; and in the lines across the island after the British crossed into New York. When the British came to burn the town, they landed at Fitch's Point Saturday night. He carried such of his household effects as he could, down near the pottery called the village, and hid them in a swamp; then carried his father and mother and some of their effects back some three miles, in a cart ; returned, and with fourteen oth- ers, volunteers, under their own command, took arms, and went up to the hill where John Raymond lived. In the night the British fired a ball at them, at random. It struck the ground near them. Sunday morning the harbor was full of boats. They landed at the Old Well : chased the fifteen volunteers over John Raymond's hill, by where Capt. D. K. Nash now lives, and so over to Round hill ; dragging a field-piece, which they fired at the volunteers from the top of Round hill. When the British landed, the volunteers fired at them from John Raymond's hill. Saw Grummon's Hill " all red" with the British : there was " old Tryon and all his tribe." The two parties of the enemy met near Grummon's Hill, and went up to France Street, where was a skir- mish. There were about thirty American Regular sol- diers in town. Jacob Nash (the grandfather of Capt.
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REMINISCENCES.
Danl. K. Nash), was killed there. He was a regular soldier at home on a furlough. Our men had an old iron four-pounder at the rocks, which the British took and spiked. The Rev. Mr. Leaming was " as big a tory as ever there could be on earth." He continued praying for the King in public worship, till the inhabit- ants forbade him. Very many of his congregation were tories ; but the people never molested such as did not commit any hostile act. The violent tories were seized and shut up in Pudding-lane ; some carried to jail. The tories were the informers and pilots of the enemy ; and those who went off, often came back with parties, plundering, driving off cattle, and carrying away such men as they were able to lay their hands on.
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MRS. MARY ESTHER ST. JOHN, (widow of WIL- LIAM), aged 94, in November, 1846. When Fair- field was burnt, her father was harvesting down in the Neck. Expecting the British to come here imme- diately, they left the harvest ; but when the British crossed to Long Island, her father rallied hands and went down to his harvesting. Saturday, near night, the alarm guns fired. Her husband rode down to the Neck, and returned ; his horse was wet with sweat, as though he had been in the water. She was about putting some bread in the oven. A woman who lived with Mr. Belden (where Gov. Bissell now lives) came running in and asked, " Are you going to stay ?" " No, I am going out of the way." " Well," said the woman, "I shall stay ; I will go to Gov. Tryon, and plead for the house. When he was Governor he stayed with us one night, with his attendants and horses. I will tell him of that, and we are friends to the government." Mrs. St. J. said, " If you are going to stay, take my dough."
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She took it, and presently came running for the oven- wood. Mrs. St. J. and her husband and family, with what effects they could carry, went up into the woods, at the East Rocks. They had a bedstead, which they set up ; milked the cows which they drove with them, drank the milk, and stayed there that night. In the morning, the guns were firing; the smoke of the burning houses rose. Her husband said, " The work is begun ;
they are burning the town." The woman succeeded in saving Mr. Belden's house. She told Mrs. St. John that she went up to Grummon's Hill, where Gov. Tryon sat, with chairs and a table, writing his orders. She begged for the house ; he wrote her a protection, and sent with her a file of soldiers. When she reached the house, it had already been set on fire in two places, but the soldiers put it out.
The Town House, which stood where the present one stands, was in the Revolution occupied as a guard- house. The troops, on their passage to New York, used to lodge there. She saw many of them, not more than 15 or 16 years old. Mr. Leaming she knew well. ' She attended his church. He continued to pray for the King as long as he dared to. He went away with the British. It was sad to live in the midst of war; but what was the most unpleasant of all, was the difference of sentiments among neighbors and kindred. Mrs. St. John lived, in the Revo- lution, on the old St. John place, nearly opposite Gov. Bissell's. Her house that was burnt in the Revo- lution, stood between the site of the present house and the widow Buckingham St. John's, at the foot of Grum- man's Hill. The latter place was then occupied by a family named Grumman.
2
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nitem Nature kr B.O.Palmer,
Lish of Janon & Newman, N. York.
S. E. VIEW OF NORWALK HARBOR. From the House of L. M. Stevens Esq. on Prospect Hill.
جمبر
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
THE GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
" THE RECORDS OF MARRIAGES AND BIRTHS AND DEATHS."
[The Genealogical Registers are taken almost entirely from the Town Records, and have been transcribed in the same form as they are recorded. A few have been copied from family Bibles , some have been furnished by the families concerned. A large number of families were put on record about the beginning of the present century ; and the names of the children born after that record was made, have not been supplied, except in a few instances. I have advertised repeatedly, and in some cases have made personal application for the means of filling out these records; but almost entirely without success. A singular apathy seems to prevail with regard to such matters. Such families must not complain that the records which so nearly concern them are left. incomplete. I have used all reasonable diligence to obtain them.]
THOS. SEAMER, the Sonne of Rich'd Seamer, of Norwake, tooke to wiffe, Hannaih Marvin, the daughter of Math. Marvin of the same, January, 1653.
[The following items concerning the family of Matthew Mar- vin, I have received from T. R. Marvin, of Boston, from a record of the names of persons permitted to embark at the port of London after Christmas, 1634, contained in a MS. folio, at the Augmenta- tion office (so called). Under the date of 15th April, 1634, is the following entry: " Theis parties, hereafter expressed, are to be transported to New England, imbarked in the Increase, Robert Lea, Master, having taken the oath of allegiance and supremacy, as also being conformable, &c., whereof they brought testimony per certif. from the justices and ministers where their abodes have lately been. (The following names are included in said list :)
" husbandman, Matthew Marvyn, Age 35 yrs.
Uxor, Elizabeth Marvyn, 31 Elizabeth Marvyn, 31 Matthew Marvyn, 8 Marie Marvyn, 6 Sara Marvyn, 3 Hanna Marvyn, "
Reinold Marvin who removed to Saybrook in 1639, and his 9
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brother Matthew Marvin were among the original settlers of Hart- ford, Conn. Matthew represented the town of Norwalk in the Ge- neral Court in 1654.
The children of Matt. Marvin, sen., were as follows :
1. Matthew, born in Eng. abt. 1627.
Mary, born in Eng. abt. 1629, married to Richard Bushnell of Saybrook in 1648.
Sara h, b. in Eng. abt. 1632, married to William Goodridge of Weathersfield, 1648.
4. Hannah, b. in Eng. abt. 1634, m. to Thomas Seymour of Nor- walk, Jan. 1653.
5 Abigail, b. at Hartford, Conn. m. John Bouton of Norwalk Jan. 1656.
c. Samuel, b. at Hartford, Feb. 1647-8.
7. Rachel, b. at Hartford, " close of 1649."]
Hannaih Seamer, the Daughter of Thos. Seamer, borne the 12th of Desember, 1654.
Abigall Seamer, the Daughter of Thos. Seamer, borne in January, 1655.
Mary Seamer, and Sarah Seamer, beinge twinns, daugh- ters of Thos. Seamer, borne in the mounth of September, 1658.
Thos. Seamer, the sonne of Thos. Seamer, borne in September, 1660.
John Bowten of Norwake, tooke to wiffe Abigall Mar- vin, the daughter of Math. Marvin, senr. of the same, January the 1st, 1656.
[The name of JOHN BOUTON appears on p. 17, as among the first settlers of Norwalk. At what time he came to this country the family have no record. He was a French Protestant, and it is said there are many of the same name still living in France and Germany, and that a great similarity exists between the families there and here. He had five children after his marriage as here re- corded, viz. JOHN, Matthew, Rachel, Abigail, and Mary. He must also have had children by a previous marriage. (See record of marriage of Daniel Kellogge to Bridget Bowten, in 1665, p. 187.)
His son John had two children, JAKIN and Joseph, and perhaps more, although no others appear on the record.
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
His grandson JAKIN, had two children by his first wife, Joseph and Sarah; and by his second wife, two sons, Esaias and Moses, and seven or eight daughters.
JOSEPH, his great-grandson, married Susannah Raymond, Au- gust 25th, 1748, daughter of Joshua Raymond, and had eleven ehil- dren, six sons and five daughters. The sons were WILLIAM, Joshua, Joseph, Seth, Ira, and Aaron. The daughters were Rebec- kah, Betty, Nancy, Susannah, and Deborah. He was an officer in the expedition sent against the French Provinces in 1758, '9, and kept a journal of the service, which was unfortunately lost in pull- ing down the old family mansion, a few years since, which stood on the spot where Dea. JOHN BOUTON, his grandson, now resides.
WILLIAM, the son of Joseph, the 5th descendant from the 1st John, was married to Sarah Benedict, February 15th, 1769, by whom he had fourteen children, viz. Isaac (who died), Isaac, William, Betty, ESTHER, Sally, Clara, Seth, Joseph, Susannah, John, Mary, Ann, and Nathaniel.
Joseph, the son of Joseph, was killed at Red Hook in the revo- lutionary war. Seth, his brother, was killed by falling from a tree. Joshua listed in the army at the age of 14, as a drummer, was taken prisoner, and kept on board a man-of-war till the peace, and arrived home just in time to see his father before he died. He afterwards followed the sea, and was a skilful and able captain.
The descendants of the fourteen children of WILLIAM are very numerous. See Appendix A.]-Communicated by S. W. Benedict.
John Bowten, the sonne of John Bowten, borne the last day of September, 1659.
Mathewe Bowten, the sonne of John Bowten, borne the 24th of Desember, 1661.
Mstr Thomas Handforde, pastor to the church of Nor- wake, tooke to wiffe the widow Mary married unto his sayed wiffe at Newe Haven, October the 22th, 1661.
Theophilus Handforde, sonne of mstr Tho. Handforde, born in July, the 29th, 1662.
John Haite tooke to wiffe, Mary Lindall, the daughter of Henry Lindall, deacon of the church of Newe Haven, late deceased, the 14th of September, 1666.
John Haite, the sonne of John Haite, borne the 21th of June, 1669.
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Ephraim Lockwoode tooke to wiffe Mercie Sention, daughter of Mathias Sention, sen. of Norwake, the 8th of June, 1665.
John Lockwoode, sonne of Ephraim Lockwoode, born the 19th of March, 1665, 66.
Daniell Lockwoode, sonne of Ephraim Lockwoode, born the 13th of August, 1668.
John Raiment, tooke to wiffe Mary Betts, the daughter of Thos. Betts of Norwake, the 10th of Desember, 1664.
John Raiment, sonne of John Raiment, borne the 9th of September, 1665.
Sarah Lockwoode, the daughter of Ephraim Lockwood, borne the 3th of Nouvember, 16,70.
John Platt, the sonne of John Platt, borne in June, 1664.
Josiah Platt, the sonne of John Platt, borne the 28th of Desember, 1667.
Samuell Platt, the sonne of John Platt, borne the 26th of January, 1670.
Thos. Taylor tooke to wiffe Rebechah Kettcham, the daughter of Edwd Kettcham late of Strattforde, deceased. The sayed Thos. was married unto the sayed Rebechah the 14th of ffebruary, Anno 1677.
Thomas Taylor, the sonne of Thos. Taylor, borne the 26th of November, Anno 1668.
Thos Benidict's children.
Mary Benidict, the Daughter of Thos. Benidict, Junr., borne the 4th of Desember, Anno 1666.
Tho. Benidict the sonne of Tho. Benidict, Junr., borne the 5th of Desember, Anno 1670.
[Thos. Benedict, sen'r, was born in England in 1617, and came to New England at the age of 21, and settled in the Massachusetts Bay. He afterwards removed to Southhold, L. I .; thence to Hun- tington, and thence to Jamaica, from whence he removed to Nor- walk in 1665. He had nine children, viz., Thomas, John, Samuel, James, Daniel, Betty, Mary, Sarah, and Rebeckah, all of whom removed with him to Norwalk.
His son Thomas had six children; his son John had nine; Samuel had seven, James seven, Daniel four, Betty (married to
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
John Slauson of Stamford) two, Mary (married to John Olmsted of Norwalk) ten, Sarah (married to James Beebe of Stratford) two; Rebeckah was married to Doctor Samuel Wood, but we have no record of her children; making the number of grand-children of the said Thomas Benedict, senr, 47, exclusive of the children of his daughter Rebeckah. For a full account of his family, and of the descendants of his son John Benedict, see Appendix B.]
Deborah Taylor, the daughter of Thos. Taylor, borne in June, 1671.
Christopher Comestocke tooke to wiffe Hannaih Platt, the daughter of Richard Platt of Milford, and was married October the 6th, 1663.
Christopher Comestocke's children.
Daniell Comestocke, the sonne of Christopher Come- stocke, borne the 21th of July, Anno 1664.
Hannaih Comestocke, the daughter of Christopher Comestocke, borne the 15th of July, Anno 1666.
Abigall Comestocke, the daughter of Christopher Come- stocke, borne the 27th of January, Anno 1669.
Mary Comestocke, the daughter of Christopher Come- stocke, borne the 19th of ffebruary, Anno 1671.
Samuell Haite, the sonne of John Haite, borne the 17th of October, Anno 1670.
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