USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Fairfield > The history of Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut, from the settlement of the town in 1639 to 1818. Vol. I > Part 36
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+ In 1884 a gang of Italians, while excavating for the Olmstead parallel railroad near the head of the Pequonnock river, where there was once a famous shipyard, in picking between the rocks, found a powder horn tipped with silver and covered with hieroglyphics, containing some old English coins, a Spanish doubloon, and an old parchment. The Berkshire people believed that the Italians found a large amount of gold, which Kidd had buried .- Author.
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By an order of the king, in the month of February the governor and council of Connecticut passed an act that all deserters from his Majesty's ships of war and garrisons, as well as all pirates and suspicious persons, should be seized, examined and returned to the governor of New York, the authorities in Albany, or wherever they belonged. Masters of vessels were also requested to give bonds for the safe delivery of grain and wheat, not only in the ports of the colony, but in the ports of any one of the colonies, and make returns of such deliveries or forfeit their bonds. At the May election Captain Gold was re-elected an assistant of the Assembly, John Wakeman and Joseph Lockwood, deputies, and Captain Mathew Sherwood and John Wakeman, commissioners for Fairfield.
Upon the solicitation of Colonel Fletcher for help in the defense of Albany, the Assembly granted a company of sixty men to be levied out of the several towns, and placed under the command of Captain William Whiting, to be forwarded without delay. To encourage the soldiers, it was voted that if the king's pay fell short of the accustomed pay of the colony, it should be made up to them out of the colony treasury.
The embargo laid upon grain and flour was ordered to remain in force until June of the following year. Captain John Wakeman of Fairfield was made one of a committee, to advise with the Assembly in the political and prudential affairs of the colony for the promotion of trade, and in making new laws and altering others for the benefit of the colony. Debts on account, which were by a former law outlawed in three years, were now made good for seven years, except in the case of deceased persons.
A greater valuation was placed upon money. Pieces of eight, weigh- ing seventeen pennyweight, were to be valued at six shillings nine pence, and " pieces of different weight to be valued accordingly in proportion to their weight ; eight pence bitts to pass for nine pence ; double such bitts for eighteen pence."
Widows, whose husbands had died intestate, were granted not only one-third of their real estate, according to a former law, but one-third of their personal property. Foreigners coming into the towns of the colony to trade, were required to give an invoice of their goods to the magistrates, and pay two pence on their market value to the public treasury of the colony, under a penalty of forfeiting their goods. Captain Jonathan Selleck, of Stamford, was appointed and commissioned sergeant-major of Fairfield county. A tax of a half penny on a pound was levied on all the towns, to pay the sum of two hundred and sixty pounds to the heirs of John Sad, which the colony had borrowed " for the service of the country."
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At a town meeting at Fairfield in May, it was voted to build a bridge over the Mill creek.
At a meeting of the governor and council on the 30th of May, it was ordered, that the king's proclamation for keeping the third Wednesday in June a day of public thanksgiving, for the deliverance of his sacred person from a conspiracy against his life, should be observed throughout the colony .* It was also ordered, that the king's proclamation for the appre- hension of persons accused of high treason, should be publicly read in the several county towns of the colony without delay.
Governor Fletcher took occasion at this time to manifest his power under his commission, by making frequent demands upon Connecticut for troops, to be forwarded for the protection of Albany and the frontier towns. The whole colony was kept in a constant state of excitement by couriers dispatched to Governor Treat, with fresh alarms of supposed invasions by the French, either by sea or land. On the 2d of August, Fletcher sent in great haste for assistance, as the French were marching to attack the friendly Indians and Albany. The governor and council met on the 7th, and ordered that the several constables of the counties of Hartford, New Haven, and Fairfield should impress men out of the planta- tions and prepare them, with arms complete and fully equipped, to march upon the first call of the governor. Horses were also ordered to be impressed as far as Kinderhook, with "saddle & bridle fit for service, & knapsacks, biscuit & cheese for the march to Albany."
From advice from the lords of the king's council, that the French were about preparing ships of war to sail for America, the secretary was instructed to notify the field officers in each county in the colony, to advise with the assistants or magistrates of the several towns, as to the best way to place themselves in a posture of defense; that every soldier should be fully armed and equipped for every possible emergency ; and one-half of every train-band made ready to march for the defense of his majesty's subjects. It was voted that an act passed in April for preventing frauds, regulating abuses in trade, encouraging navigation and securing the plan- tation trade to the kingdom of England, should be published in the several counties.
A copy of the bill of association, passed by Parliament on the 23d of February for avenging the king's death, if he died at the hands of an
* Col. Rec. Conn., IV., 17I.
A conspiracy against the throne and life of King William was detected in February. The principal agent was Sir George Barclay, a Scotch officer. The conspirators were soon after con- demned to death .- Hume.
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assassin or in an untimely way, and confirming the crown of England upon King William and his heirs, was signed by all the members of the council who were present (August 7), and by the General Assembly in October. Again on the 2d of September, Fletcher sent in great haste to Governor Treat for sixty more men, as he had received fresh news that Count Fron- tenac had orders from the king of France to attack Albany. At the October session of the Assembly, a rate of two pence on the pound was levied to defray the expenses of the colony. It was ordered that all money debts of the colony should be paid in money ; and all other debts due by the colony should be paid in county or provision pay, i. e., two-thirds in money and one third in grain or provisions at the following rates, viz .: Indian corn, 2s. per bushel, peas, 3s. per bushel, rye, 2s. 6d. per bushel, winter wheat, 4s. per bushel, pork, 15s. per barrel, beef, 30s. per barrel.
The rule for encouraging and bringing money into the colony, passed in May, was made more explicit. Pieces of eight and lesser money were to be Mexican, civil or pillar (Spanish) money. It was also ordered that good Peru pieces of eight should pass for five shillings per piece, and lesser pieces in proportion. Contracts made before the passage of this act were to hold good, and be paid according to agreement. That justice might be done to persons whose estates were under execution, appraisers were required to take an oath for the just valuation of the same. A tax of two hundred pounds was levied on all the towns to defray the expenses of Major-General Winthrop, as agent of the colony to England. The assist- ants of Hartford were authorized to convert the money raised by sending it to Boston to be exchanged into English money. A committee was appointed to frame an address to the king on behalf of the colony, and also to send a letter to Winthrop. A committee was also appointed to revise the laws of the colony.
In consideration of the manifold providences of God, in protecting the colony from the malice of enemies; the prevalence of general good health, an abundant supply of harvest and the fruits of the earth, and the preservation of the life of the king, the first day of November was set apart as a day of thanksgiving in all the towns in the colony.
In addition to the men already sent from Connecticut, Colonel Fletcher was granted twenty-five men in November, to be divided among the three companies sent to the frontiers until May. The constant drain of men and money upon the colony at every rumor Fletcher received of the approach of the French, led the governor and council to meet in Decem- ber, and order a statement of what they had done towards supplying him with soldiers for the defense of Albany, of which he made but small
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account, to be sent to their agent in England, showing that since 1688 the colony had expended in paying, equipping, and providing for troops to be sent to the neighboring colonies, £7,759, 14s., 9d., out of which £5,804, IIS. was sent to Albany. A bill which was presented to the General Court in 1690 for the maintenance of ministers, was again brought before the court, when the following law was passed :
"The Court seeing the importance of establishing a competent & certain main- tenance for the ministers of the gospel, which are now or hereafter shall be through the mercy of Almighty God vouchsafed to dispense his holy word & ordinances in our sev- eral plantations be duly stated & settled, & observing how much hindrance is in many ways given to the dispensation of gospel ordinances, & further like to grow in upon us if a timely remedy be not provided, have judged it their duty to order & appoint . that from the publication hereof the several towns in the colony shall respectively pay unto the respective ministers in said towns, or plantations, for the time being who dispense the gospel in the said plantations, & are according to the good laws of this colony settled or called to preach the word there, annually the several sums or payments, which are or shall be agreed upon by the several towns, plantations or societies, & the ministers in them; which sums or payments in each town or society shall be levied or assessed on the several plantations, according to their respective estates, as from time to time they shall be in the general list or lists of the persons & estates of the inhabitants of each town or plantation, & in such specie, viz .: wheat, indian corn, rye & pork, & in such propor- tion & prices of ye specie as shall from year to year be settled by the General Court for the payment of ministers' rates, or in money, which said sums or payments shall be collected by such person or persons as the respective towns shall from year to year choose & appoint to that end." It was at the same time made a law " that if any of the towns of this Colonie, shall be for any year or years, without a minister preaching the gospel to them, such town or towns shall in the said year or years, notwithstanding, pay the sums or payments, or as the General Court shall appoint, as if there were a minister there. The county courts shall dispose & improve the said sums for the use of the ministry in that town where it is collected, as soon as an opportunity can be had for it, according to the discretion of the said Court " .. . " any former law, custom or usage to the contrary notwithstanding."
Captain Nathan Gold was appointed one of a committee to consider the printed laws concerning the maintenance of ministers and to assist in their revision. In case any one refused to pay towards the salary of the minister, his estate was to be levied upon, " & that no replevin should be granted whatever." *
It appears that the ministers of Fairfield county were dissatisfied with the law for their maintenance, they not approving of being assessed for their own support. The clause that the towns were to pay annually to the support of a minister of the established church of the colony, led many to
Col. Rec. Conn., IV., 198, 200.
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conclude, that they were to meet annually and fix upon a yearly stipend, in consequence of which all former agreements with their ministers were supposed to be null and void. The General Court soon overcame this idea, by wholly repealing that clause, and soon after the clause "in such specie, viz .: wheat, indian corn, rye & pork, in such proportion & prices of the specie, as shall from year to year be settled by the General Court for the payment of the minister's rate," was also repealed.
Captain Gold was about this time made a member of the council, and was present at the meeting of the governor and council at Hartford on the 19th of January following. The assembling of the council was in part from solicitations from Fletcher for troops, and also to send instructions to Winthrop to use every possible influence to have the boundary lines of the colony defined on the Massachusetts and Rhode Island borders, as well as on that of New York. The inhabitants of Rye and Bedford had petitioned for, and been granted a patent of their lands from the Assembly of Connecticut. Against this invasion of his territories, Fletcher soon after strongly objected.
Owing to a great scarcity of grain in Massachusetts, the leading min- isters and gentlemen of that colony addressed a letter on the 18th of February to the governor and council asking for relief, especially for the poorer northern towns, which were in danger of a famine. The council met on the 6th of March, and ordered that a letter be addressed to the ministers of the several towns in the colony, to call upon their congrega- tions to contribute to their Christian friends and brethren in distress, "a suitable relief in such proportions as God had blessed them." Agents were appointed in each county for this purpose. Captain Gold was appointed for Fairfield county, to receive ships, and to consign the respect- ive contributions of each town to Captain Sewel, and the revered elders of Boston, appointed to receive the same. The whole amount contributed was £172, 5s. 6d.
There was so little powder in the colony at this time, that in March Mr. Thomas Trowbridge of New Haven was commissioned to procure eight barrrels, one and a half barrels of which was to be distributed to Fairfield county. At the May election Captain Gold was chosen an assistant, John Wakeman and Lieutenant James Bennet deputies, John Wakeman commissioner for Fairfield, and Captain Mathew Sherwood commissioner for Fairfield village. The act for regulating the value of money having proved "more injurious than profitable," was repealed. The act prohibiting the transportation of wheat out of the colony was also repealed. For his services as surgeon in the war, Dr. Isaac Hall of Fair-
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field, petitioned the Assembly for liberty to purchase two hundred and fifty acres of land of the natives in the colony. The Assembly granted him one hundred and fifty acres. John Wakeman was commissioned lieu- tenant of the Fairfield train-band.
The soldiers of Fairfield village residing on the west side of the Pequonnock river, were ordered to be formed into one band or company. John Beardsley was commissioned their lieutenant, and Isaac Wheeler their ensign. The soldiers living on the east side of the river were exer- cised under the officers of the Stratford train-band, namely, Lieutenant James Judson and Sergeant Thomas Knowles, who were also commis- sioned at this time. The lieutenant-governor and council of Massachu- setts petitioned the Assembly to raise and send a suitable number of men, to assist in attacking the eastern Indians at their head-quarters. Not feeling able to furnish an army of sufficient numbers to join in such an undertaking, while so many of their men were absent, a detachment of sixty men was sent to range the woods near the rendezvous of the enemy. It was voted to borrow one hundred and thirty pounds from Boston, to send to General Winthrop for his services. Captain Gold was added to the committee for revising the laws of the colony. The fort at Saybrook was ordered to be repaired at the cost of the colony. At the solicitation of Lieutenant-Governor Stoughton of Massachusetts, the governor and council voted to send fifty men, under the command of Captain William Whiting, to join an expedition sent out by King William, for the recovery of the Island of New Foundland, and the re-establishment of their trade and fisheries. Owing to a great scarcity of food in Massachusetts, it was voted to send provisions for the men by sea to Boston.
At the same time Governor Fletcher sent in great haste for 120 men, to defend the fort at New York. He had received information that a considerable French fleet in the West Indies had gone in pursuit of the Spanish plate fleet, with orders, that if they missed of that design, to destroy the fort at New York. The council ordered that 120 men should be impressed out of Milford, Stratfield, Fairfield, Norwalk, Stamford, and Greenwich, to be held in readiness to march at the call of Colonel Fletcher. Captain Mathew Sherwood was given the command of sixty men, with James Judson of Stratford for his lieutenant. Captain Ebenezer Johnson of Derby was given the command of the other half, with Samuel Sherman of New Haven for his lieutenant. Two weeks passed, and as the expected fleet did not arrive, Colonel Fletcher wrote that the troops need not march to New York, until he had certain proof of their approach. In August he sent post haste for one hundred men, as some Indians had
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reported to him that when about forty-eight miles on this side of Cham- plain, "they heard a great noise of drums, & many canons ; & that they did verily believe there was an army of French marching against Albany." The council ordered, that upon the first intelligence of the certain approach of the enemy, with a considerable force to destroy the town of Albany, or to invade his Majesty's subjects there, fifty men should imme- diately be sent from Hartford county, and fifty more from New Haven and Fairfield counties. At the October session of the Assembly, Nathan- iel Burr, jr., and Lieutenant John Wakeman represented Fairfield. A new regulation for nominating officers for the court of election was passed. The constables were ordered to warn the freemen, in their respective towns, to meet yearly at nine o'clock in the morning, on the third Tuesday in September, and first choose deputies to attend the court in October next ensuing ; then every freeman was required " to give his vote or suffrage for twenty persons, (their names being fairly written upon a piece of paper)," for nomination for the May election. The assistants, commissioners or constables of each town, were required to record the names of all persons voted for, with the number of votes each person had, and send the same sealed to the General Assembly in October, by the representatives of their respective towns; at which Assembly, all the votes of the freemen of the colony were to be compared, and the names of the twenty persons who had the greatest number of votes were to be returned to their several towns as nominees for the May election, out of which number the assist- ants were to be chosen.
In addition to the fines due to the train-bands, being appropriated to furnishing drums and colors, in case of a deficit in money, it was voted that each town should make up the balance required for such purposes. A tax of 4d. on the pound was levied to defray the expenses of the colony, to be paid in money, or in good and merchantable grain. Where the country was indebted, only ordinary pay of two-thirds in money or grain, was to be made legal tender, at fixed prices, for the total of such debts.
Persons who had supplied the country with grain and provisions, were granted 6s. per bushel for winter wheat, 3s. 6d. per bushel for rye, 3s. for Indian corn, £3, 5s. per barrel for pork, £1, 5s. per barrel for beef. The governor installed the county majors of their respective regiments. Major Jonathan Selleck was installed over that of Fairfield county. Captain Gold was granted 40s. in money "for his journey to Hartford to attend. the public service, at this present session, notwithstanding he was necessi- tated, suddenly, to return home."
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The first of November was appointed a day of general thanksgiving in the colony.
The news of Winthrop's safe arrival at Boston on the IIth of Decem- ber, was the cause of great rejoicing in Fairfield and all the towns in Connecticut. Winthrop's mission had been a most successful one. Soon after his arrival he wrote to Governor Treat : "The government of Con- necticut is well in the King's favor, & under a good opinion with the Lords Commissioners of Trade & Plantations." The governor and council met at Hartford on the IIth, and appointed a committee to go to Boston to congratulate Winthrop on his safe arrival home, and accompany him to Connecticut. Three or four able horses were ordered to be provided for his journey.
A special Assembly was convened on the 22d of January. Major- General Winthrop being present, was voted the hearty thanks of the Assembly. As a further testimonial of their appreciation of his services, a gratuity of three hundred pounds in current silver money was granted him. The Earl of Bellomont had been appointed governor of Massa- chusetts and New York, and was hourly expected to land at New York. It was thought advisable to pay all due respect to a gentle- man of his high position and friendly interest in Connecticut. Gentle- men of pleasing address and elegant manners, were selected to welcome him upon his arrival. General Winthrop, Major Jonathan Selleck, of Stamford, and the Rev. Gurden Saltonstall, of New London, were chosen " to travel to New York, & in the name of the governor, council & rep- resentatives of the colony, to congratulate the happie. arrival of his excellencie." If any of these gentlemen were prevented from going, Captain Nathan Gold, one of the younger magistrates of the colony, was appointed to fill the vacancy. A vote of thanks was also to be sent to the lords commissioners of trades and plantations, "with their thanks to his Majestie for his grace towards this colony."
A change was made in the county courts, which for the future were to consist of one judge and four justices of the peace ; and that the decisions of the judge and any three of the justices in each county should be con- sidered legal. Persons refusing to give testimony in criminal cases were ordered to be sent to the county jail, and there remain at their own cost, until they confessed their knowledge of the crime. An act was also passed for the protection of justices of the peace in the discharge of their duty. Also against turbulent people ; common barristers, who stirred up and maintained suits of law and quarrels in the courts; against persons of «evil name and fame ; night walkers ; eaves-droppers near private houses,
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and disturbers of property ; drunkards, libelers and idlers, and abusers of public offices; all of which, without giving surety, were ordered to be committed to prison, "these to remain till delivered according to order of law."
The last Wednesday in February was appointed a public day of thanks- giving throughout the colony, "to thank God for all His goodnesse, specially the restoration of Peace to the English nation, & the successe & safe return of Major General Winthrop." * Improvements were ordered on the Stratford ferry. A boat was to be kept on the east as well as west side of the river, of sufficient size to convey men and horses across comfortably.
The winter of 1697-8 had been one of unusual length and severity. The summer had been cool and cloudy, and not a month without frosts. In February and March heavy snows fell, covering the roads and fences "high & hard." There was a loud cry for bread, and cattle famished and died in the yards from want. A distressing fever prevailed, preceded by an influenza, which proved very fatal. Those in health found it difficult to obtain fuel, to care for the sick, and to bury their dead.+ Fairfield suffered severely from this epidemic. ¿ The governor and council met at Hartford on the 12th of March, and appointed the fourth Wednesday in the month to be observed as a day of fasting and prayer throughout the colony, to implore the mercy of God in abating the sufferings which had fallen upon man and beast. The soldiers who served under Captain Whiting in the late campaign, "who were helpful in sending their horses to their fellow soldiers, were presented with a silver piece of eight out of . the colony treasury, for the use of their horses." At the May election Captain Gold was elected an assistant, and Ensign Philip Lewis and Nathaniel Burr, representatives.§
A commission and oath were read and approved by the Assembly for justices of the peace, after which the justices for each county were elected. Lieutenant John Wakeman and Captain Mathew Sherwood, Major Richard Blackleach of Stratford and James Olmstead of Norwalk, were made justices of the quorum. Major Jonathan Selleck was appointed judge of the Fairfield county court. Captain Gold was appointed to administer
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