USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Derby > The history of the old town of Derby, Connecticut, 1642-1880. With biographies and genealogies > Part 14
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In 1678, this land was laid out according to the directions of the Court ; to Mr. Hawley, Mr. Tomlinson, and the ferry-man whoever he should be, and to the six men to whom were to be apportioned fifty acres each, who were : William Tomlinson, Samuel Brinsmade, Samuel Nichols, Isaac Nichols, afterwards one of the first deacons of the church, John Pringle and John Hubbell, all of whom settled in the town.
Plum Meadow, was a piece of land, as said, on the east side of the Naugatuck, and is probably that now occupied by the lower part of Ansonia; or it may have been half a mile up
60
HISTORY OF DERBY.
Beaver brook. Of this meadow, twelve acres were allotted to Thomas Wooster, son of Edward, at this time, and some of it to his brother David, in 1680 ; and a part of it to Samuel Grif- fin, the blacksmith, in 1682.
But the difficulty between Mr. Hawley and the town as to these lands was not yet settled, and in 1679 Mr. Hawley had sued the town, and the town appointed Joseph Hawkins and Abel Gunn to defend in the trial. Mr. Hawley at the same time petitioned the Court for just pay for his land, and a full proportionment for his son, and the Court appointed the same committee as before, who rendered their decision promptly, but the matter did not become adjusted, and in 1679 the Court sent a committee to see the land measured ; the deeds which Mr. Hawley held (received from the Indians) delivered to the town, and the money paid, or guaranteed to Mr. Hawley. The com- mittee made their report the next year, and Samuel, son of Jo- seph Hawley is spoken of, as owning the land at what is now Baldwin's Corners.
The following shows how the town paid Mr. Hawley.
March 31. 1680-81. Paid by the Town of Derby to Mr. Joseph Hawley of Stratford for his purchases on the Great Neck.
s. d.
Item. Paid by Mr John Bowers
5 º
Paid by Jonas Tomlinson 6 8
Paid by Jonas Tomlinson
I7 0
Paid by Wm. Tomlinson 3 II O
Paid by Jonas Tomlinson for Francis French
8 0
Apr. 13 Paid by 4 bushels, 3 pecks of Indian corn Paid by Francis French
8 9
Paid by a cow hide 33 lbs. 2 oz
8 10 I-2
Paid by Indian corn 18 bushels & a peck 2
5
7 1-2
" " 15 bushels & a half Indian corn
I
18 9
" Joseph Hawkins in Indian corn O 12
6. " a bushel summer wheat & Da Brinsmead o 17 5
66 " 13 lbs. hops
IO IO
" Samuel Nichols 3 bushels & 1 2 a peck of wheat 18
I I-2
6 05 5
6
O
21 II 6
Apr. 14 Mr. Isaac Nichols of Stratford
Mar. 15 Mr. Hawley one rate
II IO I-2
61
WHERE THE FERRY WAS.
March 31. 1680. Money paid by the town of Derby to Mr. Nicholas Camp for Mr. Joseph Hawley & by his appointment as the Court or- dered us
S. d.
One steer of two year old & upward 2 I7 6
By John Prindle to Mr. Camp 6
05 6
Per four yards & a half of cloth I 02 9
Per Ebenezer Johnson o 16 2
Per 7 bushels & half a peck of Indian corn & I bushel & three pecks of rye I
4 9 I-2
I2 6 8 1-2
March 31, 1680. Paid by the town of Derby to captain John Beard for Mr. Joseph Hawley & by his appointment . .
.
S.
d.
Paid by Mr. Bryans Bill
I 15
6
Paid by two 2 year old steers
4
IO O
Paid by Mr. Richard Bryan 2 IO
Paid by Flax 7 pounds & a quarter
6
o
9 I 6
Per Samuel Nichols 3 bushels 1-2 peck wheat
18 I I-2
& 13 lbs. hops IO IO
Apr. 14. Paid by Isaac Nichols of Stratford in soap 5 5 5
No traditions are now heard about this ferry ; every one sup- posing that the first and only ferry was just above Derby Nar- rows. But several circumstances as well as as the wording of the report establish the locality of the ferry.
Woodbury was very much interested in the ferry and did finally plant it, as will be seen, but that people had no use for a ferry across the Ousatonic at old Derby landing, for they would not wish to cross the Ousatonic above Derby, for the sake of crossing it again below that place. The Derby people had no need of a ferry at that place for all lived some distance up the river. Again the people on the Neck did need some way to cross the Naugatuck when the water was high; and the only path or road out of the plantation, south or east, was from Old Town and several of them owned land which they cultivated on Sentinel hill, besides the meetings were held on the east side where they were about to build a church.
62
HISTORY OF DERBY.
The ferry was established at the place where the old New Haven road now crosses the race between Ansonia and Bir- mingham on the west side of the Naugatuck valley, where was then the main bed of the Naugatuck river. Here was the " point of rocks," and " the gully " mentioned in the report, and the "little piece of land " on which to build houses for the pro- tection of cattle and other merchandise that might come thither to be freighted across. Besides, the ferry-man's land was to join this little piece of land; and when this land was laid out in 1683, the lot of one of the six men who were to be settled near Mr. Hawley's house was laid, bounding on Mr. Henry Williams's lot, who was the ferry-man, and both of these lots were in the old field. The location of Mr. Hawley's house is fixed very definitely by the town records in the vicinity of Bald- win's Corners. €
When the committee made this report on a ferry, Woodbury offered to put in the ferry and furnish the ferry-man if Derby could not or did not do it. This offer they fulfilled upon the invitation of Derby. The agreement of Woodbury and the ferryman was by the faithful Abel Gunn recorded among the land deeds, where it might surely be a witness to the engagement.
" Woodbury Sept. 8, 1681. Be it known . . that we the Select- men of Woodbury on the one part and Henry Williams on the other part in order to the settlement of a ferry at Derby, appointed by the General Court :
" First. That the said Henry Williams shall have the boat that be- longs to the town of Woodbury, furnished and fixed as his own
" That the said Henry Williams shall have as his ferryage for those of Woodbury that have occasion to improve him, if a single person and horse, then at six pence per time ferryage, and two persons with one horse eight pence ; two horses and two persons or more at four pence per person for each time ferried over.
" It is concluded that this shall no ways hinder any travelers from Woodbury riding over the river at any season when with safety . . they may adventure.
" It is concluded that our interest in that accommodation settled by the aforesaid committee of a ferry with the consent and approbation of our neighbors and friends of Derby, shall be and remain the said Wil- liams's absolute propriety during his well and seasonable attending the
63
NEW SETTLERS.
said ferry, at his own charge and cost successively as it relates to pro- viding boats forever.
"That this is our mutual agreement is signified by our subscribing hereto. Witness Henry Hitt Joseph Judson Elizabeth Minor
John Minor
his Henry X Williams "
mark
The families as established on the west side of the Naugatuck river in 1681, as near as can be ascertained were Joseph Haw- kins, John Pringle,5 who may have resided a short time on the east side, William Tomlinson, son of Henry, of Stratford, Sam- uel Brinsmade, Samuel Nichols, Isaac Nichols, John Hubbell, who afterwards removed from the town, and Henry Williams, the ferry-man.
It does not appear, so far as seen, that any of Mr. Hawley's family had settled in the house he had built here. Samuel may have lived here a short time, but soon after he is said to be of Stratford. A large grant was made to him afterwards in the western part of the town, which he may have accepted in place of this at Baldwin's Corners.
There may have been other residents here who were not yet accepted as inhabitants. Isaac Nichols, sen., may have been proprietor instead of his son Isaac, or he may have resided with one of his sons, and yet he may have come later.
In 1677 town meetings were held nearly every month, and grants of land made on the usual conditions to Daniel Collins, Samuel Nichols, Josiah Nichols, Paul Brinsmade and William Tomlinson, who all afterwards settled in the town, probably within the two years following.
The town located several pieces of land for Mr. Bowers ac- cording to the agreement made in 1673 ; and the whole com- munity seemed to put on new courage, without regard to what had passed. They do not seem to have once looked behind them, for, having escaped the land of bondage, they did not de- sire to go back, not even for leeks and onions, but rather to find
5This name was written with a "g " instead of "d" nearly 100 years.
64
HISTORY OF DERBY.
the milk and honey of the land possessed and now their own in the truest sense.
Hence, early in the year they commence a movement of prog- ress that would constitute them truly an independent people, so far as methods, privileges and established ordinances could secure that end-the organization of a church. They had nobly wrought out, step by step, and scarcely more than a step at a time were they allowed to go by the authorities who should have lent a helping hand, their right to the privilege of a township.
One thing should not be forgotten ; that, whatever the char- acter of the red man as generally reported, the Indians, in and around Derby, during the King Philip's war, were true friends to their neighbors, the white man, never harming one hair of his head, but the rather rendering important service, so far as all reports and records show, and hence the planters moved on, af- ter a brief pause, almost as though no war had existed in the country ; and the taking possession of this old field, and build- ing houses at the door of the Indians' wigwams caused the In- dians to remove to the new Indian fort, and to Wesquantock.
GATHERING A CHURCH.
At Milford the church was first organized, then the town out of the church, or by the authority of the church. In Derby the town was first organized, then the church, by the authority of the town and the state.
"At a town meeting of Derby. Feb. 25, 1677. The Lord having by his providence called a company of his dear servants into this corner of the wilderness, calls upon us first to seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof, which hath put several persons upon the en- quiry of the town for their free will and consent to gather a church at Derby and to walk in a church and set up the ordinances of God ac- cording to gospel rules as near as we can attain, according to our best light. The town having had two meetings about the same. The first, all the inhabitants were willing, and gave their consent in the thing ; at the second meeting which was Feb. 25, 1677, all gave their consent by word of mouth, not to hinder so great and so good a work, but do en- courage to set upon it and will help to maintain if settled, and give their consent to ask counsel and consent of neighboring churches in order to a church gathering."
65
A CHURCH ORGANIZED.
This done, a petition was prepared to set before the court the desire of the inhabitants ; which was dated May 6, 1678, and signed by John Bowers, John Hulls and Joseph Hawkins. This petition appears in Mr. Bowers's handwriting, and is a weari- some thing to read, and if his preaching was like this writing, it would be a sufficient ordeal for all the grace common mortals obtain to hear him preach two sermons a week the year through.
On the 30th day of the next April (1678) the town appointed Joseph Hawkins and Abel Gunn to go to the General Court with the petition and secure its request, "provided it be for the good of the town." A certificate was given these men as their authority, signed by John Hulls and Samuel Riggs, and re- corded on the town book by the faithful Abel Gunn.
In reply to this petition the court made its record dated at Hartford, May 9, 1678 :
" Upon the petition of the inhabitants of Derby this court do see good reason to grant the said people of Derby free liberty in an orderly way to settle themselves in a church state ; and do desire the Lord's gracious blessing presence to be with them, guiding and directing them therein.
" In regard to the troubles that have been there late years the court see cause to remit unto the inhabitants of Derby their ordinary country rates for three years, to commence October next."
The troubles referred to were probably the partial removal of the inhabitants during King Philip's war, and the consequent losses and expenses.
No records of the organization and attendant ceremonies are to be found, but the " orderly way" enjoined by the court, and the request that the court should give its consent " to ask coun- sel and consent of neighboring churches in order to a church gathering," guarantee that the usual order and services were observed. There are no traditions as to where or in what house such services were held, nor whose was the house in which Mr. Bowers held services, some five years before the meeting-house was built, but with the spirit and devotion manifested there is no reason to doubt that ready accommodations were cheerfully offered in the dwelling-houses of the place. It is possible that the first three or four houses were log-houses, and after that
9
66
HISTORY OF DERBY.
others may have been built in the newer settlements, but after the laying out of the first land the houses seem to have been constructed with a frame and covered with clapboards and shingles ; these being rived from the logs instead of sawed, there being no saw mill nearer than Milford at that time.
The organization of this church was strictly in accordance with law.6 They first asked authority of the town, next of the state (colony then), then the advice and consent of neighboring churches. No church could be organized at that time withont consent of the court, no doing in church matters without such consent would have been legal, and all such illegal acts were punishable by law. When New Haven and Milford or- ganized their churches they were under no jurisdiction, but with Derby it was very different. Nor is it surprising that it was so, for the colonists had come from the mother country, where the church was the state, and the state was the church as to authority in government.
Mr. Bowers was probably installed at the same time the church was organized. The only mystery in the lives of these planters is, that demanding certain rights of freedom, they could not see the propriety of granting the same to others. Aside from this they did surprisingly well.
It was a misfortune, or more definitely a want of wisdom, that when they sought to become more truly devoted to religious life, they went back three thousand years and placed them- selves voluntarily under the old Mosaic laws, instead of taking the gospel of Christ as revealed in the sermon on the mount. However, it is just the same thing that is re-enacted over and over at the present day ; most of the dissenters from any denomination go back, for one thing or another, two hundred and a thousand years ; and some as far back as Moses, again,
6" This Court orders that there shall be no ministry or Church administration en- tertained or attended by the inhabitants of any plantation in this colony district and separate from and in opposition to that which is openly and publicly observed and dispensed by the settled and improved minister of the place, except it be by appro- bation of the General Court and neighboring churches, provided always that this order shall not hinder any private meetings of godly persons to attend any duties that Christianity or religion call for, as fasts or conference, nor take place in such as are hindered by any just impediments on the Sabbath day from the public assem- blies by weather and water and the like." Col. Rec. I, 311.
67
WHEAT AND CORN AS MONEY.
to find what they are pleased to call "the old paths." But this their folly is their ruin. Forward, not backward, says the gos- pel.
HOW THEY PAID TAXES.
At a general court held at Hartford October 11, 1677, notices were sent to the towns as follows :
" This court doth grant a rate of eight pence upon the pound upon all the ratable estate of the Colony, to discharge the country debts, to be paid in good and merchantable wheat, peas and Indian corn, pork and beef ; winter wheat at five shillings per bushel ; corn at 2 shillings and six pence per bushel ; pork at three pounds ten shillings per bar- rel . . and beef . . forty shillings per barrel ; always provided if there be above one third paid in Indian corn it shall be at two shillings per bushel."
This last item indicates what was the great article of ex- change, because of the abundance of it. Corn grew everywhere except in the swamps, and rewarded the planter with larger profits than any other kind of grain. Wheat was the gold coin, or standard, for paying taxes or anything that must be paid, or in other words was demanded by law, but corn was the silver exchange, and fell a few grains short of the standard under some circumstances. However, in the simplicity of their arithmetical calculations they had not learned to equalize the matter by making the bushel a few grains short when the supply was abundant. That art was left for the high aspirations of later ages ; they could not compass all things in one generation !
Possibly this abundance of .corn and corn meal for bread was the foundation of that remarkable physical strength, great en- durance and long life experienced by the people of the new set- tlements during the early times of pioneer life. Certain it is that Indian pudding was an article well known in Connecticut. In one town many years since a peddler sold his wares at differ- ent times and observing that the people of the principal road in the town always had hasty pudding at their meals, honored that part of the town with the name Pudding street, and from such glory that street has never yet escaped.
In the northern part of Litchfield, Conn., lived a sedate old cap- tain, whose word was never doubted, who used to make the re-
68
HISTORY OF DERBY.
mark of honor to his wife, that she had made an "Indian pud- ding every day for forty years, Sundays excused." That was steady habits, as to food, sufficient for any granivorous enthu- siast on the continent, in all probability.
Corn was the circulating medium more than a hundred years in Derby, and not much less than that time a legal tender, by colonial law, without depreciation of value, except when more than one-third of the taxes was paid in that commodity.
The methods and customs of living, were very simple at this time, and that of necessity, but were seasoned with more culti- vation than became the practice one hundred years later. The necessity for perpetual work under circumstances of privation and great difficulties, had not a refining effect on society ; and add to this, the consequent very limited social opportunities, and want of general education, and there is a state of commun- ity favorable to indifference to culture, with a tendency to morbid roughness of manners and language, and hence, in the general, society degenerated during the first hundred years, rather than improved. The privations were greater at first, but afterward, habit made it honorable to make much out of little, and, to see, not how much comfort could be secured, but how much discomfort could be endured, and maintain a respect- able existence. Sacrifices became the heroic idea, and men, women and children, were subjected to needless hardships, to test their physical powers and spirit of subjection to the idea of honor in sacrifices.
The year 1678, was one of great activity and considerable success. Lands were appropriated by small pieces, for special accommodation, and also to be rid of some pieces left in the di- visions already made. The land continued to be parceled out by pieces of three, four, five and ten acres as at the beginning. The first settlers, supposed there could be no good meadow, except in the swamps, (an old country idea) and hence, every swamp was as carefully divided into pieces of two, three and four acres, as though they were the very fountains of life. Every hill, covered with scattering cedars, was pieced out in the same way, for plow land. Sentinel hill, which then meant the whole elevated land for a mile and a half or more, east and southeast of the present Old town, (or Uptown) was parceled
69
THE OLD BOOK.
out into ten-acre pieces, and home lots of three acres, but sev- eral pieces were inclosed by one fence around the whole, mak- ing a lot of a hundred acres. Home lots of four acres were laid on Great hill after 1700, just the same, and the swamp and up- land the same. Hence, there was much buying and selling of lots, in order to get the farms into one body. Whenever these sales or exchanges were made, no deeds (usually) were given, but the fact entered by the town clerk upon the records, and that was all. One book contains nearly all the deeds, exchanges, records of town meetings, marriages, deaths, births, marks of cattle, that were made before seventeen hundred. Besides, when the General Court enacted regulations effecting the town directly, that faithful recorder, Abel Gunn, wrote them in this book. In October, 1677, the Court sent him the nominations made for the next spring election, and down he put them, in this book, many of them in an abbreviated form, as Major Robt. Treat Esq., Cap. Ben Newberry, Mr. Sam Sherman, Mr. Ed Griswold, Cap. Dan Clark, Mr. Dan Wetherell, Leu. Rich Olmsted.
As to faithfulness, Abel Gunn was not surpassed, except in the record of births, and in that only by Rev. John James, who as Town Clerk made this entry : " At a town meeting, Jan. 13, 1700-I, Samuel Riggs, son of John and Elizabeth Riggs, was born, at Derby." " Born at a town meeting." would suggest, that young Samuel should have delayed important events, or the town meeting should have adjourned to another place. Promptness, however, has been characteristic of the Riggses, from Capt. Samuel, down, as is still witnessed by the appear- ance of the old farm, and hence, there could be no delay out of respect to a town meeting.
In this year it is recorded, that Joseph Gardner, having built a small house upon a lot that was formerly granted him upon conditions, which were never fulfilled, "therefore, the town have taken the forfeiture into their own custody, and sold it to Philip Denman for thirty shillings." If this was the usual cost of houses, they were not very safe fortifications against bears or Indians.
In laying out land this year on the Neck, the locations are designated by Paul's Plains, East hill, Indian field, Bar Plains ;
70
HISTORY OF DERBY.
which last is supposed by some, to have meant Bare plains, but as there was another name for land a little further up the river, apparently called Baren plains, the former may have been called Bear plains, where the bears came to obtain grass.
Boundaries between adjoining towns received attention, both by the General Court and the town, and of the difficulties in this matter there was no end for a hundred years.
In April of this year, a tract of land was purchased of the Indians,7 at what is now Seymour village, lying on both sides of the Naugatuck river, including what is now district number five and district number four, to Bladen's brook, and extending east into Woodbridge and Bethany to Mill river. In this deed, a reservation was made by the Indians of " the fish- ing place at Naugatuck and the plain and the hill." This was probably mostly on the east side of the river, but may have, by the term "fishing place," taken in some land on the west side. This was the land on which Chuse and his company settled. Mr. J. W. Barber8 says Chuse's father, gave him this land, then called the Indian field. But this was the reservation of the Paugasuck Indians. Yes, and the Pootatucks as well, for the leading men of each tribe signed deeds conjointly, for many years, denoting general property ownership. Mr. Barber says,
7" This indenture made the 22d. of April, 1678, witnesseth that we do sell unto the inhabitants, a tract of land at Pagasett, bounded on the north with Bladen's brook, and northeast with the Mill river, and south and southwest with the English- man's ground, and west and northwest with a hill on the west side of Naugatuck river part of the bounds and Naugatuck river the other part, . . all of which we do confirm unto the said inhabitants; only the said Indians do reserve the fishing place at Naugatuck, and the plain and the hill next the river, at the fishing place. Further, the Indians do grant all the grass and feed and timber on the plain against rock Rimmon, and do engage to sell it to them if they sell it, . . all which grants we do confirm for forty pounds to be paid to them at Mr. Bryan's.
Indian Witnesses,
Husks, his mark. Suckcoe, his mark.
Okenung Sagamore, his mark. Ahuntaway, his mark.
Jack, his mark.
Cockapatana, his mark.
Sauquett, his mark.
Toms squaw, her mark. Tom, his mark.
Chettrenasuck at the top of the deed, signed his name as Cockapatana at the bot- tom, or his signature was omitted at the bottom."
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