USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Derby > The history of the old town of Derby, Connecticut, 1642-1880. With biographies and genealogies > Part 22
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I53
EPISCOPAL GLEBE.
places beyond it where he most frequently officiated were Derby and Waterbury.7 He was succeeded by the Rev. Theophilus Morris, a second missionary from England, who preached about these parts and the neighboring towns nearly three years, when Rev. James Lyons, a third missionary, followed, whose labors ceased in Derby soon after the church edifice was completed. Dr. Mansfield was the fourth missionary of the society ; a par- ticular account of whom will be found in his biographical sketch.
Two parcels of land were deeded by Samuel Hull, William. Clark and Mordecai Marks, April 13, 1747, "in consideration of the sum of four hundred and fifteen pounds current money . . paid by John Holbrook, Jonas Smith, Thomas Wooster, Abel Gunn and sundry other persons who are professors of the Church of England .. do by these presents with the advice and concurrence of the best of our neighbors therein concerned, all professors of the Church of England ; do hereby give and grant the following pieces of land hereafter expressed intending the same for the first glebe lands to endow a certain parish church in the township of said Derby now erected and carrying on called Christ's Church by us the said Hull, Clark, Mordecai Marks and the rest of our neighbors concerned therein ; For the better accomplishing the endeavors aforesaid in great reverence and regard to the Church of England as established by law, and her excellent doctrine, service, piety and order, prefera- ble to any other upon earth ; for the honor of God, the surest peace and comfort of ourselves, neighbors and posterity ; have founded the parish church aforesaid for the use aforesaid, and for the endowment thereof do by these presents freely give, grant, convey and confirm unto the society for the propagating the gospel in foreign parts, two certain parcels of land, within the township of Derby lying near the meeting-house; one of said parcels of land contains by estimation three acres be it more or less, with an orchard and barn thereon standing, the other containing six acres lying near the other be- ing part swamp and part upland with a house and orchard thereon standing; . . to said society and their successors forever, but in trust and for the special interest and purpose hereafter mentioned, to say as soon as there shall be a rector
7 Beardsley's History of the Church, Conn. vol. I, p. 3.
20
154
HISTORY OF DERBY.
according to the order of the Church of England by law estab- lished, instituted and inducted, the premises shall be and inure to the use of such rector incumbent and his successors for the glebe lands of the said church in fee simple forever. In wit- ness etc.
Samuel Hull. William Clark. Mordecai Marks."
This was the home of the Rev. Richard Mansfield as long as he lived.
The growth of Episcopacy in Derby from 1737 to 1797, called for a more commodious house of worship. The enterprise and even the population which had centered " Up Town" seemed now to be centering towards the Narrows, which in 1797 com- mercially and in other respects, was in the hight of its pros- perity. The parish with great unanimity, voted to remove the church edifice half a mile down towards the Narrows, then called New Boston and located it on the beautiful knoll overlook- ing the Naugatuck, and in front of the house now (1879) owned by Mr. P. McEnerney, but formerly long the residence of the Rev. Calvin White. This edifice, spacious in dimensions and in keep- ing with the style of churches then built, was commenced in 1796, and its corner stone laid the following year. After its completion, the members of the parish voted to change the name of Christ's to that of St. James's Church, and in 1799 it was consecrated with this name by Bishop Jarvis.
The parish continued to flourish under the rectorship of Mans- field, Jewett and others, but after a period of forty-two years, the question of again changing the location of the church was agitated. Birmingham then was growing rapidly as a manu- facturing village, and the worshiping members of the languish- ing parish were drifting away from the old edifice. Rev. Joseph Scott, then rector, importuned by his parishioners, made a re- port to a parish meeting, May 5, 1841, setting forth " the bad condition of the old church with regard to its location, and ad- vancing reasons in support of its immediate removal to a more central part of the parish as being vitally connected with its prosperity and permanent welfare."8 At this meeting, a com-
8 Parish Record.
155
ST. JAMES'S CHURCH.
mittee of three was appointed, viz. : E. N. Shelton, Birmingham, Benjamin Hodge, Up Town, and Levi Hotchkiss for the Nar- rows, to take a look at the situation and report progress. The removal was not opposed by any but approved by all, yet the new location was not so easily settled. Some favored the Narrows opposite the Congregational church, but here a suit- able lot could not be obtained. The good and pious Leman Stone, a tottering pillar in the parish, favored the Causeway and urged the building of a mound raised above all freshets, whereon to locate the church, while a large majority was for Birmingham. A census of the families of the parish was taken, and the committee, May 26, 1841, reported strongly in favor of Birmingham. An additional incentive was, that a spacious lot in front of the public park would be donated by Smith and Phelps for church purposes. The parish at the same meeting voted unanimously to build their new edifice at that place, provided the money could be raised by subscription for that purpose. A liberal spirit was awakened and the money raised. A stone church was decided upon, its corner stone laid by Rev. Stephen Jewett in 1842, and a historical discourse was deliv- ered on the occasion, by Rev. Dr. Coit of Bridgeport. April II, 1843, it was consecrated St. James's Church, by Bishop Brow- nell "in the twenty-fourth year of his consecration."
At the regular Easter meeting, April 17, 1843, the parish in full vote, passed the following resolution. "That the regular services of St. James's Church shall be held in the new church edifice at Birmingham, and that the bell, organ and other fix- tures belonging to said church or parish, be removed into the same,"9 which was done.
Naturally tenacious of precious and long cherished associa- tions, some of the church people up town felt aggrieved that their candle-stick had been removed, and at once withdrew from "their first love " and formed a nucleus which resulted in a " new parish which was admitted June, 1844, into the diocese as such by the name of Christ's Church, Derby, "10 the history of which will be found in its proper place.
The rectors connected with this parish, are Mansfield,
9Parish Record.
10See Church Journal, 1844.
I56
HISTORY OF DERBY.
White, (assistant,) Blakeslee, Jewett, Bradley, (assistant,) Scott, Ashley, Guion, Flagg, Coxe, Fuller, Brainard, Chamberlain and Baldwin,-only six now living. Keeping within the record, it will thus be seen that St. James's parish with its long roll of worthy and devoted rectors, through all its vicissitudes, has come down unbroken from its origin in 1737, to the present time.
In the division of lands at various times, various tracts were left, which at the time it was thought unwise or inconvenient to divide, or no one desired to settle on them. Such a tract was held at Great Hill consisting of something over one hun- dred acres. This division was made on the 20th of March, 1756, to the proprietors, which meant all who had paid toward the original purchases of the Indians, and none others except by a special vote of the town. Hence rights are named to the original settlers who had been deceased many years ; and hence there are many deeds recorded, signed by the heirs of such original proprietors. Others had sold their rights to all lands in the town, whatever they might be, to new settlers, or per- sons resident out of the town. The division was made mostly to the original owners, and then the new owners must prove their right to possession. Hence this list of names brings up nearly all the persons, familiar in the history of the town one hundred years. This land it is said belonged to the fourth division, and was parceled in lots of about one and a half acres to each, to the rights of :
I. Jonathan Miles,
2. Joseph Hawkins,
18. Samuel Bassett,
3. Ephraim Smith,
19. Samuel Brinsmaid,
4. Edward Riggs,
20. Samuel Hull,
5. John Smith,
21. John Smith,
6. Samuel Nichols,
22. John Chatfield,
7. Thomas Wooster,
23. Samuel Bowers,
8. Samuel Russell,
: 24. Samuel Gunn,
9. Gideon Johnson,
25. Abraham Pierson,
IO. Joseph Nichols,
26. John Prindle, Jun.,
II. Ebenezer Riggs,
I2. Nathaniel Bowers,
28. Heirs of David Wooster,
13. John Weed,
29. Moses Wooster,
14. John Towner,
15. Stephen Pierson,
16. Capt. Joseph Hull,
17. Samuel Clark,
27. Ebenezer Johnson, Jun.,
30. Andrew Smith,
31. Ebenezer Harger,
32. Joseph Johnson,
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A NEW TOWN HOUSE.
33. John Hull,
59. Heirs of Sylvester Wooster,
60. James Humphrey,
61. Wm. Tomlinson,
62 .~ Francis French,
37. Heirs of Samuel Bryan,
38. John Davis,
64. John Johnson,
39. John Tibballs,
65. John Riggs,
40. Peter Johnson,
66. Israel Moss,
41.
Wm. and Abigail Moss,
67. George Black,
42.
Martha Beaman,
68. Col. Ebenezer Johnson,
43. Wm. Woolcott and wife,
69. Timothy Russell,
45. John Munson,
71. Jonathan Hill,
47. Samuel Tomlinson,
48. Micah Denman,
49. John and Elizabeth Durand,
75. John Prindle,
50. Samuel Riggs,
76. Isaac Tomlinson,
77. Jabez Harger,
52. Abraham Tomlinson,
78. Abel Gunn,
53. Joseph Moss,
79- John Bowers,
54. Joseph Smith,
80. Benjamin Stiles,
55. Timothy Wooster,
81. Jonathan Lumm,
56. Jeremiah Johnson,
82. Nathan Smith,
83. William Washborn.
Another effort was made for the erection of a town house in 1767, and the place designated by a Court committee, the re- port not being seen, the location is unknown, but it was prob- ably on Meeting-house hill; now known as Academy hill, at Ansonia, but at Derby and Birmingham as Up Town. The committee to build this house was Capt. Joseph Riggs, Dea. Eliphalet Hotchkiss and Ens. Nathan Smith. Here is the old builder, Eliphalet Hotchkiss, who has been found on two other occasions at the same business ; but he has become deacon and therefore, as a matter of certainty, must be a far better work- man than before, making money all the faster; for whoever knew a deacon that was not rich ?
A town house had been built some years before according to the following town action :
"Dec. 23, 1745. Voted that the place for building a town house for the use of the town of Derby shall be at a place called Cankwood Plain, and that said house may be improved for a
34. Samuel Harger,
35. Bridget Bowers,
36. John Twitchell,
63. ยท Samuel Moss,
44. Stephen Pierson,
70. John Holbrook,
46. Samuel Washborn,
72. Eliphalet Gillett,
73- Abel Holbrook,
74. Barnabas Baldwin,
51. Joseph Summers,
57. John Tomlinson,
58. Abiram Canfield,
158
HISTORY OF DERBY.
school-house for the use of schooling for the inhabitants of the said town."
This house was built, since a record was made in 1747, of fifty pounds paid towards the cost of it.
The late William R. Lewis of Huntington, a native of Derby, had left the following valuable information of
LAND SLIDES.
" Mr. J. W. Barber in giving publicity to the land slide that occurred in 1764, a few rods south of Mr. Edward N. Shelon's residence, leaves the impression that something like a volcanic eruption occurred at that place. I wish to remove that impres- sion. There have been three land slides in Derby of which this was the first. The second was on the Baldwin lot, so called in former times, in the prolongation of the road leading up the hill, passing the school-house in the Narrows, some six or eight rods beyond the angle where the road turns to the right. This was about 1790, and some remains of it may be seen yet. Another since cameinto the road between the house of Col. Gates, formerly Jesse Beach's and that of Wyllis Hotch- kiss. These land slides are common in all mountainous, tem- perate and arctic countries, and take place during a warm rain after a long, severe frost has compacted a mass of earth, some- times strengthened by intertwining roots. Frost expands the mass with great power. If the surface is curved a little upward or other things favoring, the mass of earth rising a little, leaves a vacancy under it, into which water insinuates itself, and hav- ing entered higher up the acclivity through a crack, an animal's burrough, a spot protected from frost by snow or other cause, creates an upward pressure, proportioned to the difference in the altitude of the water where it enters the ground, and where its descent is arrested, and it exerts a force, the amount of which may be appreciated by reference to hydro-mechanical law as dis- played in the hydrostatic press used to lift ships out of water, and as used to place the tube of the Victoria bridge on its piers at Montreal in 1859, when ten thousand tons of iron was raised from floats and placed on the piers with ease and safety. This upheaval detaches the mass from its surroundings and then gravitation sends it thundering down the hill.
159
SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
" The Birmingham land slide was on a declivity lying' at an angle of about forty-five degrees from the horizon in a geologi- cal drift formation destitute of adhesiveness,-no rock in situ, -. and below the frozen mass the earth was easily washed away by running water. The lightnings, the sulphur and the sub- terranean winds as represented to Mr. Barber, were ' of imagi- nation all compact.' The land slides of the White hills of New Hampshire are similar, and with which all are familiar. That of 1826, at the Notch, overwhelming the Willy family of nine persons was similar to this only incomparably larger and mov- ing about two miles."
This natural science of Mr. Lewis is well, but the fact still remains that this was a peculiar land slide; for Mr. Lewis Hotchkiss, who assisted in removing a part of this land slide some forty years since, informs that a large heap of earth, some rods in length was thrown out from the hill some six or eight rods, leaving the level plane over which the earth passed. Allowing that the interval between the hill and the heap of earth may have filled in during fifty years, although there was no appearance of such process, still the distance of such a mass of earth from the bank is scarcely explained by an ordinary land slide.
Some considerable idea of the inhabitants of the town as set- tled within its territory, just before the Revolution, may be ob- tained from the laying out of the school districts. A commit- tee for this purpose was appointed and made their report in 1766. "The first district is on the east side of Naugatuck river and shall be bound westerly on the Great river and Naugatuck river, southerly and easterly on Milford line, northerly the line shall begin half-way between the Rev. Mr. Daniel Humphreys's dwelling house and Mr. Oliver Curtiss's dwelling house and so a west line to Naugatuck river and so run northeastward forty rods, northwesterly of Mr. Joseph Loveland's dwelling house and thence an east line to Milford line,-forty-seven families.
" The second district is on the east side of Naugatuck river, and is bounded southerly with the north line of the first district, and westerly on Naugatuck river, easterly on Milford line, and northerly from Milford line to the head of Riggs's swamp west ten degrees north to Naugatuck river,-twenty-nine families.
160
HISTORY OF DERBY.
"The third district is on the east side of Naugatuck river, and is bounded southerly on the north line of the second dis- trict, easterly on Milford line, northerly on Waterbury line, and westerly on Naugatuck river, as low as the mouth of the Little river as far as the little brook that runs into said river out of Mr. Jonathan Miles's swamp meadow, and thence with the high- way to the great bridge below the falls,-twenty-two families.
"The fourth district is bounded southerly with the Little river, easterly with the Naugatuck river, northerly with Waterbury line as far west as to the east side of Mr. Jonathan Miles's farm, and westerly with the highway that runs the east side of said Miles's farm down to the Little river, taking Lieut. John Woos- ter and Mr. Abraham Bassett into the said district,-fourteen families.
"The fifth district is bounded with the line of the fourth, as high north as to the south part of Mr. Jonathan Miles's farm, and then runs westerly two rods north of Thomas Wooster's dwelling house, and then a straight line to the south end of John Bassett's meadow to the Little river, and thence to Israel Trow- bridge's barn, and thence to the Little river at the north end of Wooster park and so to the highway where the fourth dis- trict is bounded,-twenty-one families.
"The sixth district is bounded southerly with the fifth, east with the fourth, north with Waterbury and Woodbury line to the Little river, and westerly with the Little river down to the corner of said Bassett's meadow,-fourteen families.
"The seventh district is bounded north with Woodbury line, west with the Great river down to the mouth of the Five- mile brook, south with the Five-mile brook to Woodbury road, and thence to Israel Trowbridge's barn, and east with the fifth and sixth districts, thirty-two families.
"The eighth district is bounded north with the seventh, west with the Great river down to the south end of Paul's plain, and thence the south line runs eastward twenty rods south of Noah Tomlinson's dwelling-house, and thence to the Rock spring, and thence to the mouth of the great brook that runs into Naugatuck river, and easterly with Naugatuck river and the third district and the Little river,-forty families."
"The ninth district is bounded north with the eighth district,
161
SCHOOLS.
west with the Great river to the mouth of the Naugatuck, and eastwith the Naugatuck,-thirty-seven families.
These two hundred and fifty-six families, if averaging five to a family, which is the usual method of numbering, gives twelve hundred and eighty persons, or possibly thirteen hundred per- sons in the town.11
In 1779, some change was made and a new district was formed out of the fourth and fifth, including the following fami- lies, west of Tobie's rock.
Joseph Davis, Abraham Bassett, Samuel Smith, jun., David Pierson,
John Davis, John Church,
Isaac Beecher, Abraham Beecher, Ebenezer Riggs, John Riggs, Bradford Steele.
In the same year another district was formed, taking a "part of the north district, a part of Great hill district and a part of Rimmon district, including the following families :"
Bradford Steele, Ashbel Steele, Hezekiah Wooden, Reuben Perkins,
Ranford Whitney,
William Gordon, John Botsford, Edward Harger, Josiah Washborn, Abraham Wooster,
Lois Riggs, John Wooster,
Daniel Davis, Benjamin Davis,
Eunice Pritchard,
James Pritchard, jun., Samuel Wooster,
Ebenezer Keeney, Theophilus Miles, Jonathan Miles.
In 1781, liberty was granted "Capt. Ebenezer Gracey and the rest of the inhabitants of the district for schooling, to build a school-house on the new highway that leads from Stevens's ferry (the Narrows), down to Milford."
The second district had had a school-house since 1711, but no others are mentioned before the Revolution, except one on Great hill, spoken of in 1777, after that a thorough changing of boundaries west of the Naugatuck river was perfected.
There had been schools kept in various parts of the town from 1708-9 up to this time, but they were kept in private
11Derby contained in 1756, 1,000 inhabitants; in 1774, 1,889; in 1790, 2,994.
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162
HISTORY OF DERBY.
houses, except at the village, Derby, now Academy hill, at Cank wood town house, and for a short time previously at Great hill.
DERBY LANDING.
Among the first records of the town the Fishing Place is men- tioned, and in 1666 a highway was made by Edward Wooster, through the Long Lot to the Fishing Place, which place it ap- pears, was at or near Derby Landing, or possibly a little above it, at first. At that time there was no river on the east side of the meadow land ; nothing but a little brook. The History of Seymour says there were no islands or meadow below the cause- way between Birmingham and Derby, and that there was deep water where the meadow now is, but it seems almost impossible to have filled up in so short a time, two hundred years ; be- sides, the first records mention several islands as then existing, namely, "Two-mile island," below the Narrows, "Walnut tree island," at the junction of the rivers, owned some time by Stephen Pierson, the "Fish island" or fishing place, and the island lying in the Ousatonic, south of Lieut. Thomas Wheeler's house on Birmingham point, and which Mr. Wheeler bought of the Indians, and still later the westernmost island in the Ousa- tonic is purchased of the Indian chief. There were then three islands at this place, at the first settlement, besides Two-mile island. After a few years from the making of the highway to the Fishing Place, a landing was constructed at that place for shipping produce. This highway through the Long lot was the only road up and down the river at the time, except Milford road that went over the hill by the Swift place, and no road from the Narrows east.
All commodities brought to the Landing were carted up this highway to the old village, Up Town. There was a landing all this time at Birmingham point on the Ousatonic. At first, and for a few years this was on the east side of the point, but after- wards went to the west side. Sometime before 1700, there was a house built at the Fishing place, that was called the fish house, but which served, doubtless, somewhat as a warehouse, for some years. A little after 1700, the principal shipping place
.
163
CAPT. ITHIEL KEENEY.
was at Joseph Hawkins's warehouse on the west side of Bir- mingham point, and continued there nearly fifty years.
In 1745, the old road through the Long lot was given up, or nearly so, and a new highway made from the Narrows on the bank up to Old Town, and in 1772, this road was changed some- what and improved, being about where it now is. A little be- fore 1781, the first highway was made from the Landing out south-east towards Milford. In laying the highway on the bank, from the Narrows, in 1745, although a full description of its boundaries is given, no dwellings or buildings are mentioned, and hence it is probable none were there at that time, except possibly the old fish house at the Landing.
In Barber's History it is said that Capt. Ithiel Keeney was the first white child born at the Landing; the date of his birth being March 17, 1755. This information Mr. Barber obtained from Mr. Keeney himself, and is no doubt correct, as Mr. Keeney was one of the most reliable men ever in the town. The fact that for more than thirty years he was the treasurer of the town, is sufficient proof of this statement. Ebenezer Keeney, the father of Ithiel, came into the town a young man and married Betsey Davis in 1738, and resided on the road a little way south-east from Old Town until he built his house at the Landing in 1754, for Ithiel's sister Abigail was born in 1753, yet Ithiel was the first born at the Landing. It is, there- fore, very probable, that the Keeney house was the first at the Landing.
Stephen Whitney bought a piece of land at New Boston, ad- joing Mr. Keeney's, in 1762, and another in 1764, and built on this land a store, and continued in business as a merchant until he delivered it to "James Juancy, Samuel Broome and Com- pany, with all that were the said Whitney's creditors in New York, on the 16th day of September, 1768, and Abraham Demill of Stratford, .. which said store house stands on the bank of the river, with some land west side of the store house called store-house square."
The next movement for building this place, then called New Boston, is recorded in town meeting as follows : "December 18, 1769, voted that Capt. Ebenezer Gracey (spelled also Grassee) have liberty to build a wharf adjoining the landing place at New
164
HISTORY OF DERBY.
Boston, beginning at the basswood tree northward of Stevens's ferry, and to extend northward sixty feet, and also to build a warehouse on said wharf, and to build three feet into the bank with this reserve, that all the inhabitants in this town that freight upon said Gracey's vessel, shall have liberty to store any goods or grain in said warehouse so long as they shall stand in need, store free, provided the said Gracey build the same within three years from this date."
The next year, Capt. Gracey bought ninety-one feet front on the river, of Joseph Wheeler, "bounded northerly on Betty Keeney, and southerly on the land of Samuel Broome of New York, and company."
"Dec., 1770. Voted that the town of Derby thinks that it. will be a public advantage to have a ferry started on Derby side of the river at the Narrows, and that Mr. Joseph Wheeler's wharf is the most convenient place, and that the town desires the Hon. General Assembly to start a ferry there on said Wheeler." This indicates that Stevens's ferry which had been running one year certain and probably longer, from the then Stratford side of the river, but Derby people proposed to have one on Derby side. The amount of generosity toward Mr. Stevens, who had been at the expense of starting a ferry, is not spoken of ; probably they thought it not " enough to speak of."
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