USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Waterbury > The town and city of Waterbury, Connecticut, from the aboriginal period to the year eighteen hundred and ninety-five, Volume I > Part 27
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The next division west, became known as Scott's meadow from an allotment in it to Edmund Scott. Scott's meadow gave the name to that region, which it retains to this day. The Naugatuck Rail- road runs through this, as well as through Richardson's allotment. On Joseph Gaylord's meadow, the mill of L. & W. Ward stands. East of the river, Sargeant Hikcox had the southern-most allotment, of five acres, including an island. The old Waterbury and Derby highway crossed this island, long known as Hikcox island, now Ward's island. In the meadow which ran on the east side of the river up to the old Burying Yard hill, John and Daniel Warner, Benjamin and Philip Judd, and Timothy Standly had part and lot. About against it on the west, began another section of meadow in which was Scott's plain. This meadow section extended from the hill south of Butler's brook, known as Toantic-as Scott's, and as Long Meadow brook-to near the present Naugatuck bridge, where it was to meet the "Deacon's Meadow" which is on the same side of the river. It was allotted to William Judd, father of Deacon
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IHISTORY OF WATERBURY.
Thomas, whose property it became by virtue of the bestowment of the Plantation's committee. It is recorded in 1688 as eight acres, and extended from just below Maple street to the place where the hill meets the river, so that the Rubber mills on Maple street and the old passenger station of the Naugatuck railroad were built on the Deacon's meadow. The section on the east side of the river from burying yard hill to Fulling Mill brook was know as Warner's meadow. The owners in this area were Dr. Daniel Porter (who had a meadow and also a ten-acre grant from the town here), and Benja- min Judd.
On the west side, at Union City, at the mouth of Hop brook, the land became known as Andrew's meadow, Abraham, Senior, having an allotment there. He bought of Mr. Southmayd a great lot allot- ment, and of John Welton, his division. It was here that he had his cattle yard. He also bought ten acres of Timothy Stanley. And- rew's island was a part of the great lot. This point brings us to the northern terminus of the Judd's meadows region. It is thought that Lieutenant Judd had a two-acre lot assigned him as early as 1677, and which he chose at Judd's meadows. In this allotment at this very early date, each man seems to have selected a warm, secluded spot with a stream running through it-perhaps with reference to its suitability for cattle yards. In 1679, when the region was pre- pared for allotments, this two-acre meadow of William Judd's was ignored or forgotten, and Abraham Andrew's portion encroached upon it. The difficulty was amicably adjusted, however, by Judd's getting Andrew's lot at Hancox's meadow. This would seem to account for the name of Judd's meadows in 1677 or '78.
The Slip, or the Long land, is the region now known as Platts' mills. The meadows at the point above Pine island were described as "at Dragon's point." Above Dragon's point, lies Long meadow, which name in modern days has crossed the river and is applied likewise to the line of narrow meadow lands along the river at Hope- ville. The Long meadow region extended northward to the sand hills lately used by the Meriden railroad for the extension to meet the New England road. At and about the mouth of the Mad river lay Mad meadow. On the west side of the Great river, in present Brooklyn, was the Little meadow. In this Little meadow of the Past (owned in the present century by Ansel Porter, son of Colonel Phineas, and in our day by the late Charles Porter), lies all that part of the city bordering the river between Washington avenue and Riverside cemetery.
On the east side, lay the Beaver meadows, or meadow. Its east- ern limit was Pine hill, removed about 1880. Great brook ran
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MEADOWS, ISLANDS AND HILLS.
through it, also the passage to the fording place, now Bank street. Its northwestern bound was the line of coves that separated it from the Manhan meadows, while near the river it ended at the base of the eastern terminus of Hop Meadow hill. This hill extended to Bank street. The accompanying illustration presents the sections of the hill remaining in 1891. The meadow has been filled to the depth of six or seven feet.
HOP MEADOW HILL. THE SECTIONS REMAINING IN 1891,
Hop meadow is southward and westward of the hill, between it and the river. The Manhan meadows began with the western border of the coves, and they extend to the point where the Nauga- tuck river, after receiving Steel's brook, bends to the eastward. This bend in the river forms the dividing line between Manhan meadows and Steel's meadow and plain.
On the east side of the river above the mouth of Hancox brook lie the fine meadows bearing the name of Thomas Hancox. They extend northward to Mount Taylor. Above Mount Taylor on the west side of the river, lies Buck's meadow. Frost's bridge crosses the river against it. On our way to Buck's meadow we have passed a long, narrow, crooked strip of land that in 1679 was set aside for a new inhabitant. It was estimated "as twelve acres, if it was there
16
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HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
to be found." Stephen Upson was the new inhabitant, and he "took it up." For many years it was known as Upson's island. The rocky hills near by were called Upson's Island rocks. Next, on the same side of the river lies Walnut-Tree meadow. Against it, where Daniel Carver now lives, a brook comes to the river, known in 1699 as George's brook. Following the river to Jericho rock, which is a hill on its east side, we pass on the same side, Standly's
LOOKING DOWN UPON STEEL'S MEADOW AND PLAIN.
Jericho (which it will be remembered was given to him because of the "meanness of his allotments.") It is the first meadow above the Jericho bridge. West, on the river, a little above Standly's Jericho, lies Pine meadow proper.
Next we come to the Reynolds Bridge station of the Naugatuck railroad, which lies in Judd's Jericho. The view of Lower Pine
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MEADOWS, ISLANDS AND HILLS.
meadow is taken in the Reynolds Bridge region, looking south- ward. The hill to the left is Jericho rock. Standly's Jericho lies between the rock and Lower Pine meadow. Higher still, against the station, west of the river and of the West branch, lies what came to be known as Upper Pine meadow. Above the bridge is the Acre plain and Judd's slip. As you go up to the falls-the only fall in the river about Waterbury worthy of the name-on the east side is Popple meadow, which still holds its old name. " The plain against the Popple meadow " lies across the river.
PINE MEADOW, LOOKING SOUTHWARD FROM REYNOLDS BRIDGE.
Above, on the west side, at the base of the Pine mountain, extending up toward the mouth of Pootatuck brook, is an extensive level meadow which appears to have had no distinctive name at the first and probably became consolidated with Twitch Grass meadow, which originally was a small meadow at the mouth of Twitch Grass brook, which formed one side of the ancient burying-yard at Thomaston.
The meadow lands above, on either side of the river, appear to have been nameless, until the station and bridge at Thomaston are reached. On the west side, the meadow extending up to the dam, is Andrew's meadow of 1688. The land by the station is spoken of as the plain against Andrew's meadow. Above the dam, on the west of the river, is a piece of land known as Welton's meadow. A plain
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HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
against that, where the railroad runs, is referred to as the plain against Welton's meadow. Above, on the east side at the mouth of the East branch, or Lead Mine brook, lies English Grass meadow. Above and against it, were "the mines." Still northward lies the meadow spoken of as the Plum Trees.
Just above the Two-and-a-half-mile bridge, about half way between Campville and Thomaston, on the east side of the river, about a fourth of a mile from the bridge, is a house which is near the old town line of Hartford and Waterbury, before Harwinton was. In passing up the river road on the west side this house can be seen in the distance.
JERICHO ROCK AND BUCK'S MEADOW MOUNTAIN.
The point where the Indians are supposed to have seen Joseph Scott in the meadow.
We have thus followed the meadows bordering on the Naugatuck from "The Straits" to "The Plum Trees"-a distance of about eighteen miles.
WATERBURY ISLANDS.
There were twelve islands in the ancient township. They all lay along the Great river. The most southern one was Richard- son's, at Judd's meadows. Hikcox island is now Ward's island. Andrew's island, now waste land, lies against the mouth of Hop brook. Pine island is in the bend of the river, where it is well wooded, just above the mill dam of the Platt's mill. At an early date, the river rapids at this point were known as the Pine Island falls, and the elevated land west of the river was Pine Island plain,
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MEADOWS, ISLANDS AND HILLS.
early owned by the Porters. In the same vicinity Isaac Bron- son and John Carrington had their eight-acre lots, and on the old road west of the river Samuel Barnes settled in 1730; on the east side was Pine Island spring (later the Widow's spring, from its ownership by the widow of Sergeant Samuel Hikcox). South- mayd's island was originally his Beaver meadow allotment of three acres, probably islanded by the old long cove and the small run of water that came down Willow street and ran through the line of coves to the river. In 1810 Southmayd's island had grown to eight- een acres ; bounding east on heirs of Stephen Bronson, south on Hop Meadow hill, westward on the Cove and a pent highway, north on the burying ground and highway. The small island near Sled Hall brook seems to have been nameless. The island lying at the north end of the Manhan meadows, at the point where the water is diverted from the river to enter the Manhan canal, was known as Gaylord's island. Lake Hubbard, which is an enlarge- ment of the river at this place encloses the island. This, at a later date, became known as Upson's island. The turn in the river at this point has been attributed to the work of the beavers, causing the river to cross the valley to its opposite side. The old river channel is still to be seen. Gaylord's upper island is between Joseph Welton's house and Waterville. It was described, in 1687, as "272 acres lying in a cind of a half mone at the lower end of Hancox Meadows."
Bronson's island has been omitted from its proper place. It lies between the river and the Watertown road just above the present West Main street bridge. In time of a freshet this is still an island. It was a permanent island as late as 1752.
Opposite the Waterville station of the Naugatuck road is a pro- jection of land that formerly was an island ; it has borne the name of its owners- Bronsons, and it is believed to have been early Scovill's island. Just above, is "The Little Island" of the Bron- sons. Above Mount Taylor on the east shore of the river is the long, slender strip of an island, dedicated in 1679 to the settler who should come and make a good inhabitant. This is Upson's island. He was to have twelve acres of meadow here, if it contained so much. Thomas Hancox owned two islands. The first one lay next his eight-acre lot at the mouth of Steel's brook. The second is enclosed by the two junctions of the West Branch river with the Naugatuck at Reynolds Bridge; and is now estimated at about fourteen acres. These islands acquired their names from the occu- pation of their owner, Thomas Hancox being a butcher. This is made evident by a deed of John Standly, wherein it is called "The
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HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
Butcher's Island." After Hancox went to Hartford and became keeper of the prison there, the upper island belonging to him was long a landmark as Ensign Judd's island. At a later date it bore the Welton name. Mr. Henry Reynolds is, I think, the present owner.
THE HILLS OF WATERBURY.
While we have not room to tell of the meadows that lie along the branches of the Great river, we may invite the possible reader to accompany us to that fair and beautiful hill-top lying beyond Town Plot-called Malmalick before it was seen of white men,* and from whence the planters beheld their township of nameless hills, in the summer of 1674. Here, we may clothe a few of the same hills on which these steadfast, earnest men fought the strife of life, with the names their lips and deeds framed the picture in.
Looking northward, we trace the valley where the Naugatuck river penetrates the great circle and unites with Hancock brook. To the eastward, clearly cut against the blue, we see the " Blew Hill" of early days; now the Hanging hill of Meriden. To the south- ward, the dark pines and the crowding heights reveal the place where the Great river enters the narrow and solemn pathway that leads it out of the township. To the westward, the white church of Middlebury is seen. Truly it is a hill-country that we look upon, simple, and solid, and sober in its every line ! As seen from this point, few are the marks that man has placed upon the circle.
Beginning at the Strait between Beacon hill and the " Straights " mountain, and moving westward, we pass Naugatuck, Great hill, or Gunn hill-where Isaiah Gunn lived-Twelve-Mile or Andrew's hill. Gunn Town, Millville, Toantick hill, in Derby. Woodruff's hill, Lewis's, Clark's, Joe's, and " King " Beebe's hills. Osborne Town. Sandy, Bedlam, Meshaddock and Camp's hills. Bradleyville. The hill west of Hop swamp. Middlebury, The Great hill east of Quass- apaug (so named in the earliest boundary of the town), Bissell's hill. The White Deer Rocks, Break Neck, Three-and-a-half-mile, Oronoke, and Two-and-a-half-mile hills, Garnsey Town lands, Jeremiah's mountain, Edmund's new mountain, Gaylord's hill, Warner's moun- tain, World's End rocks, Scott's mountain-now called Nova Scotia (and probably dating from the departure of certain inhabitants after the war of the Revolution to that place), Welton's moun- tain, Arnold's hill, Buck's meadow mountain, Hikcox mountain, Bryant's hill, Richard's hill, Edmund's Old mountain, Mount Tobe, or Mountobe.
* See pages 198 and 199.
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MEADOWS, ISLANDS AND HILLS.
Where the Naugatuck river enters, we find Mount Taylor, and Taylor's Meditation, Wool rocks, Drum hill, Manhan Meadow hill, World's End, or Lewis' hill, Buck's, Burnt, Grassy, Clinton and Spindle hills-while near by are West Side hill and Town Plot- Patucko's Ring hill, Mantoe's House rocks, Chestnut, Long and Round hills, Tame Buck hill, Benson's hill (now Wolcott), Meriden hill, East mountain, Abrigador, Prospect, and the Great hill. South- eastward lie unknown hills, with the West Rock range in the dis- tance, while nearer lie Hopkins' Pond, and Mulberry hills, with Bethany, the Reare hill; and the Beacon Cap on Beacon hill to close the door of the township on its Derby side, and complete the great circle of hills.
CHAPTER XIX.
TOWN OFFICERS IN 1700-SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL LANDS-CANDLE WOOD- POUNDS-THE MEETING HOUSE-MR. SOUTHMAYD'S HOUSE LOT- THE DEATH OF LIEUTENANT JUDD AND OF OBADIAH RICHARDS- FIRST HOUSE IN WATERTOWN-AT BUCK'S HILL-IN MIDDLEBURY- AT JUDD'S MEADOWS-MR. SOUTHMAYD'S ORDINATION-FORTIFICA- TIONS AND EVENTS DURING QUEEN ANNE'S WAR PRIOR TO 1709.
T HE year 1700 was ushered in with the following men in power: Timothy Standly was the constable; John Scovill, Dea. Judd and Benjamin Barnes were townsmen; Edmund Scott and John Warner viewed the fences, and Robert Scott the chimneys; Stephen Upson and Richard Porter were the haywards; Dr. Porter surveyed when there was occasion; Joseph Gaylord, Jr., collected the minis- ter's rates; Thomas Judd, Jr., was town treasurer and town clerk; and Benjamin Barnes made the graves. These men were elected for the year on the 18th of December, 1699, at the same meeting in which we meet for the second time a reference to a school in Water- bury, and at which the recorder was directed " to record those grants of lands that were in the old town book that stood fair to be taken out, even though the date was torn off." The old town book here referred to was doubtless the one of which we have a portion. Its successor seems to have been the present first volume of town meet- ings, and as that begins with page 98, and at this date, it indicates that the book called the Proprietors' book numbered 97 pages.
The first allusion to a school in Waterbury is met in 1698, when the town granted thirty shillings in addition to the last year's rent of the school lands for the encouragement of a school for four months, and a committee was chosen to " procure one to keep school to teach in writing as well as reading." It is surprising that no school is mentioned for a period of sixteen years, for pupils abounded from the beginning of the town. Some radical change in the schools must have taken place about the time of Mr. Peck's death. It is probable that his son, Jeremiah, taught the school from 1689 to 1698. After the latter date, the school is mentioned every year in the town meetings.
" The rent of the school lands," referred to lots in Hancox, Mun- han, and Buck's meadows, and one in the Neck. These were leased in 1701 and the four succeeding years, as follows: The Hancox meadow lot in 1701 to John Welton for £1.15.00; in 1702 to Dea.
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Judd for £1.09.00; in 1703 to John Richason for making ten rods of new fence and 4 shillings; in 1704 to Thomas Richason for f1.19.00. The Munhan lot was leased at sums varying from 5 to 8 shillings- the Neck lot for about the same sums, while the Buck's meadow lot brought prices varying from £1.04.00 to £1.13.00. The total income derived from the four lots in five years was £15.08.00. In no instance do we find the same man in possession of the same lot two years in succession. Fourteen men leased the lots during the period named.
In 1701 "For men's trial to make candle wood " the town gave "liberty to each inhabitant to try one tree apiece and that man who should pull a pine tree and set the two first letters of his name on it, fairly to be seen, it should give him the title to it as his own estate." If a man "felled boards, logs, timber, or wood and let it lie at the stub for a twelve month " it was "to be free for any that would fetch it."
This was the period when pounds were established, and horses or cattle tied in the corn fields except when kept by a keeper on his own land or with leave from the land owners, were to be impounded by the haywards. The first pound was "set up" where the Water- bury Bank building now stands. It was then a portion of the South highway, and the pound was placed in it because the South Meadow gate opening into the Common field was in the Common fence at the south side of Grand street. The second pound was in Willow street at West Main for a similar reason-the West Meadow gate into the field was there.
In 1702, ten years after its foundations were laid, the first meet- ing-house was finished. This we learn from the orders given to the townsmen to make up their accounts concerning the work, and the appointment of a committee in July 1702 "to place the people where they should sit in the meeting-house." In order to under- stand this long delay we must keep in mind the condition of the people during the ten years. The same conditions existing to-day would defer the completion of the church edifice now newly begun in our town for a much longer period. Destroy our manufactories or render them absolutely useless for two or three years; add a war in a neighboring State that threatened our town with destruction; fill the woods on all the hills with signs and shadows of lurking Indians; send forth our military companies to keep the peace in New York State; then add typhoid fever until it entered nearly every house in the city and attacked the larger part of its inmates -and church-building would languish in our midst-and yet, from a like condition, the early men and women of Waterbury came forth to take the places assigned to them in the finished
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HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
meeting-house of 1702. It stood about in the centre of the present Green, with its main entrance on the south side. The reason for placing it so far to the westward is found in the knowledge that the second meeting-house, begun in 1727, was placed east of the first one, and the third, built in 1795, east of the second one. Its floor space must have been sufficient to seat about 300 persons. It had doors on its east, west, and south sides; a pulpit and seats, but no pews. There is no reason for thinking that its windows were without glass. The first "seating" of the first meeting-house is not known; the only item that is left to us regarding it is-that Mr. Southmayd's seat was at the west end of the pulpit. This church edifice, unchanged, sufficed the people for six years only.
It is interesting to learn just what was expected of the pastor of this, and other churches in 1702, and what was meant by "an able and orthodox minister of the gospell," for we may thus obtain a glimpse of Mr. Southmayd's acquirements at the age of twenty-six years. Fortunately for us, the General Assembly defined "an able and orthodox minister" that very year, enabling us to assert that John Southmayd was a person well skilled in arts and languages; well studied and well principled in divinity; that he approved him- self, by his exercises in preaching the gospel, capable of dividing the word of truth aright, and of convincing "gainsayers"; and that his conversation was such that he was a person called and qualified to be pastor of a church according to gospel rule-for such were the qualifications demanded of him by The Assembly, and by pas- tors and teachers of neighboring churches. To this young man the legal voters of Waterbury, numbering fifty-two persons, and whose combined estates were estimated at £2050, promised to give £50 in provision pay and f10 in wood annually, with "£40 in labor for fencing and clearing his house lot and other lands." Not yet content with its own liberality, the town added £5 to his salary, and the promise to bestow upon him the house that had been begun for Mr. Read, with lands and the propriety in lands-in fact, a great lot with all its belongings, "when he should become an ordained officer in the church "; the only condition being that the propriety should revert to the town in case "he should go away before two years were out after his ordination."
From the beginning, the people had not been satisfied with the house lot for their minister, and now they were anxious to secure the lot lying to the eastward. John Scovill was the person selected to achieve the desired result, and his endeavors attest his ability as a diplomat. The original Southmayd lot, together with the Abraham Andrews and the John Welton lots occupied the land
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DURING QUEEN ANNE'S WAR.
lying between present State and Willow streets. The town owned land in Steel's meadow that had been sequestered for the ministry. Thomas Judd owned the Andrews lot, represented by the home- stead of the late George Prichard. John and William Bronson owned an interest in the homestead of their father, John Bronson, lying across the highway. The town conveyed the ministry land in Steel's meadow to John Bronson; John Bronson promised to buy of the heirs their interest in his father's homestead* and give it to William. On this promise, William conveyed the house and lot to Thomas Judd, Jr. Thomas Judd, Jr., conveyed the Andrews home- stead to the town, and the town added it to Mr. Southmayd's two acres.
There is no mention of any other minister at Waterbury during the time between Mr. Southmayd's first arrival and the time of his ordination five years later. It is not easy to account for this long delay. During its first year Mr. Southmayd married Susanna, the daughter of William Ward, deputy to the General Assembly from Middletown. The next year, in 1702, his father, William South- mayd, mariner, died, and Waterbury lost two more of her Grand proprietors-Lieutenant Thomas Judd,t the first resident Commis- sioner and Justice of the Peace, and the first lieutenant in the township; and his next door neighbor, Obadiah Richards, who was the first man, so far as has been found, to build a house and barn away from the town spot. The death of these men must have been a serious blow to the town, for the one held important positions of trust and responsibility, and the other was an earnest, a brave, and a practical planter. In the midst of war and danger from savage foes, Obadiah Richards built the first house in present Watertown before Dec. 23, 1700, for on that day he was granted one acre, " where his house stands at his mountain," and on the same day his son Oba- diah was received as an inhabitant.
It is highly probable and entirely reasonable to suppose that Obadiah Richards, Jr., who was the first known inhabitant of Watertown, was living there in 1701.
Richards' mountain, or Obadiah's hill, is the eminence southwest of the centre. The Middlebury and Woodbury roads pass over it. In 1701, Richards gave to his sons John and Obadiah, each one-half of his lands on the mountain (above sixteen acres), and to Obadiah, his share of the house and barn. John, apparently, having assisted
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