Connecticut Historical Collections

a sect which has continued to tliis day, whtim from their chief leader have been called Roi^erenes. In their dialect, and many other things, they have been like the iirst Gluakers in this country (.■') though they have retained the external useof bapti.sm and the supper, and have been singular in refusing the use of means and medicines for their bodies. Their greatest zeal has been discovered going Iroin meeting to meeting, and from town to town, as far as Norwich and Lebanon, (the one 11, the other 21 miles,) to testify against hireling teachers, and against keeping the first day of the week as a sabbath, -which they call the idol sabbath. And when the authority havo taken them up, and fined them therefor, and have sometimes whipt them for refusing to pay it, thev have soon published accounts of all such persecutions, which has been the very means of keeping their sect alive. When tlie Small Pox was very terrible in Boston, in 17"21, and great fear of it was discovered in the country, John Rogers their founder, was confident he could go in where it was and not catch it : and to prove his faith, went 100 miles to Boston, but catched the distemper, came home and died with it, and scattered it in his family : yet his successors still kept on in their way, 6o late down as 1703, some of them iepeatedly came and clapped shingles and pieces of boards around the meeting house in Norwich town, as well as delivered messages to the woishippeis against their keeping of the Lord's day Besides these there have been some Sabbatarian Baptists in that place, fr'ojn the beguining to the present time, though not a distinct church." r A I n F I F, I. n . 319 FAIRFIELD COUNTY. Fairfield County is bounded n. by Litchfield Connty, n. k. and E. by the Ilousaionic river, which separates it from the county of INevv Haven, on the s. e. and s. by Long Island Sound, and w. by the state of New York. Tlie county is of a triangular form, and has an average length from east to west of about 30 miles, and a mean breadth from iiortli to south of about 21 miles. It extends about ^JO miles on Long Island sound, and abounds with bays, points, and harbors, alFurding many interesting and beautiful landscapes. Proceeding from the Sound into the interior, there is a veiy gradual rise to the most elevated sec- tions of the county, which oveiluok the intervening tract. The face of the country is generally agreeably diveislficd with hills and valleys. The soil, which in general is a prin)ltive gravelly loam, is, \vith few exceptions, strong and fertile, and this county may be considered as a rich farming district, containing abundant natural resources of agricul- tural wealth. Manufactures of various kinds receiVe considerable atten- tion in some parts of the county, and the business is increasing. The following is a list of the several towns in the county, with their population in 1830. Monroe, . New Canaan, New Fairlieki Newtown, . Norwalk, . l{eading, . Kidgeficid, Po])ulation of the county in 1820, d2,731); in 1630, 10,950, Fairfield, . 4 222 13a n bury, 4,311 Bridgeport, 2,800 Krookfield, 1 ,255 Darien, 1,212 Gieenwich, 3,801 Huntington, 1,371 1,522 Sherman, 947 1 ,830 Stamluril, . 3,707 939 St rat fold, . 1,814 3,096 Trumbull, . 1,212 3,792 Weston, . . 2,997 1 ,080 ^Vestport, 2,305 Wilton, . . 2,097 FAIRFIELD. Fairfiei-d was discovered by the pursuit of the Pequots, in 1637. Mr. liudlow, who went with the troops to the Sasco, the great swamp in this town, was so well pleased with the fine tract of land in the vi- cinity, that he soon projected a settlement. In 1639, he, with a num- ber of others, began a plantation at Unquowa, the Indian name of the place. At first there were but eight or ten families. These, it appears, removed from \Vinilsor with Mr. Ludlow,* the principal planter. They were shortly after joined by another company from AVatertown. A third company removed into the plantation from Concord; so that the ♦ Mr. Ludlow came from the west of England, with Warhain and his company. In 1G34, he was chosen deputy- governor of Massachuselts colony; the next year he came into Connecticut, and was twice elected depuiy governor of tiie colony, and was compiler of the first Connecticut code, piinted at Cambridge in 1G9'2. lie icnidVed with his family to Viiginia, in IG54. Being town clerk of Fairlieki, he carricii oH-> their records and other public writings. V-. 350 FAIRFIELD. inhabitants soon became numerous, and formed themselves into a town- ship under the jurisdiction of the colony of Connecticut. The first adventurers purchased a large tract of the natives, and soon alter Con- necticut obtained charter privileges, the General Assembly gave them a patent. The purchase comprised the parishes of Fairfield, Greenfield, Green's Farms, and that part of Stratfield lying within the town ol Fairfield, all the town of ^Veston, and a considerable part of Reading. "Having obtained this patent, the proprietoi's soon after divided the territory purchased into lots, which run from near the shore of the Sound, back about ten miles, reserving suitable highways^rimnlng par- allel to, and at right angles with these lots, the course of which was north, 28 degrees west. These highways were laid entirely straight for ten miles, but have since been altered in many places." " As but a small part of this extensive tract of land had been occu- pied, previously to the time when Sir Edmund Andross made his ap- pearance in Connecticut, the inhabitants of this town adopted this plan of dividing their purchase, to jjrevent their wild lands back liom being taken from them ; supposing, that as they were actually in the occupa- tion of the front of tlieir lots, they might be considered as |)Ossessing the whole, so far as to render it private ))roperty, and not subject to the disposal of the Bi'itish government. The lots were of (hllerent widths ; some being about ten rods wide, while others were (illy rods in width. Each proprietor had set to him a lot, the width of which was probably regulated by the amount of the money paid by such proprietor; and in the measuring of these lots, regard was had to inches, which shows a precise arithmetical calculation, l^ach of these lots has to this day been called by the name of the first ])rop)ietor, although a very con- siderable proportion of them are owned by persons of dillerent names. Nearly in the center of this town was reserved a tract, one mile in ex- tent, which was not divided, and was called the mile of conunon. Greenfield Hill is within the limits o( this tract. " l''airli('ld is bouniled northerly by AVc^lon, uortheaMerly by Hridgc- poit, westerly by \V est port, and southerly by Long island sound. It lias a mran length of ujnvards of six miles from northeast to southwest, and a breadth of six miles. It is a rich agricultural township, and in general in a high state of cultivation. 1'he original growth of timber was, at an early period, from a common but lamentable improvidence, entirely destroyed, so that the forests now existing are of recent growth, and comprise but little limber fit for building. A\'ood and timber, there- fore, conunand a high price. The surface of the town is undulating, presenting an agreeable succession of moderate eminences and gentle declivities. Upon the Sound aie some tracts of salt marsh ; proceeding back, the surface has a gradual elevation ; but no portion of the town is mountainous, and it is in general free from stone. Black Rock harbor, about 1 i miles from Fairfield court house, is, with the exception of New London, one of the best harbors in the Sound, being safe and connnodious, and having 19 feet of water at sum- mer tides, below what is called the miildle ground. There is a lighi- house on Fairvs'eather's Island, which forms the easterly chop of the FAIRFIELD. 351 harbor. Vessels can enter and depart from this harbor at any time of the tide. During the h\st war with Great Britain, a small Ibrt was erected on an eminence commanding the entrance of the harbor, in which the state of Connecticut maintained a small body of niilitia a short time as a ganison. This fort was useful, in protecting the coast- ing trade in the Sound from tlie cruisers of the enemy. About two or three miles from Fairfield, in a nortliern direction, is a precipice about 70 feet in height, being the termination of a granitic ridge. This precipice is called Samp Mortar Jiock, from the circum- stance of tlieie being on its summit an excavation in the form of a mortar, and ofsuliicient dimensions to contain upwards of half a bushel of corn or other grain. The tradition is, that it was used by the native Indians for the purpose of pounding their corn. In the valley south of the rock is believed to have been the site of a large Indian village and burying ground. The rock above mentioned, has sometimes been called Owen's Hack, from the circumstance of a man by the name of Owen, who had lost his way, walking off this precipice in a diirk night. His body was found the next morning. ])v. Dwight, who was at that time the minister at Greenfield, preached his funeral sern)on. ^'airfield is divided it)to three parishes, Fairfield, Green's Farms, and (Mcenfield. I'airnehl, the auciimt village, is situated upon the; great stage road tofSew York, -1 miles from Hridgcport, -21 from New Haven, and 53 liom JN'ew York, li is built principally upon one sireet, and round an interesting green ors(iuare. The village consists of about 100 dwelling houses, a court house and jail, a Congregational church, and an academy. It is the sliirc town o("tlie county. -Half of the courts, liow- evei', sit at Danbury, about twenty miles disiaiit. This place was laid in ashes, by (iov. Tryon, in 177i), dming the Revolutiouaiy war. Eighty five dwclliuL^s were consumed in Fairfield, two churches, an elegant court house, fifty five barns, fifteen stores, fif- teen shops, Sec. The distress occasioned by this event was extreme. The followiu'^' '^Maphic deserlpiion of the burning of Fairfield is from Dr. Dwight's Travels, volume ;5il, page 512.