Connecticut Historical Collections

wlilfli ofl'icc lio was continued four years, until lie refused to take the oath piesei ilit-d by la\i', he being in I'avur ul' the union ul' the eokiny wiili Conneclieul. In IGdl, the l<'\vn, l.y his inlhienee/antl that of Mr. lienjaniin Penn, was induced tu break olf fiuin INew Haven eohiny; and it was by his inllnenee parliculaily, that the iniiim \\as .id .soon elleeleii. ile was appointed Major of the Connecticut troop.s in 1(J7(). In Phil- ip's war, at ilie attack of Spiingtield by the Indians in 1G75, he marched to its relief, and drove lluiii Inmi the town •"anil in their assault upon Hadley, lie put them cooi- idetely to iliuhi. The same year, in l>eceml)er, he performed a distinguished part in the deMrnclioii of the Indians at fort Narragaiisett. In [GIG, he was elected Deputy Covernor, mul in IHSG, Governor of (yonneeticut, to which last ollice he wa.s annually re-elected fur fifieen years, till he declined serving. Ilis wife was Jane, only ilaughier <>i' Kdmoiid 'i'a]ip, Km|. Concerning this inaich there is ihe Jollowing tiailiiioiiary anecdote. — iJcing in at iXlr. Tapp's, he look the girl upon his knee and coininencccl trotting her. Robert, said she, be .still that, 1 had rather be Tixalcd than trottcil, npun '.vliich he proposed marriage, which was inimediately consented to bv.all conceriieil. lie died July J-Jih, in the ft'Jth year of his age, and lelf four sons and njiir tlaii-htcis. Gov. I, aw was the only son of Jonathan and Saral) Law, (the daugh- ter of Geoige Clark, sen., planter,) and giandson of Jlichaid Law, one of the first settlers of Stamford, lie was horn August G, iG71, and was educated at Harvard College, where he graduated in 1G05. Ho connuenced the practice of law in his native town in IGOS, and actjui- ted great reputation as a counsellor. In 1706, he was made a justice of the peace — in 1710, a justice of the quorum — in 1714, chief judge, and in 1717, he was chosen an assistant, wliich office he filled until ho was chosen deputy governor. In May, 1741, he was elected governor, and annually re-elected, till his death. He died Nov. Gth, 1750, and iefi 7 sons and a widow, his fifth wife. The ancestors of Governors John Cotton Smith and Gideon Tomlinsoii were from Milloi.i, likewivj Abraham Clark, of New Jeisey, one of the Mgners of the Declara- nmi of Indcpciidencc. The eailv inhabitants of the town look' a particular inleresl in Ihe siib|.:;i oicdiication. In \G\)1, it was voted " there should be ihiiiy live poiindsal- lowcd oni of ihr lowu Ireasurv, to maintain a Laiiii school; thel loiiorabh' Governor, Olid ill.' \lr\'. .-'.iiini.d Andrew, to be a commillee to attend totlie business." 'I'hisMr. Aiidic w ua . i.iiL- of the piineipal projeeU,n>, nnd early patrons of Yale College. Alil- biid lias sent iiiit many eolonisls towards the selllenienl of oilier towns. Wean- tiiMupie was I'lircliascd of ihe Indians on the Mh of F'cbruaiv, 17o-2-!!, bv the [a^'ple of ihe loun, ami MUhd b\' the mmi.- of .New MiUord. Newark, in .N.-^v J. is, y, Hiii- hain III Connceiicni, and T.'ilmadge in t)luo, received mosi of their early seiilcjs iVom Milfoul. There are no mountains, and very little broken land, in the town. The soil is generally good and productive; but the culture is not man- aged on the scientific principles that might be wished. There is a tjiiany of boautiJLil serpentine marble in the east part of the town, \yhich was vyroiight about eighteen yetirs since, but is now neglected. The hailior of the town is not deep. It has been gradually filling tij) since the fiist settlement, at which time there was water enough to ad- mit a large sea brig ii[) to Fowler's mills. A breakwater h;is lieen pro- po.sed lobe built from Indian point toward the i.slaiul, by which a capa- cious harbor would be Ibrmed. jMilford Island lies about three fomths of a mile from the shore, and contains about ten acres of land. It was calleil Putjuahaug by the Iii- <lians, and was a favorite stimmcr resort of those people. Ansantawae, tlie sachem, had a "big wigwam" upon it, for his acconnnodaiion. After the settlement of the English, it was laid out to George Hidibard, who sold it to Richard Bryan. At a town meeting heltl on tlie 17th of ]\Iarch, 1657, Charles Deal, tobacco planter, was granted liberi)' to 238 M 1 1, 1' o n n purchase and enjoy the Island for a tobacco plantation, provided he use the buildings for no other use than a tobacco house, and that he do not trade with tlie Dutch or Indians, or suffer any disorderly resort of sea- men or others there. In 1S35, it was purchased by John Harris, Esq. of New York, who erected a seat, and (iited it up for a summer resi- dence. Between the Island and sliore there is a bar, whicli is bare half the time. Good clams grow on this bar. FoconocJc or JMilford point, at the southwest extremity of the town, is somewhat noted. There are a number of huts on the beach, which are occupied by persons engaged in the chun and oyster business. This point was formed and is preserved by the opposite action of the waters of Long Island sound, and of the Ilousatonic river. Oijslcr lluis on JMi/furd Point. The aV)Ove shows the appearance of the oyhior huts on INIilford point. There is a street containing about 15 or '20 huts of this descj'iption, cov- ered wiih sea weed, &c. which are quite novel in their appearance. About 50 or GO persons, engaged in the oyster business, reside in these habitations during the winter months, and four or five. have their fami- lies with them. Tlie rivers in this town are small. The We]iawaug, the largest, takes its rise in Woodbridge, 15 miles from its mouth, and runs through the center of the town. It furnishes a number of good mill scats. The others are the Indian river, IJeaver river, the \Vest End brook, and Stubby Plain brook, a branch of the Indian ri\'er. Milford is now on the rise. Tlieie are many improvements making in this ))lace, and others in contemplation. The number of inhabitants in the town, when the last census was taken, was 2,25(5, and has prob- aljly since increased lo 2,800. There are at present in the town '100 houses, 480 freeholders, and 500 electors.'* * For iLc piecedjng aci.niiiu td' iVUIIuid, tlie aiiilior is iiulebted almost ctitiiely to Mr. Edward It. Lambert, oC tliat place. INIr. Lambert coiiicmplates publi.sliing aYiill and complete history of the town of Milfoid, from the llr.st selilemeiil to the present lime. He liai already ninde a cuii-^idevable number ol' valuable and iuleresimg col- lections in reterence to this ii'mcci. M I L F o n D . 239 [Prom the ConnccticuL Journal, No. 482.] Milford, Jan. 8, 1777. Last Wecincsday a, flag of trace vessel ariived at Milford, from New York, after a tedioiii: passage of several days, having on board upwards of 200 American prisuners, whose ruefiirevHuUenances too well discover llie ill treatment tliey received while prisoners in New York; twenty of these unfortunate people died on the passage, and twenty have died since they landed at Milford. The following inscriptions are copied from mouunicnls in the grave yard near the center of the place. Here lyetu intei;i;eo the ihidy or Cor,. Rddkrt The.vt, Esa. wno I'AixHKUr.LY SEllVEO TniS C(iLO.\y IK TUK 1''J;>'1' OF GiiVKUNOU, i\E.\U YK .Sl'.W E Olr' 'I'H lUT V YE.UiS, .♦ND ATT YK AllE OK FOUR seoilE AM) ElC.llT VKAK.S, EXcnANOEU TniS LIFE FOK A nETTEK, iVLY 12tu, Anno poMi-so 1710. Here lies ye body of ye Rev. and learned Mr. Sanuicl Andrew, Pastor df ye Chtncli of Christ in this [ijaee lorabuve 00 years. l'\niner!y Fellow of 1 larvaid Onllege, and more lately Rector uf Yale College, — a singular ornament and ble^Mng in every cajia- citi' and relation, — of unwearied labors, mcxlesi, couiteous, and benelieent, — never fond oi iMs world, carucsily )uirsuing and recommending a bcilcr, — greatly csieemeil in life, and lamented at death, which was January 21, 17:}7— H, lacking five days tu complete 82 years of life. MemoriiK Sacrum Reverendi Samuelis Whittlesey, V. D. M. Collcgii Yalcnsis, et llarvanlini llouoiibus exoniali, cnjiis virtules, Pietas, et Res gesuuproprio splendorc ubii|: enitescuni; eujus labor perennis, fiduxj: de sacris per Aniios triginta el supra inter incolas Milfordicnses, lionorem jure vendicai. Denique ab omnibus terrendis Amicis, oliiciis, ac honoi ibiis morle abreptUi est, Anno iEtatis 5Gto, die Oelobris 22to. et Anno Domini .mocci.xviii. Which may be transhttcd in tlie follow iiig maimer: Sacred to the memory (jfihe Ueverend Samuel AViniilescy, Master of Arls at Yale and atUarvaiil; u huNC viMiU'>, piety and good deed.-, evciy wjiere shone wiiii pecu- liar lustre, and wlm-L- unccasinL,' .oid faithlul labois in sai i cd things, J'or more tiiaii thirty years among the in)iabila]ii;, ol Alillcnd, jn.Mly entitle him to honor. He wa^at length removed by death from all eartlily Irieiah, diilies and Ihhhhs, on the 2-.M Ucto- ber, 1708, in the OOth year of liis age. 'Here lies the Imdy of Capl. P.eiij'imin Pciui, for many years a ruling elder of the second church in tins tuwn, who depaited tln^ life Januarv lOlh, Aiuio i>umiui I77l>, aged 80 years. The truly honorable and pious Rooer Newton, Esq. an olhcer of distinguished note ill ye expeditions of 17t>'.) and 1710, for many years one of ye Council, and Colonel of the Second Regiment of Militia— Judge of the Court of Common Pleas 33years, until he departed this life, January 15lh, 1771, in the 87th year of his age. His mind returned to God, intombed here lies Tin; part the Ikra left beneath the skies, Newlon as steel, inliexible from right, III Faith, in Law, in Eijuity, iu Fight. The following is copied from an epitajih, in memory of a yomig woman who died in 1792, aged 24. The impression wliich iter friends meant to convey was doubtless correct, bnt the words made use of, when applied to a human i^eing, arc rather unrelined, according to ihc taste of the present age. Molly, the' pleasant in lier day. Was sudd'nly sei/.'d and sent aM'ay. How soon she's ripe, how suun site's rotten, Laid iu the grave and soon loi'irott'n.