Leading Business Men of Fairfield County

They were surprised during the fall of 1640 by the entrance into their harbor of a party of white men, probably the first that most of them had ever seen. The leader of the whites was Captain Nathaniel Turner, the military commander of the New Haven Colony, and their agent in the purchase of territory, who immediately opened negotiations with the Stamford Indians for their land. They finally disposed of it, keeping only a small reservation for themselves, for " twelve coats, twelve hoes, twelve hatchets, twelve knives, two kettles, and four fathoms of white wampum." A few months later the New Hav«n Colony sold the land purchased at Stamford to the inhabitants of Wethersfield for thirty pounds sterling, the latter agreeing to adopt the New Haven church form of government in their management of affairs. Before the close of the year 1641, there were thirty or forty families from the Wethersfield Colony settled here, the latter in fact being practically abandoned because of the superiority of the soil and situation of Stamford. This colony at Stamford was the most extreme toward the Dutch settlement at Manhattan and the Mohawks in eastern New York of any in Connecticut, and consequently it was subject to many fears of an hostile invasion from the west. At one time it looked very much like war with the Dutch, when brave one-legged Peter Stuyvesant, " Gouverneur of the Nieuw Nedterlandts," came galloping up along the coast through Stamford and New Haven to Hartford, where he gave his fearless challenge to the "Yankees." But the clouds happily blew over and were finally settled in 1664 by the conquest of New Netherlands by the Duke of York, and its annexation to the English Crown. It was a considerable time also before they were relieved from the fears of a Mohawk invasion by their being driven back from the Hudson toward the western part of New York State. Hardly had they been freed from these when in 1653, serious troubles were threatened by the prospective revolt of the home Indians in their reservation near Stamford. If these had once started out upon the war-path there is no doubt that the infant colony would have been completely blotted out, but they were quieted just in time by the "prudent measures of the colony." After this, however, the colonists had to take part in the other colonial wars with the Indians, including that of King Philip, which resulted in the final suppression of any fear of " Indian massacres " in this part of the land. STAMFORD, PAST AND PRESENT. 153 Stamford must have grown very slowly during the century from 1650 to 1750, as the records of the State show little evidence of its existence during that time. The name of the first minister does not seem to be easily obtainable, but the second was the Reverend John Davenport, son of John Davenport, the famous originator and leader of the New Haven Colony. The Rev. Mr. Davenport's pastorate in Stamford was thirty-six years in duration from 1695 to 1731, when he departed this life. He wrought a powerful work for good here and was greatly loved by the people. On his tomb it was written: "Religion, while he dwelt below, Its sacred influence on him shed; Learning and grace adorned his brow, And round their balmy odors spread. Unfading honors shall his tomb surround, To guard and wait the prophet's sleeping clay, Till the last trumpet raise him from the ground, To join the triumphs of th' important day." The Hon. Abraham Davenport, son of the Rev. John Davenport of Stamford, born here and a life-long resident, was for many years one of the Councillors of the Colony and later of the State of Connecticut. He was one of the most influential men of the State during the Revolution and the early days of the nation's life under the Constitution. The following accounts of him are related in the " Travels of Dr. D wight," President of Yale College: "The 19th day of May, 1780, was a remarkably dark day. Candles were lighted in many houses; the birds were silent and disappeared, and the fowls retired to roost. The legislature of the State was then in session at Hartford. A very general opinion prevailed that the day of judgment was at hand. The House of Represent- atives, being unable to transact their business, adjourned. A proposal to adjourn the Council was under consideration. When the opinion of Colonel Davenport was asked, he answered, ' I am against an adjournment. The day of judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles maybe brought.' The other instance took place at Danbury, at the Court of Common Pleas, of which he was chief-justice. This venerable man, after he was struck with death, heard a considerable part of a trial, gave the charge to the jury, and took notice of an article in the testimony that had escaped the notice of the counsel on both sides. He then retired from the bench, and was soon afterward found dead in his bed." During the Revolutionary war Stamford sustained her part with honor. At the beginning of the war in 1775, the total valuation of Stamford was £34,078, only sur- passed by a dozen or so of the largest towns in the State, which shows that there had been a great increase during the last quarter century. It is known that some of her citizens marched to Lexington at the time of the alarm, because the town was paid £28 8s. 4c?. for their expenses by the Legislature. The proximity of Stamford to New York made the town unusually subject to incursions from the British, who used frequently to land in the harbor, shooting and carrying off cattle. Col. David Waterbury, one of the most active workers for the Continental Government in this part of the State, raised a regiment from this vicinity late in the summer of 1775, which he led into Canada with the expedition made by General 154 STAMFORD, 'PAST AND PRESENT. Montgomery and Benedict Arnold. For meritorious service during this campaign, Colonel David Waterbury was promoted to be a Brigadier General. The records of the State give evidence that even during the time of the Revolution some trade had already sprung up with the West Indies. In the early part of IV 7 8, a company of twenty-four men and a commander were stationed here as a guard to the region round about. The Continental naval force in the Sound, which was not very large, used to make the Stamford harbor a frequent rendezvous, because of its security and fine situation for making a sudden descent upon the enemy. Most of the prisoners which the Continental troops captured in this region were stationed first at Stamford and then despatched to Hartford. There also seems to have been quite a number of tories here, who were sent to Hartford along with the prisoners and either obliged to sign an oath of allegiance to the Continental Government or remain in the State dungeon. Stamford seems to have done trading about this time with the West Indies in New England Rum, which, however, never came to be an important part of their merchandise. According to the existing records Stamford and the surrounding region must have furnished a very large and unusual amount of supplies to the Continental army. Another company under Captain Abraham Bradley was ordered to be stationed here by Governor Trumbull, July 7, 1777. Two days later, July 9, 1777, the Legislature appointed Reuben Scofield, of Stamford, to be the captain of a battalion of men raised in the State " to guard the seacoast toward New York." In January of the following year, 177S, as the State papers show, yet another company was raised and stationed at Stamford under the command of John Bear. This would demonstrate that the Governor and Legislature fully appreciated the strategic importance of Stamford. Probably the fact that it was such a rendezvous for troops was the reason that it was never invaded by the British. Its sons, however, were not lacking in any important engagement, and fought with the cool and enduring courage for which the Connecticut troops were renowned, at Bunker Hill, Brooklyn, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Saratoga, Brandywine and York- town, as well as suffered with patience indomitable the horrors of Valley Forge and the " Black Prison " in. New York. After the Revolution Stamford did not progress as rapidly as might have been expected from the start which she had made. The shipping business went down almost as quickly as it had arisen, in fact was nipped in the bud by the embargo of 1812. Stamford's part in this war was not very conspicuous, owing doubtless to the lack of ships, with which New England achieved most of her fame at this time. By 1830, the influence of manufactures was beginning to be felt, and in 1836, there were in the town " ten or twelve stores, one iron foundry, one rolling mill, one wire factory, and two large boot and shoe manufactories; a bank, with a capital of $ 100,000, chartered in 1834, and a postoffice." Increase from this time on was steady. In 1840 the population of the town had reached 3,516, and in 1850 it was 5,000. The outbreak of the war in 1861 was not unexpected nor met with hesitation in Stamford. A full quota of men was sent out in the Third Connecticut Regiment, Co. D, which took part and fought bravely in the battle of Bull Run. STAMFORD, PAST AND PRESENT. 155 Stamford was also represented by brave men in Co. I of the Ninth Regiment, Co. G of the Tenth, Co. B of the Thirteenth, Co. B, Capt. Charles A. Hobbie, of the Seventeenth, and in the Twenty-eighth by Co. A, Capt. Francis R. Leeds, and Co. B, Capt. Cyrus D. Jones, both entirely from Stamford, and by men in Co. C of the same regiment.