The Romance of Norwalk

Of varied character, ability and station in life, were the first residents in our fair city. They were made up of three classes, as were most of the English who emigrated to this country. In the first class were the non-conformists, those who would not bend to the will of the church of England. In the second were the “subsidy” men, those who collected the extraordinary or special tax levied by Parliament for the benefit of the Crown for some special dispensation, a war, new jail, hospitals or the like. Members of this group, usually known in the mother country as “the King’s subsidy men” were extremely unpopular in England. The people were very heavily taxed as it was and these special taxes which occurred at more or less regular intervals provoked in them a smouldering wrath. It was no compliment in those days to be termed a “subsidy man” and it will be noted by looking back over the first Norwalkers, just named, that several of them announced upon their arrival in this country that they were “no subsidy” men. The third class included those who were distasteful to the ruling powers and who were sent out of England for rebellion or who came here under assumed names. Half of the Norwalkers were in the first class and the rest were in the second, with the ex¬ ception of Richard Webb who was carried on shipboard, “fetched off by Secretary Windbank’s warrants.” There were not many eminent men among the first plant¬ ers here, and yet Hollister, the Connecticut historian, says that “more than four-fifths of the early landed proprietors ROMANCE OF NORWALK 46 of Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor” (which towns har¬ bored most of the Norwalkers before they came here) “be¬ longed to families which had arms granted to them in Great Britain.” But, arms or no arms, they were filled with the right spirit: courage, fortitude, instinct of colonization. Our forefathers had brawn as well as brains and they needed both. Norwalk was a wilderness when they appeared on the scene, beautiful no doubt, but terrifying just the same. The trees were huge and closely grown; and dense under¬ brush, rotting logs, swamps and bogs, presented difficulties that only the most courageous could face and overcome. The first settlers were fortunate in one respect: there was a shelter here upon their arrival. Some historians maintain that it was a “long black house” built by the planters who had already spent several months here. Others say there were several rude log cabins here. At any rate there was an overhead covering of some sort which provided sufficient shelter until the colonists could provide better. HOME LOTS GRANTED Just when the original grants of home lots to the first settlers were made is not known. At first, lands were owned in common by the settlers, but later, divisions and allotments were made. The early land records are generally undated and are sandwiched in between other records of the years from 1670 to 1690. Over some of the land records, a hand other than the one which originally wrote the record, has inserted the date of 1652. Whether or not that was the correct date of the recording of the land we cannot prove. The original idea of the home lot was to foster coopera¬ tion and coordination in the little colony. It was decided to allow each settler four acres and these plots were assigned, according to age, character, rank and property. Note the following rule : “That in dividing of lands to the several persons in each town, regard is to be had partly to the number of persons 1 FIRST SETTLERS 47 in a family, to the more, assigning the greater allotment, to the fewer, the less, and partly by the number of beasts by which a man is fit to occupy the land assigned to him and subdue it; eminent respect, in this case, may be given to men of eminent quality and descent, in assigning unto them more large and honorable accommodations, in regard to their greater disbursements to public charges.” The four leading men in the community, Matthew Mar¬ vin Sen., Nathaniel Eli, or Ely, Thomas Fitch and Richard Olmstead, were accordingly placed nearest the meeting house. Richard Olmstead, whose name from time to time has been found spelled Omstead, Omsted, Olmsted and Olm- stedd, was one of the most influential men in the community. It was he who was named surveyor and who laid out the original home lots in East Norwalk. One of his descend¬ ants, Mrs. Arthur Russell, of 83 East Ave., still makes her home here in Norwalk. There are many other descendants scattered throughout the United States. An Olmstead As¬ sociation, which meets annually at an appointed place, has been formed and once a year members of the family gather from all four corners of the United States to renew acquain¬ tanceships. Mrs. Louise Coolidge, 15 Arch st., and Mrs. Walter Pierson, 85 East ave., are both members of the association. Mrs. Coolidge, Mrs. Pierson and Mrs. Le- Grand Betts, 83 East ave., are all descendants of the original Olmstead family which came to America and which con¬ sisted of several brothers. In laying out the home lots, the Rev. Thomas Hanford was placed near the center of the tiny village out of respect for his office and for the sake of convenience, so he would % be near the meeting house in the middle of the community. H e was allowed a right of $300 in the “commonage.” It should here be explained that the commonage, commanage, ancient common, common or common land, was really town property. The early maps of Norwalk show an “ancient common” at Fort Point. The common planting field was 48 ROMANCE OF NORWALK near Gregory Point. For a time both Indians and whites shared its use. Very early, the wise city fathers took steps to prevent any of ye good townspeople from giving a “long journey” as an excuse for not attending church. They so arranged the first Norwalk home lots, that everyone lived within reasonable distance of the meeting house. One other reason, in addi¬ tion to those of age, character, rank, property and church attendance, figured in the arrangement of Norwalk’s first home lots, i. e., the convenience of “watch and ward.” In order to guard against sudden attack by the Indians, houses must be placed near together so that the men might assemble speedily in case of emergency. Concerning the placing of the homes near the church, there is an old New England law to the effect that: “Where¬ soever the lands of any man’s inheritance shall fall, yet no man shall set his dwelling house above the distance of half a mile, or a mile at furthest, from the meeting of congrega¬ tion, where the church doth usually assemble for the worship of God.” So it was quite necessary that the home lots be of a cer¬ tain size, large enough, but not so large that by reason of their very length and breadth the villagers would be pushed outside that one mile radius and incidentally outside the law. Richard Olmstead was the surveyor. TOWN ARRANGEMENT The main road through the settlement was plotted out and named “Towne Street” and it included that part of East ave., which extends from the ancient burial ground, now known as the East Norwalk cemetery, up to the top of “Earl Hill,” halfway up East ave. The road was about four rods wide, just a pack horse way. The south end of it was comparatively straight and level, although the upper part was exceedingly rough, rather as though the settlers, becom- FIRST SETTLERS 49 ing weary with their task, did not take the same pains at the end, as they did at the beginning. The plots were numbered up from the old cemetery or burial place, according to Selleck. “From this point (the cemetery) the ‘land allotments’ were numbered and from the same point, two ‘ways’ parted, the one to the Pasture and the Neck, and the other to the Ballast at the harbor end of the cove, west of the water-side home of John Gregory, Sr. The pasture and the planting soil were reached from the southeastern end of the burial slope,” (see map) “through a gate which was erected not far below the small bridge, now standing just under the burial ground hill. This was the settlement’s private gate. The ‘gate lot’ was the same as stands today on the road to Gregory’s Point (n. e. corner) directly opposite Josiah Raymond’s Place.” Beyond the “gate lot” a path led “To Fields, Canfield and Half Mile Islands;” a second, to Half Mile Island; and a third “To Spruce Swamp and Calf Pasture.” The settlers kept all their young stock, the calves especially, out at Calf Pasture or else “scowed” them across to Calf Pasture Is¬ land. Thus originated the name of our well known bathing beach and island. Through ye “ancient gate” the pastures and the planting fields were reached. Just above the gate was Beacham’s bridge and close by, the lane and house of Beacham, who was one of the first gate keepers. The road at the lower end of the town was labelled “To the Ballast.” The ballast, it is thought, took its name from that spot on the coast where many stones were found sunken. Here the vessels in early times stopped to take on ballast. The Towne st., now East ave., was not the oldest highway in Norwalk. The first was the route from Stamford to Fair- field, which cut right across the little settlement. This was alternately called the “Stamford Path,” “Fairfield Path,” or “Stamford and Fairfield Path.” It came over Flaxhill road, up Fort Point st., crossed Towne street, turned up what is now Fitch st., thence to Strawberry hill, from which place it took an easterly direction. This ancient trail, in 50 ROMANCE OF NORWALK existence when the settlers arrived here, both Stamford and Fairfield having been founded before Norwalk, was marked by heaps of stones and barked trees. One other path was already well worn when the Norwalkers arrived. That was “Ponasses path” leading to what is now New Canaan and called by us, Ponus avenue.