The Romance of Norwalk

During the month of March, 1705, southern Connecticut was swept by one of the worst snow storms in history, a storm which effectively trapped the residents in their homes, held up all traffic and brought serious consequences to settlers in the outlying districts. Heavy, driving snow continued for nearly five days. Flakes were so thick that a man could see but a few feet before his hand, and the temperature was very low. All communication was cut off between Norwalk and the surrounding towns and no provisions of any kind came into the village. As soon as the storm abated to any extent, rescue parties set out to homes in West Norwalk and Wilton to see in what straits the inhabitants were. Food, fuel and light were car¬ ried on sleighs to settlers in outlying districts, who perhaps had been without all three for days. When the weather cleared again, the men in the town commenced immediately to cut roads from Norwalk to South Norwalk and across to East Norwalk to reconnect people who had been lost to each other for the best part of a week. In some cases, the men 92 OFFSHOOTS OF NORWALK 93 worked days to dig through drifts and to unearth houses which had almost been covered by the mountains of snow. BLUE LAWS As time went on, in many ways did the town of Norwalk change; in few ways did the people change. Stern, dignified, serious minded, they ruled themselves and their neighbors with an iron hand. Echoes of the famous “Blue Laws,” sometimes called the “Bloody Blue Laws” of New England were heard from time to time in Norwalk and were reflected in the severity of the punishment meted out for trifling mis¬ deeds. Much that is true and much that is untrue has been written about these Blue Laws. Some histories even go so far as to ignore them entirely, or else to brand them as fakes. But they weren’t fakes. On the contrary. They were an out¬ growth of the criminal code of the New Haven colony and were duplicated in similar style throughout New England. Samuel Peters, Tory, lists them in his scathing book “Gen¬ eral History of Connecticut.” Although many have accused Peters of manufacturing the blue laws out of whole cloth, such was not the case. Recent investigations have shown that practically all of the 45 statutes cited by Peters have been found either in the early New Haven colony records or among the codes of the various New England colonies, with but slight modifications. The laws are also found with few changes in a book writ¬ ten by one Neal, many years before Peters wrote his book, which was in about 17 89. They are also thoroughly dis¬ cussed in “An Examination of Peter’s Blue Laws,” in the annual report of the American Historical association for 1898, by W. F. Prince. A few of them are reprinted herewith: “No food or lodging shall be afforded to a Quaker, Adamite or other Heretic. “No Priest shall abide in this Dominion; he shall be 94 ROMANCE OF NORWALK banished, and suffer death on his return. Priests may be seized by anyone without a warrant. “No one shall run on a Sabbath day, or walk in his garden or elsewhere, except reverently to and from meeting. “No one shall travel, cook victuals, make beds, sweep house, cut hair or shave on the Sabbath day. “No woman shall kiss her child on the Sabbath or fasting day. “A person accused of trespass in the night shall be judged guilty, unless he clear himself by his oath. “When it appears that an accused has confederates, and he refuses to discover them, he may be racked. “Men-stealers shall suffer death. “A man that strikes his wife shall pay a fine of ten pounds ; a woman that strikes her husband shall be punished as the Court directs. “A wife shall be deemed good evidence against her hus¬ band. “Whoever brings cards or dice into this dominion shall pay a fine of five pounds. “No one shall read Common-Prayer, keep Christmas, or Saints days, make minced pies, dance, play cards or play on any instrument of music, except the drum, trumpet and jews- harp. “No gospel Minister shall join people in marriage; the magistrates only shall join in marriage, as they may do it with less scandal to Christ’s Church. ‘“Married persons must live together or be imprisoned. “Every male shall have his hair cut round according to a cap.” The insistence of the colony Blue Laws that the hair be cut round according to a “cap”, was based on two purposes: first to insure simplicity of style and tidiness in cut; second, to prevent those who had lost their ears as a punishment for some infraction of the law, from covering their shame with long hair. The usual haircuts were accomplished in many instances with the aid of gouged out pumpkin shells. OFFSHOOTS OF NORWALK 95 Thus originated the nickname “Pumpkin heads“ as applied to New Englanders. SAD SABBATHS The reference in the blue laws to the sin of walking in the garden or of running on Sunday, gives but an intimation of the “sour and sad” Sabbaths “enjoyed” in early days. The Sabbath began Saturday evening at sundown and con¬ tinued until sunset, Sunday. It was rigidly observed, often right through till Monday morning. In one of the old Nor¬ walk tales, reference is made to Bouton Hoyt and Freelove Wright, both of whom were so strict about keeping the Sab¬ bath holy, that on Saturday night when the sun went down, the water was shut off at the Five Mile Raceway in Roway- ton and everything was still until Monday morning. The children spent a more or less miserable time of it what with much Bible reading, no amusements of any sort, and stiff uncomfortable clothing. Ordinary living conditions were resumed as soon as the sun went down Sunday night. The Sabbath evening was visiting time for the older folk and courting time for the young. Only the children were left out in the cold for they were put to bed. The first quarter of the new century saw many changes and improvements in the Norwalk settlement, including the formal possession of certain Islands by the town, the erection of another mill, the formation of a new burying ground, the sale of Gregory’s Point, the building of the third meeting house and the beginning of trouble with the Rev. Stephen Buckingham. The Townsmen decided January 4, 1702 that whereas the town of Norwalk had had possession of certain islands in the harbor and also their improvement for more than 40 years, without suffering interference or claim by anyone, it was no more than right that the town should take formal possession of “Cockenoes Island known by sayd name, and Mamachimons Island, and the Long Island, and Camfield’s Island, known by sayd names, and all other Is- 96 ROMANCE OF NORWALK lands lying in or adjacent unto the towneshipp of Norwalk.” The other large property change during the first quarter of the new century took place when the town granted a por¬ tion of Gregory’s Point to John Benedict, at the same time reserving the right to the use of a road through Benedict’s property to the end of the Point, which privilege was to re¬ main with the town forever. In 1708, December 16, the Over River Burying ground, thought to be the second cemetery in the little settlement, was laid out on the west side of the Norwalk River, in South Norwalk. The first cemetery, where the sturdy pio¬ neers of the city now sleep, is on East avenue facing the junc¬ tion of Van Zant st. The new meeting house, the third in the town, to which reference is made in a foregoing paragraph, provoked the usual quarrel. Some stood for a new meeting house, others for the repairing and enlarging of the old. The first meeting on the subject was held December 11, 1717. By the time the second meeting came around, in January, the yeas and the nays were so loud and so confused that an amicable settlement was not possible. In fact the meeting seemed unable to discover on which side the majority stood. In order to settle the question, all those in favor of fixing up the old house were asked to march out of the meeting first and be counted; and all those in favor of erecting a new gather¬ ing place were to march out second, and allow themselves to be counted. Thus was the dispute settled, 26 being in favor of repairing and adding to the old house, plus Lt. Taylor who “declared himself to be of that mind though he passed not out;” while 30 were in favor of a new meeting house, plus two others, who for some reason, “passed not out.” August 17, 1720, work was finally begun on the new meet¬ ing house, which was again placed on East ave., but still farther up than the other two, in the direction of Norwalk. It was built with broad stone steps and boasted a bell, taken from the old meeting house. The new building was not to be used for town meetings, but only for religious gatherings, OFFSHOOTS OF NORWALK 97 for “what is consistent with, and agreeable to the most pure and special service of God, for which end it was built and now devoted.” After the town found itself shut out of the new meeting house, business gatherings were held in the “north” or “upper” schoolhouse. However, it was found advisable in 172 6, to build separate quarters for the town meetings. After considerable discussion, it was voted, not to erect another new building, but to build instead, an addi¬ tion to the upper schoolhouse, this to be used solely for town gatherings. According to the Rev. Nathaniel Bouton in his “Historical Discourse of the Two Hundredth Anni¬ versary of the Settlement of Norwalk in 1651,” after the school addition had been used as a town meeting hall for a time, a new hall was built near where the present Town House stands, 1746; and a third was erected on the same spot in 1779. MINISTER IN TROUBLE