The Romance of Norwalk

The Rev. Stephen S. Buckingham now began causing the townspeople a little trouble, quite a little trouble; so much trouble in fact that they were forced to call almost as many town meetings to settle his problem as had been necessary for the problem of the second meeting house, which were generous enough. Readers will recall the grand welcome given the Reverend gentleman when he arrived in town in 1695, the welcome including a beautiful house with “seller,” a garden, a plot for cultivation, free firewood and eighty pounds a year. Alas, alack, that the townspeople should have been so shortsighted as to put a “seller” in the path of the Rev. Buckingham, for verily, it proved his undoing. First rumblings of the storm ahead were heard on Febru¬ ary 18, 1725 or 1726, the records are not clear which year, when the town determined that “something shall be done in order to regulate ye difficulties ariseing in the town about ye Reverend Mr. Buckingham.” Seven men were forthwith ap¬ pointed to present the grievances of the town to the ministers of the county. In the meantime, until the matter should be 98 ROMANCE OF NORWALK settled, Mr. Buckingham’s salary was stopped. The town was taking no chances. It is a significant fact that not once in the town records does the real reason for the Reverend’s troubles appear nor do any of the early church society rec¬ ords disclose the rock of perturbation. One Phebe Com¬ stock did make note, however, of the trouble quite casually in her memoirs. She said only: “Often heard people speak of Mr. Buckingham; he was an excellent preacher, but it was said that he drank too much; and that was the reason that he was dismissed.” The county ministers formally gathered to discuss the question, their meeting being followed by a number of local town meetings all on the subject of “what to do?” Matters came to such a pass in 1727 that the townsmen came right out and said the whole trouble was caused by: “the said gentleman’s frequent visit to ye house of Mr. Lines with some other remarkable occurrences,” what, the records do not disclose. Rev. Buckingham resigned February 24, 1727, after 30 years in the ministry. He had been ordained No¬ vember 17, 1697. The year 1727 found the people divided in religious be¬ liefs. Some belonged to the First Congregational church, otherwise called “The Prime Ancient Society,” which was formally organized in 1727, while others adhered to the Church of England faith. As early as 1729, the Episcopa¬ lians appear to have held services here in a tiny ramshackle building on Newtown ave. in the vicinity of the present St. Paul’s church. This building served until 1742, when the building afterwards destroyed by Tryon, was erected. It is believed that the Rev. Henry Caner of Fairfield was the first Episcopal minister to preach here. The first pastor of the new Congregational church was the Rev. Moses Dickinson, who was invited to Norwalk June 26, 1727. He was a man about 35 years of age and he came from New Jersey. It was said of him that “Princeton college was born in his brother’s dwelling.” It was also said of him that he came of excellent family, and was of OFFSHOOTS OF NORWALK 99 appearance so striking, that when he walked up the new stone steps which had been built in front of the East avenue church meeting-house, the hearts of all the girls in the neigh¬ borhood skipped a few beats. He died May day, 1778, at the age of 83 after being a minister for more than 50 years. NORWALK OFFSHOOTS Norwalk was growing and growing fast, branching out in every direction, and substantial settlements were being made in all the outlying districts. Of course, it was not to be expected that Norwalk could control all the land over which its settlers first roamed and in 1725 we find Wilton, the oldest daughter of Norwalk, becoming a separate parish. In that year, on December 7, Norwalk signified its willing¬ ness “that the inhabitants of Kent, Belden’s Hill and Chest¬ nut Hill and so upwards, become a parish or village by themselves.” New Canaan and Saugatuck, also “parish off¬ shoots” of Norwalk, the parent stock, now boasted promis¬ ing little plantations. On all sides of Norwalk, civilization was creeping in. By the year 1750, Danbury, Ridgefield, Greens Farms, Redding, Newtown, Darien, called in those days Middlesex, and the aforementioned Wilton, New Canaan and Saugatuck, all bore healthy settlements, and roads of various degrees of mudiness and ruttiness lead to all. Darien had been settled about the same time as Stamford, 1640. Greens Farms, the oldest settlement in Westport, was originally called Maximus, a corruption of the Indian name, Machamux. The settlement was begun in 1648, when “it was agreed that Thomas Newton, Henry Gray and John Green shall have liberty to sit down and inhabit at Machamux.” Daniel Frost- and Francis Andrews were later added to the above three who were the proprietors of the settlement for the next 20 years. Danbury, of course, had been settled long since, in 1685 by eight families, seven of whom came from Norwalk. They IOO ROMANCE OF NORWALK were: Thomas Taylor, Francis Bushnell, Thomas Barnum, John Hoyt, James Benedict, Samuel Benedict, Judah Greg¬ ory and James Beebe, the latter being from Stratford. In Redding, the first grant of lands was made to Cyprian Nichols on October 13, 1687. New Canaan received her first permanent visitors from both Norwalk and Stamford, shortly after 1700. Newtown was purchased July 25, 1705. Ridgefield was purchased for one hundred pounds in 1708. In May of that year a petition was presented to the General Assembly of the state by a number of inhabitants of Norwalk who wished to buy land there. The property was subsequently purchased from Catoonah, sachem of the Rampoo or Ramapoo Indians by John Belden, Samuel Kee¬ ler Sen., Matthew Seamer, James Brown, Benjamin Wilson, Joseph Birchard, John Whitne, Senr., Matthias St. John, Benjamin Hickcock, John Beebe, Samuel St. John, John Bouten, Joseph Keeler, Samuel Smith, Jr., Jonathan Steven, Daniel Olmsted, Richard Olmsted, John Stirdevant, Samuel Keeler, Jr., Joseph Bouton, Jonathan Rockwell, Edmond Wareing, Joseph Whitne, Daniel Hait, Thomas Hyott, James Benedick, Joseph Crampton, Ebenezer Sension, Mat¬ thew St. John, all of Norwalk and Thomas Smith, Thomas Canfield and Samuell Smith of Milford. New Canaan became a separate town in 1801. When the Norwalk fathers met in session, April 13, 1801, and “put to vote whether the town would do anything respecting the memorial to the General Assembly May next, by the inhabitants of the parish of Canaan, praying to be incorpo¬ rated and made a town,” the matter was “past in the nega¬ tive.” September 21, 1801, Wilton made a petition to the General Assembly to become a separate town, and Norwalk voted to oppose the petition. The town was formally or¬ ganized in 1802. Darien became a separate town in 1820. Of the years of effort necessary for this final realization, we shall speak later. Westport was incorporated in 1835 from portions of Norwalk, Fairfield and Weston. NORWALK IN 1750 Chapter X Business Good — Large Property Purchases — History of Silvermine Artists ’ Section — Mid-century Home Life In Norwalk — Few Holidays — Dreary Christmas — Cheerful Tha nksgivin g — 1 (B u ndling.” The town of Norwalk by the year 1750, boasted two churches and two schools, one at the south end of the town and one at the north end. There was steady travel along the Boston Post Road from Boston to New York. New York newspapers occasionally reached Norwalk, for the metropolis boasted a “people’s voice’’ as early as 1721. Boats too, plied between Norwalk and New York. By 1750, there were substantial settlements of houses in East Nor¬ walk, Norwalk, known as “The Bridge,’’ in “Over River,” which included parts of South Norwalk and West ave., and in “Old Well,” South Norwalk. Business was progressive, money was fairly plentiful and large sections of property were purchased by residents. In January, 1750, there is recorded that Ralph Isaacs bought of John Seymour of Norwalk, the land which is now covered by the Town Assembly Hall building, the adjoining stores, the railway station, the bank and Glendening’s drug store. ORIGIN OF SILVERMINE H ow did Silvermine, that portion of northern Norwalk which now harbors such a large artists’ colony, get its name? That has always Been a most interesting question. Deduc¬ tion, no doubt in this case correct, would be that there must at one time have been a silver mine in the vicinity. Accord- 102 ROMANCE OF NORWALK ing to D. Hamilton Hurd, historian and author of a compre¬ hensive history of Fairfield County, there was such a mine, and he speaks of it in his accounts of both New Canaan and Wilton. What is more, local people have been over the ground where the mine is supposed to have been located, and discovered great holes which give every evidence of once having been “worked.” The old silver mine, according to modern locations, ap¬ pears to be on property, known as the Austin Lord farm, now in the hands of the Lord descendants, close to the old New Canaan and Wilton road, and back of the present prop¬ erty of Clifton Meek of Silvermine. The mine itself is on the west side of the farm. Fred Buttery of Silvermine tells of having been over the property many times and seen the holes, in the woods on the Lord farm. That Silvermine takes its name from this mine, there can be little doubt. Old records give several different spellings to the settlement in¬ cluding: Silver Mines, Silver-Mine, Silver Mine and Silver- mine. A number of Norwalk people were involved in the work¬ ing of the mine in 1765, when it was owned by Alexander Ressique or Ressigue of Norwalk, whose property on the outskirts of the town, covered more than 40 acres. Of the mine itself, Hurd tells an interesting tale. Locations, as given in the document may prove a little confusing, but it should be remembered that Wilton was once part of Nor¬ walk and that where Wilton property is mentioned it was formerly owned by Norwalk men. Of the various frauds perpetrated in connection with the mine and of what finally happened to the “diggings”, Mr. Hurd writes :