The Romance of Norwalk

“A silver-mine is located in the Northern part of Wilton, near the residence of the late Charles Sturges, about an eighth of a mile east of the old Danbury turnpike. It ap¬ pears that it was originally divided into shares and worked a short time before the Revolutionary War, and the manager or overseer, after having sent away all the ore that had been 103 NORWALK IN 1750 dug, under pretense of having it examined, suddenly left ‘between two days’, leaving the shareholders minus the amount of their subscriptions and also their share of the ‘rocks.’ “After it was known for a certainty that the superintendent did not intend to return and resume work, the stockholders began to look around to see if there was not some property left that could be made available toward paying them for money invested and labor rendered. Tradition says that all the property to be found consisted of an old negro slave and a pair of oxen which were sold for the benefit of the credi¬ tors. It is also said that many persons in comfortable circum¬ stances who had subscribed liberally toward working the mine, were by this operation considerably reduced in circum¬ stances.” Mr. Hurd then goes on to give the “Indenture”, copied from the town records of Norwalk, which includes the con¬ tract for working the mine and the names of the parties engaged. The indenture was made in May 17, 1765 be¬ tween Alexander Ressique of Norwalk on the one hand and Samuel Betts, Nathan Hubbell, Matthew Mead, Matthew Merwine, James Olmsted, Jr., Silas Olmsted, Joseph Rock¬ well, Jr., Jesse Ogden, all of Norwalk, and Matthew Foun¬ tain of Bedford, New York. The contractors were given liberty to “dig, search, work for, and raise all such lead ‘oar’ or copper ‘oar’, tin ‘oar’ and all other ‘oars’ and minerals which could be dug up, on the property belonging to Ressique situated and lying in the town of s’d Norwalk, near the dwelling house of Azar Belden, in quantity about forty acres.” The would-be miners were also given liberty to erect and build “cupolus, smelting house, store houses and any other buildings,” they might deem nec¬ essary, and were to be allowed to use whatever clay, sand, stones and timbers on the property, they might need. In return, Alexander Ressique was to have one eighth of all ores and minerals mined, “after the same is pounded and washed and fitted for refining” Norwalkers who bought 104 ROMANCE OF NORWALK stock in the company, if such it might be called, evidently got nothing for their trouble and their life savings but empty pocketbooks and sore hearts. Hurd, in the history, says that the mine is at present (his history being dated 1882) owned by heirs of John Hurlbutt, deceased. Azar Belden appears to have come into the prop¬ erty after Ressique, and before Hurlbutt. Of him it is said: “Captain Azar Belden was a large landowner, who first introduced merino sheep into this section of the state. He was a man also of some military renown. Soon after the Revolutionary War, some Englishmen called on Mr. Bel¬ den, with a view of working the mine. “Everything was soon arranged between the two parties. They put up their machinery which was a common windlass worked by hand and soon commenced business in a small way, digging to a depth of about 150 feet. They built a small shanty in the woods nearby, where they lived and where during the nightime, they coined a considerable amount of bullion. They kept their silver hid from the vigilance of officers and sightseers. After having worked the mine for some time they suddenly absconded, taking their treasure and about five barrels of ore with them. Nothing further was done in regard to this mine until a few years ago, (late i88o’s) when a party from New York came up and had it reopened, it having been filled up to near the surface. They carried off specimens of the ore, but have never returned to resume work.” MID-CENTURY HOME LIFE By the middle of the eighteenth century, Norwalk boasted houses all of which were framed, and some of which were even two full stories in height. They were built on heavy oak timbers, eighteen inches in diameter. The rafters were extremely large and supported slit sticks called ribs which were laid across at regular intervals and fastened with tough NORWALK IN 1750 105 wrought nails. Oak clapboards smoothed with a shaving knife covered the ribs. Inside, rooms were about seven feet high with plastered walls. Square or diamond shaped win¬ dows, opening outwards, much after the manner of modern casement windows, double oak planked doors, and chimneys, often with a base twelve feet square, were features of the homes in 1750 in Norwalk. Imported goods and some very excellent home manufac¬ tured products now took their places in the homes. There were fluted decanters and wineglasses in the place of the tankards; there was brassware on the heavy tables and side¬ boards and real mahogany in the “parlor.” Shops had ap¬ peared in Norwalk by this time, and so the good house¬ wives were able to supplement the stores in their own attics by purchases at the corner grocer. Meals had now become more elaborate affairs, were very substantial, and often quite heavy, at least the modern stom¬ achs might find them so. Breakfast usually consisted of a soup made of salt meat and beans, seasoned with savory herbs. This was called bean porridge. Beer and cider were the beverages. Dinner invariably included a large Indian pudding with an appropriate sauce for the first course. After this came boiled beef or pork and perhaps wild game with potatoes. Turnips and other vegetables followed, succo¬ tash in season, and samp and pumpkins in the fall. Supper, usually referred to as tea, was also a substantial meal though often cold, with an occasional variation of cakes made of corn meal, rye or buckwheat. Potatoes, au naturel, are now an accepted and popular dish. Such has not always been the case. In fact, in the early days of the American colonies, no one ate the “queer roots.” They were looked upon as rather useless, unhealthy, even poisonous, and very difficult to pre¬ pare. It was said: “if a man ate them every day he could not live beyond seven years.” If meals had become elaborate in this vicinity by the mid¬ dle of the eighteenth century, so had dress. Both men and women were roundly criticized from the pulpit for their ex- io6 ROMANCE OF NORWALK travagance. The men were scored for their exaggerated wigs which the ministers termed “bushes of vanity.” The women were scored for their outlandish hair styles, espe¬ cially. Coiffeurs at this time, 1750, featured huge rolls that no ordinary hat would fit. Accordingly, the milliners devised a sort of head cape with “draw string,” called a “calash.” This was usually of brown or green silk, extended by whale¬ bones through the shirrings. About this time, dresses were of camlet or moire, the watered camlet over stiffened petticoats made of durant, a close grained woolen material, being greatly in favor. “Fall¬ ing whisks” of fine linen or lace, at neck and wrists were popular. How did fashions reach Norwalk, or the colonies, for that matter? There were no large dress house repre¬ sentatives making flying trips to Paris; there were no fashion magazines being sent here from France. Travel of all kinds was slow and news was slower. America first received its Paris fashions from France by way of London. Parisian dressmakers gowned miniature jointed dolls in the very latest styles, shipped them to England, which country in turn sent them on to America. The dolls, complete to millinery and coiffure, arrived in this country every four or five months and all the mantua makers made haste to copy the latest ideas for their wealthy patrons. FEW HOLIDAYS There were plenty of fancy clothes to wear on holidays, but unfortunately the government didn’t allow the colonists very many holidays on which they might flaunt their gay attire. As a matter of fact there were only two public days for the people : fast day and Thanksgiving. Christmas was scarcely observed, certainly not as we observe it today, until late in the 18th century. Back in those old days in Norwalk when Indian footsteps and wild animal trails ran side by side with the new wagon and chaise ruts, Christmas was a very bleak day indeed, minus the proverbial jolly old Santa Claus, 107 NORWALK IN 1750 the sleigh bells, the plum puddings, or the stockings on the hearth. This condition resulted from the fact that the holy days of the English church were abhorrent to the early colo¬ nists, just as everything connected with the English church was abhorrent to them, and so they rigidly forbid public cele¬ bration of any kind on the 25th of December. In 1659, after Norwalk had been settled about 8 years, the celebration of Christmas in any form was looked upon as a deadly sin. It was to the people, in the words of Shakes¬ peare, “the bug that feared them all.” The very name smacked to them “of incense stole and monkish jargon.” By the time the year 1786 had rolled around in Norwalk, we find that Christmas was being appropriately celebrated, at least as we understand the term, in church and home. One of the early records of St. Paul’s Episcopalian church speaks of the worshippers of 1786 who flocked to the church for the mid-night service until the yard was “black with people.” Candles burned in every pane of the nave; the deep tones of the church bell rang out clear and sweet across the frosty air and in the words of the record, Christmas “set its warm kiss upon the inner man of the heart.” From the hour of lighting the candles on Christmas eve, all work on the part of the farm hands was suspended for the next twelve days. Well, that wasn’t such a bad holiday.