The Romance of Norwalk

in New York. On the march to Ticonderoga, which he was ordered to capture, he encamped at Greenbush (Rensselaer) making Fort Cralo his headquarters. While he was en¬ camped there, many men from the manor enlisted in his army. They were exceedingly rude and awkward, nonde¬ script in dress, but expert marksmen. “On General Abercrombie’s staff was a young surgeon, Shuckburg by name, whose derision was aroused at the sight of these raw recruits in their scarecrow-like garb. Tradition has it that he, while sitting on the curb of the well at the rear of Fort Cralo, composed in ridicule of the colonial troops, the lines which have since become famous.” Note that the above article gives the impression that the soldiers in derision of whom the song “Yankee Doodle” was written, came from just around Rensselaer itself, “from the manor.” Had no mention been made of the home of these soldiers, we might have taken it for granted that they were the Colonial sol¬ diers lead by Colonel Thomas Fitch, of Norwalk, into Albany, past the very doors of Fort Cralo. Rensselaer, it should be remembered, is separated from Albany only by bridges and so when mention is made of troops entering either Albany or Rensselaer, practically the same territory is meant. The Rensselaer Business Men’s association, certain of the city’s claim to the origin of the famous song, has published a circular in which Rensselaer is referred to as “The Birthplace of Yankee Doodle.” On the wall of Fort Cralo, sometimes spelled Crailo, has been erected a tablet which bears the following inscription: “Sup¬ posed to be the oldest building in the United States and to have been erected in 1642, as a Manor House and place of defense known as Fort Cralo. Gen’l Abercrombie’s head¬ quarters while marching to attack Fort Ticonderoga in 1758, where it is said that at the cantonment east of this house, near the old well, the army surgeon R. Shuckburg, composed the popular song of ‘Yankee Doodle.’ ” Further substantiation of Norwalk’s claim to Yankee Doo¬ dle fame is contained in a communication from Roscoe Conk- FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR 119 ling Fitch of Detroit, Michigan. Mr. Fitch, historian, who is related to many of the Norwalk Fitches and who recently compiled a pamphlet on the Fitch Families in America, ob¬ jects to the claims made by Rensselaer, first, because that city would take all the Yankee Doodle credit and second, because it claims to have the oldest building in the United States. Concerning the latter, Mr. Fitch says that one ex¬ ample of an older house is the Henry Whitfield State His¬ torical Museum at Guilford, Conn., constructed of stone by the Rev. M. Henry Whitfield in 1639 as a home and a fortified defense against the Indians. Most of the records, including Selleck’s “Norwalk,” claim that Yankee Doodle was written in 1758. Mr. Fitch be¬ lieves that he has discovered additional information to set the date down as 1755. Mr. Fitch bases his claim in part on information obtained from Harper’s Encyclopedia of United States history and in part on information contained in volume one of “The Fitch Papers, Correspondence and Documents During Thomas Fitch’s Governorship of the Colony of Connecticut, i754-i766,” published by the Connecticut Historical Society. In Mr. Fitch’s explanation he says that: “The main army composed of the regular provincial regi¬ ments under Major-General Johnson were encamped at the head of Lake George in 17 55 and from there sent out an urgent call for reinforcements. It can readily be understood that as the regularly uniformed troops were already at the front, the reinforcements were composed of raw recruits, who fitted themselves out as to clothes and equipment as best they could. “The reinforcements included several independent compa¬ nies of volunteers who went into the service at their own expense. Naturally these troops did not wear the gold braided uniforms to which the pompous British officers were accustomed. These reinforcements marched by way of Al¬ bany and Rensselaer, N. Y. One of these volunteers was Colonel Thomas Fitch V, eldest son of Gov. Thomas Fitch 120 ROMANCE OF NORWALK and fifth of the name in direct descent in Connecticut who became a distinguished officer in the French and Indian War and in the Revolution.” Harper’s Encyclopedia adds: “A surgeon in the British Army (this was Dr. Shuckburg) who was with the provin¬ cial troops under Johnson at the head of Lake George, be¬ ing impressed with the uncouth appearance of the provincial soldiers, composed a song to the air, which he called ‘Yan- key’, instead of ‘Nankey Doodle,’ and commended it to the motley soldiers as ‘very elegant.’ ” Quite recently, February 11, 1929, to be exact, the ques¬ tion of the origin of Yankee Doodle came up again for discussion, this time in the New York Times. The matter was brought to the front following the efforts of Senator Williams of Rensselaer county, N. Y., to introduce a bill into the New York State legislature appropriating $15,000 to restore Fort Cralo in Rensselaer county, because of its alleged historic connection with the composition of Yankee Doodle. Now that all is said and done, which has the right to lay claim to a Yankee Doodle house, Rensselaer or Norwalk? Perhaps both have. At least let us allow sleeping dogs to lie and permit Norwalk to enjoy what satisfaction and honor it may from the tradition which gives to Colonel Thomas Fitch, bravest of fighters, the credit for at least being the cause of the composition of the famous song, “Yankee Doo¬ dle.” GOVERNOR FITCH OF NORWALK Chapter XII His Background — Spanish Ship Figures In His Election — Attitude On Stamp Act Brings Him Unpopularity — Pa¬ triots Refuse to Reelect Him — Returns to Norwalk — At¬ tends Wedding of Grand Niece. Throughout the French and Indian war, Thomas Fitch of Norwalk, capably filled the governor’s seat in Hartford, presiding over the colony from 1754 until 17 66. During his first years in office, Fitch gained the confidence, respect and sympathy of the entire colony. Well educated, intelli¬ gent, just, quiet in manner, firm in convictions, wise in the ways of men, as a ruler, he was a credit to the town from which he sprang and to the state which he so carefully gov¬ erned during his twelve years’ control. Even during his last few years in office when pre-Revolutionary troubles broke out and he lost the sympathy of the majority of his people, Fitch still retained the respect of the keener, cooler minds in the colony. The Norwalker’s subsequent loss of public support was due to the fact that he was a conservative and never openly allied himself with the colonists’ cause, being cruelly torn be¬ tween loyalty to King and sense of justice to the colonists. When he left office in 1766, at the time that his people were red hot with indignation against the mother country’s effront¬ eries in the Stamp Act controversy, he found almost the entire population of Connecticut turned against him. The governor was the descendant of a long line of Fitches. The name itself is German and is sometimes found spelled Ffytch or Ffitch. Bocking, a village in Braintree, Essex 121 122 ROMANCE OF NORWALK county, England, was the home of Thomas Fitch, progenitor of the American family. John Fitch of Fitch Castle, parish of Widdington, Essex county, is mentioned in history as early as 1294. There is good reason to believe that the Fitches were of excellent family. Thomas of Bocking had five sons. Three of these came with the mother, after the father’s death, to this coun¬ try about 1637. They were Thomas, Joseph and James. James went to Norwich; Joseph stayed in Norwalk but a few years. Thomas alone remained here. The following is a “cutting” from the family tree: Thomas Fitch, Sr., of Norwalk, who was son of Thomas of Bocking. Thomas Fitch, Jr., son of Thomas, Sr., of Nor¬ walk. “Mr.” or Captain Thomas Fitch, son of Thomas Fitch, Jr. Governor Thomas Fitch, son of “Mr.” Thomas Fitch. The governor was thus the great, great grandson of Thomas of Bocking. The first Thomas was in Norwalk in 1652, being one of the early settlers. He lived to a ripe old age, dying in 1704. The second Thomas, it is believed, died about 1690, although Selleck says 1684. His wife was Ruth Fitch. The third Thomas was born in 1671. He was called “Mr.” Thomas Fitch in Norwalk, but Captain Fitch at Flartford. He was King’s Commissioner in Norwalk from 1691 to 1694. His first wife was Sarah Fitch. This third Thomas Fitch in Norwalk, “Mr.” or “Captain” which¬ ever you chose to call him, had four children: Samuel, who was the Crown’s Justice; James, who was deputy to the gen¬ eral assembly; Elizabeth, and then Thomas, who was the governor. The above is correct as far as the writer has been able to discover. Hall gives the impression that the Governor was of the second generation. Some even set him as far down as the fifth. It would seem, however, that he was rather of the fourth, that is the fourth of that name in America, the fifth in generation, counting Thomas of Bocking. The National Cyclopedia of American Biography insists GOVERNOR FITCH OF NORWALK 123 that Governor Thomas Fitch was the fifth of the name. This would mean that Thomas of Booking was first, Thomas, Sr., of Norwalk, second; Thomas, jr., third; “Mr.” or Cap¬ tain Thomas, fourth; and Gov. Fitch, fifth. With this, His¬ torian Selleck agrees. Thomas, the governor, was born in 1699. His father was “Mr.” or Captain Thomas Fitch who married three times, his wives being Sarah, Phoebe and Rachael. The children, including the governor, were all by his first wife, Sarah. The boy, Thomas, graduated from Yale University in 1721 in a class of 14 members, at Yale’s 20th commence¬ ment. At that time Yale college was a low wooden building painted sky color. Thomas studied theology, was licensed to preach and did preach several times in the Norwalk church. Not long after, however, he turned his attention to state matters.