The Ancient Historical Records of Norwalk, Conn.

Sitting in the Deacons' seat. Jan. 14, 1702. The towne did, by their vote, allow John Gregory, senior, liberty to sitt in the Deacon's seat before the pulpitt, for the advantage and benefitt of his hearing the word preached. Allso at the above sayd meeting the towne did by vote grant and allow, unto Matthew Marvin, liberty to sitt in the Deacon's seat before the pulpitt for the bene- fitt of his hearing the word preached. Horse sheds by the Meeting house, Jan. 14, 1702. Granted liberty to those inhabitants out-dwellers, for to erect shelters for their horses for the Saboath and publique occasions, by Matthias Sen- sion's jr. Lott in the common, not to hinder or obstruct his passage to his barne and yard, or to his shop. In ease of fine by the Sergeant Major. Feb. 26 ; 1702, it was voted and agreed by the towne that in case the present select men shall be fyned by the Serjnt. Major, for the townes defect in not having their proportion of armes and ammunition in their towne stock according to law, the towne engages to pay the fyne, and that by way of rate. -._. The meeting-house bell.' Feb. 3, 1703. The towne voted that the Bell should be fetcht from Ralph Keeler's and forthwith hung up in 1704.] TOWN RECORDS. 99 the meeting house for to "be wrung ther for the proba- tion of the goodnes of the Bell. At the same meeting the towne made choyse of Ralph Keeler and James Stewart to hang the bell in the meeting house, and to doe all that is necessary res- pecting the hanging the sayd bell, and allso to put a new tongue into the bell if it shall in there judgments soe need it. Ringing the bell, andbeating the drum. Dec. 1704. William Lees did engage with and un- to the towne to beat the Drum or ring the bell, and that on all publique occasions. And also to sweep the meet- ing house every week decently ; and the towne engages to allow and pay unto sayd Lees the next yeere the sum of one pound ten shillings. Fetching arms from Stanford. Allso the towne engages to pay any damage that may be done, or happen to be done, in the armes that are to be fetcht from Stanford ; and allso to pay those persons as shall fetch them, reasonable satisfaction for their labor. Seating the meeting house in 1705. Voted, that the meeting house shall be seated with as much conveniency as may be ; and that the order or method of seating the meeting house shall be in the act of the towne bareing date Feb. 21, 1698 ; only further agreed that noe person shall be degraded, or brought lower than they are now seated. Allso voted and agreed that the first long seat in the gallery of the meeting house shall be accounted and deemed as the fifth long seat below, and those as sitt below have liberty there to sitt still. Also that there shall be twelve men seated in the long 100 ' NOR WALK. [1706. seat of the gallery ; namely, the first seat of the gal- lery. Also, there is to be two seats of the gallery seated on i the woman's side of the gallery, if need be. Allso, the towne made choyse of Thomas Betts, senr., Samuell Smith, senr., and Ralph Keeler, senr., they to seat the meeting house according to the order of the- towne. Seating The towne made choyse of a ^committee, vizt. ; James i Olmstead, John Benedick, senr., Samuel Smith, senr., Zerubabell Hoyt, Thomas Betts, senr., Ebenezer Sen- sion, Joseph Piatt, persons with whom the towne havei left that affaire, vizt., the seating of the meeting house ; and they the sayd committee to order and determine that matter according to their best discretion ; they to have respect to age, quality/, and the estates of persons in the publique list, and the towne to abide their deter- mination. Allowance to Mr. Buckingham instead of his yearly Firewood. Feb. 28, 1706-7. Voted and agreed by the towne, to allow Mr. Steven Buckingham twenty pounds pr.i year, to be paid in specie as his rate is to be payd in, he freeing the towne from the obligation they are under, in finding or providing his firewood. Mr. Buckingham's agreement thereto. The town of Norwalk, performing their above mentionH ed engagement, as to summ and price, are now freed from the obligation concerning fire wood to me. S. BUCKINGHAM 1707.] TOWN RECORDS. 101 Cutting Sedge. Dec. IS, 1707. The Towne by their present act, do prohibit any person or persons cutting any sedge or Crick-thatch, on any of the towne's right, before ye first day of September, annually ; and if any person shall presume to act contrary to this act, he or they shall, after the first half load, forfitt twenty shillings for every half load ; to be paid by the person or persons delin- quent, half to ye use of ye town, the other half of said twenty shilllings to the complainer who shall prosecute the same to effect. School Keeping in 1707-8. Feb. 10th, 1707-S. Voted and agreed, that there shall be a schoolmaster hyred according to law. Also, voted and agreed, that ye school master Hired shall attend and keep ye schoole two months on this side of the river, and one month on ye other side. Also granted liberty to those our inhabitants over the river, to erect a schoole house in a convenient place, not prejudissing the highway. The Tov/n keeping good hours. Also voted (1707-S), and agreed, that there shall be no votes passed nor any grants made by the towne, nor any record made of any votes, after nine of the clock at night.* * "In 1708, John Belden, Samuel Keeler, Matthew Seymour, Matthias St. John, and other inhabitants ofNorwalk, to the number of twenty-Uve, purchased a large tract between that tov.ai and Dan- bury. The purchase was made of Catoonah, the chief sachem, and other Indians, who were the proprietors of that part of the country. The deed bears date Sept. 30, 1708. At this session [1 709], it Vv^as ordained, that it should be a distinct township, by the name of Pi,mGEpiELD." — Trumbull^ p. 460. 102 NORWALK. [1708. Keeping order in town meeting. Dec. 16tli, 1708. Voted and agreed that there shall "be a moderator chosen, who shall have power to put to vote all matters or affah'es that are then in adjitation, and also to endeavour to keep good order and decorum in speaking ; and all who are disorderly in speaking, to be by words corrected by the moderator ; and also that if any person shall, notwithstanding, be so bold as to pro- ceed in disorderly speaking, when corrected by the mo- derator, he shall suffer by fyne, imposed on ye delin- quent by ye moderator and the majority of the towns- men, to the sum of five shillings, to be leavied by dis- tress on the estate of the delinquent. Over River Burying Ground. Dec. 16, 1708. The town grants to ye inhabitants on the west side of Norwalk River, a piece of ground for a burying place, on any convenient piece of land in commons; and John Benedick, senr., Zerubabell Hoyt, and Thomas Betts, senr., are appointed a committee to appoint the place. Sitting in the great Pev/. Feb. 10, 1708-9. The town votes Mr. Samuell Hayes into ye great pue, to sitt in upon publique days, &c. Stray Jades. March 4, 1708-9. The town makes choyse of John Steward to claim and sell all stray jades for the town (when no better claim appears), that shall be brought out of ye woods to ye town by the Horse Hun- ters, and that the horse hunters shall have half of what ye horses shall fetch, when they are sold.* * In Hinman's Catalogue of names of Puritan settlers, under Matthew Griswold, > ^noticed " A severe lawsuit between said 1709.] TOWN RECORDS. 103 The Tide Mill. Dec. 15, 1709. The town grants by a major vote, to Joseph Birchard, Thomas Betts, John Betts, and John Gregory, jr., the liberty to Damm up ye crick lying be- fore ye sd Gregory's, with also the privilege of the stream that runs into ye said crick and through the said damm : provided that they the said Joseph, &c. * * do sett upon the said work in order to the erecting a grist mill upon the damm that they shall so erect, within one year from this date ; and do accomplish the work of the said mill within ye term of three years from the day of these pre- sents ; and so long as they the said undertakers do maintaine a good sufficient grist mill, the said stream shall remain to them and to their successors that shall so maintaine ye same : they to grind all grain into good and sufficient meal for the town, for the toal stated in ye law ; and not to grind for any strainger coming with his grain to said mill, so long as any of ye inhabitants of this Towne's grain is lying in said mill unground ; ex- cepting any of said inhabitants shall allow any strainger their turn. A Platform to the Gallery. Dec. 15, 1709. The town by major vote grants to John Bartlet, James Lockwood, and Samuell Keeler, jr., a liberty to erect and build on ye west side of the meet- ing house, a plattform from ye gallery unto the north Griswold and Reinold Marvin." " The arbitrators awarded that one half the horses should be equally divided between them, and that the other half should go to the colony, and Marvin should look them up; and appointed a committee to sell the horses and exe- cute the award." Upon this Mr. Hinman remarks : " The arbi- trators must at least have resided at iHitch Point, if they were not Dutch Justices." This record may explain the matter without the necessity of so uncharitable a supposition. ^ 104 NORWALK. [1710. window upon the cross plates ; and with others that shall present, for a sufficiency to erect upon the same four pues, which shall remain and continue for their use, to seat themselves in ye time of publique service : and that during the fall term of ye town's pleasure ; so that whenever they shall see cause to make any altera- tion of that matter so as to deprive them of their seats, the town ingages to allow such charge, that the said buildings shall be advantageous to ye town, as by indif- ferent persons may be adjudged ; they relinquishing all other seats in the meeting house, during ye time of their sitting. The Meeting House Belfry. M