The Ancient Historical Records of Norwalk, Conn.

At the burning of the town his mother and five chil- dren were in Wilton ; and on an alarm fled with her children to the woods. This he remembers. His mother spoke of her distress when her children cried for some- thin f; to eat. REMINISCENCES. 173 Miss Phebe Comstock, aged 83 years, Sept. 26, 1846, lived in New Canaan, at Canoe Hill. Used to go over to her uncle's, where they used to climb an apple-tree and see Norwalk very distinctly. Went to meeting at New Canaan. In cases of alarm, which was given by firing three guns in succession, the men left all and hastened to the parade. Such alarms often came. Her father would run in and say, ^^ Now, girls, unyoke the oxen and turn them out," and in less than five minutes would be ofi^ to the parade. They used to carry their guns to meeting ; no more thought of going to meeting then without their guns, than we do now without our psalm books. " They never had an alarm without repairing to the parade ; and they did not go slow neither." The alarm at the burning of Norwalk came about day-break. Went to the apple-tree ; saw the flames ; heard the guns. Her father and four brothers were engaged in the defence; the ^' dreadfullest day she ever saw ;" the guns kept firing a long time ; " a dreadful fight." She saw the " Red-coats" take up several of iheir dead or wounded, and carry them to their boats ; saw the steeple of the meeting-house fall in. Onesimus, the colored man, who lives with Miss Comstock, and lived with the former Phebe Comstock^ was 84 years old Dec. 4, 1846. When continental soldiers were quartered in town, the chaplain was at Miss Phe- be's ; his waiter died, and Onesimus took his place. The soldiers were billeted round, but assembled for roll- call every day. Onesimus was enrolled. Onesimus, at one time after the town was burnt, went down to get salt hay at Miss Phebe's meadow, not far from the old potter's shop, sometimes called " The Vil- lage," below Old Well. Miss Phebe went with him to look out, as the enemy were always luiking round for 174 NORWALK. cattle, horses, and prisoners. Onesimus saw some " Red-coats" stealing along up a creek, and gave the alarm to Miss Phebe. ^' We put on ; we had good horses then, and we ran ; we did not go slow." They escaped — gave the alarm at the Old Well — the guard pursued, and took two " Red-coats" prisoners. Phebe Comstock used to visit Mr. Hezekiah Han- ford's girls down town. At one time, old Mr. Hanford said, "Now, Phebe, I will take you to the spot where the first of your ancestors used to worship God, when they first came to this country." " Pshaw !" said Mrs. Hanford, " what do you want to take the girl down there for .^" " Because," said Mr. Hanford, " she takes an interest in these things, and will remember. Our people care nothing about it.'' He then led her down to the place where the old meeting-house stood, near Dennis Hanford's, and said, '• Here your fathers used to worship God : and when the first old shanty became too small, they built another house up there ;" pointing to the spot where John Mallory since lived. She remem- bers well the meeting-house that was burnt in the Revo- lution. It was larger than the present house, and had two tier of galleries. Often heard people speak of Mr. Buckingham ; ho was an excellent preacher, but it was said that he drank too much ; and that was the reason that he was dismissed. Thomas Benedict, aged 82, March 14, 1847. After the burning of Fairfield, the enemy was expected here. They came Saturday, while the people were harvesting. While he was driving the team, John Saunders, one of the tories, came along and said, " O, boys, you are too late to harvest." Saunders had finished his harvest. REMINISCENCES. 175 The sun was about two hours high, and Saunders was in high spirits at the coming of the enemy : as one of his sons was with the enemy, and he expected his property would be spared. But it was all burnt ; and the other son with his negro went off with the enemy. Our soldiers were collecting fast, and stopped at his father's house, which stood where Mrs. Phillips now lives. A tub of wine and a bowl stood on the stoop ; as they came along, they stopped and drank, and were very merry. His father's family hastily packed up what goods they could ; put them on the cart, which he drove that night up to Belden's Hill, to Thos. St. John's. He and the oxen had worked hard that day, and were very tired. At Mr. St. John's, a party of light-horse came in the night. He fell asleep ; some of them took out his silver brooch, and carried it off. Saw the first smoke of the burning of Norwalk in the morning. Heard the guns "pop, pop, pop, agood while." The first house burn- ed was where George Day now lives. The house where Mr. Benedict now lives was occupied by the British as a hospital for the wounded, and therefore was not burnt at first. When the British retreated, they set it on fire, but our people rallied soon enough to put it out. The house was built by Mr. Benedict's grandfather. On his return to Norwalk, saw a British soldier that had been killed ; Seth Abbott shot him as he was getting over a wall. " Now," says Abbott, before he fired, " if I kill him, it will go right through his heart." He fired, and the soldier fell backward, dead. The British, when they landed on the west side, marched up to near where Capt. Danl. K. Nash now lives. A tall British soldier was shot there. Mr. Learning used to preach on the wickedness of re- sisting the king ; and most of the tories were of his con- 176 NORWALK. gregation. According to his creed and preriching, we *' were only a parcel of rebels." There would not have been so many tories, but for his preaching up such doctrine. He went off with the British. Mrs. Benedict, wife of Thomas, aged 81, Nov., 1846, daughter of Phineas Waterbury ; lived at Roton river, at the head of the pond ; — saw the British fleet when they came from Long Island, to the. burning of Norwalk. There were 26 sail, sloops. The enemy used to come every little while to the place where she lived, to drive off cattle. One night she heard the cows low and the dogs bark ; and some one hallooing, '' The Tories are after the cattle ;" — " The Tories have got all our cows." Her mother raised the window and called out, " Turn out the Guard — Turn out the Guard!" — so loud, that people a mile distant heard her in two places. One of the tories called to her to be still, or he would shoot her. *' I am not afraid of you,'' she answered ; and called out again, " Turn out the Guard — Turn out the Guard!" The man fired, and Mrs. B. heard the ball whistle ; but the tories ran for their lives ; frightened off by her mother's call for the guard. A month after this, one night while her brother, aged 20 years, was on guard with others, she heard the dogs bark ; and then a challenge, of " Who comes there ?" The answer was, with an oath, " A friend to King George ;" and immediately guns were fired ; and there was a trampling of steps down the road. One came and said that her brother was wounded ; and presently he was brought in dead — shot through the head. Three were killed, who were all in their 20th year — two wounded. REMINISCENCES. 177 One niglit the enemy entered her father's house when they were in bed — seized her father, and carried him a prisoner to New York ; they would not stop to let him dress. 'They came into her room ; she told them they were only children there. '' D — n her," said one, " lift up the bed.'' They thrust their bayonets under the bed, and went off. Daniel Nash, aged 77, son of Daniel, son of Mica- jah; was told by his grandfather, that his grandfather was the first male child born in the town. What his name was, he does not know. [It is among the genea- logical records, John Nash.] His sons' names were John and Nathan. From the last John proceeded all the Nash families in this region. Nathan had no chil- dren. He was the first Churchman in the family. This account Daniel Nash had from his grandfather, who was brought up by said Nathan. The reason of his change was this : he had been brought up in great abhorrence of religious forms ; and when at a meeting of ministers one of them read a portion of the Bible, Nathan much disliked it ; and so resented it, that he went occasionally to Church, saying that they might just as well read prayers as read the Bible ; — and so turned Churchman. When the Revolution broke out, Daniel Nash was a boy, about 4 years old, at Patchogue, L. I. Remem- bers the time when the tea was thrown overboard at Bos- ton. Remembers hearing, before Norwalk was burnt — and afterwards, what was the reason why Gov. Tryon burned it. Some of the Long Island people were refu- gees on the Connecticut shore ; [Long Island was in pos- session of the British.] These refugees used to pilot the Americans, when they went in whale-boats to Long 178 NORWALfC. Island for plunder. Gov. Tryon said, if the people on this side did not stop that, he would come over and burn the town ; and he did burn it.