The Ancient Historical Records of Norwalk, Conn.

Nathaniel Raymond, aged 94, May 1, 1847. Has lived near the Old Well wharf all his days ; was a cor- poral in the guard ; a revolutionary pensioner ; lay often on the rocks at Belden's Point ; was at New York among the Connecticut troops when the British landed at Flatbush ; and in the lines across the island after the British crossed into New York. When the British came to burn the town, they landed at Fitch's Point Saturday night. He carried such of his household effects as he could, down near the pottery called the village, and hid them in a swamp ; then carried his father and mother and some of their effects back some three miles, in a cart ; returned, and with fourteen oth- ers, volunteers, under their own command, took arms, and went up to the hill where John Raymond lived. In the night the British fired a ball at them, at random. It struck the ground near them. Sunday morning the harbor was full of boats. They landed at the Old Well : chased the fifteen volunteers over John Raymond's hill, by where Capt, D. K. Nash now lives, and so over to Round hill ; dragging a field-piece, which they fired at the volunteers from the top of Round hill. When the British landed, the volunteers fired at them from John Raymond's hill. Saw Grummon's Hill " all red" with the British : there was " old Tryon and all his tribe." The two parties of the enemy met near Grummon's Hill, and went up to France Street, where was a skir- mish. There were about thirty American Regular sol- diers in town. Jacob Nash (the grandfather of Capt. REMINISCENCES. 179 Danl. K. Nash), was killed there. He was a regular soldier at home on a furlough. Our men had an old iron four-pounder at the rocks, which the British took and spiked. The Rev. Mr. Learning was " as big a tory as ever there could he on earth." He continued praying for the King in public worship, till the inhabit- ants forbade him. Very many of his congregation were tories ; but the people never molested such as did not commit any hostile act. The violent tories were seized and shut up in Pudding-lane ; some carried to jail. The tories were the informers and pilots of the enemy ; and those who went off, often came back with parties, plundering, driving off cattle, and carrying away such men as they were able to lay their hands on. Mrs. Mary Esther St. John, (widow of Wil- liam), aged 94, in November, 1846. When Fair- field was burnt, her father was harvesting down in the Neck. Expecting the British to come here imme- diately, they left the harvest ; but when the British crossed to Long Island, her father rallied hands and went down to his harvesting. Saturday, near night, the alarm guns fired. Her husband rode down to the Neck, and returned ; his horse was wet with sweat, as though he had been in the water. She was about putting some bread in the oven. A woman who lived with Mr. Belden (where Gov. Bissell now lives) came running in and asked, " Are you going to stay .?" *' No, I am going out of the way." '' Well," said the woman, " I shall stay ; I will go to Gov, Tryon, and plead for the house. When he was Governor he stayed with us one night, with his attendants and horses. I will tell him of that, and we are friends to the government." Mrs. St. J. said, " If you are going to stay, take my dough," 180 NORWALK. She took it, and presently came running for tlie oven- wood. Mrs. St. J. and her husband and family, with what effects they could carry, went up into the woods, at the East Rocks. They had a bedstead, which they set up ; milked the cows which they drove with them, drank the mi^k, and stayed there that night. In the morning, the guns were firing ; the smoke of the burning houses rose. Her husband said, " The work is begun ; they are burning the town,'' The woman succeeded in saving Mr. Belden's house. She told Mrs, St. John that she went up to Grummon's Hill, where Gov. Tryon sat, with chairs and a table, writing his orders. She begged for the house ; he wrote her a protection, and sent with her a file of soldiers. When she reached the house, it had already been set on fire in two places, but the soldiers put it out. The Town House, which stood where the present one stands, was in the Revolution occupied as a guard- house. The troops, on their passage to New York^ used to lodge there. She saw many of them, not more than 15 or 16 years old. Mr. Learning she knew well. She attended his church. He continued to pray for the King as long as he dared to. He went away with the British. It was sad to live in the midst of war ; but what was the most unpleasant of all, was the difference of sentiments among neighbors and kindred. Mrs. St. John lived, in the Revo- lution, on the old St. John place, nearly opposite Gov. BisselPs. Her house that was burnt in the Revo- lution, stood between the site of the present house and the widow Buckingham St. John's, at the foot of Grum- man's Hill. The latter place was then occupied by a family named Grumman. £>ri7irn //o^n //atare /ii /i ( (' ti -rnfr. I d ^ ^ GENEALOGICAL REGISTER. 181 • THE GENEALOGICAL REGISTER. " THE RECORDS OF MARRIAGES AND BIRTHS AND DEATHS," [The Genealogical Registers are taken almost entirely from the Town Records, and have been transcribed in the same form as they are recorded. A few have been copied from family Bibles ; some have been famished bv the families concerned. A large number of families were put on record about the beginning of the present century ; and the names of the children born after that record was made, have not been supplied, except in a few instances, I have advertised repeatedly, and in some cases have made personal application for the means of filling out these records; but almost entirely without success, A singular apathy seems to prevail with regard to such matters, Such families must not complain that the records which so nearly concern them are left incomplete. I have used all reasonable diligence to obtain them.] Thos. Seamer, the Sonne of Rich'd Seamer, of Norwake, tooke to wiffe, Hamiaih Marvin, the daughter of Math. Marvin of the same, January, 1653. [The following items concerning the family of Matthew Mar- vin, I have received from T. R, Marvin, of Boston, from a record of the names of persons permitted to embark at the port of London after Christmas, 1634, contained in a MS. folio, at the Augmenta- tion office (so called). Under the date of 15Lh April, 1634, is the following entry : " Theis parties, hereafter expressed, are to be transported to New England, imbarked in the Increase^ Robert Lea, Master, having taken the oath of allegiance and supremacy, as also being conformable, &c,, whereof they brought testimony per certif. from the justices and ministers where their abodes have lately been. {The following names are included in said list :) " husbandman, Matthew Marvyn, Age 35 yrs. Uxor, Elizabeth Marvyn, 31 Elizabeth Marv5^n, 3i Matthew Marvynj 8 Marie Marvyn, 6 Sara Marvyn, 3 Hanna Marvyn, ^ " Reinold Marvin who removed to Saybrook in 16395 and his 9 182 NORWALK. brother Matthew Marvin were among the original settlers of Hart- ford, Coruio Matthew represented the town of Norwalk in tlie Ge= neral Court in 1654. The children of Matt, Marvin, sen,, were as follows : 1. Matthew, born in Eng. abt. 1627. 2. Mary, born in Eng. abt. 1629, married to Richard Bushneliof Saybrook in 1648. Sarah, b. in Eng, abt. 1632, married to William Goodridge of Weathersfield, 1648. 4. Hannah, b, in Eng. abt. 1634, m, to Thomas Seymour of Nor- walk, Jan. 1653. 5. Abigail, b. at Hartford, Conn. m. John Bouton of Norwalk Jan. 1656. 6. Samuel, b. at Hartford, Feb, 1647—8, 7. Rachel, b.at Hartford, " close of 1649,"] Hannaih Seamer, the Daughter of Thos. Seamer, borne the 12th of Desember, 1654. Abigail Seamer, the Daughter of Thos. Seamer, borne in January, 1655. Mary Seamer, and Sarah Seamer, beinge twinns, daugh- ters of Thos. Seamer, borne in the mounth of September, 1658. Thos. Seamer, the sonne of Thos. Seamer, borne in September, 1660. John Bowten of Norwake, tooke to wiffe Abigail Mar- vin, the daughter of Math. MarviUs senr. of the same, January thellst, 1656. [The name of John Bouton appears on p. 17, as among the first settlers of Norwalk. At what time he came to this country the family have no record. He was a French Protestant, and it^is said there are many of the same name still living in France and Germany, and that a great similarity exists between the families there and here. He had five children after his marriage as here re- corded, viz. John, Matthew, Rachel, Abigail, and Mary. He must also have had children by a previous marriage, (See record of marriage of Daniel Kellogge to Bridget Bowten, in 1665, p. 187.) His son John had'two children, Jakin and Joseph, and perhaps more, although no others appear on the record,. GENEALOGICAL REGISTER. 183 His grandson Jakin, had two children by his first wife, Joseph and Sarah; and by his second wife, two sons, Esaias and Moses, and seven or eight daughters. Joseph, his great-grandson, married Susannah Raymond, Au= gust 25th, 1748, daughter of Joshua Raymond, and had eleven ehil- . dren, six sons and five daughters. The sons were William, Joshua, Joseph, Seth, Ira, and Aaron, The daughters were Rebec- kah, Betty, Nancy, Susannah, and Deborah. He was an officer in the expedition sent against the French Provinces in 1758, '9, and kept a journal of the service, which was unfortunately lost in pull- ing down the old family mansion, a few years since, which stood on the spot where Dea, JohnBouton, his grandson, now resides. "William, the son of Joseph, the 5th descendant from the 1st John, was married to Sarah Benedict, February 15th, 1769, by whom he had fourteen children, viz. Isaac (who died), Isaac, William, Betty, Esther, Sally, Clara, Seth, Joseph, Susannah, John, Mar}^, Ann, and Nathaniel.