History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

" In the January (1778) session were given tlir liil- lowing depositions regarding the negro who \\;is killed in Miij. Starr's house, and who, we should .judge, was a slave whose owner was si'cking remuner- ation. Here are the entries: "'Ebenezer White, of nanbury, of lawful age, testities and says that on or alxiut the 2Cth day of April, 1777, at evening, there being a inini- ber of gentlemen at his house belonging to the Biitish army, amongst which was (uie whom lie undeistooil wa.s the Eail of I'";ilkland's son, who told him (the deponent) that he was the first that entend Maj. SLirr's house, and foiuel a number of men in the house, among whom were tw u negroes, all of when; they instantly killed, ami sit lire to the house, and gave this for a reiuson why Ihey did so,— that it was tbeii slant prac- tice, where they found per.ple shut up in a house ami In ing upon tlu-ni, to kill them and to burn the house; andfnrlloi llo- depmieol sailli that the said young gentleman tcdd him that one ol the in ;;n.es, aloj he loi.l nin him through, nwc- up and attempted to shoot him, and that he the said Earl of Falkbind's son cut his head olT himself; which negro, the deponent understood since, wa.s Uie propirty of Mr. .Samuel Smilli. ol Eeading; and further the deponent 5,aitli not. "'D.i.vm uv.,(au.2i;. 177S. "'The Rev. Mr. Ebenezer White, the deponent, piusorially ;ippeai ing, made oath to the trnth of the above written de]iosilion. "'Sworn to before me, Thaddeus Benedict, .lustice of the Peace. "'Ebenezer Weed, of Ilanliuiy,of lawful age, testilii's and says that on or about the 2i;tli ilay ,d' A]ail, 1777, he being at home across thi' road opposite to JIa.i. Daniel Starr's house, he saw a negro at the house, w liicli he knew hi be the ]iropeity of Mr .Samuel Smith, id' liuading, about a half hour, as near as lie can judge, before the Brili-li lroii]is came to said house; and further the deponent saith that in the evening of said d.iy he heard a man helougiiig to the British army say that tliey had killed one dani'd black with the whites, in said Starr's house; ami further the deponent saith not. "'Daxbvrv, ,Ian, 2r,, I77K. "'Sworn befi.re Tluiddens Benedict, Justice of the Peace. '"Anna Weed, of Danbury, of lawful age, testifies and says that on or about the ^Otli day of .\pril, 1777, she being at home across the road opposite to Maj. Starr's house, she saw a negro at said lionse, which she understood was the propeity of Jlr. Samuel Smith, of Reading, but a short time before the British troops came up to the house; ami futtlier the deponent saith she heard one of the British soldiers say " Here is a dani'd black in the house; what shall we do with him?" Anotlur an- swered, " Damn him. kill him," and immediately the house w as in flames; and further the deponent saith not. '"Daxiiuky, Jan. 211, 1778. '"Sworn to before 'rhaddens Benedict, Justice of the Peace.'" Kill. I. OF REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS. "It will 111' rememberi'd th:it in Mr. Kobbins' ser- mon he spoke of ii (•oiiip:iny of one hundred men being rtiiscd in l):iiiliury and ordered to the Northern army, at Lake ( 'h;iiiiphnn. He said that they went away leaving their friends to believe tlnit )ierh;ips they might never return, but they came back stifcly, wliile during their tibsence tin epideniie rtiged in the village and carried ofl' many of their friends. "The company was raised by Noble lieiiediet, who was made captain. The men were recruited in jMay, 1775. It is the only org:inization contributed by Dan- bury to till' w:ir. It joined the Sixteeiilh Kegimeut, commanded liy Col. ll:ivid \\':iterbury. The follow- ing is the list of the comptmy : " Captiiin, Noble Benedict. " Lieutenants, James t'lark, Ezra Stephens. "Ensign, I):iniel Heacock.'' "Sergeants, .Tohn Trowbriilge, Elijih I'tirnnni. Eli- jah Hoit, NtitlKiii Taylor, .loliii .\mbler. " Corporals, A;iriin Stone, .fonah Benedict, Dtivid Weed, Mosi'S \^'iil. "Musicians, Joseph Hamilton, drunimer; Itiissel Bartlett, Nathaniel Peck, tilers. " Privates, Setli Barnum, Eleaz Benedict, John Barnum, Eli Barnum, .liimes Bonghton, Jositih Bur- chard, Samuel Beiinet, Laziirus Barnum, llez lien- edict, tiilbert Benedict, Win. Benedict, David Bishop, Eben Barnum, .Vbrtim Barns, Joseph Bough- ton, John Coinstock, Enoch Crosby, Samuel Ciirtiss, Wm. Combs, Isiiac Coller, Thomas Campbell, James Clements, Samuel Cook, INIilcs Canty, Henry Covel, John Chapman, Elnathan I'Ay, Eliph Kerry, John Guthrie, Wm. Griffin, Dnike Hoit, Tlniddeiis Hoit, .Joshua Hinckley, Jonathtin ILiyes, John llolcomb, Wm. Htiwkins, Francis Jackson, Thomas Judd, .lohn .fohnson, P>enj:iniin (xorluiin, John Green, Henry Knapp, Elisha Linctdn, .John Linly, .Itinics Lincoln, Nathan Lee, Thomas ^Morehouse, Thadileiis Jlore- house, Done Merrick, John Morehouse, Sylvtinus Nehson, Isiiac Northrop, \\'ilson Northro]i, .losliini Porter, Wni. I'orfer, Elkanah I'eck, Farrel Picket, Caleb Spencer, Samuel Siiencer, Eli Stephens, S:imuel Sturdivant, Daniel Segar, Levi Sttirr, John Stephens, Jalicz Starr, James Scovcl, Stephen Scovel, Peter Stringham, Isaac Sniilh, Thonuts St;irr, l-',plir:iini Smith, Levi Stone, Stephen Townseiid, S:imuel Townsend, Stephen Trowbridge, .Uishuti 'laylor, Thomas Weed, S;iniuel C. Warren (or W;irdeni, 194 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. Major Warren, Thomas Wheaton, Jonas Weed, David Sturdivaut. " The captain of the above company was father of the late Archibald Benedict, and he lived in the house now occupied by the venerable widow of Arch- ibald, on North Main Street. The captain was a stutterer, and many anecdotes based on this infirmity are related of him. We givv one of them. When he was at Lake Champlain with his company the countersifrn in use one night was the word ' Ticon- deroga.' The captain came across a sentry, who, halting him, demanded the countersign. 'T' was a bad letter for the captain to overcome, and in his mad eflbrts to clutch it he lost all memory of the word itself. In this dilemma he shouted to the sentry: ' S-s-s-s-say the word, and I c-c-c-c-can tell it.' His- tory does not tell what the sentry did, but, as the cap- tain returned safely to Danbury, it is presumed the matter was compromised satisfactorily. "James Clark, first lieutenant, lived on South Main Street. His wife, on the coming of the British, sunk her silver-ware and some other articles in the well, and llrd with lur family to a more congenial lati- tude. " Ezra Stevens, the second lieutenant, lived in Pem- broke District. He was great-grandfather of Erastus Stevens. His son Eli was in the company as a pri- vate. "First Sergt. John Trowbridge lived at the upper end of Main Street; he was a grandfather of Truman Trowbridge. Second Sergt. Elij)!! Barnum lived at the south end of the village. Third Sergt. Elijah Hoyt lived where now stands the residence of Charles H. Merritt, on JIain Street. "Corp. Jonah Benedict ha.s already been treated of as far as our information goes. Corp. David Weed lived in King Street District, near to where Aaron Pearce now lives. "Joseph Hamilton, the drummer, lived in Pem- broke District, and a very patriotic portion of this town it ajipears to have been. " Private Scth liarnum lived in King Street, op])0- site the Baptist church. Jolin Barnum and Eli Bar- num lived in the same district. Samuel Curtis lived near to where Ezra Mallory & Co.'s hat-factory stands. He was once sexton of the First Church. I)rake Hoyt and Thaddeus Hoyt lived in Pembroke District. Thaddeus for a number of years kept tlie town-poor on contract, as was then tlie custom. Thomas Judd lived in Great Plain District, his house standing where now Granville Taylor lives. Benja- min (iorliam lived in Miry 15rook District. John Cireen liveil at the junction of Elm and River Streets. John Lindley lived in King Street District. Thad- deus Mori'house lived on Main Street in a house now owned by George E. Cowperthwait, anil standing ne.xt north to his residence. Stephen Trowbridge lived, we are told, on^e corner of Main and Liberty Streets, where is now Benedict & Nichols' Block. Levi Stone belonged in the Middle River District. Joshua Porter came home from the Northern cam- paign all right, but lost his life by Tryon's troops in Maj. Starr's house. John Ambler, the fifth ser- geant, was a great-grandfather of Rev. E. C. Ambler, and was at that time a man of advanced age. The grandfather of Rev. Mr. Ambler, Peter Ambler, and two of Peter's brothers, Stephen and St[uire .Vmbler, were in the war, but not in this company. The family lived in Miry Brook District. " Ensign Daniel Heacock was a grandfather of Col. Samuel Gregory. He lived in Bethel. His home is still standing, being near A. B. Blackman's house. Col. Gregory has in his i)Ossession the powder-horn which Plenry Knapp, private, carried in the com- pany's campaign. Mr. Knapp live<l in the Westville District. Jabez Starr kej)! the tavern which stood on property adjoining The Kcics office. David Weed lived in Westville District, where Mr. Anson Com- stock's house now stands. Daniel Segar lived on the Mill Plain road. Stephen Townsend lived near the New York State line. j " Young Lockwood, who went to meet the British on [ their approach to Danbury to learn their strength, ' and was captured on Hoyt's Hill, was left there on the flight of the British. It is said that while li\-ing in Norwalk, some time before this, he did a favor for (iovernor Tryon, on the occasion of an accident to .the Governor's carriage when he wius driving through Norwalk. The Governor was writing a parole for him when the alarm of the approach of the Ameri- cans under Wooster came upon him, and the paper was dropped.