History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

"The next house was that in which Jcdin Fry lived, and where now stands ] ii'. W. H. Rider's residenee. He was a hat-manufacturer, and had his shop on the premises. Prim' to his occupancy Benedict (Trcgorv owned the premises. This was in 1>!12. In 1S27, Fry, Gregory & Co. occupied the sho]). After this Mr. Gregory went to Dayton, < )hio, where he died. Ohio, and especially Dayton, called away a number of people from I)anliury in the first years of the present century. "Next came the place of Ezra (iregorj', grand- father of Mr. L. P. Hoyt. He lived where C. H. I'eed now does, and had a small tannery in the rear of his house. He was a shoemaker. " Next to him was the home of LTude Mathew Gregory, now occupied by the family of the late Ephraim Gregory; he was a farmer. Between the two places is now New Street. Tliis street was opened mainly through the exertions of Thomas T. Whittle- sey, and it was named after him, but the name was subsequently changed by a bcjrougli-meeting. " Nathan Gregiu-y lived wdiere is now the large double house owned Ijy Mrs. Charles Benedict. He was a fuller of cloth, and the buildings used for 202 HISTORY OF FATin-rKLH TOT^NTV, rOXXHCTICUT. fulling stood on the premises. The manufacture of cloth in those days was strictly a domestic industry. The wool or Hax (linen) was bought of the stores. The housewife spun it into threads on her s|)inning- whecls. It was then woven into cloth, and after that taken to the fuller, who dressed anil colored it. The process was something similar to the making of rag carpets in a later day. There are fine linen sheets preserved in Danbury to-day which were made from the Hax seventy years ago. " Rev. Israel Ward owned the place now occupied by Uncle Ira Dibble. He was the pastor of the First Congregational Church, and lies buried in the Wooster cemetery. He died in 1812. After his death the liouse passed into the possession of Samuel Dibble, the father of the present occupant. He was a miller, and his first mill was on Main Street. His second and last mill stood where is now Wliite's fur-factory, on Beaver Street. Mr. Dibble was ' always noted tor taking honest toll.' In those days people got their flour principally from the mills, buying or raising the grain and giving a portion of it to the miller for grinding. Kye-flour was the staple, although corn- meal was considerably used. Renjamin Kna[)p, who figured as a caterer to several of Tryon's ofiici-rs, wa.s remarkably fond of Indian meal, and it was said of him that a pudding of that meal graced his dinner- table every day in the year. Wheat was not a com- mon grain then, and its flour was used principally for pie-crust and the tiner grades of pastry. " The remaining house on that side of the street was occupied by Caleb Starr, grandfather of Charles F. Starr and Mrs. F. S. Wildman. His house stands at the junction of Harmony Street with West. He was a farmer, and owned a great deal of land. "iSoii/h Side. — Col. Taylor, merchant, lived where now stands the residence of Mr. F. S. Wildman. It was a story-and-a-half house, of double ])atlcrn, and had a long sloping roof, although the roof did not run so near the ground as was common in the houses of that day. SubsecjUently the house passed into the pos.session of Seymour Wildman, uncle of Frederick. The latter tore it down in 1K42, and built his present place. Before this the old house wa;> occui)ied by several families. Judge Reuben Booth lived there at one time, and Miss Eunice Seeley kept a school there for young women. She subsequently moved to Ro- chester, where she died. There was no other house until that of .\ndrew Beers was reached. He lived where Charles Hull does now. Mr. Beers was a delver in ;Lstronomy and a prominent cultivator of weather. For several years he jirepared an accept- able almanac, which had a circulation throughout the United States. Andrew Beei-s(Philom) was a familiar aililri'ss to many families. -His almanac was the origin of the ' Middlebrooks.' A remark attributed to him and in general curri'ncy seventy years ago was the information that 'gitos wouhln't start to grow until thunder shook the earth.' " Mr. Beers lies buried in the old Episcopal church- yard, in South Street. There is the following inscrip- tion on his headstone : " ' In Menirtrj' of Andrew Bci'r», Ksf(., lUirn in Nrutuwn, .\UgUBt 10, 171'J, Dieil in Ditnlinry, Sept. 20, 1S24, 7.0 ycare, 1 month. Life and tlie grave T\v«» different lc«8onB Rive: Life teaclieji how to die. Death iiow to live.' " The next house was that of Joseph Benedict, who was a tailor. His house stood where now S. A. Bai- num lives. It was moved back on George Street, where it still stands. "Next came the dwelling of Joseph Hfiyt (iregory. where Allen McDonald now lives. Mr. Gregory w:i< a hatter, and had his factory by his house, lb- moved to Indiana in 1830, and there died. " Farther on, and where now stands L. Wildman- place, lived Abial Phillips. Samuel Dibble livid there before he bought the Ward ]dace. The house was removed years ago. Division Street wiis then an open road containing no dwellings. " The hist house on West Street stands there now. close to the pond. Sixty years ago it was occupi by Kzra Boughton ; it now belongs to Mr. White. Jlr. Boughton was a dresser of had his works by his home. "The hou.se owned and occupied by William II Clark was once owned by Stiles Nichols, and tli' paper printed in the building was the JtrpuliUm, Farmer, which at one time was published by Mr. Nichols. " David AVood owned the house now occupied by George B. Benjamin, Jr. Sixty years ago it wa-s a tavern under his management. He subsequently kept the tavern where now stands the Turner H<iu.<e. " Next to his place were the dwelling and hnt- factory of Ezra Wildman. The house is now occu- pied by Berlin St. John. The hat-sho|> is a tenement. " Next was the dwelling of Miss Ann Benm-tt. " Following it came the residence of Eliakini Peck, father of S. S. Peck. It still stands. Mr. Peck wiis a blacksmith, and his sho]> stood on the corner where is now the old Episcopal church tenement. He was a strong Episcoi)alian, a man of marked hospita- ble traits, and his shop and home were the re.<ort of people fond of entertainment and given to discussion. In those days there were no fires in churches, ami the worshipers in the Episcopal church (then on South Street) used to go to Mr. Peck's home Sumlays, 1h'- tween service, to get warm." JI.MN STKEET. "FmM tSiilr. — The first building on the south of th< court-house was the dwelling of Jesse Skcllingcr. He had a carriage-shop next to it. The place was Mr. A. M. ,J cloth, and \ DANBUKY. 203 subsequently occujiieil by Jobn Ridtr, t'atber nf ! " Following was aiiotbcr siiimU ihvclliiifr, the luunc George E. Rklcr. Tbo carriage- tat-tory is goiii'. 'Hh' nf wliose ()ecu|jaiit \vc dd imt kimu-. It lirlniiiis to tin; residence is at present occupied by Dr. S. (i. (irilliii. estate of E. S. (u-illia, and adjniiiiiig was the lioiiieni' "Next to it was a small building owned, ami occu- E. S. Grifiin, who recently died at an advanced age. pied as a silversmit!i-.sbo]i by Jobn S. Blackiuan, "West of t^amuel Bninker's ])lace was the dwelling father of F. S. Rlacknian. The luiilding, in an en- ' of Comfort Hoyt, wbo was a farmer, larged form, is still used for this piiri)osc. and is con- "Beyond that was meadow-land until wliere is ducted by the son. The senirjr's wares were of the now the home of ^^rs. A. N. Sharp. Then stood the genuine metal, with<int doubt, and many of the residence of Walter l)il)ble, farmer, spoons he sold si.xty years ago with his name upon " ( )ii the corner of the street holding to Stephen them are now in the possession of the (ddcr liimilics. Bate,^' place and ('oalpit llill road >tooil a house His dwelling is now the property and hcjme <]f Freil i occU]iied by Thomas Flynn, wliicdi was torn down. Tweedv. "Next came the home of Hany Taylor, which "Next came the residence of Matthew B. Wliittle- >tood a short distance east at' the house occupied by sev, father of E B. Whittlesey, and the site is now hi^ grandson, Charles Taylor. Mr. Taylor was a occupied 1)V him. Mr. A\'hittlesey was a lawyer. farmer. "The [irescnt dwelling (jf < icorge P>ates. whicii " His next neigldior was Lcnnicl Taylor and next comes next, was the ])ro|ieity of E. S. Sanlbnl, the to him wa> .loci St(jne, who did not apjiear to have tanner, who had a shoe-shop there. any particular oc(ai|iation, but at one time carried " Next cami' a dwelling, whose occu|iant's nann' we the mail between Hanhnry and New Haven, do not know. It still stamls. " Xaii/i Sidr, i/niiii/ irrs/. — ('ajit. Ezra l>ibble lived "Capt. .John Rider lived where now (icorge St. where is now the residence (d' Stephen Bates. He John resides. was grandfather to Miss Mary lUill. lie was a large "Samuel AVildman and Fairchild, his son. lived in fanner, and owned nearly all tlic land in that neigh- the liouse occupied by Samuel C. ^\'ildman, son of the Innhood. lie was noted for his geiu'rous help of the latter. needy. " The store and dwellinu: cd' .Tohn I)odd came next. " There was no other luaisi- until the idace (d' .\nnjs It is now theprojierty of Mrs. Edwin Taylor ami Jlrs. Hoyt was reached. He was a tanner and shocnuikcr William H. Rider. and a ileaeon. The widow of his grandson, E. C. "Following this was the house of Epapliras W. H<jyt. now ociaipics the place. Bull, a promising young lawyer, who went to Ohio in "The present home of Ira .Morse was then occu- 181t), to grow up with the great West, and shortly after picil liy ( 'apt. Peter Starr, grandfather of Mrs. Mor.se. died there of a fever. The house was later owned He was a blacksnutli and a ]ironnnent citizen of that by Curtis Clark, and is now owned liy Mr. JIurphy. day. " Capt. .Tanu's ( 'lark owned a small dwelling next "East of ('apt. Stan's |ilace was the residence