History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Ua. Jolinsou, Ellas, must. .iug. 11, 1862; diod Oct. 20, 1802, Fort Kearney. Murpliy, ThomaJi, nnist. July 23, 1862; must, out July 19, 1805. Mills, Willinin E., must. Aug. 11, 1862; must, (uit July 19, 1805. Mon-house, Alfreil, must. July 26, 1802; must, out July 19, 1805. Northrop, William H., must. July 25,1802; wounded ; died Nov. 9, 1804, Florence, S. C. Stevens, James E., must. .Inly 23,1802; disch. for di8.iliility, Nov. 23, 1802. Scohcld, Frank, must. July 2:1, 1862; must, out July 19, 1865. Seeley, Albert o., must. Aug. 9, l.%2 ; died Jan. 9, 186.5, Annapolis, Md. Slanson, Harvey, must. Aug. 11, 1S62; must, out July 19, 1805. Vincent, Jacob W., must. Aug. 5, 1802 ; died Nov. 28. 1.S64, Floreru-e, S. C. Void, Joseph, must. July 22, 1m;2; wouuiled; died Feb. 2.5, 18G5, New- Haven, Conn. Whitney, George A., must. July 20, 18i'.2; nmst. out July 19, 1805. Whitney, Heniy P., nuist. Aug. 8, 1802 ; must, out July I'.l. 1K05. Whitney, Morauda H., must. .\ug. 9, 1802; wounded; must, out June 14, 1865. Wce.l, Raymond, must. Aug. 11. I.s02 ; died July 7, 1861, Frederick, Md. Comjunnj IK Kcef, William, must. .Ian. 20, lsi;5; must, out July 19, 1805. CnniJKDI/t C. Brannsauger, Fred., must. Jan. 5, 1864 ; must, out .Inly 19, 1865. Davis, .\lbert G., must. Sept. 6, 1804 ; must, out July 19, 1865. Finch, Smith H., must. Sept. 6, 180.1; must. luU July 19, 1865. { 'nmp'Uiii II. Care, Thomas P., nnist. .\ilg. II. 1802 ; pro. to tii>t lieutenant; must, out July 19, 1805. Whitney, Horace, must. .\ng. 12. l.s(;2 ; pro. to second lieutenant ; nui.^t- oiit (as sergeant) July 19, IMio. Scotield. Franklin H., must. Aug. 7. 18(;2; trans, to Inv. Corps, Jan. 15, 1.804. Sellick, Ben jainin, must. Aug. 6, 1.^02; wounded .(iily, 18(;3; nuist. out July 19, l.si,5. C'lmpiiiiii J. Ilomans, William, must. Pec. 30, 1S04 ; must, out July 19,1865. TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT. Cviiijmiiil I. St. J.din, Ben.jamln, must. Sept. 9, 1802 ; disch. Aug. 31, 1863. Vanverse, Isaac E., must. Nov. 3, 1862 ; disch. Aug. 31, 1803. FIRST REGIMENT CAVALRY, CONNECTICUT VOLUNTEERS. Slayer, Charles, nnist. Dec. 31, 1804 ; not taken up on rolls. SECOND LIGHT BATTERY, CONNECTICUT VOLUNTEERS. Treat, John B., must. Feb. 24, 1804: must, out .\ug. 9, 1865. Cnmpaiiy }{. Bonleur, Charles, must. Sept. 23, 1801; re-enl. Pec. 24, 1803. Cotujunii/ I. Larocke, Frank, must. Nov. 12, 186:1; must, out Aug. 21, 18115 C<'iitp<ni!l K. (islerwaltcr, Ileinricli, must. Nov. 11, 180;{. Wallace, James, must. Nov. 14, 1.8o:i; trans, to U.S. Navy, April 28,1804. O'li'l'Oiiy ij. Morris, John F., must. Sept. 5, 18(;l ; w.uinded June 14, 1802 ; re-eul. Dec. 22, I. so:!. Atwater, Silas T.. must. Sept. 5, 1801; re-enl. Dec. 22, 1803. Fortune. Phillip.s, must. Sept. 5,1801; rc-cnlisted; killed at Drury's Blull", May 16, 1864. Roberts, Nathan S., liiiist. Sept. 5, 1861 ; disch. to accept appointment in U. S. C. T., Aug. 21, 1803. Weed, Is.iac, must. Sept. 5, 1.S6I ; re-enl. Dec. 22, 1803; missing May 16. 18i;4. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. HON. CHARLE.S BROWN. Charles Bmwn, son of Dr. and Elizabeth (Leeds) Brown, was liorn on the same farm in Darien, Conn., where he now resides, Deo. ii^, 1809. His father died when Charles was about three years ohl, and lie re- mained 5vith his mother until he was si.\teen years of age, diligently availing himself of the meagre op- ]i(irtunities a eountry lad enjoyed for aeijuiring an 274 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. education, which were summed up in three months' attendance (or less) at the winter's term of district school during the year. When si.xteen he went to New York, and was duly apprenticed, in the solemn manner of those days, to one Samuel Webster, a ship- , joiner. Staying with him until he was of age, and thoroughly familiarizing himself with his trade, he shortly afterwards went into business on his own ac- count and prospered. Continuing steadily at work, personally supervising and attending to his labor, Mr. Brown remained in Jfew York until he was forty-five years old, when, tiring of the city, and having accumulated sullieient property to allow him to take some leisure, he retired from business, and, returning to Darien, purchased the old homestead of sixty-five acres, and has since resided there, building his present cheerful residence in 1851. He has added to the old home by purchase, and has now the satis- faction of owning a typical New England farm, where beauty, thrift, and neatness vie with each other for supremac)'. Mr. Brown is })leasant and social, and enjoys to a great extent the confidence of his fellow-townsmen. He has held various town oflSces, and has been select- man for ten or twelve years. He also represented Darien in the State Legislature in I808, 1860, and 1877. Mr. Brown in his early life was what was known as a "Henry Clay" Whig, and since 18.50 has acted with the Republican party, deeming liberty the inalienable right of every human being. Mr. Brown married, Sept. 29, 18.33, Miss Ann E. Conkling, of New York. She died Feb. 23, 1856. Their children were Ann A. (Mr.s. Josejih E. More- house) and Helen A. (deceased). May 27, 1857, Mr. Brown married Miss Caroline Burt, of Orange Co., N. Y. She died Oct. 13, 1872. Their only child, Jane B., married Charles E. Vail, and now resides in Stamford. Mr. Brown was married, Oct. 16, 1868, to Ella A. Russell, of New York City. Mr. and Mrs. Moreliou.se reside with Mr. Brown, with their three children, — Charles W., Helen 15., and Henry B. Mr. Brown is a man of marked probity of character, intelligent and high-minded, of good executive ability, and is justly esteemed one of Darien's most progres- sive citizens, ever active in everything tending to elevate, improve, or educate hunutnity. CH.VPTER X X Vir. EASTON. Oecgraplilcnl— Topographlcnl— Tlio SuttU'inoiit — Xames of rioiM'cre — Ruvululloimry liiclrlent — A RcuiarkuMo IMiriioniciion — Tho Tomb of Saxniiel Staples — Ecclceiuatlcal — (.'Ivll anil Miltliiry llUitor)'. Easton is located near tlie centre of the county, and is bounded as follows: On (he north by Redding anil Newtown; on the east by Monroe and Trumbull; on the south by Fairfield ; on tlie west by Weston and Redding. Its surface is moderately hilly, and its soil fertile. The first settlements in this town were made in about the year 1757, by inhabitants of Fairfield. Among the early settlers were : Samuel Staples, the founder of the free academy which bears his name, died in 1797, about four years after the founding of the school, aged seventy-seven years; Rev. James Johnson, the first Congregational minister here, who died in 1810, aged seventy-six years ; Deacon Wm. Bennett, Hezekiah Banks, Samuel AVakeman, John Wheeler, Moses Sturgcs, El- nathan Williams, Zalmon Burr, Daniel Wheeler, Thomas Sherwood, Benajah Bennett, Daniel Jackson, John Jack.son, Nathan Jackson, Benjamin Beardsley, Josiah Brinsmade, Josiah San ford, .John Sherwood, Wm. Prince, James Prince, Dr. Gabriel Baldwin, Matthew Hubbell, Timothy Hubbell, Nathaniel Hub- bell, Stephen Hubbell, Seth Hubbell, Moses Burr, Joseph Willson, Edmund Jennings, Levi Foote, Nathan Wlieeler, Nathan Gould, Daniel Lyon, Ez- born Hull, Miles Merwin, Lyman Merwin, Jeremiah Osborn, Nathaniel Seeley, Ebenczer Secley, Ezarr Sherman, Lewis Goodsell, David Pendleton, Thad- deus Jennings, Enoch Jennings, Daniel Glover, Thomas Turney, David Turney, Nathan Wakenian, Joseph Seeley, Abbie Ogden, Burr Gilbert, John Davis, Stephen Lyon, Abram Lyon, Thonuis Lyon, Josiah Lyon, Xehcmiah W. Lyon, died 1860, in his one hundred and first year, Baraik Taylor, Daniel AVakeman, Ezekiel O. Banks, Job Perry, Hezekiah Thorp, Samuel Thorp, John Olmsted, Daniel Holmes, David Treadwell, David Silliman, Nathaniel Davis, Seth Hill, Miles Oakley, David Thorp, David Seeley, Zaccheus Lyon, Isaac Hubbell, Capt. Daniel Fayer- weather, of Revolutionary memory, Ariel French, Justus Bennett, Stephen Seeley, Ephraim Seeley, Ebenczer Hubbell, Nathaniel Lyon, Samuel Wheeler, Zachariah Somers, Thomas Patterson, Edward Lacy, Nathan Bennett, Matthew Sherwood, David Taylor, Xehemiah Deforest, Stephen Blaekman, .\rulrew Lyon, Stephen Cfregory, Lewis Edwards, Edward Duncombe, Solomon Burton, Zachariah Lacey, Ste- phen Bennett, Isaac Bennett. REVOLUTIONARY INCIDEXT. When the British went to Danl>ury a small boy named Miles Merwin was discovered by them, and a young officer caught him and threatened to take him away with them. An older officer told him to let him go, and lie scampered off. This was while Closes Bun, an old Tory, was yoking up Samuel Wakeman's oxen for the British to take away : they took them away. Jack, slave of Samuel AVakeman, was going to the blacksmith's shop to get a horse shod and met the advanced guard, who chased him into the woods, where the darkey got away and stayed in the woods several days before he could be induced to come out. EASTON. 275 Moses Bun's house had a trap-door in his floor, so that the Tories or regulars could drop into the cellar in case of being in danger. (lould Diinon, ■who was a iieiitnil, \v:is lookid up to make him join the army ; he heard <it' it, and went and secreted himself in an old house, now deniolishe<l. Dr. Uriah Patrick lived there last. He was tracked by heavy frost to the house, but secreted himself be- tween a large jilate of wood and the chimney. The ])lace was known and several balls were fired into the ])late, and at last he was dragged out and taken off. The house was torn down about forty years ago, and the balls were found in the [date. REM.\RKABLE PIIEXOMEXOX. The following account of a remarkable phenom- enon which occurred in this town is taken from the Connecficnt Journal, under date Dee. 24, 1S07: