History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

The prisoners lost almost every feeling of humanity for one another, and the principal anxiety of the vol- unteer nurses seemed to be to claim tlieir perquisites by robbing the dead and dying of their clothing. One captain, a new prisoner, finding there were several cases of smallpox on board, inoculated himself, using a common brass pin for a lancet. There were eleven thousand five hundred deaths on tl\e-ie prison ships. An armed guard was necessary in the well-room to compel the prisoners to work the pumps enough to keep the hulk from sinking. The highest privilege that was granted a prisoner was to go ashore as one of a burying-party.t The Sturges line is ils follows: John Sturges, born about 1624 or l(i2.'>, died in 1700. He married Deb- orah Barlow. They had at lea-st seven children, one of whom was Joseph, born about 16o3 or 16.")4, and died May 12,1728. He married (1) Sarah Judson ; (2) Mary Sherwood. He had at least twelve children, of whom Solomon, one of the elder ones, baptized Jlay l'>, 169S, died July 9, 1779, married, March 8, 172'), .\bigail Bradley. They had three sons — Heze- kiah, Joseph and Judson — and seven daughters. This family stood in excellent repute. The house in which Solomon lived stood over the cellar in Miss Mary Nichols' field, near the large elm-tree by the • "FHllior of luilla iu Uie Cailt'd Slutco.' t S<c Dr}-ant'a UnltcJ SUIoi Iltatorj-, vol. ill. poge 630. FAIRFIELD. 297 street. When he heard the British liad hiiulcfl, lie called for liis horse, which was brought, when lie mounted the same and started for his eatt !e, wliieh were down near the beaeh, with the hopes of restyling them from plunder; hut, the British spying him, one of their solders leveled a gun at him, and the shot wounded him, so that be was unable to rearh home. He erawled uniler a tree, unable, from his wound, to go farther, when another British soldier ran liini through with a b.ayonet, so that he died. He is the Solomon .Sturges referred to in Kev. Andri-w Eliot's letter preserved in Vol. III. of Massaehusetts Hislor- ieal Collections. Solomon's son Hezekiah and family struck for safety. They were farmers of goodly estate, with plenty of excellent provisions. A Tory ]iassed by, and, seeing a light, peeped in the window, where tlie enemy had a tcmptingsujjperset of baked pig, turkey, chicken, ham, etc. There was aKso a quantity of wine in the cellar, brought there by a privatcersman. Tlie enemy partook of this freely, and after they gratifie<l their physical wants they gave way to fiendish deeds, and burnt all that was not otherwise plundered and destroyed. In the winter, when snow came, Hezekiah .'^turges drew timbers on tlie sled and built anew. He put up the frame for a large house, and finished as means and time would permit. The kitchen ran the length of the liou-ie; over this was a chamber of like dimen- sions, which was seated and used liy the Ejiiscopa- lians for public worship till they could erect a church, which they did; and this was the third Episcopal church in Fairfield. A descendant of his (JIary Nichols) still owns the premises. Among his posterity were Capt. Solomon, who died at sea; Edward, who lived where George Chapman now does.; Samuel Sturges, who resided on the prem- ises of Mrs. Morris Wakeman ; Capt. Eben Sturges, who died at Jamaica, West Indies, with tlie siiiall- ]iox; and Dimon Sturges, whose sister married Capt. IS. Lothrop Sturge.s, from another branch of the Sturges family. The latter was a son of the cele- brated Judge Jonathan Sturges, who resided o|iposile tlie Catholic church, where Jerry Toomy lives, and was father of tlie late Jonathan Sturges. (See "Special Houses," No. 5.) In Dimon Sturges' family, Solomon and Eben were bankers in Ohio, and were also large real-estate owners and men of unlimited intluence. WaltiT Perry, who married Elizabeth Sturges, lived in Southport, on the premises now owned by Jlr. Oliver H. Perry, who has the deed of the premises conveyed to his grandfather, Peter Perry, from .Tohn Cannon in the last century. Miah Perry and his wife, Elizabeth Dimon, married in 1787, lived where Nchemiah Jennings' meat-market now is. These two brothers were engaged in the mercantile tra<le and shipping. Job Perry, who married Sarah Sturges, was a merchant and miller in Weston. Seth Perry was a 20 merchant in Black Rock. David Perry was a mer- chant in North Carolina. Of Peter Perry's daughters, " Sail" married David Ogden {see "Colonial," 11); Nancy married Heze- kiah Osborne (see "Colonial," X); Mabel married Isaac Marquand. They were the parents cjf Henry Marquand, the banker in New York, and Frt'deric, best known as the founder of Marquand Chapel, at Yale College, also a very large donor to the same in- stitution. Pol married Henry L. Pen(ield,and Betsey married Samuel W. Sherwood, of Brooklyn, X. Y. Of Peter Perry's grandchildren, Francis D., son of Miah Perry, is president of Southport National Bank; Oliver H., sou of Walter, is a leading othcial in the Southp(irt Savings Bank, and has been )iromiiieiit in (.'linrcli and State aftiurs. His sister Narcissa married .) udge Samuel Hitchcock, of New Haven ; Emily mar- ried Dr. Chandler Smith, of Danbury. .lob and Sarah Sturges Perry's children were all born in Weston, t'onii., and were all millers or merchants. Alfred was a miller, and occupied the old Perry homestead; Munson was a miller and niercliant, moved to Soniers, N. Y., and was the father of ten children, — Talman, a miller, afterwards a lumber-dealer in Bridgeport; P.urr. a merchant at Black Bock; Orando, iniller in Weston ; Davi<l, a merchant in Bridgeiiort, engaged in the wdiale-fisheries, and owning shares in various vessels; Emetine, who married Epliraim Gregory, a hatter in Danbury. These are all dead, but their de- scendants are numerous and prosperous. Of Peter Perry's great-grandchildren, Jidiu Iloyt, , son of ( )liver H., is a lawyer of the firm of Woodward & Perry, of Norwalk. He is a graduate of Yale, a director in the Southport National Bank, also of the savings bank, and is an ex-member of the Legislature. Winthrop H., brother of John Perry, is also a grad- uate of Yale, a thorough scholar, with bright pros- pects for a suecessl'ul iirofessional career. Henry, another brother, graduated from the Yale Scientific School. Kov. Talman Perry (Presbyterian) is located in La Prairie, Canada; Thomas Perry is a civil engi- neer in Illinois : Frederic M. Perry is the well-known hatter in Bridgeport ; Miah Perry, of Weston, is an ex-member of the Connecticut Legislature. No. 10. This house was built by Daniel Dimon about 17o.'>. Building was his business; his reputa- tion as an architect (cariK-nter in those days) was ex- eelleut. He was the builder of the llou^e owned by Jlr. O. W. Jones, also of the Fourth Congregational Church, built 178.'). This was taken down in 184i) to give place to a more modern structure. Mrs. So[ihia Edwards, of Brooklyn, daughter of O. VV. Jones, wrote in 18.')() the following, suggested by the occasion of tearing down this place of worship: LINKS ON LE.VVIXG THK 01.0 ClUItlH, Farewell, olil tiTii|'lc uf (uir 8ii cs ! Oime is tliy umifiit lui iii ; N"n more siitmiiil thy spiie will Jilay The siirisliiiif ami tlie stunn. 298 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. Tliy vencrmted wnlls have stood TIinMit;!! sixty-flvo long yeiin*, Vliilc fiillifrs wlcep who plniitod thee With niiiigleU hupc:« itiid ft-ars. Farowcll, each dear, fniniliar thing ! Thy ever-fftithful vnne, Thy lofty pul]>il» large square pews, AVe ne'er sliall see again ! A stranger has usnrped tliy placo And sluloii thy ohl hell, And we muHt bill tliy microd courts A final, Bad farewell. Here have we met each Sabbath day To licnr God's holy word ; Together here have joined wiir liearts To Hiipplicato the Loixl ; And here, in grateful sungsof pruisc, Onr vuites oft In bloml, To Ilini fmni whom nil LlDssingft come, Ours aud our fathoiti* friend, Tlie Spirit oft, we trust, ban been "Within tliih hallowed place,^ Kevived the Christian'^ faith and Ioto With gentle dews of grace ; And many souIh have taHted hero The joy of sine forgiven. To whom thi» earthly house hoe boon The very gate of heaven. And must Time's rapiil, ccnsclcw course Blight all thing*, with decay? Tlie deaie»t relics of the past Forever fade away ? Mu»t all the niiglity works of man But share this cummon doom, And lie in beauty, youth, and strength Goto the silent tomb? Oil, could thiH temple of our sires It^ thrilling Htory tell, or nnwit who've trod it« well-worn aisles And b>vi-J it^ courts so well, AVhate'er (ln-ir wi-al, wliate'iT their woo, It would thi.-< truth reveal- That they reixjse where nevermore Life's changes they can feel. And is there, thou, no blighter world Beyond this vale of tears, ■\Vlioro Time can never steal away Tho objects love endears? " Yes," sweetly whisper* heavenly Hope, " A homo of sacred rest, "Where all who are the friends of Christ Shall be fnrover ble»t." >*uw, dear ohl temple of our sires. As wo thy nilns see, "With cheerful splilts wo will give Our last farewell to theo; For while our temples perish hero, In faith we'll raise our eyes To that fair house, not made with handii, Eternal In tho skleti. Feb. 14, 1850. In Revolutionary times Daniel Dimon wa.9 an offi- cer, aiul was away on duty, while his wife, a delicate woman, was left to care for her family the best she could. Bradley l>imon <»ccupiod this house for several years, but after his decease the name became detached from the property. Ann, reared here, daughter of Daniel Dimon, married ^Alfred Perr>-. (See ''Colo- nial," Xo. 9.) The Dimons bore an old and respected name in town. An old stone in the old ground commemorates one thus: " Capt. John Dimon, died in 1704;" an- other thus: "Capt. Moses Dimon, died in 1748." As the Dimons were people of good repute in town, the following may be interesting to various families. This is found in the West burying-ground: "Jesse Dimon, died in Augusta, Go., Nov. 1, 1822 Aged 52. Robert Dimon, son of Jesse & Bethia Dimon, died in Augucita, Ga., Aug. 21,1K23. Aged 23 y'rs & 7 nioe. John Dimon, sou of Jesse & Betliia Dimon,