History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

The house occupied by Burr Lyon, deceased, owned then by Isaac Jennings, was the first one fired and the first rebuilt. Dr. Hull must have given up his house to Mr. Eliot within ten years, as he lived awhile with Justin Hobart, and his daughter Eliza was born in that "colonial" (No. 3). In time he purchased the house which stood dose to the road in front of the residence of Gen. E. S. I'arkcr, who is spoken of in the " Ameri- can Cyeloptcdia" as one of the most eminent men of the Iroquois nation, and who served on President Grant's staff and became commissioner of Indian affairs. The present home of Gen. Parker, formerly that of Col. Robert C. Wetmore, a descendant of Quarter- master Kichard Hubljcll, " one of Fairfield's most fearless defenders," belonged once to Dr. David Hull, and here stood the " colonial" in which he lived and died. This house was fired in common with the rest, but was saved from destruction, though the fire • W. A. Been, In tho SmOiport Tinu; 1RS0. f Tlio other four were the Turney ami Iteiinilt honniv) ; al*> one which BtWfcl on the site ofthe ret-lilenre oftho late Mr.Gwtrge A. I'helfM, a weultli.v New York niercluiiit ami i*hli»..)wner, o.-cu|tio»l for a long time hy Mlas Sully While; alwt one Htanillng In fmnt or the house oerupleil hy Gon. K. S, Parker, A pK-Mto of thU home is owned by Sliw EIIza Hull. X Sons of tho Intc Andrew Turuoy. l)urned through into the sitting-room, destroying in a great measure the base-boariLs, which Dr. Hull would never have replaced while he occupied it. He died in 1834, aged si.xty-eight. His two daughters, Mrs. John C. Sanford and Miss Eliza Hull, are yet li>'ing, and are in possession of several portraits of " ye olden time" and articles made a century or so ago. He was uncle to Com. Isajic Hull, anil brother to Gen. William Hull, born in Derby. It is said of the doctor that few lived more beloved and respected. He was distinguished for tiilent as a physician. He practiced in Fairfield more than forty years, and was conspicuous as a husband, a neighbor, and a member of the Christian Church. During the occupation of Boston by the British a number of families left that place and look refuge in Fairfield. Among them was the family of llev. An- drew Eliot (Sr.), D.D., a patriotic and faithful min- ister, who himself remained in Boston in the dis- charge of his a[)pr()])riate duties. Dr. Eliot was born in 1718, and graduated from Harvard in 1737. He became pastor of the new North Church in Boston in 1742, and filled that position till his death, in 1778. He was elected president of Harvard University, but declined the honor. Some of his family (Mrs. Sarah Squire, Mrs. Dr. Hull, and his son, the Rev. Andrew Eliot) found a i)erm;tnent home in Fairfield. His son Andrew was called to succeed the Hev. Noah Ho- bart (see " Colonial," No. 3) in 1774. Dr. .\.twater speaks of him as a ripe scholar, a prudent, faithful, and beloved pastor. Benjamin Silliman, speaking of him, says : " In my early days much company resorted to Holland Hill, — not a few hidging-gue,<ts, — and it was a favorite excursion from Fairfield, especially with young people of both .sexes; and in Mr. EliotV family there were sensible and agreeable daughters. The reverend gentleman was not forgotten by his Boston friends, even by the great. On one occasion the celebrated Governor Hancock" (see "Burr Family"). " presidentof Congress, drove up to Mr. Eliot's with his coach and four horses, and while he made his call the coachman drove farther up the road to find a place wide enough to turn the horses iind carriage"! It is .said that Mr. Eliot came down from Holland Hill to build his own fires in the church. The seat.~ were mere benches, such as were used in school-houses at that era. His salary was three hundred didlars per annum. When the parish was destroyed by fire in 1779 his people told him that, being crippled finan- cially, they could not do as well by him as others could ; but his noble manhood shone beautifully in his reply: "I've been with you in your prosjicrity, and I'll stay in your adversity ;" and he stayed. He entered the following historical note on the church record: "1770, July 7th.— A jiart of the Biitish army, eonsisling of Britnns, Germans, and Anieiiean refugi-e*. uutier llic command of Bliy..Gen. Garth, landed in this lowu from a Heel commanded hy Sir Gaorgc Collier. FAIRFIELD. 329 " la the evening and niglit of the same day a great part nf the build- ings in the town-phit were consumed by said troops. "July 8th. — In the morning the meeting-honse, together with the Chureh-of-England building, the court-house, piisons, and almost all the principal buildings in the Society were laid in ashes. " Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathei-s praised Thee, is burnt with fire, and all our i>leasrtnt things are laid waate. "The Lord gave and the l.urd hath taken away. " Ulassed be the name of the I/ord. "All things work together for good to them that love fJod, to them who lire the culled according to Ills purpose. " Alleluia ! "The Lord (iotl uninipotent reigneth. Amen!" Dr. E. R. Rankin quotrd these notes one liumlred years after they were written, and said, " In snh.se- quent tiuics of prosperity and safety tliose sentiments have not been wholly lost." Mr. Silliman, in speaking of Mr. Eliot as a teacher, writes: " Jlr. Eliot was a thorough seliolar, and was so fully imliued with classical zeal that he was not always patient of our slow progress. He, however, devoted himself with great zeal and fidelity to our instruction in all good learning that was adapted to our age and destination, and carried us safely through. He was most ftiithful during the more than two years that we were his private pupils." (Mr. Eliot pre- pared Mr. Silliman for college. ) " Mr. Eliot took great delight in reading aloud to u.s from the ' ^Eneid.' Being excited and animated both by the poetry and the story, he evidently enjoyed the subject, and would fain have imparted to us a portion of his own enthu- siasm." Mr. Eliot, wife, and daughter lie within the only inclosure of an iron railing in the old ground in Fair- field. The daughter, JIary, aged twelve, died first, then the father, whose inscription reads: " In Memory of the Rev. .\ndrew Eliot, A.M.. born at Boston, Slass., Jan. 11, 1V4C». Ordained pastor of tlie first Church of Christ in B'airfield. June 22, 1774, in which station he served O.jd with fidelity until Sept. 20'!', IMl,-), when he rested from his labors, in the C3^ year of his age and 32' of his ministry. that be wise shall shino as the hiightncss of the firmament. "They and they ever." His wife's reads: 22 " In Memory of Mary Kliut, Kelict of the late Rev'l Andrew Eliot, and Daughter of the Hon*'!* Joseph Pynchon, of Boston, anil Mary his Wife. she was Ijorn at Brookfield, Mass., W'as married July lll'li, 177-1, and died liecenif 10'>", 1^10, in the 02'i year of her age. Her flesh rests in hope." ni;iny to righteousness as the stars forever and Of their daughters, Ruth married Dr. "William Burr Nash, Elizabeth married Oershom Burr, Mary mar- ried Joy, father of Andrew Eliot Joy, of Bridge- port, and Susan married Rev. Nathaniel llcwit, 1>.1-).* (See " Colonial," No. 5. ) Mr. Eliot's " mother was IMary rynchon, of S[iring- fiehl, Mass., a lineal descendant of William rynchon, who settled Springfield with Jehu Burr, of Fairfield." Among the old toml>stones in Fairfield is the fol- lowing, to " ^Irs. Sarah Sipiire, wife of Calit. Josc'ph Scpiire, and daughter of the late Iteverend Andrew Eliot, D.H., of HosIoii, died 31 May, 171)',i, in lierW"' year." They li\ed in the hou.se on the V fir angle of the two roads e<jnverging near Capt. John (.oaild's estate. This was then a private residence ; only half of it was plastered for years. It was the style tlirough the State to erect a large frame, and finish as the owners were able. The name of Squire was one of repute and respect- ability. David Squire lost both hands in the Revo- lution. John Squire's house stood on the site of Cieorge's Hotel. Samuel Squire was commissary in the army. Proliably when Andrew Eliot, .Ir., went to visit his aunt Mary Scpiire he became interested in Miss Sophia Was.son, who lived across the way with her mother, in a hou.se lielonging at present to Mr. Albert Turney. A tombstone in the old ground to her father's memory tells a portion of his history. " Capt. .Tolin Wa.sson, died at New York, Nov. ll'h, 1707, in his 4IJJ year; was removed to this place 3larch •2»\ 1798." Mr. Eliot called at Mrs. Wasson's one Saturday morning, and in au interview with MissSojiliia lusked her to become Mrs. Eliot on the following day. It came so sudden to her that he consented to call in the evening for the reply. On conferring with her mother, who favored it, knowing her daughter's sen- timents regarding the young minister, she saiil, as she was baking, she could as well bake some cake, so they could jiass around some cake and wine, and she (the daughter) could look and see if she had a white dress ready to wear: if she had there was nothing to hinder the marriage. He called in the evening, and the re- sult was that next morning the banns were duly pub- lished in church, and in the evening the white dress was worn and the cake and wine passed. This Rev. Andrew ICliot (3d) was pastor of the Congregational Clinreh in New Milford, Conn., where his people were greatly attached to him, and always speak of liim in endearing terms. After the removal of the Eliot family by death and marriage, the house came into possession (by pur- * See Uurr Genealogy. 330 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. chase, probably) of Edmund Darrow. In time, Peter Burr Sturgos owned it, and rosidcd tlicro for several years. Here lie died, and his heirs disposed of it to Mrs. Henry Burr. The house is in excellent condi- tion. It was finished with paneling's and mouldings of delicate workmanship, which have been preserved carefully, and for the time and place it was a suitable home for Rev. Andrew Eliot, the scholar, patriot, and Christian.