History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Lemuel Camp (1), the great-great-grandfather of Lemuel H. Camp, came to Newtown, it is supposed, from old Jlilfonl about the time of the first settle- ment (1.H07). lie had nine children, — viz.: Joel (2), John, Samuel (who died in the French war), Silas, Julius, Pliebe (]Mrs. Sirenas Hard), Heppie (Mrs. Amile Peck), Allie, or .Mice (Mrs. Sims), and Clarisa (Mrs. Josiah Blackmail). Joel Camp (2) was born Oct. 20, 17^.4, and died October, 177y. He married Ellen Jacksf)n, by whom he had eight children, — viz. : Deborah (Mrs. Matliew Sherman), Lemuel (.'!), .lolin, Susan (Mrs. Joseph Wheeler), Jacob, Phebe, Silas, and Samuel. Lemuel Camp (8), in addition to his occupation as a farmer, was a school teacher and surveyor. A man of |)robity and intcdligenee, he won the confidence of his neighbors, and was a general peacemaker :is well as arbiter of disputes in the neighliorhofid. He mar- ried Sarah, daughter of Samuel Dibble, by whom he had ten children, — Joel Trowbridge (4), Cyrus, Dibble, Polly (Mrs. Samuel Fairchild), ,\dali (second wife of Beers Fairchild), JIaria (Mrs. John Smith), Beach, Hiram, Sarah .\iin (Mrs. Zacharia Clark), and Marv Ann. 482 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. Joel Trowbridge Camp (4) was born March 1, 1794, and was married to Polly, daufrhtcr of Zadoc Fair- child, April 13, 1819. His children are Lemuel Fair- child (5), Lucia (Mrs. Johu li. Smith), Edwin, and Samuel Burtis. Mr. Camp is now living with his son Lemuel F., at the advanced age of eighty-seven. He has been a man of great industry, following farming and making u])on his own farm the implements required. Very fond of the retirement of his hemic he has never been on a railroad car and never farther from home than Hartford. Lemuel Fairchild Camp, the subject of this sketch, was b>)rn Dec. 8, 1820. His youth was that usual to the New England farmers' boy, working upon the farm and attending the district school. When twenty- one years of age he was quite desirous of going West, but, his father strongly opposing the step, he decided to content himself among the rocky hills of his native town. His father ]iurchasing the i)lace of his present residence about this time, Lemuel was put in charge. April 4, 1855 he wa.s united in nnirriage to Sarah Jane, daughter of Amos and Mary Ann Lake. Since this time, by the safe and sure way of industrj' and good management, aftiiirs have prospered with Mr. Camp. The old house on the place at the time of inirchase has been torn down and a new one erected, comfortable barns have been built and orchards planted. Fond of home, like the most of the old New Englanders, Mr. Camp is happy in the society of his family. Possessed of a taste for stock, of which he is a fine judge, he gives considerable attention to buying and grazing cattle for the markets, and it is not often that superior stock cannot be found upon his jiremises. In politics Mr. Camp is a Republican, is a member of the Ejjiscopal Church, and, as might be expected, is a director of and stockholder in the Danbury Agri- cultural and Manufacturers' Fair Association, — the only stockholder, by-the-hye, in Newtown. His children are Carrie .Vinelia (deceased). Alma Jlcdora, Mary Alice, Amos Trowbridge, anil Sarah Annie. WIM.IAM I'LATT. Among tlic original thinkers and ])rogressive fruit- growers of Newtown none outrank William Piatt, Es(]., a view of whose residence ai)|)ears upon another page. Mr. Piatt is a native of Litchfield County, but for thirty years he has been a resident of New- town, and in the several capacities of manufacturer, farmer, and fruit-grower he has been decidedly suc- cessful. Iniismuch a-s Mr. Piatt entertains ])eculiar religious views, and employs the local press as a medium to impress others with his belief in well-written and forcible paragraphs, he is termed the "Newtown Philosopher." It is anpractice of Mr. Piatt to prepare at frequent intervals short articles, — sometimes ap- peals, sometimes protests; these he jiosts in manu- script at the public places in the village. It will per- haps be interesting in the town's history to insert at least one of these characteristic j)aragraphs, which we clip from the Danbury Neics : "Nothing is right that is not fair." "Platform [ lectures arc never fair, and they are in direct ojiitosi- tion to Christ's jilain teaching." " Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. A person will re- ceive a rejjroof with thankfulness from another when the two are alone, which if administered in the pres- j ence of a third person or a crowd would excite anger; and further, the party reproved may have con- j sciousness that his actions were not subject to censure, and he justly deems himself mistreated when repri- manded by a hireling, before whom he can make no explanation or vindication without being an offender of the common law. If platform preaching or lec- tures were ever allowable, they are not needed now, for the printer has placed the lectures of Him 'who si)ake as never man spake' in the hands of all."' " No toll-gates on the way to Heaven." Mr. Piatt is an industrious, cultivated, and useful citizen, frank aiul courteous in his manner. CHAPTER XLVIIL NOKVTALK. Goograpliicul — Tupogniphicnl — The First rurcliaso — Firet Indian Deed to UogtT LiuHuw — liiJian Deed t>^ Cupt. Patrick — The Liullow .\gree- meiit — Conflrmiitiori iif Patrick'tf PtirclK-xMe — A(i-«i^nineiit liy l.itillow — Deed from lEuiickiiigliciige — The I'lilenI — The Pioneers — Original GrnntH of HoniU'Lotii— Plan of Ancient Settlemout. NoKWALK is a coast town, and is bounded as fol- lows : On the north by New Canaan and AN'ilton ; on theea-stby Westport; on the south by Long Island Sound ; and on the west by Darien and New Canaan. The surface of the town Is uneven and Its soil fertile. To the Intrepid and talented Roger Ludlow, whose history is interwoven with the pioneer events in this section of the State, is due the honor of having made the first purchase of lands of the Iiullans within the hounds of the present town of Norwalk. This pur- chase was made on the 2<>th of February, 1(>40, and embraced that portion of the town lying between the Saugatuek and Norwalk Hlvci-s. On the 2(ith of the following April a subsequent purchase was made of the central i)ortion of the town by Capt. Daniel Pat- rick. The western portion of the town was not jiur- chased until IGol. FIRST INDIAN DEED. The following is a copy of the first deed from the Norwalk Indians to Roger Ludlow : I.NDtAN DEED TO CAPT. PATUICK. "An Agreement betwixt Daiiiell PHtriek and Mnlmckem. nnd Nnnt* make And Penienate lIewnoni|K>m indiitnx of Norwnke iind .Mnkent'inh, tlie Mlid naiiictl I'lilricke tiutli Uuigiit of tlio !>nv<.tl threi.- iri<liiiiirt, tlie gniiilid railed Saciinyle nApncke, aIIv Meeaiiwortli, tliinlly .\Miniit'>«i«, foiirltily nil the land aitjoyningo to the nforem«ntioned, as fan* up in tlie I i NORWALK. 483 I'liiitry a,-^ an iii'li;iii can •,'iir in a ilay. frmn sun lisiiigo to f;iiii scttiilgf ; aii'l tune Isliiii.Is noiTf ailjoiuing to tin- s:iyvd caiaiitynayueck, all b'tiiiuliHl on tlif wfst (siilo with noewanton r.n the vast aulo to tlie middle of the liiver of Norwake, and all trees, meadows, waters and natnndl aitjnnct.s then-niito lieloii';iMKe, for him and his fi>ievci-: for whitli Lands the sjiyed Indians are to leeeive i.f tlie saw-d I);uiiell I'atiirlie, of wani- ]aiiii, tenn fathoms, ImtL-hetts thiiM-, howes three, whi^i sliiiips euine ; Mxe glasses, twclfe tohaekoc pipes, line- Unifes, tenn diills. tenn needles ; this as full satkfaetion, f..r the atoiementi.med lande, ami for the pea-i-- al'le possession of which the afoienn-iilioncd mahachemill dutli pnunise and undertake to silence all ojiposers ni' this pim-hiise, if any KhoiiM in his time act, to witnesse which, on hnth Nides, hiuuls are inlen.h;iny:eaMy liereunto sett, this -^Otli uf Aprill, liUu. maike nnromake. " witnesses, "Tohi ffeap ".Tnhll How f// "markir." THE LUDLOW AGREEMKNT. The toUdwiii;,' is a co|iy of tlic u^iMvenicnt of Jlr. Ludlow with the phuiters of Noi-wulk : " A ( M|.vi.. nt' tlic :ig[OL'inciit ami articU-s ma-le Iiftwfcn Roi:;ci- Taidlmv, of Fairfiflil, anil Xatliauicl Kli, ami Ritlianl OliiR-stfil, with tliu rest, for tlio sottliiise ami phinliiif^e of Nurwalki-. "Aitiilcs of agreeniflit made lietwecn K.igcr Liiillowo, of Fairfielil, esquiru of the one paile, an.l Natlianiel Eli, of Ilartfoid, in tli.' liiver of Conneetieiit, liitlmni Olmsted of the same in tin- hehalfe of themselves and Rithaid Wel.h, Natiiaiiiel Kithaiils, JIathew Marvin, Ititliard Seamer, Thomas Speneer, Thomas Hales, Nathajdel Riiskoe, Isaeke Graves, Kalpli Keeler, John Ilullow.ay, Kihvard fhurcli, .loliri Rnskue, an.l some others about liJantinge Norwalke, over the 13Ih day of .Inne, lir.il. " Imiirimis, the sayed Nathaniel Kli an.l Uithar.l Olmested, doe cove- nant, and premise, and agree, that they will set upon the lilantinge of the sayed Norwalke, witli all eonvenient speed; will we and staeke