History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

"Thoniiis Fitcli,.Tr. (May 20, 1071. bought uf Sanuit-l Camtii-ldi. liume- Int. fivf acies. IVmiiilfil (•a^^ Iiy uplaml nt" the runiiriuii, \ve,-st l>y iown hi;;li\vay, iiortit \>\ J-'sejili .S-ii1ioii'> l..t. soiitli l.y Kulianl Oliiif^ti-.rs. *'Sanim*l Smitli I'soini.'' to IMattlirw IMiirviii, Sr., Iiarl ;;iven liiiii liV sai.l Marvin, AuR. 20, 16T4, folio la.'Iiafl.- my liuim-lut mi-l h:i\U- my ordiiird as it lyetlT). "Joseiili Kotclmuj, six acrt-s. ItuuinU'il ca.st by Epluaiin liUL-kwiinil ani.1 coiniiioli land, west liy Tlioiiisis Tayloi's hoiiu'-lut ami roiinuon huiil, north \>y hishway, south hy .TaiiR's I'ickt-t's hmd. ■^ "ThuniiiM Taylor (,lu)nie-litt »>f uiilaml ami lowhufl. a,i>. Hm"), four a<:res. Ittminled east l>y cumiiiuu latiil, wt-sl l>y coiiuiioii liii^liway, imrlh by Jakin Crt'^oric'ri. " UobiTt Stewart (Jan. 22. 1074, boiii^-ht tin- '2mii ]ioiiii.I lot t;rant.'<I U> Rirhani IliisluK'H'). lloumlu'l east by himls ot Samui-l ('aiiifiilil, wt-st by lamls uf Samuel (JauifieKl, nuith by lamis of Samin;! CamliclJ, suiith by coniinori hi^Iiwjiy. *'.Io!in Ruscoe (urigiiia! ^"1"'. ''"' i'-'oi.l..-il Ki-b. 0, 1GS3), four acrt-s. lioumlnl east by town !iij;hway, wust by lot fornit-rly Thunuu* Luiituii's, nnrtli liy Mr. Ilamlfunl's home-lot, south by Hichanl IbamV bom«-lot. " ' At a nieL-tinj;".- heihl the 27lh uf March, — Oj, grantr.l ami vuti-.I unto Tho. ifetts a lioine-lott .if four arres, lyingc next to Ralph Ki-t-iUMV liouic- lot, the said Tho. IJi-tts having at tlio eaied niet-tiiige rosiyncd that hmrie- lott lying by Will Ruscov's unto tlu- Towm's hamls,' "At the same meeting 'granted ami voted unto M»tr. Fli-nu that home- lott lyiii.^ by Will lliisiov's lioUK-lott, whi. !i Tho. ]!,'tl> hath ie.>i-ned Uii.' '• Thomsus Benedict, Sr., in 1000, bought i>f Samuel Canipfiuld his house- lot, granted him by tliu towu, between Thomas IScIts atnl Kiiliraini Lock- wood. '*5Ir. Buckingham's home-lot, fv>ur acres. Rounded ejist by lainl of Tlionias Betts and tlie common fence, wcM, by town's highway, north by )i iiu-lot of Thomas Seamer, south by home-lot of heirs of John Ray- i:^-iid. Sr., decejLsed. (The lot originally laid out to Richard Webb.) ".John N.'ishe (in If.sy, u grant in tlu> rear of Robcit Stewart's). l'..iinded ca.>t by common land, west I'y Robert Stewart's home-lot. "James I'ickett (home-lot in lt;T2), four acres. Bun ruled eiust by coni- iiii'ii land, the said lot taking in the water-brook, west hy common high- u;iy, north by John KeiderV home-hd, tiiat WiLs ErUvanl Ketchanr's, ^ iitli by Judah Gregory's home-lot. "Samuel Benedict (in 107s, u home-lot upon l)r-y HilH, four acres. ]:oiiiided east by highway that leads to saiil hill, we>t by town highway, .-"uth by Thomas Benedict, Sr.'s, hoine-lut. " John Benedict (in 1G7S, hunu-dut njH.n I>ry Hill ), four acres. Bounded ii^t and west Tiy highway, noith by Ridieit Stewart's lot, south by Tiiomas Bett,s, Sr.'s. lot. " Thomas Beiierlict, Jr. (honu'-lot between Itayle Hill and Strawberry Hill), four acres. Bounded ciif-t by highway upon Strawbeiry Hill, west by highway leading to the old connnon highway, imrtli by Samuel Smith's lot, south by John Gregory, SrVs, lot. "Joseph I'latt (recorded Jan. 11, lOU'.l, grant of ^i\te^■rl acres lying at "W. Rocks, west siilo of highway leading up to r^aid Rocks). Bounded partly l.y land of James Miller-, north by Kbenezer Mention, west on highway, south partly by land of Samuel Belts and James Miller. '■Samuel Smith (I'eb. 2U, lOJSil, grant of homo-lot adjacent to Straw- I ny Hill), four acres. Bounih'd e:wt by highway, west and nortli I'y In^iiway, scmth by Thonms Btuiedict, Jr.'s, lot. •Sauniel Sention (May 12, 10S2, Uurght honie-h>t of James Jupp), four a< MS. Boumled east by John iiregory, Sr.'s, lot ami eomuion land, west . by common hind, north by Johrr Biiwteii, i^r., that wius Georgu Abbott's, I south by highway running by the * (.'oafc Banckc.' said lot purehasud by Jujip of Richard Seamer. "James Beebe (himie-Iot, fol. TiW, between two holluws in the land that , lies against Judah Gregory's and John Hoyt's on the lelt hand of the j path or highway leading to the mill), two acres. Bounded eiust by path or liighway, west by the bank, north by a hollow and common land, I south by a hollow and common land."* ' * The several grants made to each person previous to the recording — ; about 107(1 to 1090— are generally recorded together. Thus: after tho ' record of Rev. Mr. Hanford'a home-lot, follow records of several parcels i of land granted tu Mr. Hauford, e.<j.: Acres. Rnoils. lu 2 at I'inu Hill and ^oaka tuck Piaiiie 0 0 iu the Neck. 5 1 Neck ami Fniitfiil .Sin- iig. 4 2 Coast Divifrion. i)Ei:i).<. INDIAN DEKl) To ROGKP. I.t'DLOW. [Kast side of Nurwalk Kiv.-r] **A copyief of a deede of s- J- m;id.- by Noiwalke Imiians, unto Ma.>ter Roger Lndlowe, of >'aiilield, as Inllowetli, 20th Kebniary, li;iO. "An agreement made between the Indians of Xoi uidUt- anil Roger Ludlowe: it is agreed, that the Indians nf Xoi-walke, foi- and in consid- eration id" eight fathom of warnjuim, hi\e cuatcs, term hatcht-ts, tenn hoes, tenn knifes, term sissois, tenn jewse haTpes, tenn fathom Tobackoe, thiee kettles of (-i.M? hands about, term looking gl:Ls.ses, have granted all the lands, meadows, p;i.>tui inge, trees, whatsoever there is, ami grounds hetweene the two Rivi-rs, the one called Norwalke, tho other Soakatuek, to the middle of sayed Rivers, fronr the sea a ilay's walke into the coun- try; to the sayed Roger Ludlowe, and IiIh lieiis and a.«signes for ever; and that noe Indian or other shall challenge or- cluini any ground within the sayed Rivers or limits, nor di>turli the >ayed I'.ogi-r, his heir's or a.s- signes, within the preiinets aforesaitl. In wilm-ss whereof the parties thereunto have intereliaugeably j^ett their hands. '* Witnesse the marUu Ti.niakergo Tukaiieko the lii.'ilkr ,,f Koori: I.roLiiWE. the liiaike .>f tVv^ 111.- lIMllvl- .il I']..\X OF Tilt: .VXCIEXT PLANTATIOX. In the j>laii lit' the ancient settlement (if Xiirwalk, (see page 488), as ilrawn liy tlie Rev. Edwin Hall iu 1847, we lind tiio aneieiit nieeting-hdu.se, tliirty feet in length and eijihteen wide, with posts ten feet lii;j:h, and nearby the Imuse uf Mr. Ilanfiird, wliieh Ralph Keeler and Walter Ilaite agreed to build, and for which jNIathew .Marvin, .Jr., " undertook to lay in two thousan<l good siithcicnt shinkles." There, too, arc the old paradc-grouiul and the ancient country road from Stamford to Kairfield. In the assignment of the home-lots the leading men were placed near the meeting-house, for here we find, just north, on one side of the road, is the lot of Ma- thew Marvin, Sr., with tliat of Nathaniel Ely, directly opposite. Adjoining Nathaniel Ely, on the same side of the street, lived Richard Olnistead, and opposite was the lot of Thomas Fitch, which he bought of Edmund Church in llitio. Here also are the dwell- ings of Nathaniel Richards, Tlionias JIales, Isack More, and Nathaniel Campbell. Scmthwest may be seen the lots of Deacon Thomas Benedict, .John Bow- ton, AValter Haitc, etc. rlunthig FlelJ. Mea<It>\v. Meadow Field. Otiii-i- Bide of the Itiver. Meadow at Tlarreii Marsli. I'pluiid I>lalii of the Meadows. Out-meadow. Neck I'laMtiiiE Field. Saukatuck Hill. Indian Field. ]ta\le Hill (Hall), oiiginal phtntertj. f These " copies" wele recorded in the book of deeds in the year IGT; Acres Roods 1 1) 1 U 2 2 2 1 5 u 4 2 0 II 0 0 35 0 G :! ■4 II And so on ft rail the 488 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. CHAPTER XLIX. NORWALK (Continued). SKETCHES OF TIIK ORIGINAL INHABITANTS.* George Abbott, whose name heads the list of the first white settlers of Norwalk, probably emigrated from Dorchester, England, with his master. Doubt- less lie was a Freiicli refugee and a relative of the Abboths of Andover, Mass. He was one of the first Puritan settlers of Hartford. His name is not in the catalogue of cmigrauts to America. It first appears in the colonial records of Connecticut, 1G40, as a ser- restrictions imposed by the British government upon those who had been in rebellion against kingly au- thority. In 1648 he was at Ipswich, Mass.; in 1G.51 he was an inhabitant of Norwalk. Here he resided ten years, and removed to Fairfield ; and the court gave the inhabitants of that place liberty " to take in a cohabitant with them, Robert Bcachani, who lately lived in Norwalk." March 29, 10.55, he was upjiointed by the people of this town field-gate keeper for the year ensuing. Feb. 5, 10.57, the town voted that he should enjoy that parcel of laud lying between his I home-lot and " Coafe Bancke" as his own, under a Satrt' Baltt MAP OF ANCIENT NOllWALK. vant residing in Windsor. There he was fined for sell- ing a "pystoll and powder to the Indians, and bound to his good behavior." Eleven years later he was an inhabitant of Norwalk. In 1072 he w:js the father of seven children. He never held ofliee. In ItlOO he had an estate of one humired and twenty pounds. As his name disappeared from the town records after 1644, he probably died about that date, aged about seventy-four. Robert Beacham, or Beauehamp, wag in Ipswich, Mass., 1648. I'robtbly he left England, as many others did, under an assumed name, to avoid the • Ckmtrlbuted by Vr". 8. Bonton, Xf\. ' condition. In the first property list he was taxed on one liundred and seventy-three pounds. He was not \ made an elector in Fairfield until 1664. Stephen Beckwith, — or Beckett, a.s Hutton has it, — aged eleven, was the youth pointed out as S. B. in the records, who was brought to the colony of Ma.ssacliusetts in the ship " Francis," Cutting, nuister, 1634. His name appears in the colonial records in 1649, at which date he Wiis twenty-six years of age, and a resident of Hartford, from whence he emi- grated to Norwalk. The town records do not show that he owned a home-lot. His estate in 1673 was set , in the tax-list at five pounds; in 1690 he had in- NOKWALK. 489 creased the same to fifty pouiuls. It is believed tliat a jKirtiun of liis estate was situated in the town of Fairfield. Proljably lie removed there with Beaeham.