History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

was assessed at three hundred and fourteen pounds. Three brothers by the name of Gregory, or trreg- gorie, sailed from Loudon for Virginia, — viz., Ben- jamin, Alexander, and Thomas. The latter two are recorded as being respectively twenty-four years of age. They may have been cousins, but it is more probable that they were twin-brothers. Benjamin was but fifteen when he left Gravesend, England, in the ship "Globe," in August, 16.35, Alexander em- barked from the same port in October, 1631, and Ben- jamin in 1635. Others of the name are fonml in the colonial records. John was a brother, if I am not mistaken, f)r the above named. It is not known when he left the mother-country. His name first appears in the annals of this town as one of the original in- habitants. He represented Norwalk nine times in the Legislature at its May sessions, and eight times at its October .'fessions. Nathaniel Haise, of Norwalk. of whom the records are almost silent, was among the original settlers of the town. His origin, or from whence he camo to this country heretofore, was unknown to the historians of Norwalk. The record of emigrants shows that "Anto" Haies, aged twenty-four, end)arked froA England, .August, 16S.5, in the ship "Safety." for the British colonies in North .Vmerica. James, agoA twenty-eight, left the same place, October, 16.35, in the "Constance." John, aged thirty, sailed in the "Hopewell," June, 16.34; and Robert, aged nineteen, March, 16.35. William Haise, aged twenty-four, who left Gravesend in .\)>ril, 1635, in the ship "I'aul," of London, probably was a cousin of the above named, NORWALK. 401 iill (if wliDiirwcre inlialiitiints of f<t. Kutlieiiiie and vicinity. Nathaniel liaise was a man of gooil estate. In 1687 lie was taxed on two hundred and fifteen jiunnds. He held no puUlie otiiee, liut Saniiiel, his oldest son, represented the town in the < ieni'ral Assenilily from lU8(i to 170;5, — in all fifteen times. Walter Hoyt, or Halt, was deseendeil IVom a not very numerous family of that name in " Ilnunster or Curry-Ilivel, county of Somerset, England." The family history claims that he was a siiu of t^imon, whose name first appeared in this country in l()2il, as being in Salem, Mass. It is also found in the records of Doreliester of Ki.'iO, in those of Scituate of Ki.'W, and in those of Windsor of lG:jil, where it is recorded as deacon of the church in that place. Walter could not have been the son of .Simon; he naist have been his younger brother. It cannot be sluiwn that Walter came to America before Ki.'i'J or 1(>40, at whicli date Simon had been in tlie Massacluwetts ccjlony ten years or UKjre. Walter was living in Windsor with his wife and three cliildren in l()4(t, at which date he could not have been more than twenty-two years of age. SiuKju came here (|uite young; so it is con- cluded that he eould not have had a son at that date old enough to be the father of three children. Walter Hoyt removed from Windsor to Hartford, thence to Fairfield, and settled in this town in 1(152 or 1()53. He was dejiuty fnnn Norwalk to the Gen- eral Assembly of Connecticut twelve times, and held various offices in the gift of the people of the town. He was, in 1090, the possessor of an estate taxed at two hundred and forty j)ounds. He diei! in Xorwalk, aged about seventy-seven. Samuel and Thomas Hales, brothers, left England for this country in Ki.'jS. Samuel, before he removed to Norwalk, resided for a period in Koxbury, Ma.ss. He went thence to Hartford, Conn., thence to Nor- walk. He represented the town in the General As- sembly in KJoO, 1().J7, and IGGO. Thonnis left no otH- cial record whatever. The brothers were owners of considerable real estate in ll).")5. In l(i73 they are not mentioned as having any estate. I'roliably they re- moved from the town some time before the assessment of 167?. was laid. Between 1()23 and 1635 eighteen of the name of H(jmes, or Holmes, emigrated from England to the British colonies in America. Of this nundicr was Richard Holmes, who left the port of London in Feb- ruary, 1734, in the ship "Hopewell," Thomas Wood, master, and in the year 1657 settled iu Xorwalk. Octo- ; ber 12th of this year Holmes came from Stratford to i this town, and bought of Alexander Bryan, of Mil- ford, the home-lot formerly owned by Thomas Smith. In March, 16(53, Holmes bought all the property of Stephen Beckwith in Norwalk. His estate was taxed in 1673 at one hundred and fifty pounds. In 1676 he I was the father of two children. In 1678 the town j granted him liberty to erect a saw-mill upon Five- Mile River. He never held any ollicial position in the town. Heretofore it has licen uncertain from what jiart of England the Rev. Mr. Ilanford cmigrat<Ml. In .\pril, l(i3.'), a person named Eglin Ilanford, aged forty-six, with two ilanghters, endiarkcd on the slii]) " Planter" for X'ew JCngland. He carried with liim to tlie port of departure a "certificate of the minister ol' Lndbu- rie, in Sufiblk County, of his conformitie to the or- ders and disciiilin of the Church of England, anil that he is no subsedv man, and that he hath taken the oath of Al egance supreme. It is very proba ble that Rev. Mr. Hanfbrd was the son of Eglin. As there were no educational institutions of learning of a higher order in this country at the date of his emi- gration, may he not have left his son Thomas in (_)ld England to finisli his education, or until tliey were provided here? Cotton Mather says Rev. Mr. Han- ford was one of the class of ministers who, not having finished their education at home, came over here to perfect it before our college was come to maturity to bestow its laurels. Probably he did not arrive in America until 163S-oi>. Mr. Ilanford comiilcted his course under Rev. Mr. Charles Cliauncey, of Scituate, second president of Harvard College, about lli-l;!.' The sanle year his name stands in the list of all tlujse persons able to bear arms in the Plymouth colony, and this year also he witnessed the will of Edward Foster, of Scituate. He was made freeman in ^Massachusetts, Jlay 22, 1600. Two years later he commenced to preach in this town. In 1653 the selectmen contracted for the building of his house, and in 165() the inhabitants voted to pay him as their minister " threesciu'e pounds, — viz., thirty pounds in wlieat, jiea-;, and barley, at lour shillings per bushel, eight pounds in , and the otlier twenty-two pounds in beefe and jiork." In 1670 the town voted to "hire a man to make a comely cover for Mr. Hanford's desk in the meeting-house at the town's expense." In his advanced age (1686) the people voted that they "desire Mr. Hanford to pro- ceed, though grown old in the work of the ministry, until the Lord shall dispose of him." " Winnepauk, an Iiulian, of Xorwalk, in 1(!!)7 deedcil ti his friend Thomas Ilanford, minister, his island against Rower- ton." The name of his wife is now unknown. He married the second time in Xew Haven, Oct. 22, 1661. Mr. Hanford had the largest e-itate of any of the in- habitants of the town. He died in X'orwalk iu li>;)3, aged about seventy-three or seventy-four. Uaniel Kellogg was one of the first inhabitants of this town, though he may not have arrived until the spring of 1651. His home-lot adjoined Matthew Marvin's, Thomas Fitche's, and Josei>h Fenn's. In 1655, he "took to wiffe Bridget Bouton," daughtiT of John Bouton, Sr., by his first wife, by whom he Iiad four daughters and two sons at least, David and Samuel. He was chosen townsnum several times, and re]>re?euted X'orwalk eight years in tlie (Jencral 492 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. Assembly, between 1670 and 1683. His estate in 1673 was listed at one hundred and twenty-five pounds. It is more than probable th.at Daniel Kellogg wa.s a brother of Nathaniel Kclloek and Joseph Keldy, both of whom were living in Farm- ington in 1649 and 16')4. Thomas Lupton was a.ssigned a home-lot with the first emigrants of Norwalk, but did not arrive until a year later. It is not known whom he married. He was the father of two cliildren, and probably had others. He was selected in 166S to " look after the young people in the meeting-house" on the Sabbath. Doubtless he was a brother of Davie, who left Eng- land, October, 1635, and Joseph, who sailed July, 163.'>. His estate wa.s listed in 16S7 at one hundred and fifty pounds. Ephraim Lockwood was without doubt a brother or other relative of Capt. Nicliola.s, wlio made several trips to Virginia. It is not impossible that Ejdiraim came to America as a hand on the ship commanded by .the captain. He married, June 8, 1665, Mercie Sention, daughter of Mathi.xs Sr., of Norwalk, by whom he had five sons, viz., .John, Daniel, Ephraim, .Joseph, and ICliphalet. His estate wa.s set in the list of 1687 at one hundred and twenty pounds. Ralph Keeler and his brother Walter came from the port of I..ondon, England, to the colonies in 1635 or 163G. Ralph was in Hartford in 1639, and a viewer of chimneys there in 1645. In September, 1665, Thomas Hand sold liim his " dwelling-house and houses, reserving the workshop for the aliode of his wife till the 27th of September, 16G6, also reserv- ing the locks upon the dwelling-house doares, and the younger nursery trees, and two boards lying upon the colter beams." Dec. 18, 1653, he was one of the contractors to build Rev. Jlr. Hanford's house. He was to " fell all the timber and hewe what is to be hewe." His estate in 1673 was set in the list at fifty- three pounds. Mr. Savage doubts if there was such a person as Walter, but the name occurs in the list of the first emigrants to Norwalk. If Mr. Savage had been the possessor of the records of this and other towns, he would not have had so many doubts about those whom it was his business to have known.