History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Slieep-rai.sing was iiii imlustry of some iinportanee in .'^tnitfield. The slieep were of the old long-legged lir.i'il, and were pastured on land owned in eoiunion, or iipon the highway, and ;it night folded together hy a man hired hy the town for that purjiose. .Madam Knight in her ".I..iirm.y from Boston to New York in 1704" alluiles to tliis praetiee. Rev. Samuel (.'ooke, besides hoing the spiritual sliejiherd of .Stra.ttield, was at one time one of the owners of the town-Hoek. "17(111, K.-liiii.v. At a meeting of the proprietors ..f the Slieept. in Stiat- fleld it was then voted that tlii. Sheepo shall bee Lett at Shannon's cor- ner or near there alKiut. Vote.l that Saml. Hubbell, liichard Hubbell it Sam" Sumers Bee Sheepe niasteis to order the prudentials of the flock for the yer Insuing. Voted that the Sheepe masters shall Have power t.i hier men to clear the Oom.ms for the a.lvantige ..f tin- II. ..k .t t.. pay the Charges fr.im the Sheep., money." 1700, March 28: "James Hubb.dl agrees with the shocpmasters U. keep the flock fr..m March 2nth until the time of taking up the sheep at Mick- elraas for 33. per day in provish.n pay, or 2s. r,d, if ho has a boy to help him." 1723, Dor. 24: " Voted that the Sheep Shall bee Lett at tb.- .s, li,,.,l 11., us for the year Insuing. V..t.-.l that they that do not bring in tli.' number of their Sheep by y» mi.l.llo of Jeneary shall loose their money." Horses were branded not only upon the shoulder, but upon the ear, every owner having his own |irivate mark, which was registered as carefully as trade- marks are at the ]iresent dav. Several pages Ujion the reeord-hook are filled with the |i;irticulars (jf sales tind exchanges like the follow- ing: 1701, .\ugust: "Saml. wbcU-rs marke is a sinal.' I.iik.' on th.- ner er and a nick un.ler it, an.l a liaUe p.-ny im.lcr the ofl .t." 17():i : " francis Hall s.dd t.. John the fren.-hman at Mill..(.l one horse, Darke br.iwne marked with 3 lialfpcnnys under tb.- ..II i-r. slit in 111.- ncr ear, Bran.l.-d .ni the nei- shol.ler: s.l horse w.as sol.l to .^aj.l iK'nch man for ." The pric.' paid liy .loliii the Fren.linKiii lor his li.ii-se is destined apparently to remain, like the au- thorship of .luiiius' Letters or the identity of the Man with ihc Iron ^lask, one of llie unsolved |.rol>lems of history, the eoneludiiig words .iC the paragraph hav- ing Ill-come, through tige and much handling, wholly illegilile. 17112, 11.. .IS: "Haniell Banlsli-y S..1.I .b.sepli B.iiil a Hun h., is.-, with a Laigi- Star In the forehe.l, Braii.led X on tli.- nei Sli..ul.lei, an.i Iw.i half- pennys on the un.ler si.le of the near ear." ' \ 17(12, H.-i-.ls. ",b..seph lienit Sol.l Daniell Bardsly one hors; Dark Browne w ilh a bal.l face and f.iure white feet with a forke on the ner ear an.l a half.- iien.-y on the off ear on the un.ler side: aluiiit 7 y.-i-s ol.l." 1 Apiil .'i, 1703 : "Saml frencli sol.l James Hubbell one hors.-, I.la. k with ' Abcll Biiigliaius .-are mark, 2 yr ..1.1, foi the .some ..f :l sIi.-.-p an.l 2 Lams." Jan. 2. 1705 : " Jonathan Taylor e\.Iiaiig.-.l a roiicisli mai e y' wa.> for- merly Edward L<acy3 havingabla7.e.l..wn ye la.'e, marked with a slit .lown ye near eare ,t half penny on y foreside of y" otf eare, an.l bran.le.l with F on ye near shoulder with Benj. Fayerweather for a Bay male with a blaze ilown ye fjiee, a wall eye two wliili- f.-ete behind. " I'l-.-sent at y. .-xchange Jiio. Scaly, Math, Sliarwoo.l .Iun^" " 'I'll.- uiiiler I itten being Desired to ;ippiisa black mar.- that was tacken up ill til.) W. lulls above fairfield by Saml. hall, being al..iut ten yer old, Initli ;i Star in the forad, marcked with a half penny un.ler the ncr Ere, with ('..l.:hi-ster brand & M. 11. on tho n.-r butb.ck: wee Doo apiirise the s.l. null.- b. be w.irth fifty sliiling in niuny. witness our bauds .Viigust 10, 1714. " Br.N'.i. iiRt.;i:iRV "S.VML. UllKI.L." Here is tin entry which seems to indietite the ex- istence of something like ;i guild or trtiile union timong the .storekeeiiers of the place, — hardiv very numerous I imagine, though " majority of merchants in Strattield" certainly has an imposing sound. The votes which follow show thtit keeping tavern without ;i license wtis not permitted : :7iii;-7 March (';) 21"' : " Mr .lo« Bmiuitt of Strattiehl liaveiug pay.l full / satishii tion to the Majority of Merchants in Stratfi.-ld for his tradeing iu sail! Jilace as a 5Ierchant,the said Soci.-ty ackn.iwledges thesame .t allow him to enter on ye records of Stratfield Joseph Beiinitt Blerchant. "S.^mI H l- bUKLL iiecordcr." 1713, Sept. ■2;i : "Voted that the we.l.iw hubbell shall bo tavern .:eper for this yer." 1715, July 17; " Mr. Ben fairw.-tb.-r alsi.w cosen [cli.iseii] tar yen ceper for the y.ir in suing." After the death of Mr. ( 'hauncey, Stratfield Society extended a call to Rev. Samuel Cooke to become their pastor. Mr. Cooke iicee|)ted, promising to serve theui in the ministry for life if they would cheerfully and unanimously agree to pay him one liunih'ed |iounds per annum in current money, or in |irovisious tit the following rates: Indian corn, iv. ; rye, I'.v. .Si/. ; wheat, 4.?. ])er biishid ; pork, 20(/. jier hundred. A vote had previously been passed to reptiir the meeting-house, but nothing had been done. Imme- 74 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. diately after Mr. Cooke's acceptance of tlie call vigor- ous measures were taken in this direction : 1715, July 17 : " Joliii nun, Bonj. fiiirwetbcr tlicn added a Com'" unto Copt. John llurslry, Jlr. Juoms Bouitt, & Riclianl liuWwll to git tlio paU-rfiy linrhod iiud to sue Sum" frnnch for not porforuiin of his obliga- tion which he giiivo to linch the gtilerey." 1715, Poccmlier: " Ricliiinl hubboll, thomas bally, Jaoms Sely chosen Com"" to Consult Bomc Cafondurs for the In l-argmcnt of the meting lions." The " Cafenflurs" seem to have given it up a.s a lio|)eles.s ca.se, and a new meeting-house, near what is now the northwest corner of Park and North Avenues, was decided ujion : 171C, November : " Voted that the plas for the eating of a now meting hous, if they shall afterward agreo to bild one, shall be nere tbo Cor- ner of Joseph Trobigo's orchard Lot, Deceased, on the norwest sid the road, between that and the wedow Sharmans, Deceased. " Als<i voted, same meting, that thay will bild a nue meting bous of the folowing dinicncbnns: 22 feet between joynte,48 feet long, 38 feet wide, a long roof. Cost not to exceed £*250." 1716-17, March 11 ; " Voted that tbiiir shall bo sow much Kume Laft in the Nue meting hous for pucs as the Com«« shall judge bciit. Also Agreed that the Com*** is impt)ured to lay out the l»ovc sd. pues, and say boo shall have them." Col. John BiuT and the family of Rev. Mr. Cooke were the first to ()tciii)y pews. The remainder of the congregation were as.signed seat.s annually, according to the social position of cacli, by a committee chosen for the purpo.se, — an unchristian custom long preva- lent in Connecticut. 1717, Dec. 30 : ** Voted that the Nue meting hous shall be 8at«d by Dignety Atlge and a State [Estate] by the prettant List " Alsow Voted that David Sburnien, Richard hubbell, John odoll, Sam" Sharworti, John lUirr, shall Ije a Com*^ to Sate y* meting hous, and have pouer to Sato from time to time us thay see rea*<t»n." 1723, Dec. 24 : " Voted that Mr. (Mwards shall Have Liberty to build a little House sumewhoro near y« meeting house." TIlis must have been one of the Sabbath-day houses, common throughout the colony, — small build- ings divided into two ajiartmeiits, one for either sex, with ample fireplaces, around which those members of the congregation who came from a dis- tance gathered during intermission and partook of refreshments, discussing the while theology, or .some- times perhaps more worldly topics. 1725-26, March 17 : " Voted Uial tliey n ill have a bell for the meating Hous« att the Cliargo of the Society. Mao voted that Soar. Samuel Or«gor>'. John Ilall, And David Sherman Jun' shall be a Committee to ■gree with Mr. Lucus for said bell." Apparently, the committee and Jlr. Lucas failed to agree, and no bell was ])urchascd at this time. In 1770 a tall steeple was built at the west end of the church, jiaid for partly by subscription, partly by , tax. In March, 1774, another committee was ap- pointed to take up subscriptions for a bell, and on September 12th of the .same year, the boll having been hung, it wils voted to ring it not only on Sun- days, but at noon and nine o'clock I'..m., on other days. It seems likely that the bell was speedily cracked, whether by ordinary u.se or by excess of patriotic zeal. for on Nov. 1. 177"), it was voted to have it taken down and run over.* Brief mention has already been made of the Rev. Samuel (jooke, who succeeded Mr. Cliauncey as pa.s- tor of the Stratfield Church. Mr. Cooke was born in Guilford, Nov. 22, 1687, and was graduated at Yale in 170.5. He married, Nov. 30, 1708, Mi.ss Anne Trowbridge, of New Haven. In October, 1712, and for three years following, he was elected deputy or representative from New Haven, and by the Assembly at each .session was chosen clerk. His jiastorate in Stratfield began in June, 1715, and continued until his death, Dec. 2, 1747, — a period of thirty-two years. Mr. Cooke was a man of much dignity, and in public always appeared in full ministerial costume, — a heavy curled wig, black coat and small-clothe.s, shoes fastened with silver buckles, and over all a large cloak or gown. His homestead frontetl upon the street long called by his name, — Cooke's Lane, more recently Grove Street, not far from the Roman Catholic cemetery. It was three times invaded by death. His second wife was Widow ICsther Sloss, n^e Burr; his third, Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Piatt; and his fourth, Abigail, widow of Hev. Joseidi Moss, of Derby.