Norwalk

Mary Frances, daughter of Amza and Margaret Camp, was the first wife of the late Lawrence P Mott of Norwalk. Mr. Mott, whose second wife was a daughter of Henry YV. Smith (page 363), belonged to the New York city Mott family. 408 JOHN CANNON.1 The head of the Norwalk Cannon house was John, sometimes called "Commodore" Cannon. He was the oldest child of John, baptized November 28, 1703, and Jerusha (Sands) Cannon. It was his sister Hester, baptized April 26, 1706, who married, November 11, 1727, 1 Wlulc the sleeper. John Cannon, in the "full" torab beneath the pavement which in 1N!>;> conducts frpfli the south gate of St. Paul's Churchyard to the j portals of the sacred edifice, was known as John Cannon'" of Xorwalk, yet was he, in reality, the third John Cannon of this country. Born in 172o, he married at the age of twenty-five Esther Perrv (see page 13) of Fairfield. Ilis father, who was twice married, was a man of large business interests. His dock, which he owned, and store, which fronted ihe pier, and residence, were not far from the present Hanover Stjuarc, X. Y. This residence was valued at El,30(l,and its adjoining "house" (also his property) was rated at C900 valuation. He seems to have owned the wharf lots, which were inventoried at Cl,4()0; His first wife, the mother of Johnl" of Nor- walk, was Jerusha Sands, who died leaving several sons and daughters, and her husband married, sec- ond, a widow Swan, This marriage took place the year that his granddaughter Sarah (fourth child of his son "Commodore" John of Xorwalk) was born Mr. Cannon died in 1701. His sister, Janetze Can- non, aunt of John'st of Norwalk, married John Goe- lette of the well known old family of that name. Hester, baptized April 21, 1706, another Cannon aunt of the first Xorwalk John, married, Xovember 11, 1727, the distinguished Cornelius Ivortright, w hose granddaughter became later Mrs. President James Monroe. John Cannon, grandfather of John1*' of Xorwalk, married Mary or Maria LeGrand. whose father's residence was near that of the Rogers, close by the Mattery. John Cannon was the son of Andrew and Anne Cannon of Staten Tsland, whose will was executed March 12, 1711. His great grandson John, who rests in the Xorwalk churchyard, followed up the sea inclinations of his ancestor. For some reason (page 303) he chose Xorwalk for his home and built a store at the head of tide-water and owned the dock in its rear. His brother LeGrand selected Stratford for a dwelling place and the early Cannons of Bridge- port were of his blood. An old Cannon residence in that city stood where now stands the Park City depot and its tracks belonging to the Consolidated road. A stone wall protected these Cannon grounds, NORWALK. Cornelius Kortright, and his brother Peter, baptized March n, 1711, who married a Scher- ruerhorn. The John Cannon who was the first of the name in Norwalk and hence, elsewhere in this work called Johnlst, was a grandson of John and Mary or Maria (LeGrand) Cannon. This grandfather, son of Andrew and Anna Cannon, the Cannon American ancestors, made his will April 16, 1751, which document remained unprobated until May 13, 1763. The will of Andrew Cannon, the progenitor, was made "12 March, 1711." "Commodore" John Can- which extended on the east as far as the river. The family was interested in navigation, and was inti- mately connected with the old Long Island Sound Bridgeport and Norwalk route, a fact which moves to brief personal retrospection in that direction. The route referred to (page 307) was one of the early steam routes of America. The New Haven line was older (1815) but Xorwalk and Bridgeport were not many 3'ears in arrears. Daniel Drew, Cornelius Van- derbilt and the Bridgeport Cannon alluded to were interested in the Norwalk steamboat route in opposi- tion to the Pecks' early command of the line (see pages 307 and 308). Drew, Hoffman, Vanderbilt and Isaac New; 011 were associated in the manage- ment of the North River steamboats, one of which was occasionally put in commission on the Sound. It was made the duty of Drew and Vanderbilt to statedly sail over the course and examine into the condition of vessels, wharfs, docks, offices, etc. Daniel Dilw, who started huniblv and who persevered until he controlled "Bull's Head" and was one of the steam magnates of the new era, was shrewd and a reader of men. He had two men on the Norwalk route, the older of whom, Alanson P St. John, he knew well, and the younger of whom became, on this wise, to be well acquainted with. Vanderbilt and he were sitting in the "Fire" or "Boiler room" during that portion of a Norwalk trip in which the Captain and his steward, a young man from the Ely Neck road, were engaged in collecting passage fares. The Steward, with the bank notes held between his fingers, while his palm was filled with silver, opened the fire room door and called out, " Your fares, gen- tlemen." "Don't yon know who we are?" replied one of the two. "I don't know anyone," answered the official, "and Captain Brooks is the only one who can pass you on this line." The party hastened to the presence of the commander, who at once exclaim- ed, 11 Why, these are Mr. Vanderbilt and Mr. Drew. Time passed, and the Steward aspiring to a higher position, determined to call at Mr.Drew'sFourteenth Street residence and ask for an interview. The bell was answered by Mr, Drew, to whom the young man made known his business. The latter was told to be at a certain spot at 9 a.m. the next day. The meeting place was aboard one of the company's boats which was undergoingrepairs. " Can you have the Ctfca ready to leave for Albany to-morrow night?" asked Mr. Drew, addressing one of the com- pany's men standing by, "I can." "Then take command of the same and make the trip; and you, Wilcox, see to the repairs on this boat and put it in shape lor sailing." Drew and Vanderbilt are dead but the steward lives, hard on to ninety, to Lcll with eagerness of the matter and wonder whether his adherence to passage orders on the old Norwalk boat may not have had something to do with his promotion. Alanson P. St. John, just mentioned (see page 142), commenced his conspicuous steamboat official career on the Vanderbilt boat Citizen. The duties of clerk, freight master and steward, even in those primi- tive days, were of account. On the morning of the steamer's sailing from New York some hundreds pounds of breakfast beef was ordered aboard by the steward, and a like quantity for dinner. As in the early days seven o'clock A. m. was the hour ol de- parture from the city, and one p. M. from Norwalk, the "up ' passengers breakfasted and the "down" company dined on the boat. Anon Mr. St. John was advanced to the captaincy and assigned command of of the Hudson River Rochester, in which position he distinguished himself and grew in great favor. One of his North River stewards was Abraham Banks of Snwpits, and eventually of Norwalk. Mr. Banks' Rochester tables were taste models. Delmouico's and Martcnelli's may be rare and remarkably elegant refreshment resorts of to-day, but the older Hudson steam lines supper table, spread with snow white damask, centered with boquet-interspersed rows of silvered candelbra holding brightly burning tapers and dextrously set in gold monogramed china and crystal glassware, was a life remembered vision. The Captain at the table's head, with the western statesmen and the northern Saratogians on either hand constituted a sort of social zodiac. Dinner was the principal repast on the day, but supper on the night boats. The steamer's steward was also often commission-intrusted. There were three Bridgeport citizens, one of them a noted divine, who always ex- pected the steward of the Ximrod to make hat pur- chases for them at the large US Broadway estab- lishment of Charles St. John of Norwalk (see note 2, page 143), and to pay ten dollars each, the standard price of the silk article. After his Rochester connec- tion Captain St. John was put in charge of the Alba- ny night boats and achieved fame. He lived in the days of the Powells, Pecks, Tuppers, Farnhams, NOR \Y A 1 . K non came to Norwalk and married and settled as per note, page 13. He was a wide awake citizen evidently, and largely interested in Norwalk's commercial development. His home was on the East Avenue of 1899 and immediately south of Gruman's Hill. This acreage was partially or altogether the gift of his wife's uncle, Samuel Cluckstone. He was one of the A. D. 1774 committee of twenty appointed by the town to take action in relation to the measure inaugurated in the Continental Congress at its sitting in Philadelphia September 5, 1774, and he was also one of a committee of three delegated by the town to receive relief donations for the Boston poor a few months prior to the battle of Bunker Hill. He was a sufferer by the burning of Norwalk, and the smoke of his consuming domicile would seem almost to have enveloped Tryon as the latter sat, only a few rods away, overlooking the sorry scene. The "Commodore" does not appear to have rebuilt after the conflagration, but to have resided at or near "The Bridge." The Cannon-Perry descent is as thus exhibited: Cannon. Perry. Gen. I. Andrew and Anna Cannon. Gen. 1. Richard Perry. '• II. John and Maria (LeGrand) Cannon. " II. Nathaniel and Hester (Lyon) Perry. '■ III. John and Jerusha (Sands) Cannon. " III. Joseph and Mary (Cluckstone) Perry. Gen. IV. John Cannon. Gen. IV. Esther Perry. John Cannon and Esther Perry were married December 1, 1750, by Rev. Noah Hobart, "V. D. M.," and had John, born July 7, 1752; Samuel, born July 28, 1754 ; James, born June 19, 1757 ; Sarah, born March 21, 1759 ; LeGrand, born October 26, 1762, unmarried ; Lewis, born November 3, 1766, unmarried; William A., born February 23, ^67, married Betsey Seymour, no issue; Esther Mary, born February 17, 1772. John*" of Norwalk, son of John and Esther (Perry) Cannon, married, July, 1777, Sarah, daughter of Col. Stephen and Ann (Fitch) St. John (pages 299 and 328), and had: John, born May 16, 1778 ;