Norwalk

Fannie Willard, daughter of Francis ami Susannah (). (Sculield) Leonutd,1 niarrietl. April u, iSijS, Theodore A.. Jr., son of Theodore A., Sr.. ami Emily I'. (Child* ) Sheffield (Page 36a). 'Tlwchililrvm.rFmnciBnndSusnnrnilili. I^iiii U K.luanl simi TIk- la%i wcrv i«in». in! uvrc Julia Frnnrw \V.hhI, dkd youn«; Knnniv EllwnfilS died v..ihik. Frniirin Ui mnnJ in ■ *>"> •>' Willard (Mr». Thcudun- A. Sheffield. Jr. I; l...ai» Cll.irl.* T ami kmil.t i Mr.. I ) l.n.imr.1 NORWALK Mrs. Susannah Osborn Leonard was a daughter of Smith and Polly (Webb) Scofield. Mrs. Smith Scofield was a daughter of Epenetus Ferris and Sally (Brown) Webb.1 Epenetus Ferris Webb was a son of Captain Moses2 and Polly (Street) Webb (page 388). WEBB RECALL. It is lawful to infer that Richard and Elizabeth (Gregory) Webb, Sr., (page 140.) lived in quiet dignity in their ancient Norwalk abode. Mr. Webb, whose lands were value-rated second only to those of Thomas Fitch, Thomas Hanford, Nathaniel Ely, Matthew Campfield, Nathaniel Richards, and Matthew Marvin, was held in esteem as the town vote down to the very year of his decease attests. He was eldering when he came to Norwalk, and himself and wile lived quite alone, his supposed only son, Richard Webb, Jr., having chosen Stam- ford for a residence, and been the Webb progenitor of most if not all of the name who have made this town their home or been Norwalk Webb family connected.8 Mr. and Mrs. Richard Webb, Sr., died too earl)1 to permit, even had the road been passable or family interchanges convenient, of extensive intercourse between their own hearthstone and that of Richard Webb, Jr., of Stamford. The latter's household was young, large and growing, and has contributed, through Joseph Webb*1'1, (see page 400) to an inter- esting page of colonial history. Joseph Webb4"1, great great grandson of Richard Webb, Jr., and father of General Samuel B. Webb (page 400), removed from Stamford to Wethers- field, and founded on the Webb estate in that town the fine "Webb House," which property is depicted on page 116 of "Barber's Connecticut Historical Collections." and in the north- front room of which mansion Washington is said to have planned the capture of Yorktown, which event closed the Revolutionary War. For Deane, Thacher, Webb affinity see page 465. Epenetus Ferris, son of Captain Moses and Polly (Street) Wcllb, married, first, Sarah Brown of Weston and bad Anson (married Elvina Burnham of Bradford County, Pa.); Abigail (Mrs. Charles Fin- ney), Amanda (Mrs. James A. Tyndall); Polly (Mrs. Smith Scofield); IVborah (Mrs. Albert Mel >owell), and Sarah Maria (Mrs. Noah Disbrow). Mr. Webb married, second, Rhoda Disbrow of Westport, and had Esther Matilda, who was the second wife of Noah Disbrow. Epenetus F. Webb married, third, a Mis. Squires, and, fourth, Elva, sister of Rev. Henry Morgan of New Fairfield. There were no children bv the last two unions. -'The children of Captain Moses and Polly (Street) Webb were Epenetus Ferris, John Leland (of Pennsylvania), Sally (Mrs. William Craw), Ruth (Mrs. Matthew Starr), and Grccnlcnf Street (Rev.). Rev. Grecnleaf S. Webb was for forty years pastor of the Baptist Church in Xew Brunswick, X. J. The children of William and Sally (Webb) Craw were Martin S , Let ;rand, Anna (Mrs. George Ray- mond), Amelia (Mrs. Johnson), William Thomas, Nels.ni Jarvis, Adelaide (Mrs. James Byxbee) and Hamilton. •:\Ykiik ' <>uk:<. Edward D. Webb (page +('1+), whose wife was of Norwalk descent, was not a Norwalk resident. Emily Loder (Mrs. E. D. Webb) was a daughter of Benjamin, son of Jared and Nancy (Green) I. ode:. The Loders are supposed to have been of French ex- traction. Rev. William Patterson, for many years the Presbyterian pastor of Pound Ridge, N. V., and who was parochially intimate with one branch of the Loder family, argued with one of the children to the effect that if his (Patterson's) father had looked as much ire was as nearly like a Frenchman as did and was the Loder father referred to, he should adopt the French language or, at least, make it a study. John Loder, a lore- parent, selected the Oblong for the cradling of his offspring, and planted the hearthstone in the not re- mote picturesque neighborhood of the famed John Jay Catonah estate. He had several sons, one of whom was Jared, whose son Benjamin married Folly Ann, granddaughter of Daniel and Sarah Church, and great granddaughter of Ebenezer and Susannah (Fitch) Church (see pages 17.1 and 176) of Norwalk. Benjamin and his brothers Cyrus, Noah, Lewis and Moses Jarvis Loder, became remarkable business NORWALK. WOOD Generation l — Jonathan Wood1" of Norwalk. This individual was possibly the son of Jonathan, who at the tender age of four years was apprenticed to John Smith by his mother, Anna Wood, the wife of John Wood, formerly of Rhode Island, August 21, 1662. In the agreement, as shown upon the records of Hemp- stead, L. I., his mother stated that the boy would be four years old about the 29th of Sep- tember next, which would make the date of his birth September 29, 1658. He purchased land at Jamaica, L. I., as early as April 19, 1677. On August 23, 1686, he purchased oDe-half a home lot at Huntington, and in the deed he is styled "Jonathan Wood, weaver, of Jamaica, L.I." Abiel Titus purchased the remaining one-half of the lot. His name appears on the assessors' lists at different times, and also in the published history of the First Presbyterian Church at Jamaica, L. I. Karly in the year 1706 he disposed of his property on Long Island and on April 17th of that year "Thomas Betts, Thomas Seamor, Daniel Betts and Samuel Bctts" of Norwalk, Conn., sold for ,£40 a tract of land above Pimpewaug, "acres unknown, to Jonathan W ood of Jamaica, L. I., County of Suffolk, Province of New York, America." Pimpewaug, then in Norwalk, is now a part of the town of Wilton lying on both sides of the Norwalk River, and extending north and south of Cannons Station oil the Consoli- men and the careers of the brethren may lie instanced as examples of the signal success which has not in this western world been unknown to crown intelli- gent and indefatigable industry. From the " Mas- ter's" desk in the country school house to the Presi- dency Chair of the Erie Railroad was a long reach, and from the Cross River Loder lads to the Metropo- lis merchant princes Loder Brothers a very goodly promotion. The reach was accomplished by Benja- min and the promotion attained by the several Jared Loder sons. Benjamin Loder, years ago, purchased a tract in Rye, N. V., which for some time was occupied by his parents from the Oblong. This tract became subse- quently the elegant Loder Villa of that beautiful suburban Westchester seat. The first cousin of Mrs. Benjamin Loder's Church grandfather, Susannah Rog- ers (page 172), is described as having been u-edded-in considerable Colonial state and, as adorned for the groom, she descended the "stairs in the old Norwalk Town Street" home to face Dr. Jeremiah Learning, and by him to be received from her Grandfather Fitch and pronounced the wife of the handsome David Lambert (see portrait in possession of the Wilton Lamberts), the occasion was memorable, but Daniel Church's granddaughter (Mrs. Benjamin Loder) dwelt at Rye amid modern environments which far transcended those of the ancient Rogers "Down Town" (East Norwalk) establishment. Mrs. William Hayes (Hannah Loder) referred to on page lli4-, was a daughter of Reuben Smith and Harriet (Ferris) Loder. Her brothers and sisters were Josiah, Nancy (Mrs. Isaac Garnsey), Mary (Mrs. John Tyler), Lncinda (Mrs. Edgar Murray). Leonard, and Sarah {Mrs. Charles Sherwood). Reuben S. Loder w as a son of Davidlst, who was a brother Of Jared and son of John Loder the Westchester County settler. David Loder1" married Molly, daughter of John Smith of South Salem, N. V. His children were Reuben S.. Nancy (Mrs. Isaac Deane). Siibrina (Mrs. Enoch Sniffen), Darius, Polly (Mrs. Hawlcy Piatt), Deborah (Mrs. Cyrus Gregory), William. Allen, Al- fred and Harvey. Nancy Jane Loder, sister of Benjamin F.. mar- ried Alvah Miller. Nancy had a sister Sarah, Josiah, son of Reuben S. Loder, married Catha- rine Hallett of North Stamford and had George, Katy and Nancy. His brother Leonard is married hut has no issue. Winding agreeably for two or so miles in a gen- erally westerly and northwesterly direction from the romantically situated South Salem St. John's Church, and at the foot of the hill which leads directly to Lake Waccabuc taking the road that conducts more southerly to Cross River, one is presented with a series of attractive landscape pictures. Along this hill and dale and Indian meadow and cultivated fields diversified route stood the earlier and later Loder homes, and hence emanated those of the name who have been a commercial power and the blood which has been more or less widely diffused through- out the country. The Loders are unrepresented by name in Norwalk to-day. 472 NORWALK, dated D. & N. R. R. The land purchased by Jonathan Wood extended from what is now the Cannon farm, on the north to the Cole and Marvin farms on the south, and from "the mountain " on the west to and across the Norwalk River. Many additional purchases were made by him afterwards of land, and he spent the remainder of his life upon this Wilton spot. He divided his property among his children during his lifetime, reserving a life estate to himself and his wife Mary, as is shown by the land records at Norwalk and the Probate records at Fairfield, Conn. His will is dated June 3, 1725, and proven April 21, 1727. His wife, Mary, and son, Obadiah, are named as executors. He died November 6, 1726, and his wife Mary died February 26, 1729. The records at Norwalk show that in 1710 Jonathan Wood was granted liberty to sit in a certain privileged pew in the church, and in 1713-14 that he was exempted from further church rates at Norwalk "provided he attend meetings in Ridgefield." The records of Ridge- field show him to have been among the first purchasers of land at that place. His children were as follows, and the dates of birth are approximately correct: