Norwalk

His valor during the war between the North and the South reached its climax on one of the longest days of the year 1862. The silence of the shade-enwrapt Virginia hills was broken by the arrival, on a night of ending June, '62, of McClellan's army at a point on the James River, distant some twelve miles from Richmond, and when the next morning broke Gen. Rob't. E. Lee promptly ordered a Southern host to repel the Northern numbers. own Sticky Plain property. The St. John estate was then of large acreage and sunnily situated. John Han- ford, born Feh. 13, 1739, was the son of Elnathan and Sarah St. John Hanford. His parents owned where now stands the Selleck School property on East Ave. Elnathan, father of John, was a son of Thomas 2d- Thomas Hanford 3tJ- was a son of Rev. Thomas Han- ford Ist-and Mary (Ince) Hanford, the settlers. Mrs. Thomas Hanford 2<J- was the daughter of Gershom Lock wood of Greenwich, who was a brother of Eph- raim Lock wood, the first of all the Norwalk Lock- wood's. Before her marriage to Thomas Hanford 2ti-, she had wedded the noted John Harwell, whose daugh- ter Hannah married John Betts of Norwalk. The children of John and Mehitable Hanford — all, perhaps, born in the fine old plate-presented home — were Eunice, who married, Oct. 18, 1790, Joseph Jessnp ; Elnathan, born in the year 1766 ; Uriah, who married Rhoda, daughter of David Boult and aunt of the head of the present railway and finance Boult family of Sandusky, Ohio (see Boult lineage); Sarah, who married Wm. Fitch and removed to Ohio; Samuel, who died at four years of age; Huldah, who married Ebenezer D. Hurt, and founded a well-known branch of the Norwalk Hoyt family; John, who saw only five summers; Isaac, who lived to be six years old ; Mary, who married Nathaniel Raymond of Troy, N . Y . ; Charles, who married Ruth Seymour of Nor- walk; William, a Vale graduate of 1808, and an An- dover Divinity graduate of 1813; and Julia, who lived to be only a little more than one year old. The manv descendants to-dav of the last century owner (John Hanford) of the old Hanford house may look back upon the family lot with pleasure. Eunice, the oldest child, was a Miss of sixteen, Elnathan had borne a few years a family name, Uriah was a lad of eleven, Sarah was a maiden of nine, Samuel had died exactly one year before, Huldah was three years old, and John a little over one, when, having taken care of his family on the night of July 10, 1779, John Han- ford, Sr. rose early on Sunday, the day of the town's burning, and made preparations to save, if possible, his building. Fortunately for himself and home, Try on and Garth's men went no further west than the eastern line of Sticky Plain, and John Hanford and his trustv dog — all that were left that mournful morn- ing at the house — had nothing to do but toaccompanv the grateful family back to their saved abode. The Green residence has, to-day, supplanted the storied Hanford structure. ■His son, Blackleach Jr., born Aug. 4, 1764, mar- ried Feb. 25, 1789, Abigail Raymond of Wilton. These had a son, Wilpam, born July 20, 1793, who married, Mar. ir, 1816, Nancy, daughter of Nathan and Mary Odell. William and Nancy Jessnp had a daughter, Elizabeth Cornelia, who married Jan. 16, 1840, James Reed, born Feb. 21, 1812, a former editor of the Norwalk <;<tzettr, Lvdia ]essup, an older sister of William Jessup of the preceeding paragraph, married Sept. 6, 1810, John Dunning of Wilton. Their daughter, Mary Ann, born Oct. 7, 181 r, married Apr. 28, 1830, Russell, son of Nehemiah Mead of Ridgefield, and father of Fred- erick Mead, 1896, of Norwalk. lOO NORWALK. This was a part of the historic - seven days," six of which fiery "epoch days" had passed and the seventh and closing day dawned, when a principal command was again assigned to the brave Couch. "Minnie balls flew like mosquitoes," is the language of one, a Doctor in Divinity, and the head of a Theological Seminary,1 but now an officer in the army, who has written to Norwalk in relation to the heroism of his superior, Norwalks loyal and royal military townsman under remark. When that day's battle raged the hottest, it was apparent that Gen. Couch was in a most exposed position, and that sharp-shooters had discovered the fact. In a moment his chaplain rode up to the commander and apprised him of his imminent danger. The soldier of whom principle, purpose and patriotism were not char- acteristics simply, but his charmtcr, quietly replied : "I can best see the field from this spot and must keep it." - Such," testifies the chaplain, "was his general deportment in every danger. We all loved and honored him, not only for his deportment on the field of battle, but for his moral walk also and exemplary life."-* OF HKACIIAM-JESSl P, 1 IAN FORD, MORGAN, BISSELL-CON N ECTION . Blackleach Jessup of Xorwalk had a younger brother, Ebenezer, M.D.. who married Sarah, sister of Gen. Couch's grandfather, Thos. Couch, married (see foot note page 74) llezekiah Banks, llezekiah and Sarah Banks had a daughter Pattv, who was born the vear succeeding the burning of Nurwalk, and who married, at eighteen, John Sta- ples. John and Patty Staples were the parents of Horace Staples (see page 74) of Westport. 'Rev. Robert \V. Oliver, D.D. ^Major-General Conch was born of Redding par- ents, in Southeast New York, July 25, 1S22. The fol- lowing extracts are from Todd's History of Redding, Connecticut. "Darius N. Couch, born in New York, appointed from New York, cadet at United States Military Academy from July 1, 1842 to July i, 1846, when he was graduated and promoted in the army to brevet second Heut. 4th Artillery. Served In the war with Mexico in 1K46. '47. '4S, being engaged in the battle of Huena Vista, Mexico, as second Heut. in Captain Washington'*- Battery, Light Artillery, for which he was brevetted first Heut. for gallant and meritorious conduct. Participating in the occupation nf the Seminole country in 1S52-3, he planned and executed, at his- own expense, a scientific expedition into Central and Northern Mexico, the results of which were very creditable to his enterprise. He married, in 1X54, a daughter of Hon. S. L. Crocker, of Taunton, Mass., and great-grand-daughter of Isaiah Thomas, founder of the Antiquarian Society of Wor- cester, Mass., and author of the ■ History of Printing.' The next year lie resigned from the army. At the breaking out of the rebellion, being settled in Taun- ton, Mas*., he raised the 7th Regt. Mass. Vols., and proceeded to Washington in July, 1S61. Was made brigadier-Gen. in August, and assigned t(l tne com. inand of a brigade in the defense of that city. In McClellan's campaign on the Peninsula. Gen. Couch commanded the 1st Div. 4th Army Corps, holding the left of the line at the siege of Yorktown. At the bat- | tie of Fair Oaks his brave division held their ground for more than two hours against the combined attack of the Confederate troops. With part of his division he reinforced Hooker in the hot action of Oak Grove, June 25, 1862, and was in various skirmishes during the seven days until July 1, on which morning Gen. McClellan posted him on the main road leading to Richmond, where was fought the successful battle of Malvern Hill. Being promoted to the rank of Maj.-Gen. July 4, 1862, he joined Pope with his division on the retreat to Manassas, in the Northern V irginia campaign. Oc- tober, 1862, in command of the 2nd. Army Corps, campaign of the Rappahannock. At Fredericksburgh, Dec. 12, 13, 14, 15, it fell upon Gen. Couch to assault Mary's Heights, in which desperate work that brave, magnificent 2nd. Army Corps had nearly 4,000 men killed and wounded. The loss of his corps at the disastrous battle of Chancellorsville, where he was second in command, was very heavy. In November, iS64, he joined Thomas, who was ht-st-iged at Nash- ville, and was assigned by that commander to the command of an Army Corps. In the battle winch followed, he commanded a Division, turned Hood's left, and captured several pieces of artillery and many prisoners. In North Carolina, March, April and May aiding Sherman in closing the war. Resigned in June, 1865, the Great Rebellion having been crushed out. The Gen. has, for several years, resided in Norwalk, Conn., having heen Quartermaster Gen. at Hartford during the years 1S77-78, and Adjt.-Gen. during Gov. Waller s administration, 1883-S5.*' XORWALK 101 Eleanor Andrews of Fairfield. These had a son, Ebenezer, born Jan. I, 1768, who, at the age of twenty-one, married Sarah, daughter of Obadiah and Sarah Wright of Westport. The Wright's came from Eaton Manor, L. I., and made purchase of a handsome property on the west side of the Saugatuck. Ebenezer and Sarah Jessup had a son, Francis Wright Jessup, born Jan. 14, 1800, who married May 19, 1834, Mary Ann, daughter of Capt. Richard and Mary Bontecou "Hanford of Lansingburgh, N. Y, Capt. Richard Hanford," (father of Levi C. Hanford of Norwalk) was a lineal descendant, through his grandfather, of "Mr. William Haynes " of Haynes' Ridge. Angeline Jessup, born Nov. I I, 1802, a sister of Francis Wright and Mary Ann Jessup, married, June 19, 1827, Edward M. Morgan, cashier, formerly, of the Fairfield County National Bank, Norwalk, and a brother of Henry T. Morgan, son-in-law of Col. Buckingham Lockwood of Norwalk, and a N. V. City banker.