Norwalk

Hi- -isu-r, Marv, married Samuel, the oldest son of Ralph Isaacs, and their son, Samuel lirown Isii-.es, fell heir to a large slice of his uncle James Brown's l>mperr\ . Rev. JaiMv> Brown of The Oblong, and of a more modern date than James the barrister, was the grand- father of the present "Selleek Brothers," the great grandmother of whom was eminently patriot ic. While Tnoli had con', in and of Long Ishwid lie sent agents to this side of the Sound to purchase cattle and horses, and The Oblong was a Held for such stock transactions. The British employed a middle man, wln>«e duty it «a- to secure the live stock from the fir.-; owner, and sec the same driven to the Darien shore, from whence transportation was had to Long Island. Sally Sri Uvk's husband embarked in this enterprise but the wife put an effectual stop to it, and the Salem "Horse Hollow" (near East Woods) was broken up. Mrs. Selleck stood, (once gun in hand,) -u eagerlv intent upon the performance of lovahv- missions, that the Continental men were accustomed, when they met her, to pass along the line "Hurrah for Salh ." Site was thoroughly successful in turning her husband from torvism to patriotism. Eber and Hannah lirown of the same vicinity were heavy land owners and held title to hundreds of Oblong acres. Their daughter married Daniel Stevens and had Daniel**1- who was the father of James Steven-*, the proprietor for years of the Connecticut Hotel in N.. 1 walk. Eber Brown, the great-grandfather of landlord James Stevens, owned a huge portion of the territory about Trinity Lake. He wa~ remarkable lor physical strength. It is said that he had been known to cut ten acres of rye in a day. His wife Hannah, was an Arnold, an English woman. ■Thomas, son of John and Elizabeth ( Weed ) Rock- well of Stamford, married, Dec. 9, 1703, Sarah, daughter of John Rusco'-'- of Norwalk. Thomas and Sarah Rockwell had three sons, Thomas John and Jahez. Thomas-*'1- , born Dec. 1^, 1 70S, married Ruth, daughter of Dea. James and Sarah (Hyatt) Benedict. These had a son, Lieut, [nines Rockwell, born June 9, 1750. who married Abigail, daughter of Thomas Hawley (son of Rev. Thomas) of Ridgerteld. Their daughter. Anna, became the mother of Capt. D. K. Nash of South Norwalk, and their son, Gould'"1-, horn Dec. iS, 1778, married Polly, born July 2$, ^TV- daughter of Nathan and Mary (Smith) Dauchy, and was the father of the late Gould Rockwell^-, born March 6, iNoS, who married, rirst, Mary Caroline Bradley, and second, Marv Louisa Denman. Gould Rockwell a man of sterling principle and honor, was, formerly, a Troy, N. \\, citizen and churchman. He spent the latter part of his life in his native Ridgetield, and died, while absent for the winter, in New York City, March 10, 180,2, Thos. Hawley Roekvv ell, born May 21 , 1776, son of Lieut. Jas.and Abigail, and brother of Anna (Mrs. Jacob Nash) and Gould Rockwell1-1-, married Hotly Smith of Ridgetield. These were the parents of David Smith Rockwell, a New Canaan resident of enterprise and excellence, and for main years princi- pal of the "Church Hill Institute" of that town. Mr. D. s. Rockwell married Betsey, daughter of NORWALK Vista, in the State of New York. In front of John Rusco's house,1 as will be seen to-day, began the undulating swell of land called, later, for the Rusco family, and which extended south, in the early days, quite towards Upper Smith's Ridge. It .embraced, possibly, before its Comstock-occupancy, the fine stretch of property opposite to, and quite south of, on the east side of the highway, the present extensive Vista home-hearth of Mrs. Samuel Comstock. The sightly crest of this height was the hearthstone, during the American Revolu- tion, of John Rusco, son, as before hinted, of Thomas3*1- and of the blood of the sturdy John Rusco, the Norwalk pioneer of that worthy name. The family circle consisted thus : Samuel, mar. Esther Hayes ; Elizabeth, mar. Abram Hayes ; James, mar. Anna Hoyt ; Joanna, mar. Michael Lockwood, Jr.; Jemima, mar. Jared Adams ; John ; no trace after majority. David, mar. Susannah Hoyt ; Esther, mar. Daniel Reed ; Rachel, mar. Benjamin Pinney. Samuel, the oldest son, married into the Hayes family and built him a home about one-half mile to the east of his father, on the same Bald Hill road. His daughter, Esther, married as his third wife, Nathan S. Comstock of New Canaan. Elizabeth, Mrs. Abram Hayes, and sister-in-law of Esther (Mrs. Samuel Rusco), lived Nathan S. Comstock. Mrs. D. S. Rockwell was bap- tized in the old still occupied Silver Mine south- facing, historic house, a picture of the past, and which played an important part in the doings of the memorable Saturday night preceding the burning of Norwalk. At a no great distance from this Comstock (now Ward well structure) stood the Hay den home. It was in or near the woods, and at the gloomy period just spoken of, detained for a short time, one of the enemies' captured men. His meals were sent the prisoner, and at one time, by a little girl who, as she approached his apartment, caused him to burst into tears. lie mentioned, afterwards, that he had a child of the same age at home, the thought of whom and of the changed condition of his case, for the moment overcame him. Mrs. Betsey Comstock Rockwell, who had been a valuable help-meet to her husband, sur- vived him for a number of years, and recently fell peacefully asleep. The children of David S. and Betsey Rockwell were Wilbur Fisk; James Vincent; Alphonse I). ; Tlieron C; Ransom W.; Arthur L. "A short distance west of this residence was the locality named by The Oblong settlers " Wild Cat Rocks"; while somewhat to the north-east of the Rusco house and at the extreme head of Rusco Ridge, is seen to-day the prostrate " Balance Rock" of the last century. The late E. W. Raymond, horn in 1H22, repeatedly stated that he was wont to visit the spot in his vouth when the now fallen boulder was in position. The same was thrown out of place by a company of rolicksome men from across the State line, who, by means of bars and rails, succeeded in pre- cipitating the bulky mass to the ground. From the base of the ancient balanced granite, a most charming view of Connecticut lands is had. Notwithstanding Col. Sheldon's Salem vigilance, it would seem that King George's officers sometimes entered our lines within The Oblong. John Rusco had fat cattle and a full cellar, and it is a well certified mention that his Majesty's men knew the way to Rusco Ridge. Two of the family, if no more, dis- couraged these visits, viz., his daughters Elizabeth and Joanna, who made it convenient to be away from home when the military gentlemen put in an appear- ance. Upon the return of the British, in 1777, from Danbury, they, after the encounter at Ridgefield, appear to have divided for a distance, below the latter town, coming together again not far above Wilton Centre and thence proceeding to Compo. The point of separation was probably in the vicinity of " Flat Rock." There seems to have been a strolling partv who diverged, at about that point, to the south-west towards Winnipauk or Rusco's Ridge. A ridge to the east, and separated from the John Rusco height by the old Michael Lockwood mill stream, is Rusco occupied to-day. This ridge runs along the finally decided upon separation line between N.Y. and Conn. XOR W A L K west from the present Lewisboro post-office. Among Abraham and Elizabeth Haves' children w as Mary, w ho married Hezekiah Raymond, the grandfather of the present Sirs. Gould Rockwell and Mrs. Charles A. Raymond, of Ridgefield, Conn., and Lewisboro, N.Y. James, the second son of John and Joanna Rusco, lived between his father's house and Vista, and was the father of Stephen Rusco (a shoe manufacturer of Vista), and of James*1- (who married Electa, daughter of Silas Brown) whose son, Floyd T., is a member of the mercantile house of The Holmes, Keeler & Selleck Company, of Nonvalk ; and of Eliza, who married Rumsey Fancher, whose son, Eleazer Lockwood Fancher, is head of the present Fancher & Sr>ns shoe firm of N'ew Canaan. Joanna, daughter of John and Joanna Rusco, married Michael, son of Michael Lock- woikI, Sr. Michael Lockwood, Sr., was the son of John Lockwood, who was the grandson of Joseph, brother of Ephraim Lockwood, the Nonvalk settler. He lived on the upland between Wilton and The Oblong and carried on milling, making use of the water supplied by the upper stream of the "west branch " of Xorwalk river. This interest fell to his son, Michael-''1' who married Joanna Rusco. Michael2'1, enlarged his father's plant, and selecting for a home site, a point (to this day distinctly marked) at which the embasoned water could be made to wheel-fall with the greatest force, established a large grinding and sawing industry. He also built a forge further down the stream (not far from the present Grupe reservoir) where he manufactured wrought iron. Here himself and sons built, in addition, a brick-kiln. He was a man of energy and carried on a large business. His children were : Sally, born 1790; died in infancy. Sally Jane,1 born [792 ; mar. Stephen, son of Joseph Fayerweather. Michael1'1-, born 1794; mar. Celina, daughter of Aaron Nash. Alvah, born 1795; died unmarried. Eleazer1. born 179X; mar. first, Sarah, daughter of Asa Raymond, and second, Mar)-, daughter of Lewis Coe of Greenbush, N. Y.