Norwalk

'Bradley and Edwards Eli Keeler were the only children of Isaac and Catherine (Tuttle) Keeler. Bradley married Polly, daughter of Stephen and Polly Hoyt, (see note page 266) and had Sylvester, Isaac and Stephen Edwards. Sylvester lived west, Isaac in Bridgeport, and Stephen E., who took the grandparents' property on Smith Ridge, married Ann Augusta, daughter of Amos N. and Lucy Ann Ray- mond, and had Julia Bradley (Mrs. Dr. Willis Cam- tilings); Jane Augusta (Mrs. Corodyne O. Hanford); Polly Hoyt (Mrs. Hiram Wakeman); Stephen Ed- wards, »st.; Warner; Stephen Edwards^- ; Alice Busli- nell; and Agnes Brownson (Mrs. Edwin B. Adams). 3Samuel Keeler2*1- son of Samuellst- and Sarah St. John Keeler and grandson of Ralph Keeler, Sr., died 123 Seymour contribution, but by reason of the Belden blood also, which in this particular Belden family branch involves descent from the New England Footes, Demings and Arms. (See Belden lineage.) Mrs. John Seymour, mother of James Ist\ was a daughter of William and Margaret Arms Belden, and the descent grows in interest from the additional fact that James Seymour2d\ born March 16, 1775, married Sarah, born July 27, 1778, daughter of Seth and Phoebe (Squires) Raymond. Seth Raymond was a son of Benj. Raymond, whose grandmother was Elizabeth Belden. (See Raymond lineage.) This gives to the children of James Seymour 2d- viz., Giles, Ira, George, Charles, Harriet, Mary (Mrs. Samuel Aymar) and Ann, a double Foote and Deming claim. Sarah, a sister of Matthew Keeler lst-t married John Ray of the old New York Knickerbocker Ray family. The Keeler interest in ancient Norwalk was an important one and the Ray claim (see foot note, page 94) was ably managed. Mrs. Henry Lott, mother of the wife of Rev. Dr. George Warner Nichols of " Waldegrave Cottage" West Avenue, Norwalk, was a Ray representative, and her father, Hon. John Ray, Chancellor, cared for the Ray rights. After the Lott-Ray nuptials the family established themselves in the, at Aug. 8, 1763, but blood lives and "blood tells." His daughter Hannah, born Oct. 18, 1725, married, Dec. 17, 1751, Nehemiah, son of Thos. Benedict^11- Nehe- iniah and Hannah Benedict had several children, most of whom, Nehemiah. Wm. and Waters, died young. Their daughter Hannah, born Dec. 11, 1759, mar. Oct. 14, 1779, Isaac, born Sept. 15, 1759, son of Samuel and Abigail (Warren) Richards, and grandson of Samuel and Abigail (Peck) Richards. No better couple than Isaac and Hannah Richards ever, it is probable, dwelt in New Canaan. While these lines are being written their old hearthstone (south end of Smith's Ridge, on road connecting Smith and Haynes Ridges) is fast falling to pieces. Only a "gable" of the building now survives, but the memorv of its once living, laboring and loving parents and children is a benediction. As an illustra- t ration — in a single direction simply — of Isaac Rich- chards' reliability the following is to the point. He was called, on a certain day, to the coast and knowing the fact a neighbor asked of him a favor, which was with pleasure entertained. Arrived at Darien the pressure of business drove all thought of his neighbors commission out of Mr. Richards' mind. After re- turning home and putting out his horse, his duty- neglect occurred to him. It was night, but he at once went to his stable, harnessed his horse anew and started for the shore. His mission accomplished the faithful man rode home, once more put out his beast, exclaiming at the close of his twelve miles' trip, if asked again to do the like my answer will be, '■■ Yes, if I do not forget it.'' Mr. Richards discharged important trusts to the satisfaction of conscience and of a large constituency. His only daughter, Hannah, married Samuel St. John of New Canaan, of whom it is sufficient to say that he was the parent of one of that town's noblest of noble sons, the late Professor Samuel St. John, and of the tatter's brothers, Wm., Isaac and David, and their sister, Hannah, the wife of the Rev. Theophilus Smith. Mrs. Issac Richards 's1- died, Feb. 21, 1786. Her husband married, second, Emma Taylor. Hannah, daughter of Samuel Keeler *d. mother of Mrs. Isaac Richards, had a brother, Matthew Keeler eight years older than herself. This Matthew had a son, Isaac, born April 20, 1759. who married, Sept. 26, 1781, Deborah, daughter of David and Elizabeth (Hyatt) Whitney. Isaac and "Aunt Debby'' Keeler lived in primitive simplicity, in a house that stood abotit where stands the Henry P. Price West Avenue residence to-day. The widow, for nearly a quarter century after her husband's decease, kept up the comfortable old fash- ioned family "style," and lived to pass her eightieth birthday. Her son, James Harvey Keeler, born July 17, 1 801 , married, Sept. 9, 1822, Matilda, daughter of Tertullus Stephenson. Seventy odd years ago, the old " Keeler Mill " (Union Manufacturing Co., 1896) was owned by Buckingham Lockwood and William St. John. The same had for many years been Keeler property, but now Messrs. Lockwood and St. John had purchased it and the adjoining land on the north side of the Belden Avenue of to-day as far west as Riverside Avenue. In those days this latter avenue was only a Belden cow path approached by a " pair of bars" at the foot of the modern "Spring Hill." The "mill,"' in question, was a grist, saw and kiln-drying mill, and "run" during its Lockwood and St. Johnown- ership, by Tertullus Stephenson, who occupied the house at present standing on the north-eastern corner 124 NOR W A L K that day. " Court " vicinity (Bleecker St.) of the city Leonard Kip was a neighbor and his son, the future California prelate, Wm. Ingraham Kip, was the Ray children's young companion. Mrs. George Warner Nichols, loyal to the memory of her sister (Mr. Richards H. Schell,) caused to be erected, in 1894, a rare "In Memorian " in the Chapel of Our Holy Saviour, in central Nonvalk. Her husband also, at the same time, made valuable donation to said Chapel's crystal embellishment. Matthew Keeler ad-, son of Matthew"' and brother of Rebecca (Mrs. James Sey- mour'") married, Dec. 1769, Anna, daughter of Daniel Benedict, (son of Samuel, and grand- son of Thos. Benedict 3d-) and had Samuel, born June 4, 1778, who married, July 29, 1798, Lydia, daughter of Azariah Waterbury of Stamford. This Samuel Keeler was the army officer who, in the war of 1812, marched his command (see foot note, page 42) from New London, Conn., to Detroit, Mich. Samuel and Lydia Keeler's children were Sail}- Esther, born Feb. 24, 1799, (Mrs. Jonathan Selleck of Troy, N. Y.); Mary Ann, born May 7, 1802, (Mrs. Henry Selleck of Nonvalk) and James Stevens Keeler, born May 7. 1804, of Troy, N. V // OM E-l. O T VII: (SRC'ONI) Ol Cl'PANT.i RK'HARH Raymond of Salem, in the Jurisdiction of Massachusetts Bay, bought, on Oct. 21, 1662. of Ralph Keeler, "my housings contained at present within my home- lot and cow yard, together with all the conveniences and appointments thereunto belong- ing, as videlicet, the house-floors, doors, glass windows, shelves or ought else that may properly be said to belong to the same, . . . and to frame and erect a new building adjoining the same, clapboarding the sides and ends as high as the upper ways;" for all of which Mr. Raymond was to pay Mr. Keeler the sum of £42. This introduces Capt. Richard Raymond, (who was in Massachusetts as early as [634,)at Nonvalk. He evidently came hither as soon as the reconstructed Keeler house was ready for occupancy. He was of the lane-way leading, in 1896, from Belden Avenue ! Keeler's demanding such a use of the establishment. to the t iii. m Co. office. Here were brought up Mr. Stephenson's four children, David, (formerly proprie- tor of the Norwalk Hotel,) Morris (latterly of Dan- bury,) Matilda ( M rs. James H. Keeler) and Antionette (Mrs. Samuel Pennoyer.) Mrs. James H. Keeler was the mother of James, who died unmarried, and Fran- ce* B,, who married the late Samuel R. P. Camp, and Antionette, who married Edwin, son of Charles Mallorv. The Keeler, afterward Lockwood and St. After the replacement of the structure two English- men rented the industry, and one Florence was its manager. Florence occupied the old St. John house that stood in the street (Main Street) somewhere near the present marble works. The •■ Norwalk Scales" of that day were directly opposite this house on the west side of the street, the mode of weighing by which (sometimes hoisting into the air) was somewhat pe- culiar. The Keeler-Lockwood mill, afterward "run" John mill, was burned down about 1727-S. The fire | by John Arnold, was for years an important local occurred late in the season and some time elapsed j industry. The " Factory Bell," before the advent of before the budding was replaced. Cpon its restor- steam whistles, was a faithful Norwalk morning mon- ation by "Governor" Piatt of Silver Mine, it was I itor, and, like the Anson Quintard noonday horn, a turned into si cotton mill, with a 'Tun of stone" for familiar Norwalk memory. SrrH purposes the original deed of the town to the 'Some of the original "lots" soon changed owners. NORWALK 125 a mariner, and did a coasting trade along the Sound and East River as far South as Man- hattan Island. His Norwalk life was short, as he left here for Saybrook in 1664, where he died in 1692. At the close of the year 1664, his son JohnIst-, who had been his father's Norwalk attendant, married Mary, daughter of Thos. Betts, who himself had only recently arrived in the plantation. John ,st-, who at the time, seems to have been not far from twenty- seven years of age, and Mary, who was about nineteen, took possession of the Raymond home and there founded the Norwalk branch of the family. The old Keeler-Raymond house continued Raymond property until 1699, when it passed into the hands of William Haynes, who occupied it about twelve years. The children of John lst\ and Mary (Betts) Raymond1 were ; JoHN2d-, b. Sep. 9, 1665. Thomas, b. 1678. Samuel, b. July 7, 1673. Daniel. Hannah. OF JOHN RAYMONDS DESCENT.