Norwalk

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Mr. Seymour died before the work was accomplished and the property was bought from the heirs and built upon by his grandson, (son of his daughter Ruth who married Augustus Sammis) the to-day remembered John S. Sammis who so long kept a store on the little hill opposite his house, now a lower section of the Matthews West Avenue property, and whose aged widow, Mrs. Nancy W. Sammis, survived until a recent date. John<lK and Rebecca Seymour had nine children. (See Seymour lineage.) Seth Seymour, second son of John-1'1- and Ruth Seymour, married Anna, daughter of Nathaniel and Mary (Lockwood) Benedict, the oldest daughter of which Seth and Anna was named (Anna) for her mother, and married Lewis Mallory. Lewis Mallory was the father of Charles, James and Alfred Mallory, and of their sisters (Mary Esther) Mrs. Algernon E. Beard, and Harriet (Mrs. Geo. H. Hulen). Lew is Mallory resided in the fine old-fashioned East Avenue dwelling, subsequently the property of George W. Betts. Mr. Mallory, who was an infant when Xorwalk was burned, died July 21, 1848. His wife sur- vived him, ending her days with her daughter, Mrs. A. E. Beard. The " Meeting-House Hill," John (brother of Lewis) Mallory property has become, in 1896, the ownership of a grand-nephew of John Mallory, Rev. Augustus F. Beard, D.D., whose new purchase covers the ancient "Common," and the site of the second church built in Norwalk. William, the third son of John"1- and Ruth Seymour, married Jan. 6, (Little Christ- mas) 1757, Lydia, daughter of Moses, the son of James St. John. This couple lived in rural quiet at the foot of Flax Hill. The Seymour yard was handsome with flowers as was the yard at "The Bridge" of Mrs. Seymour's sister, (Mrs. Capt. Jabez Gregory) with veg- etation. Their son Belden, named for his grandmother, removed to Vermont, where he to- day has influential representation. Their daughter Mary (Polly) married Lieut. Finch Gil- derslcevc of the Continental Army. The Lieut, had charge of artillery when Danbury and Xorwalk were burned. His parents were Benjamin and Elizabeth (Huntington) Gil- dcrsleeve of Long Island. In 1 791 himself and wife Polly removed to a farm of some hundred acres in Dutchess County, N. Y. In this same year (Dec. 5, 1791) was born, in Dutchess County, their son, the late eminent Benjamin Gildersleeve, D.D. Dr. Gilder- sleeve was a classmate of Pliny Fiske, Benj. Chase and Dr. Beman. In 1845 he removed to Richmond, Va., where he bought the "Watchman of the South" from the Rev. William Plummer, D.D., who is well remembered in Norwalk. He changed the name of the paper to that of " Watchman and Observer," of which organ he was editor and proprietor. He make room lor the contemplated new residence of Col. lishment. The brook was later utilized for hatting par- Z; 1 k . ; t: " was buiit , p»«« cb^es m.^ a„d »•. « ed i Z " , ' Td Pat" °Ver Md Wil,iam "• B-edic',. The geography of thede- h or „ "R n i ..""n " mUmmt " divit-v is nuw »'mo,t completely changed and the 1J „m V , br0°k >Vhkh fl°"ed H~ Pi<*»™. '"ken in the old one-track ■■ in- Br k " T, 'Vei"'S beSn knOW" aS Nu™alk 1 'or,e Railway days, will serveas a reminder of lorn , .. ten, Tt , IT S"m0U''S °' the Past' The trolley »mem has gratefully trans- Umg ^ "»ve h:ul « "»'»"" ^tab- formed West Avenue X ORWALK. married Sarah E. Elliott (Indian Apostle family) and here brought his bride, on his wed- ding trip, to visit his widowed mother and aged Seymour grandmother. The learned man has conferred honor upon his ancestral Norwalk. He is survived by Virginia children. James Seymour, youngest son of John3<!- and Ruth Seymour, married Rebecca, daughter of Matthew Keeler'"-. Said Matthew was a grandson of Samuel and Sarah (St. John) Keeler and a great-grandson of Ralph Keeler the settler. James and Rebecca Sey- mour lived on a portion of the afterward West Avenue LeGrand Lockwood property. They here kept a public house and have distinct mention at this day. They had a large family and their descendants are easily traced. James "'• (youngest son of John 3d- and Ruth Belden Seymour) and Rebecca (Keel- er) Seymour had James21'-, born March 16, 1775, who married, first, Feb. 3, 1799, Sarah, daughter of Seth and Elizabeth (Squire) Raymond of the present widow George A. Daven- port home -site in Wilton, Conn. The children by this marriage' were, Giles, Anna1"-, Charles, Ira, George, Harriet, Mary and Anna21' . Of these daughters, Harriet and Anna2d- are unmarried, and living to-day at the foot of Prospect Hill. The remaining sister, Mary, married Samuel Aymar, father of Mrs. Robert Van Buren now of West Ave- nue. (See Seymour lineage.) Of the brothers, Giles, who built the present First Congre- gational Church on The Green, married Rebecca Burr Guyer; Charles married Jane Wood of New York ; Ira married Julia A., daughter of Dr. Percival. There was a son George, who has mention in the Seymour lineage. John Seymour, born Feb. 24, 1 796, youngest son of James and Rebecca Seymour, married Sally, daughter of Hutton Smith, and was the father of the present Henry Sey- mour, whose West Avenue residence adjoins the "Hungry Spring" of ancient Xorwalk. James1"- (father of John and James"1- Seymour) and his wife Rebecca represented the old- est Norwalk families. The two lived in what is recalled to-day as the West avenue Hotch- kiss house, which stood (before the LeGrand Lockwood improvements) on the brow of " Sammis Hill " (obliterated by modern public and private topographical changes). The double maple row between the homes of James Seymour ,st- and his son James2'1, was a touch of "Castillian" shade. The entire town grew, perhaps, no more grateful noonday shadow. The house of James was often frequented, as its second story offered room fa- cilities for large gatherings. At one of these post-Revolutionary assemblies His Majesty's officials were guests. Approaching a Xorwalk lad}- one of these gentlemen inquired of her as to the whereabouts of the people during the days of the town's burning. "O we all went to the woods" was the quick reply. A number of British officers seem, for some reason, to have been quartered in the vicinity of Old Well.2 'Married, second, Sarah C iaiifr.ro. -It is an old tradition that -ev-val of these officials while, for some purpose, temporarily quartered at "Old Well" were made the victims of a severe joke. It was the "melon" season and the foreign young gentlemen were invited to look at a rather re- markable " yield." Alter wending their long journev | from Flax Hill to the " t'.-.pt. Gregory" meadows (now- West Main Street, Norwalk) the members of the party were pointed to a tine " pumpkin patch." i6o A DOUBLE SEYMOUR "SOCIETY OF COLONIAL WARS" ELIGIBILITY. BELDEX. Keeler. Gen. I — Da^iel'si. and Elizabeth Belden. Gen. I.— Ralph Keeler. " II — William and Maroarrt Beldex. " II -Samuel >s<- and Sarah Keeler. " III.— JoiiN-Jd- and Ruth (Bklden) Seymour. " III.— Samuel^- and Sarah (Betts) Keeler. " IV.— James Seymour " IV —Matthew Keeler. James Seymour m- married February 13, 1774, Rebecca, daughter of Matthew Keeler. Daniel Belden (Hatfield and Deer-field, Mass., 1 648-1 73 1 , ) and his two childen were captured in King William's War, Sept. 16, 1696, taken to Canada and returned in 1698. On the same day, viz: Sept. 16, 1696, his first wife, Elizabeth, and three children were killed by the savages. His second wife was captured and killed by the Indians during Queen Anne's War. Daniel Belden'8'- was appointed upon the committee of fortifications in this war with Col. Partridge. Reference, Sheldon's History of Deerfield, Mass., Vol. I. Samuel Keeler lat- of Norwalk was in the Narragansett light in King Philip's War, Dec. 19, 1675. Reference, Savage Gen. Dictionary, Vol. III., page 2. All the descendants of John Seymour 3d- and his son James ,st- are (under organization restrictions) entitled to recognition by the Orders (male or female) of Colonial Wars, which fact opens an interesting Norwalk "Colonial Wars" study.