Norwalk

also, afterward, the publisher of the New York Evangelist. S. W. Benedict is well remem- bered to-day for his high integrity and great enterprise. His countenance and his conduct evidenced both. He was the father of the late Mrs. LeGrand Lockwood,1 of the Norwalk LeGrand Lockwood estate, who for several years survived a husband of most magnan- imous remembrance. A FITCI1-SM1TH-BETTS-NEWSON-ROSS DESCENT. One of the fierce snow storms that broke, in olden times, over Norwalk, occurred in the first part of February, 1790. On the second day of that month there passed from these mortal to the thither shores the last one of four remarkable children, James "S who had for some years overlived his brothers, Gov. Thomas and Hon. Samuel, and, probably, his sister Elizabeth, (first, Mrs. Joshua Raymond, and second, Mrs. Elisha Kent.) On the day set for the burial of this good man, a ''devout christian, and respected by all who knew him," the storm had reached its height and the interment was postponed. The deceased, who had less than a twelve-month survived his faithful wife (Mary Haynes) had been cared for, in his last days, by his son Haynes, at whose house he died. He left several sons and daughters, and among them, Elijah ,st\ who, at the date of his father's decease, had himself been nearly forty years married. Elijah Fitch,sc- married, Oct. 25, 1752, Phcebe, born, Dec. 20, 1731, daughter of Robert and Judith (Fountain) Smith. Robert Smith (see note ■LeGrand Lockwood (see Lockwood lineage,) of admirable recall and who business-wise was one of the most clever and capable sons of this town, sprang from that branch of the Lockwood family to the an- cestor of which the town proprietors allotted a tract, between the Whitney's and Kellogg's, on what is known to-day as that part of Main Street into which Centre Avenue opens. The ancient designation of the level known years ago as " the Lane," was Sticky Plain. Through this stretching territory a street (the present upp-r part of Main Street and a genera- tion ago often called Pudding Lane) was laid out and the land (on the north back as far as " the rocks " and on the south to " the river" ) was allotted to different settlers. Joseph Lockwood's apportionment is in 1896, cut in two by Centre Avenue. The Lockwood house may have kept its place during the Tryon visitation as there is evidence that the British moved more to the eastward and having there (France Street) been engaged by the militia and by Gen. Parsons' men were prevented from progress at the north or west. To the old Joseph Lockwood home was brought in 1737, a Long Island bride. Joseph Lockwood id- and Rebecca Rogers were pronounced man and wife by a Vale ( 171S) man, the grandfather of Dr. S. I. Prime of the New York Observer, and a union was then formed the issue of which would include, either by bridal or blood connection, the representatives of four of this country's collossal finance firms of mod- ern times, viz : LeGrand Lockwood and E. C. Bene- dict of New York, Jay O. Moss of Sandusky and Jay Cooke of Philadelphia. Mrs. Joseph Lockwood **. (Rebecca Rogers), great grandmother of LeGrand Lockwood, was, as far as close investigation to date makes clear, either the great or the great-great-grand-daughter of William and Ann Rogers of Huntington, L. I., which William was unquestionably the son of Thomas Rogers of the May- flower. She came through Jonathan and Rebecca Rog- ers (son and daughter-in-law of William) of which Jonathan she was either daughter or grand daughter. Were she the grand-daughter of Jonathan she might have been the daughter of David and Jane Rogers (see Huntington, L. I. records, vol. xxi., page 2j). Her direct descent from Thomas Rogers the pilgrim, seems fully established, and Norwalk carefully tran- scribed data must be completely nullified to prove anything else. (See page 187.) The LeGrand Lockwood Mansion. This magnificent granite pile, now with its field and grown-to-be forest-like environments, the subur- ban home of Mrs. Chas, D. Matthews of New York, was erected by the late LeGrand Lockwood for a fam- ily seat, and it is gratifying and an act-loyal to a noble memory to consider its to-day developed natural and contributed artificial beauties as a sort of monument to its builder's prophecy- sense of the mingled spirit of art and poetry which would one day pervade and 214 NORWALK. page r 86) came to Norwalk not far from the date of his marriage (March n, 1724) and bought eligible property in the plantation. His son-in-law and daughter, (Elijah lst- and Phcebe Fitch,) had ten children, the third of which number, Stephen,1 born on the fifth anniversary of his parents' marriage (Oct. 25, 1757) wedded, Sept. 22, 1779 (not three months after the town was burned) Hannah, sister of the brave leader of the Norwalk Militia (Capt. Stephen Betts) on the day of the conflagration in July, 1779. Hannah Betts, born, March 30, 1762, as her fathers family bible, still in good preservation, records, was the fourth of the five children (Stephen, Isaiah, Isaac,2 Hannah and Deborah) of Isaac and invest his fondly selected Norwalk residence - site. Having elected, during a career of eminent commer- cial success, to plant his home in his native town, Mr. Lockwood's devisings were on a most generous base. For years out of mind there had lain, between the northern and southern sections of the town and in the rear of a few fronting hearthstones, old and newly-sown fields, which had been remarkable only for their annual meadow-produce. This was the spot pitched upon by Mr. Lockwood for his mansion-local- ity, and on Nov. 24, the virgin purchase of eight acres was made and the future splendid project inaugurated These acres which lav immediately op- posite (on the east side of the street) of the residence of Charles Mallory and which were that day sold by said Mallory to said Lockwood, were bounded north by the old James Benedict and south by the James Seymour2*1- properties. To the rear lay Pine Island burying ground, while West Avenue was their west line. The next day (Nov. 25) M;ir)- Susan Benedict, of the James Benedict home which stood exactly in the rear of the 1896 Matthews carriage entrance (and of the ancient David Marvin stock) parted to Mr. Lockwood with the eight additional acres that north- erly bounded the purchase of the day before. This extended the site (north) to the present hedge div id- ing the Matthews and the Stuart sites. The next spring, March 9, 1N64, saw the pleasant- ly situated James Seymour2^ homestead, with its double maple row, legally wiped out by the deed to Mr. Lockwood on that date, of Sarah, Giles, Ira, George, Harriet and Ann Seymour of Norwalk, and Samuel and Mary Aymar of Brooklyn of the four acre father's hearthstone, which gave to their new propri- etor a frontage from Edward Stuart's home on the north to the James Seymour 'st. home-site on the south, which latter property (and its old red house in which the Revolutionary "assemblies" were held) tHree days afterward (March 12, 1S64) became the own- ership of the metropolis banker. The entire Lock- wood frontage was now complete, and when the James Seymour'** house was taken down and the James Seymour 2d. house removed to the Westport road (near the late Mary Church phu t ) where it now stands, and the James Benedict whitewashed portals became a thing of the past, Mr. Lockwood's West Avenue lim- its were of handsome longitude. Purchases of back lands were from time to time made until the whole plot, a grand estate, stood in Mr. Lockwood's name. Here was built Norwalk's master domicile, not a " t arreted castle," but a sumptuous and striking ex- ample of architecture-invention. If the " befores " of Joseph and Rebecca (Rogers) Lockwood of Norwalk were as noticeable as are their " afters" then was the marriage solemnized in Hun- tington, L. I., in 1737, by Rev. Ebenezer Prime, the middle link in a remarkable pedigree chain. Joseph and Rebecca Lockwood were the grand-parents of Mary Betts, born, April 17, 1799 (daughter of Stephen and Sarah (Betts) Lockwood, see page 190) who mar- ried, Sept. 1, 1823, Rev. Henry Benedict, pastor from 1S28 to 1832 of the First Congregational Church of Norwalk. Rev. Henry and Mary B. (Lockwood) Ben- edict were the parents of Elias Cornelius Benedict, born Jan. 24, 1834, who is the almost inseparable com- panion of Grover Cleveland, LL.D., ex-president of the United States, whose eminent lady, Frances (Folsom) Cleveland, stands name-associated, to say the least, (see Rogers lineage) with one of the chief families of earlier Norwalk. 'This is the young man who during one of the enemies plundering excursions, from Long Island to Norwalk, spirited away four of the fine horses that the British had here captured. These horse exploits of the English are referred to in foot note page 1 14- 2Isaac Betts, brother of Mrs. Stephen Fitch, lived in the pleasantly remembered cottage-like structure which stood just east of the Newtown turnpike and where now stands the residence of the widow of the late Stephen Henry Smith. Mr. Smith, one of Nor- walk's honored sons, loved the ancestral spot and took true pride in there returning, after a busy New York and Philadelphia career, and establishing a home in which he passed, in great delight, the ending years of an active life. At the time of the Isaac Betts owner- ship of the spot the house faced the south, and in its coat of pure white paint, with roof overhung and door-front shaded by some of the finest trees in Nor- walk, the whole place was a pleasing picture. Since the Betts and previous to the Smith occupancy of the ancient premises the Niblo family of New York found the same to be an inviting country haunt. INK |-A>T . hahnatM** •fie* ihe Tryn dv**»tati>tii. jjmt. «ml t Hir«m . H I,. . wffr Ha | M i ■ )*THppitiK I II F PKKSK N T. I'll* t.r(»rwnil I -ork u<u uJ |MhIe1iuW> >N»>M M (ialie-w«V. l ln» eiilnn. k fa. r- tfcf miri^ni Jam— Bviwtth i I'i'TuJ ami i##*piv* il* utitr -n. . NOR WALK.