Norwalk

By degrees the territory covered by the Indian purchases, a territory bounded east and west by the Saugatuck and Rowalton waters and south by the sea, and butted twelve miles to the north by the "Mohawk Country," became populated, and the enlarged vocab- ulary bearing the same realistic stamp as the one from which extract has been made, anon embraced Bald Hill, Ball Mountain, Barbadoes, Barnum's Swamp, Betts' Swamp, Barren Marsh Creek, Bartlett's Meadow, Bartlett's Ridge, Beaver Pond, Beaver Dam, Behind Noon, Bear Swamp, Benedict's Hill, Benedict's Point, Belden Hill, Between the Banks, Between the Parts, Boggy Branch, Boston Bridge Brook, Bouton's Sw amp, Blatchley s Field, Bridge Brook, Brushy Ridge, Buckingham Ridge, Buckmeadow Hill, Butler's Brook, Canaan Ridge, Canoe Hill, Captain's Plain, Captain's Spring, Caterpillar Lots, Chestnut Hill, Compo, Corn- stock's Park, Cove-Woods, Cove Branch, Clapboard Hill, Cranberry Plains, Crow Hill, Crow Swamp, David Keeler's Pond, Drye Hill, Drum Hill, East Rocks, Egypt, Elm Branch, Ely's Bars, Ely's Neck, Flax Hill, France, Game Swamp, George's Brook, George's Hill, George's Spring, Great Hill, Great Swamp, Government Line, Grumman's Hill, Hale's Meadow, Hanford's Brook, Hanford Meadow, Hanford Swamp, Handsome Ridge, Hazel Plain, Hayes' Hill, Hitchcock's Hollow, Honey Ridge, Home Ridge, House Ridge, Horse Hollow, Horse Pound, Holmes' Plain, Hop Meadow , Hoyt's Plain, Hoyt's Hunting Woods, Huckleberry Hills, Indigo Hill, Kellogg's Ridge, Kellogg's Swamp, Keeler's Ridge, Keeler's Orchard, Keeler's Hollow , Ketchum's Hill, Lupton's Boggs, Mamachimon's Bridge, Mam- achimon's Meadow, Marvin's Swamp, Marvin's Ridge, Marvin's Meadow, Marvin's Plain, Matthias Meadow, Mill Brook, Millstone Hill, Millstone Ridge, Natt's Boggs, New Dam, New Pound Ridge, Nod, Old Hill, Old Well, One-Mile Tree, Ox Pound, Pampaskeshanke Creek or River, Pine Tree, Piatt's Farm, Parting Swamp, Plum Trees, Pound Ridge, Poplar Plains, Partrick's Plain, Pympewaugh Falls, \'\ mpewaugh Plain, Rattlesnake Pasture Swamp and Woods, Rayle Hill, Raymond's Hill, Round Hill, Rock House Woods, Seer Hill, Soatuck Playne, Scudder's Woods, Silver Mine, Stadde Ridge, Shovel Hill, Stuart's Field, Stuart's Swamp, Sticky Plain, Spring Ridge, Smith's Ridge, Smith's Hills, Stepp Rock, Split Rock, Reed's Farm, Ridgefield Line, The Great Hill, The Great Meadow, The Great Bridge, The Great Swamp, The Other Side of the River, The Hithermost Wading Place, The Oven, The Stamping Place, The Elm or Western Branch of Norwalk River, Turn of the River, Titus F"arm, Wolf-pitt Hills, Whitney's Hill, Whitney's Plain, Winnipauk Ridge, Woodpecker's Ridge, Wolf Borough, White Wood Swamp, White Oak Shade, etc.,1 all of which argues pains, progress and prosperity. 'Must of the localities named on parr- twenty- | main name-unchanged. It may be difficult tu account six and twenty-seven are, with no great difficulty, | for the origin of a few of the appellations, but a large pointed out to-dav, and quite a number of them re- share of them are self-explaining. NORW A L K . THE ISLANDS. From the Runckingheage Deed, Feb. 15, 165 1 , see page 14, it would seem that "all the islands" were made over to the Xorwalk planters, who designated them as the "out- land division." An early authenticated notice of said islands, subsequent to the Runking- heage transfer is found undated (vol. i. fol. 30) in the town records, wherein the town granted to Matthew Canfield the island that to-day bears his name. Mr. Canfield was one of the first Xorwalk settlers, and doubtless himself made choice of the island referred to as one por- tion of his share of the "plantinge." He owned it until April I, 1669, at which date, he being an inhabitant of Newark, XT. J., tranferred his Xorwalk rights and interests to his son Samuel. This son remained here for a period, but afterward parted with his Norwalk pos- sessions and removed to Xew Jersey, On March 8, 1672, he disposed, apparently, of the south half of Canfield's Island to his father's old neighbor, Kphraim Lockwood, as he ten months before sold his parent's house, lot, barn and shop to Thos. Fitch, Jr. In 1655 the town gave to Stephen Beckwith the next island west of Canfield's, viz. : Half-Mile Island, and on Sept. 18, 1666, Judah Gregory, son of John Gregory, the settler, was voted the island west of Gregory's Point, and named for himself Judah 's Island. The present Peach Island comprised at that day a part — perhaps the whole — of the island grant made to Judah Gregory. In 1670 the town contested, and evidently successfully so, (vide action of Feb. 20, 1672) the claim of John Gregory. Sr. to Cockenoes Island, and on Dec. 2. 1690, the Sachem Winnipauk, whose superb ridge lay a dozen miles to the north, close 011 to The Oblong, deeds thus : I, Winnipauk. Indian Sagamour of Xorwalk, do freely Give to my beloved friend Thomas Hanford. senior, Minister of Xorwalk in y County of Fairfield, in y* Colony of Connecticut, my Island of Land Lying against Rowerton, containing Twenty acres more or less, witli all y trees, Herbage, and other Appurtenances thereof; which sd Island is bounded on y" East with y Island called Mamachimins, and Chachanenas, and on y" West with the point of Rowerton ; I the said Winnipauk Do by this my act and Deed, Alienate the sd Island from all claims of English or Indians, and as being my peculiar propriety, never by deed of gift, or sale made over to any, but now by this my deed I do give it freely to my beloved friend Thomas Hanford. senr., to possess, improve, to him and his heirs forever, In confirmation of this my act or deed, I have set to my hand & seal this second day of December Anno Domini One thousand six Hundred and Ninety.— (Xorwalk Land Records, Vol. vii, fol. 313.) After passing in 165 1 into the Company's hands, several of the islands at least, were probably, for the time being, assigned to and appropriated by different inhabitants. Settled action, however, was taken on Jan. 4, 1702, to the following effect : "Whereas the inhabitants of the toune of Xorwalk, have had possession of severall slands lying adjacent .to their township, and allso improvement of them forty yeares, and longer, without bemg interrupted by any persons laying claime and prosecuting their claime in due forme of law. the savd townc having had quiett possession long before the sayd law N O R W A L K of possession was enacted, and ever since ; the select men and justice doe in the name of sayd towne and for their behoofe, enter and record unto the sayd towne, them, their heires and assignes for ever ; namely Cockenoes Island known by sayd name, and Mamachimons Island, and the Long Island, and Camfield's Island, known by sayd names, and all other Islands lying in or adjacent unto the towneshipp of Norwalk ; to the legallity of this record we whose names are hereunto sett and subscribed, our names and hands." James Oi.mstf.ad, Justice and Recorder. Samiel Smith, Thomas Betts, Samuei.L Beldex, |- Townsmen. Samuei.i, Betts, | Samuei.l Maryex. Recorded this 4th day of January, 1702-3. Exactly how the town viewed the matter of any previous bestowment of Canfield's, Half-Mile, Cockenoes, Judah's and Winnipauke (Longe) Islands, and just how it finally acted in relation thereto, is difficult, if not impossible, now to ascertain, but after the trans- action of 1702 the title to the islands would appear to rest in the town authorities, and said outlying divisions to be, from 17 12, if not for ten years previously, negotiable after the usual manner of the disposition of real estate. NORWALK K A ST - S A I ' G A T U C K LANDS. Dep. -Gov. Roger Ludlow, having obtained the General Court's permission to start the Pequonnock plantation, proceeded in 1639 with a few companions from Hartford to the spot thenceforth to be known as Fairfield. Here he assembled the natives and treated with them for "all the lands lying west of the Stratford bounds to the Sasqua or Mill River," etc. This stream, therefore, was the original western " limitts of Fayerfield." To the west of this stream lay a diversified stretch of land claimed by the Maxamus Indians, and Fairfield, at about ten years of age, entertained the idea of enlargement in that direction, and made proposition to that effect to the Court. At its sitting, May 17, 1649, the Court took this proposition so far into consideration as to constitute Daniel Titterton and John Hurd, of Stratford, a committee to make a survey of the asked-for premises and report at the next Assembly, "that they may the better know what is to bee done therein." At the convening of the Court, May 21, 1650, said committee returned its report, and action as follows, was taken : "This Courte, considering the Returns of Danyell Titterton and John Hurd, about "a parcell of land lying neare the town of Fairefeild, according to theire order from the Generall Courte of Flection, in May, 1649, doe graunt vnto the said Towne of Fairefeild the said percell of land to Sagatuck Riuer : provided the said Sagatuck doe not e.reeed t-<eo myles from the bounds of the said Fairefeild."1 1 Colonial Records, 1636-1665. 29 30 NORYYA I.K. In other words, the western boundary of Fairfield was by this order extended two miles in that point of the compass from Sasqua River. As this still left a strip between the western Fairfield limits and the east bank of the Saugatuck, Norwalk's claim to these lands came to be recognized.'