Supplement to Norwalk, Conn., Volume One: Genealogy

Hsaac, son of John3rd and Rebecca (Bartlett) Belden, was a Belden son who, as was true of his brother, John4th, Norwalk remained. It is inferred that his house, now the West Avenue club property of St. Mary's parish, was built by himself after the British burning. He was a farmer, and as did Stephen St. John, used the "garret" of his house for grain storage. Traces of the elevated doorway for grain elevation are still discerned in the north gable of the old West Avenue House. Mr. Belden worked (see page 146) the Belden Point farm and the harvest trips to and from the shore with, quite likely, lunch- eon under the shade and a dip at high tide in the salt water, to say nothing of the ever changing sea-scape novelty, possessed such attraction that two youths, at least, were happy escorts, occasionally, of Mr. Belden. One was the young clerk, L. 0. Wilson, afterward Mr. Belden's son-in-law, who in those days was seen hastening down the Ely Neck road with horse under saddle and rider holding a grain cradle, and the other a nephew of Mr. Belden, John, son of Henry Belden, a society young man, but who professed that he preferred association with "Uncle Isaac in the Neck" to college chumming. Mrs. Isaac Belden, whose parents rest a short distance from the southwest door of St. Paul's Church, was a daughter of Matthew and Elizabeth (Kellogg) Reed. Matthew Reed was a genius, a fine specimen of whose hand-craft stands to-day in a Stamford home in the lower part of Summer street. It is an old clock, across the face of which Mr. Reed's name is plainly inscribed. Its maker was born in 1739, in Norwalk, and was a son of William and Rachel (Kellogg) Reed and grandson of John2nd and Elizabeth (Tuttle) Reed, which John2nd was the old- est son of John Reed, Senior and settler, whose grave is marked by a granite slab which stands on the grounds of Samuel R. Weed of Rowayton, Conn. Mrs. Matthew Reed, born 1746, was a daughter of Samuel Kellogg2nd (son of Samuel1 st and grandson of Settler Daniel Kellogg, see page 372). Her daughter Esther was a woman of stability. Polly, Esther's sister, born 1768, married, April 3, 1789, Seth,son of John and Ruth Seymour, whose son Uriah is repre- sented to-da}r hy his children who occupy, in 1899, the interesting South Norwalk Seymour premises, a little distance north of the new and handsome First Methodist Episcopal Church of that city. Hannah Reed, a sister between Mrs. Seth Seymour and Mrs. Isaac Belden, married, January 5, 1804, Asa, son of Nathaniel and Anna (Raymond) Benedict and father of the late George W. and William H. Benedict (see note, page 378) of South Norwalk. Matthew Reed died December 4, 1797, leaving children other than those named. 386 N O R W A L K. Harriet (Mrs. Lewis O. Wilson) ;a Amos, son of John3"1 and Rebecca (Bartlett) Belden, married Elizabeth, born October 12, 1770, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah (Scudder) Isaacs (see pages 96 and 331), and had as per page 96, none of whom, excepting Julia,2 belonged in Norwalk. Henry, son of John3'''1 and Rebecca (Bartlett) Belden, married Esther, born October 14, 1773, daughter of Goold and Elizabeth (Dimon) Hoyt, and had as per page 358. A description of the home of his parents (John3"1 and Rebecca Belden) and afterwards that of his brother, John Belden4"1, here naturally follows. BELDEN^SELLECK HOUSE, 1899. (See plates pages 382 and 387.) This is one of the only few remaining ante-revolutionary Norwalk homes, and its history repays perusal. At the Tryon visitation Ge'neral Garth caused it to be fired, but his men were seemingly too much in haste to tarry until it was completely flame underway, con- sequently the fire was extinguished just as its destruction had commenced. The premises were purchased by the Beldens before the Revolution. John Belden8"1 here brought up his children, John4"', Isaac, Amos, Henry, Mar}' Esther, and Sarah. The family of John3"' and Rebecca (Bartlett) Belden were tenants of the home3 in 1779. Thomas, son of John'2'"1, had a hearthstone of his own (afterwards Governor Bissell place), and Samuel his brother resided in Wilton. The John Belden4"' barn for many years after the Tryon conflagration bore an oak inscribed fire-record. Accepting the Moses Webb statement 1LewisO. Wilson, when young, came to Norwalk as a clerk. He became afterwards a Norwalk mer- chant, and finally a heavy business man of New York city, where he was energetic, enterprising and success- ful. His country home at Belden's Neck was a lovely site. Mr. Wilson liked well kept highways. He was much interested in the Wilson Point Road and seemed to be fond, at leisure hours, of himself having a part in the work. After he had quit "The Neck," and given up business, and buried most of his family, he was wont, in old age, to be seen, in kid protected hands holding a rake and indulging his old incli- nation. He was well known in Metropolitan mer- chant circles and made his country seat inviting. (See page 66.) Mrs. Wilson was a devoted mother, and enjoyed, with her children, the attractive proper- ty, her father's bequeathed patrimony, at "the Point." The children of L. 0. and Harriet Wilson were Capt. Henry, U. S. N., Charles, Oliver, William and Victor B. Charles and Victor were the only married sons. The first married Charlotte Tillotson, of N. Y., and the second Sarah Searles of Norwalk. 2Julia (see last note p ige 96), daughter of Amos Belden1 st, married, March 13, 1816, Hooker, born January 30, 1792, son of William and Mary Esther (Belden) St. John. She had one son, Frederick Augustus, born January 15, 1817, who died unmar- ried, June 13, 1839. Both second cousins, Frederick A. St. John and John (son of Henry) Belden, died young. John Belden had commenced a business en- gagement in New York city, but soon came home to close his days. He was a social favorite and had much to live for. Mrs. Hooker St. John survived the birth of her only child one day short of eight months. 3 This home was established prior to the Revolu- tionary war. At the Tryon visitation General Garth caused it to be fired, but his men, who on their march from "Old Well" northward had almost reached the crossing place to the east side of Norwalk river where the Tryon and Garth forces were to unite, were seemingly in haste and did not tarry until sure that the building was fully fired. The fire was extinguished ere the structure was destroyed. It was afterwards repaired and continued the propert}' of John Belden3rd, father of John4th, Isaac, Amos, Henry, Mary Esther, and Sarah Belden. The same (14 acres area) was sold, March 18, 1796, by the heirs of John3rd and Rebecca (Bartlett) Belden to John+thand his brother Isaac. John4th took the north portion (Selleck house and land of 1899), and Isaac occupied, with the adjoining grounds, the present St. Mary's Assembly House, opposite St. Mary's Church, on West Avenue. After the day of John Belden4th his NORWALK. 387 BELDEN-SELLECK HOME, 1899. as correct, the true war story of the spot would seem to be that General Garth, who had been repulsed at " Old Well," possibly feared an attack upon his return thither to his boats and hence prudently determined to reserve a portion of his ammunition, leaving it on the west side of the river before crossing the same to join forces with Tryon in the work of the burning of the east side. The soldier Webb declared that the Belden house was used as a storage for ammunition. If so, Garth would not have ordered the building to be consumed until upon his return march, which is the probable explanation of the matter. Moses Webb1, who was a house and gronnds passed into the possession of said Belden's nephew, Frederick St. Johnlst, son of W/lliani and Mary Esther (Belden) St. John. Frederick St. Johnlst married Harriett, daughter of John2nd and Sarah (St. John) Cannon. These occupied the prem- ises (they had no children) until Air. St. John's de- cease. He died in the house, which was afterwards sold (see page 44) to Mrs. Eliza Selleck. Mrs. Fred- erick St. John left her property largel}' to her name- same niece, Harriett, daughter of Senator Thaddeus and Antoinette (Cannon) Betts. The Belden family, scattered as its members are, over the length and breadth oi the country, may with pride salute the old Nor walk birthplace. The Webb Family.1 See pages 149, 398 to 402, and 470. Albeit the Norwalk settlers were probably too industriously employed to have greatly indulged family speculations, still we may reasonably imagine that rigorous conditions did not entirely drive their thoughts from the theme. Richard and Elizabeth Webb, who occupied a plain dwelling close by the 1899 East Norwalk R. R. Station for west bound trains, could hardly have been altogether unmindful of their European kinship. The Gregory claim has mention on page 82, but the Webb Genealogy (page 149) merits additional remark. It is noticeable that neither Richard Webb nor Richard Seymour, whose homes adjoined each other and who were together elected "townsmen" (in 1655), were Norwalk long lived. Mr. Seymour died in office, and Mr. Webb somewhat later, possibly- His family was small and he left no locality designation, with the exception of that of " Webb Meadow," to perpetuate his name. 3»8 NORWALK. young soldier of twenty-three when Norwalk was burned, lived to see his farm divided by the tracks of the New York and New Haven railroad, and just as the road was opened to peace- fully end his days at the old Rowayton home, from whence he was carried, at his decease, to the Warren burial ground, near the late Bigelow premises. Before two of his grandchildren he, shortly previous to his death, brought out a stocking lined with gold, and made a loan. Mrs. John Belden3''" survived her husband and the property (14 acres) continued her ownership and that of the children until March 18, 1796, when it was sold by the heirs of John Belden3"1 to John4"' and his brother Isaac.