^\\^\«^>\'»ii«iis^^ 
 
Class 
 Book.. 
 
 V ■ - ^ 
 
 Gopig]itN?_ 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSffi 
 
MR. NATHAN STOWE 
 
Sixty Years' Recollections 
 of Milford 
 
 And Its Chronology from 1637 Up to and 
 Including 1916 
 
 By NATHAN STOWE 
 
 The Whole Edited and Revised 
 
 BY 
 NEWTON HARRISON, E. E. 
 
 Copyrighted by 
 
 Simon Lake, Helene Y. Putney, Newton Hurrison 
 
 For the Village Improvement Association 
 
 MILFORD, CONNECTICUT 
 1917 
 
TABLK OF CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 
 Foreword 5 
 
 (Miapter T 9 
 
 Cliaplei- 11 17 
 
 ('liaj)tcr III 22 
 
 ( 'hapter IV 28 
 
 Chapter V 33 
 
 Chaplcr VI 39 
 
 Chapter VII 44 
 
 Chapter VJIL 50 
 
 Chapter IX 55 
 
 Chai)ter X 61 
 
 Chronoloiiieal llistorv oi" Milt'ord 67 
 
 0CI^4|yi7 
 ©CI,A4 76 74 3 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 By Newton Harrison 
 Written in June, 1917 
 
 In tliese memorable times, wlien the great war, the Arma- 
 geddon of nations, is being fought out relentlessly at the cross- 
 roads of" destiny, this brief page in the life of our community 
 has been completed. But, however unimi)ortant the town of 
 JMilford may seem to those of the world who have travelled in 
 other lands, or visited the great cities of the United States, it 
 must be remend)eretl that tlie settlement of iMilford, like that of 
 the rest of New England, was j)rompted by a love of liberty so 
 sincere, so dee]) and impelling, that though broad seas had to 
 be crossed, in what today would be called cockle-shells of ships, 
 and a wildei'ness had tn be exi)lored. inhabited by wild and 
 savage tribes, the eai'ly pioneers. ind)ued with a holy faith in 
 their ideals, and an iron resolution to succeed, facetl these dan- 
 gers with stout hearts and undaunted minds. 
 
 To tluMn, a new land was preferable to one in which their 
 rights were withheld, even though the dangers to be faced were 
 such as to make the strongest and most capable fear the end. 
 It Avas an adventure in which only rugged personalities engage, 
 if the ideals held in view are great enough to overcome the 
 terrors of the tlesh^ through the strength of their appeal to the 
 spirit. The eai'ly settlers sought for a liberty in the wilds that 
 was denied them in the cities of men. They sought to establish 
 justice under the free skies of uneliarted shoi-es, because it was 
 not given to them by the courts of the land they left. It was 
 this sacrifice on their part that gave to American civilization 
 its ever-enduring greatness, based upon the right to be free and 
 the l)elief in justice. 
 
 It is not difficult to understand, therefore, that the reasons 
 leading to this strange pilgrinuige of men and Avomen from the 
 land of their birth were those of i)Ower and privilege unjustly 
 established in high i)laces. The right to be free, the right to 
 
worship as they saw fit. the right to exclude from their lives 
 the iullueuee and mandates of a landed aristocracy, in combi- 
 nation with the desire to build homes on the soil of the new 
 world discovered by Columbus, led this community to face the 
 dangers of this enterprise. A strange unrest was stirring the 
 Anglo-Saxon world. Oliver Cromwell in 1640 had set fire to 
 the political deadwood that encumbered England. A great 
 revolution was about to break out. The head of the King 
 was to fall. England was to be reconstructed. Driving and 
 crushing social forces were at work. The Puritan spirit grew. 
 To escape this charged atmosphere, certain groups of daring 
 men and women tlecided upon emigration as the remedy for 
 their ills. Through one of these groups New Haven found its 
 origin. In 1639 the first settlement of Milford took place. 
 It was not long after, in the historic count of time, that the 
 famous regicides found safety and shelter in ^lilford, wlieii the 
 representatives of the new English monarchy, erected on the 
 foundations built by Cromwell^ were searching land and sea for 
 them. So IMilford was born of the Cromwell era, when the 
 powerful forces of democracy were shaking the thrones of 
 kings. And now history repeats itself. The ideals of these 
 pioneers, of these brave men and women of ]\Iilford, of the 
 colonies of Cape Cod, as well as those farther South, have stirred 
 the hearts of the many nations. An empire of freedom has 
 arisen. It has taught liberty to England. It has given to the 
 lilies of France a new and enduring significance. Russia has 
 shaken off the shackles of servitude. In Italy, the fire of free- 
 dom glows. It was SAvitzerland and the early colonists who 
 first demonstrated to the world, undeniably and practically, 
 that democracy is possible and right. 
 
 The sixty years covered by the references to the men and 
 women and homes of Milford people, are those that have been 
 part of the life of Mr. Stowe. His father was born in 1793, 
 ten years after the Revolution had ended. He is thus linked 
 to its times and events by one fully in touch with that great 
 period. His contribution, therefore, springs from a mind that 
 has known of provincial days, and can well contrast them with 
 modern times, its rush and bustle, its telegraphs, telephones, 
 express trains, Atlantic liners and flying machines. He can 
 well compare the simplicity of post-revolutionary days in terms 
 of his father's opinions, with the tremendous and eclipsing 
 
change that has inadt» the woi'ld but a neighborhood, and ren- 
 dered impossible the isolation of a small town from its intruding 
 and rapidly growing environment. He presents a series of 
 pictures of ^lilford as it was. lie touches upon old customs, 
 and resurrects the incidents that clung to his memory of people 
 that have long since passed away. It is all related in a way 
 that carries with it the strange atmosphere of earlier days. A 
 chronology compiled by him takes up the history of Milford 
 from its very beginning in 1639. The separate and chief events 
 of the sixty years his recollections cover, are categorically pre- 
 sented in the chronological record to which reference is made. 
 This contribution by him has been prepared by hours of labor 
 and sacrifice, and it is but fitting that the community should 
 be made aware of the fact. 
 
 The cosmopolitanism of ]\Iilford is becoming more marked. 
 The children of all races now live within its boundaries. They 
 come from Calcutta and Hong Kong in the Orient, from the 
 frozen fields of Russia, from the sun-kissed lands that smile 
 beneath Roman skies, from the West Indian Islands where Co- 
 lumbus first saw the goal of his dreams, and the far northern 
 reaches of Canada, where French is the patois of the people. 
 And on this soil, through the stimulating, instructive and vital 
 influences that comprise the social, industrial, political and in- 
 tellectual life of America, irritating differences are removed, 
 the basic elements of citizenship are developed, and whatever 
 the race or creed of the emigrant, a new liberty-loving spirit is 
 born, at one with the enduring ideals of Washington, the hu- 
 mility and nobleness of Lincoln, and the strength, dignity and 
 purpose of our courts of justice. 
 
 Milford, as an historic center, has been one of the foci 
 from which radiated the principles of free government. From 
 it wandered the community that founded the city of Newark. 
 Names, illustrious in the past and present of the United States, 
 may be found chiselled on its tombstones. As small nations 
 have made the history of the w^orld, small settlements have 
 made the history of America. Among them may be counted 
 Milford. The United States is therefore unique among nations. 
 All races have contributed to its development. It is the great- 
 est organization the world has ever seen of co-operative forces. 
 Through the war]) and woof of the texture of American life the 
 golden threads of idealism predominate. The spirit of emi- 
 
gration is the spirit of progress. When this unrest ceases, and 
 smug complacency takes its place, opportunity cannot find the 
 proper soil for its roots. There is a withering and a dying. AVe 
 are trying a vast political experiment. It is the experiment of a 
 restless people. Liberty, .Jnstice and Humanity ai'e oui' watch- 
 words. They must serve to reconstruct tlu' lives of all emi- 
 grants. They have helped .Alilford to give to the nation some 
 of its leaders. They are still the watclnvords of our lips. From 
 the efforts of all those brave i)ioneers who crossed the seas to 
 find a place of freedom, who built towns in the Avilderness, 
 some of whom gave jMilford its name and inspiration, the United 
 States of America has arisen. 
 
 This great nation is now engaged in a uiighty struggle with 
 the same forces that gave it birth. The old colonial sjjirit, the 
 soul of the small and scattered settlements of 1776 has per- 
 meated every state in the Union. We have entered into a new 
 war against autocracy, perhaps the last that shall ever be 
 fought. But the principles of 1776, the right of a people to 
 rule themselves, are what we wish to transmit to the races of 
 Central Europe. The shining vision of a free world is the pic- 
 ture before our eyes. If America has lived to gain in purpose 
 and power through tlie establishment of tlie highest principles 
 of national life, then that purpose and thai p.iwer can only live 
 in the future, if it is unstintingly lent to others, to secure for 
 themselves and mankind the rights that are ours today. There- 
 fore, Ave battle shoulder to shouldei- with the upholders of li]> 
 erty. with the democratic nations of the world, against the 
 usurpers of power and the pirates of privilege. From ^liltord 
 sons have gone forth already, as of old, to lay down their lives 
 on the altar of liberty. ^Many more will follow, and prove to 
 the world that the spirit of democracy kindled in Cromwell's 
 day still lives; that the rights we believe to be inalienable, for 
 which men died in 1776, are as powerful in their call upon men's 
 souls today as then; that when the Armageddon was fought 
 at the cross-roads of destiny, our defenders of liberty did not 
 falter, and among those who nobly lived, suffered and died 
 Milford's sons were not absent. 
 
Sixty Years' Recollections of Milford. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 At a regular meeting of the 'A^illage Improvement Asso- 
 ciatinii." held at the D. A. R. Chapter House on the 11th day 
 of July, IDIO, a resolution was offered hy J\Ir. Camille Mazeau 
 antl regu.larly adoi)ted by the Association, providing for the 
 preservation of such information as might be elicited from 
 elderly people now living, relating to the physiogi'aphical fea- 
 tures of our Town, from their earliest recollection, and to in- 
 clutk^ such traditional lore as might be considered relialde or 
 desirable. Your historian in undertaking to gather such in- 
 formation will not expect that everything contained in his 
 report will he verified by indisputable proof, but will be open 
 for such correction as from time to time may be advisable — the 
 prime object being to gather inf;irnuition as nearly correct as 
 may be, and to preserve the landmai-ks of Old IMilford. From 
 the trend of debate at the above stated meeting, the Avriter was 
 impressed with the need of immediate action, more especially 
 as he realizetl that what was quite vivid in his own recollection, 
 seemed tn many of those pi-esent to be ancient history, or Avas 
 entirely uidainwn to them. Within the lifetime of some novv 
 among us such chang(\s have been wrought as almost to obliter- 
 ate the former landnuirks and replace them with sonu^thing new 
 and strange. 
 
 We will begin with a date, which between then and the 
 present, covers a period of al)out seventy-tive years, hut will 
 welcome any earlier history that may be obtained as well as 
 that which may be given by young people to date. A very 
 great obstacle to the recording of fact is that Ave do not fully 
 appreciate the imi)ortance of events occurring in our own time 
 and presence, and fail to make a note of them Avliile yet fresh 
 in the memory. 
 
 The writer nnist rely u])on others for information not only 
 preceding his OAvn recollection, but for much that escaj^ed his 
 
10 
 
 notice. Seventy-five years carries us back to the year 1835 
 before the advent of the railroad, the telegraph or the daily 
 paper. In this community there were then few of the imple- 
 ments for labor saving that are in common use among us today. 
 The Smithy was the apex of manufacture in metal, water-power 
 the source for driving our tlour and sawmills, and the treadmill, 
 for sawing wood for the wood-burning locomotives when they 
 became a feature among us. These were marvels of progress. The 
 locomotive itself did not cease to be a wonder for some years, 
 and it has been said that so great a man as Daniel Webster 
 prophesied that any device that could move overland a load 
 of ten tons at a speed of four miles per hour would revolution- 
 ize the traffic of the world, and his prophecy was not far wrong 
 except in his underrating the forces then latent in the brain of 
 his contemporaries. About sixty years ago the Town Wharf 
 (formerly Perit"s) was the port of entry for nearly all the mer- 
 chandise that entered our Town from New York and other ports. 
 Upon the arrival of "The Sloop" or packet, the wagons from 
 all the stores assembled at the Wharf and took away each its 
 quota of the cargo. Wheat, flour, bran and feed were even 
 then the chief part of the cargo, but general groceries, lumber 
 and coal were all brought in by water. Besides the sloop, 
 other vessels were required at times to bring in lumber and 
 coal. The Coopers and Carriage Manufacturers sent away their 
 wares and received their supplies by vessels. There were a 
 number of sailboats for pleasure and in summer on pleasant 
 days and moonlight nights they were seldom at anchor, and 
 the merry parties might be heard in song as they sailed, and 
 the writer recalls those sweet tunes with a longing for a repeti- 
 tion of the same. 
 
 At the head of the Wharf fronting the west side of the 
 roadway stood Captain Mallett's cooper shop, and opposite was 
 a large spring that served both the Captain and Mr. Samuel 
 Burns as receptacle in which to keep their hoop-poles moist 
 until required for use. Mr. Burns' shop is yet standing, but 
 the land between it and the street was partly low and marshy 
 and partly salt meadow, while just above the present entrance 
 to the coal yard there stood a large red storehouse. Both this 
 and the cooper shop on the opposite side of the street were well 
 shaded and with the flowery bank by the roadside on the hill, 
 formed an attractive picture which was well balanced on the 
 
11 
 
 other hand by the spai'kling water in the foreground backed 
 by the beautiful verdure of the Harbor Woods. A thorough- 
 fare "under tlie baid<:" at the edge of the green meadow with 
 its calamus beds and springs of pure water, led to the old tan- 
 nery of JMiles Merwin where now is the straw hat factory. On 
 the bank grew several buttonball trees and beneath them on 
 the grassy slope among the long-stemmed dandelions, were 
 often seen groups of children nmking dandelion chains of the 
 stems. 
 
 In the winter season when the Harbor was frozen and navi- 
 gation closed, ihe hill at the foot of Wharf Street was a favor- 
 ite resort for coasting for chihlren out of school hours and 
 young ladies and gentlemen in the evening. j\Ir. Elisha iStowe 
 and his son Sidney and their families then owned and occupied 
 the property now known as the Rogers place, and it w^as to 
 this house that old Dr. Sweet moved when first he came to our 
 Town. j\ir. Isaac Rogers later purchased the property which 
 I learn liad at one time been owmed by some member of his 
 family, and by him some changes and additions were made, 
 but the main part of the house appears outwardly much the 
 same as sixty years ago. This property w^as a part of the 
 Rlajor Samuel Eells homestead and was bought by Mr. Peter 
 Perit at tlie same time that Capt. Stephen Stowe came into pos- 
 session of the Stowe House, now the residence of Howard Piatt. 
 If it wei-e necessary to show that this house is entitled to rank 
 among the oldest remaining in Town, the following extract 
 from the will of the said JMajor Eells furnishes the evidence: 
 
 "Major Samuel Eells, formerly of Milford, Conn., now of 
 llingham, Mass., one of His IMajesty's Justices of the Peace, 
 died the 21st day of April, 1709." Extract from his will: 
 "Item First, That my beloved wife Sarah do within eight 
 months after my decease, or upon the demand of my son, Sam- 
 uel Eells, of IMilford, in Connecticut Colony, quit her claim unto 
 my said son and to his heirs and assigns forever of, in and unto 
 my house and land in ^lilford, that I made over to my said 
 wife upon her marriage with me, l)y instrument bearing date 
 the 28th day of July, 1689. Item : I give and bequeath unto my 
 said son, Samuel Eells, my old dwelling house, barn and home- 
 lot and orchard in Milford aforesaid, wnth all my outlands, " 
 etc. He further devises to his daughter-in-law (Frances 
 Oviatt Eells, widow of his son, John Eells), for her use 
 
12 
 
 during widowhood, his new house, etc., and again he devises 
 that upon condition of the decease of his son Samuel before 
 his wife that she shouhl be forced to part with tlie house 
 tliat was her former husband's (Capt. Samuel Bryan) then she 
 should if she survive his son have one-luilf his aforesaid old 
 dwelling house, "wliich side slie pleasetli," during wi(h>whood, 
 etc. 
 
 The foregoing are extracts from tlie will and relate to the 
 "Stowe House" on Wharf Street, showing tlmt the house was 
 standing and not new in -Inly, 168!). Colonel Samuel Eells 
 not only survived Jiis second wife .Martha (Whiting-Bryan) 
 Eells, but afterAvards married the Widow Rebecca (Wilkinson) 
 Baldwin, grandmother of Freelove Baldwin, Freelove being 
 then about thirteen years of age. It is slated that upon the 
 marriage of Samuel and Eebecea she moved fi'oni her own 
 house on the east si(h' of Wharf Street to that of her liusband 
 on the west side a]id oi)j)osite liers. Tliis w(ndd indicate thai 
 the house that was demolished when Mr. Samuel Uni'iis erected 
 his was formerly the I'aldwin place. in February, 1754, the 
 Eells property was conveyed by .Xathanicl ?]ells, son of Sam- 
 uel, as follows: That part now known as the Rogers place was 
 bought by Mr. Peter l*ei-il ami the remaining L-shaped piece 
 running from the street back to what is now the liiu' of ^Ir. 
 Alonzo Burns" yard and following that line to the harbor, was 
 ctuiveyed to ('apt. Stejjhen Stowe. The new house before men- 
 tioned in the will of Major Samuel Eells fornundy stood where 
 now stands the house recently bought by ]Mr. Webbei', which 
 said new luius(> was takeji aAvay when ]\lrs. Frederick Stowe 
 erected the present house about 1840. 
 
 Where now stands tin* house of Koger Bahhvin stood until 
 about ''the fifties" an old house in which in Revolutionary 
 limes lived the Doctor Harrington who with ('apt. Stowe vol- 
 unteered to accompany the sick Anu-rican soldiei's to their tem- 
 porary hosi)ital, where forty-six of them died. 
 
 Where now is the house of Edward Parmelee stood the 
 house of ]\Iajor Sanmel Burns, and in his latter days the jMajor 
 might frequently have been seen sitting on one of the side 
 seats of his front porch, with his high white silk hat and blue 
 coat with gilt buttons, and leaning upon his stout cane. ( Jherry 
 trees were then used for shade trees outside the walks on the 
 street, and Wharf Street was lined with them on both sides a 
 
18 
 
 greater i)art of its length. Some elms still stand in fi'ont of 
 Capt. Fred Stowe's place and perhaps from well out in the 
 street in front of Capt. Michael Peck's, now the Franklin place, 
 ('apt. Isaac Green's house stood with little change for more 
 than sixty-five years, the Captain, though perhaps somewhat 
 f!cceiitric, was a very public-si)irited man and did much for the 
 section in Avhich he lived. It was he Avho opened the street 
 wJiich bears his name. He was largely instrumental in the 
 erection of the Liberty Pole that for many years stood on the 
 "green" in front of ^Ir. George J. S)nith"s residence. His 
 rather spare but tall and stately form in a long military cloak 
 and tall silk hat, always completing his street dress, was a famil- 
 iar figure. 
 
 It is ])erhaps well to state here that until recent times 
 the property was all enclosed by fences along the streets 
 to prevent the cattle then commonly kept in or near the center 
 of the Town from entering unbidden. Crossing Green Street 
 near the corner facing AVharf Street stood a one and a half 
 story house, the front slope of the roof ending in and forming 
 the roof of the ])orcli Avliich extended across the front. The 
 house stood high, and on the sontherly side the cellar opened 
 on a level Avith the ground. As the cellar door was almost in- 
 variably open auil Ihe cellar dark and the ground skirted w^th 
 thick currant bushes next the street fence, it had a most for- 
 bidding look to the Aonngsters of the neighborhood, when at 
 about dusk one of Ihem chanced to pass. Presnmably from 
 the menacing appearance, it was known to the younger element 
 as the haunted house. It was occupied by a journeyman 
 cooper, Joshua Give. It was laid Ioav when ]\Iark ]\Iallett re- 
 placed it with the building now standing, probably about 1855. 
 Capt. Mallett's house, with the exception of an added portico, is 
 little changed. His barn, which stood about where now stands 
 the house of Omar Piatt, was moved back beyond the line of 
 IMr. Piatt's fence, and has since been taken doAvn. Capt. 
 iMichael Peck Avas a master carpenter and built and lived in the 
 house noAV OAvned and occupied by JMiss Franklin. It was 
 he who built the present First Congregational Church. Avhich 
 has since been twice enlarged. The dAvelling presents much 
 the same appearance as when first put up. Uncle John Bald- 
 win's place, since occupied by Mr. Elmer Barnes, was a rather 
 small house standing near the line on the southerly side of 
 
14 
 
 the plot, 321(1 the northerly side was well covered Avith build- 
 ings, the first, standing near the northerly fence and about 
 twenty feet back from the street, was a small but comfortable 
 building in which was domiciled the father of ^Alr. Baldwin, 
 wlio in his declining years was cared for by his son and family; 
 extending back to the rear fence Avere the various outbuildings 
 necessary to house the stock and animals of a small farmer's 
 homestead. The small building now standing at the rear of 
 the lot was for many yc^ars the "We])Owaug P^ngine House." 
 and then stood Avlierc is now the northeast corner of the hnvn 
 in front of the Town (Terk's office. The house in which Mr. 
 John Shepherd now lives Avas the property of IMrs. Nol)le Bris- 
 tol, Avho later moved to NeAV Jersey, and like that of the Tib- 
 bals family, next Avith the exception of refui'bishing and tlie 
 addition of dormer AvindoAvs, presents much the same appear- 
 ance noAV as then. The same may be said of the store on the 
 corner, Avhich was at that time kept by IMessrs. Mark and 
 George 'i''ib])als as a grocery, aiul like most, if not all of his 
 stores. Avas a sort of club room for nuMi in the evenings, each 
 one of Avhicli claimed its own particular coterie who Avere in- 
 variably in their chosen places by the stove or upon a barrel- 
 head. 
 
 Returning to the easterly side of AVharf Street : The 
 houses at the lower end have been mentioned, but Avhere now is 
 the residence of IMr. ]\lorton Tibl)als formerly stood the barn 
 and outbuildings sixty years ago oAvned by IMr. LockAvood 
 Burns. A Ioav building fronting upon the street next the 
 northerly line Avas then the headquarters of Mr. Dennis Bristol, 
 who maintained a passenger and baggage express between this 
 towai and Ncav Haven. Mr. George Smith had but a short 
 time before discontinued a like express and stage business, and 
 had settled near the ITousatonic River on the ground Avhere 
 noAv is part of Judge Root's property at the "Ferry," as it was 
 yet called, though the ferry had been out of existence from the 
 establishment of bridge connection by the turnpike company 
 and from which they derived a revenue from the tolls exacted 
 from passengers. Sometime about the time of the Civil War 
 the turnpike company gave up their maintenance and collec- 
 tion of tolls and the state noAv assumes the maintenance of the 
 road, and the tAVO counties that of the bridge. Mr. David 
 Merwnn's house on Wharf Street is much the same now as sixty 
 
15 
 
 years ago. The outbuildings are new. Where now lives Mr. 
 Burgess then stood the house of Mr. Charles Peck, a popular 
 manufacturer and dealer in boots and shoes. The house in 
 which he lived was the same that is now on Green Street, owned 
 and occupied by the Langner family. It stood, before removal, 
 al)i)ut four feet from the front fence and about the same dis- 
 tance from ^Ir. Connvairs line. The old sliop stood near tlie 
 well and Mr. iMerwin's line, and was also moved away, its new 
 location being at the west side of the street at the head of the 
 Wharf. It has recently been demolished. Mv. Peck's yard 
 was about one foot behnv the grade of the street, and a large 
 greening apple ti-ee overhung the sidewalk and spread well 
 over the dooryard. Tlie paling was a weather-worn i)icket 
 fence with an inclination to lie down and rest. The entrance 
 gate, like a large majority of gates at that time, had a heavy 
 weight swinging on a chain Ix^tween it and a stout post to keep 
 the gate closed, and it aniniunced the chisiiig with a sharp bang. 
 The Cornwall house, perhaps with the addition of a front and 
 side porch, remains the sanu' as when occui)ied by Mr. George 
 Cornwall, the progenitor of the Green Street branch of that 
 family, Mr. Grove Cornwall, the father of ^Ir. Thomas Corn- 
 wall, being a brother and the only other bearing the name in 
 the toAvn until children were born to them. In those days it 
 was the custom of shoemakers to take out a "seat of work" 
 from New Haven or some local dealer, and hiring seat room in 
 a shop, place therein their "kit," consisting of a cobbler's 
 hencli and tools, and being thus installed, begin the plying of 
 their vocation. The stock di'awn consisted of the uppers, cut 
 l)y the employe!', and the soles and other material in the vono-h. 
 The journeyman had them closed, i. e., the seams stitched ami 
 the binding sewed on by women of the town who did sucli Avork. 
 and when ready he made tluMu u]) and returned them to the 
 employer and received in turn another "seat of work" to re- 
 peat the operation. A building once used for that purpose 
 stood back in the yard and was so used by Mr. Cornwall and 
 his tenants. Deacon John Smith OA\nied and conducted a gen- 
 eral dry goods, notion and grocery store, where is now located 
 the dwelling of Miss Josephine Beach. A broad shed or porch 
 extended across the sidewalk and was supported at the curb by 
 neat turned posts, the walk beneath being paved with brick. 
 A summer kitchen stood just back of the store, and the whole 
 
16 
 
 space between these buildings and the dwelling liouse on the 
 corner, in which he lived, was covered by a grape arbor, which 
 in season always seemed to be loaded with choice frnit. The 
 Deacon and liis family occupied the part of the liouse recently 
 vacated by Dr. Beach, and in the other side lAlajor William Bull 
 lived with his family. Major Bull later moved West, where 
 some of his family are yet living. ^Irs. Deacon Smith Avas a 
 sister of Mr. Everett Benjamin, who founded the jewelry busi- 
 ness in New Haven, to M'hich ^fr. George II. Ford succeeded. 
 On the Wharf Street side, the Avalks were shaded by fine 
 maples, aud on the Broad Street front by large stately elms, 
 which have within a few years succumbed to the ravages of the 
 pests. The Deacon's store was a quiet and orderly place, with 
 settees on the northerly side of the rooui upon which might 
 have been seen the youth and more sedate adults, especially 
 when the weather Avas such as to keep one indoors. No bois- 
 terous or uuseemly conduct Avas alloAved. but a generous Avel- 
 come Avas accorded such as Avmild behave, and the Deacon him- 
 self enjoyed a clean joke as Avell as the next. Tavo sons and a 
 daughter alternated as his clerks. Facing Broad Street and 
 boi'dering on the line of the Adolphus BaldAA'in plot stood the 
 tailor shop and store of "Sir. AVilliam Brooks. The building 
 was later removed to and yet stands upon the ground in the 
 rear of I\Ir. Brooks' ncAV store, since, the store of i\lr. Barnes, 
 druggist, noAv occupied by John Howes. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Milhieek t'oi iiierly comprised that section extending along 
 tlie liarboi- front fi'om Fowler's ^lill on the AVepowang River 
 to Beard's ('reel<;. Where now stands the straw hat factory 
 was formerly the tanyard nf Miles Alerwin and of his son David, 
 but at the time of which we treat, thongh the buildings were 
 vet standing, it had come to be used for other purposes, and at 
 one time had served as a brewery for root beer, AEr. Greenport 
 being the brewer. Just i)rior to the demolition, the buildings 
 were used to store such articles as might accumulate at a boat 
 landing. "Flagg and Baldwin" secured the property and 
 cleared the grounds, removing, besides the building, a reel upon 
 \vhicli had been kept a fishing net which stood by the water 
 at the swimming hol(\ which hole was about where now are the 
 foundcitions of the steam l)()il<'r and engine that furnish power 
 to the v.orks. Tlic .Mcrwin ])roi)erty included the Homestead 
 which was about sixty yeai-s ago occupied in part by Mrs. Anna 
 Merwin and her daughter, Lmiisa. and in part l)y the family of 
 ^Ir. AndreAv VanlToi-n. There was also a small building used 
 as a store situated about where now is tliat of IMr. IT. W. Corn- 
 wall. This part of the property has passed to the ownership 
 of Messrs. F. & E. L. Cornwall, and the former dwelling house 
 has noAv become their stoi'e. This business was founded by Mr. 
 William Cornwall, who in the days of the hoop skirts first took 
 the agency for such goods and travelled for a firm of manu- 
 facturers and later begnn the manufacture on his own account, 
 and from the sale of these goods gradually enlarged his sphere 
 until through the efforts of himself and his successors the pres- 
 ent 1)usiness has resulted. 
 
 The old "French" homestead was a large shingled house 
 standing on the site of the j^resent Dumraese jn'operty quite 
 close to the street, to the sidewalk of which the steps directly 
 led. It was used in part as a select school, Mr. Jonas French 
 beijig tlie principal. The house was so much injured by light- 
 ning more than fifty years ago that it was considered beyond 
 
18 
 
 repair and was taken down and the present honse erected in 
 its stead. 
 
 The Dickinson house, though not as well kept as formerly, 
 has changed but little, if any. The barn stood back from the 
 lane at the foot of the lot. Adjoining the ^lerwin property 
 was that of I\Iiles Davidson, which soon after passed title to 
 Jonah Piatt, who added an ell part on the east side to accom- 
 modate his son who began housekeeping there. Mr. Piatt's 
 store was at the westerly side of the plot and stood high above 
 the sidewalk. Its identity has been lost in the almost solid 
 form that has since appeared. 
 
 The next building was tiiat of John Welch Merwin, now 
 the store of IMessrs. Harrison & Gould. The writer is in- 
 formed that during the Civil AVar it was used as a factory for 
 Army Shoes and was destroyed by fire, but to all appearance 
 it is the same as that in which Mr. Luzerne Ilubbell was Post- 
 master more than sixty years ago. In this connection let us 
 notice the appearance of a post office at that time. There 
 were, as now, some private boxes, but for general delivery 
 strips of leather tacked in diamond form with brass head tacks 
 upon hinged doors behind a glass front held the letters so tliat 
 the superscription might be in ])lain view from the luliby and 
 each one might decide for themselves whether there was a 
 letter for them. Pai)ers of the weekly issue were inquired for 
 on the day they might be expected. The lettei-s were not 
 enclosed in an envelope, but neatly folded, the ends tucked 
 and fastened by either an adhesive wafer or with sealing wax, 
 sometimes with the senders' private seal imi)resseLl upon the 
 wax. The postage might be prepaid or not, as the sender 
 elected, and no postage stamps were then in vngue. When 
 the elder Mr. l>i-otherton was Postmaster, possibly on the sec- 
 ond term, the old rack was relegated to the past and the pres- 
 ent system adopted. Just when stamps were first used the 
 writer does not recall, but at tlu^ outbreak of the Civil AVar 
 specie payments were suspended and stamps, which were then 
 in use, passed current in place of coin, which on account of the 
 gum soon became a solid mass in the small envelopes in which 
 they were placed, and they were accepted on ftiitli that the 
 amount was as represented. From this beginning the Treasury 
 Department soon began to issue a postal or fractional currency 
 of larger dimensions and minus the gum. 
 
19 
 
 Mr. jMerwin's house is yet in evidence. 'I'lie house, for 
 many years tlie residence of .Mr. Timothy ISahhvin, was at one 
 time a hotel or tavern kept by Captain Stephen Trowbridge, a 
 retired sea captain, but about sixty years ago was the home of 
 i\Ir. Joseph ]\IerAvin, who soon after removed to Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 Outside the walk on Broad Street stood two large button-ball 
 trees. The green was about this time enclosed in a twnj-rail 
 fence, which after many years of service was removed. 
 
 The Allies house next was about that time occupied by a 
 family named La Forge, one of whom, a young lady, suicided 
 there. It w^as occupied later by an ex-missionary named 
 Minor, and soon after became the property of Mr. George Corn- 
 wall, brothel- of Thomas, and whose wife was sister to Mr. 
 Nathan A. Bahhvin. After his removal to Brooklyn, N. Y., it 
 passed to its pi'esent owners. 
 
 AVhere now stands the rectory of the K. C. Church, 
 stood a brick (hvelling in which lived ^Irs. Adolphus Baldwin, 
 then a widow and the mother of several sons and daughters, 
 one of whom, I\lr. N. A. Baldwin, was for many years a great 
 benefactor to the Toavu, giving employment to hundreds of 
 people and distributing a large amount of revenue in the form 
 of wages. The house, though not of large proportions, Avas 
 always well kept, and Avith its ])late glass Avindows and neat 
 and tidy appearance, was not an uuAvorthy predecessor of the 
 present more modern structure. 
 
 As Ave have already mentioned the houses on both sides 
 of Wharf Street corners, Ave wnll first note the store on one 
 corner and the old cannon set in the ground at the other, AAdiich 
 cannon was the speaker on ])ublic occasions for many years, 
 and pass to the residence of ]\ressrs. George and IMark Tibbals, 
 Avho each occupied a part. Mr. George Tibbals Avill be very 
 favorably remend^ered by those Avho in their youthful days en- 
 joyed the sight of the large canvas upon AAdiich Avas a fine life- 
 size painting of Washington on horseback and his troops in the 
 act of crossing the DelaAvare. This Avas displayed on the 22nd 
 of February each year by Mr. Tibbals, and illuminated at night, 
 until it became too Avorn to continue its use. Mr. ]\Iark Tib- 
 bals Avas an enthusiastic fireman and drummer, and gave much 
 time and attention to the public Aveal along these lines. AVhere 
 noAV stands the resideiu'e of Mr. Oavcu Clark it is said once 
 stood an old house that Avas removed before the time of which 
 
20 
 
 we are now treating. i\rore than sixty years ago there was 
 neither house nor street between the gro^^nds of the JMessrs. 
 Tibbals and tliose of ^fr. Nathan Burns, who at that time lived 
 in the iiousc now the residence of ^Mrs. G. AV. Tibbals. The 
 building, which is now iMrs. (Mark's residence, was first erected 
 about where Centcn- Street opens at Broad, and was tirst used 
 as a Daguerreotype gallery. ^fr. CJeorge Plumb, lately de- 
 ceased, was associated with 'Sir. Hart Kogers of Orange, in this 
 venture, but from snme cause the business was removed to 
 New Haven anil I\Ir. Rogers became associated with a ^Ir. Hop- 
 per in the jewelry 1)usiness in the store of i\Ir. Adolphus Bald- 
 win, wlii<'ii then stood al)out where tlie INFasonic building now' 
 is. 'I'he building was desi i'uximI by tire and tlie business was 
 abfiniloned. 
 
 When Center Street Avas opened, A\liieli was later than 
 tifty yeai's ago, tlie building was I'eiiioved to wliere it now 
 stands, and enlai'ged and converted into a dwelling and millin- 
 ery store aiul was nuinag(Ml by ^Irs. Isaac (ireen, w'.tii the 
 blocking and pressing and bleacliing done by Mr. (ireen on tlie 
 premises. IMrs. Green, born Miss ^Mills, came to Milfoi'd in 
 her younger days as a sti-aw hat nudvcr. when Plagg and Bald- 
 win began the manufacture of those goods, and it was slie who 
 taught the beginners in tlieir factory. 
 
 The house of Mrs. G. W. Tibbals has luid a i)ortico put nn 
 the front, and perhaps other minor changes, but it presents 
 much the same api)earance now^ as then. 
 
 A story and a half house of the common type of early days 
 stood wliere now is the building formerly occupied as The ^lil- 
 foi-d Savings l*ank iffices, but about tifty years ago the former 
 residents having vacated, it was to have been occupied by par- 
 ties ''pei'soiui uon-grata" to the neighbors. The building was 
 badly shattei-ed by parties unknow^n while the neighl)ors were 
 su])posed to be soundly sleeping, and w^as never used again. 
 
 The Langridge store next was a veritable Dickens produc- 
 tion, as was also the i)roi)rietor, ]\Ir. Levi Langridge. The 
 frame of the building is end)odied in the structure as rebuilt 
 by "Sir. Isaac Stowe. wdio came here from Hartford. Tlie old 
 store was a dark red building Avith a hooded gable overhanging 
 the front stoop and forming a shelter thereto. Inside were 
 wares of many kinds such as are now kept in a department 
 store, but were then the stock of an old-fashioned country store. 
 
21 
 
 Mr. Langridge was a kind-hearted and thoroughly honest mer- 
 chant, and was very aecomniodating. As the writer knew him, 
 he was partially Ijliiid, and it was amusing to the chihlren to 
 see him try the edge of a coin with his finger nail to discover 
 the denomination. The pennies at that time were about the 
 same size as the quarter dollars, and the nurl on the edge or 
 the absence of it gave him the clue. The writer never remem- 
 bers an unkind Avord spoken by or of him. He wore, as did 
 nearly all elderly gentlemen of that time, a high silk hat on all 
 occasions when api)earing in public. High hats and semi-mili- 
 tary coats with gilt l)ut1ons or the reg\dation swallow-tail were 
 commonly Avorn by those who made any jjreteiision to dress 
 among the gentry. Silk velvet vests and embroidered shirt 
 fronts had not given way to the more plain and fornud starched 
 monstrosities of today. Heau Brummel. it is true, luid intro- 
 duced the stifj' collar, for which the writer presumes he is still 
 doing penance, but the separate collar was yet to come. Mr. 
 Langridge 's house was that which is uoav standing in the rear 
 of the Methodist parsonage. It then stood where is now the 
 Methodist ( hurcli. A high close board fence separated the 
 sidewalk from a little yeli)ing cur that saluted every passer, 
 while at front oi' the house, an ornamental picket fence al- 
 loAved a view of the thick shrubbery and flowers that filled the 
 front vard. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Tlie Governor ]jaw place was that wliieh having been al- 
 most entirely rebuilt, was recently occupied by Coniniodore 
 Askam. This was udt the original Law pr(){)erty, as that fi'oni its 
 tlescription was where now is a part of the Central School 
 gronnds. Sixty years ago it was as tlien occupied by the 
 Law family, and an elderly lady hearing the name and 
 a relict of the old family, Avas still an occupant of a part of the 
 house, though most of it was given up to My. AVilliam Kelsey 
 and family. ^Ir. Kelsey was one of four brothei's who were 
 the village blacksmiths at that time, ami an honest, staunch 
 though unassuming company of Christian gentlemen they were. 
 Mr. William Kelsey in company witii .Mr. Gilbert Nettleton 
 while out on some business in connection with the Plymouth 
 Church, were struck by a locomotive while crossing the tracks 
 and both were instantly killed. ^Irs. James S. Tibbals, a niece 
 of Mr. Kelsey, is the only remaining member of the family in 
 Milford at this time. Capt. Samuel Stowe, father of Theodore, 
 and grandfather of ^Irs. Fred 'Cornwall, lived in a small two- 
 story house where now is the home of JMr. and Mrs. William 
 Osborne. "Capt. Sam" was one of a number of sea captains 
 who had retired from a seafaring life and settled down to enjoy 
 the fruits of their earlier struggles with the elements. He w^as 
 of short stature with plenty of avoirdupois and smooth shaven 
 ruddy face. His occupation in the evening of life was as as- 
 sistant to Mr. Jason Bristol in his store. 
 
 Joseph Smith, with his widowed mother and a weak- 
 minded maiden lady named Polly Keith, lived in an old type 
 story and half house on the corner of Camp Lane (now La- 
 fayette Avenue). lie was a farmer Avho, too parsimonious to 
 employ help, always had an uphill struggle with poverty, 
 and his antagonist always appeared to be in the lead. 
 His cattle looked as if they never expected to get another coat 
 of hair, and held on to the old one far beyond its usefulness. 
 His fences were dilanidated and evervthing showed that the 
 
23 
 
 battle Avas an unequal one. He then owned all the property 
 on the east side of Cam}) I^ane as far as the rear line of the 
 Green Sti-eet lots and on both sides of what is now Central 
 Avenue as far as the rear of the lots on Center Street, west 
 side. Central Avenue was not 0])en at that time and all was 
 an open field. His barn stood abcnit where now is the resi- 
 dence of Mrs. Susan JMallory, who in the latter part of iMr. 
 Smith's life lived with and cared for the family in their old 
 age. ^fr. Smith withal was not a bad or troidjlesome neigh- 
 bor, but could never keep up with his duties, and being weary 
 and dispirited, fell an easy prey to the wiles of the youth look- 
 ing for annisement, and yet he suffered mostly in silence, 
 seldom making trouble for any. Camp Lane was then a kind 
 of deserted back road, the only house between Broad and Green 
 Streets being the old Camp dwelling, in which in one room 
 were domiciled two sisters. Amy and Hetty Camp. Amy tried 
 to draw a precarious existence from the neighbors who were 
 kindly disposed, and Hetty acted as a kind of decoy, never 
 appearing in public and always expected to be suft'ering in bed 
 when seen by any from the outer world who chanced to visit 
 their room. The street had a neglected appearance, and 
 where now is the corner of Central Avenue was a water course, 
 bridged over in the roadway, with ditches on either hand, in 
 which the fiery nettles made a thriving growth. The old 
 Camp house, in its day a rather pretentious one, stood with its 
 front facing Broad Street, two stories in front and sloping to 
 one in the rear, the gable end on the street line. The house 
 erected by JMr. Treat Camp now occupies the former site of 
 the old one. 
 
 A small house in which lived ^Ir. Kalph Burns, now owned 
 by J\Irs. Somers, on the west side, and the small one on the 
 east side now owned by ]\Irs. Brown, then the residence of Mr. 
 Nicholas Penfold, complete the number of houses on that street, 
 which then came to a dead end about where it now dies out 
 into Rogers Avenue. 
 
 Returning to Broad Street, ]\Ir. Jonas Bristol demolished 
 an old building which the writer does not recollect, and erected 
 in its place what is now the home of Mrs. Willis Oviatt, in 
 which j\Ir. Bristol lived and his widow after him until her death 
 a few years since. He also put up and ran for many years a 
 grocerv store on the corner of his property at Broad and La- 
 
24 
 
 fayette Streets. He had a harn about where is now the resi- 
 dence of ^Irs. Hine. Ills i)i"oi)er1y exteiidol down Lafayette 
 Street to the Camp properly line and was then protected on 
 the sti'eet side by a neat stone wall, besides wliicli \w finally 
 gratled and laid out a sidewalk. 
 
 The house of Thaddeiis Hahlwiii, a kinsman of Frcelove 
 Baldwin, is yet standing and in appearance is not greatly 
 changed. The barn stood perhaps a hundred feet west of the 
 house, its gable end on tiie sti-eet line. The tine old elm has 
 been spared, and let us hope it may be for numy years to come. 
 
 l*assing Tory Brook and ci'ossing tlie roadway to Seaside 
 Avenue we come to the foi-mer site of a district school liouse 
 which served to instill iido the minds of the youth of that dis- 
 trict through the elforts of the teachers there employed, the 
 rudiments of a coui'se in English. Following Seaside Avenue 
 we come to the house of ^Mrs. Hepburn, which was l)uilt by Mi-. 
 Frederick demons, one of the few foreign-b;)rn resi(UMits of 
 the Town at that time. lie came fi'om Holland in 1836, the 
 same year that JMr. John Lines came from Ireland. Patrick 
 Flynn, who for many yefirs and uj) to the time of liis death was 
 in the employ of .Mr. ("hai'les II. Pond, who lived where now 
 lives Mr. Lauren Wilcox; Mr. Maurice Hoyden, the progenitor 
 of that family in ]\lilford ; and .Mr. Franklin, the father of 
 Miss Ella Franklin, completed the list of foreign-l)orn residents 
 in ToAvn at that time. All except "Patrick Pond," as he was 
 called, married here and their families are among our thriving 
 citizens. 
 
 On the west side of Seaside Avenue as we approach the 
 rise in the road, stood a large two-story huuse in which lived 
 Mr. Mark AVilcox, the grandfather of the Wilcox "boys" who 
 have lately returned to ^lilford to settle after years of bat- 
 tling in the struggle for merited rest. No other houses then 
 stood upon the land adjoining that street until we return to 
 the houses of I\Ir. Elias Tibbals and his brother Joseph, facing 
 Tory Park. Both are practically the same as they then were. 
 The house now known as the Pond Place and said to have been 
 the first erected outside of the Palisade, was then the home of 
 Mr. Jason Clark and family. Avho Avere descendants of the orig- 
 inal owners. Mrs. Jonathan Clark, the mother of Jas'(ni, was 
 then a member of the family. .Mr. Clark and famiiy were 
 among those who sought to improve their fortunes in the West, 
 
25 
 
 and it is presumed that some of them are yet living in their 
 adopted home. .Mrs. Clark was a daughter of Capt. Samuel 
 Slowe and sister of Tlieodore. lately deceased. The barn 
 beh)nging to the place is yet standing. On the opposite side 
 o\' the street there has been neither a new house erected nor 
 have any been removed, the only radical clmnge noticed is a 
 new form of roof on the lionse formerly owned by .Mr. William 
 Tibbals, faiinliarly known a:; "Cooper Bill," in distinction from 
 "Uncle Hill," avIio then occupied an old-time house where now 
 stands the residence of his grandson, Roger Smith. The house 
 of Couper Bill was built with a tiat roof, but noAv has a gable 
 roof. It is uow the residence of ^Irs. Tliomas. The house 
 next above on the same side of the street was until 1S49 the 
 home of Mr. Samuel Tibbals, who in that year became one of 
 the party who on the shij) Isaac Bell made a voyage around 
 ('ape Horn to the Colden Gate in search of the glittering for- 
 tunes which attracted a number of our citizens. Mv. Tibbals 
 was of the number of those who never returned. His brother 
 Charles not only never returned, but he lived only long enough 
 to see the land of promise without ever having put foot upon 
 it, as his death occurred just as they w^ere entering the harbor 
 to complete the voyage. He was the father of :\Ir. Albert C. 
 Tibbals, who is the sole survivor of that family. An old house 
 stood between the short street, which we believe to be called 
 Osborne Street, and Tory Brook, and on the same plot was a 
 small shop and tannery. These were the home and places of 
 business of Mr. Abram Burns, who with his family soon after 
 joined in the stream that was Howing westward, and the house 
 became the home of Mr. Dennis Bristol, father of the late 
 George Bristol. It has since been demolished, as has also the 
 house of .^Ir. Charles Tibbals ou the same plot but facing 
 Golden Hill Street. This latter house was set low in relation 
 to the street level, and being but one story in front and par- 
 tially hidde!! in shrubbei-y, was a typical "Cottage Cnder 
 the Hill." Here the widowed mother reared her two sons, 
 George W. and Albert C. Tibbals, and spent the remaining 
 years of her life. The house of George Osborne, now the house 
 of Mr. and ^Irs. Henry Beecher, is not greatly changed in out- 
 ward appeai-ance. The houses on Golden Hill Street, with 
 few exceptions, remain about as they were. We have already 
 noted the change in the property of Mr. Roger Smith. The 
 
2fi' 
 
 old type of house, formerly tlie home of Marcus Baldwin and 
 family, has been demolished and that of Mr. Joseph Davidson, 
 now the residence of Mr. Camille Mazeau, has been entirely re- 
 modelled. It was formerly a stoiy and a half house of the 
 common type of early days. At the apex of the gore on the 
 same plot was a small frame structure in which lived an old 
 colored couple. Old Sybel, a kindly woman with the appear- 
 ance of the Southern "jMaunny"', might often have been seen 
 in the doorway ready to extend a kindly greeting to passersby. 
 West Town Street, now lying between the residence of Mr. 
 Robert Clark and J\Ir. Gunn, formerly crossed the railroad 
 tracks at grade, where the old projections yet remain though 
 bisected by the railroml. Just north of the tracks and facing 
 the street on its westerly side was, almost hidden in shrubbery 
 and flowers, the liome of Captain and ]\Irs. Augustus Kelsey, 
 one of the four IJacksmitli ])r()thers. Tlie Captain Avas, though 
 a quaint character, a general favorite witli all who knew him. 
 lie coiUd shape an iron, temper steel, sail a boat successfully, 
 catch fish and pass a quaint renuirk with never a thought of 
 malice toward any. Jle had a method of iirofanity entirely 
 original and entirely devoid of IJasphemy. -Mrs. Kelsey had 
 a penchant for i)rocuring novelties in flowers and shrubs, and 
 a fine display was made throughout the place. The old Ell 
 Bakhvin house stood near the railroad opposite the present fine 
 residence of i\Ir. George Gunn, and it is said that from the 
 steps of this house Whitfield once preached. It was at one 
 time the residence of Stephen, one of the sons of Capt. Stephen 
 and Freelove Baldwin Stowe, who in Revolutionary days was 
 a midshipman in the navy. At the time of which we treat 
 it was the home of the Widow ^lary (Stowe) Baldwin, and 
 some members of her family. The old brass knocker from the 
 front door now adds to the historical value of the Memorial 
 Bridge. No house has arisen from the old site, and it is now 
 a part of the farm land. The house of j\Ir. Samuel Gunn is 
 the same now occupied by his well known son, Ex-Senator 
 George M. Gunn. The general form of the building has been 
 preserved, though it is at present more ornate than when new. 
 The common in front has by the munificence of the present 
 owner been transformed from a barren waste into a beauty 
 spot and adds much to the civic features of our Town. The 
 home of Mr. Charles Tomlinson has lost nothing of its always 
 
27 
 
 neat appearance, from the time of its erection by his father, 
 Mr. Nathan Tomlinson. The small old type of house in the 
 same enclosui-e was once tlie home of the Baldwin family of 
 which Mr. Roger S. Baldwin is a member, and Mr. and Mrs. 
 William Brotherton lived there before he established himself 
 on Union Street, where his son and namesake now resides. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 About where now is Dr. I^utiiey's residence stood tlie 
 lai'ge old-fashiojied house of the Widow Abby Arnold. She 
 was also connected witli the Baldwin family just mentioned, 
 and her husband was connected with the Law and Arnold 
 families, of which Benedict Arni:ld was, before his fall, an 
 honored scion. The small lionse now ownetl by the estate of 
 Jabez Smith was a rebuilt one and first occupied by Luke Bris- 
 tol, whose wife was a, daughter of Mr. Levi Langridge. .Air. 
 Bristol was one of ten sisters and brothers, children of Mr. 
 Nehemiah Bristol, of whom Dea. Smith Bristol Avas anotlier. 
 I\Ir. Tha(hleus Smith, ^h: David Smith, his brother, Mr. Wil- 
 liam Brooks, and Ihcir families have occupied the same liouses 
 in which Ihey uow reside for more than sixty years, and while 
 the houses have undergone some changes, the general effect is 
 not radically different. AVliere now stands the home of Mr. 
 Ilai-ry Clark there stood the store of Mr. Charles Baldwin, the 
 father of Koger. The building stood near the street and had 
 the ohl-tinu^ shuttei's at the windows, the lower part made to 
 drop on its liinges, while the ui)per half was raised to form an 
 aw)iing. Mr. B's dwelling stood whei'e now is the residence 
 of ^[r. Simon Lake. The proi)erty was purchased aiul the 
 present building erected by jMr. John AV. Fowler, a New York 
 business man, Avho was returning to his native place to enjoy 
 the early scenes of his childhood. lie afterw^ards retired from 
 business and for many years was a respected resident and 
 official of our Town, where some of his children still reside. 
 
 I\Ir. Charles Hobby Pond, a gentleman in poor health, lived 
 where now Mr. Lauren AVilcox has established his home. Mr. 
 Pond was a man of good taste, his grounds were always an 
 oi'uament to that section of the Town. They were enclosed 
 in a high fence Avith large encased posts surmounted with 
 urns, and within was just the tasteful display of flower and 
 shrul) that lends a charm to the well kei)t lawn, and paved 
 wallvs in view, a peacock i)roud]y strutted about as if in de- 
 
29 
 
 fiance of any landscape vieing in beauty with his own. Gov- 
 ernor Pond on the other corner of High i^treet oeenpied a 
 large old-fashioned house which stood where Mr. AVill \Vood- 
 ruff has since erected a dwelling, part of the old cellar wall 
 having heen taken out while excavating fnv the new. The 
 front door was of the pattern that opened at llie top. and when 
 tesired leaving the lower part closed, thus giving air without 
 admitting of ingress or egress too freely. The family of Pond 
 in .Alilford has always heen a prominent one. and much has 
 been accomplished in civic improvement through their efforls. 
 Tlie Governor's Homestead property covered all the ground 
 from High Street to the store of Adolphus BaldAvin, where 
 now is the Alasonic Pudding and back to the line of Dr. Allen's 
 fence. The old tavern kept by :\Ir. Nathan Merwin, then with 
 its l)vnidings and accessories occupied all tlu> si)ace from the 
 Governor Pond place to that of Mr. Galvin Durand and back 
 to about where now is the line of higliway near the railroad. 
 The honse proper was a two-story structure, later raised to 
 thi-ee story ^^'ith an arbor over the sidewalk, upon which spread 
 iiie brajiches of thrifty grape vines, beneath whicli on pleasant 
 days gathered a coterie of elderly men to discuss old times and 
 current topics, as well as to tell over and again of the great 
 catches of fish and the wonderful feats of horsefiesh. The 
 Iliggins Club tlien occupied a part of the second story of the 
 Tavern. 
 
 A small meat market occupied the space in front of the 
 sheds between Avhich and the house ran an alley leading to 
 the barns in the rear, a footpath was made through the potato 
 patcli the better to reach the railroad station, after the trains 
 began tJudr regular runs. Mr. Durand 's house, now occupied 
 by Ids son, Gecil, reuuiins nuich as Avhen he occupied it. His 
 grounds extended to the corner of River Street and back to 
 and perhaps including the property then occupied by "Capt. 
 Dick" Hepburn, the uncle of :\Irs. E. P. Smith and tlie father 
 of Mrs. O'Connor of Gulf Street. This was originally the 
 homestead property of Alexander Bryan. Gapt. Dick was 
 another of the eldei'ly retired mariners Avho "hauled (Uit on the 
 Avays" to keep out of the Avay of barnacles and borers in the 
 port from Avhich in their early days they began their first 
 voyage. ^Ir. John AV. FoAvler once published a list of about 
 eighty Avho had for many years ploughed the fitful Avave, finally 
 
30 
 
 to reach a haven in onr quiet Town. Capt. Dick's house stood 
 where now runs the roadway to the east bound station of the 
 railroad. It was an unpretentious house of two stories with 
 a shading grape arbor at the south side, and after the railroad 
 was double tracked, a stoiie wall at the embankment. When 
 the railroad was projected a house in which lived JMr. Horace 
 Mallett stood directly in tlie path and was purchased and re- 
 moved to about where the livery stables now are near the sta- 
 tion. The house was finally destroyed by fire. All the ground 
 from the corner of River Street and New Haven Avenue to the 
 railroad and AVepoAvaug on both sides of Daniel Street, except 
 that occupied by the old Town House, part of which is now 
 under the railroad bed, and that where noAv stands the lunch 
 car near the bridge was in possession of the Davidson family, 
 of whom JMr. Richard Treat Davitlson Avas the oldest living rep- 
 resentative. Perhaps may be omitted from this the ground 
 whereon was erected the ^lethodist Church building now em- 
 bodied in the business block and owned by ]Mr. George J. 
 Smith. The writer is inforined that there once stood a resi- 
 dence there that was the home of Mr. Thomas Gordon, a son-in- 
 law of Rlr. Samuel l^urns. On the corner where now is the 
 store of Mv. William Clark stood the house of Mr. Charles 
 Davidson, father of Henry, now living on High Street. The 
 house was moved and is yet standing on the corner of Daniel 
 Street near tlie IMemorial Bridge, and is the residence of Mr. 
 Frank Burns. On a retaining wall next south of the ^I. E. 
 Church Avas a small tAvo-story house of Richard Treat Davidson, 
 whose AAafe AA^as a granddaughter of Stephen and P\-eelove Bald- 
 Avin StoAve, and they AA'ere the parents of the others aa'Iio then 
 lived in that section. Luke Davidson occupied the small build- 
 ing yet standing at the corner of Daniel and River Streets that 
 Avas once since used as the Post Office, and has been used for a 
 variety' of purposes since, and is uoaa' used as a shoe repairing 
 shop. Mr. Samuel Davidson lived on the other side of Daniel 
 Street near the river, in a gambrel roofed house that Avas to 
 end its days as a dispensary of Avet goods by Mr. Frank DaAA^son, 
 its late owner. It was wiped out by fire some years ago. All 
 of the Davidson family removed, in time, to more commodious 
 quarters, and all of that generation are now dead. Passing 
 the railroad, the old Kelsey homestead is yet standing, but the 
 grounds are greatly changed. The AA'hole grounds Avere im- 
 
31 
 
 proved and plajited with an orcliard and a great variety of 
 flowers and shrubs, and the walk from the street to the house 
 lay between rows of boxAvood hedge. A sniitliy stood back 
 from the street near the northerly line, and a driveway was 
 open from near the railroad bridge in about a direct line to 
 near where now is iMr. Darius Whitcomb's shop. The first 
 district schoolhouse then stood where now stands the P. E. Rec- 
 tory. An old willow tree stood at the left of the schoolhouse 
 and near the street. There was also a large willow at the 
 corner of Daniel Street outside of the sidewalk. The brook 
 that was then an open watercourse across the common and 
 entered the AVepowaug just north of the P. E. Church was a 
 favorite place for watering horses, and they were driven past 
 the blacksmith's shop and schoolhouse and church and through 
 the brook and then up the alley to the street. The brook was 
 bridged at both roadways and sidewalks. The P. E. Church 
 was a frame building painted in imitation of brownstone and 
 sanded, and about this time was taken away and the present 
 edifice erected. The grounds claimed by the society were 
 enclosed within a railing and all traffic closed over the grounds. 
 The schoolhouse was removed and it is believed all dispute is 
 settled to the satisfaction of all. ^Ir. William Weeks con- 
 ducted the tinsmith business on or near the same site that it 
 has been continued first by Mr. Samuel Gunn and since by 
 Messrs. Theron and ^lerritt Ford. ^Mr. AVeeks sold out his 
 house and barn and the land on which they stood to ^Ir. Rogers 
 Ford, who transformed the barn into a smithy and made the 
 house a residence for his family. The house is yet standing 
 but hidden from view by the buildings on the street. There 
 had at one time been a small horseshoeing shop near the river 
 and bridge, but was abandoned at tlie time of Avliich we treat. 
 The IMunicipal Building is a reconstructed building, the 
 nucleus of which was the unused buihling of the Baptist 
 Society. The ToAvn Hall, a like structure, was brought into 
 line and the space between filled, and the graceful structure 
 as we see it resulted. Dickinson IMill on the one side, and 
 Davidson ]\Iill on tlie other of the milldam, like Fowler's Mill 
 below, were not unsightly and proved very useful to the towns- 
 people. They had the appearance of a two-story building and 
 were painted Avhile and were of fair proportions. Fowler's 
 I\Iill had in connection witli its fleur mill, a sawmill, where 
 
32 
 
 were usually to be found a quantity of logs to be made into 
 lumber. From the railroad north to the old Town Hall tire 
 land had not been fully reclaimed from its former state as 
 "little dreadful swamp," and though a ditch followed on either 
 side of the roadway, at times the roads were almost impassable. 
 But patience and perseverence seem to have conquered. Mr. 
 Charles Smith, brother of Dea. John, Thaddeus and David, 
 then owned and lived in the present home of Mr. Edward 
 Reiehel, which house, like that of Ralph Chidney, has met with 
 little change. Capt. William Glenney, another of the old- 
 time mariners, owned and then occupied a large ohl typo of 
 house which he sold to ^Ir. Uarvey Beach, who demolished the 
 house and erected that now the residence of ]Mr. -I. 1>. Brown. 
 i\rr. Beach spent the latter part of his life here with Mrs. Beach 
 and the daughter. -Josephine, who is yet a resident. Between 
 the residence of JNIr. Beach and that of Dr. Brace stood a small 
 dAvelling that was removed to High Street and fitted up as the 
 home of Mr. IMichael O'Brien, and has but recently passed ( ut 
 of the lumds of that family. Before removal it had been oc- 
 cupied by a family named Barton. Near this house stood a 
 large gambrel roofed building that was moved to Cherry Street 
 and stood near where now is the residence of 31 rs. Dr. Heady, 
 and after removal was at one time the tinshop of Afr. John B. 
 Downs. The Dr. Brace place is said to have been at one time 
 a hotel kept by a Mr. Buddington, and in seeking to bring to 
 his door some of the travel from New Haven planted a row of 
 elms on either side of a direct line from the Jefferson Bridge 
 to his house. Standing in front of that house it may be noted 
 that a few of those trees are left yet. The house itself has not 
 greatly changed in appearance. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 The history of the plot upon Avhich now stand the First 
 Congregational Parsonage and the residence of I\Ir. G. Frank 
 Smith seems a little clonded. About sixty years ago there 
 were the remains of an old cellar abont which had grown 
 a group of cherry trees, and the indications are that here once 
 stood a honse npon which ("apt. Samnel Eells obtained from 
 ^Ir. Alexander J^iyan a mortgage by the records, and in a 
 description of the property it is l)onnded on prnperty of Jona- 
 than Law. Sixty years ago there were no bnildings upon it. 
 As we come to the school grounds on the extreme corner next 
 the street stood a small house then owned by Capt. jMark Stowe 
 and let by him as a tenement. Whether it was this house or 
 its predecessor tliat for a time sheltered the Regicides, the site 
 is the same. Tliis liouse and ^Ir. Stowe *s own residence and 
 that of the Rev. Asa M. Train were removed to make way for 
 the central school. The Train House, as it was known, was 
 erected by j\Ir. Isaac IMills for his daughter wlien she l)ecame 
 the wife of the Rev. Samuel Wales. The house now occupied 
 by Dr. Cairoli and fannly was formerly the i-esidence of Dr. 
 Lucius Beardsley, and except the change fi'om a Hat to a gable 
 roof, remains nnich the same. On this plot at one time stood 
 the residence of the Rev. Roger NcAvton of the First (Congrega- 
 tional Church. He was a learned man and taught many young 
 aspirants for the ministry. His grandson and namesake. Col. 
 Roger Newton, was ((uile ])i'ominent in both military and civil 
 office in Colonial tlays. 
 
 The residence of ^Ir. Amos Ford and that of his grand- 
 daughter and family was once a hotel, and the w(dl-known 
 story of Washington's visit th(n-e needs no i-epetition. 
 
 The house now owned and occupied by ]\rrs. Noyes was 
 the home of ^Ir. Henry Pinneo, who rebuilt the liousc that was 
 his father's. i\Ir. Henry was a son of tli'e Rev. l^ezaliel Pin- 
 neo, who for many years was pastor of the First Congrega- 
 tional Church. The president edifice of the First Congrega- 
 
34 
 
 tioual Church is tlie third since organization, and was built by 
 Michael Peck in 1823. It was at first seventy feet in length, 
 but in the late "sixties'' was enlarged to its present dimen- 
 sions. 
 
 On the ground where now stands the Plymouth Church 
 Parsonage stuod an old type story and half house usually oc- 
 cupied by the miller who at the time of which we are writing 
 was Mr. Piatt, not a native of the town, but as it would seem 
 to the writer, a connection of the ^Vaterl)ury family of that 
 name. 
 
 Mr. Samuel Iligby's place remains about as it was, except 
 for the removal of a barn from the easterly line on Gregory's 
 Hill. 
 
 AVliere now stands the house of Mr. Ihn-t Si)erry. which 
 house was built by i\ir. Lemuel Powell, formerly stood the low, 
 brown house of j\Ir. David Stowe. 
 
 The houses of i\lessrs. (*harles and Thomas Cornwidl and 
 the sho}) of Thomas were then stantling as now, except that 
 the shop has been converted into a dwelling. 
 
 The house near iNfemorial liridge. then the home of ^Ir. 
 Joseph Fowler, is standing about the same. Where is now 
 that unique structure which is the pride of so nuuiy of our 
 toAvnspeople, then was a rather dilapidated wooden affair that 
 served for the traffic which mostly ended at the Alill or the 
 "Ciraveyard". New Haven Avenue was nut yet projected. 
 The tlour and sawmills have been mentioned and the old shi])- 
 yard had been abandoned for that purpose, but was used to 
 some exient by the brothers Eli ami Asa Green f(n' the building 
 of small boats and by some parties for tarring them. It was 
 a favorite place for the boys to bathe and the rays of the sun 
 furnished a satisfactory bathing-suit. There were two small 
 gardens enclosed between the roadway and water, one used 
 perhaps by Mr. Ilarpin Fowler, and the other by ]\Ir. Samuel 
 Peck. On a small triangle with a roadway each side of it, 
 and facing the old roadway that still runs to and along the 
 railroad and between the flour mill and ]Mr. Ilarpin Fowler's 
 place, stood a yellow building that was for the most part un- 
 used for any purpose at the time of which we write, but later 
 was used as a tinware and stove store for a short time. AVhen 
 New Haven Avenue was opened the building was removed and 
 the roadway covers the sj^ace it occupied. 
 
35 
 
 Per]ia])s tlic .small house on tlio l)aiik of the old :\Iilltail 
 ma.y represent what yet remains of the huildino- itself, as that 
 house was not there at that time. 
 
 The houses of the Green ])rothers, Samuel Peek and ITar- 
 pin Fowder are yet standing, but the grounds of Mr. Fowler 
 were encroached upon to make way for the opening of New 
 Haven Avenue, which encroaehment was hotly contested by Mr. 
 John W. Fowler, whose ancestral precincts it invaded, but as 
 now, perhaps, the sentiment that then prevailed in relation to 
 the place has no such ardent an apostle. A further encroach- 
 ment that would elinunate a very menacing turn from that 
 much used thoroughfare might be advisable. 
 
 The small house on the corner opposite the Fowler Place 
 presents about the same appeai-ance. though between that and 
 the railroad was mostly covered by a pond. The old-fashioned 
 house that stood Avith its fmnt right on the street line and 
 fai-ther along near the railroad the home of the sister and 
 brother, Hetty and AVilliam Fowler, completed the residences 
 on that gore. No other house was then standing ])etween 
 Prospect Street and Gulf Sti-eet south of the railroad until Ave 
 come to the house later occupied by ('apt. AYilliam Glenney, the 
 same that is noAv standing near the entrance to Dr. AValker's 
 grounds and a part of his buildings. Nearly opposite the 
 Coggeshall place, Avhich is yet standing on the east side of 
 Gulf Street, then stood the former home of ]\Ir. Elias Smith, but 
 sixty years ago was occupied by jMr. Samuel Parsons and fam- 
 ily, of Avhich :\rrs. George IMallett Avas a member. A sister of 
 hers became the Avife of the Rev. N. T. JMerAvin of this toAAai. 
 
 Where noAv is 1lie hue residence of Judge William Stod- 
 dard then stood a house of near like dimensions OAAaied by Mr. 
 Nathan Whiting, from Avhom the father of Judge Stoddard 
 purchased the proi)erty Avhicli included the old Gulf IMill, then 
 standing on a causcAvay near the bridge, and a small house near 
 the Gulf Wharf at the end of the lane noAV used by the Oyster 
 Go. The small house is yet in evidence, though the ^lill has 
 long since ceased to be a landmark. No .jetty Avas then there, 
 but Avater gates just above the bridge Avliich oi)ened Avith the 
 Hood and closed Avith the eld) tide, gave a reserve of Avater to 
 drive the mill Avhen the outer tide should create a current 
 through the mill flume by attaining a loAver level. The Mill 
 itself far suri)assed any in our tOAA'n and Avas used for various 
 
36 
 
 purposes besides the grinding of grain. Perhaps jnst before 
 Mr. Stoddai-d purchased it was the time in Avliieh no grain 
 was ground there. ^Ir. David Souiers was for a time the 
 miller, and later ^Mr. David Phnnb, ^Ir. George Ringsley, ^Ir. 
 Newton and others. The building was a large square struc- 
 ture with high gable roof an, I the windows were irregularly 
 placed where the light miglit be needed without regai-d to 
 symmetry of lines. It Avas Availed up from the ground and 
 stood over the Avater Avith a large undershot watei-Avheel at the 
 southerly side. A Avhite shell road in front of tlie uuissive red 
 building fronting a glassy pond of pure, clear salt Avater, made 
 a picture that might Avell have been preserved, including the 
 bindgc and Avater-gytes. Xo buildings were then on the oppo- 
 site side of the roadAvay. but from the evidence of an old cellar 
 just at the corner of the upland of the Stiddai-d gi-ounds it 
 Avouhl apj)ear that earlier there had been one there The 
 Gulf AVharf Avas little used at this time, ])ut vessels at times 
 discharged cargoes, perhaps of the raAV material I'm' the mill 
 anil the return cargo of the gi'ound product. The remains of 
 an old vessel or scoav rested on the ]U)i'tlierly side of the \\li;irf, 
 a relic of the i)ast. Passing along tlie shore beyond the 
 bridge to Avhere now begin the grounds of Mr. Glark Wilcox, 
 upon the crest of the l);ud< stood a small shack used as n shel- 
 ter for the fishermen Avho then worked a large net that, upon 
 large reels beneath the shelter of sheds, together A\ith the boats 
 and other i)ai'aplKi'iialia, i-ested quietly near the Avatei^'s edge 
 when not in use. While the special mission of the plant w;is 
 to furnish fertilizers for the use of the f.irmers of the town. 
 many edible tish Avere often brought in Avith the menhaden, 
 and lucky Avas the small ])oy avIio happened near, as no restraint 
 was put ui)on him in taking a sui)ply. The r;adAvay on top 
 of the ]);ink has since become a feature of travel in that direc- 
 tion, the oidy Avay of reaching "Welch's Lane" befoi-e having 
 been by Avay of the beach Avhen the tide permitted, or across 
 private property. It is said that the land was purchased and 
 donated to the town for a road by Mr. Elisha Flagg, of Flagg 
 & l^aldAvin. Three brothers of that family Avere at snme time 
 connected Avitli the straAV hat l»usiness here, familiarly known 
 as Lishe. ]\larsh and Gecn-ge Flagg. Mr. John AVelch, one of 
 the last descendants of Thomas AVelch, being the family name, 
 'vho purchased the land from Old (Tiief Ansantawae Avhen the 
 
37 
 
 Chief finally disposed of his last holdings in Town, then lived 
 in what was probably the original home of the family, then on 
 the southerly side of the street at the top of the grade from the 
 waterfront. The homestead grounds of Thomas Welch were 
 on North Street. A feAV rods on -and on the opposite side of 
 the street stood, and yet stands with little change in outward 
 appearance, the home of Mr. William Gillette and family. Mr. 
 Gillette is a descendant of Thomas AVelcli. No other building 
 then st(H)d on that sti'cet until the Pond Point highway was 
 readied. 
 
 Returning to the I'oadway from Fowler's Mill, all the 
 houses have been noticed until Gulf Street is met with. Near 
 the railroad and on \hv north side of it somewhat back from 
 Gulf Street and ik ar the swamp, stood the Avhite schoolhouse 
 for tliat district. end)racing all that tci-i'itory laying south of the 
 center of Cherry Street between the Wepowaug and Indian 
 Rivers and Long Island Sound. From the railroad south on 
 the east side of Gulf Street stood the small house of Horace 
 Brown, father of Sanuiel Brown, lately deceased, and the house 
 is yet standing 1)ut shows the ravages of time. Where now is 
 the house of .Air. Ilolloway, which house was l)uilt foi- Mr. Wil- 
 liam I'ond, then stood an old-fashioned house then oceupied by 
 .Mrs. Betsy Treat. It was demolished when Mr. 
 
 pond took possession. The house of ^Ir. .John Goiuior and 
 those of Anthony Stowe, Jlenry ]\Iiles and William Goggeshall 
 were among the older residences, and that of .Mr. David Miles, 
 of more modern construction, were all standing sixty or more 
 years ago. .Mr. William JMerwin owned and occui)ied the 
 house now liccupied by his granddaughter, and in a small 
 weather-beaten house that stood on the same plot facing the 
 lane, lived another of the retired mariners, Capt. Stephen Trow- 
 bridge, who before had managed the hostelry on Broad Street, 
 already mentioned. Where now is the fine residence of Mr. 
 .Merritt Mei'win. then stood that of his gramlfather, .Merritt 
 Merwin. 
 
 Passing the Mill Bridge and Gauseway, we come to Old 
 Field Lane and find the residence of Mr. ^larcus jMerwin, whose 
 son and grandson now reside there. The house appears the 
 same now as then. LTere on the oi)posite side of the street 
 may be seen the well with its old-time wellsweep. and nearby 
 a large stone with a hollow in its ui)i)er surface, said to have 
 
88 
 
 been used by the Indians for pounding their corn. iMany 
 evidences are found in this vicinity of the extended use of this 
 section by the Indians as a resort for fishing and hunting. 
 Arrow-lieads continue to be found^ olani and oyster shells are 
 ploughed up, and nuich that indicates that it was a favored 
 spot. Farther along, the old liuckingliam })lace, noAV the prop- 
 erty of ]\Ir. George Wilcox, was then the home of Mr. Uaniel 
 Buckingham, and the house stands upon the site of an old 
 Indian burial place, while it is believed that the lane either 
 dedicated or })rojected, runs through to the I'ond Point Road 
 near which it was called ^lud Lane. No definite boundary 
 now exists, and certainly no ludntation has been known along 
 its jjath. Coming then to the Pond Point Road on the corner 
 of the Woodmont was the residence of ^Ir. Harrington ]\ler- 
 win and family. 'I'he daughters were (piite popuhir among the 
 young people of tlieir day and soon Avere taken to homes of 
 their own, and the old people dying, tlie place wliile yet stand- 
 ing has fallen into decay. No other house is met witii along 
 that road until at the intersection of AVeleh's Lane we find the 
 former residence of Mr. j\liles i\Ierwin, the father of iVIrs. 
 George Piatt, now of Green Street. Farther on, on the opposite 
 side of the street, is the small schoolhouse for that district Pass- 
 ing on to the settlenu^nt of Pond Point proper, the older resi- 
 dences are little changed, but the inroads of transient dwellers 
 threaten to obliterate all the ancient landmarks. xVs the road- 
 way from Mr. ]\files Merwin's place to that of ]\Ir. Nehemiah 
 Clark's was and is uninhabited, it may be seen today as then. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 From the corner at jMr. C'arringtnn llEerwin's following 
 the AVoodniont or Bui-well's Farm road, the first house seen 
 was and is that of iMr. Asabel Clark, which is yet held by 
 some mendier of the family. AVe meet no other until arriving 
 at the top of the hill. (Jn the left hand side then stood the 
 house that was at one time the residence of Mr. Samuel Eells, 
 from whom is derived the name Eells' Hill. This family and 
 the Burwells intermarried and both families were in Colonial 
 times connected with the civil and military history of the Col- 
 ony, the last of the family to occupy the house having been a 
 soldier of the Revolution. About sixty years ago it was the 
 residence of a nuui nai'u^l Jones. Only the cellar now remains 
 to mark the site. 
 
 At the foot of the hill we come to the beginning of the 
 Burwell's Farms Settlement which may better be described by 
 one better acquainted. 
 
 Following tlie old road from Indian River Bridge west 
 near the railroa<l, Ave notice the house of jMr. Baldwin Fowler, 
 which has since been moved across to New Haven Avenue and 
 is now the residence of Air. Hatfield. The house of Air. Jonas 
 Buckingham has recently been moved a short distance east 
 but is not much changed. It is now occupied by Air. Herman 
 Roeder. The Charles Buckingham, John Buckingham and 
 Ephraim Curtis houses that are yet standing, completed all 
 the houses in that section south of the railroad. The old Dick- 
 inson house in which lived John Lines and family was one of 
 the early houses within the palisades, and was a fair represen- 
 tation of the larger houses of the early settlement. It stood 
 very near where is now the entrance to the ball grounds, a 
 few^ rods north of the railroad facing the old road from the old 
 Catholic Church building to Buckingham street, since closed. 
 AVhat is now the home of Air. Charles AVilhelmi was then the 
 residence of Air. Harvey Eells and family. One son yet lives 
 in Fair Haven. Thitil the advent of the Irish in our town in 
 considerable numbers, no other house with the exception of 
 
40 
 
 tlmt of Capt. "Dick" Oviatt Avas on either side of that street. 
 
 Pn-twpt'ii Mv. Eells' and that of .Air. Piatt "s shop, whieli 
 faced Gulf Street and stood on rear of the lot now owned and 
 ocenpied by JNEr. Albert Xettleton. Capt. "Dick's" house stood 
 quite near tlie cemetery and was one of those recently demol- 
 ished l)y the Cemetery Association in cleaning their grounds 
 along Gulf Street. From the corners near Prowler's i\Iill and 
 passing under the bridge on the easterly side of Prospect Street, 
 we first find the house of Deacon Harvey xAlallory, the same 
 now owned by Mr. P^dward ^lallory, a grandson, and at the 
 brow of the hill that of .Mr. Nathan Fowler, the father of IMr. 
 Mark Fowler, who is yet a resident of .Mil ford. There has 
 been but little change in the appearance of either. 
 
 The house of David L. Baldwin. Esq. (this is the site of 
 Mr. Peter Prudden's house) tluit in which now lives his daugh- 
 ter, .Mrs. Charlotte Xeltloton. whose liusband, .Mr. Louis Net- 
 tleton, a veteran of the Civil War. did not long survive its 
 close, JMr. Sydney Buckingham's place, since that of 31r. Henry 
 Clark, and that of ]Mr. Galpin Higby, now the home of Mr. 
 Harry Bryan, a grandson, remain much the same as in early 
 days. 
 
 The house and store of Mr. Nathan Fenn. though yet stand- 
 ing, have been much enlarged and are now the same in which 
 .Mr. Gi'egory lives and conducts his business. Next on Cherry 
 Street stood two houses of similar appearance in which lived 
 the Ferris brothers, Louis and Shadrack. One of them is yet 
 standing. Where now is the row farther along, then stood 
 the carriage factory of the Ferris Brothers, in which they did 
 a thriving business until it was destroyed by fire more than 
 fifty years ago. The house in which ]\[rs. ]\Iorris now resides 
 Avas that of Mr. "William Smith, who went away from Milford 
 more than sixty years ago, and it was afterwards occupied by 
 j\lr. AVilliam Durand, a well-known citizen of the town at that 
 time. 
 
 The house of Air. James Kilpatrick, like that of Mr. Smith 
 on the one side and of Mr. Curtis Peck on the other, has pre- 
 served the same general appearance. Air. Benjamin Sanford's 
 place may have had additions, but the main building has re- 
 tained its original form. Air. Bela Bradley's p'ace was that 
 which is adjoining the entrance to the cemetery, but the house 
 has been remodelled though no radical change in its size and 
 
41 
 
 proportions is noted. Mr. John Sanford then occupied a mod- 
 erate sized iKHise lietAveen ^Ir. Bradley's and Mr. Elijah Bald- 
 win's, which is presiuaed to l)e yet standing, l)ut <>f which the 
 writer has lost the identity. ^Ir. Baldwin's lionsc was that 
 in which now resides Mr. Xettleton and has preserved well its 
 original form. Mr. Jonah Piatt was then i-esiding in the house 
 nuw oceui)ied by Mr. Albert .Nettleton and family. ]\Irs. Net- 
 tleton was a meiidier of tl e Aiainil'e faiinly who i)urehased the 
 property fi'om Mi". Piatt when he removed to Broad Street 
 where he had pnrchased the j)r()perty of ^Irs. Miles Davidson. 
 About 1852 a brother of ]\lrs. Nettleton's gave liis life to the 
 service of his country. George ]\[anville, though young in 
 years, had made many friends who mourned his early depar- 
 ture. 
 
 AVhere now stantls the house erected by .Mr. Samuel Blake 
 stood a lai'ge ohl-fashioned house then occui»ied by Mr. and 
 Mrs. Stephensnn. The children of that day now living may 
 recall the startling vocabulary of Nancy Stephenson's i);dl par- 
 I'ot Avhich att]-acted so many to its locality. Mr. Geoi'ge Inger- 
 soU then owned the property where yet staiids the large house 
 first met with as we pass out on the old turnpike. The Eben- 
 ezer Downs place with its massive fence posts attracted atten- 
 tion from the passers-by. Perhaps the removal of the fence 
 has been the principal change effected. A small house, then the 
 residence of .Mr. John Porter, and since that of ]\Ir. Edward 
 Mooney. and the l^artlett residence at the parting of the roads, 
 completed the residences on that side of the turn})ike within the 
 town limits. The house of 'Sir. Elias (Mark first met with on 
 the loAver road, and that of ('apt. Isbell, now occupied by Mr. 
 Carle, are little changed. The sawnuU near the bridge was a 
 typical structui't^ of the ramshackle collection then constituting 
 such plants. !t has recently been destroyed by fire. The 
 milldam and the bridge were a quaint rennnder of utility versus 
 display. Passing the bridge on the right hand near the water 
 stood a medium sized house in which Mv. Theodore Pike lived 
 with his family for a short time, and farther on at the left 
 was the resilience of ^Ir. Chauncey Isbell, since owned by the 
 late John Guyer. Mr. John Lines not much later took up his 
 residence farther down Old Gate Lane. Taking the left hand 
 road after crossing the bridge at "the Quarry'' on the left 
 was an old type story and half house, the residence of Mr. 
 
42 
 
 Abrara Marks, and yet fartlier on, also on the left, a similar 
 house, though painted white in distinction from that of JMr. 
 Marks, which was red, where resided another of our few for- 
 eign-born residents, jMr. Franklin, the only remaining member 
 of whose family in town is Miss Ella Franklin of AVharf Street. 
 Perhaps a small house on farther, the residence of Mr. Pardee, 
 was beyond the town limits, as certainly were the house and 
 brick yard of Eliakim Fenn, 3'et farther on at the left 
 of the road back to the turnpike coming west the house of Mr. 
 Richard Piatt, a small house since owned by Mr. Martin Ilickey 
 and the residence of IMr. Stephen Gunn, the home of the late 
 John De (iarmo and the house now standing on the point of land 
 at the junction of Governor's Avenue and the tnrnpike in 
 which lived a family named Hopper, complete the list in that 
 part of the towni. and each of which are yet in evidence. On 
 the corner of Governor's Avenue and Cherry Street was the 
 residence of Mr. Frederick Dayton, a foreman in the employ 
 of the Ferris brothers. The honse was the late home of Mr. 
 Elias Bradley, who with his wife met an untimely death in the 
 trolley disaster at Peck's ^lills, Stratford. The building has 
 since been removed and now faces Governor's Avenue, and the 
 residence of ]\Ir. and Mrs. Van Vliet now occupies the former 
 site. Mr. William Glenney's residence, later that of IMr. 
 Andrew Clark, is yet standing, as is that of j\Ir. Samuel Green, 
 now the residence of Mr. Gregory. The Anthony Bristol place 
 was remodelled by IMr. John Strong, the father of JMrs. Caroli, 
 and has now become the home of ]\Ir. Almon Clark. Mr. Wil- 
 liam Bristol's house and that of IMr. Andrew French where live 
 respectively IMr. William Clark and IMr. Emmons Chase, are 
 not greatly changed. The old house of Stephen Somers was 
 a square gable roofed house of dingy appearance, and was, 
 very fortunately for the neighborhood, destroyed by tire, as 
 the house and its occupants for the most part were undesirable 
 acquisitions just preceding its destruction. "Squire" Strong's 
 house, now the residence of Mr. D. Piatt, has had no radical 
 departure from its original design. The old Second Congre- 
 gational building that stood near the line of the Miles home- 
 stead was used as a paint shop by the Beach brothers who 
 had their main buildings near the river side where the bridge 
 crosses from Governor's Avenue to IMaple Street. On the 
 south side of the roadway the blacksmith's shop was a single 
 
43 
 
 story, rather long briek building, and opposite at the brink 
 of the river with a tiunie beneath, stood a two-story frame 
 building" Avith an ell I'nnning eastward in wliieli most of the 
 work was done. A small storj' and half house stood just back 
 from where the old well now is seen, in which lived at one time 
 Mr. jMichael I'aj-ney and his family. It nuist be remembered 
 that about this time uuuiy families of Irish people became res- 
 idents of the town, so that it may be confusing to say that there 
 were almost no foreigiidjni'n residents here, and continue to 
 mention such in various parts of the town. It was perhaps 
 about 1850 that the railroad which had but recently begun to 
 carry passengers throngli our town, found it necessary to add 
 to its carrying capacity by double tracking. The famine iu 
 Ireland had driven nuuiy to seek relief in other lands, and many 
 of the laborers employed by tlu^ contractors fouml a permanent 
 home here, and from that beginning has grown a very fine rep- 
 resentation of the Irish-American citizenship among us. Not 
 all those who canu^ about that tinu^ foUoAved the nm.iority on 
 railroad, but obtained other employment and have made homes 
 for themselves, as have their descendants, many of whom are 
 among our most respected citizens. 
 
 Coming back to our subject, the old church building before 
 mentioned had been so changed in the interior that the lower 
 floor was perliai)s more of a storehouse than a workshop, while 
 a second tioor had beeu put in and the painting of carriages 
 was mostly done upon it, or rather in the story which it formed. 
 The Elites place, which is believed originally to have been the 
 residence of ]\lr. Isaac Elites, was about sixty years ago the 
 home of i\fiss Diana IMiles, one of his descendants. It was 
 this Mr. IMiles who had erected for his daughter, ]\Irs. Sanuiel 
 Wales, the house that until recently stooil on what are now the 
 school grounds and known as the Train house. It had been 
 the home of several clergymen in turn, besides the Rev. Mr. 
 Wales. :\lr. Lockwood in 1784 to 1796. Rev. Asa M. Train 
 was the last of the clergymen who occupied the house, which 
 he did for many years until his death. During the War of the 
 Revolution in 1776 Mr. Wales served as chaplain in the army. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Again retui-iiing to North Street, a small buihiing near tlie 
 street at the northerly extremity of the Miles plot may some 
 time have served as a store, but served as a dwelling for some 
 of the people employed about the Miles place at the time of 
 which we treat. The old house which has recently received 
 much attention at the instance of the late .Air. Aiisoii Downs, 
 was the old home of Mr. Thomas Buckingham, and it was Mr. 
 Downs' intention to preserve the exterior, at least, as near its 
 original form and appearance as he might. The present home 
 of ^Irs. John W. Buckingham was that of her parents, and sixty 
 years ago ^Ir. Louis F. Baldwin, her fjitlwr, (Muiducted a shoe 
 store on the corner of the plot. In Colonial days it is said 
 that Governor Robert Treat lived in a house that foi-merly stood 
 on that plot. (It was the plot allotted to Mr. iMlmund Tapp, 
 ^Irs. Treat's father) and Governor's Lane, now Governor's 
 Avenue, took its name from that circumstance. Mr. Sheldon 
 Burns lived in a medium sized smooth boarded house near 1he 
 present residence of Mrs. James ITigby that is [)ei'haps yet 
 standing. No other houses were on that side of the street. 
 The houses of Mr. Lewis Welch, Mr. Henry Law and .Mr. Lucius 
 Porter may yet be seen. It is the opinion of the Mi'itcr that a 
 district schoolhouse at one time stood on the right of Govci'uoi-'s 
 Avenue as one goes from Cherry Street, but he is not certain 
 that his memory served him well in this respect. The houses in 
 which lived Mr. James ]\Iitchell and that of Air. Clark Smith, 
 and farther along that of Mr. James Burns, and finally that of 
 the brothers Bailey, completed the number upon that street. 
 Crossing the bridge to the residence of Deacon IMarshall and 
 opposite to that of Air. Dennis Beach, and following south the 
 home of Mr. Canfield and of ]\Irs. Josiah Buckingham little 
 change is noted. Where now is the residence of Air. J. L. 
 Miles then stood the large red house of Air. Pond Strong. It 
 was much such another as the one Air. Downs has refurbished 
 on North Street and Governor's Avenue, set well back from 
 
45 
 
 the street and with little shrubbery in front and a blue stone 
 paved walk to the old-fashioned entrance, it was indeed a re- 
 minder of the olden times. The building on the corner, now 
 the i-esidence of Mr. Samuel Smith, was then a combined store 
 and dwelling, and whether then kept by Mr. Smith's father or 
 Mr. William Piatt, each of whom occupied the store at different 
 times, the writer is at a loss tO' remember. However, except 
 that it has had the store front changed, it is much the same in 
 appearance. The bridge over the river, while of modern steel 
 construction, is not startingly changed. The old seminary 
 building, a square building with its pointed roof surmounted 
 by a small bell tower, stood for many years on the rocky fnun- 
 (hition beneath the shade of a large elm near the present resi- 
 dence of Mr. William Bush. Little change is noted on that 
 side of the street, except the closing of the well-known store 
 of .Air. Anon Clark and its new mission as a dispensary of the 
 gospel. Where now is the residence of Mrs. E. P. Smith stood 
 a story and half weather-beaten house almost hidden in front by 
 cinnamon rose bushes, in which then lived ^Fr. AVilliam Peck, 
 who later erected the house now occupieil by his daughter, Airs. 
 Xatlian Clark, on North Avenue. The house was originally 
 that of Mr. Peacocke, from which Afaple Street Avas at tirst 
 called Peacock Lane. It was demolished when Air. Harvey 
 Alin-ir canu' into possession and built the present house. Mr. 
 Selah Strong lived in a large house on what is now the vacant 
 lot next adjoining !\Irs. Smith's place and now a part of her 
 ju-opei-ty. AFr. Samuel Beach then occu{)ied the house on the 
 corner in which now lives Air. George Alunson. Air. Luke Alal- 
 Ictt lived in the house now the home of his granddaughter. Airs. 
 h'ields, and his son Lewis, her father, lived in a smaller house 
 on the same plot, which having been moved farther up the 
 street was for a time occupied by Air. David Durand and later 
 became the property of Air. D. L. Clarke. Air. Luke Alallett 
 was the proprietor of a meat market near the Tavern on Broad 
 Street and had his abbatoir near his residence. Air. Sannud 
 Durand lived with his parents on the opposite of the street, 
 where the widow and children continue to reside. The houses 
 from that of Air. D. N. Clarke can better be described by Air. 
 G. Frank Smith or D. L. Clarke than by me. Following 
 down from Air. D. N. Clarke's house towards High Street we 
 find first the storv and half house of Deacon Nettleton at the 
 
46 
 
 corner of Peacock Lane and the barn farther down the said 
 lane. The writer is of the opinion that both are now gone. 
 Then followed two houses belonging to ]Mr. David C. Smith, 
 the grandfather of Mr. George J. Smith, one of which about 
 that time was occupied by Mr. Samuel Eells and the other by 
 ]\[r. Smith and wife. The barn of Mv. Stephen Gunn stood 
 away from the street but near Mr. Smith's line. Mr. Gunn's 
 residence was that in which ]\Ir. Harry jMerwin now resides. 
 The John Carrington place on the triangular j^lot has since 
 been the home of Mr. Alphonzo Smitli. The old type of house 
 in which then lived Deacon John Benjamin completes the 
 houses in that section. Following the road towards High 
 Street wliich we cross and enter the way to Gunn Street, on 
 the right hand was a two-story front house, and on the left an 
 old house but of less elevation, the tii-st that of ^h\ Elisha Peck 
 Avhicli he demolished when lie built the one in which he spent 
 his remaining days, now the residence of ^Er. Proctor; the other 
 that of Mr. Amos Baldwin -wliich was taken down and none 
 replaced it. From the First Congregational Ghurch (Ui West 
 Main Street next to the house of I\rr. Sanuiel Smitli which has 
 been mentioned, was the shoe shop of JMr. Leonard Davidson, 
 in which was run the first sewing machine brought into I\Iil- 
 ford. The operator Avas Caroline IMcCoy, who later became 
 the wife of IMr. William Bush. The residence of Mr. Howe 
 Davidson and that of ^Ir. William JMiles and Doctor Carring- 
 ton 's old homestead, are yet standing and give their oavu ac- 
 count of themselves. The schoolhouse that stood on the com- 
 mon at the turn of the road is a thing of the past, but having 
 seen one of the district schoolhouses of that day will suffice 
 for all. The "little red schoolhouse" usually mentioned in 
 connection wuth the rural districts of New England will need 
 to change its complexion in jMilford. wliere only white ones 
 were ever seen by the writer until the recent Central School 
 building erection. 
 
 Colonel Stephen Ford's house occupies its old stand, and 
 his son, James, a veteran of the Civil War. appears to have 
 inherited the father's bent in that line, and still occupies the 
 old house. The old house of Mr. Samuel Glenney, a story and 
 half house, many years ago was supplanted by the one now 
 standing. IMr. Dan Peck lived in a small house adjoining the 
 ground of Mr. Piuneo, which is yet standing. From the lower 
 
47 
 
 end of "New Broad," now High Street, Doctor Allen's place, 
 minus a large barn that used to be a feature then, and the 
 juld'tion of an ell to the house, is not much different except 
 that there "\^'as then no building on that side of the street to 
 (;bstruct his view of Broad Street. In tlie house opposite, then 
 a square house with a gabled roof with the eaves at front and 
 back, had been living the family of ^Ir. Charles Piatt, and it 
 \tas here that Howard Piatt first saw the light of day. Per- 
 haps sixty years ago a family bearing the name of AA^eeks 
 occuj^ied it. When it became the home of IMr. Street, father 
 of Mrs. Hutchinson, it was remodelled and took its present 
 form. ]\Irs. Street was a daughter of Dr. Hull Allen and died 
 when her daughter came, and the home was broken up. IMr. 
 Horace ]Mallett had only recently built on High Street after 
 selling out his former i:tlace to the railroad company, and the 
 house in which Air. William Alitchell now lives was nearly 
 hidden in a forest of trees. It Avas then the home of Air. Ralph 
 Augur and family, of whom none now remain as residents of 
 j\Iilford, though Air. William Augur, a grandson, loves to meet 
 his old acquaintances here as opportunity offers. AVhere are 
 now the grounds of IMr. James T. Patterson, was then a rather 
 high knoll on which grew some hickory trees, and sloping to- 
 wards the street ended in a baidv several feet above the road- 
 way. The bushes on the opposite side of the street were some- 
 thing of an obstacle to the boy seeking hickory nuts from a 
 tree that grew a few feet away from the street. The ground 
 being low was also wet, but by introducing a system of drain- 
 age it was reclaimed as meadow land as now seen. ]\Ir. John 
 jMinor antl ,'\Ir. Henry Alerwin occuiiied the houses next above, 
 where is now the entrance to Lauralton Hall, and the addition 
 of a veranda to the house of Mv. JMerAvin is the greatest change 
 to either. The house of Air. Feehan (Air. Thaddeus Nettleton's 
 house) was occupied by some ladies, one of whom, if the writer 
 is not mistaken, afterwards became the wife of Air. AVilliam 
 Brooks. The house is nut much changed in outward ai)pear- 
 ance. The house of Air. AVilson Plumb and that of Air. Everett 
 Smith are little changed. Crossing the street, the tirst house 
 above that of Ali-. Iloi-ace Afallett was that of Airs. Fairchild, 
 a widow, the same as has since been the home of Air. William 
 Davidson's family. Air. David Ford's, now occupied by Air. 
 and Airs. Fisher, and the former house of Air. Luke Nettleton, 
 
48 
 
 botli now standing, and the shop and store of ^Ir. Samnel 
 Glenney, now transformed into a dwelling, cimiplete the list 
 on that section of High Street. Crossing West Main Street 
 on the corner of High on ^Ir. Charles Baldwin's plot stood a 
 small store in which ]\Ir. Baldwin sold groceries, and the second 
 floor was nsed as a shoe shop. The residence was the same 
 now occupied by his son. ^Ir. Charles W. l>aldwin, another 
 (Jivil War veteran, in which service this nc^ighhorhood was well 
 represented. Sydney Plnmb, Harvey and Henry Xettleton, 
 Samuel and George Glenney, James Ford, ("hai'h's W. I^ahlwin. 
 George Hine, Dennis Baldwin, George T. Feck, Charles Ford, 
 Albert Plumb, all in that school district and near neighbors, 
 having volunteered for the service. The Wheelers Farms dis- 
 trict was also well represented by David Benjamin, Joseph R. 
 Clark, Almon, Nathan and Samuel, his brothers, George Rog- 
 ers. Hezekiah P. Smith, .lames and George Baiid, and perhaps 
 others from that district giving their services, of whom George 
 Beard became a brigadier general and has witliin a few years 
 been laid at rest in our cemetery. 
 
 Returning from this digression, we find on High Street on 
 the left the house of Marcus Baldwin, yet standing, and on the 
 opposite but a few rods below, an old type twn story and 
 gable house in Avliich lived Mr. George Hine and family. The 
 house was razed when .Mr. Rodgers Hine erected the one now 
 standing on its site. -Just before we reach the common at the 
 junction above on the h'ft hand side was a medium-sized, 
 weather-beaten house then occupied by IMr. Thomas Moore, a 
 north of Ireland gardener, who was quite a popular represen- 
 tative of that art and a respected citizen of the town. The 
 house has since been demolished. ^Ir. George Baldwin, a son 
 of ^Ir. Amos Baldwin, before mentioned, built and occupied the 
 house next above which faces the common at the junction of 
 the two streets. On the continuation of High Street opposite 
 the short connecting street before mentioned, was the house of 
 Mr. Merritt Ford, father of General George H. Ford, in which 
 Mr. Charles Smith has taken up his residence. It describes 
 itself. The houses of Mr. James Benjamin and the little red 
 shop below on the same side of the street, togethei- with the 
 barn above the house, and a tan barn beyond the lu'ook, all 
 represented the improvements of the elder Mr. Benjamin, father 
 of James and several brothers, who was yet living sixty years 
 
49 
 
 ago, tliougli too RgVi] for active lalx)]-. Tlic liouses of ^Ir. 
 Luther Benjami]i and ^\r. Ko<i('r I line, -loci lliii(\ TJicopluilns 
 Miles and Nathan (iunn, all yet standing, completed the list in 
 that direction until the Ilousatonic Kiver was reached. On 
 the road to Wheelers Fai'uis the first horise on th(» left was that 
 of JMrs. Job Iline, and on the right that of her father, i\Ir. Lewis 
 ]\Iunson. The former yet remains about the same, but the 
 latter has given i)lace to the recently erected house of ^Irs. Ilel- 
 wig. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Passing' on we come to the house of .Mr. \\'illi;nii Ueii- 
 jainiii. still the residence of some of the family. On the ntad 
 from there across to the head of High Street was an old cellar 
 where once stood a house in which once lived JMr. Levi Somers, 
 and in Avhich the mother of the writei" was born more than one 
 hundred years ago. in 1S04. Xo other house is known to have 
 ever stood on that street. Abnve the before-mentioned house 
 of Mr. William Benjamin the writer will leave the descri])tion 
 to those better informed. From High Street on West Main 
 Street after passing the residence of Mr. Charles l^aldwin, we 
 hnd on the right hand hi-sl the house of ]\H\ David W. Smith. 
 which is yet standing. Crossing Gunn Street, on the corner 
 stood a two-story and gable roof iioiise, the earliest tenant of 
 Avhich the writer is able to recall was 3Ir. Charles Munson. 
 The house was taken down when .Mr. Charles Hyatt built that 
 in which he resides. .Mr. Timothy Starr had a small house 
 near the street on the [ji'operty where now stand tlie houses of 
 Charles Peterson and the heirs of Uncle Timothy. ^Ir, 
 Charles Oviatt's house is yet standing as it then was. ^Ir. 
 Clark Ford then lived where now is ^Ir. Frank ^lunsmrs res- 
 idence, and ran a store on the same i)lot which was destroyed 
 by fire. The writer is not certain whether the house is the 
 same, but it is similar. ^li-. Curtis Oviatt occu])ied an old 
 house on the corner where his daughters later replaced it with 
 a new one which is now standing. J'assing the sti-eet that 
 leads to Ford Town, we come to the old Josei)li Peck home- 
 stead. Sixty years ago thei'c was a plain two-story brick house 
 with gabled roof on the plot in which lived the fanuly of Capt. 
 Cornelius Peck, a descendant of the oi'iginal owner. The usual 
 barns and outbuildings of a farmer's homestead stood near. 
 At the top of the hill was an old frame house belonging to tlie 
 same estate. A medium sized house next was perhaps that 
 of George L. Clark, but since at one time was occupied by 
 Thomas Lewis and family. Mr. Lewis Beers' house is yet 
 
51 
 
 standing. Tlic writer lias a sliolit idea of the location of the 
 other lionses in that lucality, l)ut would not undertake to ex- 
 actly describe them, either then or now, and there are others 
 better titted to write uf) all the outlying district which it is 
 desirable should he done. To write a history of the town was 
 not conceived to be the purpose of this })aper, but to record 
 such matter as might occur to the citizens as worthy of pre- 
 serving; but as nnich early history as may be gathered and put 
 at the use of any interested person or persons would certainly 
 be prized. That persevering student of history and genealogy, 
 the late 3Ir. Nathan (1. Pond, certainly deserved that his mem- 
 ory shoidd be honoi-eil by an etfort to carry on his work as far 
 as we may be able, and the faniily have very generously placed 
 in our library much of the collection tluit he had been able to 
 get together. If every one could give their own story of the 
 happenings and as much of history as they may possess in rela- 
 tion to our town and its i)ei)ple, the Avriter presumes that a very 
 interesting and valuable collection could be made. Within the 
 recollection of many now living one would have experienced an 
 almost compl(4e transformation not only in mechanics, arts and 
 sciences, but in religious tea(diings, in its means of social inter- 
 course and a knowledge of foreign countries and peoples. We 
 are surprised at the revelations as set foi-th by travellers in 
 lands hitherto little understood. In our own land, where sixty 
 years ago were only the haunts of the wild beasts and their 
 almost equall}^ Avild human co-partners of the forest, are now 
 established homes of culture and w^ealth, stately buildings and 
 all that goes to make for twentieth century pi-ogress. Let ns 
 then considei' that the children of today will have an interest 
 in that which now may be put on record relating to even a few 
 years ba(dv. It is with a true sense of my own want of the 
 ability to carry mit purposes of such a desirable end, that I 
 submit such as jotted down from my own recollection, and feel- 
 ing that in many i-espects corrections may be made by others 
 to bring tln^ text nearei- the truth, and such corrections should 
 most certainly be made From the beginning here iiiade, it is 
 ho])ed that it will ])rove an incentive to others, not only to add 
 to but to correct such errors as may be found in this my crude 
 effort. Although I have made many requests of others to 
 write up something that has i)assed under their own observa- 
 tion or been told them by creditable relations, as yet there has 
 
52 
 
 been no response, and while T have no desire to make misstate- 
 ments. I sincerely hope that a criticism of this i)aper, if I iiiriy 
 believe that any will read it, will help to bring ont some of the 
 knowledge that others possess. 
 
 In the foregoing story I find that oidy a mciitii ii of Green 
 Street has been made withont describing tlu' buildings npon it 
 sixty years ago. Mr. David ]\'ck was among the first to buihl 
 on that street, followed by ^Ir. -Tared ^lerwin, ^Ir. AVillis Peck 
 and Messrs. Benedict Peck and Charles Wheeler, all l)eforc the 
 recollection of the writer, Mrs. Martha Stowe and Mr. Henry 
 Cornwall and Cai)t. and JMrs. Frederick Stowe in 1852. As 
 these houses are all standing 1 will not unch-rtakc to describe 
 them. 
 
 Pond Street was open only to the (h'ptli of .Mi-. Ib'ni-y 
 Cornwall's plot, Mr. Cornwall having at the rear of his lot a 
 small shoe shoj) to which access was then had frcMu Pond Sti'eet, 
 so named from Governor Pniul. who at one time could ha\e 
 entered upon his own ground at Broad Street and never have 
 left it until he reached Seaside Lane opposite Meadowside Lane, 
 embracing all the property on both sides of the present Center 
 Street except that of the Charles Merwin estate and that of 
 George Bristol, on both sides of I'ond Street to the harl)or. 
 Union Street an;] Read Street and Rogers Avenue (except at 
 the lower end of Rogers Avenue, where were perhaps three or 
 four acres owned by ]\Ir. Charles Baldwin) and al)out the sanu' 
 width as the Read Street i)i'operty, right through to Seaside 
 Lane. After the discovery of gold in California and the rush 
 began to the new Eldnrado, an expedition was planned to go 
 from New Haven antl vicinity, and the ship Isaac Bell was char- 
 tered or purchased to sail around Cape Horn to the "Promised 
 Land." Several from ^lilfm-d joined the company and sailed 
 with it. There was then very crude methods of conveying 
 news as compared with Twentieth Century achievement, and 
 many months passed before we might learn the result. His- 
 tory has taught us in a general way what the early days were 
 like. Among tlmse who went from ^lilforil were Charles and 
 Sanuiel Tibl)als, Charles and Lewis (,'lark. Theodore Green, 
 Henry K. Stowe, Sherman Crofut, and probably others whose 
 names the writer cannot now recall, only a part of whom ever 
 eame back. Charles Tibbals, who was the father of Mr. Albert 
 C. Tibbals, now of ]Milford, 1912, never set foot upon the land 
 
53 
 
 of his dreams, but died as the vessel was entering the harbor of 
 San Francisco. Ills bi-olher lived a few years there, but never 
 returned. Charles and Lewis (Uark and Tlieodore Green came 
 lioiiie again aud lived inany years. The others have died with- 
 out ever seeing again tlie home tliey left with such bright 
 golden pi-ospects. About the beginning of the last half of the 
 nineteenth century, .Alessrs. Elisha Flagg and Nathan A. Bald- 
 win, under tlu^ style of Flagg & Baldwin, erected a factory 
 and began here the nmnufacture of straw luits. and from a 
 snudl beginning the ))usiness took on gigantic proportions, as 
 then viewed, and hundreds of emi)loyees tlironged our streets 
 outside of woiking hours, aud not a few of our present resi- 
 (b'nfs can assign their i)resence here to that iutiuence. Miss 
 .Mary .Mills, whom we all knew so well as Mrs. Green, was 
 induced to enter the employ as an experienced and skillful 
 teacher in the art of foi'ming the hats from the imported braid, 
 and continued in the employ for many years. iMany attempts 
 were made to supersede hand sewing of braid by machinery, 
 and at one lime there was a veritable curiosity shop in a part 
 of the attic there, but not until Mr. (J. F. Bosworth introduced 
 his blind stitch inachine for that purpose, did any practical 
 success result. The Bosworth machine was a simple but 
 effective variety of the Singer machine of that time, and the 
 Bosworth attachments might have been with equal facility used 
 on any one of a nundjer of macdunes then or now in vogue, and 
 were not superseded because they did not do what they in- 
 tended, but because it was found that there was no real de- 
 nuiiul for tlndr product. This was not true when a prejudice 
 against machine work sought any plausible excuse for diMuul- 
 ing it of its laurels. Straw hats had been made by hand and 
 the stitches were presumed to be concealed, and when the sew- 
 ing machine became an assured fact, after an uphill strug- 
 gle against that before-mentioned prejudice a visible stitch 
 upon the exposed surface would never have been tolerated, and 
 a machine to do such work would never have lived long enough 
 to have donned long dresses. But such a machine was made 
 a success by an eifective appliance to conceal the stitch and 
 the bridge was crossed. No one now questions the form of 
 stitch after the finished product leaves the factory. The straw 
 hat industry for a time almost entirely displaced shoemaking 
 by hand and no considerable restriction of the industry ap- 
 
54 
 
 peared until the factory method was introduced. It is believed 
 that during the Civil War there was a spasmodic effort to again 
 produce footwear for tlie soldiers, but it was only a temporary 
 revival produced by thf excitement of those strenuous days, 
 and collapsed ultimately when tlie stinudant was exhausted. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The crude methods of those early days served their piirpose, 
 and as the hnniaii system takes on strengtli and stature as 
 years are added, so also does the advancement in science and 
 the arts give adequate promise as time wanes. We educate 
 our children for their work in life, and only as that education 
 is product ive in after- years will it pi-ove a success. That suc- 
 cess may not be apparent to its author, but like Christopher 
 Columbus, who never lived to know that he had discovered a 
 continent, the world nuiy profit by the achievement when its 
 author has passed beyond earthly fame. The spiral screw that 
 would be altogether indis])ensable, gave little benelit to its 
 producer. The usual number of mechanical motions is re- 
 garded as six and only three of these primary, and perhaps 
 even two of these might be considered as one. viz.. the lever 
 and pulley. But the combination and adaptation are unlim- 
 ited, '""^ixty years ago a community lived much witliin itself 
 and was more nearly self-supporting. As the Israelites of 
 old wandered with their flocks to ])astures new when the 
 old ceased to adequately supi)ly the demand, so now we figur- 
 atively pass from one area to another in the progress of 
 science and art. Elasticity in its true definition 
 can meet the demands of progress. AVe must expand or reach 
 out for what the w(U'ld has to ofi'er while yet we have the 
 [)roperty of resuming our own position. The new rests upon 
 the foundation of the old, but the Yule log of our fathers is 
 now used to genei'afe power to drive the wheels of progress. 
 The flint and steel have been replaced by the electric spark, the 
 saddle hoi'se by the limousine. INliles Standish with his 
 dozen followers served as the standing army of the Pilgrims, 
 while fifty years ago it required 2.700,000 men to put down one 
 insurrection. Two or three small packets sufficed to bring 
 our supplies from abroad sixty years ago, while today a fully 
 equipped four-track steam railroad is required to compa.ss the 
 traffic of a part of New England, of which we demand a proper 
 
56 
 
 piMjportion, while possibly as iiinch is iH-ouglit into our town liy 
 trolley ex|>ress and private conveyaiiee as v.'ovild have furnished 
 our fathers Avith a complete supply. Not only have change? 
 been made in mechanics, transportation and communication, 
 but there has also come a great social change Tne community 
 spirit that governed society sixty years ago has given way to a 
 spirit of rivalry, the age of caste, the desire to be 
 or appear a little above the average citizen by reason of some 
 special act of an ancestor or of having been initiated into an 
 ironclad class with its niystei'ious grips and signs. These 
 societies have their sphere. l)ut Avhere is the old neighborly 
 feeling that interested itself in the welfare of all? Under the 
 old regime perhaps we put a high estinuite upon tiie qualities 
 of our i)ublic men, but in most cases they merited our esteem. 
 Who uf us ever doubted the sincerity of such a man as David 
 L. Baldwin, for instance, whose signature is attached to so 
 many legal documents in the public archives? He was a wise 
 and earnest counselor, whose aim appeared to be to merit the 
 confidence reposed in him. It is ti'ue political strife was pev- 
 haps as conspicuous as today, but it was open warfare and a 
 victory was complete. ]\Ir. Baldwin was not alone in the names 
 whose memory we revere. I can recall the names of Selah Strong, 
 William Uurand, Samuel B. Gunn, William Pond, Charles II. 
 Pond, Nathan Tomlinson, DeLuzerno Hubbell, Amos Ford, John 
 K. Bristol, Treat Clark, Amos Clark, Pond Strong, Esquire 
 Strong, and there are many others whom I do not now recall, 
 but all men whom we held in respect as public guardians. W^e 
 looked upon the clergy as men of weight and influence in the 
 community from all of whom we might seek advice or counsel 
 and whose wisdom was undoubted. Neighbor vied with neigh- 
 bor in kindly acts. We knew little of what was transpiring 
 outside and our community was (Uir world. Barter or ex- 
 change was connaon. Fish and clams were plentiful and when 
 one went to the shore he or she remembered those who were 
 deprived of that privilege and shared with them. Vegetables 
 were freely exchanged and such little attentions as might be 
 afforded were given with pleasure. The social gatherings were 
 truly pleasing events where equality meant equal friendship for 
 all. The old-time quilting party, followed by the old-time 
 supper, was not only a pleasing event in its day, but it h.as left 
 its impress upon the memory of those who were witnesses of 
 
57 
 
 the good feeling that prevailed. Hard cider, apples, hickory 
 nuts and mince pies were often an accompaniment of an even- 
 ing out, and I must confess that the emptied glasses in the 
 morning had a rather queer smell for cider in any stage of 
 existence. Barn raising, corn husking, election, donations for 
 the ^linister, i)icnics, hoat sailing, and training days, Wash 
 Day for the Fire Company wIumi tlit\v got out to test their 
 engine and drill for practical work, working out highway taxes, 
 pitching quoits, playing checkers or dominoes, and numerous 
 other pastimes were all reviewed in the village stores in the 
 evening. Calico dresses and nankeen pantalets on the girls 
 and patched trousers and short jackets on the boys was the 
 rule and not the exception. In the "little red schoolliouse" 
 (that we liear so nuich about but never saw in ]\lilford with the 
 single exception of the Academy on the rocky mound near the 
 white bridge), T repeat, in the little I'ed schoolhouse. whieh was 
 invariably painted white with green shutters, could be seen 
 evidence of the Yankee propensity for wiiittling in the complete 
 carved sui'face of tlie desks and the i)lastered Avails frescoed 
 with spitballs that were never disturbed by those whose duty it 
 was to whitewash the ceiling. Perliaps the following names 
 have been dropped t'l-om the vocabulary of the twentieth cen- 
 tin-y boy, l»ut semilem, hooker, rooker, iiuuublepeg, old- 
 gent, and jumi)-the-fence alternated with "one hole cat," 
 "roll hole," "knock up and catch." Even an old ott'ender 
 like myself cannot recall the name by which our game of ball 
 was known, in which two boys at the bat faced each other at a 
 distance of perhaps fifty feet apart with a catcher behind each 
 and all others in the field, and the catcher was also pitcher, and 
 the ball served alternately to either batsman. A strike called 
 for a run which meant an exchange of position of the batsmen 
 with the chance of either being put out before gaining the plate, 
 and also the striker being caught out on the fly. Baseball was 
 played, but had less rules attending. Coasting and skating in 
 the winter we believe belong to no particular era, but the form 
 of skates and sleds used in those days has long become obsolete. 
 Grocers did not then deliver their goods, nor did they take 
 orders except at the store, but usually sold in larger quantities 
 than now. Flour was mostly sold by the barrel, molasses and 
 rum by the gallon, and other things in like proportion, and the 
 state banks issued notes that might or might not represent their 
 
58 
 
 face value, and every one was scrutinized and the "Bank Note 
 Hei)(»rter" consulted before the bargain was consummated and 
 the cliange returned, said change for the greatei- i)art being in 
 .Mexican coin or fractional i)art of a shilling, aiul a shilling 
 might mean any one of several kinds, thus a "fourpence" had 
 a value of six and one-quarter cents, which was one-half a York 
 shilling or one-sixteenth of a dollar. The Yankee shilling was 
 one-sixth of a dollar. In New York City the shilling was the 
 standai'd, and a barrel of i)otatoes might be i)riced at 12 sliil- 
 lings or whatevei- might be the market v^duc Slux-s worn b\' 
 the ladies as late as 18G2 (when the writei' ceased for a while 
 to observe the prevailing styles other than the regulation blue) 
 Avere nevei' of the oi-dinary pattern of high cut dress shoes that 
 have been commonly worn since, but buskiiKS and Congress 
 gaiters were cut to about meet the joint at the ankle. Hoop- 
 skirts came into use about the iattei- part of the fifties and vari- 
 ous sclu^mes were imi)rovised to meet the requirements of fash- 
 ion, fii'st perha])s a single hoop of rattan at the hem of the skirt, 
 tlien a sti-i[) of bi-ass was used, but as the demand increased the 
 steel manufacturer's of the .Xaugatuck X'alley began to i)roduce 
 a cloth covei'ed lioop that was soon followed by the bringing 
 out of a six'cial tape into which the hooi)s might be I'un and by 
 suitable clasps held in the (b'sired jjosition. Thus the hoop- 
 skirt became a sei)arate article of ladies' wearing apparel and 
 kept its place for nearly or quite a decade. Shoes without 
 iieels were the rule for ladies' Avear until after the midtlle of the 
 nineteenth century, and boiniets wei'e not replaced by hats until 
 the "Bloomer" was introduced. This was a part of the Bloomer 
 costume that it was sought to introduce about that time and 
 consisted of a short-skirted dress and trousers yet known as 
 bloomers, and a very broad brimnu'd, low-crown hat. The 
 bloomei' trousers were gathered at the ankle with a small ruf- 
 fled edge below. The style never became popular, and the 
 writer can remember having seen it worn by but one i)erson. 
 The hat, however, did become popular and was Avorn 
 for many seasons. The trousers have found their proper 
 sphere in the athletic woi'ld but in a modified form. ]\Ien 
 wore the Wellington or top boot, and very generally for dress 
 the silk tile or lieaver hat. Embroidered or other faiu'y bosom 
 shirts with collai-s attached, either rolling oi- standing pattern, 
 with either a stock or large handkei'ciiief cravat. Silk velvet 
 
59 
 
 vests and watelies witli a I'ibboii about the neck for a guard. 
 Fobs were worn on dress occasions and stem winding' watches 
 had yet to })e ])ro(]u('cd. 'I'he bi'eastpin liad a head with some 
 kiiul of setting and a bai' perhaps TVs inches in length at the 
 back of which neai- the extreme end was attached the catcli for 
 the hohling ])iii. ('oal burning stoves had ceased to be a nov- 
 elty but not in general use, as wood was more plentiful and 
 its use better understood. Pigs aiul chickens might be found 
 on the premises of a large majority of householders, ami in the 
 winter a cellar liberally stocked with provisions, such as vege- 
 tables, |)ork. hams, di'ied-beef, salt fish, apples, vinegar, cider, 
 etc., and in th(^ attic hanging to the rafters wei'e "s])a)-eribs." 
 sausages, dried apples and bags of small fi'uits, bunches or 
 herbs, hoi)s and medicinal roots. 'llw liouses w^ere not gen- 
 erally heated except in the living room, but those blessed words, 
 "'Phc boi'd tem[)ei's the wind to the siiorn land)." were then, as 
 now^, in His Holy Woi'd, and the fertile bi'ain of man had di*- 
 vised ''The Old Wai'ming Pan." 1 can yet imagine the com- 
 forting assni'ance conveyed by the sight of that old comfoi'Ter 
 disappearing u[) the stairway and tiie fumes of fragrance of 
 the live coals with the burning sugar s})ritdvled on them and 
 the welcome call wlien each IxhI shouhl be ready foi- occupancy. 
 J can well remember sitting near tiie tire on the open heai'th 
 when the sap was di-iven fi-nm the ends of the hickory and the 
 pleasing 0(h)i's as it burned, but the most pleasing renu^mbrance 
 was the inibroken family ciinde of an old time Christian home. 
 As 1 review the past in my mintl's eye 1 can see the heads of 
 fanulies with whom I held friendly relations, not one of wdiom 
 is living today. 1 can see the line of fences weather-beaten and 
 brown, j)erhaps, but the latch-string (tigui-atively speaking) al- 
 ways out. 1 can see those gateways in the division fence, 
 a sincere reminder that there coidd be un impassable barrier 
 between neighbors. There was no tliought then whether one's 
 fatiuM' came over with Noah in the Ai'k or had a boat of his 
 own. It mattei'ed little to what church one belonged except 
 Avhen the bells were ringing. A political oi)ponent was in)t 
 suspected of having hoi-ns and a cloven hoof. The general rush 
 from the farm to the city had not then set in and fai'iiiei's' sons 
 grew up to be farmers as naturally as corn pi-oduced corn. The 
 schools in sumnu'r were attended largely by girls and snmll 
 boys, and in the wilder term these were supplemented by the 
 
60 
 
 boys of larger growth and in some instances of wild growth. 
 The seliool hours were from nine to twelve and one till four, 
 with a morning Saturday in wlneh specialties prevailed. 
 There were spelling matches, catechism, memorizing Bible 
 verses, etc., but in the afternoon we were pei-mitted 
 to have a half holiday for doing up the chores, clam- 
 ming or running errands for tlie neighbors whusc gar- 
 dens did not yield boys. The family who had any 
 kind of a labor-saving machine or a servant in those days was 
 rare, but temporary help was to be had almost for the asking. 
 The dressmaker, like the old-time teacher, might be expected 
 to "boHrd around" and was engaged far ahead, though she was 
 nevei- married. Old Aunt Keziah with hei- litttle carpet bag 
 swinging from her arm was always a welcome visitor, whether 
 in her official capacity or as a dispenser of good cheer. The 
 old three cent silver piece, or shad scale, as we sometimes called 
 it, had stamped upon one of its sides three figure ones inside 
 of a letter (', and it seems to me that 1 iinist have the same 
 impression in plain view of others, for no mattei- how hard f 
 worked di-i)p{)ing potatoes or corn or piling woiul, my value for 
 a half day seemed always to be three (mmiIs. for anything less, 
 a (htughnut or a piece of pie, luit if I had all the i)en-knives 
 that wei'e pronused me I would have started a l)argain counter. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 I have I'ccciitly received a tine calendar from one of onr new 
 enterprises in town, and of course as an actor upon the stage 
 at the time represented, "an old resident," I must needs criti- 
 size, though in the main favorably. I must express a little 
 doubt that the plant in the pot was really a Geranium, and take 
 away altogether the kerosene lamp suspended from the ceiling. 
 A "fluid lamp" burning a compound of spirits of turpentine 
 and other ingredients I would willingly pass, or an oil lamp, 
 if in a church or hall I could pass a camphene lamp, but I 
 must draw the line at kerosene wdiich had yet to be intruduced. 
 Wax candles were par excellence, the popular innovation when 
 tallow candles were frowned upon, and the candlelabra were 
 certainly such as might grace any table of today. The silver 
 was sterling or its substitute w^as not a plate to imitate it, but 
 of genuine undisguised pew^ter. The art of electro-plating 
 came on later. Plating then was done by soldering thin rolled 
 sheets of silver to a surface of baser metal that had been made 
 very smooth beforehand, and pewter would not stand u}) under 
 the necessary heat. Copper and brass ware was not then rolled 
 or spun into the desired form without seam, but the edges w^ere 
 brought together and locked by "dovetails" and then "brazed" 
 with a medium that fused at a lower temperature than the 
 basic metal. The old "Dutch Oven"" was made from tin, bent 
 in cylindrical form but having an opening on one side with legs 
 so attached as to present the open side to the fire or the hearth 
 before Mdiich it was placed. It w^as usually about the length 
 of an ordinary Hour barrel and of s(mieAvhat smaller diameter 
 and fitted with a shelf upon Avhich the food to be baked was 
 placed. The reflection of heat by the bright upper and lower 
 surfaces of the tin served to bake in a very satisfactory manner. 
 A modification of this oven made from fiat plates and collapsible 
 was offered to the soldiers during tlie war for the Union, but 
 with all departments of a portable flat from kitchen to bedroom 
 strapped to one person in addition to an ordinance and eommis- 
 
62 
 
 sary outfit, office fixtures aiul all. the offei' was not accepted by 
 anytliing like a majority vote. Rag carjx'ts. if any, and braided 
 mats of either rags or coi'n husks, were used for tioor coverings 
 with plain i^ainted oilcloth on kitchen Hoors. A "spitler" 
 used in Ihe kitchen was a fi\ving i)an with long legs that would 
 stand firm over a bed of coals on the hearth. In the South a 
 similar utensil was used, ])ut (leei)er and having a Hanged edge 
 on the cover, so tliat while the vessel proper stood over the 
 ciials, more coals nnght be cai-ried on Ihe lid so as to apply 
 the heat more neai'ly even upon both sides of the food within, 
 jiaking of biscuit Avas often done in thaf \\;\y. The crane was 
 suspended at one side of the fireplace, ifs beam extending lu^ai'ly 
 across, and from it by means of hooks, often adjustable, were 
 hung the kettles. The spit was not much used within the rec- 
 ollection of the wi-itei'. but was suspendel from the center of 
 the tii-(>place in such a nuinner that it might be readily turned 
 about so that any cr all sides of tlu- mast impaled upon it might 
 present itself eveidy to the fire. Dripping pans i)robably 
 served to catch the juices that di-ipped fi-om the roast and 
 served to baste from. Before the adxciit of the corn shellei- 
 the fai'mei- Ixty used to sit upon the blade of a spade projecting 
 over a tub or box, and by means cf the shai'p bit and the corn 
 on the cob held at a i)roper angb^ the coi'n was so shelled wath 
 passable facility. .Mowing and reaping was done by hand, as 
 was also thrashing out the ripened grain. The farmer used to 
 fell his tind)er logs and sled them to the sawmill wdiere they 
 were saAved into tindx'i- and ]uiid)er and wei'c ready to be re- 
 turned to the owner. The grain was carried to the mill and 
 the Hour or meal taken away M'ith no mention of remuneration 
 to the miller, as it was always expected that he had taken his 
 toll from the grist. 'IMie sawmills were mostly open sheds with 
 little protection from the winds excei)t from one side, and the 
 Hour mills Avere always cold except for the heat generated by 
 the milling process. The dust floating in the air was almost as 
 sensitive to fire as gunpowdei-. and no fire was therefore adnnt- 
 ted within the building, waterixiwer of course driving the ma- 
 chinery. Teams of oxen were used very generally in farm 
 work and teaming, though horses, one or nioi-e, were generally 
 kept for marketing and fannly use. The strictest economy 
 was practiced in respect to anything that cost money or extra 
 labor, and the writer got himself disliked at one time while 
 
63 
 
 working on a farm hecaiisc lie would wear stockings on Sunday 
 in the suniinei- time. ('Iiai'les Island had a lai'ge building on 
 the highest ground. })resuinably a hotel, Avith vei-andali encir- 
 cling it on the first and second stories, and from the reci)llec- 
 tion of the writer il was usimlly o[)vu to pai'tics visiting the 
 Island. Thei'e were also a small house near the landing and a 
 bowling alley nearby. 
 
 Mr. Fred Clements and Air. Louis Woods were caretakers 
 at "different tinu'S, and when .Mr. I'ritchard took it, he, for a 
 short time, ran a snudl si(k^-wheel steand)oat ))etween the Island 
 and the Town Wharf. The channel at that tinu' had not been 
 dredged and was barely })assable for skiffs at low watei", so that 
 there was little tlepending upon the regularity of trij^s. I 
 think I have mentioned the tin horn th.at called the fishermen 
 to duty -when tlu^ watchnum at the lish house discovei-ed the 
 promise of a good haul, but that does not cover the whole story. 
 One of our citizens, musically inclined, i)rocured a horn the 
 counterpart of the fish horn, and at twilight each pleasant sum- 
 mer evening re})aired to the summit of the wooded knoll near 
 what is now Noble Avenue .iust south of Hi-oad Street, and 
 there brought out sucli strains as he and the hoi-n could pro- 
 duce. His selections were entirely original and the measure 
 was regulated by his own lung j)ower, but withal it was not an 
 unwelcome serenade, and as I recollect was never fi'owncd upon 
 by its hearers. I also alludetl to the })rofanity of ('apt. Augus- 
 tus Kelsey, and in no wise to si)eak disi)aragingly of that genial 
 little man. I will give a little instance. "({inger-Ten, Snake- 
 Root," or when he caught a good hsh, "T-y ty, I've got him." 
 
 AVe had a l)rass band that Ave thought a woucb'r. for it was 
 the (inly one most of us had ever heard, but my iinisical ear is 
 not retroactive, and 1 cannot say noAV whether if was oi- not 
 w^orth while. Certain it is. it was all made up of colored 
 players (or coloi'ed men A\ho played). We had lecture courses 
 under the auspices of the Alilford Lyceum, that lu'cd no criti- 
 cism, for the best lecturers on the platform at that time were 
 sought, and in many instances entertained us, anu)ng Avhom 
 were Henry AVard Beecher, Horace (xreeley. Professor Hayes, 
 the Arctic explorer, and not a few others quite as popular. The 
 Lyceum also held debates that brought out honu' talent that 
 was not to be despiseci. They also tried to inaugurate a public 
 library system, but witluuit nuu-h success for many years, but if 
 
64 
 
 I mistake not it was the nucleus of our present eoUeetiDii in 
 the Taylor Library. The school system was made np of a ilis- 
 jointed lot of districts, each independent, having- its own com- 
 mittee, who selected their own teachers without let or hin- 
 drance, and the principal qualification was tliat the applicant 
 must write in a plain hand. Tt sometimes happened that the 
 hand Avas required for other duty than Avriting copy, and then 
 it was well for the teacher if the stamp of authority was duly 
 recognized, and usually it was, at least in so far as to keep down 
 open insurrection if it did not nnitterings. The school bonks 
 were seldom changed, and at the beginning of each term it was 
 the rule to begin the book anew and the advancement in grade 
 depended more on the age of the pupil than proficiency in 
 achievement. Corporal punishment was expected for fracture 
 of the rules, and often it was administered unjustly- ;ind in s lue 
 instances brutally. That there Avere no fatalities to re})ort was 
 a mere matter of chance, as missiles thrown in iiioi-e than one 
 instance were as deadly in llieir p()ssil)ilities as bulh'ts fi'oiii ;) 
 gun, but fortunately the aim w;is as erratic as the tempei' of 
 the thrower. 
 
 Leaving the schools, we Avill view the occupation of some 
 of the boys out of school — driving cows. In the settlement of 
 the town it is well knoAvn that homestead plots were allotted 
 the settlers Avithin the palisaded enclosure, Avith ontlands be- 
 yond its confines, and sixty years ago or thereabouts the same 
 system obtained to some extent and cattle Avere driven to and 
 from pasture daily, and tlie Avriter Avas one of the victims of 
 that system and can recall Avith some Avonilerment the daily 
 trips at morning and evening from Green Street to and from 
 Eells" Ilill tAvice each day seven days per Aveek, and all for a 
 sum of tAventy-five cents, to be received in milk as currency. 
 It is often said that a dollar in those days w;is as big as a cart 
 wheel, and it needs no extended argument to convince the men 
 of three score years and ten of the truth of the saying. As one 
 vicAvs the activities of these tAventieth century days and the 
 facilities for ti-avel not only throughout our OAvn Avide domain 
 aiul abroad, but right in the boundaries of our toAvn, he feels 
 like turning back the Avheels of time to begin again the duties 
 of that period aided by modern helps. lIoAvever. if Ave give the 
 matter a moment's thought, that is just AA'hat is uoav going on, 
 but the appearance is so changed as to be strange until Ave think 
 
65 
 
 of these wonderful days. For instanee, the coavs are 
 still grazing on the selfsame pasture but they are not 
 compelled to bring thcii- own milk in to town nor is 
 the farmer compelled to bring to them in town the prov- 
 ender that is garnered now near the fields from which 
 it is taken and where the stock is to be fed. ^Men go to 
 the daily task of making nails as men went an hundred years 
 ago. but by the aid of machinery the man can almost equal the 
 output in mnnbei- today that the smith could have produced 
 from that day to this. Some will say that machinery has thus 
 made manual hd)or a diug. Let ns see what mean those long 
 lists of enugrants coming from all parts of the world. Look 
 into the house of the working man and see the piano, the talk- 
 ing machine, the carpeted Hoors, the sanitary conveniences, 
 running water, etc., see the lighted street, the bicycles, the 
 commerce, the motor-boats, the trolley car carrying him for a 
 nickel the length of the town, see the paved walks, free mail 
 delivery to the remote section for the small sum of two cents, 
 see your townsmen going from eight or ten to seventy miles to 
 their business, go to your telei)hone and speak to your friend 
 in Nev,- York or lieyoud if you wish, go into your cash depart- 
 ment and i-eceive and transmit to the farthest saleslady the 
 l)ayment and change for a purchase; go into the elevatm- and 
 without even a "thank you" be carrieil to the topnu)St tloor 
 at your discretion — l)ut Avhy enumerate? Sit down and eat a 
 dish of ice cream or eat a baiuina, or have you become cloyed? 
 The writer was ignoi-ant nf l)oth in his boyhood. He also re- 
 calls an incident when a iiuiu with an ice-coated beard had 
 made his way through the deep and drifted snow from near 
 where now is the reservoir for our water supply when a rail- 
 way train was stalled l)y the storm, anl he in that cold and 
 trackless path intent on reaching New Haven on foot that he 
 might telegraph an im|)or1ant message. At that time two lone 
 wires strung on jtoles ran through our town witli no instru- 
 ment or operator nearer than I^ridgeport or New Haven. 
 
 The section if Milford now known as P^ort TiMunbull Leach 
 was until after the Civil AVar all farm land. There had at 
 one time been a house near the roadway o])posite ^Ir. Thomas 
 Falls" Cottage occupieil and perhaps owned l)y one Justin 
 Woods. Abigail Arnold also owned property in that vicinity, 
 perhaps including all east of the "Bear Neck Lane," as Sea- 
 
66 
 
 side Avenue was then called. This land was purchased by Mr. 
 F. E. Burns, I should say from my recollection about 1855, and 
 he planted corn chiefly over the whole ground. He erected a 
 barn thereon, which was then the only building along the shore 
 front from the Harbor west to 31ilford Point, at which Point 
 had been for many years the huts of the fishermen who drew 
 their living from the Avater. The barn erectetl by Mv. Burns 
 is yet standing, in rear of the Larkin house. A plot of ground 
 on the west of Bear Neck lane was owned by Thaddcns Bald- 
 win and given l)y him to his grandson, Thaddeus Baldwin ^ler- 
 win. Adjoining that j)lot on the west M'as the property of 
 Alvin Stow. 
 
 It is a nuitter of history that a Fort was built, guns 
 mounted and a garrison ke])t on duty during tlie Revolution, 
 tuinute men stationed at difVci-eiit points and military organiza- 
 tions maintained for home duty as ("oast (luai'd. Orders were 
 issued by the British Commander to make a depot of Charles 
 Island and round u|) all the livestick in tlie suiTouiidiiig towns 
 and transport them to the Island to be drawn from as needed. 
 An attemi)t was nuule at Fairfield to execute this oi'der, but 
 failed, and i)ossil)ly the "bulldogs" at Fort Tniinbull had an 
 influence in the countermanding of that order. History does 
 not record a single l)attle on MiU'oid soil in which the English 
 were engaged, nor is there a record of any white person killed 
 or seriously injui'(<l by tlH> Indians within the limits of the 
 town. No record is shown of any Indian camp at Fort Trum- 
 bull Beach, but there was formerly sufficient evidence to prove 
 that it had been so used, in the accumulation of shells west of 
 Bear Neck lane, near where was erected the house known to the 
 writer as the Aston House. 
 
 In the boyhood days of the writer bathing suits were those 
 cast off by Adam and Eve when fig leaves came in vogue, but 
 the beach was spacious enough to accommodate all, and there 
 was an unwritten law that forbade intrusion upon pre-empted 
 territorv. and the Avriter never learned of anv violations. 
 
A Chronological History of MilPord. 
 
 Bv NATHAN STOWE 
 
 This chronological liistory. now in its first edition, is subject to 
 correction, addition and elimination. 
 
 (Courtesy of Price, Lee and Company, New Haven, Conn.) 
 
 1637 — Arrived in Boston, company of ^Messrs. Daveni^ort aud 
 Eaton, men of wealth and highest respectability. 
 A committee of investigation sent to Quinnipiac with a 
 view to settlement, six of whom were left to winter at 
 Quinnipiac. Of this number, John Beecher died. 
 
 1638 — Company left Boston by vessel, arriving in Quinnipiac 
 in the lirst week in April, 1638, near a large oak tree, about 
 Avhere now is College and George Streets. 
 — The Sabbath following their safe arrival, they gathered 
 for worship under the "large oak tree." Mr. Davenport 
 preached in the morning. 
 
 — Mr. Peter Prudden preached in the afternoon, from the 
 text Matt. 3:3. "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 
 prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight." 
 The planters at once set about building for a permanent 
 settlement. The Ilereforil men under the leadership of IMr. 
 Prudden kept much to themselves with a view of making 
 a separate plantation. 
 
 1639 — The original purchase was made for the planters from 
 " Ansantawai " the Chief of the Paugussett Tribe of Indians 
 and his associates Arracowset, Anshuta, IManamatciue and 
 Tatacenacouse. lesser Chiefs, and confirmed by "twig and 
 turf" the Indian mode of transfer. The Indians also con- 
 firmed the sale by affixing their mark to a deed of sale in 
 accordance with the English custom, the English having 
 written the signatures of the several Chiefs for them. The 
 deed was taken for the planters by William Fowler, Ed- 
 mund Tapp, Zachariah Whitman, Benjamin Fenn and 
 
68 
 
 Alexander Bryan. Later purchases were made until the 
 boundary line was at Water])ury. The orig'inal purchase 
 consisted of all the land lying between the East I'iver and 
 the IIousat()]iic, with Ijong Island Sound (»n the soiilh two 
 miles t(nvai'd raugussett (Derby) nortli. 
 — Early in the Spring the planters, -witli thcii- families yet 
 at Qninnipiac, began preparations foi* occnpancy. The 
 material for the Common House was brought by water from 
 New Haven, and set n]i near the In^ad of the liarbor on the 
 west side. Such other material and utensils as Avere de- 
 sired for building were probably brought at the same time. 
 — A meeting of the |)lan1ers of Quinni])iac, Wopowage and 
 Minuncatuck was lu'M in the barn of .Mi'. Robert Newman 
 for the purjiose of rorninlating a set of rules for the gov- 
 ernment of llu' ( 'linrchcs. Aftci- iiiurh discussion, j\Ir. 
 Davenport recpicstcd .Mr. Newman to read the rules as he 
 had written them. After the reading a vote was t;il<en. and 
 was unanimous I'm- theii- adoption "no man dissenting." 
 ■ — The reading and voting \\-ere i'epe;ile(l wi1li the same re- 
 sult. Historical sermon by Kev. E. ('. lialdwin. 
 — Having decided tlu' fundamental (piestions they prepared 
 to organize their churches, wlucli was done in the same bai-n. 
 
 Says Mr. Mather: — "Ouv gloi-ious Lord himself Iioimi in 
 a manger, it was the moic alloWfd)le Hint ;i chni'ch * * * 
 * * * should be born in a barn. I bi-hold our Lord 
 with His fan in His hand i)urging His floor, and gathering 
 His wheat iido the garner." 
 
 ]\Ir. Phillip Henry said : "Xo new thing turning a thresh- 
 ing fliior into a Tein|)le." From the text of Scripture. "Wis- 
 dom hatli builded hei- hous(\ She hath hewn out her seven 
 pillars," was derived the plan of placing the church gov- 
 ernment upon seven pillars selected from the most stable 
 material. 
 
 —In the Fall of 16:30. the planters of Mr. Prudden's com- 
 pany, led by Sergt. Thomas Tibbals, followed the devious 
 Indian paths, driving their flocks before them, and came to 
 their new home by the AVepowaug. They set down thi(d<ly 
 together on both sides of Mill river and the West End 
 brook, for the convenience of water for themselves and 
 their stock. Their household goods were brought by water. 
 
69 
 
 Mr. Prudden had been serving the planters at Wethers- 
 field jis a preaelier and many from that place chose to fol- 
 low him to Wepowang, therel)y bringing the estimated 
 number of inhabitants to about two hundred. 
 — The first general meeting of the i)lanters Avas held (prob- 
 ably in the Common House) at which a civil polity was 
 ado[)ted, only church niendx'rs being allowed to vote or 
 entitled to hold office. ^\t this meeting were chosen offic- 
 ers, for the purpose of divitling and allotting the land, 
 taking oi-ders for timber, trying causes between man and 
 man, and to exercise a general supervision of civil affairs 
 in the plantation. A court of five judges was authorized 
 to call the peoj)le together at stated periods and such other 
 times when desirable, for the public beneht. Just when 
 the Home lots sectioii of the plantation was enclosed with- 
 in a line of palisades is not shown but [jrohably as early 
 as practical)le, surely before 164G. 
 
 — As stated, a coastwise traffic was early in vogue, between 
 I\Iilf(»rd and other parts. 
 ](J4() — Was held the secontl general meeting of the Wejjowang 
 plantecs. They then agreed with Mr. William Fowler, that 
 he should huild a grist mill and a house for it. and have 
 it going by the last of Septembei-. For his encouragement 
 he was granted thirty acres of land rate free during his 
 natural life, and later the perpetual use of the stream. It 
 was the first grist mill in the colony. Mr. Fowler later 
 set up a saw mill. 
 
 — Train Band organized. John Astwood, Captain. 
 — Just two years from the first meeting for worship 
 under "the large oak tree'' at Quinnipiac, came the regu- 
 lar ordination of ]\Ir. Peter Prudden as pastor of the 
 church in Milford. He was ordained by liis own brc^fhren, 
 Zachariah Whitman, William Fowler and Ednnind Tapp 
 who derived their authority from the Church. 
 — The next general meeting was held, and with counnon 
 consent and general vote of the freemen, the plantation 
 was named ]\Iilford, and the seal adopted for the use of 
 the town was composed of the two letters JM & F united, 
 signifying — it is said — United ^Milford Freemen. At this 
 meeting "the Court of Five Judges" was directed to build 
 
70 
 
 a bridge over the !Mill river with all expedition; also to 
 set up a Meeting House thirt.y feet square, after such man- 
 ner as they should judge most convenient for the public 
 good. This House was erected on the site of the present 
 structure. The bridge was the ^Meeting House bridge. 
 
 1641 — The Meeting House being "set up" the sitting was ar- 
 ranged witli respect to aged persons, the wives of church 
 officers and magistrates, general military officers and deaf 
 persons. Alexander Bryan was early in trade with Bos- 
 ton and other coastwise ports and a little later his son 
 Richard entered the same line. i\lr. Bryan's notes passed 
 as current in Boston as do now (Uir Xatioiud Bank notes. 
 — Every one who did not keep a ladder on his Inuise Wfis 
 liable to pny a fine of live (5) shillings. 
 — Robert Treat, though yet under age. was i-eeogni/.ed 
 as possessing unconnnon ability and was ealletl ujiod to 
 assist in surveying and laying out the divisions of land. 
 This year Mr. Richard Miles returned to New Haven. 
 
 1642 — Dr. Jasper Grum, for whom there fortiniately was little 
 to do in a pi'ofessional line, turned his attention to in- 
 structing the youth of the comnuuiity and was ably assist- 
 ed for a short tinu' by Rev. John Shernuin. 
 
 1643 — Four pence was to he paid on every house lot, to ilefray 
 public expense. 
 
 — ^Fr.EdnuindTapp died in NewIIaven. This year all of the 
 English in New England realizing that a union of the 
 Colonies, so far as to render each other nnitnal assistance 
 in the event of hostile action by the Dutch or Indians was 
 necessary, agreed to such united action in case of need. 
 
 1644 — JMilford united with New Haven Colony. 
 
 — Solonu)n, son of William Ea.st, aged about one year, died 
 the first death among the English to occui- in the town 
 
 since settlement. 
 
 — Henry Tondinson to open an "Oi-dinary"" (or Tavern). 
 1645 — FoMder's Bridge built. First school liouse built, used 
 also for j)ublic gatherings. 
 
 — Zachariah Whitman ordained Ruling Elder of the 
 Church. John Sherman and Thomas Tapping went to 
 Branford. 
 
71 
 
 — Church met for the choice of Deacons. Brother Fenn 
 and Brother Clark, Jr., were nomiuated. 
 — Sarah, wife of Nicholas Cami) died, the first adult among 
 the settlers to die in Milford. 
 
 — Division fences between house lots set up. By this time 
 most of the i)lanters had frame houses erected, lots num- 
 bered and names given on map. 
 
 li)46 — A list ot the planters, and a plan of the town jilot is 
 made, showing where each house lot is situated. The 
 residential pari of Ihc piu-chase was already enclosed by a 
 line of palisatles. About this time the Indians became 
 troublesome, and set fire to the country around, which, 
 though it greatly damaged the tind)er and meadows, was 
 quenched before it reached the palisades, and no houses 
 were destroyed. 
 
 16-47 — Benjamin Fenn was called as Deacon and duly installed. 
 
 16-48 — The Guard House, which was common property, was 
 sold for twenty (20) shillings to Mv. James Rogers. 
 — Thomas Lawrence and the Widow Beard, settlers, died. 
 The JMohawk Indians w(^re secreted in a swamp awaiting 
 a chance to attack the Milford Indians, but were dis- 
 covered by the English who notified the Wepowangs. The 
 latter set up the war-whoop and gathered in such numbers 
 that they attacked and defeated the invaders, killing some 
 and capturing some, one of whom they stripped, bound to 
 a stake and left in the great meadows to starve and be 
 tortured l)y the moscpiitoes. He Avas found and released 
 by one of the English, Thomas Hine, and set at liberty. 
 
 1650 — Alexander Bryan was granted a piece of land at the 
 corner of Broad Street and Dock lane on which to build 
 a warehouse. He also built a wharf at the end of the lane 
 where now is the Straw Hat Factory. 
 
 1651 — Thonnis Said'oi-d given leave to build a baim on Sachem's 
 Island, provided he did not place it where it Avould inter- 
 fere with the l)uilding of a bridge and roadway. 
 
 1653 — Alexander ]k\van gave to the town the wharf he had 
 built on condition that they would maintain it. 
 
 1654 — John Astwood died in England where he had gone on 
 a public mission for tln^ people. Robert Treat succeeded 
 him in the Train l>and. 
 
72 
 
 l(j55 — A Latin school established in IMilford '"for such scholars 
 as need learning." 
 
 — Mr. Richard giveii permission to hiiihl a warehouse on 
 the opposite side of th*^ lane from his father's. 
 Further purchase of land from the Indians, by Ensign 
 Bryan, Sergt. HaldAvin and William East. 
 — The "Ordinance'' House was sold (Note: — This possibly 
 relates to the House kept by Henry Tomlinsou as there was 
 at this time, no litth' friction l)etween Mr. Richard Bryan, 
 Mr. Tondiiisoii. and llic town authorities as to the sale or 
 exchange of tlic House in which the Tavci'n or Ordinary 
 was kept). 
 
 1656 — Mr. Peter l'rnd(hMi died this yeai-. ;ind .Mr. Mather sail! 
 of him: "He continued an abb' and faithful servant of 
 the churches until about the fifty-sixth year of his own age, 
 and the fifty-six! Ii of Ibe present age, wlu'u his death was 
 felt by the C(th)ny as the Tall of a jjiUar winch made the 
 whole fabric to shake." 
 
 1657 — ]\lilford Island, originally laid out to (Jeorge Hubbard 
 M-ho sold it to ixichard IJi-yan, is beau1ifull\- situated about 
 three-quarters of a mile from the mainland but Avith a bar 
 between it and the shore that is bare half the time. l*er- 
 mission was given by the town to Charles Deal to |)urchase 
 the island for a tol)acc() i)lantation on cotulition that the 
 buildings should not be used for an\' other ])urpose ; he 
 should not tratle with the Dutch or Indians, nor harbor 
 any sailors or disreputable persons thereon. There is a 
 legend that the notorious Capt. Kidd buried treasure on 
 the island which is probably a myth, but that he did at 
 times land there is (|uite probable, as he once made a visit 
 to the town, and, as stated in a letter from a maiden of 
 the towai, took the liberty to kiss her, which liberty it 
 seems she did not greatly resent. 
 
 — Mr. Thomas Buckingham, Sr. died in Boston where he 
 was in search of a successor to the Rev. Peter Prudden. 
 
 1659-60 — Indian Neck between East river and the Sound and 
 land from the Indian path to Oyster river south to the foot 
 path from Pangwell to New Haven, given by Robert Treat 
 and Ensign Bryan. 
 
 1660— Mr. William Fowler died. 
 
73 
 
 —About this time the exportation of timber suitable for 
 vessels or imini^s forbidden. 
 
 Rev. Roger Newton. son-in-l;i\v of Rev. Thomas Hooker, 
 was installed as Pastor of the Chnreli of Christ, in Mil- 
 ford. He was one of the seven founders, and the lirst 
 Pastor of tlie Church in Fanninii'ton. eoidinued here until 
 his death July 7. l(iS;{. 
 l/;(31__The Reitieides, .Ma.jor Generals Gotfe and Whalley came 
 to ^lilford and for two years were secreted in the basement 
 of a small huilding. used 1)\- the family as a work shop, 
 standing- .-it the I'ear of Air. iMicah Tonddns' house, the 
 daughters olten at their work in the room overhead en- 
 tirely igiioi-ant of the pres^mec of anyone Ixdow. 
 
 The hi'st bni-ying ground laid out by town. 
 
 1662— The bridge ((!re;it liridge) over Indian River was budt. 
 
 Robert Treat was coiiinnssioned Captain of the Train 
 
 Band having been in eonnnand as Lieutenant since the 
 death of Captain John AstAvood. 
 1662— This year Sanniel Eells eame to Milford and soon took 
 a i.romineid part in the affairs of the town and colony. 
 He was enmmissioner for the purchase of lands, and setthng 
 boundary lines, town clei-k. captain of the Train Band 
 and saw active service in Philip's War, with Capt. Cliurch. 
 and inider Robert Treat. He was appointed on a commit- 
 tee to cop\- the i-ecords of the town and was selected by 
 the committee to ti-anscribe them. 
 1663— He married Ainia. daughter of Rev. Robert Lenthal. the 
 officiating clergyman al the bui-ial of the great John Hamp- 
 den. About 1670 he Imill the hous(^ now known as the 
 "Stow House," sold by his gi'an(ls(»n .Nathaniel Fa'Hs to 
 Ca])tain Ste])hen Stow in 17r)4. 
 — Zachariah Whitman dic^l. 
 1664— Thomas Oviatt came to Milfoi'd. He was the nephew of 
 Alexander Bryan and later held the office of town clerk. 
 He Avas called "Air." He was the founder of the family 
 in jMilford. Thomas I'tfort was the founder of a distinct 
 family name now extinct here. 
 
 —New Haven jurisdiction dissolved and Milford came un- 
 . der the Connecticut Charter. 
 1665— Thomas Ford died. 
 
74 
 
 — Robert Treat went to Newark. N. J., with Mr. Pierson's 
 Company. 
 
 16G6 — Jaiiu's Prudden and Francis Norton died. 
 
 — Col. Sannud Eells was born, son of Captain Saimiel. He 
 was liberally edncated and took a very prominent part in 
 afifairs of th(^ town and colony, was Colonel of the New 
 Haven Connty Regiment, Assistant Xaval Officer, ]\Iagis- 
 trate. etc., born and lived abont 87 years in the honse given 
 liim by bis fatbcr, the "Stow Ilonse," and anc(\st()r in one 
 line of J. Pierpont JMorgan. 
 
 U)i')[) — Joseph Northrup died. 
 
 1670 — Jasper Green died. 
 
 — Thomas Clark gradnatcd from Harvard College. He was 
 a planter in IMilford. Capt. of Militia. .Justice of the Peace, 
 Representative to Ibe Ceneral Assembly a nnmber of years, 
 and Jndge of tbe Comity Coni't. He marfied a danghter (»f 
 Asst.-Gov. Gibhard of New Haven. 
 
 — Thomas Tibbals was given laiul in consideration of bis 
 helpfnlness in serving Alexander liryan. FiS(|.. ;ind Assist- 
 ant John Peai-d. Commissioned Captain. 
 
 ](J71 — Capt. Thomas Willit and Mrs. .lohanna Prudden man-ied. 
 
 1()72 — Robei-t Treat retnrned to Milfoi'd fi-om Newark. N. J., 
 where he was classed as the fonndei' of that place and a 
 tablet has i-ecently been inscribed. 
 — Governor Johnathan Law born in .Milfoi'd. 
 
 1673 — John Clark ordained Hnling Khbn-. Died the next year. 
 
 1674 — The town had long owned a flock of sheep sometimes 
 1.500, this year tbe\' se(|nester(Ml two miles of land for the 
 use of the towji as a sheep pastnre. 
 
 167.') — A Fnlling Mill and Saw ^lill were bnilt on the island 
 near the meeting honse, by Major Treat, Elder Hncking- 
 ham, Lient. Fowler and Thomas Hayes. 
 — Richard Bryan and Sergeant East were in the trade with 
 West Indies exporting horses, cattle, corn meal, etc., 
 bringing back I'lnn and molasses. 
 
 — King Phili])'s war in which m mnnber of ^lilford men 
 were engaged, bnt unfoi'tnnat(dy we do not know .inst 
 whom. 
 
 That Robert Treat was Commander-in-Chief of the Con- 
 neeticnt forces we do know and also that Samnel Eells 
 
75 
 
 led a company as acting Captain, not commissioned iiniil 
 1680. 
 
 1676 — Roliert Treat was cleetcMl Dej^iity Governor of Connec- 
 ticut and In'ld lliis office and tliat of Governor for thirty 
 years until the iufii'inity of age compelled him to decline 
 further service. 
 
 1680 — About this time tln^ Indians, from various causes, had 
 ^ become few in inmibei'. In .Milfoi'd eitihl or ten wigwams 
 were still at <)i'oiio(|ue l)ut llu\\' soon left as Ihe wliite men 
 setth^l neai". 
 
 Their foi't. near the ferry, had been destroyed by eleven 
 young nuMi of Milford, who, upon complaint of the Indians 
 were brought into court, confessed their part in the inis- 
 chief and were tin(Ml ten p(uuids, this was in 1671. 
 — A comndttee was ai)pointed to meet a like committee 
 from Derby to settle fairly and finally tln^ boundary lin(^ 
 between the two towns. 
 
 1681 — The town voted that the land bought from ]\Irs. Ferman 
 should be s(d apart and sequestered for the ust^ of the 
 ministry as a parsonage from one minister to anothei' by 
 succession in Milford, and that it should not be in the 
 power of the town to sell, alienate or dispose of it. but for 
 the use of the miinstry as above expressed. 
 
 Forty acres were se(iuestered for the Stratford Ferry. 
 
 1683 — The Rev. Roger Xewton died, after a service in ^lilford 
 of about twenty-three years. 
 
 1685 — The Rev. Samuel Andrews was installed as Pastor of 
 the church. lie was one of tlu^ principal fountbu's of Yale 
 College, and while Hect(U" he instructed the senior class in 
 I\Iilford. 
 
 — Purchase was made of a tract of land lying l)y the path 
 which goes from New Haven to Derby and boumled with 
 said ])ath south, with the brook called Hladens Hi'ook, 
 north, with the lin(^ that is in the point between New 
 Haven and ^lilford east, and the line that is the point 
 between Derby and Milford west. This pui'chase was 
 made by Robert Ti'cat, Samuel Eells, Benjamin Fenn, 
 Thomas Clark aiul S\ivanus Baldwin. 
 
 1686 — The town gave to Nicholas Camp grouiul for a new 
 warehouse. In the cai'h' historv of the town, in order 
 
76 
 
 to facilitate the passage of persons from the west end, it 
 was ordered hy the town thnt a patli should eross from 
 that section lo the lii<ilnvay iicai' tlie cliiirch. .Mi-. Xicliolns 
 Camp to maintain a stile at his fence and Deacon Fletcher 
 a bridii'e made oL' a log hewed on the top side, over 
 the l)i'()ok in Little Drc.-idi'ul Swamj). 
 
 1689— William Hoherts, died. Earliest date of death of a set- 
 tler found in ^lilford Cemetery. 
 
 1690 — Ceorge Clark (Cai'i)enter), died. Koger Newton and 
 Capt. .lohn Heard died. 
 
 — Ship l)uil(ling was ;i pronnncnl cnlci'itrise in MiU'oi'd. 
 Hcthiicl Langstatf was ;i nuistcr builder. 
 — S.-imncI Uni-wcll commissioned Cjipljiin of Militi;i in 
 :\Iillord. 
 
 16itl — Thomas Oviatt, died. lie \v;is pi'()l)al)ly tallow- 
 chandler or sojip mannl'aeturer as lie names as collaleral 
 for a loan from Kicliard lii-yan, (piantities of oil and other 
 material reserving for his personal nse live (5) bai'i-els of 
 oil. His son, 'riiomas, was prohahly Town Clerk in 16<Si), 
 then about 22 yeais of age. 
 Sergt. Thonms Tibbals. di(>d. FJnathan Txilsl'ord, died. 
 
 J 696 — ]\Iungo Nisl)ett, a resident of the town, was giveu liberty 
 to prosecute free trade and commerce. He opened traffic 
 to New York. He married Sarah, daughter of Richard 
 Bryan, widow of Samuel Fitch. She died in 3 698. Grave- 
 stone in cemetery is a work of art on English slate. 
 
 1699 — A schoolhonse, serving also as a hall, was authorized 
 to be built at "West End" Avhich is said to have stood for 
 about one hundred years. The date of erection of the 
 Town House at the East End is not lV)und, but it is said 
 that after schools Avere established a Town House was 
 built, which in 1784, gave place to a new and larger one. 
 
 1700 — In the spring of this year so much danger was appre- 
 hended that tAvo houses were fortified against a possible 
 attack by the Indians. 
 
 — A further i)urchase of land was made north of Bladen's 
 Brook to the brook called Lebanon Brook, east by New 
 Haven and west by the land between Derby and Milford. 
 Committee for the purchase Robert Treat, Thomas Clark, 
 Sr., Samuel Buckingham, Lieut. S. Baldwin and Ensign 
 George Clark. 
 
77 
 
 1701-1702 — Al)raliam Pierson, sou of Abraham Lewis of Bran- 
 ford and Newark, N. J., stndied in ]Milford under Rev. 
 Roger Newton. He married Abigail, daughter of George 
 Clark. He was selected as the first President of Yale Col- 
 lege in 1701. Rev. Samuel Andrews as Rector and Presi- 
 dent for many years and the successor of Abraham Pier- 
 son. He married Abigail, youngest daughter nf Governor 
 ' Riiliert Treat. Abigail Andrews, daughter of Rev. Sam- 
 uel, married Johnathan Law. later Governor, and another 
 daughter married Rev. Timothy Cutler, who was the third 
 President of Yale. 
 
 1702— The tinai purchase toward the north was made. Land 
 lK)unded south by Lebanon Brook, east by ^Milford and 
 New ILiven line, north by Beacon Hill or Waterluiry line, 
 and west by line between Derby and IMilford. 
 
 I705_joseph Wheeler settled at what was called the "Upper 
 Meadow." on the Housatonic River, or Sergeant Camp's 
 hop garden, tlu' place since known as Wheeler's Farm. 
 
 I7()(3_pi,,nfs Bridge, on the old road at the quarry, was built 
 by John Plum. Sr., the miller who established a mill on 
 the Indian river near that point, and who agreed 1o l)uild 
 and maintain the bridge. 
 
 1707— Rev. Samuel Amlrew chosen as Rector of Yale College 
 and at the death of PresidtMit l*iei-sou succeeded him as 
 President. 
 
 ]709_C\)1. Roger Newton, who succeeded Col. Samuel Eells m 
 eoiiiiuand of the 2d. Regiment of Conn, troops, grandson 
 of Rev. Roger Newton, graduate of Harvard, distinguished 
 as a military officer in Queen Anne's War, connnander the 
 Conn, troops at Louisburg, was Judge of the County Court 
 and Chief Judge for several times. (See iiiscrii)tion <:n 
 gravestone IMilford (Vunetery.) 
 
 1710_Gov. Robert Treat died July 12. 1710. age 88. 
 
 1712 — Counnittee a|»point(>d by the town to agree with the 
 Stratford authorities to carry the inhabitants to Milford 
 over the rivei- at hall' i»)'ice on condition that Milford furn- 
 ish a boat on this side. 
 
 1718— A petition for a new patent, that should include the late 
 purchases and define the then boundaries of the town and 
 protect the title thereto, was drawn up by Jonathan Law 
 
78 
 
 Esq., and the following committee chosen to advance the 
 claim : Jonathan Law. Esq., Sergt. Zachariah I^aldwin, En- 
 sign Samuel Gunn, Capt. Joseph Treat, Ensign George 
 Clark and Samuel Clark. Jr. 
 
 — The patent was granted, a copy made to which the seal 
 of the colony was attached, and the Governor, Gruden Sal- 
 tonstall, and Secretary Alexander Wyllys, of the Colony, 
 signed their names. 
 
 —A mill, situated near the present Gulf Bridge, was erect- 
 ed by a company of forty of the inhabitants. It was a 
 tide mill and could be operated only as the tides permitted. 
 The latest owner was :\rr. Stoddard father of Wm. B., Good- 
 win and Henry Stoddard, citizens well known and respected 
 by all. It was demolished nearly tifty yeai's ago. 
 
 1714 — Samuel Clai'ke Ixmglil Bryan's wai-elioiise. 
 
 1716 — AVas an inicoiniiiotily cold and liai'd wintci-. 
 
 1717 — "Seafiowcr"" lannclicd in Milfoiv!, foi b'icdiai'd Bi'yan. 
 Shipbuilding carried on here for about IDO y(>ars. Last 
 vessels launclu'd wei'e the "Isabella" LSLS and "Marcel- 
 lus" 1820. The builders were W. IL Fowler and D. L. 
 Baldwin. 
 
 ^Yoted that the selectmen. Grand-Jurors. Constables. List- 
 ers, Ensign lieaivl and Ensign (iem-ge Clark take turns to 
 look after the boys at meetings for public worship. (Some 
 pretty bad boys under the sod in our Cemetery). 
 
 1718 — Committee chosen to view the highway leading to the 
 parting of the river (Ui 1lie westward side of .Mr. Merwin's 
 lot, (probably at the Gulf shore). Also voted that two 
 schools be kept in Town three months iu the Winter. Com- 
 mittee chosen to regulate and settle on highways in general. 
 
 171!) — Voted that the Meeting House ])e now seated by the 
 same rules agreed upon 1708-9. 
 
 1720 — Voted that a door be made in the west side of the Meet- 
 ing House for passage from each gallery to the street. 
 
 1721 — Action having been brought against the town for dam- 
 ages by Hooding meadows in Gulf :\lill p(uul attorneys were 
 chosen to defend the town. 
 
 — Swine running at large in the highways and commons, 
 not properly ringed and yoked, owners were held respon- 
 
79 
 
 sible for damages, of one shilling per head and for dam- 
 age done. 
 17212 — Voted that the Selcetincn he a Committee to pnrsne the 
 matter relating to the ferry between ]\lilford and Strat- 
 ford now in agitation in the General Asseml)ly. 
 
 Note — There appears to be a gap in the records here of 
 
 several years in which time it is i)rohable a ncAv Meeting 
 
 . House was erected. 
 
 1728 — Voted seven pence on the pmiid for the Town charges 
 
 and the charges for the l)nilding of the new Meeting House. 
 
 172!) — Hate nine pence per pound. Rules passed for seating 
 
 persons in the new Meeting House. 
 17;j() — Count Samuel .Mih's having died, Theophilus Miles, his 
 son, is chosen T(iwn Treasurer, to collect the reuuiinder of 
 the loan rate which his father had not done. 
 — Pews assigned to Zachariah Whitman and his heirs for- 
 ever, also to George Clark the noi-theast pew in the gallery 
 to him and his heirs. 
 
 ]\T,)^(. — Zachariah Whitman, the ruling elder, left no cliild, 
 but left his estate to his nephew Zachariah, son of his 
 brother John of Hartford, named above. 
 —All the pews in the gallery to be granted to such persons 
 as should, within one month apply to the Committee, such 
 as they should choose and the Committee allow. 
 17;^l_Voted to accept of the grant to the town, l)y the General 
 Assembly, of the liberty to set up a ferry on this side of the 
 river called Stratford river. Voted to make the improve- 
 ment and a committee chosen and given a very broad free- 
 dniu in carrying out the ])lan. 
 ]7;};j_iilelectmen chosen a committee with ]n)wer to repair 
 the old school house. If not profitable to repair the old 
 building they Avere empowered to build a new one large 
 enough to accommodate the town to meet in for Town 
 ^Meetings and like purposes. 
 1734_Selectmen to take care of the school the ensuing year. 
 — Provision made for a bridge over j\Iill river on the Derby 
 and New- Haven road, for man and horse. 
 1735._Committee appointed to confer with Mr. AndrcAvs in re- 
 lation to the settling of another Minister in the town. 
 —Committee appointed to view the West End school house 
 
so 
 
 and if not profitable to repair to build a new one at the "West 
 End, of such size as they shall think necessary. ^Meeting 
 adjourned to February 2. 178(i. at which time provision was 
 made for procuring a IMinister to assist our aged ^linister 
 as occasion may require. 
 1736 — A committee waited upon ^Ir. Samuel Whittelsey. Jr., 
 who after consideration accepted the call, which was re- 
 ported at this meeting. 
 
 • — looted that the Selectmen of the town do give an ord?r 
 to John Fowler. Town (leik. to transcribe into othei' books 
 all such records as they thiidv necessar\' and proix'r. 
 
 1736-7-9 — As there were some in the town who were not satis- 
 fied to remain in the church and piy their share toward its 
 support but dissented from the views of the new pr<'acher. 
 the men who Avere chosen to collect tlu^ rates brought the 
 matter before the regular meeting for instructions. 
 
 1738 — T\li-. S;iniucl Whittelsey ordjiined Pnstoi- of .Milfoi'd 
 Church. 
 
 17-40 — At the annn;il meeting held ;it the E;ist Hud school house, 
 the sextons were elected for the ensuing vear. Am iig tlieii' 
 other duties were to ring the l)ell. ;)nd give notice of deaths 
 and funerals u])on Sabbrith days ami other meetings. At a 
 special meeting held .May 5, 1740, the Hon. Dept.-Gov. 
 Roger Newton, Lieut. George ('l;ii-k. Cjipt. Samuel Gunn 
 and Mr. Freegift Goggesluill or an\ thi'ce of them were 
 authorized to i)rocnre a bell, as soon as convenient, for 
 the use of the town, to weigli aliont Wve hundred and 
 eighty pounds, not to exceed six hundred pounds. Rates 
 for defraying charges for the bell ;ire not to be levied ui)on 
 the pai-ish of Amity ( AVoodbridge ). Kate 3 pence per 
 pound. 
 
 1742 — Voted that the tongue of the bell shall be larger than it 
 now is, in order to Indp the sound tlu'reof. the Selectmen 
 to decide what size may be suitable. 
 
 1744 — At a special meeting called for the purpose, the Selectmen 
 reported the church steeple to be in a dangei-ous condition 
 as they had found one plate and all the beams upon Tlie top 
 of the tower defective and very difficult to repair. The 
 spire be taken down. Voted, to take it down and after 
 such timbers are properly renewed and the floor of the 
 
81 
 
 tower relaid, the spire should be rehuilt not to exceed forty 
 feet in height from the top of the tower. 
 — Agreed by the town ;ind voted that the Selectmen, with 
 advice of David Sandford. be a committee to order a 
 weathercock, Iioav high and after what manner they shall 
 judge proper. 
 1745_The Sexton is required to take care of the bell and clock. 
 » Rate fixed for defraying expense of repairs on Meeting 
 House and putting up weathercock. A committee was also 
 chosen to investigate a charge that a fence was being con- 
 structed so as to obstruct the passing and landing at the 
 landing place at the Gulf. 
 1747.8_The prayer of Col. Samuel Eells. Benjamin Fenn, 
 George Glark, Jr.. and P^phraim Strong, in behalf of them- 
 selves and others " * * * that the town do vote and 
 agree that (ncry member in each congregation have free 
 liberty, which meeting they shall attend * * * the 
 money received to be ecpially divided ; or if any other way 
 could be provided by which we could unite under one 
 roof, if it is for the glory of God, we trust we should em- 
 brace it." 
 1748— Josiah Piatt, John Merwin and sundry others, inhabit- 
 ants of the town of lyiilford, living at the East farms, com- 
 monly called Burwell's farms, pray for a part of the 
 school money. Voted upon and decided in the affirmative 
 provided, however, that the same be used for the schooling 
 of children. 
 1749 — Bridge authorized to be built across the Mill river at a 
 place called Breakneck Plain. 
 
 — :^roney granted to Bryan's farm and Wheeler's farm 
 for schools. 
 1750— Rates collected for the INIinister for the year past were 
 exclusive of the parish of Amity, and the persons whose 
 names were entered with the Town Clerk as dissenters 
 from the established church in ]\Iilford. Also a new lay- 
 out of the road from Burwell's farm to Oyster river ex- 
 changing the present highway for land through that laid 
 out to Johannah Gunn. right where the path now goeth 
 toward Oyster river. 
 
82 
 
 1751 — Voted to lay out a higliAvay three rods wide between 
 Andrew Tnttle's land and the burying ground. 
 — A committee was appointed to search the records with 
 reference to land sequestered and granted by the town 
 for the use of a ferry, etc., and report at the next meeting. 
 
 1752 — A committee was appointed to confer Avith Thomas 
 Clark, Jr., Avith reference to the ])urch;ise of some part of 
 his land adjoining the burying ground, to enlarge the 
 burying yard. 
 
 — Assessments Avere made for schools at Bryan's farms, 
 Burwell's farms, Wheeler's farms, and our oavu school- 
 house set up in the north end of t]u» town. 
 
 1754 — Capt. Stephen StoAV of IMiddh'town, wlio had married 
 FreeloA^e BaldAvin of this toAvn, purchased from Nathaniel 
 Eells, the house noAv knoAvn as "The StoAV House." 
 — A half penny rate Avas leAded to keep the meeting house 
 in repair. 
 
 1755 — A coinmittee ai^pointed for a further conference Avith 
 Mr. Thomas Clark, Jr., for land at the burying ground, 
 also to make out an estimate of the cost to make up and 
 finish the remainder of the Avork to enclose the bury- 
 ing yard. 
 
 1756 — The toAvu agreed to i)urchase the land lying eastward 
 of the burying ground from Mr. Thomas Clark, Jr., and 
 appointed a committee to finish the fence. 
 — The Selectmen Avith others to assist, lay out a highway 
 to the Oyster Banks at Stratford Point. (Probably Peconic 
 on Milford Point, at tlu> mouth of Stratford or Housatonic 
 river.) 
 
 1757 — The King's troops Avere ordered to encamp at Milford 
 during the Avinter of 1757 and 8, the toAvn to quarter them. 
 It Avas, therefore, voted to provide a house for the King's 
 troops. 
 
 — Tavo men of the toAvn Avere ordered to be prosecuted for 
 the running over and wounding of Margaret Parker. 
 — The regular tOAvn meeting adjourned to meet April 26, 
 1758. 
 
 1758— (Probably for the reason that the King's troops were 
 quartered in the school or town house, the regular meet- 
 ing on December 26, 1757, adjourned, transacting little or 
 
83 
 
 no public business, to meet at the church building at this 
 time.) At this adjourned meeting at the church, a further 
 provision was made for the King's troops. 
 
 1759 — The records of this meeting do not show any mention of 
 the destruction of the Town House by the British soldiers 
 other than is implied by the fact that an indemnity fund 
 was to be used in erecting the proposed new House. At 
 this meeting David Baldwin was chosen as sexton for 
 the ensuing year and was to ring the bell on all public 
 occasions and "at nine o'clock o 'nights." 
 — The last clause probably refers to the recently enacted 
 law by the General Assembly at Hartford relating to tip- 
 pling and drunkenness, wdiich imposed a severe penalty 
 upon any person found in a house where strong drink was 
 sold after nine o'clock at night, and a more severe penalty 
 upon the owner or occupant of such a house who should 
 permit such a breach of the law upon his. her or their pre- 
 mises. Also it was voted to lay out the fifty pounds grant- 
 ed by the government to build a Town House, to be two 
 feet larger in length and breadth than it w^as before and 
 not "Plxsed." Voted, that ]Mr. John Harpins, Jr., should 
 build the house so far as the above said fifty pounds would 
 go. ]\rr. Ilarpins to have no reward for his trouble. 
 — Agreed ;ind voted by the town that Mr. Robert Treat 
 and Capt. -John Woodruff should be a committee to direct 
 JMr. Harpins in the building of the Town House and to in- 
 spect his accounts and to curtail the same if they should 
 think them to he \un*easonable. 
 
 — Certain persons were exempt from taxes toward the 
 salary of :\Ir. Whittelsey if they payed to Rev. Job Prud- 
 den and showed a receipt signed by him to the collector. 
 
 1761 — Assessment of one penny per pound layed and collected 
 to pay for finishing the ferry house, fencing, and other 
 changes the Committee had made. 
 
 — Rev. Job Prudden is granted the improvement of two 
 acres of salt meadow, in the part called the "elder's 
 meadow," as long as he shall remain in the ministry in 
 this place. 
 
 Note — The alxn'e items are of little consequence only 
 as showing a disposition to recognize, in a legal way, the 
 dissolution of the two factions. 
 
84 
 
 1763 — Vote taken to proliibit the taking of oysters from the 
 Indian river during the few summer inonths. Committee 
 appointed to perand^ulate and fix monuments to marlv the 
 line between jMilford and New Haven. 
 
 1764 — Agreed and voted to build a bridge over the run called 
 East river, between Nehemiah Smith's and Zaehariah 
 Marke 's. 
 
 1766 — Voted a rate of one farthing for improvement of the 
 schools, also voted that four schools be kept through 
 the winter. 
 
 1767 — Voted that for sick persons oysters may be taken with 
 rakes until the town shall otherwise agree. 
 
 1768 — Agreed that Reliecca Clark, widow, should have the 
 profits of the pound which Lieut. George Clark built in 
 the west end of I he town so b)ng as she shall keep tlie 
 same in god repair an:'; so that it answers for a pound. 
 
 Note — This is uniipie as allowing anything to a woman 
 by vote of the town. 
 
 Voted to buihl a bridge over I he I'iver by the hous;' 
 formerly beb)nging to John l>ald\vin. 
 
 Note — This Avas before the mill \v;is set uj) by .Messrs, 
 Treat, Buckingham, Fowler and linyes, and no mill pond 
 was near the Meeting House jiikI the stream was narrow. 
 — Certain parties granted the exclusive right to ])lant 
 and take up oysters in a limited acre in the Indian river 
 above Fowlers Rock. 
 
 — Voted that the town should defend legally the suit now 
 pending between citizens of JMilford and Stratford, relat- 
 ing to fishing rights in the Stratford river. 
 • — Agent ai)i)ointed to petition the General Asseml)ly to 
 grant a certain section on Stratford river for a fishing place 
 to Israel Curtiss and others. The General Assembly did ap- 
 point a disinterested commission consisting of Messrs. 
 Thomas Darling of New Haven, David Burr of Fairfield 
 and Col. Thomas Felch of Norwalk, to hear and report 
 upon the matter. 
 
 177-1: — Question wliether the town will jirovide one or more 
 agents to attend the Congress at Midilletown, in the mat- 
 ter of claiming the right to land ceded to the State west 
 of New York and the Susquehaniui, the jurisdiction of 
 whicli is claimed by IMr, Penn, 
 
85 
 
 — !3mall pox having broken ont in the town measures to 
 control its spread were taken, and provision made for a 
 honse for the eonvenienee of iid'ected persons to be built, 
 40 by 18 feet, and the necessary bedding, etc., furnished. 
 — Meeting convened agreeable to direction of tlie eleventh 
 article of association agreed upon by the American Conti- 
 nental Congress at Philadelphia, September 5, 1774. Re- 
 solved that we highly approve of and will abide by the 
 association in every particular thereof and agreed upon. 
 
 V;iri(ms committees appointed and also voted: That a 
 subscription be opened forthwith for the relief an:l sup- 
 port of the poor inhabitants that are sufferers by the I'ort 
 Bill. 
 
 1775 — Voted that the great guns be mounted on trucks. The 
 Selectnum i)i'ovide all things necessary for use of the great 
 guns. That bayonets and other provisions be furnished. 
 That a miinitc post be established and contimie i nntil ]Mon- 
 day next under the direction of Isaac .Miles. 
 — A petition to the General Assenddy to allow a couipany 
 to be enlisted. Voted to grant some gratuity to those who 
 had enlisted under command of -John Fowler. 
 
 177G — Thuler stress of circumstances the use of powder, etc., 
 for fowling pieces was forbidden. 
 
 ■ — Vote to accei)t grant of General Assembly of peiMuission 
 to foi'tify, and (Muniinttee appointed to select a i)lace. 
 — Agreed that the fortification shoul.l be in West Point. 
 — Town to proceed to build a battery to be built by taxa- 
 ti<:n. Land |)nrchased from John Arnold to build battery 
 upon. 
 
 1777 — Agreed to pi-ovide for faunlies of soldiers. Ten jiounds 
 voted to any citizen of the town who would enlist in the 
 service of the United States for three years. 
 — Voted to provide clothing for the soldiers. 
 — "Classing Men" to till up quota for Continental Army. 
 
 N^ote — The Continental troops were what are now termed 
 regulars as distinguished from the IMilitia. ("Classing 
 ]Men" are presumed to be recruiting officers). 
 — Voted to refund the several five pounds, paid by the 
 "Classing Men," to raise men for the Army. 
 
 1778 — Articles of Confederation are approved, except the eighth 
 which it is thought should be modified (relating to meth- 
 
86 
 
 1779 — T-\veiity British transport ships anchored off Milford. 
 
 1780 — Thirty pounds voted for every able-bodied recruit wlio 
 enlists fur the war. Six pounds for those who enlist for 
 six niontlis. Twenty shillings per month for those only 
 who serve out of the town. 
 
 —Rate of six pence half penny state tax. Select men to 
 ascertain town's deficiency in trooi)s and procure enlist- 
 ments. 
 
 — Tax laid for running town defence. Town to allow ("nm- 
 mittee for supplying soldiers' families, nmrket pi-ice if not 
 allowed by pay table. 
 
 1781-2 — Committee a})pointed to raise and put up corn anil flour 
 for Continental Army. Committee appointed to procure a 
 quota for Regiment now formin.g. 
 
 1783 — Provisions made for soldiers" families, and encourage- 
 ment to enlist. 
 
 Note — No recoi'd appears as to the closing of the war. 
 
 1784 — Voted that the obligation for rent of ferry by Samuel 
 Smith (deceased) l)e abated, and Selectmen directed to let 
 out the ferry for three years. 
 
 — Committee appointed to meet with one appointed by Gen- 
 eral Assembly to divide the town stock between the town of 
 Milford and the town of Woodjjridge (recently set oft' as a 
 separate township). 
 
 1785 — Committee to view the road at Hog rock and report to a 
 future meeting the probable expense of alteration. 
 — Committee on road at Hog i-ock reported and were in- 
 structed to carry out the scheme. 
 
 Note — The road formerly ran north of Hog rock to the 
 ferry, but was afterward changetl to its present layout 
 south of it. Tlie old road was called the "Witch's Road." 
 Note — In relation to the ferry there has been consider- 
 able speculation as to when it was given up and the bridge 
 built over the Housatonic, which was apparently about the 
 beginning of the Nineteenth Century, hence the items. 
 
 1788 — Selectmen to view burying ground in relation to its en- 
 largement and to confer with proprietor on the east side. 
 
 1790 — Isaac Jones granted liberty to erect a small building 
 near the ship yard in which to labor, to stand such time 
 as the Selectmen think reasonable. 
 
87 
 
 [791 — Selectmen directed to rebuild or repair the wharf or 
 wliarves of the ferry, etc. 
 
 Also to confer wilh Nathan Fowler in relation to the 
 raising of his dam and flooding the road near the little 
 M ill pond ( so-called ) . 
 1792 — Agent appointed to oppose the opening of highway be- 
 ginning a little east of .Jeremicdi Hnll's and running across 
 several lots until it comes to Broad ^Street, a little west of 
 Capt. C'harles I'ond's (uoav High Street). 
 17c,3_(|^ilf ^viiarf built by Charles Pond & Co. 
 17!»6 — Milford Grenadiers organized. Capt. Daniel Sackett 
 counnanding. Scarlet coats with butt' facings, gold lace 
 trinnnings, drab knee breeches with buckles, Suwarrow 
 boots with buckles, pointed caps eighteen inches high of 
 cloth, red front, buff back. Ostrich phunes and trimmings 
 on edges of caps. 
 1797 — Selectmen and Abi-aham Toiidinson to receive proposals 
 for the ferry house, lands, and all the town's right to the 
 ferry. 
 
 Also voted that it shall be lawful for any of the inhab- 
 itants to enter in nnd upun any land whatever within the 
 limits of the town and to dig u]) and destroy barbery 
 bushes growing therenn. 
 1798 — Voted to sell the fei'iw pi'ovided $750 was oft'ered, the 
 purchaser to give security for double the amount, the 
 proi)erty and rights in the purchase to be accepted as one 
 half. The lease of the property and rights were secured 
 by Joseph Hopkins of Waterbury for a term of 999 years, 
 January 26, 1798, fully confirmed by vote of the town 
 August 29, 1803. 
 1800— Post Office established U. S. 
 
 1802 — Jetl'erson Bridge built and the bridge at "Blue Rock," 
 just north of the railroad bridge, was abandoned. 
 — Presented a petition and citation from the New Haven 
 and ^lilford Turnpike Company. The town voted that 
 the turnpike should not cut through the land of the Mil- 
 ford people but follow the roadways except to cut sharp 
 corners. 
 
 — Nathan Fowler requested the town to build a bridge 
 neai- his mill across the tlinneway, (U^ aid and assist him 
 
88 
 
 in building the pame nr make alteration in the road. Pe- 
 tition denied. 
 
 1804 — Voted to lay nut the highway thi'ough the west einl lots 
 and a eonnnittee was appoiided to view a suitable place to 
 run it fi'om north to south, and rei)ort ; also voted that the 
 selectmen be desired to enlarge the burying ground next 
 to the swamp or' elsewiiei'e. 
 
 1805 — Church Society formed in North .Milford. Rev. P]rastus 
 Scranton, pastor, married April 10. 1806. .Mai'y E. Prudden. 
 
 1806 — Washington Bridge i)ar1ially destroyed by ice. 
 
 1808 — Washington Pjridge rebuilt, money raised by lottery. A 
 negro belonging to Wm. Glenney died. 
 
 1810 — Academy built near Meeting House Bi-idge. P^ast side 
 of the river, Gulf Pridge. Poi)ulation of town 2,674. 
 
 1815 — Selectmen decitled to put the Town Ib)use in giiod re]iair. 
 
 1816— Grand list ^54,820. 
 
 181!) — 100 dwellings within one mile s{)ace. Four corn mills, 
 three fulling mills, three carding mills and three canneries. 
 Regular packet sloops ran between this port and New York, 
 carrying besides farm j)r()du('e and assorted cargoes, many 
 sugar and molasses casks to be reshipped to West Indies, 
 returning with supplies for the mercliants and general mer- 
 chandise. Passengers were sometimes carried. 
 
 1822 — The Town of Orange was incorporated though the 
 Church retained the name of North Milford until 1842, 
 when the following act of the General Assembly made a 
 change. Be it enasted, etc.. "That the name of the Eccle- 
 siastical Society of North ^lilford, in the Towai of Orange, 
 be and the same is hereby altered to the name of the Ec- 
 clesiastical Society of Orange." They had been a separ- 
 ate society since 1805. INleeting House dedicated April 
 17, 1811. 
 
 1823 — On this date the congregation met for the last time in 
 the old meeting house that had served since 1728 and the 
 building gave way to the present edifice. 
 
 1824 — Voted: That a new town clock be purchased and the 
 selectmen directed to dispose of the old one to the best 
 advantage to the toAvn. Also Voted : That the selectmen 
 be authorized to let the burying ground for the pas uring 
 of sheep only. 
 
89 
 
 1825— This year the town purchased a hearse for the use of the 
 l)eoi)l('. I'p to this time it was the custom to carry the dead 
 for luirial upon liiers borne by the pallbeai'ers, sometimes 
 resting' upon the sliouhh'i-s, the peo})h' who I'ollowed gen- 
 erally in pmeession on foot, if able to walk. 'IMic town 
 also oi'drred a horse foi- the hearse. 
 
 fs;^0 — Beach Bros. Carriage Manufactoiy. 
 
 I>i81 — iJaptist Society foniicd.. Met for some lime in old Town 
 House. 
 
 — Indian descendants of \Ve})owangs fi'om Lake ( Miaiiii)lain 
 made a final visit to Pocmic Point, in memory of llicir an- 
 cesfiu's. The last Indian on the Indian reservation at Tur- 
 key Hill was Molly Ilackett. pronounced a noble specimen 
 of her I'aie, and a general favorite with the ])ale-faces 
 near. 
 
 1832 — A Town Hall was erected about ten rods southwest of 
 the old ToAvn House, and the selectmen were directed to 
 sell the old one, for which they received $152. The build- 
 ing was usetl by the Baptist Society for some time, but they 
 later erected a new Meeting House. The meeting at whn-li 
 the final i-eport was disi)osed (d" ami a sexton ai)pointed 
 adjoui'ned to the second meeting in January, 1838. 
 — Probate ('oui-t established in Milford, before probate bus- 
 iness was done by county. 
 
 1833 — Voted: The sum of twenty-five dollars for seating the 
 upper room of the new Town House, and the call included 
 a consideration of the matter of the Foot Bridge near 
 Elisha H. Stow's house. 
 
 — At a special town meeting called to consider the matter 
 of leasing ground, it was voted: That the selectmen be 
 directed to lease to ('antield Curtis & Co., a site upon the 
 vacant common w^esterly of the mill stream between Jef- 
 ferson Bridge and the P^piscnpal Church, for a term oi 9!>f) 
 years, for the purpose of manufacturing carriages, etc. 
 — Present ^Meeting House of Plymouth Church erected. 
 183-1 — Mr. E. R. Lambert petitioned the town for the privilege 
 of making a copy of such town records as were desirable 
 to publish in a history of the town, with a request to be 
 permitted to take them out for a reasonable time. His 
 request was granted under restrictions. 
 
90 
 
 lu35 — Charles Island sold to John Harris for Country Seat. 
 — ^Ir. Lambert made a survey of the town, published a 
 map of same, and in book containing other historical mat- 
 ter, included a history of the town. 
 
 1886 — Alai'shall and Ferris petitioned the town for ground 
 soutli of the Episcopal Church, to establisli the manufac- 
 tvire of carriages. The said grountl was never used for 
 that purpose, but a carriage business was conducted on a 
 Cherry Street site by Ferris Brothers for a number of 
 years, finally destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. 
 — Methodist Episcopal Society of .Milford was formed at 
 the house of Steplien (lunn. 
 
 The Beacli l^i'os. for many years conducted an extensive 
 cari'iage business east of the river at the Maple Street 
 Bridge. The buildings later used by Beecher & Miles for 
 a short time, the Amei'ican Hat Weaving Co. and the J. II. 
 Fisher Co., sti'aw hat manufacturei's. 
 
 1837 — ^I. E. Churcli Society bought a buihling I'oi- .Meeting 
 House. 
 
 18.38 — Rogers, Gardnei- & Davis began the nuuuifacture of car- 
 riages. 
 
 1839 — A Fire C()mi)any was organized and Theodore Budding- 
 ton was foreiiuui. Tlu^ engine was the then popular tyi)e 
 of side bar, hand drive, and was called \Vei)Owang No. 1. 
 It was housed in a small building near AVest River Street, 
 perhaps three lods soutiierly from the present Municipal 
 Building. 
 
 1840 — Rev. David Coe appointed Assistant Pastor of Fii-st 
 Congregational C-hurch. 
 
 1842 — Orange Church renamed Orange Eccl. Soc. from No. 
 Milford Eccl. Soc. 
 
 1843— :\Iill partially destroyed by freshet. 
 
 — Town granted $150 to Nathan Fowler to put up a sub- 
 stantial stone bridge over the tlumeway near liis mill, he to 
 forever keep it in repair. 
 
 Note: — This is the present causeway east of the .Memor- 
 ial Bridge. About this time this was washed out by a 
 freshet and ^Ir. Fowler desired the assistance of the town 
 to aid in rebuilding it. 
 
 1844 — Methodist Society erected a new House yet standing as 
 a part of "Smith's Block" on River Street, used by the 
 
91 
 
 Society until the IMary Taylor IMemorial :\r. E. Church was 
 built, 1892-3. 
 
 1844 — The I. 0. O. F. Lodge was organized and for a time met 
 in the basement of I'lymoutli Cliureh, hiter over the store 
 of Messrs. (I. and M. Tibl)als. 
 
 — New York and New Haven Fiailroad began work on 
 roadbed. 
 
 1^45 — Baptist Society erected new Meeting House and tlie old 
 l)uiUiing was moved to corner of Daniel and River Streets, 
 said old building having been erected in 1760 by money 
 furnished in part by the British Government to replace one 
 destroyed by tire during its occupancy by British troops. 
 It was in this l)uilding that the 46 American soldiers died 
 and tlndr faithful nurse, ('apt. Stephen Stow, with them ui 
 1777. 
 
 1S48— Voted that Wallace (". Wilcox and others be given per- 
 mission to place a cupola and bell on the Town Hall at their 
 own expense and Avith the approval of the Selectmen. 
 — The first passenger train through between New York 
 and New Haven. .Mr. William G. .Mitchell (lately de- 
 ceased) said to have been a passenger on the first train. 
 
 1849 — Gold fever raging. Ship "Isaac Bell" from New Ha- 
 ven, fitted out by mutual contributions, took about a score 
 of adventurers from Milford, but few of whom ever re- 
 turned. 
 — Eev. .Mr. Primeo died. 
 
 1852 — About this time the sewing machine was introduced in 
 the town and operated by ^liss ('aroline ^IcCoy (later Mrs. 
 Wm. Bush), in the manufacture of shoes by Mr. Leonard 
 Davidson. E])iscopal Ghurch erected. 
 — Messrs. Flagg & Baldwin began the manufacture of 
 straw hats in Milford. IMiss Mary Mills from England 
 came as an expert to teach the sewing of braid into hats 
 (she later married Mr. Isaac Green, Jr.). Mr. Harvey 
 Beach, our esteemed citizen, yet among us, has been contin- 
 uously in the emi)hiy of the successive nianagers since its 
 inception. 
 
 — A monument was erected to the memory of forty-six 
 American soldiers who, with their companions, were set 
 ashore in ^Milford to the number of about 200 souls. These 
 fortv-six died and were buried in one common grave. The 
 
B2 ® 
 
 corner stone was laid with imposing ceremony, Governor 
 Seymour officiating. 
 
 1858 — The advent of the Ii'isli })eoj)le in our town, during llie 
 construction of tlic railroad, was followed by a very gen- 
 erous settlenu'nt of them as })ermanent residents. Being 
 almost entirely of the Catholic faith they early and earn- 
 estly set about providing themselves a house of worship. 
 In spite of the many obstacles, being of tlie poorer class in 
 purse, they gave freely, and in 1853 were able to meet 
 under tlieir own I'oof. 
 
 — A Gas i)hint installed at Straw Hat Factory. Wax can- 
 dles had been in use there. 
 
 1854— Resolved: That David L. Baldwin, -lolm Smith, Ham- 
 mond R. Beach, and the association be given permission to 
 remove the Town Hall northward In stand on or near the 
 south line of the l>a[)tist Chui'ch and westward to a line 
 which shall leave the street not less than seventy feet in 
 width, tlie east location to be determined by the Select- 
 men, and that in considei'ation of said' ini])rovement being 
 etfected by private nutans it is agreed that tlie space south 
 of said buildings and between the two roads shall forever 
 renuiin as a public gi-een ; laid on the tal)le until the next 
 meeting, when it was introduced in a new form, which was 
 that a ciuninittee be appointed to fix a location for the re- 
 moval of the Town Hall; carried in the affirmative. 
 — The committee reported at next meeting, and a c<uiinii1- 
 tee appointed to carry out the work. 
 
 — The town voted that a new and moi-e recent type of fire 
 engine should be purchased and a more connnodious build- 
 ing for its housing. The company took a new name, Arc- 
 tic No. 1, and with it a new inspiration. 
 — About this time through the influence of ^Ir. Nathan G. 
 Baldwin and Flagg Brothers, Elisha, Marshal and George, 
 Mr. Nathan B. IMer-win of the IMilford House was induced 
 to provide a room for the establishment of the Iliggins 
 Glub which from that time has been a feature of our town. 
 — Town Hall moved in line with Baptist Church. 
 
 1856 — In or about this year daily papers were distributed in 
 ^lilfoi'd by Fraidv Chaydeane. and have continued to be 
 supplied pretty regularly from that time. Coal burning 
 

 l^A^. 
 
 1,1 ^r"^"<^^-Ii^ 
 
 fiU^c. 
 
 IJicmieZBi 
 
 fnA wwr ru-c 
 
 '^^^hmpJiavuJr.i 
 
 -"f ATlTI? 
 
 
 ] )^-'-\> 
 
 ,,r;T)i?vi,'5M'¥i^ifo 
 
fl „ OI.D-M.AIN-STIU-'XT 
 
 un^.Tx . i-Lyman.J'lutrii. 
 
 ltRO.\D-.STl\EKT , ,y,v-™„V,/d?,J</. 
 
 I Jo-rr/.h \,„ ,M .f I Ucr //„„Vt,„ 
 
 f F,Jia„T (Hhh.l &T9Jbi)aKCaJ....„ ^ 
 
 lit/ybhii/.,))laoillU.-lil„nJIH.,;i. 
 
 JU-ckyy, 
 
 9F,lulu,ril,l.ul., 
 
 II. AliUS-Oiit^«tt. 
 
 '■ '''■'•ryp/^ji^^ir/f^n . 
 
 13 ,l,lfll-hu.r"ji-TT,l„;,t. 
 
 I Mr)>tu'nr,v^l, 
 
 f Kir,; 
 n.Mvl, 
 '.f..llirr/Mfr-n-,,> 
 
 Iff imuo 
 
 ti Jermtaalui'tnilJt. 
 13 IlntiVlSiMthJr. 
 II OnfiUXflTUUnrsMifi. 
 i; Kinrlln il„rr. 
 (• hluMooil 
 NBW lUlAD 
 / ll'llwnriuini 
 2 Tlta,ia,„.fl'L, 
 sllUcluyc 
 UlulLAlljtt. C.J). 
 
 \VII.\R.i'.STiU!KT 
 
 y.lrhull.,!. 
 
 rll.€j'nrg, 
 ■IMfrn,lM,UI,L C). 
 
 f Ji,-nc.tt,-i8iiii:sllui. T 
 ,JI. 
 
 IJvh, 
 
 •■ll,„c 
 FI.MXS-KOAI) 
 ■Siun.uW, „...!. 
 ■Irrl H,il,l,rin 
 
 / lh..,,IK„s^.t 
 
 I IbihhnrdUn^^,!;: ,1 
 '.n„.,,yFrrd. 
 ,iS,„n„rll>ll„// 
 
 yJanur-rJIitllstf'if/. 
 
 l»IJu,„inUall.t 
 nn>%,U'lumb K 
 
 HILI/iSTIVKKT. 
 
 l<-:iirSlrM: J 
 
 .».r»/ui.n ri„rll I 
 
 CI.\KK-.STR.KKr. 
 
 iai.„„lt l„rlCJ,- I 
 
 BnUiSrI.ANB. BUCKDJOH-UCS I.AMi, 
 
 »iJsVu,„cU S. (Ma, A Hr,„,n y. 
 
 -V. l.3anurl.^tn-Ai„f,lui,„./rl 
 
 WE1.C.1K-LA.NE 
 
 f IJchn HfUti. 
 
 '.JSr,^a„„„i:,ll,l 
 
 RKFKREN( l'„S 
 
 ■ Epljcpal I '/m.-rA 
 
 B,.,.l<.<tO„.,,i, 
 
 r.t. 
 
 ■Ivhlhllk. ,1. 
 
 V„ll,„„ri„rK F 
 
 TI,..,l.l...,^.\rlH.I,l\ 
 
 ]>n,„,lll„,.- 
 
 •^■■I„;lll,.„.„„r^"u. 
 \S,l,.'.JH,;,^..,-n'/,,, 
 
 ■f. /.,•,///„„,.■,■,/.;■'/), 
 
 l.f.A„..i//,„,,,.../,u" I), 
 
 5 V, J, /.,...///, .„„.„,. j,,^ 
 
 ' l''ll'll,.,il/ .aiciiU,; 
 
 S.»A.. 
 
 <jJ>„. „/„■„ , v,y/. 
 h.'..,//.v,//. 
 
 I- .V (,„..,..« 
 
 s >l,ll.,,ll, 
 w li;,.<i„„yi 
 
 .; '"X'i.'j:.'/..i! 
 
 liJ.iirrltPclr.t 
 
 ..-„,/>••.,/ 
 
 //% ./;.,,/ 
 
 BAJv>'.K.S-l.AM', 
 IS,iii,„„C.„„„ 
 
 I.U^UIinet 
 2MaikJlal,l,r, 
 
 • lull . .: 
 iTI..V,-//,„,„w/„„.;,.,„. 
 
 K//..A,..i<„™,^„,.,,.,,, .,r 
 
 Ji ll,„aua^£uJ.,r J 3 
 
 n..f/,y.;,^„>-,.„.„ „ 
 
 ni-aa„/v,./../„„. ,. ; ^ 
 
 CTU.A.iAV././--./.. ;, 
 
 X\.1,r„l,r.„,f.).,„,. .. , . 
 1SlJ,l„./l„,i„;r Ij. 
 
 •sxazj,.,,,,!!,,,,.,^, , , 
 
 r i(vuLj,./,w,„,„- .,..'. 
 
 xu «;//,„/„ /;„,, J ., 
 
 ,t,SXIlf,«„«., /!;„;,/„,„'„ 
 XX IV /,.,,„, fa „„ g , 
 
 UV /;„.„„.,//,„, :i „ 
 '■ UVIA,,,,/^,,,, 
 
 F «VIU l«//K«„.f/.,,^,j <; 
 
 m.Th„n,«^'K.,..t I,-. 
 
 .S". iXXIl 7.-, ;«• HMIfu,,, r -• 
 'iSXSinrmulMrl, IJ 
 
 W&Xrr.il„m.u:T,.r,. T. 
 
 \Xfn.Th„., Il,.rl.,„.-I„„„ ■, 
 
 4.li,„xli„l.l„,„li I' 
 iMiiharirerk. r 
 
 soffit, ,Hr,i^,,,n,i,. S 
 I'OPL.VK .STRKKT. 
 I Mr,-I„„l;,„„s,„ f 
 i.Jt'lili^,i,;.t,tvtt"t . C 
 
 ■^wuvjiur.F^ii.iriio.vD 
 I D,„i,i r s„„,i,^ 
 ■■V,„,Hi .■i„„rh '"' 
 
 l.Vti //.«,i,l 'rttlctv,, 
 ASTWOOD-I^-VNK 
 U.,„....lKl>u,.,,„l 
 ' I.v,tu, S,iji„l 
 U/.,«^.,^(/y,„.„,„/ 
 JIBHmT.OAD 
 
 J,:r.flUt<l„„d. 
 ■i'"";:lU:U„.,;,.r^ 
 
 K.SKCK-ROAIJ. 
 S,j„u,fLliriitol. M, 
 
 ntllLtttrt\rl„l 
 
 Fi/.'i, u;i, I, 
 
 i.l,m„l,ll.„K 
 
 MUjIj STRKKJ 
 
 ■I ItornncUi'vu-u. 
 ~ .SinP-YAKJ>-I.ASJi 
 I. Willi 
 •..\fHtian,.AI, 
 ,ial;-lli} 
 
 I I.I, <;,,,„ 
 
 li^llWK.l.l;s^■.M■,JHu).^u 
 
 l!,r/„.,.ll',,„/l Ma. 
 ..I„,l,,,. H,,;,,!,.!,- .! 
 
 il,-,l. 
 
 \'M,„I 
 
 M SL Xrl',^l„rl', 
 Ml. 'ii.UCr »iU„u„t;,rlrr1 
 " HLIl Tlu;„„„l„„.T,-,.,r., 
 
 UJJl i,-m-yrlt<u-lij,- ¥-1 
 .VI,H'j;,An/iur-„,«. 3», 
 'il.\'HnuyJlol,irrr,l J .■ 
 
 .i\,SIJ,.luu!mUJ,. t: 
 Wm.Mu,g„,,.,.s: ,,-. 
 
 \[.m riaitpiiai/^ .;.,-. 
 
 U.a.H^yrrrrrrrll i .1 10 
 ,lt<-l,isC„Mi,p I 
 
 ■hnf..,, I,., , 
 
 ''"Sf 
 
 ST POINT. 
 
 I'/vlMt/iMnjjUt^Adttnjtli^ 
 ' i.JifrmidhFrrtich. F. 
 
 GULF SIK>,KT. 
 
 Uurr„yer.lls J' 
 
 l.taar Ti-etU. F 
 
 4-. StrjtlttmA. 'I'rt 
 
 Alilhcif.iU,,,- 
 EtytJiHrytLrt, 
 tJi.U. CU;K. 
 
 S.S,muielFrcnc> 
 10 Clbm-tFarh 
 
 S'rl,lrF,^rUl J ,V 
 m Mr,,tC.V, 
 .ur.Vtll 
 
 ,11( ;;, .7..' '...:■, 
 
 V ajlarlfiuHcardinjl *! II 
 
 I ^/vi-rf *cc 
 
 I.V1L Wiiu^MtLKalH^u .le t 
 \m.Jol,nS,„,IJ.. .)a, 
 
 \!^^'iJU„n\ltrooix. J. VI 
 \Sl.h'h.,llron;,. J ,■ t 
 
 I J*JII KJuM-JJiij/ft .. 
 
 lAVfr,, »,-,,«„ ,.».r„^<j, 
 \iSM.<.vo-grJli,htarJ 
 ■Scl d.lA,Jch „ Str,v,ml 
 
 -tic 
 
~r 
 
93 
 
 locomotives Avere put on t!io I'culroad and soon the large 
 wood piles were abolished. 
 
 1857 — Curtis Bros, opened a drug store. 
 — Kerosene gaining in public favor. 
 
 1858 — IToopskirts manufactured by AVilliam '"ornwall. 
 — The JMilford Lyceum instituted. 
 
 1859 — A Lodge of Free and Accepted ^lasons was organized 
 with eight Charter meml)ers. most of whom were non-af- 
 tiliatetl members. Several others, either residents of the 
 town or visitors, attended, and in 1860 twenty mendjers 
 were added. 
 
 1860 — Presidential 3^ear and political organizations paraded the 
 streets with uniformed men, torcldights and l)ands. About 
 this time the colored people organized a Brass I^and, first 
 in toAvn. 
 
 1861 — Business dead. "War clouds appearing. Neighbor 
 scowling at neighbor, and at length the thunder bolt of 
 war. George Van Horn was the first to don the Union 
 Blue. He was a meml)er of Capt. Chatfield Company in 
 Watei'bury and went with the company to the front. He 
 later rc-eidisted and sei'vcd three years. 
 
 1862 — -Many enlistments from the toAvn. Business very brisk. 
 Specie payments suspended. Postage stamps used for 
 small change. 
 
 1864 — The manufacture of army shoes. Silliman & Co. em- 
 ployed many hands. The Bosworth Straw Sewing Ma- 
 chine introduced and company incorjxn'ated. 
 
 1865 — A. A. Baldwin began the manufacture of fine shoes, later 
 merged into the firm of Baldwin & Lambkin, and a nevv 
 factory was erected on Broad Street. 
 
 — Gen. Lee surrendered up Appomattox. A few days later 
 ]\lr. Lincoln Avas assassinated. Peace Avas soon declared 
 and the Veterans began returning to their lionu^s. 
 
 1866 — The Telegrai)h Station in Milford. Peter Ilobart, oper- 
 ator. 
 
 1867 — Beecher & i\liles began the nuinufacture of carriages in 
 jMilf ird. They also manufactured a wooden frame, tlirect 
 drive, bicycle, Avheels of equal size about 28 inches, similar 
 in form to the modern pattern, probably in 1868 or 9. 
 — The Baptist Society having disbanded, the building Avas 
 
94 
 
 sold to the town by ^Fr. Thaddens Smith, to he used as a 
 Town Hall. 
 
 1S71 — George Van Horn, Post G. A. R., organized. 
 
 1872 — IMilford Savings Bank Incorporated. 
 
 1873 — First Weekly Newspaper printed in Milfnrd. 
 
 1875 — Graded School system adopted and new bnilding dedi- 
 cated. 
 
 1876 — Centennial Exposition at Philadelpliia. Many in attend- 
 ance from Milford. 
 
 1877 — Harbor dredged and breakwater bnilt by government 
 appropriation. 
 
 1878 — ]\Iasonie Hall corner stone laid. 
 
 1882— St. Mary's R. ('. (Muirch dedicated. 
 
 1885— St. :\lary's R. C. Church first resi(hMit i)astor. 
 — Woodmiint Chapel Society organized. 
 
 1886— Lncia Chapter, 0. E. S., instituted. 
 
 1887— Isabella Rebecca Lodge instituted. 
 — Volunteer Council, R. A., institulerl. 
 — Milford Lyceum lost by fire 1 900 volumes. 
 
 1888 — George Van Horn AVoman's Relief C()i'])s instituted. 
 • — Soldiers Monument (Civil War) dedicated. 
 
 1889 — ^lemorial Bridge dedicated. 
 
 1891— William Fowler Council. 0. F. A. M.. instituted. 
 
 1892- AVheel Club organized. 
 
 1893 — Taylor Library Incor])orated. 
 
 1894 — Books of ^lilford Lyceum, transferred. 
 — ]\Iilford Citizen (Weekly^ issued. 
 
 1895 — Formal acceptance of Library of Town. President, W. 
 B. Sto.ldard ; Vice President, ^liss ^largharita Taylor; Sec- 
 ri^tai-y. Ernest AVitterwell ; Treasurei", William Cecil Du- 
 rant ; Librarian, AVallace S. Chase. 
 
 1896 — Freelove Baldwin Stow Chapter, D. A. R., instituted. 
 
 1898 — Tuesday Afternoon Club (ladies) organized. 
 
 1900 — Trolley line in operation. 
 
 1904— D. A. R. Cliapter House dedicated. 
 
 1905 — Lauralton Hall passetl to Sisters of ]\lercy. 
 
 1906— St. Agnes R. C. (Miapel, AVoodmont. dedicated. 
 
 1908— Central High School Building erected, cost $190,000. 
 
 1909 — Village Improvement Association organized and incor- 
 porated. 
 
'■ tfiflpj 
 
 ■ i'iii 
 
•!»• *^**-iO*"0*»Mi(ti. %^"; . (»ja*i'.*v.*--- ' — wia'T' iWDTr- -^v^-'.t "-> /*»x-.. 
 
 ? «^:«3(«ae3£Vi 
 
 i ! 
 
 a- 
 
 ■■J \ 
 
 ■ •■'■' I 
 
 Dili 
 
 
 I 
 
 
95 
 
 — TTarbor Woods presented to tlie Village Improvement 
 
 Association by Clark Wilcox. Transformed into Wilcox 
 
 Pai'k, and presented to the town. 
 
 — Franklin II. P^'owler, gift of land for park. 
 
 — North Street Hridge (Old Kissing Bridge) dedieated. 
 
 — George Van Horn Cam}), Sons of Veterans, institnted. 
 
 11110 — Rodman Gun presented to the A'illage Improvement As- 
 , sociation by the War Department, and mounted and pre- 
 sented to the town by the Association. 
 
 1!)11 — ^fortgage cleared from Chapter House, D. A. R. 
 
 1!)12 — ^lilford Trust Go. opened for business. 
 
 1914 — Ye Fowler's ^lill, ^lemorial, corner stone laitl. 
 
 1915 — Municipal Building destroyed by tire. Records saved, 
 otherwise total loss. G. A. R. lost everything. Furni- 
 ture insured. 
 — Walnut Iieach School building erected. 
 
 1916 — 'Corner stone of ncAV iMunicipal Building laid June 17. 
 — Additional land purchased by Cemetery Association.