'^ffl ^^ o ^ ^^ x^-^^ ^ * o „ o ' ^^^ O * . , , >>i ^ i'^- "^v^^^ i^"-. 0^ cO-., -^O ..<^^ V .0^ r. l'^-^^ •J' "7 ^°-^t T o. A-^' .^.^;i «1 o >"^ % 4>r v^ m * « w ""'^i^fiP^. &'\ '^oV^ ^^^ .^J"*^ ♦* .0 ^ .^ /vV o « o - "^t-, rO Wo a; ^*l°v«. ^o .^^ ,^ • .<" ... ^^ "^^ .-0. < ^^^r', ^.c>' \* V^ ^ ^ A y ^.-s <: > .0- v^ y >* >-l°^ .4.'' O » O ^ ^1?) .o^'^ '-'^. :^' ■b* a- -^^^ -h^ .*i^^ "oV^ ./ .<&> A ^-..^' .*'% .0^ , O « , ''q '. V, % 0°^^ •^^:^ i^^- " » - *^ '^^^ -^v \^ v>. A A ^ «^ s\^ ON THE RAVINE, NORTH OF LAKE CHAMBERLAIN. BETHANY AND ITS HILLS (.I.IMI'SKS ()!• THE TOWN OF BI-TH.WV AS IT WAS HI-TOKE THI-: RAILROADS AM) THIv FIRK FIFND ROHIiFD Fr OF FIS CFORV ^ Mrs. ELIZA J. LINES NEW HAVKN, CONN. COitll JUnstrationQ NliW IIAVEX: THE Tl'TTI.E. MOKKlIOrSE & TAYLOR COMPANY 1905 CONTENTS. Introductory, r.rtliany and ils Hills, . l'>(.-tliany was incorporate- 1 House, opposite PAGE. JO ^4 26 28 2S 30 3- 36 39 40 4^ 4-' 44 46 54 59 60 60 61 62 62 63 64 INTRODUCTORY During a brief sojourn in the t(,)\vn of r>ethan\- in the summer oi l8<)3, while exehani^inj^' reminiscences with friends, one sug- gested that I should make a note of some thing's of interest for the l^enefit of later i^enerations. Knowing' there were others more eompt-tent to do such a work. I never i;a\e the subject a second thought until the \ear i3- Ten \ears had elapsed, and in the meantime. hax'inL;' compiled a work of the aneestr\ of our famil\. I ha\e had occasion to make in(|uiries in that line, and have been often referreil to some members of the family who had si'ttled in the West and had through <;reat expense and trouble procured the li'enealog'v of their familw In e\-ery instance J would get a response so kindK and freeh given, witli frecfuently a postscript added, ■"If \ ( ui have rm\' additional information of old landmarks, etc.. it would be full\- appreciated." that, feeling under such great obligations, how could I reci])rocate l)etter than 1)\- collecting such items as far as able to do so? In recei\ing scores of such letters one is reminded of the oft-repeated lines of Scott: "brcatlies tluTe a man with soul so (k-ad. Willi never to liinisclf iiatli said, Tliis is my own. m_\- n;iti\e ];ui(l !" "Land of my >ire> ! wii.u mortal iiand Can e'er untie tlie filial h.ind rii.at knits me to tiiy rni^.i^od >tr;uid!" In making an effort to procure \iews of some ot the old home- steads we foimd ih.it the homes of the tn-si settlers (that had not VIM IN rK«iinn rioN. boon ilostroyod b\- hre") had qoiic io decay, and tiothiiii^- was left {o mark tlic site vuiloss occasionally an oUl cellar wall, with a remnant of a lilac or rose bush near, or an old well sweep tc^ssini;- about an old oaken bucket that had hung in the well. Therefore the only alternative seems to be in preserving views oi those houses built at a later date, several over a century old. and some of historic interest. C"arl\le said. "History is the essence of innumerable biogra- phies." It requires nice discrimination to give credit to the original author, as every generation ailds material. We quote from Barber ami Rockey. and others, that which has been collected from the earliest records, with additions. Montaigiie said. "I gathered a f^osic of other men's flowers, and nothing mine own Inu ihe thread that binds them." BETHANY AND ITS HILLS. GLIMPSES OF THE TOWN OF BETHANY AS IT WAS BEFORE THE RAIL- ROADS AND THE FIRE FIEND HAD ROBBED IT OF ITS GLORY. And he led them out as far as to Bethany and he lifted up his iiands and blessed them. — St. Luke, chap. 24. 50th verse. The town of l'>etlian\ was oris^inallN incktdcd within the Ixjtnidary lines of the Xew I laven Colony. "I^ew places in our conntr_\- can fiu'nish more interesting materials of its past history than .\ew 1 laven. its hrst settlers were a remarkable bod}-. I )istinguished above most men by high moral principles, and an inllexible attachment to civil and religious liberty, thev were indeed, of the best class of the nation from which they emi- grated. Many of them had moved in superior ranks of life, and some had held offices of great trust and respousil)ilit\- in their native country. Xew Haven is beautiftiUy situated on an extensive plain, at the head of a harbor or l)a\ . which extends inland four miles from Long Island Sound, and is nearly environed on all sides. except in this direction, Ijy an amphitheater of hills." Barber's Antiquities. In 1661 Richard Sperr\ harbored the Ivegicides at his house three miles west of the center of Xew Haven, and l\ali)h Lines lived abotit a mile west on the hill. Which, when that portion of the town ol .\'ew Haven was sei)arated and called .Vmity, placed these two families just owr the line in .\mit\'. As their families increased, and the\ were itnited to otlier families, they migrated to the ■"hills," where they were joined by families from the adjacent towns. .Milford. r)erb\-. Cheshire and I lamden. Xo one was allowed in those (la\s to hold a religious meet- ing or to give an exhortation in anv meetings without con- sent of the ])ro])c-r atithorities. 2 IIKTHAX^' AND ITS IIIIJ.S. Previous to 1/37 the inhabitants of the northwestern part of the town of Xew Haven were obliged to go ten or twelve miles to church on the Sabbath ; at that date an Ecclesiastical Society was formed and it was decided that the dwelling house of .Mr. Joseph Wilmot and the dwelling house of Mr. Joseph Perkins should be the ])laces for the meetings for divine service. In 1738 it was decided to build a house for the worship of God. In August. 1740, the first meeting was held in the new meeting house. Rev. Gideon Mills. Mr. Whittlesey, and Nathan Birdsey were candidates for the ministry, but did not settle with them. On Mav i, 1742, Rev. Benjamin Woodbridge received a call and was installed on the 3d of November, 1742. Rules were soon adopted for seating the church : the (lignit\- of a person was reckoned from the amount of his tax rate for the building of the meeting house. Mr. Woodbridge held the office as pastor of the first church forty-three years, until his death, December 4, 1785. His long- pastorate seemed to have been successful and harmonious. In 1762 the north part of the parish was set olT and consti- tuted the parish of Bethany, and a new ecclesiastical society ordered. A society committee was chosen, consisting of Timothy Peck, John \\'hite, Isaac Beecher, Daniel ToUes. and Joel Hotchkiss, "prominent, representative men." ]Meetings were held in the school-house which the Amity societv had built in 1750, about a mile south of the present center. ( )n the 12th of October, 1763. the Rev. Stephen Hawley was ordained its first pastor; in i7f)()-]770 a clnu'ch was built on the hill a half mile south of the present church, and Mr. Hawley continued pastor until his decease — 1804, a period of over forty years. His wife, Mary Bellamy, died 1791, leaving three children. In 1793 he married Mehitable, daughter of Deacon Joel Hotchkiss of Beth- any. She removed in 1806 with her three children to New Haven, where she died in 1827. Two of her sons were grad- uates of Yale College. "Rev. Stephen Hawley, Jr., A.]\[.. was son of Stephen, son of Sanniel, son of Joseph ist. He was born in 1738. graduated at Yale 1759. Tradition says his ordination was performed in the open air, near the fork of the roads below the residence of IMrs. Bradlev. I'.KTII.WV AND IIS MILLS. 3 The ordination sermon was delivered hy thai I'lninent (hvine, the Kev. Dr. Joseph I'.fHamN- of Ilrthk'hcMn. (onn.. from i Corinthians xi. 2. Tlif records state that .Mr. Haw ley was verv nsefnl to his ])eoi)le dnrini;- his ministry and was sincerelv helovcd hy his CHKIST EPISdM-AI, CHtKCH. tlock. who. in his \isitalions. as well as in his ministrations in the sanctuary, heheld his face as it had heen the face of an an,£jel. for he was conversant amon^- them with grravity, pru- elhan\- to the ravine, which is owned by the Xew Haven Water L"()ni])an\'. Tliere are orchards of fine fruit. meadows and everything requisite and necessar_\- on a farm. The old farmhouse, which is large, roomy, and neatly fur- nished, was occupied by ten school teachers from the city during a part of their summer vacation a year ago by invitation from the owner, Mrs. Beardsley, of New Haven, a granddaughter of the late Allen Doolittle. During the past summer several parties have recuperated there, and re])ort in glowing colors the benefit derived from the mountain air. pure water, and berries in abund- ance, free as the air. Everyone cannot summer in Litchfield or the Adirondacks. and why should they, when there are locations so accessible to the city, so elevated and charmingly delightful ? The description of one of these mountain homes must suffice, and if an\-onc is interested they should investigate, and follow the ridge a mile or two. until they reach the summit, where it is said Bethany. Hamden and Cheshire unite. It is called on the United States topographical map Mt. San ford, and is from (po to t .000 feet high. .MT. S.WFURD. Just before the late Civil War the United States coast sur- veyors who were sent out by the Government were stationed at this point as the highest in the State within the same distance of the coast. General and Mrs. McLellan were with the party of surveyors, with their attendants and families. They used a theodolite which re(|uired from four to six men to operate. Sight could be taken with this instrument a hundred miles or more. Parties of e(|uestrians and pedestrians were attracted thither during their encam])ment. The view with the naked eye is magnificentlv grand on the east, overlooking the beautiful vale of Cheshire with its gentle undulation, dotted here and there with farm houses, and the church spires locate the centre. The purple, blue and gray in the persjH'Ctive. crowned with the "Hanging Hills" of .Merideii. is w<.rih a long journey to see. ( )wing to a queer freak of nature there is a deep cut through lO HKTH.WV AXn ITS HILI.S. the iiunmtain at tliis point sufficiently wide for a rixid. which, in descen^Hng- from llethany. is exccechnsly romantic and pic- turesque. In some phices there is harely room fen- two teams to pass each other, wlien one suddenl\- emeri^es from the wilderness of the dark ravine to view a hroad panorama of landscai>e s]iread out before them, and in spring and autumn can be heard the weird music oi a cataract which, in leaping from the mountain's crest over precipitous ledges, dashing, rush- ing, foaming down through rock and glen, is called "Roaring r.nxik." a ])lace where poets and artists linger in their senti- mental reveries. Vo return to the road's level from Cheshire to ISethany. Amasa l^rooks. with sons Sherrill and Amasa. resided, and on the corner where the roads cross was Isaac Brooks, whose son Richanl married Laura P>aldwin. whose sons were the enter- prising hat. cap and fur dealers in Chapel Street. New Haven. Isaac r>nH>ks married a sister of Andrew Smith of Prospect. Their children. Mary. Sarah. Elizabeth, and Cynthia, all found In^mes in othcv towns and are all deceased. C^n the road leatling north was Benoni and Jesse Perkins, whose descendants removed to Waterbury. Turning the corner at the Stephen Bradley house was Ransom Jerald's. who mar- ried Alma (daughter of Isaac Judd. called the old schoolmaster). Their children settled in \\'allingford and were quite prominent. Bennett died recently, aged S6. Xear by was the commodious residence of Joseph Bradley, who married Xancy Baldwin of Woodliridge. and it is said that of their ten children not a descendant is remaining in town. The house passed into other hands, and later was burneil to the ground. Continuing on was the house of '"Johnny did" San- ford, son of Gideon. His sister Patty was a spinster, and a spinner by vocation, being engaged by families several weeks at a time, where from early morn to dewy eve her lithe figure tripped lightly to and fro. deftly handling the airy rolls white as snow with one hand, while the other kept the wheel in motion. Her voice was something remarkable. It was like an echo, and if it had been cultivated it might have astonished the world. Xear the boundary line was a tract of land called the Yale Field, being owned by Yale College, where the students were wont to assemble on holidays for athletic sports, etc. BETHANY AND ITS IIILI.S. II As the road meets the turnpike there is tlie old house and mill, nestled in the shadow of the I'.eacon. it was huilt by Isaac Hine and owned later by Edson Sperry. who conducted the eardins;- of wool and d\ein,o- and dressiut;- of cloth in a ver\- satisfactor\- manner. It is now owned bv Air. Twitehell. BEACOX HILL. About fourteen miles from New Hawn the main mad to \\'aterbur\- ])asses by I'.eacon mountain, a rucU- rid^e <'f almost llKACdX I AT. WKST VIEW. naked rock stretching- southwest; at this i)lace is "Collins tavern." lon^- known as an excellent public house, and the "Straitsville 1'. ( '."■ About half a mile south of Mr. Collins', the road ])asses throU|L;h a narrow defile, fornieil by a i^aj) in the mountain, and is l)arely sufficient in width for a road and a small but sprij^htly brook, which winds throug:h the nar- row i)assa.£!:e. On both sides the cliffs are lofty, particularly 1 J BETHANY ANP ITS HH.I.S. on the west: on the east, at a little distance from the road, thev overhano- in a threatening^ manner. — "The ridges of the I'eacon nionntain present fine geological and picturesque features, and are much more abrupt and granil than most of the mica slate regions of Connecticut. — Barber's Hist. Col. Beacon Cap is a huge boulder on the highest point of the ridge on the mountain which divides r>ethanv from Xaugatuck. It is about fortv feet in circumference and twenty in height, and can be seen for many miles distant. It probably floated there EEACOX CAP. NORTH VIEW. during the glacial period, and nuist have struck with great force to have broken off a portion. The view from the top is so tine that the church spires from several towns can be seen with the naked eye. It was a place of rendezvous for picnic parties. formerl\- more than of late years, especially on holidays. The young men and maidens would have a merry time in ascending, sometimes shouting. "Oh. for a Pegasus to take us to the heights of Parnassus !" r.KTHAXY AM) ITS 1 1 1 [ J,S. I3 " 'Twas oft SO steep the foot was fain Assistance from the hand to gain, So tangled oft that l)ursting through. Each hawthorn shed its showers of dew." Arriving- at the stimmit. seven hundred feet high, kinch was spread, garnished with fragrant trailing arbtittis. and winter- green with its crimson I)crries. wliicli "boon nature scattered free and wild." Refreshed and exhilarated, declamations followed, which, if they "chanced to fall below Demosthenes, or Cicero." thev were not viewed with a critic's eye. but received applause which made the welkin ring, when With songs and adieus They took their last views, as the low descending sim hastened their departure. There is a cross road at the base of the mountain, weird and solitary, which every lover of ferns, mosses and lycopo- diums of the cryptogaminous family should visit on a sunny morning of a simimer's day. Would it be a great stretch of imagination to fancy that a line of electric cars would run from Waterbury to Xcw Haven through Bethany, within a decade, and a branch wind around the Beacon, to its summit, the "Ca])stone, " where pleasure seekers with the aid of an "Eiffel tower" and a Lick telescope could see the great ships on the Atlantic ocean. Or, if this sounds rather inflated, there is just as good foundation for a building aside the "Cap" as there was on ]\It. Tom. or Mt. Holyoke, Mass., and with as good telescopes as they have, what more could be desired ? Alany persons say they have never been on the "Cap." but have seen it at a distance; now. if it is visible for miles around, and a guide to travelers by flaylight. what would be the effect of a building illuminated at night: would it not be a "Beacon of light" (if not to mariners at sea) to all benighted travelers in that section of the countr\? The above was written ( )ctolx'r 2(>. it;04. and October 2/, the Monii)ii:; Journal and Courier had an article of two columns, headed: 1 lill Climbing : Over the Alps by Motor Car : Impres- 3 14 BETHANY AXD ITS HILLS. sions and Incidents of a Long Mountain Trip. "The niotor car has conquered the Alps." November i. 1004. was the following-: "Baldwin's Air Ship makes Fine Flight: Remarkable Performance at the World's l-'air. .^t. Louis. Oct. 31. — After circling in every direction at a height of 2.000 feet above the Cascades, in sight of thousands of cheering spectators on the ^^'orld■s fair grounds." What next ? Near this crossroad was the residence of Timothy Lounsbury. one of the trio, with Ailing- Carrington. and Esquire John Thomas, who vied with each other in paying the largest town tax. Mr. Lounsbury must have been very enterprising to have had courage to build so fine a house with a large ball-room in such a lonelv dell, between the Beacon and Lebanon Hill. He had several children. — Dr. John settled in Oxford and i)rac- ticed medicine until quite aged. One incident occurred which was characteristic of the family. One of his daughters having engaged to attend a ball at a distance, and her escort not arriv- ing at the appointed time, she seated herself on the horse-block at the gate, when a neighbor passing by. and seeing her attitude, expressed his surprise. She quickly retorted: 'Tt is better to be ready and not go, than to go and not be ready." Wlien her escort arrived astride a fleet horse she was ready to mount the pillion behind him without delay. It might have been Eunice, who married \'incent Brown. She lost her only daughter. Emerett. when on the eve of marriage. She lived a widow several years, and would often remark that "there was as good fish in the sea as ever was caught," and late in life she married a Mr. Fisher and lived to be nearly a centenarian. From this point can be seen the old residence of Russell Chatfield. high up on the road which leads across Lebanon Hill to the cemetery by the Carrington faniL He was a mason by trade, very thorough and efficient. He married Terrell. Children : ^Nlary, married Beri Beecher. She is still active and cheerful. Her ninetieth birthday will occur in May. 1905 : Ruth, married Alonzo Warner : Sarah Ann, married Guy Beecher : Pamela, married Samuel Todd of Hamden. and .\manda. married in 1852 Eli H. Wakelee of Ansonia. Wakelee Avenue received its name from the familv. KKTIIAXV AND ITS HILLS. 15 In 1871 the inhaljitants of the west side of the town petitioned the Legislature for a separation, which included about a third of the town. and. although they met with most strenuous objections, they were successful, and that portion of the town was christened Beacon Falls. It included prominent men, some large tax payers, Sheldon Clark. Xoves ^^^hceler, George Osborn, the P)Uckinghams, J THE TREAT CLARK HOUSE. Andrew T. Ilotchkiss. whose mother was a Buckingham, and I'ulaski Chatfield. whose son John was a Colonel in the late Civil war. and died in the service ; another son. Henry, married a si.ster of iM-anklin I'arrel. the An.sc^nia millionaire. In that locality was Adonijah French, and others whom it is impos- sible to name. Mr. Dwight Clark, the noted cattle dealer, has a fine residence on the extreme west side and nearby was the Terrell homestead, now in ruins. Clark Hotchkiss. Daniel Rus- sell. Fdwin Pardee. Abel Prince. Carrington's and Xettleton's. and (.thers. Not being familiar witli that side of the town i6 BKTIIAW AXn ITS TllI.LS must account for the brevity, altlioui^li the records shmv that thev were very wortliy citizens. After swinging" arouml the circle, we arrive at the okl road, once called the shunpike on account of shunnino- the toll oate at Siierr\"s farms. The old Haniel Thomas house has disappeareil. and ihe next was owned h\ (."harles Tlnnnas ; a short distance north is the MKS. SAKAH ( Sl'EKKV ) I'ECK. Asied 02. house built for Jitdge Jason \V. liradley in 1836. by ( irant Hitch- cock and Charles French, who built several houses about that date on the same plan; they were called a half house, which omitted tnie of the large square i)arlors on either side of the front door and hall. Judge Bradley was quite a prominent man in the town, lie married a sister of Col. Alvan Sperry : his only son lost his life in the Civil \\"ar. His daughter Althea married Dwicht j;k; I) n>5 jfii.Ls. n Clark, a wealthy cattle y Peter I^-rkins in 1762; bought by Isaac Clark 1809. He married Esther, dauj:^hter of Deac^jn Josqjh Treat, descended THE/JlX>kE HOTCHKIbS. from Kf^bert Treat, who was Lieutenant Governor of the .State of Connecticut seventeen years, anfl Governor fifteen years. Isaac Clark, son of Isaac of Miiforfl. was a descendant of George Clark, whose name is among the founders on the .Memorial IJridge at Mil ford. He held the office of selectman for eight years in succession. His sr>n Nathan was elected town clerk and treasurer of Hethany in 1H35. iS BETHANY AND ITS HILLS. and continued to hold these offices until 1881. He was elected probate judge in 1862, and continued to hold the office until his decease. He was also postmaster of Bethany for eight years. He married Sarah L. Lounsbury in 1S43. Their chil- dren are: Emma S.. born 1844. and Edwin X.. born 1851. Emma S. married Pearl P. Sperry. Their children are : Isidore S.. Belle E.. Pearl P. and Harold C. Edwin X. married Hannah Basham in 1874. Their children are: Eugene F., Walter E.. Lena B.. Rubv B. and Frank T. MRS. LrcL\ (sperry) hotchkiss. Edwin X. succeeded his father as probate judge, town clerk and treasurer, and continues to the present date (1904). Col. Alvan Sperry married Sarah Xettleton. daughter of Xathan. Children: \Tohn. -Sarah (married Frederick Peck; one son. Burr; Mrs. Peck is ninety-two years of age and remarkably well preserved, with good memory and hearing, bright and interesting in conversation) ; ^Edson (married Rosalinda, widow of Dr. Whiting : one son. Foster, whose son r.KTTIANV AND ITS HILLS. ^9 is a popular dru.^-.^ist in Xcw Jlaven); ^Xathan (married Lucrctia Peck, daughter of (k^.r-e. lis(i. ) ; "'Fowler (married [ehersev Nettleton of Mil ford ; their dauohter married Sheriff ■romlinson) : 'd .ucia (married Theodore llotehkiss ; their dau-hter I'anny married JM-ank I'latt, a popular florist in Xew Haven: daughter, Kate, remains at the homestead) ; 'Rehecca (married Cornelius Allen) : M irace and '' ( iracie. twins ((irace married Claudius Allen: their son is a i)r..mincnt druggist in Xew Haven: Cracie married Capt. lUmce ) : ^"Marian (mar- ried iMlward Smith). Col ^perrv was a carpenter hv trade. However, m 1839 he an^ she eligible -^" .\noiher resi.les in Johannesburg. South Atrica: ^o KKTHAXY AND ITS HILLS. sor.:e arc :.v.. -. -..a-rcs and others who arc !k i arc a^ g\x>d as gold could make thein. Elizxir H. SperrA\ son of Maniin and Lavinia (^Gaylord) SpeiTA- of Bethany, learned the mason's trade c>f Theodore Hotchkiss of Xew Haven, where he became a master builder, which business he managed so skillfully that he has been able to travel abrovad and eujoy the fruit of his labors. He marrieti Cliildren : Fannie. Mrs. Frederic Miner, EUZm H. SPERRV. and Carolena D.. who married Ja^^ -- F r"tk'- ■ Ph.D. Yale i903'> of Boulder. Colorado. Lucius, son of Burton and Elizabeth ^ Perkins > Sperry of Bethany, married Miss Chatfield of Oxford. Children: two sons and daughter, Julia. He was also a popular mason builder in Xew Haven and highly esteemed by all that knew him for his genial ways and integrity Sidney Sperry married a daughter of Ebenezer Piatt and lived a little south of the churches. He had a blacksmith shop r.KTllAXY AM) 11 : Opposite, now gone, and the old lionsc is a ruin. His widow kept the i)ostoffiee several \ears. It is now near by, kept by .Mrs. Hitehcock. There was a hioh school taught there in 1840 bv Rev. Samuel Ldark. assisted by his daughters. On the road below the schoolhouse which turns to the left were several Sperry families, Alonzo, Mark, (iarry, and .\llen. all worthy citizens. Nearly all of their i)r()i)erty is said to be owned h\ the New Haven Water Comjiany and known as Lake Chamberlain, which leads south through the Si)erry ravine and intersects with Dawson Lake. 15y permission of the Journal anil Canricr extracts from an article published in that paper a few years ago are given : "A party of Xew Haveners, among whom was Congressman N. D. Sperry and his brother. Knight Sperry, sallied forth for a drive on the aforesaid hills in a canopied carriage to the music of the rhvthmic hoof beats of the latter named gentleman's f^ne pair of steppers. Their old home was in Woodbridge. There they were born and reared, there the remains of the old homestead are, and every nook and turn in the road, every old house, and everv new one, every old landmark, the old familiar highways and bywavs, the lanes and hedges, the copses, the thicket, the stones and running brooks, all hacl to them a familiar and unfailing interest as they passed abandoned null sites- it set the Congressman to nuising. One would thnik the agricultural glorie^s of New England had all but deivarted to read the dismal pictures given in the public prmts on this subject, the fact that there yet remain many fine and model farms being temporarilv overlooked. And ncwv for a personal reminiscence. Now we come to S])erry\s farm. My ancestor. Richar.l Sperrv. b.n,ght this farm from the noted Stephen C.oodvear, who was Deputv ( iovernor of C-onnecticut, way back in 1640. or thereabouts. The the Pacific coast. I Un let me here state that for the peace of nund of ishop now resides. It is yet a very fine place. Pardon a personal digression. You see lining the road that fine line of maples, and how thrifty they are; well, a few years ago I came up here and delivered a lecture before the X'illage Improve- ment Society. One thing I advocated was tree planting, and here, through the enterprise of the people, you see the result. Over there was the home of Deacon French. He at one time set type for the Journal and Courier. The property is now owned by the New Haven Water Company. And there is the residence of ?ilr. Judge. Mrs. Judge has a camp-stool that did duty in Cromwell's army. Near this locality was a factory, wdiere Mr. Peck, who w^as the father of the late Lawyer Lucius Peck of Xew Haven, made iron candlesticks. It is now no more. Just in that hollow above the lake once stood a grist mill. It was a l)usy place in its dav. Ah ! Here we pass the house of friend Doolittle. he of flying machine note. Some day he expects to fly through the air with the greatest of ease on the machine he has been so long at work on in his leisure hours. Lp there is the house where our esteemed and wealthy towns- man, Joel A. Sperry, was born. I'p there to the right was once a factory where the grandfather of the late Xelson Hotchkiss made hoes and rakes. Xow it is all deserted. The party here paused to take a look down the long sweep of valley which lies between the ridges, the view including the splendid new lake I'.klllANV AS I) ITS HILLS. 23 of the Xew Haven Water Company. Dawson Lake, named in honor of our esteemed deceased townsman, the late Henry S. Dawson. And now, concluded Mr. Sperry, we come to a model farm, one of the model farms of Connecticut, that of our friend S. G. Davidson, who is one of liethany's most hon- ored and esteemed men. It is indeed a model of what thrift, g-ood taste, enterprise, foresight and sagacity well employed can accomplish. With Mr. Davidson in charge, even a wilderness could be made to blossom like the rose. ]Mr. Sperry and party were the guests of Mr. Davidson and of his estimable wife and son for an hour, after which the homeward journey was begun, returning through the route which passes the site of the Sperry homestead." T. S. Gold, State Secretary of Agriculture, has said: '"When agriculture asserts its demand for educated men, then we shall have an education for the farm equal in breadth to that of any other calling, and then will end the cry. 'Why do the boys leave the farm ?' " The prospects are that the work of the Yale Forestry School will be productive of reclaiming much waste land and its influence will be widespread. The next generation may see in place of shrub oaks, white birches and alders, groves of nut trees of various kinds and sugar maples, the fine forests cleared of underbrush, so unsightly, — when a drive through \\'oodbridge and IJethany. the suburbs of the "City of Elms," will be as beautiful as a drive through East Rock Park is now ( 1904). \\'hy not? If every farmer would plant an acre of hickory nuts he would not be obliged to guard with a shot-gun one solitary tree which produced a choice nut with shell so thin that a child could crack it with its teeth, an ITS H U I S. "One of the most thriUinji inciilents ixxurroj when iho rob- bers had betXMiie nearly exhavistevl with carrying their Ixx^ty. and reahzing' that their captive was a dangerous burden, they decidevl to put him out of the \va\ ."" An ojxm\ sixn was found among- the hushes near where the stream made a ^leep p<.x'>l of vlark water tleckeii with f^xun from the waters above. Chauncey was draggeil to the brink and bidden to fall upon his knees, while Graham, with a loaded nmsket. withdrew a short distance from him. "Young man." he said, "you nuist pre- pare to die! Say your prayers as quick as yvni can. We have no time to waste, but will give yon ten minutes to do it in." The poor lad fell on his knees to beg for his life. He tnnied to the young men. whom he had met at huskings and merrymak- ing's, and entreated them to save him. All seemed in vain. Graham stcxxl immovable, with his watch held forth iu his o|xmi hand, coimting off the minutes as they passeil. "Three, four, five I" "God in heaven !" cried the boy franti- cally, "help me! Oh. tnother. mother! Save me. save your boy !" "Seven, eight." said Graham, in unaltered tones, riie agonizing cry of the lad sank into a low tnoan of despair. "Xine. ten. time's up!" exclahned the captain, returning the watch to his pocket and raising the nniskei to his shoulder. At that instant Henry \\\xx^ter sprang forward and clapped his hand over the muzzle of the gim. "Xo. captain." said he. "don't fire : it's tvx> bad." "Get out of the way!" thundered the ruffian, "or Til blow your hand off." Almost at the same moment both Cady and Scott interposed. rushing in between him and Chauncey. Wooster seized the g\m and raised the muzzle into the air. "You shan't kill him ! You've got to shoot me first!" "Aud me!" "And me. tvxi!" cried the others, and they planted thetnselves firmly as a screen before the kneeling figure of the youth. Later on. while the fugitives were secreted in a cellar at the Wooster house in Derby, a well was discovered, and Graham wrung a reluctant assent from his companions that Chauncey should be shot and put into the well. His pleading cry of dis- tress was heard by Mrs. Wooster overhead. She was a woman. nay. more, a mother. She hastened downstairs and threw her- self between the victim and his nmrderers. who were just pre- P.ETIIAXY AND ITS Illl.F.S. 27 paring- to execute their ]nirpose. "For shame!" she cried. "Are you uieu. or wolves, to kill a poor hoy in this wav ? I tell you it shan't he done. — not in this house! Take your hanrls off him. caj^tain !" The rohhers suhmitted. but with an ill ^-race, cursing- women that "couldn't mind their own business." At this juncture a door from the room above opened, and a voice cried out. "I've come to tell you that you had better take care of yourselves. There is a party of men comin.c;' up the road yonder that I suspect are looking- for you. There are Mr. Judd and two or three of his sons. Reuben and Daniel Williams. Sam Hickox, Jude Hoadley. and a dozen more. Some are on horse- back and some afoot." Among" those on horseback were "Dr. Jesse Carrington and Mr. Isaac Hotchkiss from Bethany." It seems they eluded their pursuers, and when they thouo^ht themselves out of dan.s^er were caj^tured at last, and the young' captive restored to his family. Although his health was impaired and his hands, which were frozen, were crippled for life, the author states "he married ?\rabel Hotchkiss (daughter of Captain Gideon), in September, 1785, wdio died in 1799, after which he married again. He died February 21. 1823. at the age of fifty-three." The Hezekiah Thomas Hotel is still standing, or the front part of it. Mr. Thomas taug-ht the district school at the center, after the town had built a schoolhouse midway between the old church and the new one. Mr. Thomas boug-ht the old schoolhouse, which had been built l)y the Amity Parish in 1750. It was two stories in heig^ht. The second story was a Ma.sonic hall. It was near the old church, and drawn across the hill by several voke of oxen and jjjaced so near the new church that one could hear the music in summer time. He built a new front. Colonel Alvan Sperry being the builder. The old hall served as town hall and the first floor as a dining^ hall. He also kept the postoffice. which was an inducement for tlie clnu-chgoers to cong-regate on Sunday, between the morn- ing and evening: services, to get their mail. and. as Rev. Israel P. Warren said : "It is not to be wondered at that under the circumstances the gathering- of all the people on the Sabbath for public worship 28 r.lITHAXV AND ITS 11 ILLS. served, to a large extent, as the oceasion for telliiii^- ami hearitii;" news, for the ileliverv of letters ami niessag^es ami the inter- change of those frieiuUy greetings and courtesies which are so necessary to the very existence of society. If. as ouv old people tell us. there is a relative falling off in church attendance in moilern times, the reason may in part he found in the greater facilities now enjoyed for intercomunication with the world." Seventy \ears ago the postage on a letter from Connecticut to Ohio was twenty-five cents, paid by the receiver : now it is two cents, paid by the sender, and through the system of rural delivery it is left at one's own door daily in the country to all outside the mile limit (I9c">4^- Postage stamps were first useil in the I'nited States in 1S47. The postofiice system was first established in Lonnecticut in 1 003. by special authority from the king. The mail went through the colony from Boston to New ^^M■k "once every week." The postage from Boston to llartford was i)d. The first steamboat from Xew \'ork to Xew Haven. March 21. 1815. The first cars from Xew Haven to Xew \'ork. December 2g. 1848. The first friction matches used. 1821). Mr. Thomas had a shop where he manufactured piU'ketbi>oks. and as there were no sewing machines at that date he sent them out to be stitched, from which some of the farmer's wives and daughters picked up (.[uite a little pin money. He married Mar- garet Stephens about 1820. Children: Sereno. married Miss Candee. He was conductor on the Xew York. X'ew Haven i^ Hartford Raih-oad many years. Henry was a noteil fiulist. Ellen married John B. Hotchkiss. who was associated with J. B. Carrington of the Xew Haven Journal ami Courier several years. Hezekiah studied for the ministry autl dieil young. David, when a lad. was fond of climbing. A fall from a sprightly colt resulted in a broken arm. and as he preferretl walking on the top of a fence, a treacherous rail caused anolher broken limb; and one evening while the Masons were in con- clave in ^lasonic Hall he. with two other lads, climbed a tree where they could get a view into the hall, ami their reports of riding the goat and other antics were too hulicrous to repeat. An old Mason said : "There was nothing to be seen worth see- T -9 ^^?> TV I'.inilA.W AND lis 11 ILLS. 29 inj^'. l)iU if tlicy could ha\c' heard llu'v nii^lu lia\c \)cvn (.(lilied." Later in life he Icaniecl the art of ])rintinj4- and became press agent for 1'. T. llarnuni. W'liile travoHni^' with him he made l)all(X)n ascensions, and after Mr. Uarnnm's decease he settled in New Haven, where, b}' re{|uest, he lectured reg'arding his sen- sations in the clouds as an aeronaut. This was soon followed by his decease, which was i^reatly lamented by his friends, as he was a i^'enial coin])anion. His s])irit, freed from its tenement of clay, could soar above the clouds, invisible to mortal eye. h'anny (Mrs. Howard) has been enj^a^^'ed in literar\' work many years. Celia married John Atwater of Xew Haven, and resides near Boston. She and Mrs. Howard are the only surviving children. Mr. Perry owns and occupies the i)ro])erty now. He has removed the old hall from the rear of the house and built a town hall a few rods south. He married a daughter of Orrin and ?^Iary (Castle) \\'heeler. One reminiscence of that old hall seems btit yesterday. In April, 1840, the schools of the town united in giving an exhi- bition at Thomas's hall. There were guests from other towns, not a few from Xew Haven, including Yale students. When everything was in readiness for the evening performance a rap at the door of the ladies' dressing room was answered. Giles Smith was ushered in. His patrician face was ghastly white as he announced : "President Harrison is dead, and we cannot go on with this ati'air." After the excitement had somewhat subsided, the leading lady stepped forward and said : "Giles, who knows of this beside yourself?" "Wilson Clark and Lucius Peck." "Go and hush it up. We cannot prevent what has happened, sad as if is. The hall is full and it is time to raise the curtain." The exhil)ition was given with perfect success. How many jiersons remember it ? Rev. Isaac Jones married a sister of Hezekiah Thomas, and wliile pastor of the Episcopal Church for several years, being piite proud of his ancestor ( Lieutenant Governor William Jones, who married Hannah Eaton, daughter of Governor Theophilus Eat(Mi). he learned that several families in the town traced to the same line. He tried in vain to arouse some enthusiasm on the sul)iect. He was ridiculed, however, and it is nrit known that more than one person ])reserved the family 30 I'.KTIIAW AM) IIS Illl.i.S. record he so kiiuUv offered. In later years, since so many patri- otic societies have been orj^anized. in((niries have been made of the old people in regard to "Parson Jones' Cicnealo<;y," which receives the replv, "It went into one ear and out of the other.'' At that date the War of the Kevolution was I'resli in their minds, and it is said that the first settlers of the colony studiously avoided an\' allusi(Mi to their ancestors in luis^'land, allhoug'h some ni them did ])reserve their faniih' coat-of-arms in order to enable their descendants to tind their relatives, if they desired. They did not realize the value of the information they could have imparted so easily. The lleraldry ordered by New Englanders and executed b\- Mr. Lharles Camp of "S'ork street. Xew Haven, which was on exhibition at St. Louis, is perfectly bewilderiui;-. so o(M\i;eous and artistic is it. There is so much travel abroad at the present da\ that some tourists would like to see the homes of their tore- fathers before the\- came to this "barren wilderness,"" whether the\- were humble cottai^es or lofty castles. In some instances the fatuily coat-of-arms is the onl\- source which the professional genealogist has to identify the correct line the_\- are in search of. to avoid any humiliating- mistakes. The Thomas and Tolles families from West Haven first settled on the level ])lateau west of the center, where the r.ethany and Woodbridge "Fairs" were held alternately for several years, attracting crowds from the city and adjacent towns. How pleasant those gatherings were: an incentive to excel in their various productions, and giving' an op])ortunity to exchange greeting's with old friends whom they seldom met except on similar occasions. Why were the\ abandoned? Have all the leaders passed away and left Danbury to take the cake? At a county fair held in Xew Haven over sixt\- years ago r>ethany alone furnished one hundred and twenty-five yoke of oxen, and now the farm work is mostly done by horses, and there is said to be onlv a few yoke of oxen in the town. Daniel'' Tolles. son of Henry- and Dorothy Thomas, daughter of DanieP. John-. John\ DanieP married Thankful Smith, daughter of Cai)tain SanuieP, lieutenant Sanuiel-. (ieorge'. Samuel- married Obedience, daughter of Captain (ieorge l.am- berton of the "Phantom Shi])." Children of l^anieP' and Thankful were: Lazarus* married Sibvl r.ellann , daughter o\ l!i:ilI.\XV AND ITS HILLS. 3? Saiimcl'. Maltlu'w-, .Matthew': Daiiirl' marrii'(l Mary lline, (laui;hter of hx-'l : Lambcrton* married Abis^aiU datit^hter of Samuel and Kuth IJrisax^: jared^ was a soldier of the Revolu- tion: Abraham' married hdizabeth ; their dau.i^diter Lucv married Lysias IJeecher. son of Captain David and Hannah (Perkins) T.cecher ; children: David, Abraham ( marriedC'aro- line. dau.Lihter of 1 'hilo Lewis of .\aui;atuek ) , Chauncey (mar- ried Mar.iiaret Todd, dauohter of Leonard). Hannah (married Charles Thomas). Harriet (married Leverett Thomas), Lliza- beth (married Theophilus Smith, who married her sister Khza for second wife). Mary (married ikirton .Mallory of Xew Haven). Laura (married Mr. Hayes, and (2) Mr. Comer of Alabama ) . Thankful married Daniel Sanford ; Desire-* married Abra- ham Bcecher: Mary^ married Xoah Thomas. Daniel'. Children: Horace'"' married Polly. daut;hter of Tesse and Sarah (Lines) P.eecher ; Aurelia married Lucien Baldwin ; Samantha married Henry Carrington ; Mary married !\Iilo Beecher ; Eliza married Wales Perkins ; Curtiss married ; Isaac" married ?\Iaria I'.uckiui^^ham. He was a fine scholar. He tautrht a high school in Thomas Hall, Bethany, also in other towns, which were well patronized. Later he was in the mercantile liusiness. His son. Colonel 1' remont W. ( one of eight children) was a member of the Legislature from Xaugatuck in 1880 and. like his father, is an active business man. and has held several of the highest offices of the town. William French (says the History of Derby) came in the Defence from London in 1635 with his wife Elizabeth, his son Francis, and five other children. William I'rench was one of the original settlers of the beautiful town of Billerica. where he died, aged seventy- four, having had ten children born m America. He was the author of the famous tract, "Strength Out of Weakness," published in London and reprinted by the P.oston Historical Society. He held many offices of trust. His son l-Vancis came to Mil ford in 1050, settled in 1654. being the third or fourth family in the plantation. He married Lydia I'.unnell of Milford. They had nine children : Francis, jr., mar- ried Aima Bowers. 1 le was high sheriff of the town. Their son Israel married Sarah Loveland. Their son David, born January 30. 1742. married Lois Lines of P.ethany, where he removed. 32 BETHA.\^ AM) IIS HILLS. Their children were: David Adonijah. Luther (of Beacon Hill). Asaph. Harry. Sarah. Hannah. Dorcas. Hepsibah. Lvdia. Lois. Adonijah was a justice of the peace and representative of Woodbridge (now Bethany). David French, Esq., son of Israel, was a patriot of the Revolution, .going to Boston after the battle of Bunker Hill to assist in resisting the encroachments of despotism. He was trial justice many years. He repre- sented the town in the ( ieneral Assembly twentv successive years. He was for man\- \ears a deacon of the First Congre- gational Church of BethauN . under the Rev. Stephen Hawlev. He commanded much respect and influence as a public speaker, having a strong voice and expressing his opinions with frank- ness, energy and confidence. He died August 4. 1821. aged eighty. Asaph married a sister of Captain Jesse Beecher. had a large family, removed to Prospect, where he died, and left descendant a granddaughter. Mrs. Ford of W'estville. now living, aged seventy-nine. Harry remained at the homestead, about a mile west of the center, where he built a house which is in a good condition at this date. He was a man of power and stability. He married . Their onl}- child, jane, was a leader in society, like her father. While teaching school in Cheshire, she met Justus Peck, whom she married. He was born in 1809. He was son of Asa", John"', Samuel^, John''. John-. Deacon W^illiam Peck first settler. He was an active business man and ran the first boat on the Farmington canal. He removed to Bethany in 1843. after the decease of Mr. French, and occu- pied the homestead. He held prominent jiublic offices, as his son Harry is doing at the present time. Marietta married Mr. Francis and died young. Charlotte married Henry M. Bigelow of Xew Haven. After his decease she married Samuel R. W^oodward, a relative of Rev. P^rederic and Dr. Asa. He holds the highest oftice of the towiL Chil- dren are: Daisy E., Florence E. and Sherman P. They reside at the homestead, which is one of the finest locations in the town, being elevated and level, with fine meadows, etc. Jack Frost lingers late outside. ( )n the 26th of October, when the cosmos were black and ruined in the city, they were nodding I'.irniAW AM) ITS II ILLS. 33 their ga}- blossoms graccfiill\- from the Woodward lawns to the passers-by. Rev. hYederic B. Woodward, M.D., came to P.ethany in 1846 from W'atertown and was pastor of Christ Church two vears. After an absence of fourteen years he returned and remained four years. He was a superior man and greatly beloved. He had an interesting" family. His daughter Emeline was S()j)rano ^ H% llAKKV FKE.NCU. From an old Daguerreotype. soloist in St. Paul's Church, Xew Haven, at one time. Katherine married and died young. His only .son. hVederic. went io I'lorida and had an orange grove. His lirolher. Dr. Asa. graduated at ^'ale in 1844, and in 1845 bought the l':s(iuire John Thomas property on Lebanon Hill and built a house on the site of the one which was burned when Dr. Spencer lost his life. Dr. Woodward had an extensive practice, and died in 1881. His son iMlward studied medicine and practiced in Bethauv in 1861. afterwards .settling in I'.ristol. 34 l!l•:•|•H.\^■^■ and ns iiii.i.s. Dr. Asa huill anotluT lumsc later, where he resided, while his son (ieorj^e occupied the other and managed the farm. I le was an active man and missed especially in the l^piscopal Church. (ieorge Driver was horn in liethany and spent his school davs there. In later years he has traveled across this continent from the .\tlantic to the Pacific six times, has seen the snow-capped peaks of the i^reat mountains, the ^reat ."^alt Lake and the vast MKS. J.\NE ( FKKXl II ) I'KCK. prairies, but he was never on "ISeacon Cap" in his native tow-n. He attem])te(l the ascent once witli a ]iarty of twelve, and wdien within a half mile they were driven hack hy an approaching thunder shower to tind shelter in a farmhouse near. He says, however, that if he lives until s])rin!L; he intends to make another effort to reach that romantic rock. If he succeeds ])rohahly he will he sin-])rise(l to see the beauty of the '■am])hitheater" of the tcnvn, which he never before was able to ap])reciate. His father, Darius Driver, a (juiet. well-informe(l, nuich respected farmer, THK KKV. I-KKUKKK I!. WnuHWAKli. \l I' iii'/niAXY AND ris II II, I, s. 35 lived all his life in the town until the age of ninety, when he would walk to the city, ten miles, not from necessity, but because he liked the exercise ; he had rented his farm and his children had homes in the city. He lived to be nearly ninety-five. Does not that give evidence of a healthy climate? Scores have lived past the age of ninety in the town. ^Irs. Leonard Todd was ninety-eight, and there was one centenarian, Mrs. Kane or Cain. who was one lumdred and fifteen, and the neighbors said she seemed to enjov a meal of corn meal mush or hasty pudding with as keen a relish as an epicure would "(luail on toast. "" She finally withered and dropped off like an autumn leaf. The Hotchkiss family were among the pioneers of the town of Bethanv, descending from Samuel, who married Elizabeth Cloverly in 1663. Some of the name settled in Cheshire, and later went up through the mountain road which leads to the Litchfield turnpike. Solomon and I'hilo lived near the Prospect line, and others went higher still and settled on Prospect Hill. It is said that David Hotchkiss gave the name to the town, which was so appro])riate. Tradition says also that there was an inn kept by a Mr. Hotchkiss in the old house which was standing seventy years ago at the corner of the crossroad, called the "])ine tree corner." Major Hotchkiss lived on the turnpike .south of the Perkuis tavern. Children: Harriet, Harlowe, Adna, and F.mily. all went to other towns and the old house is in rums. Thaddeus located near the Methodist Church and had one son. Dr. Sterne Hotchkiss, whose name recalls an entertainment given at Thcophilus Smith's hall nearly seventy years ago, when, a schoolgirl, we were permitted to sit in a (|uiet corner and gaze with admiration and awe upon the galaxy of beauty an.l intellect gathered there, .\mong them were C.iies Smith. Wales Peck and Dr. Sterne Hotchkiss, the Smith and Beecher and Tuttle girls, and others too numerous to mention. Was ever a foreign court graced with more refinement and culture? Some of the ladies were graduates of Wilbraham and some ..f the gentlemen were graduates of Vale. _ Hiram Hotchkiss, located near the center, was .son o f Silas' . Joseph*, Isaac^ Joshua-, Samuel'. He married Children: one (laughter and three sons. Wales was a portrait painter in Xew Haven many years. 36 I'.KTHAXN' AM) IIS llll.I.S. Clark llolchkiss. l)()rn in I'.ctliam in iSo^:;, was son of Isaac and I^lizahcth (dark) 1 lotchkiss. \\v married Caroline A. Sperry. Children: Martha. Alary, Isaac. Sarah, l"ann\, Julia, Anna and Arthur. Atnia married Arian Rosha. L'hildren : Clifton and Eugene. Mr. and Mrs. Hotchkiss were members of the Congregational Church sixty-two vears. Harvey and i^her Hotchkiss located on the west side of Lebanon Hill. Harvey married Sarah Ailing. Children: Solo- mon, Sheldon, Ueecher, Julius, Theodore, Harpin, Samantha. Sarah Finette and Margaret. Only one of that large and highly respected family remains in the tt)wn, a son of 1 larpin. There are many descendants in New Haven. Eber Hotchkiss married Thirza Driver. Children: l)ilazt)n, (Jracia. Samantha, jane, Samuel, I^ber and Hooker. Dilazon married a sister of William Clark and has one son, iM-ederic, who married Miss Crofton and resides in W'oodbridge. Harle\- Hotchkiss married a lUickingham. His son Andrew was a fine school teacher. His house was burned and his mother and younger daughter were consumed in the tlames, another sad calamity of that nature which gives a shock to the entire town. Stephen Hotchkiss lived near the Harr\ iM-ench i)lace. where Jared built a new house later, and married Amv l'>ench. daughter of Asaph. His widow still resides there, past ninety years of age, and said to be quite active. George Hotchkiss lived east of the center. He married Miss Sperry. One son, Erban, lives in Xew Haven and married Elizabeth Crabtree. Their two daughters were teachers and are married to professors in Massachusetts. I'.irill ANY AM) IIS HILLS. 37 IXrivKJuSTlXC XOTES Ki'.i; AKDixi; I'lii", OLD rowx oi- lihrnLW v. ( rul)lislu'(l in the New ll;i\i'n J ounial mid L'oiirirr in njoi. willii ml sii-iialurc. ) As one (lri\ini^ troni W'w I I.'ua'ii, lhrout;li lU'llianw over wlial is termed the "C enter" or ""Ipper road. " conies to the |-',|)isco])al and ( "on^re^ational eliurehes, \\Iiich. stanthn^ npon hig'h t^Toinid. are (|inte eonspictious, and wliieh are. with the ])Ostoffice and I'errx 's Hall, ohjecls that ])arlienlarl\- serve to determine the "Center" of the small town oi' llethanv. he is ai)l to notice the freshness and pnrit\ of the air: the ])eacefiil si'renitx' which rests npon llu' rnral comnuniit\ ; the \-aried and heantifnl landscape; the lowing' of the cattle, "as the i)lo\\nian homeward plods his wear\- wax." and if he chances to look hehind him. the tine view to hi.' had of Loni; Island and the ."^^onnd. That these ihinj^s -aw noticeahle is due to the fact liiat. hein^;' situatecl np anion^' tlu' hills where the streams ha\e tlieir source, hut little water power has heen availahle. and so the ])lace has escaped the noise and confiision, the pollution of the air and the water which are attendant upon the estahlishment of larLie manufactories, which, althouj^h of i;reat henetit to a com- nnuiitw tend in man\ cases to lower the moral and intellectual status of a nei.L^hhorhi lod. and to (k'tract trom it in the exes of thosi- who mi^ht otherwise desire to reside in it. That tlie hills of r.ethan\- are not already dotted with more sunimer homes owned 1)\ residents of Xew llawn is un(|uesti(»n- al)l\ due to the fact that in the ])ast ])0(ir roads and no con- \eni(,'nt railroad facilities ha\e heen discourai^iuL;' factors, toi^ether with the limited knowledi^e thus alfurded ol the heautiful hills and mas^nitkx'Ut \iews to he had from some ol theuL This oI)stacle is already hein^' o\eicome in a marked de^ret- 1)\ tlu' availnienl 1)\ the town, and also hy the sister town of Woodhridi^e, of the slate law. hy which the roads leailin.iL; from Xew Haven to the W oo(ll)ri(lge and I'.ethany hills are lieinj^ im])roved. 6 3 8 BETHANY AND ITS HILLS. If the traveler goes north from tlie cluirches about one-eig'hth of a mile he will come to a large and somewhat weather-beaten old house situated on the farther right hand corner, made bv the road running between Beacon Falls and ]\lount Carmel. I'nless he is observing by nature, he will see nothing that will particularly attract his attention unless it be the three large chimneys which project above the roof and which, with the size of the structure, tend to give it an air of majesty, or he may note the many old-fashioned windows which dot its sides. But looking closer, he will observe that the cornice, though not I)rominent nor imposing, but narrow and old-fashioned, shows a degree of workmanship and taste which speaks well for the intellect and pocket-book of its long ago builder. He will notice that the underpinning is of fine cut sandstone, seldom to be found under houses built at the time : and should he chance to pass by when the front door is open on a summer afternoon, he would undoubtedly be surprised to see a large hall extending from front to rear of the main house, with handsome arches overhead. During the past winter the writer chanced to call at this old homestead and was struck with a sense of its almost ancient grandeur, for it seems to have been what in its day might have been called an "elegant residence." Ever since he has had a feeling of desire to know about it and its history, and recently having had an opportimity to look it over from top to bottom and make some inquiries, he gladly availed himself of the opjwr- tunity. Knowing the interest which has become general in the last few years respecting things in anv wav historical or repre- senting the life of our forefathers, the writer takes pleasure in penning these few lines of description of a place which other- wise might in time pass out of existence unnoticed, with the hope that the Journal and Courier may consider them of enough interest to the public to reproduce them in print. Among some of the features not alreadv mentioned, the writer was particu- larly pleased with the south front parlor, which is about fifteen feet square, with two fancy arched alcoves at the back, with a handsome mantel and large fireplace between them. From floor to ceiling throughout the lower part of the house is a distance of over nine feet, and in several rooms the wall near the ceilino- is ornamented bv a handsome frieze. The writer r,i:rii ANN' .\m> ns iiii. 39 calls til luiiid at least i'it;ht lar.-^c li.i;lit. airy rooms besides the main Inwcv hall, u])])vy hall and a dann- hall some seventeen feet wiile li\ thirl\-six \cv[ Inii^. Tlurc arc n1(1 ada-e. "Killint' two birils with one stone. 4° l:l•:TII.\^•^■ and ri: It appears that the house was huiU by one Darius ISeecher. The writer is unable to s^ive nuich information relative to said Beecher other than that he was at the time of building' quite wealthy: had two daughters and. if rightly informed, one son; that he went west with his family, lost his fortune and was not much heard from. 'Idie place was afterward occui)ied by one Abram lieecher. who was. however, not related to the builder. WILLI A At LOUNSIUKV. Later it was owned bv Lewis Thomas, who occupied it with his family. T,ater it l)ecame the property' of ( )rrin Wheeler, who occupied it with his family till his death in 1874. His Avidow, son and unmarried daughters continued to occupy it mitil the death of Mrs. Wheeler in i8(j8. and the death of the son in i8(;(;. The Misses Mary and Christina Wheeler still cling to the associations which make the "( )ld Homestead" dear to them, and remain under the roof which has withstood the storms of the nineteenth century and enters upon the BETHANV AXn ITS IIII.I-S. 4^ twentieth still i)nitectino- a fniniework of massive oak. but little the worse for time and wear, hut which must inevitably succumb in time if not ^iven thai protection which has so lon.cr been afforded it till death and adversity have n.bbed the hands which would have kept the outside as neat and beautiful as the mside. The r.cecher family in P-ethany seem difficult to trace. Thcv seemed to settle near the center, Lysias near the churches, north. 1 lis father. Captain David, lived on the cross- road east, where he had built a g-rist mill. Darius built on the corner ( )ne Darius sold to Ebenezer I'latt, about iScx), a house west near Harrv l-rench's. and Calvin Ueecher built on the mam road north, near Lebanon Hill. His wi»^< of Cheshire. The children of .Vrchibald Perkins were ArcbibaM. Abner. Jesse. l>urr. Charles. The "Perkins doughnuts" were so associated with the name of the old tavern, they .should be noticed. Mrs. Perkins was a superior cook, but her doughnuts were a specialty. She said she fried two bushels a week, making over one hundred bushels a year. The) were round as an orange, and never too sliort. or too long, or too sweet or too scnu". Probably it being such a convenient article of food for a lunch on the road addc' '■■ ''"• widespread reputation. Passing the old toll-gate, gone long ago. was the home <5C; MRS. MII.I.V (jl'DIt) I'EKKIXS. Aged g8. l-"roni an old Anibrolype. but his father dying the same year, changed his destiny. He was a selectman, guardian of children, and was familiarly called the old lawver." His daughter Leonora married Isaac Warren (of Maytlower descent): children were Israel P., William. Harriet. Harris. Isaac. Cornelia, and George. Israel Perkins Warren ri'niained with his grandfather, who gave him an education, lie graduated at \'ale and was ordained a Congre- gational minister. Later he received the title of D.D. and 48 l!KTII.\.\^■ AM) lis 11 ILLS. was settled in I Boston the latter years of his life. He was the author of relii^'ious works and ])ul)lished the "Story of Chauncey judd. or the Stolen l)oy,"' the particulars of which he received from his orandmother. who. he states, resided with him until her death at the ai^e of ninet\-nine. Harriet married William Canada of Xew Haven. She is eig'hty-hve years of age and is well preserved, her memor\ and hearing" l)eing" good — a ver\- interesting' j^erson. Their son is a fur dealer in Chapel street. The other children of Isaac Warren were higlil\- intellectual and tilled high positions in other states, and ha\e many descendants. The old house which was l)uilt by lulward Perkins, and where Israel was born and lived to old age. must have been tine in its da\-. it was so roomy, with a front lawn several rods deep lined with shade trees. The place was sold about seventy years ago to Dr. Foote of Haniden, who built a house nearly in front of the old one. Within a stone's throw was the old red school house, an old landmark, which is now no more, a new one having" been built a little farther south. Diagonallv across from the old schoolhouse was a (|uaint, roomy old house, where ( )liver Hotchkin lived several years. He bought it of Job Terrel, whose withnv died at the age of ninetv, about 1837. Harpin Hotchkiss bought it later, removed it. and built one more modern. He and his wife are both deceased ; their son continues the blacksmith business which his father established, and their two daughters married two brothers, Herbert E. and ( leorge R. Doolittle, who have an extensive fish market on liroadway, Xew Haven. There was another ver\- old red house a few rods north, which Charles iM-ench bought seventy years ago and removed, replacing it with one nnieb smaller. He was a carpenter and wagonmaker, and had one son, Herbert : all deceased without leaving aii heir. Turning to the right on the Prospect road, near the top of the road is an old hoiL'^e where Milo lleecher once lived. It would be interesting to know who built it. The next house north was Titus i'eck"s, son of Samuel"', Timothy"*, Samuel', Joseph-, Henry'. He married Sibyl Xettleton. Children: Alary, Ephraim. Isaac L.. Laura .\., Titus 1). (born 1832). Isaac Nettleton, brother to Sibyl, married Tatty Mer- win, onlv one of their children remaining in the town. KEV. ISKAKI. I-KKKINS WAKKKN. D 1' ]!l•:•lll.\^'^ and ns iiii.i,.s. 49 Isaac |u(l(l, ■"the dM scluiolniasUT."" l)r()tlKr()f Milly (jucld) Perkins, lived on the crossroad to Cheshire, about a half mile east of the schot)lhouse. He married Patience Hammond; and indeed she was the personification of patience, for while he was teachin.i;- the xoun^;- idea how to shoot, she was teaching the youno- girls how to shoot the shuttle, with the warp and the woof of which the lads and lasses would eventually he clad m garments not to he despised, if it was homes|)un ; tor, after being dved and dressed and ])ressed at the mill, it was nice enough to be worn on any ordinary occasion, iler blankets and table linen, which recpiired four treadles to weave, were valued highly in those days. She had such a charming way of telling a story that an evening spent in her conijjany was enjoyable; after the twilight had driven her from the loom in the huge garret, where were the wheels and reel and swifts, and the warping bars, as high as one could reach to lav the warp. This recpiired the skill of an expert, especially in plaids or checks, which, after l)emg rolled on the great beam and drawn through reed and gear, and a thread found wrong (which would ruin the whole piece, if not remedied immediately), was enough to try the ])atience of an angel, but "Aunt Patience" was equal to the task. When she was .seated in her high-back easy chair, with her arms akimbo across her checked linsey-woolsey apron, her dear old face beaming with snnles. she would tell tales of the "Revolution." of "Chauncev's capture" (her husband's brother), which she never tired of repeating; and one could fancy that she came from a fairv land as she described the old-time festivities in the grand old ballrooms, the gentlemen in their knee-breeches and ruftled shirt bosoms, with their long hair powdered and curled and (|ueued. etc. And in answer to the question. "How. pray, were the ladies dressed to match with such gay cavaliers.- ' she' would rei)lv. ••()h. thev looked just as tine. Some of the wealthiest had silks and laces that were 'brought over' as old heirlooms, and others were dressed in white.— and what is jn-ettier for belle or bride? And the red camlet cloaks they wore, weren't they ii^ny ■ Sometimes she would amuse us with some of '•I'nrdys pranks." who she said api)eared in the neighborhood .soon after the War of the Revolution as suddenlv as a meteor dropped 50 V.ETllANV ANH US HU.l.S. from the skies, aiul any allusion in roiiaril to his tornior alxvlc was always mot with such evasive shrewdness as to settle the question ».lirectly. The house of William Purdy. known as \V\\\ runly. the wui^. was like a hird's nest. There was a small kitchen, with a smaller bedr(.xMn. and the small attic, where the little family of Purdys slept, was reached by a ladder. There were sixteen. including' one pair of twins, who were so bright and handsome that they always attracted the attention of strangers, who would ask their name, and the reply, always sinutlianeousl\ . "Harley Cone ami Harvey Bono. Clever two men ever known." brought them many jxMmies. Purdy could make a rhyme at short notice, not always poetic. which would cause gTcat mirth and hilarity at the tavern. He had a little g-arden patch with a few fruit trees, and he always kept a cow on the highway. When he died about 1840 the little Purdvs had all found homes in other towns, and when they came to the funeral of their father their mother returned to their home with them. It is said that one of the daughters marricil a gentleman who was quite distinguished, and the sons held honorable positions. The land adjoining- was known as the Tuttle farm. It extended to the mountain on the east and as far south as the crossroad by the David Perkins ]ilace. where there is an elevation commanding a hue view. The tract consisted of several hundred acres. The extreme northeastern part, over 200 acres, was probably Xathaniels. antl .^old to Abraham Marks and his brother-in-law. Samuel Merwin of Milford. when Nathaniel removed to the State of New ^"ork. anil his hnnher I'ri hail settled on the other portion. I'ri"' Tuttle was born in Hamden. Conn.. September S. 1738. son of XathanieP. XathanieT". Jonathan-'. William', who was born in England, and settled in Xew Haven in i(\^0- He was married in Bethany. December 5. 1704. by Rev. Stephen llawley to Thankful Ives of Hamden. daughter of |onathan\ Sanmel'. loseph-. William\ who was born in luigland. ami one of the first settlers of Xew Haven. Children : i;i-.i ii.\.\ 1 \,\i) n 5' I. Jeremiah, married Sarah Crittenden. Children: Sally and Charles, twins, born October 1 1, 1789. Charles renKJved to Xew York State and married Ruth Jones. Children : I'jiiily, Delos, LeRoy. Melinda, Calista. Jared. Alma. Jennette, and Julia, who married Dr. John Curtis. Melinda married her cousin, Edwin A. Tuttle of Hethany. LeRoy married Adelaide Merrv and removed west. He was a banker and broker. Later he was employed in Washinf^ton. D. C. as Assistant Treasurer in the THE OLD IRI TITTI.E HOUSE, SOUTH VIEW. United States Treasury. After fourteen years in the service he resigned at the same time with (ieneral Spinner. Me died in 1858. leaving- one son. LeRoy. Alma married Ahram Zoller. Their daughter Jessie graduated at X'assar College in 1880. 2. Amasa. married Esther Tolles. daughter of I^izarus and Sil)vl llillamv. Children: Sarah I'.ellamy'. who married j-'.liakim Smith: son Henry', married Elizabeth P.radley and removed to Illinois: three children: daughter Laura-, married William Dickcrman of Hamdeii. i'luir daughter Cora married Rev. 52 RETHANY AND ITS HILLS. Clarence Colten. After his decease she married Rev. Samuel D. Paine of Florida. Esther Tolles-. married Levi Merwin Marks. Children: Mary E.. Minerva C, David 15., Amasa A., Eliza Jennette. Amasa A. married Lucy A. Piatt and removed to New York, where he has been engaged in the manufacture of artificial limbs in Broadway. Xew York, over fifty years. He has the sword and gun which was his g-randfather's, Amasa Tuttle's, when he was captain of the militia companv in Bethany. JHK (JI.IP L kl T( TTLE HOISE, NORTH VIEW. 3. Cri, burned to death, aged four. 4. Chauncey, married Mrs. Elizabeth Peck. 5. Mary, married Jonah Todd. There are many descendants. Three grandsons were jewelers in Mroadway, New York, many years. 6. Uri, married Electa Perkins, daughter of Edward^ 7. Elam, married Mary Scofield : went west. 8. Benajah, went to State of New York. 9. James Seymour, married Sarah Gilbert of Hamden, who was a descendant of Matthew (iilbert, one of the seven pillars ^^:TI^.\^"^■ and i is iiii.r.s. 53 of the first church, and l)ci)ut}- Governor of the New Haven Colony for seven years. lo. Calvin, married S\lvia Smith; six chil(h-en, hri^ht and much res])ecled. all deceased, leaviiii^' no heirs. lames Sevmour learned the trade of axe-makinj^'. was an ex])ert, and his axes commanded a widespread re])Utation. He SEVMOUK TITTLE. located on the turn])ike and his ])lacksniilh sho]) stood at the fork of the roads which led to Waterhury. "As great rvtiiagoras of yore. Standing beside the blacksmith's door .•\nd licwing the liammers, as they smote The anvils with a different note, Stole from the varying tones; that hung \'iln;iiit 'Ml e\ery imn tongue. The secret of the sounding wire. And formed the seven ciiorded lyre.'"— /.('».e;/i-//('W. 54 BETHANY AND ITS HILLS. Although Mr. Tuttle was not a Hni^uist hke his kinsman. EHliu r.urritt. "the Learned blacksmith," he was passionately fond of music. He built a room in his hoiuse with an arched ceiling, which was appreciated by musicians in that vicinitv. As it was opposite his shop, sometimes a young man "who had an axe to grind" would make it convenient to attend a musicale or rehearsal in the eveninu'. MISS JEXNKTTE TUTTLE. Mr. Tuttle had six daughters, all singers. "Well might lie gaze upon them for they were fair and tall. Ye never have seen fairer in liower nor yet in hall. Small marvel if the gallant's heart beat quieker in his breast, "Twas hard to choose and hard to lose, how might he win the best." Eliza, the eldest, married .Sanuiel Davidson of Wallingford. Their son, S. Gilbert, removed to Bethany after his father's decease. He married Sarah jane Green, who was a Mayflower descendant, and their son Tvler married Miss Scranton, who IlETHAXV AM) IIS 11 ILLS. 55 was also a descendant of the Ma\t1()\ver, and tlieir three children are beautiful to look ui)on. Sylvia married Geori;e iY'ck (son of George, Esq.), who removed to New Haven. His fine tenor voice, while he sang in the choir of the First ^Methodist Church, is still referred to with pleasure by some of the old members. He was a man greatly respected. One son was killed during the Civil War. Another died later. The only surviving son is ( ieneral Henry S. Peck of Chapel street, New Haven. Sariette married George Kimberly of Bethany, who removed to \\'estville and kept a grocery store several years. Juliana married Elizur 1 Bradley, son of Joseph. He removed to Orange, was a wood dealer, and left a good estate. Charry married Xo\es \\'heeler, a descendant of Moses Wheeler of Stratford, who was born in England in 1598 and died at the age of one hundred. Mr. Wheeler was an influential farmer of 1 Bethany. One daughter, Jenny, survives. Jennett, the youngest, remains at the homestead and has sung in the choir of the Episcopal Church seventy years, with the exception of a few years when she was organist. She still sings in the "choir." at the age of eighty-two. She is still active in society and in the household (1905J. One son. Charles, was also a singer. He married Miss Bishop of \\'allingford. Their only son Seymour married Sarah At water, daughter of Rev. Mr. Atwater, pastor of the Episcopal Church in Bethany at that date. He went west and died young. Sarah, the only daughter, married Mr. Maginn. an enterprising and thrift\- farmer. Their son resides at the old Chauncey Tuttle homestead, near the Methodist Church. Seymour Tuttle sang in the Episcopal Church choir until a week before his death, at the age of jy . On Saturday, while he was very ill, a nieml)er of the choir called upon him and said. "We shall miss you in the choir to-morrow." when he re])lied, "While you are singing in church I shall be singing with the angels in heaven." And, truly, during the morning services at church his s])irit fled to realms unknown. The miLsic of the Christmas bells made him supremely hai)p\ as he and l^s(|uire Abner Perkins stood up in the front seat of the gallerv. Who remembers the merry Christmas of those (lavs, when the church was illuminaled with candles, one to 8 56 P.KTHANV AMI 11 S 11 ILLS. each pane of qlass : the ramble in the woods to i;"ather the hemlock, the lanrel and feathery pine, which nimble finders in fragrant garlands twined, "tc^ lieantify the place of the sanctuary?" The music, the Christmas anthems, the solos, the chorus, the Hallee. Hallelujah, si^ uplifting that one only had to close their eyes to feel that they were lifted to the skies. Leonard Todd was born in Bethany, November 8. 1800. He was son of Ely", Jonah"'. Stephen*. Samuel""", Samuel-. Christo- pher\ who came from England and settled in New Haven in 1694. Leonard" married Julia r>. Rradley. daughter of Elam Bradley of Hanulen. They celebrated their golden weilding. He died in 1876. His witUnv lived to the age of ninety-eight. Their children were: Grace, who married, as second wife. Rev. F. B. Woodward: Emily, married Isaac Perkins, son of Enos ; ^ilargaret, married Chauncey T. Beecher, son of Lysias ; Celia. married Wales F. Dickerman : Street B.. married Sarah A. Hotchkiss, daughter of Spencer; Dwight E.. married Mrs. Kate E. (Sperry) Bishop, daughter of Enos Sperry. and Jasper B., married Mary A., daughter of Rev. Martin !Moody. Street B. represented the town in the Legislature in 1880. Jasper B. was selectman in 1888-89. He is a warden in the Episcopal Church. The Carrington family is one of great antiquity. Sir Michael Carrington. who was a standard-bearer to Richard 1.. was the first of whom any records have been found. His grandson. Sir William Carrington, was an oflficer under Edward L, 1272- 1307. Sir Edward Carrington was an officer under Edward IL. 1 307-1 327. A long list of titles — sirs, barons and viscounts — follow down to ] 706. The first of this name at New Haven on record is Dr. Peter Carrington, who appears to have been a prominent physician. He married Anna, daughter of William Wilmot. His son John, born July 10. 1692. married Deborah (Thomas), widow of Abraham Hotchkiss. as early as the year 1732. Their son AbrahauL according to the records of Center CTurch. New Haven, was baptized Nov. 11. 1733. The records of the Con- gregational Church of ^^'oodbridg■e state that he married Rebecca Johnson November 15. 1756. The rec(M-(ls of Con- necticut men in the War of the Revolution. ■■Al)raham Carring- ton commands guards at Milford in 1781." His estate was I'.l'nilANV AND ns II ILLS. 57 scttliMl juiK' 5. I7eeclier, and second married tfagot IJogigian, an Armenian : Justine married h'rank L. COe. Henry A. C'arringtoii died in 1855. His early death was a loss not only to his family, but to the entire community. He was progressive, a typical farmer, and very enthusiastic on the subject of fruit culture. He would not acce])t scions from the hands of an itinerant professor in that line, but would procure si)ecimeiKs himself and do the grafting with his own hands. The result is now seen in the choice fruits from his orchards. His house, which was one of the largest of the tine old houses that were destroyed b\- hre in the town, was discovered on fire one .Sunda\- while members of the family were at church. Mrs. Carrington. who was ill, and her little twin daughters could only save theiiLselves and witness their home burn down, with all its valuable contents. Mr. Carrington built another on the same site, of a different style, which later, wlun occupied by Mrs. Coe. was discovered to be on fire, .^he rushed to the telephone in time l<» call neigh- bors, who assisted in saving many things of value, but the house was destroyt'd. A singular coincidence was in the burning of the home of her twin sister, who resided near Uoston, the same year, the loss being estimated at twentv-five thousand dollars. 58 r.ETHA.W AM) IIS iiii.r.s. John Ik'iiiicU Carrington. son of Ailing, was horn Xovcnihcr 6. 181 1. He married Harriet, (kui^hter of RosweU and Xancy (Hayes) Tro\vl>ridge, Septemher 12. 1838. He ched h\d)ruary 12, 1881. He was hest known to the pul)hc through his long and prominent eonnection with the press of New Haven. After a numher of years of study, starting" when a mere hid, and the editing and pnlihshing" of various ])ul)lications, he hegan the pnhhcation of the New Haven Daily Herald Xoveniher 28. 1832, whieh later, through consolitlation, heeame the Journal and Courier, and whieh to-day is puhlished under the name of the Carrington Pulilishing Company, his son. John \\. C'arrington, being the president of the eompany. Paragraphs copied from a lengthy obituary notice in the Xew Haven Register: "The death of Mr. Carrington leaves a void in business circles, and there will l)e much casting about for some one to fill the places of responsibilitv and trust with which he IkuI 1)een burdened." ■'His trip through Europe, less than ten years ago, led to a series of letters, elegant in diction and coiuprehensive in s])irit. which were admissible as specimens of epistolar\' work."" "Mr. Carrington was in some respects a re])resentative man, for he illustrated in his person the princijile of devotion to work and constant industr\-, which luust always lead to sticcess in every pursuit." "As a husband and father the deceased was everything estimable in human nature." "He will be missed everywhere and by all classes of people." Theophilus Smith, son of Nathaniel and Catherine (]^liles) daughter of Theophilus, was a direct descendant of Richard Miles, whose name is on the Memorial liridge at Milford. He was born in ^lilford, where he taught school previous to his removal to llethanv. He was a man of commanding presence and enter- tained guests in the most courteous manner. After the decease of his wife, who left three children, Kdwin, Ciles, and Mary, he married a daughter of Lysias Beecher. who died, leaving a daughter, Elizabeth, who married Rev. h^dmund Peck. Later he married Eliza, sister of his second wife, and their son lost his life in the late Civil War. lOHN JiKNNKTT ( AKKl M . 1 1 1\ I'.KI IIAXV AM) ITS II II. I, S. 59 He bought llic old tawni ])r(.\i()ns to iS^^o. It is said to have been btiilt Ijy David \\'oo(Hng for a host<,h-y. 'llie front view ])resented a very im])osino- appearance, it was three stories; tlie first was built of a fine sandstone and oecupied as a grocery and dry-goods store: the second story extended out on both sides many feet, arranged for the entertainment of travelers. Being located near the fork of the roads, it was ecpially accessible to tlie \\'aterbury road which led through Prospect and the one which led through Xauo-atuck. THK WILLIAM \V()( )|il NT. HOVSE. After the Xaugatuck railroad was built the inanu facluring companies of W'aterbury sent all their freight for New York and Xew Haven by the railroad, which previously had employed teamsters with two, four and si.x horses, who would stop over night either at Landlord Smith's or Perkins' taverns; each had their favorites. They had heavy loads both ways, hogsheads of sugar and molasses, etc., for the grocers, and goods for the furniture warehouses. One would be surprised to know what a thoroughfare it was in those days. The stage coach, which is still running tri-weekly, with few passengers, was drawn b\- four horses. OO RETHANV AND I IS UUl.S. The travelers ai the inns, with their teams, nuule Uvely times for the farmers hy ereatinji a home market tor their produee. their hay and grain. Most tamihes had sons to till the soil and daughters to assist in domestie duties, henee extra help was seldom required. Wlien tratfie ceased. Mr. Smith tov^k down the old inn and built a two-story house tor a ]>rivate residence. Alter his decease his son-in-law . Mr. Peck, and tamilv residcvl there until I Hi: iU'Al'l.KV MUA.S. it was destroyed by tire in uk^j. while Mrs. Took was visiting her married daughter in Waterhnry. The tire was discoxered by a neighbor too late to save the lives of .Mr. Peck and his daughter Mary, who perisheil in the tiames. The stMi barely escaped by jumping from the upper story. Again the whole town was shocked by a holocaust. Rev. Edmund Peck was born in lireenwich, Loini.. in 1S17. and was descended in a ilirect line from Rev. Jeremiah Peek, who was one of the twenty-seven purchasers of that portion of the town called Old (.Ireenwich. He was born in luigland in r.KTIIAXV AND 11 6i 1623, son of Deacon William 1 'cck of tlu- Xew Haven Colony, 1639. Ivev. jereniiali laui^ht Latin. Creek. Hebrew and oratory in the Xew Haven Grammar and Colony School (Hopkins) durin,^- the year 1660-1661. In 1674 he became the first settled pastor of the tirst Congrei^'ational Chnrch in Greenwich and remained until 1689. Rev. lulmund preached in the Methodist Chnrch in iJethany sixteen vears. He marrie»*5 m^ WiC ^-^^-t'^Vf^^" ^^K ^^jHgpl^ ^H^olis^^^ ■K^^^^S Sflfaga^^^^ iP*^^Hp^ Hhw|m| HE HU.\UM-:V .NULLS. B. Smith, daughter of Theophilus Smith. Their children were: Mary E., Lanra R. and Charles \\. The propertv is now owned ])y the Xew Haven Water Company. Edp^ar L. W'akeman. a noted traveler, .said in 1889: "Ihere are hundreds of city hostelries and wayside inns still standins.^ in which nnich of the history of our country was formulated, and whose olden .quests and activities nursed the later j^rand development of half a continent. What old Eni,dand was in motherhood to Xew l-ji.^land. the latter has been to all our fair 62 BETHANY AND llS HILLS. land; and it is a sweet and kindly thing to hold with jirizing" to the memory mosses of these qnaint old entertainment manses of the New England city street and leafy country nxul." The Garrv Hoadle\' house on the old road, east of the turn- pike, led past the Escpiire Peck house, which is gone and the site is covered hy "I^.ethany Lake." The house and mills across the street opjxisite were l)uilt l)y Ami Hoadlev, who married . Children : Ursula, married Isaac Doolittle ; Harriet, married William Burnham ; (larrv, married Lucv Doolittle and remained at the homestead. THE HOAIH.EV .MILLS AM) DA.\K where he conducted the grist mill and saw mill, and others. which was a very thriving business for man\' years. His son Denzil, who married Ann J. Aloakley, succeeded him. His daughter Amanda married l^'rederic W^arner. Tlie mills are all cleared awa\- and the pro])erty is owned by the Xew Haven Water Company. Lambert W^wding, born in 1825. luarried Celia .V. I'.oyce in 1865. He was the son of Levi (who married Poll\- Bradley ), son of Elijah, son of John, who may have been son of r3avid who 1)uilt the "hotel."" The family were located on the road running north from the Garry Hoadley place, and known as I'.KTIIAXV AM) ITS HILLS. ^i Woodiiii^^ Hill. William Wooding" lived just south of Garry Hoadley's. His son Charles removed to Cheshire. His daugh- ter Elizal^eth married Aiuasa Brooks and resides in Waterbury. "The Sanford family is of English origin, descended from an ancient Shropshire clan whose founder. Thomas Sanford, a Xorman follower of William the CoiKjueror. is mentioned on the roll of Battle Abbey. October i. 1066. His son, Sir Thomas, lield in the time of King Henry I. the Manor of Rothal and THE IIOAULEV MILL.S IJAAL Sandford. and the latter is still in the possession of his descend- ants. 'Hionias Sandford came to America in 1631. F^phraim, born 1646; wife. Sarah." There were so many of that name among the first settlers in liethany it is difficult to trace them. 'i'he first of that name settled in Milford. and later in Wood- bridge and liethany. Archibald ."^anford located on the road from Cheshire, near the mountain, and ])er]iaps owned land to the summit, which gave it the name of .Mt. Sanford. I'lisha .^anford. son of Elisha. was born in Woodbridge. July I. y 64 BETHAiW AND ITS HILLS. resided during his life. ( It was liuilt l)y Isaac Sperry, the first house huilt on the road after the turnpike was cut through, and later his son Enos built the tirst house over the line in Bethany. ) Henry Sanford married a daughter of idirani Hotchkiss, and their son Alvin married Emma Keeler of Xew Haven. Their son Justin H. has been clerk in the office of the purchasing" agent of the .\e\v Haven Railroad eighteen years and has been ])ro- moted from time to time. Lucretia, daughter of Elisha, married Alvin Perkins, son of David, who married Lowly, daughter of Jonah Todd. Their daughter married Thomas Hull of Westville, whose son Charles has been engaged in the drug business for several years. Stephen, son of Elisha, had one daughter, who married Rufus Russell, architect, whose son Byron is a Universalist minister, and a daughter married Oscar Dikeman of Xew Haven. Another daughter of Stephen married a Mr. Champion, whose son is one of the leading tiorists of Xew Haven. It seems titting to state that I have no pecuniary interest in the town, as the land which was my father's and grandfather's and great-grandfather's has all passed out of the hands of our family. A large share of it is owned l)y the Xew Haven Water Company. There is one spot, however, fondI\- cherished in memory, the spring, the fountain head of the rippling stream which expanded to a river called West River. It is so associated with our school days that it suggests a schoolgirl rhyme. O, tlic spring where tlie crystal waters flow. Just over the ledge where the sweet ferns grow, Wliere we quenched our thirst on a summer's day In (|uest of l)erries just over the way. And wlien we went nutting across tlie hrdok. We lingered avvlhlc in the cosey nook. 'i"o listen to the uuirniur of tlie stream. So long, long ago, it seems like a dream. And when from the orchard over tlie lane Our basket of fruit we could not refrain, The apples so red and yellow, to bring And rest on the ledge by the crystal spring. I'.i'.Tii.wv anm:) its II ills. 65 With the passing of years, tlirce score and ten, Tlie water still flowing down throngh the glen,^ To the city it flows, filling the urn, Witli crvstal water from the faucet's turn. To the companions of my youth, a loving adieu If any still linger, as the numbers must be few; To all readers, at parting, my heart with kindness thrills With a loving benediction to the dear old "Hills." MRS. ELIZA J. (MARKS) LINES. ADDENDA. As (Mily a limilcd iiunihcT of hooks were Ixmiid, a (K'man c " " " * ^>, « o . ^^ ^^ > O. - o « '^_ ,^ /% v^-^j V cS- <'. ^. ^^ Jr, ^ "^ . ^ • ' 1 .«i~ - o » o ^ \> • / ■> .■fc^ °*. • O » '' -O "^..^ ;- ^ .^> ** ,-'^sfA,". ^.^^ / '^%. ^ ^.,.<^ .%^: .'b^r a'^ ,^. «^, ^^v^' -^ V . t . "-^.^^ V';^ .*:>•' ri^%\ N^r; 0' M/^/,' 7^ '-^