The New York herald., 1876-10-14
OBITUARY.
COOK ST. JoHN. san 1903 YEARS.


tween the times OF " washngton and Grant He was
older than American liberty
Nearly three-a quarters OF century ago man then
thirty years OF ago 10 Walton from Connecticut
she dat on which the village Is built was then
: forcss and there were but few houses in
he vicinity. Into this wilderness tho young
nan brought his wife and two small children,
and out or it hcwed farm and forced competency.
This mans name was Cook ST. John, tho same who
has Jus died at tho age Of los years the head OF
hmily which has eleven branches within a stones
hrow OF zach other and number probably lao persons
fhc following raphicAl "reminiscences OF Mr..
b. John were published in tss HxnALp IN May last
u was born in tho Ywn OF Eorwak, Fairfield
rounty Conn, on the lst day OF June, l77S The ST.
Johns were among the settlers OF Norwak over two
centuries and quarter ago They were Huguenot,
and driven from France by religious pcrsecu
lion. Potter ST. John was my fathers name.
He of throe brothers, all born In Nor
Ealk-Myor and Daniel being the other two, Ny
hther lived to be quite old being eighty nve whom he
lied here IN Walton. In January. ISL Al eight years
age was sent To Dutchess county, New York, where
remained four years Then went back 10 Connect.
iut and remained until was twenty years old Then
Joined party OF surveyors, bound for Canada
fhat was In May, 1898 We went in soop TO New
FORK, and then up the Hudson 10 Albany IN sloop.
Schenectady and walked that place through the
woods and took bateanx up the Mohawk River TO Fort
ssanwix That is whore Rome stands, and where
the big battle took place between the Americans and
French, time OF the French From Fort Stanwx
We had our bateaux carried TO Wood Creek, SIX or
eight miles, We went down Wood Creek TO Oneida
Lake and through II, by Three River Point, 70
Oswcgo Fort The British stil had possession Of that
fort and Fort Niagara, and had garrisops there Al
Oswego Fort saw the red coats. This the 4th Of
June 1873 then returned to Now York city. Green
wch street was then the most western street In the
city. WAS walking in Greenwich street" no said,
'.and saw block of new buildings, with carpenters
working inside. entered one OF 'em and
asked man where tho boss was He
said be was called boss. told him I
wanted work. Where are you iroms said he. /
told him from Connecticut oh, don't like Yankees.
They re too apt to be tricxish he said His name was
Psncozst and he said he came from New Jersey.
told him that was bad but that he couldn't help being
born there any more than could in Connecticut Then
he laughed and asked me II was workman. told
him had nothing TO say as to that but had recon-
mcndaton from my father, and handed my letter
laughing at IL he said, BY God, III h,re you
While l in New York was challenged 10 tight
duel by paneoast declinea TO accept and .la! Was
began building dock In the North River. near the
battery This was Tho first dock ever constructed in
lhe North River, and when went TO New York there
dock OF Peck slip In the East River. The
dock being built by old Governor Clntou, and was
he used storing Tor the OF city.
don't remember ever having seen Governor Clinton
on the work. but his son-in aw-I forget his name
was there often ! injured myself by heavy lifting on
the dock. The yellow fever visited the harbor and
took IT, So returned home to Connecticut. That
IN 1896, the year that was married the drst time
] remember great deal about the Revolutionary War
rcmsnber when the British burned Norwalk, and !
Witnessed the burning ! was six years Old ! had
Hannah ?" SAID the old gontlcmans son Ia his wife
he entered the room .Oniy 10 the Revolutioni"
.'My brother Justin Ia the battle OF Bunker
Hill l can remember his csmlng in tho house when
the first broke out. and then going away again.
after bidding my mother goodby and leaving hsr weep
Ing bitterly. couldn't understand Vt at the time, but
Iearn-d aiterward that BIO had told mother lie had
listed, and was going then to join the Connentals
wasn't more than two years old then. It must have
been the they heard the from Concord
and Lexington. ! don't remember ever hearing
my brother speak Of any incidents connected
with tho battle OF Bunker Hill the
when was i've years old portion Of the
army, with long train Of baggage wagons, passed
through Norwak their way from Boston to
New York My mother and strained our cyes to get
hight OF Justin but he was with another division and
ere didnt see him. Peter was my own brother, my
father being married twice. He was apprenticed to
tory shoemaker When the British camc To Norwalk
burned the place on Sunday. If there Is anything
In the world can remember IL is the burning
Of Nerwalx What time there was when the
news came that the British wcrc coming. The
women and children all fled TO tho woods and hid bo
hind stumps and bushes. Ny mother took mo on
her back and lett the house Tor tho woods. Gideon
then homesick from nis lie on the prison ships,
and could not be moved aud father stayed with him at
tho house. Tho men formed INTO a company and went
10 defend the place lew houses wero not burned,
hut they belonged TO tories. | remember tho tories
Belx and Hoyt; their houses not burned. The
Episcopal churches all loyal aud every minister
got orders from the British before the burning, TO
savc the parishes They all went OF with the British
sxcept Rev. Mr. Avery, OF Stamford. Danbury
burned At the time Alter the BRUSH went ABOARD
The shipping the women and children returned from the
woods. Ny mother and went home. We had been
there but "A few minutes when saw a company of
British light horse coming down the road, anu bo
hcved they were to continue the work Of destruction.
Ny m sshcr hurried with Of the house again and
ss supposed. 20 Get sumc beer. The British proved
10 be prisoners which our men had captured and dis
armed. They the only rcd coats saw during the
was six years old when this occurred. was
ten years old wheE the British left The country re-
member Roger n. Shorman one Of the signers Of the
declaration"
"was there much demonstration made by the
people when peace was declaredy'
Il guess you'd thought so VI you'd beon there
don't know that ! ever saw such aunivcrsal turnout
There great doings Tor the number OF people, tell
you-nothiDg like 1t since. Such bonnresi They'd
take log rs big they could up It's end-say
twenty iest high when 1t was up. Around this they
piled wood clean TO the top and big around this
Then thcy put barrels OF tar top OF the po aud
bred IT, when the tar melted 1t down tho
aud IN the flames, and tell you every thing blazed.
That the tall after was years old am y con-
tenarian who saw washinRt that is so lar AS
] know Shortly after he got hts commission he
passed through Norwak, but don't bcr seeing
him. Guess never did. We probably didn't know he
was coming until he got here News didn't fly then
III was married the arst time on tho 2lst OF pecem
her, l7o6, to Polly seymour, in Norwalk She the
daughter oil Samuel ana Anna Scy niour, and one
of twelve children. Ny nrss child born the
25th OF November, 1907, and the second IN March,
$500. In 1902 left Connecticut with my family TO
como to this place. 1t Was on the 1st OF March. We
IN slcghs, and eight days making the jour
ney The snow was so deep tnat we were three days
going the first thiry miles IL noarly al! woods
here then. bought n iarm up tho East Brook and
cleared up 200 acres In 1904 my first wife died, eav
Ing three children. married Anna Bencdct,
daughter OF Deacon Ezra Benedict In January 1905,
and IN 1907 sold my farm ana built the grlst mill in
las. Brook The next year ! bought farm four
miles from here on tho 'Sopus turnpike, where
l lived until my second wne died. In 1850.
Since then have livcd here, and had nothing
but kindness from everybody. ] lived years
with my hrst wife. over atty with my second and
twenty-five with my daughtcr-in aud have yet
say that any Of them have ever gwen unkip
word. There's something remarkable for you to put
down. I've had every malignant disease there ever
was believe, ana no suffered from sickness
moro than | have I've been scared death once
aud drowned once, and I'm alive yet" he SAID, in
ciusion.