Morning journal and courier., 1880-09-13
Fair Haven "Reminiscences

As Related by Captain Hezekiah Futile | -Houses, Bridges, Highways and Tav- | erns of Over Half Century Ago-The l Oyster Interest of s'Ye Olden Times"
 Captain Hezekiah Futile, of Baltimore, | and formerly noted ship master of Fair Haven, Conn, has given me the fol- | lowing interesting items which are very i valuable for historical purposes, and as his memory is very clear on matters con- neeted with Fair Haven East and West, I have considered them too valuable to be lost and have noted down his descriptions of To- calities and laid one side the memoranda for future use, but thinking it might interest many now living, I have given it as related to me.
 Captain Futile is a ineal descendant of William Futile, gentleman, of Exeter county. Devons England, who was one of the origi- nal planters of the New Haven colony under Governor Eaton and Rev. John Davenport, and whose town lot was in Elm street, and his grant of land was on the east side of the harbor the boundary line commencing at the upper or Pardee ferry, now the east end of Ouinnipiac bridge, and running eastward to the source of Futile brook, in the peat meadow thence along said brook southward to Mr. Gregsons grant, to Solitary (now Nor ris) Cove, and comprised several hundred acres.
 Captain Futile was born in Fair Haven, Feb. 13, 1911. on the west side of the river, in house on the site of which MT. Nevber the baker on South Front street, now lives, and commenced his career at sea with Cap tain Stephen Rowe in the packet sloop Enter prise. He afterwards made many voyages to the West Indies and Southern ports, and about 1880 was made captain of his first vessel, sIoop, which command was succeeded by others until he commanded and owned an in- terest in several of the largest and finest veg- sells hailing from this port, and retired from the sea about ten years ago, having never lost vessel, and enriched all who had been connected with him by his ability and good management.
 Capt T. says his remembrances of Fair Ha- ven are very clear back to 1920. Fair Haven bridge, the old structure on East Grand street, succeeded by the present iron. bridge, had draw in it, or 8 part of it was so ar. ranged that it could be taken up for vessels to pass, as they did in the war of 1912 to be got out of danger of the enemy's cruisers on the Sound, which would run into our small har- bors and destroy shipping and other property within easy reach The Gainesville bridge was not then built, and frequently has he forded the river there on the ice or waded it 1 on his way to the North church on the Green | in New Haven, where most of the Fair Haven | (West) people attended meeting. Tho Fair Haven East) people generally attended meet | ing at East Haven at the ''stone meeting house." He says the old Ferry road from Neck bridge to Pardee Ferry existed in his day only in part, from Grand street near the New Haven horse car depot, northwest to Neck bridge, through State street or Neck Lane, and that was the only road to l town from Fair Haven bridge. There were about this time only very few houses on the | west side and these were situated along the l river under the hill. Also all that part ot Fair Haven (West) south of the New Haver and Hartford railroad was an open common and belonged to the Hillhouse and Everit l families There was a row of Lombardy poplars on the Hillhouse property, south ent of the neck which ran westward from Jerart Sanford's line to Mill river. The buryint l ground had just been fenced in and contained l about two acres The first burial there wa Stephen Bunnel, child, and the second wa
 Captain Tuttle's little brother Charles aged
 years The names of the Fair Haven (West
 residents and the location of their houses, a
 our informant remembers them, were as fol
 lows: Jerard Sanford, father of Captail
 Titus Sanford, next Q red house and nov
 standing north of the west end of Quinnipia
 bridge; the Allen house, where Edwart
 Halls house now stands Amos Luddingtons s
 now Levi Luddington's, next Rhody Aliens I 4 ofI
 the butchers shop is, was the Grannis house
 also at the north corner and along this stree
 to the Methodist church corner north side
 half way up the hill was Robert Talmage's
 on same side, top of hill, Stephen Bunne1ls
 and on the corner Lydia Barnes, and oppo
 site, on west corner, in a red house, ivet
 Solomon Johnson. In the next house nortl of the Grannis house, on South Front street I lived Seth Barnes then came the house O | Levi Futile, father of Captain Futile; mex the old Ball house, where the Barnett hous now is.
 There was on the King Hotel corner an olt house bought of the Grannis family by Her man Hotchlziss, father of Horace R. Hotch kiss, who moved it when the hotel was bull
 upon the Common west of the Methods church and Nathaniel Dayton lived in it On the north side of Grand street was tn | tavern known later as Finch's tavern ant | built by MT. John Rowe. Opposite toward
 the bridge was store kept by Elijah ant John Rowe. Next north of the tavern, ol the west side of the road, was Isaac Mallory $ and next was Levi Grannis', the farthes house north Toward New Haven and wes of Finchs tavern were only two houses, Flo phus Gillett's and Captain Everett's, wher Mrs. O.. E. Maltby's fine residence is. Tn
 stone house belonging to the Maltby famil.. l is not an old house, having been built since
 Gainesville bridge, about 1925.
 1 FAIR HAVEN EAST.
 We come now to the Fair Haven East sec tion. The location of the houses on the roat
 which leads from East Haven north toward
 North Haven was first, the Pardee house o
 the Revolution, plundered of it's silver by tn
 British under Tryon, July 4-5, 1779, and nov
 owned by William B. Goodyear, Esq. Thel
 came old Jacob Mallory's house on the site o
 Townsend Bros ship yard property. Amo
 Browns was few rods up the hill on tn
 street that runs up the hill from Capt
 Caleb Ludington's. Next was Isaa
 Moulthrop's above Kimberly's blacksmith
 shop Then came the Mallory house wher
 Hemingway's corner store is. All thes
 were on the west side of the roat
 and south of the bridge except tn
 Brown house on the hill. Toward the bridge
 south side, was a shoemaker's shop. On tn
 north corner, and where the store of MT
 Lucius Rowe is, was the Hotchkiss tavern | 4l,