The Newtown bee., 1889-11-01
NeWtown's First Mills.

Newtown's First Mills.
 While procuring a minister. NewtOwn's first settlers provided for their bodily ne- ccsStirs. The people, some go families, were scattered from south Center to Sau- dy Hook and the Half Way River, Quon- nopOgnc or Taunton lakcand Lands End or lIawlryvillc, Tho second layout of four acres, made to -l9 proprietor rights, September 2S, l7l1, locates some of the lots in the great or "hum" meadow, oth- CTS on the south side of Deep brook, oth- CTS at the north end of Long swamp (the swamp east of F. l.. .JOhmsOn's), others under Mount Tom and more at Lands End. The "hum" meadow, (. II. Peck locates aS the low land from Philo Clark east and south to Deep brook in South Center; Mount Tom was located in San dy Hook, where Tom brook, west of James Turner's, preserves the name and Lands End retains it's first name as q school district.
 Bread would be one of the first ncccs- sitics of these scattered settlers. Wheat was grown here as early as l709, as is shown by decd given hy Samuel Ferris (writtcn Faris) to Joseph Gray of Fair field, December r., l1O9, in which Ferris retains half of the wheat then growing on the land. This wheat Was probably taken to StratiUrd to be ground, slung in bags across a horses back behind the saddle of it's rider. NcwtoWn'S first plan was tu have griSt mill of it's own on Pond brook, the outlet of Taunton lake. The first town meeting, December 1, I'll, voted Jeremiah Turner, father of NewtoWu's first male child liberty to build grist mill and ''the inhabitanc do promis to give yc sd Turner 10 sq acres of land agnciug to yc miil.' A town meeting, 10 days later, appointed Ben jamin sherman, Ehcnczer prindle and Samuel Sanford to agree with Mir Fur ner and "draw articles with sd Turner cousearning grist mill upon the Pond brooke" Some wanted tine mill in San dy Hook and, December 2l, I'll, it was "VOtcd for Poodertock brook to get a grist mill on POodertock brook" Tur- ner had trouble in laying out the 10 square acres voted him and it was let out to arbitration, but, February l2, l7l2, Samuel Sanford was granted the liberty to build the mill on Pond brook that Turner had had and Abraham Kimberly, Ebenczer Prindle and John Griffin were appointed "to draw articles with sd San ford as fast as may be-"
 Sanfords right to build the mill on Pond brook was confirmed by the town, year later, January l2, l7l3. The mill project languished for some time, until Samucl Sanford decided to build at San dy Hook. A town meeting, December 1l, 17l4, made choice of Thomas Bennett, Abraham Kimberly and Daniel Foot to agree with Samuel Sanford ''about the land and stream lying under Mont Pizgee and to draw artickels of agreement with him for the building and erecting grist mill there for the yous of the town and what land sd Samuel Sanford takes up about sd stream he Is to lay,of as much from his 10 acres of land at the pond.'' The agreement made with Miller Sanford bound him, in consideration of 40 acres of land given him by the town, to grind sufficient stores for 90 families. The town bound itself that no other grist mill shall be erected to ye damage of sd San ford SO long as he, ''ye sd Sanford, doth supply the said town with good meele." June 2, l7l5, the records say, Samuel Sanford pitched on the south branch of ''Potter- tock brook westerly of Stratford road bounded northeast opon a rock at v straits of sd brook at ye falls for 10 acres of his 6O-acre pitch.n Samuel Sanford who came from Milford, bought his pc tition right here of Richard Nichols o StratfordI, September 3, 17l0, and he i' described us junior in that document He and his wife Esther had quite fam ily: Nathaniel, born at Milford, Decem Der 2, 1702; samuel, Ebenezer, Esther John and Daniel; Job, the first of thei children recorded as born in Newtown June 10, 1715, Hannah and Rachel, als' born here.
 It was almost as necessary to saw u the trees that grew on every hill int lumber for Newtowns early homes as [ induce Samuel Sanford to build q gris mill, but, while there was but one gris mill, there were numerous saw mills Benjamin sherman, Capt John lIawle and John Scelcy were given liberty March l7, TIP, to 'sset saw mill on th Deep brook south of the town" Tn vote and numerous other instances which Deep brook is described as sout the town leads to the conviction that u town plot first laid out was in the neigl borhood of William E. Prindle's. "