The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1891-08-07
Trinity Parish in 1884.

equally interesting for its ancient docu-
ments, both manuscript and printed.
Several of these Mr. Peck has kindly loan
ed the BEE, to some of whose aged read
ers they will recall an almost forgotten
past. This week, the BEE takes up list
of the tax payers of Trinity parish in
1884 and it shows the rapid destructive
ness of Time that only one of those then
taxed, venerable Charles Morehouse, now
IS years old, survives. Not only so, but
no one recalls the names of some of the
pillars of the parish at that day.
Church debts are no new thing and,
finding itself in arrears $435, the mem
bers of Trinity society, as it was then
called, regularly assembled on the Sth
day of May, 1884, voted tax or assess
ment to be levied upon each member of
the society proportionately to his rate in
the town levy of 1888. Theophlus Mich
OILS, the collector, father of the late Ii. r.
Nichols, whose home stood on the site of
Mr. Kissam's new cottage, was given I'M
til the first of June, only about three
weeks, in which to turn the money over
to the treasurer, David V. B. Baldwin,
the Well-to-do merchant, partner of Dea
Harry Beers, whose home is now Z. Ii.
Skidmore's. Any one failing to meet his
church tax was liable to have his goods
or chattels seized and sold or, for want of
property, his body might be committed
to the county "gaol' until the tax was
satisfied. One man, refusing to pay his
tax, had his mantel clock seized, which
was sold at the public sign post shy beat
of drum" )" Henry Dutton, who then lived
where John II. Blackman does, bidding
it in for So, the amount of the tax. That
is the way Trinity handled a church
debt in those days.
Long as is the list of taxpayers, it will
be of interest to give it entire. OF the
Beers family were Amariah, Isaac, Eli,
Elias, Lemuel, Simeon N, Widow Rissa,
Daniel, Benjamin, Jacob, Norman, Hen
ry, Abel, Cyrenius, Maria and Julia. Eli
and Elias Beers were twin brothers of
Palestine, Eli living where H. 2. Boyson
does and Elias where his grandson,
Charles f. Beers. Lemuel, son of Eli,
the cattle drover, occupied the home of
Eli B. Beers. Norman was son of Elias.
No man in this whole levy was more of a
power in the Newtown of his day than
Dea Beers of Baldwin & Beers He knew
the value of every foot of land in New
town and bought it right and left. His
brother Amariah occupied William Still
sons place. Jacob Beers, justice Of the
peace and State senator, was another
prominent man and lived where E. NJ.
Peck does in Huntingtown. Trinity par
ish was then as extensive as the town
limits. Isaac Beers, but recently deceas-
ed, was comb maker living near the site
of Trinity church. Maria and Julia Beers
were sisters of the late d. B. Beers. OF
Botsfords, there were Widow Abigail,
Richard and sons, Lucy Ann and son. OF
Blackmans, Joseph, Thomas, Daniel
Every one knows Capt 10 and Thomas
Blackman lived where Mrs George p.
Sanford does. OF Booths, Widow Aurel-
ia, Charles B., Cyrenius H., Joseph,
Phebe and sisters. The Booths were
among Newtown's first settlers and,
while he lived, no one needed to be told
who DIR Booth was. father of Mrs NJ. c..
Hawley and Mrs Henry Sanford; Cyren-
ius FL. was his name. Joseph Booth was
father of the late Josiah. Charles B.
Booth lived on Mile hill. The Brscos
were Widow Anna, Lewis S., Nathaniel,
Jr, Charles. Lewis, father of Charles
and Isaac Brisco, occupied John Egan's
home in South Center and Widow Anna
was his mother. Nathaniel Brisco, Jr,of
Scotia, a school teacher, lived in the old
house at the point of the road southwest
of Horace Northrop's. Charles Brisco had
q tan shop back of his house, now G. H.
NorthrOp's home. Charles Blakslee,
brother of William, lived in Sandy Hook
where Alfred Brisco does. Caleb Bald
win, father and son town clerk in New
town for two long generations, was the
5averner at C. F. Beardsley's home. His
rival at the upper end of the Street was
Thomas Seeley, also Trinity tax payer
and, election and training days, thesetwo
inns were the great centers. The sue
,essful candidates in election were then
to furnish cake, cheese and
to wash them down, on the
evening of their success. David III. Bel
len, then Newtown's foremost attorney,
was a Trinity tax payer and lived at the
lime on the site of Trinity's rectory. OF
T., Joel Trowbridge, Beach. Lemuel
lived in Taunton, now Mrs Gershom ]
Platt's home; Dibble, his son, where his
son, Hobart B., succeeds him. Cyrus
where Gideon, his son, keeps bachelor
quarters. Beach long warden of Trinity,
1as but recently died. Of Clarks, Zach
ariah, Walter, Charles, Burton E. Zech-
ariah and Walter, fathers of Philo and
Edwin, then lived in Dodgingtown;
Charles where Aaron Sanford formerly
ived and Burton E., comb maker and
,anner, where Edward T., his son, inher- :
is his home. The Curtis family is rep
.esented by David, Philo, Hezekiah, Abi-
ah B., Ezra, Joseph B., Widow Huldah,
Widow Mehitable. Maj Curtis, as Abb /,
alb B. was known, was one of the pic
uresque characters of NewtoWn's recent
)ast, owing his title to its ancient militia.
His grandchildren are now in middle or
life. Dennis Cavanaugh occu-
,ies his homestead. His son, Joseph B., {
ived where Frank Mitchell does. Philo J
vas father of Miss Cornelia Curtis of
Curtis hill, where lived Hezekiah, father
# the late Benjamin. David Curtis,
,omb maker, was son of Capt Gould, who !
ived near the site of d. G.. Beers's home,
lis own home being now occupied by
Charles H Beers Ezra lived where his