The Newtown bee., 1905-08-11

at the General Assembly in May fol
lowing
In 1.44 Newtown was made a part
of the Probate Court of Danbury anG
so continued until 1920. Between
those two dates all the Probate records
pertaining to Newtown estates are to
be found in the Probate Office at Dan.
bury.
Newtown'S first list of Polls and rate
able estate returned to the General
Court in l1I7, was S56, 100. The pop
ulatiOn of the town at that time was
100 souls.
| Rev David Judson, who was minis
ter in charge of the Presbyterian body
| from 1.43 to 1I11, lat which time he
died has left on record in his own hand
| writing that in 17I6 there were 30 fam
| lilies in the town, in l140 there were 10
families and in ITO the number of
families in Newtown was $50 and
about one half of them were of the
church of England. In l74O the rate
able assessment of the PreSbyterians
was 1896 and that of the church of
England men SIS, 545 or about one-tifth
that of the Presbyterians.
NeWtown'S population in 1s56 was
lob, of which 23 were slaves. Slavery
was in vogue here as elsewhere in Con-
necticut as late as 1850 and we find
slaves inventoried along with other
personal property at valuations rang
ing from so to $50 dollars
Rev David Judson, who died in 1177,
left a negro man and woman valued at
300 dollars, negro girl, Temperance,
gro boy valued at so dollars. Rev
Thomas Toucey when he died left a
wench called Happy, who was inven-
toried at $50 dollars. In IVA New
towns population was 2229; in l7S2,
2404; 1890, 2764; 1900, 1908.
In December 1866, the town voted
that d town house, 81 feet long, "a
feet wide and nine feet between joints
should be built. Oliver Toucey took
the job for 300 dollars. Was to make
in it as good seats as are generally
made in form as in the State House in
Hartford. Should light the house
with 80 windows, Is squares OF glass in
a window, size of glass to he x9.
The building was located on the same
site as where the first one stood.
To those who are familiar with
Longfellow's poem, "Evangeline," it
may be interesting to know that New
town was obliged to care for one fam
lily from Grand Pre- from 1856 to 1872.
There can be little doubt that the
first Roman Catholics who came into
NewtOwn came in 1856, not from
choice, but from compulsion.
When France coded Acadia, now
Nova Scotia, to the English the Aca-'
dams chose to remain, though they
had free choice to leave any time with
the oath of allegiance to the British
king, though they did take the oath
of fidelity. They were exempted from
arms against their country
men in Canada, and allowed to enjoy
their own religion, which was Roman
Catholic.
The British government finally de-
cided to remove the Acadians, confis-
cate their property and scatter them
among their colonies on the CONT
nent, and 300 were assigned to the
at New London in 1856. The General
Court at its January session in 1855 in
New Haven passed an act for distrib-
uting and we'll ordering the French
people sent into the colony from Nova
Scotia. Four were assigned to New
town. They were known as the neu-
trail French and were cared for at the
towns expense. Every year for six
years their records show resolutions
that were passed for the care of the
French family called neutrak. The
town built them a house and provided
for all their needs. 1t could not turn
town without it's consent. The boy
was finally bound out for term of p
years to Zadock Sherman, and the
man Paul and his wife we're allowed
by vote (of the town. to 60 visiting
their friends, relations or acQuaint-
ances. AS the town could not turn
them adrift, they voted to allow them
to go visiting, as shrewd diplomacy
as any of the present day.
During the Revolutionary war New
town was free from any and all raids
of the enemy. A large percentage Of
the population was in complete SYM
pathy with the mother country, SO
much so that they were tories in name
and deed, and in some cases their
property was contiscated and reverted
to the colony, the Probate records
showing instances to the point. One
man, Robert Thompson, Of NewtOwn
was hanged in June TIT, as spy, the
order of his execution being given by
Brig Gen Samuel Fl. Parsons, and re-
turns we're made that the execution
had been duly performed.
All through the war period our town
records abound with recorded doings
of frequent town meetings when pro-
vision was made for meeting the con-
ditions called for by the colony In rails
ing the towns quota of men and its
proportion of food products for the
forces in the field, and providing for
families of soldiers enlisted In the ser
vice from NewtOwn. In the State ar
chive we find among the names of New
towns honor roll, John Chandler, Col
of the Sth Regiment formed In lit, aft
erward Superintendent of the Conn.
Line, and after the war Brigadier Gen
of the State militia Col Chandler OF
the 9Th Reg. was in the battles of Long
Island and White Plains.
the names Joseph Smith, Captain, ia
1875, and Ephraim Kimberly LIST Lieu
tenant.
In Sheldon's Dragons We find the
names of William Whitby and Ezekiel
Bennett, each enlisted for three years
from March ISL. Captain Ephraim
Kimberly in the society Of the Cincin
natti, and Fitch Kimberly In the Reg
iment of AtifcerO, enlisted for three
years. Joshua NorthrOp enlisted for
three years, and Thomas Brooks en-
listed In 1777 for the war.
Militia was Capt Caleb Baldwin pro-
NOTED to Major In ITS and Samuel
Brooks, who served in Col Lambs ar
tillery from April 1777 to 1851.
At a town meeting held in February
l778, it was voted "that the salt be-
longing to this Town purchased by the
State shall be transported from Bed
ford in Boston state to this place at
the expense of the town, and that In
manner that the selectmen shall think
most expedient and safe, either by
land or water"