The Newtown bee., 1905-08-11
HON d. N. r1ORdAN'S ADDRESS,
GIVEN AT THE BI-CENTENNIAL EXER'
C1sEs, AUGUST 5.

,IyEN AT THE BI-CENTENNIAL EXER-
CIsEs, AUGUST D.
Mr. President, Friends of my ma
i've town and your guests: When one
mas seen two generations OF the piano.
rama of life move rapidly by, that
''our days are swifter than weaver's
can be fully realized. AL
though two centuries nave elapsed
since Newtown began it's existence
with forty-eight square miles OF terri
tory, during that period it's history en-
titles it, from what has been accom- |
plished by it's God fearing, sturdy in
habitantS, to a full recognition from
the sister towns of the state. 1t has
been regarded farming town that
would well repay the husbandmen TOR
their efforts, and there does not exist
is this country a more independent
and contented farmers. Some manu-
acturing has been carried on much OF
of the time at different points: The
town has an enviable name as health
resort, and in the years gone by STU
dents came here from different places
of the Union to avail themselves or
the school privilege. In its earlier
history, as later, it had its men OF note,
who were reared, educated and nave
located here for a time, among them
the Rev Thomas Toucey, who lived in
TIA. near the present residence OF Mrs
Charles H. Peck. Oliver Toucey, Jr. s,
home was at the homestead of the late
Charles MorehOuse. Isaac TOucey, his
son, was Governor of Connecticut in
1886. and later Attorney General and
Secretary of the United States navy.
Henry button was Governor of COnnec-
ticut in 1854. He began housekeeping
in the house located on what is now
known as the Morgan homestead. Rev
John Beach, who was rector OF Tr1nl-
ty parish from 1882 to 1882, lived at
Street. The donor of your tine library
building, Miss Rebecca D. Beach, is
descendant of that noted man. History
informs us that Charles R. Sherman,
the father of Gen William T. and
John Sherman, and Governor Clark
Bissell, among others, pursued their
study Of law here. The late Governor
of Connecticut, Luzon B. Morris, was
a native OF the town, and you must all
regard with pride that your former
toWnsman, Rev Frederick F. johnson,
has recently been elected Bishop:
Leaving this interesting train of
Ul1OUk III yOOk A4AoO'IAANAo 49," - T->
sented to you many valuable facts OF
the past years, allow me to mention
some of the conditions existing in my
own day and generation, noting some
of the marked changes. II NeWtoWn
could proclaim to the world its past,
what has transpired during the last
so years, worthy of mention, and in the
country at large, which has in meas
ure revolutionized the LIVING in this
agricultural town, what wonderful
story it would unfold. Permit me to
digress a moment, as it is most lnter
eSting to me to state that the lady who
was my first school teacher in the Flat
Swamp district when was three years
old 81 years ago, is now living in Bridge
port and two more of my lady teachers
before was ten years of age, are now
living in NewtOwn, one of thelu OF a
family of five sisters and brothers, rela-
tives of the late Gov Isaac Toucey, now
living together at the old home, who
were the long ago neighbors and
friends of my fathers family.
Having learned all the mysteries OF
farming and merchandising as then
what It meant to exchange all that
could be spared from the farms for the
articles needed from the stores.
Barter was the principal basis or
trade for the merchants, and they
in turn must send it to the cities and
with the proceeds purchase supplies
for repleniShing their stock. l recall
that one year IT'S bushels of chestnutS
were sent from the store at Morgan's
Four Corners to Bridgeport, 16 miles
distant to be sold in New York at one
dollar a bushel, and the clerks who had
to keep Shoveling them over and over
to thar cpOi1ipr naUQr fOrDOf,
the experience. All goods bought out
of town prior to any, or limited rail-
road facilities, necessitated long hauls.
There is no question that there were
one hundred cents in every dollar
made. Hats, combs and buttons were
among the articles manufactured
hereabouts, and those industries
brought some cash into circulation IN
shillings and six pences, besides the
United States coins and the bills OF the
state banks. Business methods have
changed since my long past experience
in clerking so that the clerks now IN
the stores in town cannot ENJOY sucn
pastimes as weighing many things
with the old time steelyG1 DIS. or digging
out the dark yellow sugar from great
| hogshead and then grind it in mill.
| Neither can they get up long before
| day of a winters morning to see a
drove of fat cattle being driven to the
New York market by the then we'll
known drovers, Lemuel and HermOn
Beers. We recall that the late Henry
Beers in the war days sold $4,000
worth yearly Of beef cattle. They will
not see the droves of fcattle in great
numbers as then brought to the town
| to be fattened in the fertile fields
| where one steer could thrive on one
| acre of grass. The buying Of poultry
was done on large scale by we'll
known dealers, and the trading in
horses had no limit. The merchant of
to-day does not watch for the delivery
of the: Bridgeport Weekly Farmer and
| Standard to be brought to the store for
a few subscribers, when the limited
| amount of news then procurable was
awaited for and read with avidity. II
you wished the correct time from the
| matchmaker, set by the sun dial, you
| went to Uncle Ziba Blakeslee's, at the
| head of the street, for it. He adver-
| tised his business in the Farmers
Journal, then at Danbury, in Decem-
Der, 1892. The Bridgeport papers in
| formed us that P. T. Barnum took
Tom Thumb to Europe in 1874, also
that the first Geographic dispatch was
sent, May "a, 1874, from Washington
to Baltimore, Maryland, by Prof Dan
lei F. B. Morse, the inventor, in these
words, "What hath God wrought. "
Always regarded as wonderful inven-
tion, Newtown has enjoyed the great
| oon nortainip,r RI to1prra nh "