The Newtown bee., 1907-02-22
TOWN TOPICS
AN INTERESTING COMMUNICATION
FROM NEwTOwN's HISTORIAN, E. L
 JOHNSON.

No person who listened to the in tensely interesting and practical ad- dress of Rev Samuel Hart, D. D., de- Iivered before representative gather ing of our townspeople at the Beach Memorial Library building few even ings since upon the advisability of forming a local historical society ip Newtown, could have gone away with out keeping in mind many suggestions that may in due time materialize into some line of work that shall become of practical value.
 To one who has been plodding along on historical lines for months as Op- portunity and inclination has prompt ed him, with apparently little outside interest being shown, it was an inspi ration to be more persistent in work ing "while the day lasts, ito leave at least little for ithe generations that are to follow and to be more jealous in the preservation of old diaries, old ac- count books, old letters, old memOran- dums, old manuscripts, old records many of which are begrimed with the dust of nearly two centuries, while the wonder is that they did not long ago furnish fuel for bonfire. Still they lie about me, entering into my life, to be part of my very being, partial ly filling the gap made by the slipping away of those much older than myself, beyond tbe curtain which hides the vast unknown, while cling to the re- ceding years as one clings to rope as he feels himself drifting from the shore on an ebbing tide, fully realizing that though hopes and desires may lin ger with us, we cannot turn back the hour glass of Time, to see again the sands running gently from the full to the empty bulb.
 One who is known to be interested in historical research has occasion to be often surprised by the receipt o1 letters asking for help or information, 1 the searching for which leads into de vious wayS and occasionally unearths much of permanent value. An illus | tration in point: Not very long since there came to the Newtown postoffice | packageOaddressed 'tTo some linea descendant of Gen Baldwin's wife, Postmaster Reynolds held the parce until he knew to whom to deliver it. and with his accustomed carefulness as custodian of Uncle Sam's business turned the same over to the writer tt trace it out. A very indifferent ad' dress it was. On opening the package found it to be paper containing af account of the Tooth anniversary o. Garry Brooks, now living at Fairport
 N. Y., who was born in New Milford | in 1906, and >his father was Samue Louis Brooks, who commanded bat
 tery of artillery under Washington a I West Point. He later served unde Gen Lafayette and was with him dur
 ing the siege of Yorktown and the sur render of Lord Cornwallis. He die.
 in 1846, aged 96 years, and was the sol of Rev Thomas Brooks, who becam, pastor of the Presbyterian church il
 Brookfield in 174S and remained th
 pastor until his death 50 years later.i
 The inference to be1drawn- from tn
 clue given, was, that in some way
 Garry Brooks and General Baldwin
 wife were related. After faithfu lscan Ing of the records without avail
 betook myself to the village ceme tery and there, after patient researcl
 among the old, old headstones, the ke
 to the situation was found, when on
 moss covered stone I read, "In mem ? ory of Gen David Baldwin and of hi wife, Hannah. :" Using this as trae
 CT found that Gen Baldwin was bor
 in Newtown in 1758, and died in 1911
 and that he married Hannah Brooks , the daughter of Rev Thomas Brooks C
 Brookfeld. They had four childrer : Laura, Flora, Boyle Van Brooks, Da, !. i'd Van Brooks.
 Gen Baldwin was a merchant i N Newtown, militia general and WE popularly known as General" H < son, David Van Brooks Baldwin WE also a merchant in Newtown of th firm Baldwin & Beers,'' for about years. He built the house now owne