Connecticut western news., 1910-11-17
CANAAN 62 YEARS AGO
Oldest Living Foreign Resident Tells of
 the Town in the Old Days.

While it is interesting and self satisfying to contemplate the census returns which give us a population of 2.l71, and to plume ourselves on the up- to-date metropolitan frills that distin- gHish us as the most progressive burg of our class in this corner of the state, it is no less interesting to look back few generations, to the time when the town had merely nominal population and nary frill-to the Canaan that was familiar to our present "oldest in- habitants."
 Patrick Britt. now living with his daughter. Mrs. Frank McCarty. on Bragg street, is the oldest living foreign resident of Canaan. He was born iu Ireland in 1854 on the 17th of March, and was named in honor of the day. He came to Canaan 62 years ago this month and worked on the farm of Almerin Gillette. In his S7th year he Is hale and hearty, his intellect and memory practically unimpaired, and his mindis stored with local alreminiscence enough UO Ill a pig 0OOk.
 In conversation on the subject of Canaan's growth few days ago, MT. Britt said that when he came to town, in 184S, the only other residents of foreign birth were Patrick Lynch and wife, who at that time lived in the section now occupied by Judge Rora- backs tenements, near what is known as the Shields place; John Lynehan. the blacksmith, and wife who lived south of Judge Roraback's present residence; Tom (Baker) Brown and wife, on the present Railroad street; William Shields, who at that time worked for Almerin Gillette; John O'Neill, Richard Noonan, who lived on the "back road" near Gillette s; Timothy McCarty, who lived in the house on the east side of the railroad, afterward occupied by Patrick Lynch, which was torn down when the present building was moved there.
 At that time, according to MT. Britt's best recollection, the only houses in the village were-beginning at the west
 
 the William Lawrence place, (now known as the Deming placeD the Charles Gillette place, now occupied by Mir Gillette's daughter and grand daughter, Mrs. Luther Brown and Mrs. Jennie Bierce; the Betsy Beetle" place, where Jacob Schermerhorn lives the George Gillette farmhouse, where Dr. Camps residence stands, the house, of Miss Sabra Marvin, on the site of Dr. Ross's present residence; the Norton house. now occupied by E. D. and Miss Jane Norton; Daniel Spaulding's house, now Vosburgh's store; the Beach house, now Dr. Adams, and the Chapin store, now Bullock and Felten's; on the opposite side of the street, the Peet house afterward known as the k. P. Hunt place and now occupied by Judge Roraback; Humphreys store. On the opposite side of Church street stood the old Spaulding "bedstead shop" and from there down to the Harmon Peet and James A. Root farm houses there was not another house on Church street.
 On the east side of the track stood the hotel, (the present Canfeld Imp Frederick Watson's house, now Mrs. Rhoades, the Catlin store, bought and moved by Patrick Lynch; the Episcopal church.; the Adams tenement house, Charles Franklin's house and store, where Sheridan Barnes lives; the houses of William and Samuel Bennett; the Whittlesey, Dr. Wright and Bigelow places; the William Adam. The old Lawrence house so long occupied by Dr. Eddy; and the houses of Luther Munson, Leman Church and John A. Beckley on High street and less than half dozen houses below including the Douglass place, the Lower Corner tavern and the "old town hall"
 To the north there were the Watson, Williams and Granger farm houses, the present Mcclure and Hoag places on the Ashley Falls road; the Durham, Elisha Benedict) place. the Dr. Smith place, the Peirce place; the Adams place on the Clayton road. Probably there were not more than fifty houses in the entire village, including the outskirts.
 At that time Judge Granger had his law office over the Chapin store, and on the same floor was the tailor shop of "Bill'' Watson and Hosea Gardner Squire Cowles, law office was in the little building opposite the Franklin store, afterward used as a school.house. can relate many interesting recolleo- tions.
 Hartford Post Sold