266
 

N O R W A L K
 

step-father to her four daughters (see page 121) who married in Norwalk. He died in
i68t, and having mentioned his step-children in his will, he made bequeathments to
Samuel Hayes and to " Rebecc Garcet now Rebecca Weller." He also left the sum of ;^io
to his minister, Rev. Thos. Hanford.

Nathaniel Richards was one of the earl)' Norwalk millers, as per foot note on page
35, and was also active in the interests of the town.

The Norwalk Richards' are the descendants of Samuel (no relative it is probable of
Nathaniel) Richards, who married, first, March 4, 1714, Elizabeth, born 1692, daughterof
John Latham, of Norwalk; and, second, the widow .-\bigail Peck. The first Mrs. Samuel
Richards died in 1751.    Samuel and Elizabeth Richards had ten children.

H OME-L O T NJ-

RICH.\RD   OEMS IK.M).

Richard Olmsted,' proprietor of home-lot xv, was one of the most honored and
honorable of the Norwalk settlers, and in this town's records his name date-leads all
others. He was the new settlement's surve)-or and was probably more practically versed
with the topography of the plantation than any other member of the Norwalk company.
His first bit of work would appear to have been the layout of the "Towne Street," which
extended, originally, from Beacham's lane to the crest of Goodman Hoyt's Hill; from the
south end, that is, of the East Norwalk Cemeter)- of 1896 to the highest point of the
"Earle's Hill" of the same year. Along this .straight and, for the greater part, level,
street, every one of the resident-named " Ludlow agreement " planters built. Their con¬
tiguous homes were of simple construction but their Olmsted, Marvin, Flitch, St. John and
other tenants were solid  people.     Mr. Olmsted's  domicile  stood  nearly midwav (.south of
 

lIo\t hearthstone, on the east side of the street as
one approaches the present " New Canaan hotel." A
large lainily w-as here reared, one member of which,
J ustus,->d. has been referred to. .-\notlier child, Steph¬
en, (Capi.) w-ho was born near "Traviiino-dav," 1770,
and was baptized on the eve of his'-eighth" dav "'of
age, married, at twenty-four, Polly, daughter of Dea¬
con John and Hannah (Benediet) 'Carter, and a niece
of the proprietor (.\bijah Coiiistoek) of the many
Oiiloiig-adjoining acres, now known as the S.unuel
Comstock New Canaan larm. Captain Siephe.i and
Polly (Carter) Hoyt, had a daughter, Pollv, „ho mar¬
ried Bradley Keeler, whose carriage establishment
alterward adjoined, m- nearly s,,, his wife's .n-.uul-
fai)ier s home.

Between the Bouton Hoyt New C.uiaan grist mill
and that ol Justus Hoyt s,ood the Col. Wm W its,,,,
mill, alterward Young's a.xe mill. These inillin., in
dustrus were planted 0,1   Five Mile River, the waters
 

of which siii-i|l   .stream, from  its  rise in \'ista  to its
mouth   at   the   Rowayton   of   1896, were   at   several
points mill-used.     .Mrs. Col.  Watson and Mr. Young
were both drowned near the site of the Watson mill.
'Upon   the  list "of  all   persons holding land in
I    Hartford, in  Feb., 1639," occur the names of Janies,
Nicholas, John and Richard Olmsted.    James is sup¬
posed  to have  been  the  father  of   Nicholas  and the
!   uncle   of   John   and    Richard.    John   and   Richards
I    uncle, in whose company they came, it is believed, to
I   America  left   them, at   his  decease, a small   legacy.
j    Richard was one of  the   petitioners in   1650, for the
!   planting of   .Norwalk, and  he is the third  one men¬
tioned in the go\ernor and companv s patent to the
Norwalk    proprietors,   upon   the   extant   records   of
w Inch  proprietors,  volume  one, page  one,  line one,
liis   name   appears.     Four   acres   and  one rood were
apportioned   to   him   for   a   home-lot, w-hich   lay on
the east   side of  the Town  Street, not   far  from the