378
 

NORWALK.
 

H O ME -LOT X XX TI'.
THOMAS BENEDICT, Jr.
When, two-and-a-quarter centuries ago, Thomas Benedict, Jr.,' the second of his
name in Norwalk, stood in his cottage, a little south of Oyster Shell Point, and from
one of its river-view windows looked across the water, he perhaps hardly dreamed that it
was to fall to his own blood soon to possess a no mean portion of the westward upland and
lowland country upon which his eyes rested. The hill based by " Ponasses Path " (back
to-day of the Armory), and extending as far as the " Great Swamp" on the Stamford road,
was anon to bear his family name and be called " Benedict's Hill ", while upon the present
Maple Street was to be built, by his grandson, a structure which would perpetuate the
family story down into the yon half of the nineteenth century.
 

who bore to him, Sept. 12, 1786, a son Ira, who lived
to marry, Jan. 29, 1812, Flora Rogers of the New
Fairfield (Rogers) family (see page 108).

Martin Kellogg, father of the present Jarvis Kel¬
logg of Center Avenue, was a son of Jarvis^d. and
Mercie (Selleck) Kellogg. His sister, the venerable
Mrs. Stephen Stanley, now survives a husband who
attained to a noble and much respected age.

A grandson of Charles, brother of Martin, and
son of Jarvis Kellogg^d., married the oldest child,
Anne Adele Walton, of Rev. Alexander and Adele
Walton (Livermore) Hamilton, now of Norwalk. This
fair descendant (Mrs. Gilvia Burr Kellogg) of Secre¬
tary Alexander and Elizabeth (Schuyler) Hamilton
(see page 331), faded early away, but bequeathed a
fragrant memory-legacy.

'The fourth brother of Thomas Benedict, Jr.,
Daniel'st., w-as young when his father came from Long
Island to .Norw-alk. Directly across the street from
the Benedicts ( Fort Point Street 1896, some few hund¬
red feet w-est of East Avenue) lived Mary Marvin,
also a mere child, daughter of Matthew Marvin, Jr.

Daniel'st. and Mary grew up together, and early
in life married each other. The husband was a pat¬
riot, and as the Indians were thorns in the sides of
the New England settlers, he resolved to help put
down the savage foe. We consequently find him in
the Indian engagement of Dec. 19, 1675, known in
history as the " Direful Swamp fight ", and so pleased
was the tow-n of Norwalk with his demeanor on that
occasion, that a grant of land, near what is now West
.Avenue, was voted him in recognition of his services.
While he was yet in full strength, the town of Dan¬
bury bad been projected, and himself and wife sold
their Norwalk property, packed up everything, and
started upon their tedious trip thither. Keeping, it
is possible, along the river's valley, and passing " Split
Rock", they drove through -' Pimpewaugh " Tnd over
the hill-path northeast of " Nod ", and then diverg¬
ing,   possiblv to   the  left,  continued   across   a   lev"el
 

which conducted, after a half-dozen miles, to a chasm
road, from both sides of which, if old mentions are
true, wild cats jumped " clean " across the way, and in
the broken plain at the northern foot of which already
lived Daniel's two brothers, Saniuel and James,

Daniel^d,, son of Daniel'st-, married Rebecca,
daughter of Thomas Taylor, one of the Norwalk set¬
tlers of Danbury, Matthew, second son of Daniel^d.
and Rebecca, wedded a young woman from the "Still
River" country, sixteen miles to the northeast of
Danbury (Mabel, daughter of John Noble of New
Milford). These tw-o had a son (Capt. Noble Bene¬
dict, born Jan. 25, 1735), who raised, in the Revolu¬
tionary war, a company in Danbury, among the first
to enlist in which was a Carmel farm youth, Enoch
Crosb}', the future " spy" (see page 96).

The next younger brother of Thomas Benedict.
Jr., was John's'-, who married, Nov. 11, 1670. Phcebe,
daughter of John'st. and Sarah Gregory (see p. 82).
This son, John, born Mar. 3, 1676, was the grand¬
father of John Benedict, who niarried, Apr. 4, 1792,
Jane, daughter of Samuel Rayinond, and had: Bet¬
sey (who married Rev. Zenophon, son of patriot
Capt. Hezekiah Betts of Norwalk), and Amanda, who
married, Dec. 16, 1847, as his second wife, the late
George W. Benedict of South Norwalk, father of the
deceased Homer of California, and of the brave Theo¬
dore of the Civil War, and of Dr. George W., post¬
master in 1895, of South Norwalk. George W. Bene¬
dict, father of Homer, Theodore and George W.^d.,
was himself a descendant ( gr.-gr.-gr.-grandson) of
John'st. and Phoebe (Gregory) Benedict He, as was
the case with his brother William Henry, was a strong
character. Tbe brothers were manufacturers, whose
establishment sent out workman-like work, and the
intelligence and enterprise of its managers contrib¬
uted, not alone to the local community's weal, but
was an element in the antecedent success which has
helpetl to make possible the closing centuty's crown¬
ing material progress.