CHAPTER XVII.
THE FIRST CORN MILL. ORIGIN OF THE NAME OF YALESVILLE.
the first planters of Wallingford, as in all new settlements, soon discovered the importance of having a mill for grinding their corn. Consequently they were not long in making preparations for the erection of one on Wharton's brook, a little south of the late residence of Joseph Doolittle. As early as 1673, at a town meeting on the 30th day of January, it was "ordered that Lieut. Fowler be invited to come and confer with the townsmen about building a mill as he had proposed, so that the town might exactly know what his proposition was, that it might be reported to the town, and action taken accordingly." No further action was taken on the subject until February 24th of the same year, when Mr. Moss, Lieut Merriman, Thomas Yale and Benjamin Lewis were chosen to confer with Lieut. Fowler concerning the mill, and liberty was granted them, provided Fowler would not agree to such terms as they might propose, to accept of his; thus showing their great anxiety for the establishment of a mill in the town. Nothing appears to have been accomplished, as the committee made no report of their doings.
A contract was however made by the committee with
329
Lieut Fowler, and the work of building a mill was commenced. On the fifth day of the fourth month, 1674, John Hall Jr., Nathaniel Royce, Benjamin Lewis and Nathan Andrews were chosen to look after the interests of the mill, and to cause the work to be duly accomplished. A vigorous move was now made to push the work. A town meeting was called on the third day of July, 1674, and a rate of sixteen shillings on the smallest lots, and twenty-four shillings on the middle lots, and thirty-two shillings on the largest lots, was laid, and ordered to be paid in the following manner: One-half of a third part in wheat and peas in equal proportion, and the remainder in Indian or other corn; the wheat, if winter wheat, at five shillings per bushel; summer wheat at five shillings eight pence; peas at four shillings, and corn at three shillings and sixpence, to defray the expense of the mill, and in carrying on the work at and about the same, also about Mr. Street's house then being erected.
The great difficulty of procuring help to accomplish the work about the mill, induced the town at a meeting held August 26, 1674, to order and direct the committee to call out the inhabitants of the town to work at the mill. The committee found some difficulty in carrying out the above order; therefore on the twentieth day of October, 1674, a further committee was appointed, consisting of Samuel Andrews, Thomas Curtis and Thomas Hall, to assist the former committee in prosecuting the work; and if on call any should refuse to work at the mill, they should pay a fine of five shillings. As this vote was the last one passed by the town on the subject, it is supposed that the committee found no further difficulty in finishing the work about the mill.
330
The mill having been completed, a meeting of the town was called, and held December 12, 1674, ordering the inhabitants to bring in their corn to the mill, that the same may be ground; and that Wednesday and Thursday in each week be set apart for grinding at the mill. As no record can be found of the contract made with Lieut. Fowler respecting the mill or his interest therein, that part of its history must forever remain in obscurity. During the season following, the mill-dam was frequently damaged by the sudden rise of water in the stream, and frequent calls were made on the people to assist in making repairs. At a meeting of the town held September 23, 1675, an appropriation of forty shillings was made, and a committee appointed to cause the mill-dam to be kept in order. April 6, 1675, the town gave Lieutenant Fowler six acres of land upon the mill plain, on the south side of the path that leads to the mill, adjoining Wharton's brook. April 27, 1675, a further grant was made to Lieut. Fowler of sixty acres of land on the east side of Wharton's brook, east of the mill, and adjoining said brook. The selectmen were to lay it out according to their best judgment, and for convenience to the mill and people of the town. This grant is very nearly, if not exactly, that tract of land which was the farm of the late Michael Doolittle.
On account of some difficulty between the town and Lieut. Fowler, in carrying out his contract made with the committee, he not being willing to confer further with them, sent his son John Fowler to act in his behalf. At a meeting of the town September 16, 1676, John Fowler appeared in behalf of his father, as his agent respecting all former contracts of his father about the mill. He engaged in his own name, and drew up
331
and signed a contract with the town of Wallingford, upon condition the town granted the sixty acres of land as promised, situated as follows:
"The north stake ten rods northward of the brook commonly called Milking Yard brook as you go between Wallingford and Hartford in the Middle way between the mouth of said brook and the old path, and to run in a strait line southward, so as to cut the edges of the red bank by the east river, so called, at the utmost eastward. And so from the norther stake westward 120 rods, and so as to hold his depth on the south side paralell and the river southward till he have the full complement of sixty acres."
What action the town took in relation to this matter does not appear; but the following vote, passed March 5, 1676, indicates the result:
"Voted, in case Lieut. Fowler dissented from his former contract with the town about the mill, and it falls out that Jo. Lothrop prove to be the man that takes the matter in hand to procure the mill to be built anew, and kept in repair for the use of the town, the town will give him twenty pounds for his encouragement in the work."
Nathaniel Royce was instructed in behalf of Jo. Lothrop to call out men to work at the mill, every man according to his proportion until the thirty pounds were paid. Lieut. Fowler's management and the location of the mill were not satisfactory to the people of the town, and as he could not give further assurances, or would not fulfil his contract with them, the dam and race had been greatly damaged by the flood, and mill gearing often out of repair, causing much trouble and annoyance; and Mr. Fowler failing to perform his engagements, it was decided that the mill should be removed to a place that
332
had been selected previously for that purpose at the first falls on the river, (now Yalesville).
The old site of the first mill was on Wharton's brook a little south of the hill on which the village stands, and a little below the late residence of Joseph Doolittle. Traces of the old dam and race are now visible. Before entering upon the history of the First Falls mill, it may not be out of place to give some of the town's action relative to the old mill-site flowing ground, which being sequestered was rented from time to time for different purposes, and to different individuals. November 14, 1679, the land where the mill stood was given to Mercy Moss. It is described as being on the west side of Long Hill, near the south end of Wharton's brook. March 13, 1693, the townsmen were instructed to let the old mill-pond for seven years to John Doolittle, for two pounds and two shillings per year, current provision pay, be keeping the fences in good repair, and to leave them so. October 4, 1693, the old mill-pond was by a vote of the town sequestered, with all the land between the country road and the old pond place, the use of which was to be applied to the benefit of schools; no part of which was to be disposed of or sold, without the consent of every individual planter.
The site of the mill at the "First Falls" was examined at an early date and selected as a desirable place for a mill; therefore it was decided at a meeting of the town on the fourth day of June, 1677, that the mill should be removed there, or to some other place more convenient if it could be found. Nothing further was done until the 10th of September, 1677. Some three months after they had decided on the removal, the town voted to send for Jo. Lothrop to come and conclude an agreement
333
with them about the mill. It appears that this vote was carried into immediate effect; for on the 13th day of September, 1677, three days only intervening, the town voted that "if Jo. Lothrop go on with all speed and complete his mill which he had begun, leaving all future agreements between himself and the town for more suitable time, then the town grants him his thirty acres of land by the mill as he desired, as a part of his first division as a planter; that is, he is to go five rods below the mill, forty rods above the mill, and so to run back southward until he gets his thirty acres." The town also gave him forty-four acres of land peculiar to his mill; that is, four acres were added to his river lot of eight acres, making it twelve acres in all, and this to be situated as follows: "forty rods by the river, and running back eastward until he can find twelve acres at the falls which had been selected as a site for the mill; also forty acres of upland to be in one piece, or two, as he may choose, provided he does not come within half a mile of the river commonly called New Haven east river, or within two miles of the town, or interfere with any former grants." The town also remitted his rates levied for the purpose of paying for the mill-dam and other work about the mill which belonged to the town to perform. The town also agreed "that the first thirty pounds and the last thirty pounds granted and to be levied for carrying on the work of the mill be now levied according to the three ranks of allotments; that is to say the highest rank to pay twenty shillings, the middle rank fifteen shillings, and the lowest rank ten shillings; this for the first thirty pounds, and also for the second rate levied. Sergeant Abraham Doolittle was chosen and authorised to call out as many of the town as he may need to work at the mill."
334
By the action of the town it appears that Mr. Lothrop was ahead of the town in his work, and that the town were behind in theirs. It also appears that the town were to build the dam and race. October 30, 1677, the town ordered that one day's work more be added to each man in addition to what was previously levied. The town ordered, November 13, 1677, every planter to forthwith work one day each at the mill; "and if any refuse, they are to be pressed; and should any be behind in not paying their former dues, they are also to be pressed." Liberty was given to Sergeant Doolittle to take men from the dam work to help goodman Lothrop about his work proper to the mill, the said Lothrop paying the town for the same.
Up to this time the work had been driven with energy both by the town and Mr. Lothrop, each performing their part to the full satisfaction of the other, when a cloud came over them in the destruction of their dam, which had cost them much labor and expense. It was carried away by the great pressure of the water from above. Notwithstanding this great calamity the people showed themselves to be men of nerve, and resolved to go ahead, and at once sent for goodman Miller, a man of experience in such matters, to give advice as to the best way to proceed in repairing the mill-dam. Goodman Thorp was the messenger sent to Middletown for Mr. Miller, carrying a letter from the town of Wallingford desiring him to come and advise with them. What advice he gave does not appear. The matter rested until spring, when on the twenty-third day of April, 1678, the town decided to take away the sluice in the former dam before building a new one; and on the twenty-second of May the work of repairing the dam was ordered to be
335
carried on forthwith. The training day for May was suspended, and each man was to work at the mill on that day. No doubt the work went on to completion, for we find no reference to the mill or mill-dam until May 23, 1679, when the miller was instructed to grind one day in each week, and that on Mondays. On the eighth day of September, 1679, a committee was chosen to look after the affairs of the mill, and it was ascertained that the miller could not do the grinding necessary for the inhabitants in one day. It was therefore ordered September 29, that two days be set apart for that purpose, viz.: Mondays and Thursdays.
Thus matters went on until Aug. 25, 1680, when the town gave the whole control of the mill into the hands of the committee who had been previously appointed to look out for the interest of the mill and its affairs generally. The business affairs of the mill had by this time become of great annoyance and trouble between the town and the miller, and the town had become completely tired of the trouble arising from it; and to allay further trouble passed the following order, November 8, 1680: "That the miller attend and perform his grinding Mondays and Thursdays, and continue grinding until his mill be cleared, if the water holds out; and that every man has his turn whether he is there himself or sends one of his children or servants, according to agreement; that is, if he brings his corn first, and is there present to desire it, or not, as soon as the hopper is clear; and if no such case occurs then he shall have liberty to attend to the grinding of any one of the town who may bring his corn, and will wait until it is ground; and that the miller does not grind away his water for strangers to the injury of the town's inhabitants." No doubt they anticipated that
336
the passage of this order would be the means of giving satisfaction to the people of the town, but in this they were greatly mistaken; and we find, June 13, 1681, the town voting to give the whole control of the mill into the hands of the miller, provided that he would keep the same in repair and grind the town's corn as it ought to be. October 14, 1681, the town entered into a contract with John Lothrop, and were for a time partially relieved from the care and perplexity of the mill, and no more was heard about it until September 27, 1686, when it was found that it needed great repairs.
A committee was chosen to fix upon a site for a mill on the river, and two days afterwards an order was passed ordering its removal. Thus it would appear that a site a little further down the stream would be better than the one originally selected, and there appears to be no doubt but that the mill was removed several rods down the stream; and in order to make the location sure forever as a mill-site, the people of the town in town meeting assembled, October 3, 1687, agreed and voted that all the land about the mill and that on which it stands, and the river, shall be sequestered as town's commons, not any part thereof or parcel of the same ever to be sold or granted to any person or persons except by the consent of every individual planter belonging to the town. This land was bounded west by the entailed land, foreign to the mill, by the river and the highway on all the other parts (the mill being on the west side of the river); and as there was no means of crossing except by fording the river, the town at a meeting held December 27, 1687, ordered that a canoe be procured for the purpose of crossing the river to get to the mill from the east.
337
The work of removing and repairing the mill having been accomplished, the town, at a meeting held January 21, 1689, passed an order directing how the affairs relative to grinding were to be performed at the mill, and thus assumed the entire control of its affairs. December 17, 1694, the people having become dissatisfied with crossing the river in a canoe, resolved to build a bridge, so that persons could get to the mill horseback. This was a great improvement over the old plan of crossing the river in a canoe. January 22, 1695, a tax of one-half penny was levied to defray the expense of the bridge at the mill. The bridge was no doubt built almost exactly where the bridge now is, just east of Parker's factory, and on the old road leading to Wallingford. At this meeting Samuel Lothrop, a son of John Lothrop, was appointed to take charge of the mill for two months, on condition that he performed his work well, and ground every man's corn well; but he was given to understand that he could not stay in the mill if he failed to perform his work in a satisfactory manner. He appears to have given satisfaction, as he continued in charge of the mill until 1697, when Thomas Hall was chosen miller. December 31, 1700, it was ordered that the miller devote four days to grinding in each week in the winter, viz., December, January and February, and three days in each week for the remainder of the year.
On or about the ninth day of March, 1704, John Lothrop's heirs sold to Tyler and Stanley all of their interest in the mill, and in 1707 William Tyler made a contract with the town concerning it. From this time the town seems to have surrendered all control over the mill and miller, the mill having passed into the hands of Wm. Tyler, who had purchased the interest of Mr. Stanley
338
The mill and all of the privileges connected with it remained in the Tyler family nearly a hundred years, until the decease of the late Samuel Tyler, who left it to one of his daughters, and it was sold by her guardian, Nehemiah Rice, to the late Charles Yale, who made extensive repairs and alterations, and changed the name of Tyler's mills to Yalesville. The old buildings were destroyed by fire a few years ago.