Gaylordsville, Connecticut
Encyclopedia
Gaylordsville is a village located in the northwest corner of the Town of New Milford
, Litchfield County
, Connecticut
. It was founded in 1725 by William Gaylord.
. In 1630 William Gaylord arrived in Nantucket harbor on the ship "Mary and John", which had sailed from Plymouth, England. He later settled in East Windsor, Connecticut
. His great-grandson, Ensign William Gaylord, moved to Woodbury
in 1706 and married Joanna, the daughter of Captain John Minor. Joanna's sister, Grace, married Samuel Grant, and was an ancestor of President Grant
.
In 1712, the Gaylord couple came to New Milford, Connecticut, which had been settled only five years previously. Their house stood on the corner of Main and Elm Streets. For a time he kept a tavern there in addition to doing his regular work as a surveyor. He did a lot of surveying for the State, laying out town boundary lines, and it was, no doubt, on one of these surveying trips that he became impressed with the large areas of level land several miles north of the New Milford village, just north of the straits on the Housatonic River
. He began taking title to parcels of it, and soon owned a large part of the valley. To insure the good will of the Indians living in the area, he also bought it from them, giving, according to legend, a horse, a mule, and a two-wheeled cart.
In 1722, a highway was laid out 'by marked trees' north from New Milford to the brook called Whemiseck. The blazed trail ran through Squash Hallow, past the straits, and over Cedar Hill. Mr. Gaylord was probably the surveyor who laid out this road, and probably put it over Cedar Hill so it would not cut into the level areas that were to become his fields.
In 1725, Mr. Gaylord travelled this trail from New Milford and built a log cabin west of the Housatonic just north of the straits. He lived in this cabin three years while he was clearing land, cutting timbers, and building his frame house, which he built in 1728. The following year his oldest son, Aaron, built a house about a quarter of a mile south of his father's, and on the west side of the valley.
During this time the Gaylord family became good friends with their Indian neighbors, teaching them better methods of agriculture, and dickering with them for furs they could use. The family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Gaylord, Aaron, Joanna, Ruth, Benjamin, and Mary. Benjamin remained at his father's home, and eventually took over the homestead. He married Tryal Morehouse on October 23, 1745.
William Gaylord died October 25, 1743, at the age of 73. His grave, and that of Mrs. Gaylord were the first ones in a cemetery that had been laid out about half a mile south of the Gaylord home.
Gaylordsville is located in the northwest corner of New Milford. It is part of the Valley known to the Indians as the Wheniuck or Red Plumb Plain. On the East the boundary is Quanuctnic or Long Mountain, but it has never been decided whether it should be at the foot of the mountain or somewhere up on top. The Southern boundary is also vague, usually considered to be an imaginary line leaving the Housatonic River somewhere South of the Tory Cave and extending across Squash Hollow. The Sherman town line forms the Western boundary, although several homes in Sherman are usually considered to be part of the Gaylordsville community.
The Housatonic River runs through the center of the village and is joined by the Wimisink, Womunshenuck, Naromiyocknowhusunkatankshunk, and Squash Hollow brooks. The South end of the valley is divided into two narrow valleys by Straits Mountain or Pauguiack. The North end of this overlooks the village and is called "the Pinnacle". The area usually considered to be Gaylordsville is about four miles long and one mile wide.
New Milford, Connecticut
New Milford is a town in southern Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States north of Danbury, on the Housatonic River. It is the largest town in the state in terms of land area at nearly . The population was 28,671 according to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimates...
, Litchfield County
Litchfield County, Connecticut
Litchfield County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut but is geographically the state's largest county. As of 2010 the population was 189,927...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. It was founded in 1725 by William Gaylord.
History
The early history of Gaylordsville is closely connected to the Gaylord family, or Gaillard, as the family was known in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1630 William Gaylord arrived in Nantucket harbor on the ship "Mary and John", which had sailed from Plymouth, England. He later settled in East Windsor, Connecticut
East Windsor, Connecticut
East Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 11,162 at the 2010 census.The town has five villages: Broad Brook, Melrose, Scantic, Warehouse Point and Windsorville.-Area:...
. His great-grandson, Ensign William Gaylord, moved to Woodbury
Woodbury, Connecticut
Woodbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,198 at the 2000 census. The town center is also designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place . Woodbury was founded in 1672....
in 1706 and married Joanna, the daughter of Captain John Minor. Joanna's sister, Grace, married Samuel Grant, and was an ancestor of President Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
.
In 1712, the Gaylord couple came to New Milford, Connecticut, which had been settled only five years previously. Their house stood on the corner of Main and Elm Streets. For a time he kept a tavern there in addition to doing his regular work as a surveyor. He did a lot of surveying for the State, laying out town boundary lines, and it was, no doubt, on one of these surveying trips that he became impressed with the large areas of level land several miles north of the New Milford village, just north of the straits on the Housatonic River
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River is a river, approximately long, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about of southwestern New England into Long Island Sound...
. He began taking title to parcels of it, and soon owned a large part of the valley. To insure the good will of the Indians living in the area, he also bought it from them, giving, according to legend, a horse, a mule, and a two-wheeled cart.
In 1722, a highway was laid out 'by marked trees' north from New Milford to the brook called Whemiseck. The blazed trail ran through Squash Hallow, past the straits, and over Cedar Hill. Mr. Gaylord was probably the surveyor who laid out this road, and probably put it over Cedar Hill so it would not cut into the level areas that were to become his fields.
In 1725, Mr. Gaylord travelled this trail from New Milford and built a log cabin west of the Housatonic just north of the straits. He lived in this cabin three years while he was clearing land, cutting timbers, and building his frame house, which he built in 1728. The following year his oldest son, Aaron, built a house about a quarter of a mile south of his father's, and on the west side of the valley.
During this time the Gaylord family became good friends with their Indian neighbors, teaching them better methods of agriculture, and dickering with them for furs they could use. The family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Gaylord, Aaron, Joanna, Ruth, Benjamin, and Mary. Benjamin remained at his father's home, and eventually took over the homestead. He married Tryal Morehouse on October 23, 1745.
William Gaylord died October 25, 1743, at the age of 73. His grave, and that of Mrs. Gaylord were the first ones in a cemetery that had been laid out about half a mile south of the Gaylord home.
Geography
Gaylordsville is located at geographical coordinates 41° 38′ 47" North, 73° 29′ 5" West (41.646469, -73.484673).Gaylordsville is located in the northwest corner of New Milford. It is part of the Valley known to the Indians as the Wheniuck or Red Plumb Plain. On the East the boundary is Quanuctnic or Long Mountain, but it has never been decided whether it should be at the foot of the mountain or somewhere up on top. The Southern boundary is also vague, usually considered to be an imaginary line leaving the Housatonic River somewhere South of the Tory Cave and extending across Squash Hollow. The Sherman town line forms the Western boundary, although several homes in Sherman are usually considered to be part of the Gaylordsville community.
The Housatonic River runs through the center of the village and is joined by the Wimisink, Womunshenuck, Naromiyocknowhusunkatankshunk, and Squash Hollow brooks. The South end of the valley is divided into two narrow valleys by Straits Mountain or Pauguiack. The North end of this overlooks the village and is called "the Pinnacle". The area usually considered to be Gaylordsville is about four miles long and one mile wide.
Historical sites
- Brown's Forge, a blacksmith shop. 1870
- The Little Red Schoolhouse 1740 - 1967. The last operating one-room schoolhouse in Connecticut. Also known as the Gaylord School, it was one of New Milford's primary schools for 227 years.
- Merwinsville Hotel 1837.
Famous residents
- Katherine Anthony
- Elisabeth IrwinElisabeth IrwinElisabeth Antoinette Irwin was the founder of the Little Red School House. She was an educator, psychologist, reformer, and declared lesbian, living with her life partner Katharine Anthony and the two children they adopted.-Biography:Irwin was born in Brooklyn to William Henry Irwin and Josephina...
- Florence MaybrickFlorence MaybrickFlorence Elizabeth Maybrick was an American woman convicted in Great Britain of murdering her considerably older husband, James Maybrick.-Early life:...
- Isaac SternIsaac SternIsaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born violinist. He was renowned for his recordings and for discovering new musical talent.-Biography:Isaac Stern was born into a Jewish family in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was fourteen months old when his family moved to San Francisco...