Samuel Hough

"Historic Record of the Town of Meriden, Connecticut, 1906, Vol 1 "

Page 137 There were two other ancient farms of which no mention has been made. The first was the Hough farm in the northeast part of the town. It was located on what is known as the Westfield road, and included a large tract of land. Samuel Hough, the immediate progenitor of the Meriden family, owned a tract of land that is at present known as the Joseph Hough farm; it is south of the old Yale farm, just over in the Wallingford line, and it includes the Spruce Glen or Gutter district, where Samuel apparently owned and worked a sawmill at an early date. He was the father of Dr. William Hough, whose home has been described, and also of James Hough, who in the year 1730 bought of the Way family two acres of land in the bend of the Harbor; sufficient as the deed says for a sawmill to stand on. In the early days that part of Harbor brook was always called the "bend." The pond was then constructed and the mill site we now know as Baldwin's; but it continued to be known as Hough's until 1796 when James Baldwin bought an interest. He was the ancestor of several of the Baldwin families in Meriden, notably Moses (whose son, Nathan S.,1 still has his home in the northeast district) and Ransom, who was the father of Mrs. Russell Hall and Mrs. Benjamin Kennard, of this city. The old James Hough homestead was built probably as early as 1740. As may readily be perceived, it is a very ancient building, and when the photograph was taken it still preserved its stone chimney. It was acquired by James Baldwin after he bought the mill property and it is now the home of Gardner W. Reynolds. It stands on the north side of the road, several hundred feet east of the mill. East of it stood until a few years ago an old house known as the Phineas Hough dwelling, built by a son of James. North and east of the Hough property was the large farm of James Scovill. He came to Meriden as early as 1721 from Middletown, and for several generations the Scovill family was prominent and well known in Meriden, but the name has become extinct in this vicinity. The late Henry S. Wilcox and his son, Albert H.,2 are descendants of this family. The Scovill houses have all disappeared, one or two of them by fire.

The highway leading to these Hough and Scovill farms, known now as Britannia street and Westfield road, was laid out in 1739. Wall street, which was also laid out in the same year, led from Liberty street to Hough's or Baldwin's Mill; both roads when laid out or adopted by the selectmen followed ancient paths.

Town of Essex, Ct., The town of Essex has a very diverse and rich background dating to the mid-17th century. William Pratt, William Hide, & John Lay were the three original settlers of Potapoug Point, an area which approximately encompassed the current Essex village. Most of Essex (as well as Deep River and Chester) was initially known as the Potapoug Quarter of the Saybrook Colony. In 1852, Essex became a town by itself (although called Old Saybrook until 1854 when Essex became the official name), and in 1859 the Centerbrook (lvoryton) section was added. The first dam in town was built at the mouth of the Falls River by Samuel Hough in 1689. This was quickly followed by another dam in Centerbrook, at the point of the greatest "drop" in that stream. This latter structure established that section of town as paramount because the emphasis was on farming, and the rich soil of the "Scotch Plains" (Rt. 153) land fitted perfectly. In 1722, the 2nd Ecclesiastical Society was founded in Centerbrook, in effect establishing Essex as a town. The Congregational Church in Centerbrook (it is the third building), built in 1790, is a visual reminder of this past event. The Essex Village section of town grew in importance with the advent of shipping and ship construction. Although a wharf was established here as early as 1664, it was not until the latter part of the 18th century that Essex emerged as a maritime force. The construction in 1775 of the Oliver Cromwell, Connecticut's first "battleship", by Captain Uriah Hayden set the tone for future events. Between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, Essex built more than 500 sailing vessels. The British raid on the harbor in April, 1814, is testament to the importance of this area, as they destroyed 28 ships, including 5 being built as privateers. It was one of the worst losses the American side suffered in the War of 1812. The coming of the steamboat era locally in 1823, when these ships first stopped in town, may have initially seemed a blessing, but in the long run the steamboat symbolized a great change in the way people lived. The steamboats plied the Connecticut River for over 100 years. The hand-made wooden sailing ships quickly fell victim to the ideas of the Industrial Revolution, and with this Ivoryton became a leader. Samuel M. Comstock firmly established the ivory industry in that section of town, and by 1862, in partnership with George A. Cheney, he had formed the Comstock, Cheney, & Co. This factory dominated local life for many years, turning out piano actions and keyboards, as well as other ivory artifacts. It was literally the center of the ivory producing business in the United States. Ivoryton was not named as such until the 1880s, having been known as West Centrebrook up to that time. During World War II, this company (now called Pratt-Read) employed thousands producing gliders for the war effort. Essex carries its past very well. Many old houses have been restored, the old roads are still intact, and most importantly, the residents are keenly aware and respectful of what Essex once was. Whichever village, it is a town we are both currently and historically proud of.

NOTE regarding erroneously assigned marriage of Samuel to Hannah Orvis Orton (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hough-470): Articles have appeared in genealogical publications that suggested that Samuel was also married to Hannah ORVIS (1655 - c 1678).

The American Genealogist (TAG), Vol. 41, pp. 41-47 shows a reference in the RootsWeb posting of Diane Delbridge. Sanborn’s recent Third Supplement to Torrey, pg. 150 also mentions this. The 1965 vintage TAG article is titled “The Will of Mrs. Elizabeth Carpenter Orvis Brunson” and the author is Donald Lines Jacobus. In the article, Jacobus takes the bequest by Mrs. Brunson, “I give to Hannah Hough, my gr. Child, a brass Box with pott hooks, when she comes of age” (Manwaring, Digest of Connecticut Probate Records, Vol. 1, pg. 414), and makes a case that Hannah Orvis, oldest Orvis daughter of Mrs. Brunson, was the first wife of Samuel Hough and the mother of young Hannah.

William W Hough provided a correction and explanation in "The Connecticut Nutmegger", Volume 39, No 4, March 2007, page 510. This article presented proof that it was Margaret Orvis, the younger sister of Hannah, who married Jonathan Hough, the youngest brother of Samuel, and this couple produced the Hannah Hough mentioned by Mrs. Brunson in her will. Thus the relationship between Samuel Hough and Hannah Orvis was, in the nomenclature of today, that of brother and sister in-law and had nothing to do with their own marriages. While Jacobus was certainly on the right track and correctly connected these two families, he picked the wrong individuals.

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MH:S500060 Diane Hough Hough Web Site <p>MyHeritage family tree</p><p>Family site: Hough Web Site</p>Family tree: 121651091-2 121651091-2 Discovery

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MH:SC503808 Samuel Hough Samuel Hough 14 APR 2019 Added via a Smart Match 3