Stilson Family History Part 4

Millford was famous as a Milling town.  Many of the farmers brought their corn and other millable items to the mills springing up around the area.  The town was doing very well, and had trade centers now.  Where tradeing was done with indians and other towns.   Grace had died, when last we were in and Vincent being left with 4 children to raise, had found and married a new young woman.  His second wife, was Mary, but her last name is unknown to us.  Though it was certain that she was from a family in the area.  Mary was about 20 years younger maybe a bit more, when Vincent married her.  She was around the age of possibly 16.  

"Life is a simply a collection of memories, but memories are like star light... They live on forever." by C.W. McCall.

Life in the small town was simple, though hard.  There was no easy things like we have today.   Most of those living in the times, were farmers, though they had to be a jack of all trades, building their own homes, clearing their own lands, building fences, and items needed for compfort within the homes.  We did learn however that Vincent was a shoemaker by trade.  Most likely through all the things he had to do within his own home, family and life, he made shoes for those who could afford a little extra for the simple things of life.

It was seen around the area many forms of homes, most were one story but several now were being two stories, with loft rooms avaialbe for sleeping or added on slanted kitchens or store rooms.  Some even had their barns attached to the house, makeing it much easier to take care of the animals needed for both food, and clothing items.  The women scrubbed their homes.  Now think on this one awhile. get back to that in a moment.

Although the earliest local records are lost, the town was represented in the General Court in 1652. In 1653, the General Court approved that the town be known as Middletown, so named for is place at the halfway point between Windsor and Saybrook. By 1654 there were 31 taxable persons, mostly clustered near the meeting house near the north end of the present Main Street. Several families were located about two miles to the north in what would become known as the "Upper Houses" or "North Society." (Generally the settlers began with 5-acres house lots, with larger outlying tracts granted to them in subsequent land divisions.) Many of the 23 first settler heads of household were among the first settler families of Hartford, and some had been among the early inhabitants of Wethersfield. Three had spent nearly a decade in Rowley, Mass. One was from Concord, Mass.The life of the earliest mid and late 17th century settlers was dominated by the hard physical labor of clearing land, fencing pastures, and building houses. The daily work was done in constant vigilance of Native American harassment. Connecticut towns were required to have their own "train bands," or militias, with regular training days. During any public assembly at the meeting house, guards were posted outside. In Middletown the first meeting house, used for both town business and Sabbath Day meetings, was a frame structure 20-feet square.
 
Showing the hard work and the times it took to do much in their lives.
Now onto house keeping: 
Today we have detergents, household cleansers, and steel wool. But what did people use to shift dirt from unpainted, uncarpeted floors before modern technology? How did they deal with burnt food and rust on iron cooking pots?
Sand is an important part of the answer, along with stone and brick. Soap was also available for those who could afford to buy it for general chores, or who could make it themselves.
You could scour with sand, using a brush or a cloth, and it must have been hard work.

The women of our past did not have the easy lives we have today.  This made me thankful for the things we do have in our lives today, and sad for those back then. 
Now we show that Vincent Jr. learns to ride, thus giving him the opportunity to make deliveries for his father, help more around the farm, and generally take over many of the new tasks now available for his age.

His fear of riding soon leaving him, and he goes on to do much more.  His sister haveing gotton married and moved out of the home.  Agnus married, Joseph Hawkings, son of Robert, she went on to have 5 children of her own, I am unsure of when she died.  But her side of the family was of little interest to the family doing the recording of my fathers side of this family.  Though in the sims i took a picture of her and her husband:

Sorry on the clothes, the game changed them .... errrr.. It seems he may have been a part of the towns business.  But which ones that also I am unsure of, so here he does the  writing of the newspaper.

Moses is the first born of Mary and Vincent, and soon he becomes a toddler

Moses is our heir for the continuation of the Stilson History.Moses was born abt 1676-1678.    Moses learned from all the things a child must learn, his older brothers helping when they had time, his mother doing most of the training, and Vincent working hard, helps when and if he has the time.
  It was around this time that: Court records show that about one-third of the 23 first settlers, at some point in their lives, either before or after their arrival in Middletown, ran afoul of the Puritan laws to some degree --- incidents included "immoderate drinking," profanity or intemperate speech, illegal trade with Indians, adultery/fornication, and "intermeddling to the intangling of the affections."

Soon though we learn mary carries another child.  And Soon  she gives birth to another son, Hugh Stilson born about 1678-1679, now its possible that Hugh was born in Marblehead, MA.. But an absolute on that is unvariafiable.

 History leads us to know that some of these events then took place in several of the towns around the areas.
   1667 - General Court gives permission to Giles Hamlin to retail wine and liquor.
1668 - An agreement made with Rev. Nathaniel Collins to serve as minister of the newly organized First Church.
1669 - A shipwright, "Mr. Adams", granted rights to timber from the common lands to build "a vessel or vessels.

Vincent getting on in age, turns more and more over to the boys to help around the farm, though he still continues, as if he was not ageing.  Hugh soon became a toddler , and Mary was soon pregnate again.
The year now being sometime around 1679. 

This is short I know, but there was a lot of history to add in, and figured, i better get it in here.  Do come back and read more, and leave a comment on how to improve, how its going, or what you think. All comments are greatly appreciated.  Thanks for reading.