Henry Camp home and farm from Division 1, homelot 11, 1732

From East West Harwinton Land Records "the eleventh lot to Gideon Carter in width 30 rods bounded south on Cyprian Webster west upon the said highway". Gideon was a young man of modest wealth and his homelot was the second smallest of the original 25. My measurements reveal this lot started across the road from, and slightly south of, Bill Lindquist’s driveway. The southern boundary is now the Audet’s driveway. When the John Schibi home was constructed in 1950, a stonewall in that location was flattened and used as a base for the gravel.

Below lot 10 on the map are four lots. The lot directly below the Locust Road east-west label was awarded to Gideon as the 10^th chosen in the second division of land. The last lot, in that the second teer, was his third division lot 15. The area of these two lots totaled 100 acres. This information is added due to the following notation in the Harwinton Land Records, "We John White and Sarah White his wife … for the consideration of two hundred and sixty four pounds… received of Nathaniel Moody of Harwinton… containing in quantity forty four acres being part of an hundred acre lot laid out to Gideon Carter late of Hartford deceased and now belonging to the heirs of said Gideon Carter…"

On December 22, 1746, Joshua Carter of Hartford, who I believe was Gideon’s father, sold "30 acres with a small mansion house having thereon being builted" to Benjamin and Timothy Dod for 200 pounds old tenor. One of these men was the brother-in-law of Gideon and, I believe but cannot presently find the record, the other was married to a Benton. In the six divisions of East Harwinton properties Gideon’s first division, lot 11, was his only one containing 30 acres. The lot was "bounded north on land of Aaron Cooke and south Cyprian Webster". Aaron Cooke purchased lot 12 from Nathaniel Hatch around 1742.

On October 20, 1753, the Dod’s sold the same to Jacob Benton Junior for 500 pounds. This may be the reason many of the local researchers believed the first Harwinton town meeting was held on this property. Jacob Benton Junior was born to Jacob Benton and Elizabeth Hinsdell in Hartford on January 2, 1728/9. (Until the mid 1700s March was the first month of the year. Many dates of this period are listed with two years as many people were confused.) Oddly enough Jacob Benton, the father, was married to Abigail Carter in 1724. She was probably Gideon’s sister. She died in September 1725, two days after the birth of her first child. Jacob Benton Sr. married Elizabeth, mother of Jacob Jr., in 1728.

According to a story told by my father and his Uncle John Schibi the "small mansion house", previously noted, became the sixth district schoolhouse. On the frontage of the 30 acres and actually now on the right-of-way of Locust Road was a foundation of this home. My father and John Schibi removed the stones in the 1940s because they obstructed the hay mowing. All that remains is one cornerstone, which sits level with the turf. The schoolhouse was erected at its present location in 1855 according to the deed granting land for this purpose. Today it comprises a portion of the home of Leslie and Michael Flowers.

Anyone familiar with the land and hay lot described above is sure to recognize that it slopes rather severely to the southwest. I am sure Jacob Jr. was also aware of this fact. Adjacent to this 30 acres, on the north side, is a knoll with an almost flat area behind. On May 13, 1754, Jacob Jr. purchased this parcel of 1 ¼ acres from Aaron and Aaron Cooke Jr. For 50 pounds. It is my opinion that he began the construction of my father’s home shortly thereafter. This photograph is from the late 1800s. Trees nearest the cameraman are Columnar Poplar and Locust in front of the house. The same type of Poplar was planted on both sides of Route 4 east of the Goshen rotary. I'm not sure if they remain today.

On June 3, 1758, Jacob Jr. purchased another parcel from Joseph and Aaron Cooke. Aaron Sr. had died and these were his sons and heirs. In north-south width this parcel measured 65 feet and I think it was needed to place our old barn at the location it occupies today.

Jacob Benton Jr., as did many of the early settlers, mortgaged these buildings and land with merchants of New York City. A complete transcription of the recorded deed to the merchants follows this paragraph. He had also purchased other land to the east of his original 30 acres and probably owned property bounding on today’s Route 72. He fell behind on his mortgage payments and on May 11, 1768 for 5 shillings, or next to nothing, sold out to an attorney and agent of the merchants. The records list "99 acres with a dwelling house + barn thereon". The records go on to describe the bounds as Joseph Cook north, heirs of Cyprian Webster south and east and west on highways. I have no doubt this was the present day home and barn of my father. In Samuel Slade Benton his Ancestors and Descendants the buildings are pictured in the late 1800s with the caption "Jacob Benton House 1760". As was the custom then, as soon as the father died, the Jr. notation was eliminated. Land transfers from the agent John Smith to the present are easy, lengthy and not noteworthy.