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A CHANCE TO OWN GREENFIELD HILL HISTORY ...

533 Merwins Lane is the last fully intact Home built by a member of the
Merwin dynasty and a true memorial to what was once a Merwin bastion. The
first Merwin to move to Greenfield hill was Daniel Merwin, born 1719 and his
wife Mary Meeker, In 1740 Daniel purchased 5 acres of property in what used to be
known as Greenfield, Connecticut, now Greenfield Hill. At the time the area on “his
side of the cart path” was known as “Gilberts and Burr’s Long lots”. In a little more than
100 years after Daniel’s first land purchase, the Merwin descendants had built 5 more
houses along the cart path, and it became known as “Merwins Lane”.

Daniel Merwin’s grandson, Abijah Merwin Jr. born 1787 built 533 Merwins Lane in 1820.
However Abijah passed away the following year at the age of 34 and in 1822 the property
was purchased from his widow Mary Wakeman by his brother Samuel. Samuel was born in
1792 and was a prosperous farmer and added many acres of land to this estate as the years
went by. As a general farmer, he had cows and sheep on the property. As was the custom
of the day he fatted the cows for beef and the calves for veal. The farm also produced wool,
grain, potatoes and butter. They used these products at home and sold them at market.
When Samuel passed away in 1878 it passed to his only surviving son John born 1833. When
John passed away in 1886, it went to the last Merwin to own it, George Merwin. By 1929
the property consisted of twelve acres and finally passed out of the Merwin family to the
renowned architect Cameron Clark. He lived here until 1951.

Abijah’s father, Abijah Sr., born 1748 was also a farmer and married Ruth Bradley, daughter
of Ruth Hull Bradley, (Hulls Highway) and served in the Revolutionary war and the Battle
of Ridgefield. His home was directly next to 533 Merwins Lane on the north side and was
built in 1780. It had many acres of farmland, with oxen, sheep, cattle and horses. He also
had a very valuable crab apple orchard and produced excellent cider for market. His great
granddaughter Lavinia Merwin married Edward S. Bulkley of Southport. (Bulkely Avenue)
Sadly this house no longer exits. After it was torn down, the new house was designed by
Cameron Clark in 1941. The remodeled home now sits on 7 acres of the former Merwin
farmland. Abijah Jr’s grandfather Daniel’s property was across the street from 533
Merwins. This house no longer exists.

Farther north on Merwins, at the corner of Horseshoe Lane sits another magnificent
Merwin legacy. 917 Merwins Lane was built by Hull Merwin in 1802. He was born in 1781
and was the older brother of Abijah Jr. Unfortunately he died untimely at the age of 38
from injuries caused by being run over by an ox cart after he had fallen off a load of hay! He
was rumored to be “intemperate”, which was not hard to believe since he lived in an age
when intoxicating liquors flowed freely, and the best class of people, even preachers of the
Gospel often overindulged…. However his 2 sons, Walter and Hezekiah became most highly
respected and honorable citizens. Walter as well as being a farmer, taught in the district
schools for many years. He also taught in the Greenfield Hill Sunday School for more than 40
years. This home passed out of the family ownership in 1914.

But how did this all begin? From where did the Merwin family originate? In 1645 Miles Merwin
arrived from Milford Haven, Wales. He originally settled in Windsor, CT living as a tanner. He then
moved to and was one of the original settlers of Milford, CT. While in Milford he had a son Thomas
in 1654, who moved to Fairfield in 1678. In 1691 he was granted 20 acres of land at the mouth of Pine
Creek where he operated a Tannery taking after his father’s profession. Thomas had a son Thomas Jr
in 1696 and he married a member of another prominent family - Ruth Morehouse - (Morehouse Hwy).
Thomas and Ruth’s son Daniel, was the original settler of Merwins Lane. He lived there until 1800.