THE TOWN OF NORTH SALEM. 739 



bordering on Fairfield county, called Keelerville, are descended from 

 Jonah Keeler, another of the proprietors of the oblong, in 1731. The 

 first ancestor in this county, of whom we find any record, was Ralph 

 Keeler, residing at Hartford in 1639." In 1650, Ralph Keeler appears 

 to have been one of the fourteen who agreed with Roger Ludlow for the 

 settling and planting of Norwalk, and the next year bought lands of 

 Rurckinghage and other Indians. He must have died before 1679, 

 leaving several sons — John, Samuel, Ralph, &c, one of which was prob- 

 ably the Father of Jonah Keeler. Three of the same name, viz : Sam- 

 uel Keeler, Sen., and his son Samuel Keeler, Jr., and Joseph Keeler, 

 then inhabitants of Norwalk, purchased of Katonah, sachem, and other 

 Indians, Candatowa, or Ridgefield, in 1708. In 1731-2, Jonah Keeler 

 obtained the following release from the other patentees of the oblong, 

 or Equivalent, on condition of his always paying the yearly quit-rent of 

 two shillings and sixpence for each hundred acres of land, " to our Lord, 

 the King, at Lady Day, yearly." 



KELEASE OF OBLONG PROPRIETORS TO JONAH KEELER. 



This Indenture, made this 10th day of March, in ye sixth year of ye reign of 

 our Sovereign Lord, George the Second, King of Great Britain, &c, Annoq Dom- 

 ini 1731-2, witnesseth, that whereas we, Thomas Halwey, Nathan St. John, 

 Samuel Smith, Benjamin Benedict, Richard Olmsted, Thomas Smith, Ebenezer 

 Smith, David Sherwood, Benjamin Burt, Thomas Hyatt, Benjamin Willson, 

 Joseph Lee, Joseph Keeler, James Benedict, Richard Osburn, Samuel Smith, 

 Daniel Olmsted, Timothy Keeler, Matthew Seamore, Joseph Northup and James 

 Brown, together with Adam Ireland, Benjamin Birdsall and John Thomas, hav- 

 ing jointly obtained a patent of fifty thousand acres of ye Oblong or Equivalent 

 lands, of his Excellency John Montgomery, Esq., late Governor of New York, 

 and having since obtained a release of said Ireland, Birdsell and John Thomas, 

 of the Southern ten miles of said pattent, and others also, whose names are not in 

 said pattent or release, being interested therein by obligation from us, and no 

 division having been made of ye premises. Wherefore, we, Thomas Hawley, 

 Nathan St. John, Samuel Smith, Benjamin Benedict, Richard Olmsted, Thomas 

 Smith, Ebenezer Smith, Daniel Sherwood, Benjamin Burt, Thomas Hyatt, Ben- 

 jamin Willson, Joseph Lee, Joseph Keeler, James Benedict, Richard Osburn, 

 Samuel Smith, Daniel Olmsted, Timothy Keeler, Matthew Seamore, Joseph 

 Northrup and James Brown, do now proceed to make a division thereof ; and do 

 give, grant, enfeoff, aliene, convey, release and confirm, and by these presents 

 have given, granted, enfeoffed, aliened, conveyed and confirmed, unto Jonah 

 Keeler, his heirs and assigns forever, on consideration of a lease obtained of said 

 Jonah Keeler, and bearing date herewith, the Following tract of Land, viz : Be- 



a E. Halls, Norwalk ; p. 19— ditto, p. 32-35. For a table of " estates of lands, and accommo- 

 dations for Norwalk, in .655, occurs the names of Ralph and Walter Keeler. E. Halls, Nor- 

 walk, p. 17. Samuel Keeler, Jr., who married Rebeccah, daughter of James Benedict, of 

 Danbury, January 18, 1704, died 8th of May, 1763, leaving Samuel, born January 14th, 1705 

 and Reuben, born October 28, 1708 ; by tiis second wife left Matthew, born March 14, 1717. 



